Chris Jones Blog

SUMMER SCARS, DVCProHD Feature In Post...

I am just helping a good friend of mine complete his fourth feature film, Summer Scars, shot on DVCProHD Vericam. It looks terrific and it’s now a very tight drama, but two things have resonated while working through these final technical stages.Next

First, Julian, the director, has worked his way through three editors in order to get to the best possible edit of the film. When I hired him an Avid, it was last August and he took it for an eight week edit. It’s now March the following year! This isn’t because the film was a mess and needed unpicking, but because Julian was determined to get the best possible story out of the material he shot. As he would say, ‘it’s tighter than a ducks arse!’

Second, it was shot on DVCProHD and more material was shot than if it were shot on film, thus adding much more work in post. I was astonished at how much media this created on the computer. Working at SD (not HD) for the offline, the system now has 2 terabits of storage (to accommodate grading mix downs, extra audio, audio mix downs etc.) and moving that amount of data around is time consuming to say the least. Two terabits, and it’s still at SD!

Save money and the planet in your edit suite!

I run lots of computers and edit suites. That’s a lot of juice. I also feel very strongly about the environment and global warming. I recently decided I needed to do something about the power down time of my kit, when it’s switched off but not actually fully powered down.

Here’s the problem, and you will recognise it too. I switch off a PC, but there are still lots of bits of kit drawing power. A printer in standby, the power bricks that come with LCD monitors, chargers etc. All draw power, and some much more than you would think. Laser printers are some of the worst offenders, as are AC to DC power adapters. To solve the problem, I bought a 1 Click (www.oneclickpower.co.uk) power cable here. It’s very cunning. It looks just like a normal four or six way power cable. But… if you plug the PC into the main socket on the 1 Click, when you power down the PC, it detects the drop in voltage and powers down the other sockets too. That means zero power use when switched off. And when you power up the PC, it reactivates the other sockets. It works flawlessly and transparently too AND it will save you more money in one year than it costs to buy.

If you buy one and it works for you, please tell as many people as you can. It will save them money too, as well as get us that tiny bit closer to making a positive change to the environment.

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Pitching ROCKETBOY

Pitching is something I don’t fully enjoy, but when it goes well, I love it. I have been pitching my movie ‘Rocketboy’ around town this week and I have been using some new simple techniques I heard about from a professional negotiator. Here it is - ‘shut up’. I ask a question, ‘so tell me about you best project?’, ‘what exactly excites you about a project?’, ‘what do you think make a project more successful?’ and then I just shut up. This has several advantages. First off, they talk more than you, so you get to mine them for information. Second, THEY FEEL GREAT! It’s not often they get to talk to people about how great they are, especially when asked! Best of all, the weakest link, ie you and your pitch, can wait until a better relationship is established.

This flies in the face of what most people tell you about pitching. I believe it’s more about cultivating a relationship than selling hard on a specific project. Try it out, you may be surprised.

Continuing on from yesterdays post...

Continuing on from yesterdays post, regarding the professional presentation of your film. I was recently involved in a short film evening for charity. The film makers had all sent DVD’s and to my eye, only one was really acceptable in appearance. Most had just scrawled the name of their film, only a few had relevant contact details such as a phone number and email, all were not 100% presentable to a professional film community (never mind dodgy menus and incorrect aspect rations etc. on the film itself).

Consider, you don’t know where a DVD may ultimately end up? An agent? A producer? What if they like it can’t find you because there are no contact details, or the details are so badly written, you can’t read them. Of the ten films I was given on DVD, two were illegible. The picture here is a mock up (I have changed the title and names) as I don’t want to embarrass the film makers in question, but it looks exactly like the DVD I am holding in my hand right now.

Lessons…

1. Every disk should have your contact details clearly printed.
2. Buy a colour printer that can print directly onto printable disks, they cost only £60!
3. NEVER send disks out that are not 100% professional in appearance. NEVER EVER!
4. You want to stand out from the crowd. It’s so easy to present yourself professionally. That will put you in the 20% immediately.

Short film opens doors in LA for Brit Film Maker

Those of you who have been on my Guerilla Film Makers Masterclass recently will know of a short film that I edited for a good friend of mine, director Jonathan Newman. The film, FOSTER, is a charming tale of a boy who is fostered by kind new parents and how he comes to terms with it as an adult. It was professionally produced and shot on HDCam (not HDV). The movie collected a few awards and Johnny continued to push it, even when it looked like it was running out of steam. It also got him an agent.

Yesterday I got a call from Johnny saying, ‘I got a message on my cellphone from Pete Farrelly, yes one of the brothers who made Something About Mary…! I had sent him a screener DVD about four months ago and he just watched it, liked it, and now wants to pitch it in LA to Dreamworks… and how did I feel about that!?’ I guess Johnny is now booking his flight to LA!

Of course this all may lead nowhere but at least the dream is alive and kicking again for him, and at the very least, Johnny now has Pete Farrelly as a contact in LA. A powerful contact that could open doors for him.

Lessons learned?

1. Make a short film in the genre that you want to market yourself within.

2. Make it to the highest standards possible. It must be world class in it’s production. So good even Spielberg would watch to the end.

3. Keep pushing and send DVD’s that are in proper boxes, with printed labels, to everyone. Yes everyone, including Peter Farally.

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Cannes, A Virgins Guide - www.Get2Set.com March Seminar

We just held our March Seminar on getting to Cannes, which was led by Ben Craig, author of a Virgins Guide To Cannes. It was an information packed evening, with heaps of tips about doing the Cannes Film Market on a budget, what to do, what not do, and how to get in.

