Production Notes- Camera

Today's blog has to do with the camera we are using for filming "Uncle Louie". Some people have commented that it looks like a pretty serious camera. In a scale of video cameras, that so many of use have used to film our family events- it is serious.
In the current technology, almost all cameras can acquire pictures in "high definition", but there are major differences in the consumer models that you pick up at Best Buy, and the type we're using, only available through professional video equipment dealers. The cost, is of course significantly higher, too. Now I could write a text book on cameras (and they are out there),but lets highlight a few things.
First, the "Uncle Louie" camera, made by JVC, is a 3 chip (or 3CCD) that are 1/2 inch in size. Most consumer cameras are an 1/8 inch or 1/4 inch max. The bigger the chip, the better is processes colors and the more control it has over light. It also allows for various "frame rates". This gives a certain look to the footage. Most television programs are shot at 30 or 60 frames per second. Each frame, or picture, lasts for 1/30th or 1/60th of a second. We are filming at 24 frames per second- the same rate as motion picture film. It gives the production a more film like look, but also allows the footage to be transferred to actual film because it matches the rate. Although some movies theaters are switching to digital projection, most still use film.

The camera also allows for the use of different lenses for the type of action being played out. In the efforts to curb cost, we are using one lens, with a built in zoom which would cover almost any shot. The lens can cost as much as the camera! No consumer grade models has any of the "control" you can get with the pro cameras.

I've trained on over 9 different cameras for professional use, with about 11 models currently used. Some large scale cameras, such as used in the big Hollywood productions can run as high as $180,000 plus the lenses. But, that's why the big films look so good. In "Uncle Louie's" case, I'm trying to make it as close as I can to these, and it'll look damn good, for whole let less money!

There is a lot more to cover- maybe in future posts. I also welcome any questions or comments to the technical side of things.

Would You Like Anchovies with Your Cake?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLE!

The crew celebrated Kyle Mayer's birthday with a great chocolate cake as Uncle Louie reveled in his fresh tomato and anchovy salad.

Cast and crew endured the smell of the anchovies for the entire shoot but the cake was still delicious!

shit storm in the microwave

We asked Nick D'Arpino to write the blog on the weekend following Thanksgiving because we were taken up with other things following shooting. Specifically, we had to deal with the aftermath of a fire started by co-writer Joe Mangelli in the crew's microwave.

It happened this way: Mangelli was trying to melt some chocolate covered coffee beans to be used in lieu of dog droppings, and decided that the microwave oven was the best way to accomplish said task. Thinking that he was saving the production from having to wash yet another dish, our co-writer placed the chocolate on a newspaper and then hit high on the microwave.

Who would have guessed that the chemicals in newsprint would lead a microwave to explode? We watched aghast as the chocolate and newspaper caught fire. Responding quickly, Joe Mangelli pulled the newspaper and chocolate out, at which point we tried to stamp out the fire with our feet. Failing at that, Joe ran to the sink and drowned the fire in tap water.

Anybody know where we can find a used microwave at a reasonable price? The inside of the oven is black and there are areas that have melted. The simulated dog crap is gone though, wiped clean. Thanks a bunch Joe.

Production Notes

Hi, this is Nick D'Arpino aka Uncle Louie. Many of you have posed questions about the production side of the shoot such as camera, sound, lighting, and continuity. Now, I'm no Francis Ford Coppola, but after working on over 38 film and television productions- behind the camera-I'm happy to give you some insight, especially in relation to "Uncle Louie".

Let's start with the shooting schedule. A lot of you have asked, "Why do we shoot out of sequence- why not start on page one of the script and shoot each page in order"? I have never heard of or been involved in a production that shoots in order. While, for organisational purposes it would be a lot easier, there are many factors involved in scheduling. Many times an actor is available only on certain days or for a limited time- so the schedule might reflect getting all the the scenes with that actor first. Location might be another factor. Shooting a scene at a "live location", such as someones private home, or a public building, may have to done when the location is available. Weather is another factor. A few days of rain might call for exterior shoots to be done later. There are a variety of reasons to shoot "out of sequence", almost too many to list here.

The schedule is set by the producer, director, and if on the crew, a script coordinator. Most films that are ninety minutes to two hours, take about 24 to 32 days to shoot. This is called principle
photography, which does not include adding digital effects and final editing. Editing can take longer than shooting, with major films taking up to six months to edit.

In the case of "Uncle Louie" , we are shooting on the cast an crews availability. Since most of us have regular jobs, we are shooting mostly on weekends. The process seems longer, but would still amount to about 26to 28 days, overall.

Check back for more production notes and information. I'll be posting regularly.

That voodoo that you do so well

November 7, 2009

The rainy season is upon us, which makes it imperative for our film crew to get as many of the outdoor scenes out of the way as possible. Luckily, today was our day. No rain, a clear California day.

