"The Devil's Company" Lancaster (BTS) from Antoine Bandele on Vimeo.
- Antoine Bandele (Director)
Showing posts with label Resa Xing Barton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Resa Xing Barton. Show all posts
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Principle Photography Completed!
We have finally reach the end of principle photography! Sorry I haven't been updating the blog as much as I have been (this one and my personal one). After the Lancaster shoot, schedules have been wonky and I was trying to scramble to get things we didn't shoot in Lancaster.
For our last day of shooting we went over to the apartment of a friend/mentor of mine named Damian Gonzalez. We shot the motel fight scene between our two female characters, which I really wanted to shoot in Lancaster because I had complete control of that location. For Damian's house, however, there were certain things we needed to be cautious about (namely breaking things). The fight scene went well enough for the first few takes and I had almost gotten all the coverage I would need for a set of the fight but on one the takes, Resa (Carmen), who was being pushed by Courtney (Jade) into a wall, bent his towel holder. If that wasn't bad enough, Resa's leather jacket left a lot of black marks on the walls and toilet seat. When we broke for dinner I told Damian what happened and he wasn't as angry as I thought he'd be. In fact, it was his girlfriend's wrath I would have to feel later on that night. Well, it was foolish for me to think the end of the night would end without a hitch. I guess I should have expected as much after this dibacle.
I think the fight scene turned out alright. I won't know until I capture the footage and start editing. I just really hope we don't have to do a single pick up for anything in that bathroom because we already intruded into their hospitality too far. When I shoot action it's pretty sporadic and sometimes I feel like I may forget certain things or I won't have good edit points. Usually, though, it turns out alright. I just like to worry a lot.
After dinner we did an interrogation scene, which was fun, but went on way too long due to lighting. Because it went too long I didn't have time to get the scene like I wanted in terms of the way I wanted it shot and the way some of the performances came off. I felt I did extremely terrible with directing the actors today and I would like to apologize to them for that but I was trying to get out of there before it became a shoot wrapping at 3 AM. If I had complete control of the location I'm sure I would want to do pick-ups for the interrogation scene.
After another short break we did another scene in the bathroom regarding a phone conversation which I enjoyed a lot, mostly because of the way I shot it and Courtney's performance. Because of the lightening issue I had to shoot it all at one angle because doing any reverse on Resa would mean taking ten minutes to relight her. So what I did was shoot everything at one angle through the bathroom's mirror so that you see Courtney, her back and Resa all in the same shot at a slight dutch angle. Then I just got tighter on Courtney, then to Resa and then an insert. I actually like doing this better than doing it as a generic "shot-reverse" setup. The mirrors were a drag to work with in that bathroom but I made it work for me in that scene. I'm proud of myself for that. Plus, Courtney really got into Jade's character in this scene. It felt less like she was "acting". I was watching the Kill Bill Vol. 2 Behind-the-Scenes the other week and Quentin Taratino had mentioned how, in the last scene they shot, Uma Thurman really nailed "The Bride" by the end of production. That piece of commentary reminded me of Courtney who I felt exactly the same way about. She really knew how to just step into the skin of Jade and step right back out.
Wrapping was cool. There was a huge group hug session but then we overcleaned Damian's house to make up for the broken towel holder and dirty walls (which were also cleaned). It was a very laid back shoot. Most of the crew had nothing to do until the dialogue stuff came up. At a point I was come over with fatigue but I came through that somehow. Can't wait for Thursday and Friday. We have two pre-screenings at Hamilton and Reseda High School. We'll be showing them full rough cuts of the film and then we'll have a focus group set up and we'll discuss what they enjoyed/disliked about the film, favorite scenes, improvements that could have been made, etc. I'll definitely blog about those experiences.
- Antoine Bandele (Director)
For our last day of shooting we went over to the apartment of a friend/mentor of mine named Damian Gonzalez. We shot the motel fight scene between our two female characters, which I really wanted to shoot in Lancaster because I had complete control of that location. For Damian's house, however, there were certain things we needed to be cautious about (namely breaking things). The fight scene went well enough for the first few takes and I had almost gotten all the coverage I would need for a set of the fight but on one the takes, Resa (Carmen), who was being pushed by Courtney (Jade) into a wall, bent his towel holder. If that wasn't bad enough, Resa's leather jacket left a lot of black marks on the walls and toilet seat. When we broke for dinner I told Damian what happened and he wasn't as angry as I thought he'd be. In fact, it was his girlfriend's wrath I would have to feel later on that night. Well, it was foolish for me to think the end of the night would end without a hitch. I guess I should have expected as much after this dibacle.
