All About Indie Filmmaking: Doing a Doc!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Doing a Doc!

I'm still pinching myself. The end of 2009 was very good to me, which was super cool, and one big reason was meeting documentary filmmaker Leslie Iwerks. A colleague of mine told me Leslie needed some help on a new documentary she is doing and I jumped at the opportunity.

Besides being incredibly talented (she directed The Pixar Story), Leslie's super nice and calm -- excellent attributes in a director (especially from the producer's perspective). So needless to say, I've been a bit busy between Leslie's projects and my own. But I'm loving it.

So for the next six months I'll be working with Leslie and then I am planning on heading to Amelia Island, Florida, to produce the film I've been wanting to make for over a decade: The Diary of Preston Plummer. I am super excited to finally be making Diary. It's a great script and I love working with the director Sean Ackerman.

As we all know it's not often to find a sense of calm and security in your life as you navigate the world of filmmaking. I think I'll revel in it for a little while longer.

1 comment:

Camden Watts said...: Really enjoyed this post, and so happy you're working on projects that you can't wait to share. May 2010 bring you even more calm and security!; January 14, 2010 at 5:58 AM

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Filmmaking Terms

Abby Singer - The second to last set up of the last shot of the day.
Adaptation - A screenplay based on a written work, such as book or short story.
Attachment - Verbal or written agreement attaching talent to a film project.
Day Out of Days - Calendar detailing the days each actor will work on the film.
DDACS - Detailed Dialogue Action Continuity Script
Deal Memo - Short form deal between film production and cast or crew.
Development - The period in which the screenplay is finalized for pre-production and other key elements, like financing, cast, and crew, may be attached.
Digital Intermediate - The process of digitizing a 35mm or 16mm film print, resulting in a digital version of the film that can be corrected and from which a final output to film or tape is made.
HD - High Definition; a higher resolution than standard definition.
High or Low Hat - A camera mount that allows for filming low angles.
Magazine - Lightproof film container that attaches to the camera and holds both exposed and unexposed film.
Martini Shot - Final set up of the last shot of the day.
One Liner Schedule - Shooting schedule condensed with each day's schedule on one line.
Pay or Play Offer - An offer from the producer to talent stating that the talent will either be paid or played (required to perform) by a certain date.
Pick Ups - New shots to be filmed that were not part of the original shot list.
Post Production - The period following principal photography in which the film or TV episode is completed.
Pre-Production - Often referred to as Pre-Pro; the preparation period prior to principal photography.
Principal Photography - The primary period of shooting the film or TV episode.
Production Draft - The version of the script that is used during film production.
Reshoot - A period of filming during which shots of the movie or TV show are re-filmed.
Screenplay - A script for a movie or TV show.
Script Breakdown - Detailed list of items and people needed for each scene in the script, from which a schedule and budget are made.
Shooting Schedule - Detailed schedule of principal photography, including lists of items needed from each department.
Shot List - List of shots to be filmed during principal photography.