147. Blue Horizons Continued: "World's Easiest Catch: Zen of Rock Crab:" Pre-production Package

Here is the link to the ENTIRE preproduction package pdf:

http://stokastika2.googlepages.com/1preproductionmerged.pdf

Link to the treatment: http://stokastika2.googlepages.com/3worldseasiestcatchzenofrockcrabfina.pdf

Link to the Cast / Crew: http://stokastika2.googlepages.com/4castandcrew.pdf

Link to the Proposed Budget / Timeline:

http://stokastika2.googlepages.com/5budgettimelines.pdf

Link to the Working Script / Sketch for Trailer / Music Video:

http://stokastika2.googlepages.com/6workingscript.pdf

Link to the Shotlist: http://stokastika2.googlepages.com/7shotlistdonetobecompleted.pdf

Link to the Talent / Model Release Form: http://stokastika2.googlepages.com/8talentmodelreleaseform.pdf

Link to the Location Release Form: http://stokastika2.googlepages.com/9locationreleaseform.pdf

I don't know why it took me so long to get to the point to finally place the preproduction package on line! Finally, it's here! I think Michael Hanrahan made the students construct a pre-production package for this course, not necessarily because our short, student films really needed something this elaborate, but I feel he was giving us training wheels so that we can expand on our skills in the NEXT project :-)

I vividly remember working on the preproduction package "overtime." Both Maria de Oca and I turned in our package late... then again it's "twice as much work" simply because we were the only ones doing "solo" projects. Last night (March 18, 2008), we watched the three Greenscreen projects, and I had come to realize that larger groups in film production are "random conglomerations" of a film, but if you are solo, or a very small crew, there is a greater likelihood of consistency or flow of thought throughout the entire film.

There are certain things I think in large production groups that are "anti-environmental," sorry to be so extreme. One, large production groups are usually centralized in power, rather than decentralized and fostering more individualized and localized creativity and individuality. Secondly, inclusion of a large group involves high degree of "division of labor," and then each individual becomes responsible for one part of the film, rather than having a more holistic understanding creating a film. This is one point I will make to the Coastal Fund: it's not the zen of rock crab, but it's the zen of film-making. A huge reason why we humans do not relate to environmental problems is that we don't have a systematically holistic understanding of what other humans do; we are overspecialized and do not experience, nor witness the nuts-and-bolts of other people's labor, nor their interactions with their environments. So, I can argue to the Coastal Fund, instead of playing a mocu-carbon-offset game in film production, I will approach environmental problem solving through maintaining "small-scale-zen-film-maker" production operations, such that I will impose as much work upon myself and least on others.

The next round of shooting, I am now honing into "shooting like an editor" (Oscar's famous quote!). I know exactly what I want. As soon as I have a solidified script, I am good to go!

Nuts-and-Bolts for Film Pre-Production Package, Additional Internet Documents (Budget Samples, Talent Release Forms, Location Release Forms)

http://stokastika.googlepages.com/budgetsample1newdv30spot.pdf
http://stokastika.googlepages.com/budgetsample2newdvmenonmoon.pdf

http://stokastika.googlepages.com/budgetsample3yellow.pdf

http://stokastika.googlepages.com/locationreleaseformsample1.pdf

http://stokastika.googlepages.com/locationreleaseformsample2.pdf

http://stokastika.googlepages.com/talentreleaseformsample1.pdf

http://stokastika.googlepages.com/talentreleaseformsample2delmartv.pdf

http://stokastika.googlepages.com/talentreleaseformsample3accesssf.pdf

http://stokastika.googlepages.com/talentreleaseformsample4.pdf

http://stokastika.googlepages.com/talentreleaseformsample5digitaljuice.pdf

Out of my own curiosity, combined with paranoia of Shakespeare Lawyer Language, before creating my own pre-production package for the rock crab project, I frantically searched the internet for additional sample documents, as posted above for your own scrutiny. The documents served me well overall, and allowed me to adapt my forms such that Shakespeare language was minimized, and that people could read and understand what I am saying without being frightened that they were signing their lives away.

Nuts-and-Bolts for Film Pre-Production Package, Shotlog Sample from Keith Boynton, Thank You!

In a previous blog, I posted my own self-made shotlog, which was based on the shotlog above. Keith Boynton (equipment manager for Film and Media Studies at UCSB) provided the form above for me, which was very nice of him! And very useful. I have a shotlog in the making for each of my 25 tapes I filmed for the rock crab project.

Nuts-and-Bolts for Film Pre-Production Package, Talent-Model Release Form Samples

Above are two sample Talent-Model Release forms. One is from Michael Hanrahan, and I think Dave Panitz adopted his form from Michael's. Honestly, to tell you the truth, I saw the form and thought I was reading Shakespeare. It was very scary language, even to ME (a scientist who stares at scary language all the time!). So, this release form convinced me to do a random internet search for alternative formats for these types of forms. I will include these alternative forms that I found on-line in a future blog.

One of the most important ingredients to creating a very-cool-film for everyone to think and enjoy... is to establish meaningful bonds and human relationships with the people you are filming. And the last thing you want to do is scare them away with Shakespearian forms as above. Okay, is it Shakespeare? Or is it Lawyer Language? I don't know. Doesn't matter. IT'S SCARY. PERIOD!