Maybe we should give our character Jacinthe the credit for the absence of inclement skies. He is, after all, a voodoo priest. If he can raise Uncle Louie from the dead, he sure as heck ought to be able to call in a few favors to get us good weather.

Our set was located in the back yard of some friends on the Los Gatos/ San Jose border. Now this was no suburban back yard, but one of the most unique residential yards we’ve ever seen. For, you see, our friends have chickens (within the city limit no less!) and these birds provided a wonderful soundtrack for the filming of today’s voodoo ceremony. With all their clucking and squawking, you might think that it was one of them that was to be the sacrificial victim. Or maybe it was. But no, isn’t our dog Fidel the one that’s supposed to die so Uncle Louie can live again? Have to wait and see...

In addition to the soundtrack provided by our friends’ chickens, we had the brilliant drum work of Craig Ward, who plays Jacinthe, and who is a musician and teacher in real life.

A diverse group of extras witnessed today's black magic. Grown children, the favorite Mangelli granddaughter, wives, neighbors and friends of the writers and director, mostly. All ages, all walks, and fairly representative of the ethnic groups here in the county of Santa Clara. One of them fainted when she got a load of Jacinthe’s voodoo. A beautiful girl, check the cast and crew page to find out who she is.

Day of the Dead...Zio Luigi!

October 31, 2009

Today our cast and crew brought Uncle Louie back from the dead. No, we didn't just get an injection of cash to prevent the shutting down of production.  Rather, our cast and crew raised our favorite dead uncle from the grave. It was only fitting that we shot this segment on Halloween.  Utterly accidental and serendipitous was the timing. We swear. 

Of course it all started with the work of our makeup artist, Vroula; she made Louie look appropriately cadaverous.  But that was just the beginning. Louie's burial suit was covered with grass stains, tufts of dirt, and dusty soil by the time she was through with him. Then presto! Our gangster ghost arrived, a bloodless and startling apparition, fresh from the laborious work of pushing up daisies.




November 1, 2009

Today was about stamina, and it showed us what we were made of. There were periods of the filming day that were fraught with frustration, but when it was time to wrap up, we held fast to our hopes.  And with good reason.  Many of the scenes  we played back on the monitor were as good or better than we imagined.  Particularly satisfying was a high shot of Uncle Louie enjoying wine and anti-pasta on our dining room table; conceived by the director and the DP, this shot involved a strenuous set up and hand-held work by camera operator Kyle Mayer. The quiet, contemplative scene captures the solitary bliss of one of life's simple pleasures: the consumption of good food and wine.

EDITH

Vroula worked her make-up magic on Edith (she is really 29, or at least that's how I remember her). The crew created a great set in Joe Mangelli's guest room for the nursing home scene. While waiting for it to get dark to start the shoot, crew members sat around talking about films and eating pizza. It was a smooth shoot. Edith looked like a pro.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

HOT SET

Everybody learned the meaning of the phrase, "hot set" today, but after it was too late.  The Director of Photography had placed this handwritten sign on the dining room table, just after morning filming had been completed, and  just as we were all breaking for another of Annette's delicious lunches.

When we saw the note we thought it was a form of encouragement, such as, "you folks are HOT today." But it turned out that this was not the case at all; rather, it was meant as an admonition to not touch or change anything in the shooting area since the set had to appear exactly as it had in the morning for the filming that was to commence in the afternoon. Not understanding, a couple of us plopped ourselves down at the table on the set, turned off the lights ( it was a warm day), and generally shoved stuff around to make room for our food before hunkering down on the most delicious chicken and rice we ever had. We were ready for seconds before we understood what we had done....

Saturday, October 24, 2009

THE CRAP SHOOT

The cast and crew were involved in the filming of what's come to be known on our San Jose set as "the crap shoot." And we do mean crap; simulated dog excrement, to be exact. Truly we were dealing with a stiff dollop or two of chocolate on a hardwood floor, and therein lay the problem: chocolate masquerading as dog doo.

It all started with the filming of the Bernice character, as she unknowingly steps into Fidel's fecal matter. The scene went something like this: first there's Bernice, then her fateful step, then the look of surprise and disgust on her face, and finally there's our dog, who must dash across the room ahead of her as she calls out.

First off, it was a challenge to keep Fidel from eating, or at least sniffing, what was supposed to be his character's dog poop. Then there was the matter of getting him to trot across the floor and exit head on into the frame (instead of rushing off to the side, where he was lost to the camera, which he was inclined to do, over and over).  In the end it took at least two crew members and one actor to get our pup to cross the room straight into the camera, do not pass go, do not collect a hundred dollars, do not lick chocolate. But it got done, after who knows how many takes.