Some key points that were discussed, if you are going to Cannes but missed the seminar, are…

1. The easiest and cheapest way for most of us to get a market badge, and you need a badge, is by registering through the Short Film Corner.

2. Do not expect to get a deal in Cannes, use it as a fact finding and contact generation mission.

3. Speak to EVERYONE who has a badge. This is a business of relationships. This is often tough for some people. Just remember, most other people are uncomfortable doing this too, so smile, be gracious and be prolific.

4. Talk about them more than about you. They will think you are a very nice and professional person. You will also get more information about them, and about what is going on, by taking this approach. There will be time to talk about you in their office a month after Cannes, away from the noise and chaos

5. Be prepared for entertaining bedlam. Cannes is like Disneyland for grown ups, full of bright lights, distraction, excitement and thrills. Have fun.

Ben has very kindly offered a special 15% discount on both his Cannes Guide and Sundance Guide, which are a must have for anyone attending the Sundance Film Festival or Cannes. To get this discount, all you need to do is go to www.sundanceguide.net or www.cannesguide.com and use the discount code GETTOSET during the checkout process.

See you on April 22nd for the next seminar, on Creativity and Writing Coaches…. Go to www.get2set.com

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

You Can Always Learn, No Matter The Job

Being a film maker fills me with dread when a close friend tells me they are getting married. It usually means that at some point they are going to ask ‘will you do the video?’ I always think I will say ‘no’, but the problem is, if it’s a close friend, I want to make sure it gets done just right. I have just completed a mammoth edit for one such wedding video, and after watching it back, I was surprised to see that it was structured with a clear beginning, middle and end - factor in the hen and stag clips, (you even have a refusal to the call for adventure!) The end was in fact VERY BIG, and emotionally charged. I know they are going to love it when I present it to them. What began life as a begrudging effort, has now become a labour of love where I am dying to get the audience to see it.

I have learned two important lessons making this video for my friends. First, it seems inescapable to me that stories want to be told a certain way, and no matter what you do, they tend to end up falling into certain patterns that hook, entertain, move and reward the audience for their investment. Even a damn wedding video!

Second and perhaps more important, was the touchstone that even the simplest of stories can be emotionally overwhelming. This wedding video will have ‘em laughing and crying when I gather everyone round to my home to watch the first screening. Sure, all my friends will know the key players (that would be the happy couple), but they might not know the supporting cast - mums, dads, siblings of the bride and groom. Yet, tears will flow and sides will hurt with laughter, because we are emotionally invested in what we are watching.

This all echoes what David Yates, director of the new Harry Potter movie said to me when I interviewed him for the Guerilla Film Makers Handbook, and I am paraphrasing here, ‘whatever you do, make sure it’s the best it can be, as most people don’t bother. That is the best way to elevate yourself….’

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

DV Horror Movie Linked To Killings

Recently I was shocked to hear that an old friend of mine, and director of several indie feature films, Julian Richards, has become embroiled in some tragic events. Many of you will have heard of the double murder in the press recently, but what you might not have heard, unless you read the Mail or Sun, is that his recent film, The Last Horror Movie, has been linked to the murders. One witness claimed that the boy who is accused of the murders repeatedly watched Julians film before committing them, as though this were in some way, the reason he did what he is accused of doing. Of course none of us can really say why, if he is indeed guitly, he did what he did, but a movie is an excellent scapegoat. I myself became implicated in crimes when my film White Angel was tied to Fred West in the nineties. On that occasion, the charges were utterly ludicrous though.

Putting aside the tragedy of the murders, what has saddened me further, is to find out that Tartan Video have decided to drop the title. This appeared in Screen Daily yesterday…

Cutting-edge UK distributor Tartan Video announced today (Mar15) that it will cease supplying retailers with DVD copies of The Last Horror Movie. The award-winning UK film, which was released theatrically in 2005, was an alleged inspiration for two murders committed by a teenage boy currently on trial, who watched it repeatedly in the four days leading up to the crimes. A spokesman for Tartan said: "In the light of such tragic events it is only right that Tartan ceases to profit from the sale of the film. We are taking these actions as a mark of respect for the families of all concerned, to whom we extend our deepest sympathies."

While I completely agree that this is an appropriate action to take and sensitive to the families, what was surprising is that no-one from Tartan bothered to tell Julian that they were pulling the film. He only heard about the withdrawal of the film when I called him to give him some moral support.

Let’s hope that when the heat dies down, Tartan allow the film back into the marketplace.

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Joe Esterhas’ ‘The Devil’s Guide to Hollywood: The Screenwriter as God’

I have just finished reading Joe Eszterhas’ book,‘The Devil’s Guide to Hollywood: The Screenwriter as God’ which I picked up in the USA and is now out in the UK in paperback. I have always respected Esterhas (most famous for ‘Basic Instinct’ and high profile script auctions) as an outspoken rebel against the Hollywood machine, and his book is an entertaining and irreverent confirmation of this status. It’s a great loo book as it’s essentially a collection of loosely ordered snippets about the Hollywood machine, ranging from the profound, insightful, ridiculous, scandalous, opinionated, and it’s laced with a few hard won tips.

I don’t often get through every page of a book, but I found this one easy to read and echoed many of my own minor Hollywood experiences too. Esterhas is fiercely confrontational, with wild recommendations like taking hunting knives into development meetings, or discussing how to sleep with your leading lady. This is not a ‘how to guide’ and there isn’t much to help writers on writing, but there is heaps of anecdotal stories that will prepare any film maker for the asylum that is Hollywood.For the hardcore film maker, this is a four out of five book. Enjoy!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

This entry was posted on 08/03/2007