I think the fight scene turned out alright. I won't know until I capture the footage and start editing. I just really hope we don't have to do a single pick up for anything in that bathroom because we already intruded into their hospitality too far. When I shoot action it's pretty sporadic and sometimes I feel like I may forget certain things or I won't have good edit points. Usually, though, it turns out alright. I just like to worry a lot.
After dinner we did an interrogation scene, which was fun, but went on way too long due to lighting. Because it went too long I didn't have time to get the scene like I wanted in terms of the way I wanted it shot and the way some of the performances came off. I felt I did extremely terrible with directing the actors today and I would like to apologize to them for that but I was trying to get out of there before it became a shoot wrapping at 3 AM. If I had complete control of the location I'm sure I would want to do pick-ups for the interrogation scene.
After another short break we did another scene in the bathroom regarding a phone conversation which I enjoyed a lot, mostly because of the way I shot it and Courtney's performance. Because of the lightening issue I had to shoot it all at one angle because doing any reverse on Resa would mean taking ten minutes to relight her. So what I did was shoot everything at one angle through the bathroom's mirror so that you see Courtney, her back and Resa all in the same shot at a slight dutch angle. Then I just got tighter on Courtney, then to Resa and then an insert. I actually like doing this better than doing it as a generic "shot-reverse" setup. The mirrors were a drag to work with in that bathroom but I made it work for me in that scene. I'm proud of myself for that. Plus, Courtney really got into Jade's character in this scene. It felt less like she was "acting". I was watching the Kill Bill Vol. 2 Behind-the-Scenes the other week and Quentin Taratino had mentioned how, in the last scene they shot, Uma Thurman really nailed "The Bride" by the end of production. That piece of commentary reminded me of Courtney who I felt exactly the same way about. She really knew how to just step into the skin of Jade and step right back out.
Wrapping was cool. There was a huge group hug session but then we overcleaned Damian's house to make up for the broken towel holder and dirty walls (which were also cleaned). It was a very laid back shoot. Most of the crew had nothing to do until the dialogue stuff came up. At a point I was come over with fatigue but I came through that somehow. Can't wait for Thursday and Friday. We have two pre-screenings at Hamilton and Reseda High School. We'll be showing them full rough cuts of the film and then we'll have a focus group set up and we'll discuss what they enjoyed/disliked about the film, favorite scenes, improvements that could have been made, etc. I'll definitely blog about those experiences.
***A Devil's Company Blog Exclusive***
Courtesy of Alex Bleyer's Blackberry
Now onto Post-Prodcution! My favorite part of the filmmaking process! :-D- Antoine Bandele (Director)
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Lancaster...
...was soo much fun! I had such a great time, just all the time I was there!
At first, I was worried that I'd kinda just waste time and not really get the lighting good and just be a headache, but that was totally not what happened. I got everything good, and I think the lighting looks really good, some of the best work I've ever put on film (or video, in this case). I really tried to put everything I know about lighting into play this weekend and I think it really shows. I managed to create some pretty good depth and key the actors well. I made the 400 W DigiMole my little workhorse, I used it for almost every set-up. I threw a 1/2 CTB over it after the sun went down to create a great little night look. And I never held up production or made us run late doing it!
Naturally, with us being teenage kids and college students, the night turned into a party and we all drank our weight in light beer. I honestly love ending a day on set with a beer. There's this weird thing, almost everyone I've met who works on movies drinks and smokes, a lot (expect Antoine). I think it's just part of the stress management of working in that kind of environment. But I mean we all know it's worth it, we just need a little encouragement to deal when it's not.
At first we were all really scared that we'd have a problem with Alex, the actor who plays Zane. We found that he was somewhat unhappy with working with us, he thought it was a waste of his time and etc. We started getting really grumpy with him, Antoine was really mad and frustrated about it. In the end he came to set, we did our thing like always, and he was really happy with us. We never kept him waiting, didn't reschedule him, and made sure we got what we needed out of him when he came, so that his drive wasn't for nothing. We did our research on Alex, it turns out he's the ONLY Turkish actor in Hollywood, and because of people getting misconceptions about Turks, he finds that the rare roles he gets in a film as a Turkish character, he usually has to wear a Turban or some other stereotypical thing. I can understand how he can be frustrated. Also, I've been on shoots where nothings been organized and where actors will come and will have to wait around for the whole day, just to hear that they're not shooting their part that day. I can see how he would be scared of wasting his time with strangers who haven't even all got drivers licenses or college degrees. I don't want to toot our own horn here, but I think once he saw how organized we were and how much we cared about making a great film, he was thoroughly impressed with us and what we could do with less budget than other films.