All involved were rewarded with the most wonderful lunch, made by the sister-in-law of one of the writers. But so far she wouldn't let us take a head shot of her for this website, even though she took care of the entire cast and crew by preparing, delivering and serving the most delicious gourmet meal. Thank you, Annette Morrison-Politeo, we'll get you on our website yet!

And we won't forget the acting that day. Bernice and Benny really have great chemistry, and the scenes between them were revealing and compelling. It's happening!

Screenplay writer Joe Mangelli enjoys a moment between scenes with favorite daughter "Bernice" and co-star "Benny" in the background.

Oct. 11th Shoot on The Alameda

Today we did location shooting on the Alameda. Since somebody forgot dry ice, the ice cream cone scene with Benny and Lester was tricky. It’s lucky Joe Mangelli brought a half gallon of it because several scoops had to be placed on that cone before the thing was done. I don’t know how much our dog licked off the pavement, but he definitely made mop up easier at the end of the day.

The Alameda shots will be good, everyone thinks. It’s a gritty but charming old section of the city; we were filming the area near the Towne Theater and Hester School, and using the underground crosswalk there to do some violent scenes and atmospheric shots. Our make-up person had to make Benny look pretty beat up, and she did. Between her work and what the day took out of him, the character’s injuries were better than plausible.

By 5 p.m. everybody was exhausted, as most had been on the shoot for more than 7 hours. Cast and crew said Fidel was the best thing about that day because people took turns walking and watering him. He provided an escape from the grind of such a long shoot. Viva Fidel!

Oct. 10 shoot

October 10, 2009

Today was the first day of shooting. The scene we were doing involved the antagonist, Lester, and the dog, Fidel. We shot it in Joe Izzo’s garage and it went as might have been predicted given that it was the first time the crew had ever worked together. Interesting.

Just five minutes into it the wife of one of the writers- she was doubling as a wrangler for the dog- had to be kicked off the set. And the wardrobe lady too. Their sighing laughs had been picked up by the sound man. They were laughing at the scene with Lester and the dog, though no one else seemed to be having a hard time containing themselves.

On the third or fourth take of the scene, the dog got bored with the cheese that Lester was using to tempt him into the frame. He just froze for 10 seconds and then sat on his ass. The wrangler, who by then had been forgiven, had to go get him something more fragrant to eat. He was back in the frame then, and the scene was completed.

Then there was the challenge of working at a location that is just a block away from the county hospital. Plus, Moorpark Ave. is an artery to two major freeways- 280 downtown one way, and 280 to San Francisco the other. The sound guy had his work cut out for him, but then so did everybody else. First days are tough everywhere. We are optimistic.

10/11/09 - Shoot on the Alameda

More photos - the ice cream scene. Stavroula did an amazing job with make up! Check it out... http://www.unclelouiethemovie.com/10112009shoot/slideshow
--Susan

10/10/09 - First Shoot with Cast - Fidel and Lester

Here are some photos of the first shoot with cast and sound crew.
http://www.unclelouiethemovie.com/10102009shoot/slideshow
--Susan

First Cast and Crew Meeting

Here's a few photos from our first meeting.
http://www.unclelouiethemovie.com/castparty/photogallery/
Cheers,
Susan

Uncle Louie Cast/Crew meeting

The first meeting of the cast and crew of the soon-to-be shot film, Uncle Louie, was held on Friday, October 2nd, at the home of the film's co-writer, Joe Izzo. Nearly all of the members of the film company were present that evening, including Nick D'Arpino, who plays the title role. Most of those in attendance were meeting for the first time, and while hunkering down on pizza and salad set out on paper plates, asked the writers (Joe Mangelli and Joe Izzo), and the director (Allen Russell), questions about the project.

Since most of the film's cast consists of non-actors, there was anxiety in the air about what the creators expected of inexperienced people. Not to worry, said the writers and director, the use of non-actors in low-budget films is a practice with a proud tradition, one that has produced many examples of great cinema, from the silent era on.

Also in attendance were those individuals doing sound and music for the film (James Bruseau and Chad Lieker). Still photographer and webpage creator Susan Senter documented the evening with her camera, and took headshots of company members prior to their departure.

The evening was productive on many fronts, not least for the opportunity it afforded the cast and crew to do the practical: collect and exchange contact information and availability. Perhaps most useful, for those who attempted it, was the time spent discussing the script, reading aloud from it in small groups, and confessing to hopes and fears about the days ahead.

Out of this first meeting came as many questions as answers. In response to a question about whether Uncle Louie was conceived as a drama or a comedy, the Director, Allen Russell, replied "yes."

The First Cast Party

Uncle Louie
Karmobello Productions

Cast Party - October 2, 2009