That's a Wrap!!

That is a wrap on production for the first episode of Foam Fighters.  We shot 12 pages in two days in 100+ degree Texas weather.  And I feel extremely blessed.  I could not have hoped for a better cast nor a better group of troopers.  I say troopers because that's what these guys are.

Ivy And Jason playing with their sticks.

Ivy Koehler held her own with the boys.  She was always smiling and willing to do what needed to be done.  Harold stepped up to the role of Darrius and made it his own.  Hope became the uber-nerd ... trendsetter?  After a while everyone on set was walking around in glasses with green tape wrapped around the middle. 

Guess who the uber-nerd is?  Anyone?

I was impressed with how the Annihilators all became a team.  And a team that was believable.  They exceeded my expectations in every way.

Sir Ron and Mortimar being awesome!

Trent Lockwood.  This guy is a warrior.  Tough as nails, not only did he have to wear a 5 pound chainmail coif in 100 degree weather and deal with rusty sweat dripping in his eyes, he also had to fight.  And flip onto his back a couple hundred times.  He was not a happy camper.  But out of breath, heat exhaustion setting in and stumbling sideways when trying to walk straight, he wouldn't quit.  At least not until we forced him to.








All in all the shoot went well.  Well, actually that's a lie.  After the first day, we were one scene behind.  After dumping the footage and losing the data on one of our cards, by 2AM Sunday morning, we were now 2 scenes behind and about half a battle sequence.  Great!  Now not only did I get no sleep Friday night, how am I supposed to get an ounce of shut eye at 2AM when call time is 7AM and I just found out we lost a good 20 mins of footage?  Well, Sunday's call time comes around and I am still trying to get that out of my mind and concentrate on the things I have going on that day.

Show-off!

Sunday was great.  It was overcast all day which made the lighting consistent for the most part.  I would have opted for having more control over the light but with our budget and our minimal equipment, and with all our extra scenes to pick up, I am happy for small favors.  So, thank you God for our overcast day!

So we started off the day and just zoomed through the scenes I wanted to get before lunch.  They went by so fast, in fact, that I was able to squeeze the two scenes we needed in before lunch.  That only left what was scheduled after lunch and all the fight scene stuff we needed that could not include Hope or Darrius because they weren't there.  But by the end of Sunday, we had shot everything we needed and even had time to teach Ivy a little sword combination and shot her in the distance as she danced her sword dance as a silhouette.

In the end, I was happy with all we accomplished.  We had a stellar cast and crew.  Though crew side was a total of four people including myself, we worked with what we had and we made it work.  And though there was lots and lots of room for bitching and complaining, no one did.  They all did their jobs and did them well.  I do not know how to repay everyone for their work on this project, but I will definitely make it up to you.

Now it's time to edit all this together.  There's about three hours of footage to rename and sync before I can start editing ... this should be fun.

Crunch Time is HERE!

Harry Plumbley in all his glory

With less that 30 hours before we start shooting, I can feel the stress levels rising.  First of all, I have been struggling for weeks trying to get the insurance for the shoot in order to get the permits needed.  I thought I had given plenty of time, but with nearly a month of constant phone calls (the insurance agent probably hates me by now), the paper work finally came through.  Thursday morning!  Luckily, the Austin Film Commission is on top of their game.  I was dreading another set of delays.  But as soon as I emailed Sonia, I had the permit within an hour.  PHEW!  That was a relief.

But that's just a little part of the craziness that needs to get done before we shoot.  Our costumes are not quite done yet.  I'm crossing my fingers in hopes that they are done in time for the shoot.  I gave the job to Harry Plumbley, my cowriter and one of the producers, who has made tabards before and has been playing the game this web series is based on for over 25 years.  We just need the finishing touches since I spent about 11 hours with Heather Guckian, to whom I might owe my life, as she sewed away making 8 tabards for me.  This girl is a rockstar.  She has 3 kids and a husband who is just as big a kid as I am.  Yet, she still managed to take the time to help me out.  Thank you, Heather!

Heather "The Wondermom" Guckian

I just have to trust they will get done in time.  I have other things to worry about.  I got the call sheets made and started on the shooting schedules.  I've always hated having to organize schedules.  And I wish I was good enough to "wing it".  But I am working with crew and actors I've not worked with before and we're gonna have to cover six pages a day.  Therefore, "winging it" is not an option.  I didn't realize before but I've got eight actors in about half the scenes!  Granted they almost act as background in some of the scenes, but that realization sideswiped me.  But there is a plan that I think is doable now.  And that's why we schedule the shots. 

