Short Film pre-production

I’ve finally got my hands on a \panasonic dvx100B\. I’ve been working on pre-production for a short film and am now ready to shoot some test footage and figure out the best look for my film. For those unfamiliar with video stuff, this camera shoots in a special mode that looks more like film instead of video. Think of the difference between soap operas and game shows which are shot on video, and then think of your typical drama like CSI, Nip/Tuck, and most hollywood films. Hopefully this camera will allow me to get results more like the latter and less like the former.

I’ve also got a borrowed shotgun microphone and this script calls for a gun so I have this very realistic looking fake gun. I’ve got my actors lined up, they are mostly graduate students from the Drama Department at the University of Arkansas. They are great actors and I have utmost faith in thier abilities. The only trouble I’m having is the weather. I was planning to shoot some scenes yesterday, but just couldn’t. We are currently under an ice storm warning. Maybe tomorrow.

I’m planning on trying out some new software called \DVrack\ for the first time, although I also plan on being the camera operator so I’m not entirely sure how this will work out. It might be more trouble than it’s worth.

Right now I’m about to watch the Patriots beat the Chargers. It’s hard to pick against Tom Brady who is a miracle worker in the post season!