Making Indie Films

I have been reading and hearing so much about what’s playing in Toronto - that I thought I should assemble my own BEST OF THE FEST listing, in trailer form… Below are some of my favorites, both indies and studio pictures…

The Coen Brother’s NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Andrew Wagner’s STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING

Ang Lee’s LUST, CAUTION

Todd Haynes’ I’M NOT THERE

Sydney Lumet’s BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD

This weekend I was looking for some kind of pre-production software that was inexpensive and I came across CELTX - not to be confused with CELTIC the soccer team. Okay, so the picture above has nothing really to do with soccer or Celtic. Anyway, back to Celtx…

Celtx offers a feature rich application that is heralded on the company website as “the first, cross-platform media application that provides support for the entire pre-production process.” I wasn’t sure that I totally bought that - so I gave the application a whirl.

On the front end, the Celtx ‘development tool’ is quite interesting for mapping out a storyline and adding pictures and audio clips - a feature that I liked very much. The ’screenwriting tool’ works adequately - but obviously doesn’t quite compare to FinalDraft - which as I’m sure you all know is actually pretty hard to beat. The ‘breakdown tool’ seems like a good idea - but when was the last time a ‘props list’ was that important to you?

Okay. All the previously mentioned stuff isn’t that great. But the ’storyboard tool’ in Celtx is absolutely outstanding and almost inspired. You can drag and drop images into this function, group them, annotate them, but best of all play them back as a ’slideshow’ loop. Loved that part. Absolutely loved it. The same is true of the ’scheduler tool.’ It is functional and intuitive. You are able to drag and drop ’scenes’ onto a calendar - effectively integrating your shoot days and shooting script. Also you can allocate resources and talent to actual times and dates. I’m not sure about the on-line ‘collaboration’ functions. Never quite got that far. Still, for a working schedule and storyboard ap - Celtx is worth downloading. Will it replace Movie Magic? Probably not. But if you’re planning a short or a micro-budget feature, this might be just the ticket. And Celtx is absolutely FREE. That’s right. Nada. Nothing. Freeware.

DOWNLOAD CELTX HERE!

Today’s literary selection is:
Location Scouting and Management Handbook which I recommend that you get from your local library, as I think that it’s out of print.

I had a chance to tinker with the Sony HVR-V1U - Sony’s pro version of the HDR-FX7. It shoots native 1080i - with a robust 24p setting that compares favorably with the Canon XH-A1. In some respects, I have always liked the solid feel that you get from a Sony - which maybe dates back to the fabulous PD-150. But what I like most about the V1U is its ease of use. This is not complicated to handle or get used to. The settings are easy to navigate and quite responsive.

The propriotary 3 CCD ClearVid CMOS system gives high quality imaging. Amazing clarity. Good color saturation. Not as good as the XH-A1 in terms of color - but that’s always the Canon vs. Sony trade-off. Still, the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 20x (optical) zoom is a very nice ‘peice of glass.’ It feels almost ‘meaty’ with adding too much weight or bulk. This is a nicely balanced camera. It feels solid, like a DVX100 - only with a little more heft.

Some people have told me that for under $4k, this unit is the perfect, flexible tool for the Indie Director. In some respects I agree. However, the unit I tested was then fitted with a Cinevate Brevis 35 digital imager and a nice Nikon prime. The difference was staggering. Sure the Brevis 35 adds around a grand in price to your rig - but with the extra glass it delivers 10,000 times the result. Terrific depth of field and range of focus. A giant leap in aesthetic terms.

I would definately recommend this camcorder - but it was Cinevate attachment that perhaps intrigued me more.

VISIT the Cinevate site.
FULL SPECS ON The Sony HVR-V1U

For those of you who loved A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE and DIRTY PRETTY THINGS - you’re in for a rare treat with EASTERN PROMISES - the latest from David Cronenberg where he re-teams with Viggo Mortensen. This film is written by British scribe Steven Knight - the writer of Dirty Pretty Things. If the trailer is anything to go by - this is dark and gripping stuff. Okay - so it’s not technically isn’t an indie picture, but you can learn a lot from the sparseness of Knight’s writing and the immense style that Cronenberg brings to his more commercial fare.

EASTERN PROMISES will screen as the opening film at The San Sebastian Film Festivalon September 20th.

A synopsis from movies.com…

Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) belongs to one of London’s most feared organized crime families who meets a midwife (Naomi Watts) who unwittingly holds damaging information that could lead to unraveling the family’s criminal network. Nikolai must make sure this doesn’t happen without ruining the young woman’s life.

View The TRAILER
MORE from IMDB

The problem with most of your HDV productions will be the fact that no matter how much you have spent on your HDV Camera - somehow the ‘film-look’ and 24p setting STILL does not quite look like a movie. Sure there’s resolution and definition. Sure you shot it and lit it well. But still - it doens’t quite look right. Well the answer is simple - and usually it comes down to the glass. Yes. The glass - or should I say, the fixed lens on your HDV camcorder. Okay - so you read the manual and tried all the tricks - but you somehow can’t get the ‘depth of field’ that you wanted. Stuff looks ‘flat.’ Those no dimension to it and right now you need an answer.

