Young Forevers Production

James arrived around 4 pm after being pulled over by one of Illinois’ finest.  After a quick dinner of hotdogs we got right to work.  The first scene we layed out the party sequence we discussed thoroughly because it would required a lot of cuts and camera movements unlike the rest of the script.

We decided to shoot the film in 16:9 ration versus a 4:3 ratio because although I want the film to feel cramped and for there not to be much space I do want it also to feel like a regular film, not something just for television and home viewing.

A majority of the shots we are using are your standard two shot and one shots.  I, as well as James, enjoy using POV and close ups and in some scenes (especially near the beginning) it works quite well.  After much discussion we decided that the best way to shoot the movie would be over the shoulder voyeuristic perspective so that means a lot of what I call obstructed view (aronud the corner shots) and over the shoulder camerawork.  We’re also going to do some steadicam work and maybe even some split screen (but we haven’t gotten that far in the script yet).

One shot I’m especially proud of is one that James came up with involving a two shot looking down on a character lying in bed which then becomes a POV of that character.  James had the idea to use a small ramp that he will build and if all goes according to plan it should be one of the best shots in the film. 

On Friday we will try to get through a majority of the script. 

-J

This is the first entry in my online production diary for Out of Focus Productions’ first film The Young Forevers.  The screenplay (written by myself and David Grenier) was finished last October and we have a set a date for the start of production.  The start date is June 1, 2006 on a budget between 16,000-20,000 dollars.  The film will be shot on Digital Video.  Here are the list of people currently associated with the film and their roles:

Jeff Gittel- Co-Writer, Director

David Grenier- Co-Writer, Producer

James Honaker- Director of Photography, Editor, Lighting, Sound

Daanish Qualbani- Music

Jen Anderson- Costumes, Makeup

We will hopefully begin casting in January/February of 2006 in the Chicagoland area for two actors and two actresses.  The film will be shot on location in Chicago.

Today, I have been making my director’s notes on the script in terms of camera angles, some setups, and pretty much what I want the film to look like.  James Honaker will be arriving tomorrow where we will begin storyboarding the script and hopefully by the time he leaves on Sunday we will have it completed.  The film is about a young Chicago married couple who, though they are legally adults, seemingly cannot escape the contraints of youth (selfishness, irresponsibility, egotism, unfeeling sexuality, and cruelty). 

I’m going to pretty much log any work that I am doing on the film in this diary.  I will also include some storyboards at some point, and pictures of the cast and crew when I get around to it.  I don’t know how clever or interesting this will be to start but hopefully it will be a realistic and interesting story of how an independent film comes to be.

-J