LO2 (The Legend of Two)

The Legend of Two:
    You remember Christmas morning, excited as could be, anticipation, desire to be in the midst of the action, as the presents just drool their possibilities all over you. Well that's how I feel. I'm over excited and the plot just keeps building, the script gets better, and my imagination goes wild. If you were in the excitement you would better understand....
Here is a little practice test I did in using CGI, turned out nicely =D

   So we are using this unreleased Google app. to produce the script and make all the plans. The app. is called Google Wave, basically it is a real time editor that allows for just about anything to happen. While in live action, Ethan, Chase, and I can all be on typing, changing, and commenting on the script. We are also using it to plan out each filming day, as well as every episode, but not only that, even choreography.  We are able to use the Google Maps Street View to take photos, choose locations, all from the comfort of our computers. You could say technology and the internet give major support to the imaginations that create Filming Humor.
    The plan is to make thirty 5min episodes, they would come out once a week, lasting half a year. We are going to start filming a month or two before school ends. We would probably film every week on Saturday, filming multiple episodes at a time. Unfortunately the two main characters have not been set, but should be sooner or later.
    It's so exciting to think we are only a few months from the start of filming. Once it is all filmed and edited and the first episode has been released, we plan to have the DVD for sale, so that you don't have to wait a half a year before you can see the end, or just so you could own it. Well come to think of it, we could distribute on iTunes, that would be awesome!
    As you may know, the idea for LO2 started a long time ago, the first project we ever embarked on. The whole process was going rather smoothly, it looked likely we would have the videos start their release in 2009. Unfortunately, due to multiple factors, LO2 was scrapped and we moved on. If you ever are ever to start on a large project here are a couple things I'd suggest.
1. Don't set yourself up for failure. By that I mean look for stupid mistakes before you start. Such as the fact that we had a bunch of things in LO2 that made it an inappropriate video to be shown to our parents.
2. It's good to get ideas from actors but look at the idea thoroughly, and make sure it can correctly work with the plot.
3. Write a script before you start filming! Get that plot and everything fully thought up before you start. For example the writer of Harry Potter had the whole idea planned out before she wrote out the books. If you don't have a finalized plot, then when you need to go back and change something you can't.
4. The actors, haha, well basically when you make a typical short actors come over once or twice, no problem, make a long video, it can spread to many days. What I have found is that actors are incapable of remembering that they are apart of this production. Basically you get stuck with this halfway filmed movie.
5. I'd like to emphasize on planning. When LO2 first started the only plans we were going from was this flimsy flip book that had a picture and a couple words on it. I called it a storyboard, but it was far from it. You need a plan, and a whole lot of organization....

Recently Learned:
   You ever learn something new and it makes a major impact on your perception? Well in the last few months of 2009 I watched some videos, read some things, and I came to a new realization. One that will be carried out from here on out, and emphasized in LO2.
My first awareness to the obvious fact happened while using my cameras focus. I was trying to get the perfect focus on this object off in the distance, soon enough I had gained the focus. I was overjoyed, having spent a couple minutes working on this pointless task...so I took a photo...

Wasn't the best but I took the photo from across the room, using almost the full zoom. Prior to this I let the camera use it's auto focus, and that is not the best, trust me.
   The whole reason I was sprung onto the concept of using the focus was because, a friend of mine took a photo and complained it was a tad bit out of focus. I didn't notice till she mentioned it. So I had to test out the changing of focus too....not that I hadn't prior to this, but it had never been something I really thought about. Which is funny because I worked with a professional camera man for awhile, and he did talk a lot about focusing on the subject, and getting it just right.
   But what I was about to discover, what makes a video professional, something that should have been obvious but I missed it, well it was a bit surprising.
   I was at the Youtube screening room, watching some of the videos there (if you haven't seen them, you need to check them out, spectacular works). There were many contributing factors that led to my final realization. For one there was an advertisement for a camera everywhere, sponsored by or something. And the other thing that grabbed my attention was what made these videos different. I have an HD camera, it shows professionalism, being in HD, but what was missing from being professional was how the focus was used correctly.
   If you ever watch a movie you will tend to notice that there are parts, and let me tell you I think this sort of focus change is over used. There are parts where you have focus on the forward actor, then it changes to the one behind... This shows how focus can be used, but I always discarded the the idea because I considered it over used.
   While watching these videos and analyzing how they were created, I discovered something unbelievable. The true dividing line between adequate and professional.When you focus on a character and the background is blurred, this points the viewers attention in a direction. Instead of watching everything, and getting distracted by the background, you have their focus on the place in which the camera has set it's focus. Of course you can always change the point of focus in the middle of a shot, but you need to keep it set at almost all times. I'm sure there are times when it is appropriate to let all be focused on, such as a zooming in on an area effect.
   But I have seen even a TV show scene where I was angry because I couldn't keep focused on the scene. It was the show Heroes, there was a scene with this one guy in the background who was moving his head all about, and I forgot to pay attention to what was happening. You don't want your viewers distracted. So keep their attention focused where you want it.
   This new technique will be used in LO2 for sure, I am going to try and make sure I use the best of this, along with everything else I am continuing to learn.


Thanks For Reading

The Director,