What else happened this weekend? I think Rob and Resa did their own Behind the Scenes thing. They'd run to me and be like "Hey watch this!" and they'd show me the clip they just shot. It was great to see them getting excited about life behind the camera. On the other end of the coin is Antoine auditioning for the movie I'm shooting for my film class at school. It's kind of fun to see Antoine try acting out and trying to put depth into a character. I'm not saying for sure whether I will or won't cast him, but I think he had a great sense of the character and I think he has connections to draw from to form a fuller character.
-Spencer Smith (Gaffer)
At first, I was worried that I'd kinda just waste time and not really get the lighting good and just be a headache, but that was totally not what happened. I got everything good, and I think the lighting looks really good, some of the best work I've ever put on film (or video, in this case). I really tried to put everything I know about lighting into play this weekend and I think it really shows. I managed to create some pretty good depth and key the actors well. I made the 400 W DigiMole my little workhorse, I used it for almost every set-up. I threw a 1/2 CTB over it after the sun went down to create a great little night look. And I never held up production or made us run late doing it!
Naturally, with us being teenage kids and college students, the night turned into a party and we all drank our weight in light beer. I honestly love ending a day on set with a beer. There's this weird thing, almost everyone I've met who works on movies drinks and smokes, a lot (expect Antoine). I think it's just part of the stress management of working in that kind of environment. But I mean we all know it's worth it, we just need a little encouragement to deal when it's not.
At first we were all really scared that we'd have a problem with Alex, the actor who plays Zane. We found that he was somewhat unhappy with working with us, he thought it was a waste of his time and etc. We started getting really grumpy with him, Antoine was really mad and frustrated about it. In the end he came to set, we did our thing like always, and he was really happy with us. We never kept him waiting, didn't reschedule him, and made sure we got what we needed out of him when he came, so that his drive wasn't for nothing. We did our research on Alex, it turns out he's the ONLY Turkish actor in Hollywood, and because of people getting misconceptions about Turks, he finds that the rare roles he gets in a film as a Turkish character, he usually has to wear a Turban or some other stereotypical thing. I can understand how he can be frustrated. Also, I've been on shoots where nothings been organized and where actors will come and will have to wait around for the whole day, just to hear that they're not shooting their part that day. I can see how he would be scared of wasting his time with strangers who haven't even all got drivers licenses or college degrees. I don't want to toot our own horn here, but I think once he saw how organized we were and how much we cared about making a great film, he was thoroughly impressed with us and what we could do with less budget than other films.
What else happened this weekend? I think Rob and Resa did their own Behind the Scenes thing. They'd run to me and be like "Hey watch this!" and they'd show me the clip they just shot. It was great to see them getting excited about life behind the camera. On the other end of the coin is Antoine auditioning for the movie I'm shooting for my film class at school. It's kind of fun to see Antoine try acting out and trying to put depth into a character. I'm not saying for sure whether I will or won't cast him, but I think he had a great sense of the character and I think he has connections to draw from to form a fuller character.
-Spencer Smith (Gaffer)
Production Day 10
First day of the big Lancaster weekend.
Going over some choreography.
Filmmaker of the Day: Spencer Smith
For awesome night-time lighting.
- Antoine Bandele (Director)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
A Clip From Devil's Company LEAKED!?
Today someone hacked into one of our actress's accounts and sent an e-mail with one of the clips to most of her contacts! In other words, The Devil's Company had it's first leak! These things tend to happen when you share files online.
Don't try and watch the video now. The password is changed.
Look how far up my views went up today alone on Vimeo ... haha ... I wonder why.
- Antoine Bandele (Director)
Don't try and watch the video now. The password is changed.
Look how far up my views went up today alone on Vimeo ... haha ... I wonder why.
- Antoine Bandele (Director)
Scene 10 Rough Choreography Blooper!
***A Devil's Company Blog Exclusive***
I have no idea why I was so chill. The girls were freakin' out.
- Antoine Bandele (Director)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Production Day 3
We're going back in time.
Thank you for letting us use your house!
Thanks for Casting!
Filmmaker of the Day: Christian ValleFor some fantastic support and great Director of Photography work!
- Antoine Bandele (Director)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Production Day 2
Filmmaker of the Day: Veronica Aguilera
For Outstanding AD Work (2 Day Streak)
- Antoine Bandele (Director)
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