In-World War

First stills from the film

These are the first official stills that we're releasing from the film. They are untouched and unprocessed (so no special effects yet, sorry geeks), direct from a handful of scenes we've already shot for In-World War over the past couple weeks. We are still in the midst of production, as of this writing in late July 2009.

You are among the first people in the world to see these. Enjoy!

A plea: we can't continue this project without your support. Most of our expenses are way over-budget and we need your donation today to help us finish the film.

All outside funding comes from donations. We are sponsored by the San Francisco Film Society, which means your donations are tax-deductible.

Literally hundreds of people have already donated their time to be part of the cast and crew, but there are some things we must pay for (food for all these people, for instance, as well as insurance -- two examples of places where we have had to spend a lot more and are running out of cash).

So if you like what you see and like what you've heard about In-World War, or if you just want to do your part to support independent, intelligent sci-fi from a very hardworking and dedicated group of students and indie filmmakers, please:

Donate today
(It's tax-deductible!).

Here they are, in all their untouched glory:

If you're curious to know, the film is being shot on the amazing RED ONE camera. These stills are obviously highly compressed, but they are direct frame grabs from the actual footage. Director of Photography Donavan Sell deserves the credit for these luminescent images.

We have to ask one more time: please donate now. Due to the economic downturn a lot fewer people have donated that we had hoped, so your donation really makes a huge difference.

Extras needed for tomorrow in Oakland

One of our last days of principal photography is tomorrow (Thu July 23) and we have a big scene where we need some additional extras.

Call-time is 4pm, but if you can come after work at 6pm, that works too. We're shooting in downtown Oakland near BART. We'll email you details if you get in touch.

This will be fun and a great way to be part of our smart local sci-fi film. Spread the word and forward this to anyone you might think of.

Email [email protected] if interested ASAP.

More details here....

In the weeds

What day is it? I don't even know.

I thought maybe Wednesday, but then I heard yesterday was Thursday which makes today Friday. Calculating until our next day off (on Tuesday),  yesterday was actually our Monday, even though it was our fourth day in a row shooting since our last day off.

Basically we're in the middle of an eight-day week. And it's gotten to the point where the 12-hour days feel like easy days compared to the 14+ hour days like yesterday.

It's 5:30am and I need to create the shot list for today, plus get through my email from the last day.

I dreamt last night about returning to my 9 to 5 job as if it were a tropical vacation.

But, we're still making our days and getting what we need on camera.

So on we march.

Day off, well not really.

Today was one of our days off. Well, yesterday technically (it's past midnight, as I write this).

Anyway, it was great to get a breather from directing and focus a bit more on the production itself, which has hit some potholes along the way (as would be expected in project as ambitious as this).

The good news is that we're officially one-third the way through principal photography.

The challenge, of course, is many people are feeling burnt and the pressure is on. And we have a lot to cover in the next twelve days, so being prepared is crucial. We've gotten what we've needed every day (in terms of what we shot), so we're definitely doing some things right. But we can do better and work smarter, particularly in the area of communication between the various departments to avoid unnecessary scrambling and wasted time.

A good part of  today was spent looking at where our producing process needs help and making some pro-active changes, both in terms of process and people/roles.

We also got to see a few frame grabs from the footage. It looks fantastic.

One other thing: lots of unexpected expenses are coming up and so now's a great time to donate to support the film. We need it. It's a tax-deductible donation.

One day at a time

Yesterday was another long day: thirteen hours. But it felt not so bad as the day before since I was able to get a full night's sleep. We also made a change to the schedule that will help relieve some pressure.

Each day or night, sometime between when we wrap for the previous day and start the next day, I have to come up with a shot list for that coming day. That's pretty much the biggest issue now is finding the time for that on top of other ongoing production issues that need action or decisions from me when I'm not on the set (location approvals, casting, insurance, yadda yadda).

I'm taking it one day at a time and trying to get into a rhythm. Best to look at it like a marathon rather than a sprint.

Funny coincidence that the Tour de France is going on at the same time as our production. That's exactly how it feels. Every day is a new race with different challenges.

It's like shooting a short film every day for three weeks.

Okay, back to that shot list....We're doing the Griefer's Ball tonight and gotta nail that or my AD will kill me.

Rough day yesterday

Fourteen hour day yesterday filming scenes for Mary's in-world family home. We had two kids (one 14-month old plus a 9-year-old) and Erin Gray, who was only available for one day.

And over eleven pages of script to shoot (four or five is ambitious -- so that's three times as would be comfortable).

We only got half of it done. And we were EXHAUSTED (esp. after the first two days, which included a day of car-work the day before). It was totally unrealistic to expect to shoot that much.

So we're back there today to continue. Luckily we got all the shots with Erin Gray, as well as the baby. So in theory, it should be easier to move fast.

This team is amazing. I keep saying it.

So it begins...

Production starts today. Our first call-time is in about seven hours.

I better get some sleep.

Mary-palooza

We're at the rehearsal space working with a number of the actors that play Mary -- helping them sync up their physicality. The commute to Newark is a pain, but the rehearsal sound stage is awesome and donated (i.e. free), so it's totally worthwhile. The cast is coming together nicely under the tutelage of acting mentor Blaed Spence. And I'm learning a ton from watching her work with the actors.

We've started with our daily production meetings. Yesterday we about twenty people at the meeting, all working on assorted aspects of the project: locations, props, wardrobe, meals/food, casting, scheduling, logistics and more. Amazingly, nearly all these resources are being donated. And even more people are stepping forward, offering their homes, help and hands.

As I stare down the lists upon lists of what we need to make the film (a staff of 40+ people, over 70 speaking roles, a ton of extras, over 40 locations, around 300 props and 119 pages of script), I can't help but be blown away that we are even attempting this, much less making consistent progress toward the goal. It's a huge testament to the great team that's come together that we have a chance of making this happen. You guys are f'ing amazing.

Gotta get back to rehearsals.

Four days to go until the camera rolls.