Well, the answer is here and it’s call the Red Rock M2. Simply put the M2 is an adapter that allows you to bolt a heavyweight 35mm lens onto the front of your HDV camera. What it does is create incredible depth-of-field, angle of view, and focus typically found on much bigger movies than yours. Described best on the Red Rock web site; “the M2 uses the same core technology as products cost ten times as much. This approach - known as the rotating ground glass method – is completely transparent when translating the image from the 35mm lens to your DV camera.”

Depending on the HDV camera you have and the lenses you want to bolt onto it - the Red Rock M2 varies in price anywhere between around $1,200 and $2,500. From my research thus far it will easily add 10 times that in the look of your production.

You can BUY M2 bundles including all the accesories you need DIRECT FROM RED ROCK.

If you want further detail check out the M2 REVIEW ON MICRO-FILMMAKER

Video Gear rents out FULL BLOWN M2 PACKAGES WITH ALL THE LENSES YOU MIGHT NEED

I managed to get my hands on the new Canon XH-A1 at Samy’s last week. FYI - this action-packed beast was initially recommended to me by (Candyman director) Bernard Rose… Coming in basic black, the XH-A1 has the same three 1.67 megapixel CCDs as the unweildy XL-H1 but a much trimmer profile. A Canon L-series 20x optical zoom lens comes as standard, as does a 24p /1080i mode. That’s (more or less) full-on HDV for under $3,500. As I was told (by Bernard) you can actually shoot an entire feature on this thing - passing largely unnoticed in areas that might ordinarily need permits. Not that I’m advocating the ‘no permit route’ - but discretion is always helpful, even if just in terms of the actors you are working with…

Anyway - back to the camera itself. The auto-focus is suprisingly responsive and the 24p setting works like a dream. Vivid colors. A fluid, filmic look. And it hardly weighs anymore than a DVX100B. Add to that the dual XLR inputs and this baby is built for speed. The company I am involved in - I-Force - is looking at accquiring two XH-A1’s to take to Jamaica and I will be eager to see how the camera performs in the jungle heat.

Just as an FYI, though… The HDV codec that this thing shoots-in isn’t compatible with any other HDV deck, so you need to use the camera as a deck for FCP capture purposes. Still, regardless of that - it’s a lot of camera for the price.

BUY the XH-A1 at Amazon
READ the XH-A1 tech specs from Canon
XH-A1 FAQ from our friends at DV-INFO

I am not king of the tech guys. It’s just not my thing. But I know my way around a camcorder and an FCP rig. Some time ago a producer/director friend - David Basulto - had talked to me about shooting his last feature on the ‘JVC 110.’ So as you might imagine, when I had the chance to try one out I jumped. The feauture set of the GY-HD110U is impressive. It shoots full HD at 1280×720 and ‘true’ 24 frame progressive. It is HDV and DV compatible. You can switch lenses for anything with a standard bayonet mount and the flip-out screen has both color and b/w options. Just holding this camera you feel like a pro. It has more of the profile of a shrunk-down betacam than the prosumer ‘look’ of the old PD-150 or DVX100. At the same time the HD110U is compact and nowhere near as unwieldy as the XL-1s (which to be honest - I never liked).

On to picture quality. Crisp, bright images. The HD110U compares well to both the new Canon XHA (which I love) and has considerably more depth than the DVX100B (which I still think is great for under $3k retail). I would guess the clarity is more to do with the 16x pro Fujinon lens than the CCDs - although I’m sure that they’re part of the equation.

Alledgedly the HD110U’s 24p setting delivers a film ‘look’ that is streets ahead of your regular 1080i setting - but I just didn’t spend enough time with this ‘beast’ to confirm or deny that. It would be my guess that - yes - the film look is convincing as far as this kind of HDV camcorder can deliver it.

Other things that I liked:

TWO XLR audio inputs - which always comes in handy - especially if you’re in the business of documentaries.

A crazy ’skin tone detection’ feature/setting that softens faces - so that don’t look harsh and tv-like.

All the custom settings that you program into the camera can be stored on a interchangeable SD Card. Gotta love that.

You can even get a third party adapter to add prime lenses to the front of this thing.

Things that I wasn’t sure about or didn’t like:

I felt the unit could be a little less boxy. You feel like a news-cameraman with it slung on your shoulder.

At first glance - a little daunting to figure your way around the myriad of settings.

Too big and ‘pro’ looking to pass unnoticed. If you shoot on the fly, or are stealing locations - this thing will make you stand-out too much.

Extra battery system is expensive. Always the case - though.

Despite any of my dislikes - the basic GY-HD110U rig can be bought on Amazon for under $5k. It’s a lot of camera for under $5k and certainly powerful enough to shoot your first feature on. If you can try on out - it’s a must. In the main - two thumbs up!

BUY the GY-HD110U on Amazon
CHECK OUT the HD110U’s feature set on the official JVC PRO site