What a crazy week! I feel like cape horn! ,to understand what I mean I've found a quote for you from victory-cruises.com, "There are four or five places all over the world in the presence of which man feels perturbed, surrounded as they are by a perennial mystical aura of spirituality. If, as it is the case of Cape Horn, they are the craved destination, the obliged passage, the insuperable difficulty, everything takes the aspect and the importance of the sanctuary and of the unconsciously supernatural place. After all, its positioning of 55°56' south and 67°19' west, the particular orthographic formation and the intensity of atmospheric phenomena which surround it, turn Cape Horn unique and matchless. Cape Horn, loved and hated by seamen over the last four hundred years."
Cape horn is at the bottom tip of the South America and where the oceans squeeze past the cape and Antarctica, a tremendous force of so much water at once. The waves are Hollywood-esque. Just like I felt with so many things having to be finished by the end of this week, my exam, my film, Nazim's film, juggling it with emperor duties, looking for a new place, bills etc...So many different things going on, so I just wanted to share them with you, day by day quickly :) (and remind myself in the future when I look back on this moment. :D )
But first, there's nothing like a good book right? I'm into spies, burn notice is my favorite TV series, and during my emperor shoots I've heard many things about world war 2 which re-ignited my curiosity in the matter. I stumbled across Agent 146 by Erich Gimpel in the biography section and couldn't put it down, if you come across it, do read it :) It's a great read, one of the things I learnt was take 3 different taxi's to a destination, then walk half a K to it yourself, and the other thing I learnt is when you feel you are being tailed but don't want them to know you know by looking at them, stop in front of a storefront window, they will have to pass you, and once they do check the reflection for your stalkers face. Lots of tips like that, very cool :) also the German saying, "Speech is silver, silence is golden". :) Erich drops inside knowledge of Alcatraz and the Atomic bomb, movie material some day maybe :) Anyway, read it if you come across it. Also a manga called Jiro tanaguchi, about a 45 yr old man who time travels and gets to live his teenage life again with the knowledge he has today...really good books, makes me think what I would do in those situations, life is a product of choice after all :)
Anyway, the week :) ....
MONDAY 27 Feb
This morning we shot the second half of the footchase scene for Timefish, which was my fight on the rooftop with Nazim, there's a couple screenshots below. Then in the afternoon went to school and reviewed for Thursday's exam. Lighting, scriptwriting, and assignment details. fun-ish.
See how I'm wearing Green and the box is yellow? Yeah? Apparently so do bee's cos a bee literally chased us through the parking lot during a set up and we hid behind the stairs door. It was so funny, but scary like a survival horror film lol. I let Nazim check if the coast was clear before I went out, he didn't notice he was out by himself until he looked back lol I had work tomorrow, I have to look good ;) Also He always has a nasty habit of hurting himself when we shoot action scenes, he banged his head on the concrete shortly after the first screenshot below, but he fell behind the car so no footage to replay. He's alright, I just hope he doesn't do it again...
TUESDAY 28 Feb
11am, Nazim and I met and shot first half of chase scene for Timefish, which was the footchase through the park across my street and running towards (theoretically) the parking building we shot at yesterday. Then after this tiring 3 hours of running across the city for different takes we went to school and reviewed Ant's first day review of his part of the course. Color, audio, 3d animation, camera etc...long day but fun, he acts like a student and even played hangman with us when we had no clue what the answer was....best teacher I've ever had I guess. After school we shot some more of Nazim's 'Lighter' film with Lee Ah Yen. Looks good so far ;) The film, not me in nerdy glasses. I bought contacts for a reason :P
WEDNESDAY 29 Feb
from 11.30 am to 11.30pm I was on set to shoot my 6th day of Emperor. This time it wasn't for a convoy shot, but an interior shot of an office in Japan. Yay, I'm in an office scene :) The lighting was great, the camera movements looked awesome and the set was fantastic, down to cigarette smoke, paperwork, hand sharpened pencils, the whole legit 1940's era office deal. Like any job, you just had to look busy and for little ol me in the background, that was exactly my job, I pretended to write notes working the late shift :)
We shot some more then lunch then the next 6 hours after we spent playing cards, a game called Presidents and assholes. I was asshole once but reigned as president or vice president for most of the later games, my first time playing and I rocked it like a veteran lol. Anyway, afterwards caught a taxi home, 35 bucks from Henderson to city centre, not bad but still tough on the ol student pocket. At least home safe and no scuffles :) Exam tomorrow, went to sleep.
(REAL general MacArthur and co at airbase during Japanese
occupation on what the film is based on. The uniforms we wear are similar.)
THURSDAY 1 Marchoccupation on what the film is based on. The uniforms we wear are similar.)
Met up with Nazim in the morning and went over the notes I missed out yesterday while I was at Henderson working, then we went to the exam. It was easier than any of us thought. What's a hardlight? C? A light that doesn't break? the 'wrong' answers in the multi-choice rxam made it virtually impossible to stuff up, still, the NZ film history ones tripped me and I ended up with a 91% pass mark out of the 100 questions. I can say it was easy but I still got 9 wrong lol.
After the exam we finished shooting Nazim's film at the Auckland art galley, we literally had one more shot to do when security came over chests puffed out like flashy peacocks with badges and said we couldn't film there. Because a flower in the background was copyrighted. Yet every tourist behind him was taking photos of the very same thing. SMH, A little power goes to big heads quickly, then again, they might have just wanted to look busy, security work sucks (I can say it cos I been there...). Anyway, we finished up and a wrap's a wrap :) I'll link here as soon as it's on you tube, but he might hit up festivals first if it turns out good :)
FRIDAY 2 March
Handed in logo assignment. Even though when I got the student counter the supervisor said he'll be right back but then shows up 40 minutes later like nothing happened. But 1 more day of that ish so I'm over it, it's been a long year but it's all done!!!
SATURDAY 3 March
Today I shot the last shots of Timefish (screenshots below) Me, the 'surprise' ending and some pick up shots. (shots I missed earlier in the year). Camera returned. Shooting is a wrap!!!
I've completed a rough cut of the film in windows movie maker until I get hold of a legit copy of Vegas or premiere so I know the pacing, idea and spacing. I will cut a quick trailer for this tomorrow, the student film is roughly 17 min's and a half, showcases my action choreography and film style and is a definite step up from 'credibility' all those years ago lol :) Check out the screenshots below :)
If I look tired that's because I am, this has been a tiring month man. 3-4hours sleep one night, 7 the next, and that pattern last 2 weeks, only from last night have I been getting a regular 7-8 again. Phew, ready to sleep in Sunday :) Thanks for reading, hope you had fun, see you next time with a teaser trailer :) Don't forget to do at least one thing today that makes you happy. I know I do :)
Kind regards, your pal, Matt ;)
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