I've been back and forth with people trying to find reasonably priced lunch for the crew and actors.  It's not a big crew so having someone cater to us is out of the question.  It's just not worth the expense.  If this were a 50+ crew it would be a no brainer.  But we're on a tight budget and I don't want to throw bologna and cheese sandwiches at the actors for lunch.  Not that that ever crossed my mind of course.  Well, it may have been talked about, but that's not worth mentioning.  Especially to the actors.  However, with our budget there are not many choices.  After talking to a few establishments we decided to go with  Freebirds on Saturday.  I would like to do BBQ on Sunday, but that is still up in the air.  I need to take another look at my pockets.

The most important thing on set is not the talent, or the crew, or the equipment, or location.  None of that.  The single most important thing to have on set is food!!  A fed crew is a happy crew.  So, I splurged a little today at Sam's Club buying food for crafty.  I may have gone a little over budget, but I really want to make sure we don't run out of snacks on set.  Though I am a little nervous, because I could not find Red Vines!  I guess Twizzlers will have to do.

The highlight of today had to be the brief rehearsal I had with Wesley Scott and Ivy Koehler.  We basically had a little chat about characterization and story.  Then went over a scene a few times and saw it begin to take form and evolve.  That's always a pleasure to watch.  After that, we took a few foam swords, I put the swords in their hands and told them to start beating on each other.  It looked like they were having fun, then again, they are actors and I'm sure they left thinking to themselves: "What have I gotten myself into?"  Or "What a dork!"  But I had fun and that's all that matters.  As a girl once asked me, "Who are you gonna please with that thing?"  And I answered, "Myself, of course"

So, with less than 30 hours before go time, here's what I've got to do.

• Finish this blog, this way too long blog.  If I had more time, I'd write a shorter one.
• Get all the props together.  Swords, shields, duffel bag, Big Gulp cup, safety goggles, and probably a few more things I will forget about.
• Pick up equipment tomorrow.  Actually, I had already forgot about that.  Let me go write that down somewhere ...  ...  ...  ...  Ok I'm back.
• Finish the shooting schedule.
• Pick up the tabards:  finished or not.  Just kidding, of course they will be ready!  Right?  Harry?  Hello?
• Print out the sides and send out call sheets
• Probably shower at some point (that's optional, I guess)
• Charge the camera batteries and find a lighter adapter so I can charge the batteries on set as needed
• Set my alarm
• Print out talent releases
• Do the hokey-pokey and turn myself around.  That's what it's all about

And on that note, I will go to bed.  Again, I just want to thank everyone for all the hard work they've put into this project so far.  I wish I had a better way of showing my appreciation and gratitude.  But I'm broke, so you'll have to settle for a million thank you's

The Cast!

With less than a week before we start shooting, there is a lot of work yet to do.  It was a hell of a time looking for one of our characters, Sir Ron.  Our choices were few at the auditions and the callbacks, and I just didn't see an actor that fit the role well.  Don't get me wrong, there were great actors that came out, just none that grabbed my attention as Sir Ron.  Thanks to one of our producers, Jason McGuckian, we were able to find one.  Granted, I blindly invited him to join our team based on Jason's recommendation, but after meeting with him and after our first cast reading, I think Matt Connely is gonna be a great addition to our already wonderful cast.

Speaking of our cast, let's introduce you!

MARK played by WESLEY SCOTT

Our hero, Mark, is being played by Wesley Scott.  Wesley is a charming individual and pleasing to the eyes.  I was especially pleased that he can act too!  Mark's character starts off as a guy in a rut.  Kind of mopy and world-hating.  And I really look forward to beating that charming and charismatic smile off Wesley's face!  I really look forward to seeing Wesley's diversity as an actor.

GWEN played by IVY KOEHLER

Our heroine, Gwen, is being played by the wonderful Ivy Koehler.  It was important to me that Gwen be played by someone I could fall in love with.  What I mean by that is: I was looking for someone with real beauty and honesty.  She is highly enthusiastic and committed.  I could not ask for better.  And if she turns out to be a real diva bitch, then that just means She is a great actor!  