I guess my informal policy I developed this summer is that with all the cool and comical characters I met, I made ORAL AGREEMENTS with them in terms of rights and being allowed to film certain things and not other things. Oral agreements made our interactions very humane and non-corporate. And if we need a WRITTEN AGREEMENT (like liabilities on a fishing boat), my good fisherman friend Phil Freeman willingly wrote a simple liability statement on whatever paper that was available, which happened to be a paper plate. It was a beautiful thing. To improvise legalities on scrap paper plates lying around a boat. I did provide a written (typed) sketch of what I needed from Lazy Acres grocery store with the manager, Jason (though ironically, I never met him, I only met another supervisor, Del). Lazy Acres was recently bought out by a larger organic foods chain (I think the chain is big in Los Angeles, forgot which, Fosters?), so I had to wait a week for "distant corporate approval" of my filming. I learned that dealing with individuals and self-employed or small-institutions minimizes bureaucratic hassle and paperwork. If I obsessed with the notion that I had to film inside an Albertson's or Ralphs, I probably would have had to wait for a year to get approval up the corporate ladder, probably from some mega-corporate dude in New York. Local is good. Individuals are good. Minimizes hassle. Period. Staying human and unstrapped by mega-corporate ladders is... well... very... humane. Nice.

Nuts-and-Bolts for Film Pre-Production Package, Script Sample from Michael Hanrahan for Environmental Defense Center

Alternative scripts is like the story board. In TWO-OR-THREE COLUMN FORMAT. One column is LANGUAGE-NARRATION. One column is IMAGERY. Another column is MUSIC-ACOUSTICS. Maria de Oca, Hannah Eckberg, and Dulce Osuna's scripts were in this format. I prefer this format. The script I turned in was a "throw-away" script for a music video that never happened (at least for the time being). I have a mega-complex about not knowing how to play guitar, and felt like I needed to collaborate with a guitar player this summer, which never happend. But Oscar Flores and Dulce collaborated with a PROFESSOR who is a guitar player! Hopefully I am able to meet him soon! I will just learn guitar myself just to eliminate this inferiority complex.

You can see this sample script in action at the Environmental Defense Center's Website! http://www.edcnet.org/ Just scroll down to the bottom of the main page! I enjoyed the film a lot, particularly the Jack Johnson intro (as I have mentioned before).

Nuts-and-Bolts for Film Pre-Production Package, Budget Sample from Michael Hanrahan

Above is a sample budget. When writing and constructing the pre-production package, towards the end I felt like I was writing the same-ol' grant proposals for scientific research. Funny, isn't it? That after practicing writing film pre-production plans, being exposed to business plans, and writing and being successfully funded with scientific proposals... that in the end, each industry has their own quirks with language and writing structure, in the end, the structure of writing and the end goal is the same: to convince people to give you funding and resources to complete a project. Some projects being economized and some projects being just to enhance science and society. That's it. I have written a lot about this topic: the commonalities of all human-story-telling and the four elements of all human stories. To be discussed another time...

Nuts-and-Bolts for Film Pre-Production Package, Shotlist Sample from Michael Hanrahan for Ty-Warner Sea Center

In class, Michael Hanrahan explained to us that a "Shotlist" is like a grocery-store to-do list for film. It's very important to collect shotlists, especially if you have a very specific style you are shooting for in a film, and need to string the images with a unique level of connectedness. I admit I did not have an on-scene or pre-prep shotlist, primarily because I was thrown into a Black Box of crab fishing and didn't know what to expect. Ultimately, randomness of a black box slowly started to sort out into patterns and rhythmic behaviors and predictability. And then, with each trial of filming, my motions became more smooth, rhythmic, and creatively daring! I think I become more daring and experimental with each trial of filming, simply because I get bored of the mechanics of the previous trial. I always escape reptition, and try to break habits. I always try to expand my box of perception and action!

Once a system becomes predictable (like the rock crab fishing industry system), then I can make a shotlist, because I know what to expect! I think in part, Michael was expecting us to plan and predict too much, to a point where no one was going out and filming. I kind of knew the only way I would learn is to drop myself into the black box of the outdoors. I kind of knew that I had to set aside all this "planning and predicting" of filming in class, and just go fall off a log, and bruise my knees! Because ultimately, planning and predicting doesn't apply to the FIRST TIME you ever do anything!

Nuts-and-Bolts for Film Pre-Production Package, the "Storyboard:" a game of matching words with pictures

The storyboard... ahhh... my mind once again. The game of matching words with pictures. Or for me, it's more like matching pictures with words. Yes, the OTHER way around. It goes along the line of my theme of "The Matrix of the Mind: Mapping Language on Landscapes." Film language is my mind, once again! Finally, I have found some people to communicate with!

Nuts-and-Bolts for Film Pre-Production Package, Treatment Samples from Michael Hanrahan WITH "Acts"

"Acts" segments included in this treatment sample for the Ty-Warner Sea Center!

Nuts-and-Bolts for Film Pre-Production Package, Treatment Samples from Michael Hanrahan

Above are three sample treatments that Michael Hanrahan gave us in class. These treatments are without "acts" (or larger 3-5 segment portions of the film-based story). We (the students) based our treatments off of the structures of these treatments above. I had to write my treatment over twice, because the first time I included WAY too much information!