I just got up and watched 'The Namesake' and it was a beautiful movie - there are so many small things that it captures with such pinpoint accuracy that it is frightening. Another movie that I saw recently was 'The Illusionist' and it was a pleasent surprise and felt so much more natural and engrossing than 'The Prestige'.
I heard back both from Jason Grunebaum (the english translator) and Uday uncle (the original author) regarding adapting PCWL into a feature and needless to say I am excited as it is a love story and alienation is one of the over-riding and central themes of the story. It will be an interesting one to bring to life since it is so relevant in a global landscape where the boundaries are now drawn in the form of culture.
We will be finishing off sound design on FIVE by 1st September but in the meantime I have started making notes for the third draft of Ghost Scream, which my friend John Dalton is writing. So busy and exciting times as always.
Is a dream worth striving for? Is an idea worth fighting for? Everytime I think of those questions I cry. Human society is such a hard place to be in - the majority live with a compromise for most of their lives and they don't take too kindly to people trying to live a dream. I guess those questions gives me pangs of existential crisis now and then. But then again I know that the easy way out of this angst would be to give in to the majority and lead a 'normal life' but then where is the fun in living a life less ordinary. I bumped into an old acquaintance who heard that I had just finished off my second movie and sarcastically commented 'It is good that you are still trying'. I promptly corrected them saying 'I am not trying - I am doing it.' I don't know if the meaning of my words carried through or not but I hate the cynicism that people carry with them when they quickly pass judgements about you based on their 'normal' world view. On the other hand I had a few conversations where some people I know have told me that I am talented. I don't take compliments really well and I frankly don't know what talented means but it gives me hope that maybe I am still on the right path; maybe I can still keep dreaming. It is a matter of finding some sort of balance between reality and dreams, so I don't disappoint my family.
Waiting for the ferry
FIVE's initial sound mix is done and I have fired off the copies for reviews as well as to Microcinema Festival. It is a big relief and definitely a big weight off the shoulders. I have decided to chuck out the idea of doing a proper 5.1 mix since time is so precious without money and the plan is to work a little bit more on the 2.0 mix and bring it as close to perfection as possible. The sound is good as it is right now but the additional work will lift the movie up a little more.
The second draft for 'Urameshiya' has come in and I am currently reading it before I send it out to the people already on board the project. My room is in a state of complete mess and I still have to tidy it up. It has gone from bad to worse after I started cleaning it up :-(
I watched a couple of really good movies - 'Half Nelson' and 'Sophie Scholl: The Final Days'. Half Nelson isn't technically perfect but the acting is fantastic and it totally pulls you into the movie and never lets go and it is the same with 'The Final Days' where the human drama is so raw and honest that it is emotionally devastating by the time the credits roll. Acting can make or break a movie and technically the idea should be to just capture those moments when they happen.
Time to try and cut a trailer for 'FIVE' and update the website along with cleaning my room - maybe all at the same time; maybe at different times - who knows.
Well - the last post was a bit of a bummer because of the thing with post non-funding for 'Five' but then you have this week happen which keeps the spirit alive and truly kicking.
First - the script for 'Urameshiya' came in and it looks like it is going to be my next project. I have always wanted to work with John Dalton and this project seemed to be something that both of us have grown attached to and thus the progression into a script. The genre is comedy-horror and even the first draft is pretty funny. I am treating what I have got as the first draft since it was developed from an existing script that John had worked on earlier that did not go into production. Since there has been a change of director and producers and countries - the direction the script was going earlier and where it will be going now has changed considerably. Overall - the script is touchingly funny and would be fun to work with. Currently we are sorting out the third act - which is not a satisfying resolution to a good story. Once that is sorted - it will become even more hilarious and I am seeing it more along the lines of 'Shaun of the Dead' in terms of tone and mood. You will be hearing more about this project in the coming days as things start picking up speed with it.
The building had such beautiful art on it that I had to capture it (Taken from my car)
Second - I didn't have an agent till now as far as acting is concerned - which is not surprising considering that I have only just started taking acting training and have mainly been involved on the other side of the camera [not counting 'Five']. So I dropped in an email to one of the top acting agents asking them how I should go about the process of getting myself some representation and one thing lead to another and thanks to Mike S (and obviously Graham) - I am now on the books of Auckland Actors. It was an awesomely pleasant but thrilling experience and I was on a high for 2 days straight. It is just the first step but still a very important one because having a good agent can make heaps of difference in terms of what you can be put forward for. Now there is this whole new world of auditions etc which I will start experiencing but I am taking things as they come. For now I will just concentrate on my acting classes and practise sessions. The acting practise sessions are now turning intense but they are fun at the same time - it is like losing yourself in it and then discovering yourself through the process. And the thing I really love is that we have an awesome bunch of people in the class and that makes the whole process that much more exciting and fun - I feel lucky in every way.
Chelsea, Claire and Brett in the acting practise session
Drew McMillan has joined the 'FIVE' team as the second composer since we are running short on time and expecting just one person to score the entire movie is a tough ask which puts enormous pressure on them. I am waiting to hear back from Auckland International Film Festival if 'Five' has been selected into the festival or not - keeping fingers crossed that they see something good in it. I am bracing myself for the rejection letter anyway, so that the fall is not as hard.
Fading light
I am currently listening to 'Grey's Anatomy Vol.2 - OST' (the first CD I bought in ages) and it is an awesome soundtrack with a good range of music and it is really alive. The only other track I wish was included on this one was 'Cosy in the Rocket' by Psaap - which is part of Vol.1 OST {you hear the tune in the end credits}. Found the track on Youtube and you can watch it by clicking on the play button.