THE GLORY KNIGHTS

CHRIS played by HEATH ALLYN

Chris is being played by Heath Allyn.  Chris is Mark's long time best friend.  Even though he is a geek/nerd.  And like a moped, Mark probably didn't introduce Chris to his more "popular" friends.  Heath Allyn was great at the auditions.  He blew us away from the start and nailed every role he read for.  I think it's important to have a strong actor as Chris since he is kind of the HUB between Mark and the rest of his fighting company.  Which means Chris is the character that interacts with more characters than any other.

SIR RON played by MATT CONNELY

Sir Ron is being played by Matt Connely.  As I said earlier, I brought him onto the project on faith.  Then when I looked at his photo, I thought to myself, "Wow, he is too pretty to be Sir Ron." Sir Ron is supposed to be this old wise portly man.  And that picture makes me think that if I were a girl I would just want to do bad things to him.   I first met him at the cast reading.  I was pleasantly surprised.  You know, in that jump up and down and shout at the top of your lungs sort of way.  Now we just need to ugly him up a bit and he'll be absolutely perfect!

MORTIMAR played by TRENT LOCKWOOD

So, I see, Trent Lockwood, this tall lanky kid at the auditions wearing a faded power rangers t-shirt with the kind of glasses that reminded me of one's I would slap off of people in highschool and laugh about it.  And he seemed to really have fun with the role of Mortimar who is a geeky kid oblivious to the fact that he is a total nerd and really content and happy being who he is.  I am really looking forward to seeing Trent as Mortimar.  Thank god for type-casting.



 

THE ANNIHILATORS

DARPHIUS played by JASON McGUCKIAN

Darphius is being played by Jason McGuckian.  Darphius is the leader of the Annihilators and is a total douche bag.  He does not see himself as a geek or a nerd.  He is an athlete.  Some what of a bully to the rest of the nerds that comes out to play this game.  He's out to hurt people and pick on those smaller than he is to make him feel better about himself.  Obviously, Jason was the perfect choice for this character.

DARRIUS played by HAROLD FISCH

Harold Fisch is awesome.  I knew I really wanted to use him in Foam Fighters but didn't know where to place him.  He was too scrawny for Mark.  Too small for Chris.  And too good looking for Mortimar.  Darrius is Darphius's lackey/squire.  He idolizes Darphius on perhaps an unhealthy level.  Where The Glory Knights have Mortimar, The Annihilators have Darrius.  This is gonna be a side story that climaxes to an epic battle between squire and squire in the 5th or 6th episode.  Darrius is going to be a fun role and I'm really excited that Harold decided to join our team.

NYMPHERETTI (in progress) played by HOPE CLARK

Hope Clark came in to audition for Gwen and got stuck with a non-speaking role.  She was great.  But as in Highlander, there can only be one.  Hope is very enthusiastic and she has the nerd/geek look down.  I talked to her about playing the fourth Annihilator.  Thankfully, she agreed because now the ideas are flying for future episodes.  I never thought about having that fourth character be a female, but now that it is, I cannot think of a single reason why not.  The potential for drama and comedy feels limitless now.  Why didn't I think of this before?  So, thank you Hope for being a trooper!


I look forward to working with all these people.  I think we've got something special here.  And I'm excited to start shooting this coming weekend!

Preparing for Callbacks

Callbacks are a necessary evil in low budget film making.  First of all, you want to be able to get a feel for the chemistry actors have when placed side by side.  Especially, if they're supposed to be the lovers or best friends.  We had a lot of good talent come out to the auditions, and being short auditions, we need to have a chance to spend more time with the actors before making any decisions.  Another reason for callbacks is to weed out the not-so-commited.  The people who show up for the callbacks are generally the ones you can count on to commit to the show.  I am hoping to make these callbacks as fun as possible.  Since this is a show that contains a little bit of fake sword fighting, we will be having simple choreographed fights.  The reason being, I want to see how good the actors look while fighting.  I need to believe Gwen has been throwing kicks her whole life.  Gwen needs to be part vicious warrior and that is what I'll be looking for during the fighting.  Chances are the callbacks will be held outside.  So, I will be bringing water for everyone.  This Texas heat is killer.  Well, we'll see how the callbacks go.  We are probably looking at callbacks around July 10th.  And shooting starts July 21st.  That is not a lot of time.  But it's that excitement and pressure that makes film making that much more rewarding when you have a finished product.