Moving Districts 2011

Pre/Production/Post

So much has just happened and our time has been incredibly limited to make much social networking so here is a very quick summary of the events that unfolded…

• Last minute ideas to shoot a drag queen
• No access to drag queens…
• More visual ideas than you can shake a stick at
• Meeting the coolest actor ever
• Last minute late night script writes with wine
• Meeting the pro director for advice and a sway in ideals
• Scratch storyboards
• Getting the best costume ever
• Creating the best makeup ever
• Leaving late to shoot
• Buying high heel shoes on trams
• Loosing high heel shoes on trams
• Spending a day with a cat and cross dresser without anyone commenting
• Blagging into a garden to shoot
• Loving the Hungarian Sunshine
• Loving the 50mm lens
• Trying to edit with few computers and too many editors
• Checking out the most amazing rushes
• Way too much sync sound without sync…

Urrrghhh….

—Green Team

Shooting days are always chaotic, but today took that to the extreme. It was always going to be an interesting day, but I don’t remember ever having such an odd filming experience - even making documentaries!

Issues with equipment arriving, lens compatibility and even knowing which station we needed made things difficult from the outset.

Our scripted and planned out footage went pretty well, although time was predictably tight. The real issues came when we went to our second location, and had to think on the spot. Today was really about reacting to pressure, but that is of course the greatest challenge of any director. The most important thing from any workshop is that you have learned something by the time things come to a close and today gave us a real chance to think on the spot and work in new and different situations.

Not knowing Hungarian made it hard to communicate with the people living at our location and things got a little bit tense! Once everything calmed down we had about ten minutes to shoot real footage, and I think there could be some real magic within those few minutes. As always we all wish we had more time, but that’s not the point - we are making the best with what we have and we seem to be doing a lot with it.

It’s a cliche, but I think this film is really going to be made in the edit. So the pressure is on for the next couple of days and things could get complicated! A lot of ideas, but only one film to come out at the end of it!

- Red Team

It’s early in the morning, actors are arriving, equipment is coming soon, and happily we’re all much more confident about our ending I think. It’s a different way for all of us to work, but right now it seems like we are doing well. There are a lot of technical things going on, and last minute plans - an exciting environment to be in!

- Red Team

Today the team had many plates to spin! We started the day discussing our ideas for the photo-collage projection, making lots of sketches and part-formed ideas. Addy started making these ideas reality on Photoshop, while the rest of the team headed back to our location, to take pictures, walk shots and talk to the people living there.

Then we got to spend time with Arpad Bogdan who directed “Happy New Life” and talk about our ideas for the film. Having a chance to talk things through with the director was brilliant, and made us really question the motivations and essential story behind our idea. It’s easy to get caught up in a concept or theme, and somehow lose sight of the film itself. We had great ideas about perfection, worth and value, but when it came down to framing the shots we were suddenly lost. Now we’ve spoken more about how to fit these ideas into the short film genre, things are making much more sense.

It looks like this is going to be a story with a twist in the tail – and of course I can’t spoil the fun and reveal it,  but if we pull it off, it’ll be great!

- Red Team