The Dorsey Wheeler Project

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Interview This!

Well today I was able to take a large step forward because Mr. Nelson, my interview prospect, responded to my email and answered all of the questions right in my email! Mr. Nelson provided some very strong information and advice that will truly help me in completing my project. I am so glad I was able to find someone knowledgable in the subject and able to recieve a quick and concise response.

NEXT

Friday, June 26, 2009

Interview Prospect

Today I found and contacted Gordon Nelson, Senior Insturctor at Pittsburgh Filmmakers. From what I know Mr. Nelson used to work here which could improve of chances of getting a response. I sent Mr. Nelson an email requesting an interview and provided him with a list of my interview questions. Hopefully he will respond and perhaps even answer my questions via email. PROGRESS IS HAPPENING!!

Stay Tuned...

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Toasted Notes

I am still working on notes. They're very repetative and boring but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't making progress. I have about half of my notes pretty well filled out and I am still adding things. I'm hoping to have the majority of my notes done by next week. Big wheels keep on turning on the movie machine and I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Decency NOTEsti Decency

As I'm sure you could expect I've just been doing notes. This entire week has been and will be devoted to doing my project note. My goal by the end of the week it to have more than half of my notes completed so that I can move forward on finding a person to interview. Other than that not too much to report but I'll be sure to keep you in the loop if something changes.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Notes Have Begun

Today I started taking notes on my foundation questions and I am suprised at how easy it is. I got like two of my foundations complete and started another. If I am able to continue at this pace then I should be able to easily complete them.

I'll keep you posted gang

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Interview Questions

Today I went through my list of foundation and started to revise them and form them into exceptal interview questions. I think they are pretty solid questions and will help to produce some good information about my project. Here are the questions I came up with. Please let me know how they sound!
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Beyond technical terms, what to you is a movie?
What are some of the most crucial roles in movie production?
What are the main steps that must be followed when making a film?
What is the process of preproduction?
What is the purpose of a screenplay?
How do you create a screenplay?
What type of equipment do you suggest I use to create my movie?
What some common filming techniques I could observe based on the given technology and the basis of my film?
How should I go about editing my movie?
What are some issues to be aware of when editing?
In your opinion, what is the importance of collaboration when creating a film?
How should a filmmaker use feedback of their work to effectively revise it?

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Let the Notes Begin

I spent the entire day today setting up my note taking template, reevaluating my foundation questions, and printing hard copies of my many resources so that I can begin taking notes for my project. Today was very productive. My next step is to start organizing my resources so I can begin getting my notes down on paper.

Stay Tuned...

Webliography

Film-Makers.com - Filmmaking and Movie Making Resources. 28 May 2009 . This site is a 7. It provides first hand accounts of actual filmmakers experiences and provides advice for upcoming filmmakers. This is exactly the type of resource I will need for helping develop the film while maintaining my creative role. This site must be unblocked!!

"The Filmmaking Process ? Coffee and Celluloid." Coffee and Celluloid ? Adventures in the Image. 14 May 2009 . On a scale from 1-10 I say this site is a 7. This page is basically a blog with a list of posts that pertain to several aspects of filmmaking. This page gives an extensive list of these posts catagorized by which part of the filmmaking process they involve. This site will be useful in guiding me in the many if not all the steps of my project.

"The Filmmaking Process Big Think." Big Think Get to know Experts and Ideas. 27 May 2009 . This site is also blocked but when researched personally it appeared to be about a 7. It provides expert ideas and tips in how to approach the development of an amatuer film. It will be most helpful in the planning stages.

"Filmmaking Tips & Tricks for Emerging Filmmakers from leading experts across the web and Howcast Studios." Howcast - The best how to videos on the web. 27 May 2009 . When this site is unblocked it is a 7. It like the other sites provides filmmaking tips for amatuers. This would be most helpful in several steps of the process of making my film.

Filmmaking.net resources and community for independent filmmakers (movies filmmaking independent production filmmaker film moviemaking rec.arts.movies.production FAQ alt.movies.independent Internet Filmmaker's FAQ best film schools). 28 May 2009 . When this site is unblocked I believe it would be rated at about a 7. It provides a list of topics and resources that pertain to the art of film making. It will help me in using the others in the field as primary sources of information on how to create this film of mine. This site must be unblocked first!!

"How to Produce a Film eHow.com." EHow How To Do Just About Everything! 27 May 2009 . This site is about a 6.5. It helps provide ideas and methods in which an independent filmmaker could unse in order to get his film produced such as looking for investors and using fundraisers. This could provide me ways to increase the budget and the overall quality of my project.

"How To Write A Movie, Main - The Visual Writer, LLC." Visual Writer: Inquiry and commentary on the how, what, and challenges of writing. 27 May 2009 . On a scale from 1 to 10 in usefulness this site is about a 8. It provides a book like guide in the writing of a film which will be one of the most crucial parts of my project. This page is unique in that it reads like a book and sections off different subjects into chapters.

"Independent film -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 27 May 2009 . This page is about a 5. It provides a brief history of independent film whichcould be useful in the description of my ideas and why I chose this project. It mainly just provides a good historically view of independent film.

"Moviemaking Tips Archive." Making the Movie. 27 May 2009 . This site is about a 7.5 on a 1 to 10 scale of usefulness. It provides a novice point of view about amatuer filmmaking and provides a list of tips on multiple aspects of film creation including lighting, sound, and location. These tips will prove invauable in the actual filming of my project.

"The Online Communicator: Writing for Film." The Online Communicator Website. 14 May 2009 . On a scal from 1-10 I'd say this websit is about a 7. This website provides insight into the process of writing a film and gives tips on ways to make it a more efficient and effective. This information will be crucial to me during the writing phase of my project and will help give me the necessary techniques to improve my work.

Key Terms

Practical Site- The use of a real world set such as a house, office building, street etc. rather than a set built expressly for the film. While faster to get up and running a practical set imposes many constraints on the production company such as increased difficulty in blocking and lighting a scene.
Shot- A single continuous take, filmed in a single session from one camera setup. The basic grammatical unit of the language of film, a shot may range from a single frame taken from a fixed position to a setup involving complex camera movement.
Sequence- A number of scenes linked together by time, location, or narrative continuity to form a unified episode in a motion picture. It is often likened to a chapter in a book, the scene being the equivalent of a paragraph and the shot the equivalent of a sentence. Traditionally, but not necessarily, a sequence begins with a fade-in and ends with a fade-out or some other optical transitional device.
Rushes- print or video tape that is reviewed on the set to see how the scene is progressing and how it was blocked and lit
Cast-select participants for performance: to choose somebody for a particular role in a drama, dance, or other performance, or choose people for all the roles in a production
Editing-cut material: to remove material from something such as a publication, broadcast item, recording, or movie, e.g. because it is lengthy or offensive
Writer-the person who wrote a specific text or document
Producer- an organizer and administrator of the making of a movie, broadcast, or recording, or the staging of a play
Director-a supervisor of the actual making of a movie or television program
Scene- a short section of a play, movie, opera, or work of literature that presents a single event
Screenplay- film script: scenario for a film to follow
Post-Production-final production stage: the final stage in the making of a recording, film, or television program that includes editing, sound dubbing, and adding special effects
Preproduction- the plans and activities, e.g. those relating to finance, equipment, and personnel, that precede the production phase of a project, especially in the entertainment and manufacturing industries