First day shooting in Ren's Studio location. The set is in Ethan's apartment in the Mission. Ethan handled set design, using the props provided by Ben.
(photos by Gary Kaplan)
Monday, March 22, 2010
Shoot Date- Ren's Studio - day 4
Sunday, March 21
First day shooting in Ren's Studio location. The set is in Ethan's apartment in the Mission. Ethan handled set design, using the props provided by Ben.
Ren's 'robot lab'.
First day shooting in Ren's Studio location. The set is in Ethan's apartment in the Mission. Ethan handled set design, using the props provided by Ben.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Shoot Date- Park Location, Gordon's Apartment - day 3
Saturday, March 20.
Alamo square to shoot the Park scene with Anna, Julie, and Gordon.
I shot the scene handheld, and we got a lot done in a short amount of time. Since we were outside, there were no lights to deal with. This is the fastest way to shoot. We got the entire scene done in about 2 hours. Lunch at a nearby cafe, then a few more shots with Gordon and Julie in the park. We had to charge the camera battery while we had lunch.
Later, we went to San Mateo and finished one of the scenes at Gordon's apartment.
We scheduled one more apartment scene with Julie and Gordon for Thurday, April 1.
Alamo square to shoot the Park scene with Anna, Julie, and Gordon.
I shot the scene handheld, and we got a lot done in a short amount of time. Since we were outside, there were no lights to deal with. This is the fastest way to shoot. We got the entire scene done in about 2 hours. Lunch at a nearby cafe, then a few more shots with Gordon and Julie in the park. We had to charge the camera battery while we had lunch.
Later, we went to San Mateo and finished one of the scenes at Gordon's apartment.
We scheduled one more apartment scene with Julie and Gordon for Thurday, April 1.
Shoot Date- Hallway Location - day 2
On Friday, March 19, the plan was to shoot Lenny and Gordon in the Hall, then go to San Mateo with Lenny and Gordon for the scene in Gordon's apartment.
Rebecca (Julie) also came to re-shoot a few of her shots from the first day.
We got the rest of the hallway scenes done.
I decided to reschedule the Gordon's apartment scene. We settled on April 10.
Rebecca (Julie) also came to re-shoot a few of her shots from the first day.
We got the rest of the hallway scenes done.
I decided to reschedule the Gordon's apartment scene. We settled on April 10.
Props, Set, Locations
Picked up robot props from Ben on Thurday, March 18.
Awesome looking setup!! The props Ben made are great! I'll try to get some photos up soon.
Ethan helped me take the props to his apartment, where he will set up the set for Ren's Studio.
Ethan is helping with Set Design.
Earlier, Ethan and I went over to Alamo Square to scout the location for the Park Scene. We found a good spot and he helped me plan out some of the shots.
Awesome looking setup!! The props Ben made are great! I'll try to get some photos up soon.
Ethan helped me take the props to his apartment, where he will set up the set for Ren's Studio.
Ethan is helping with Set Design.
Earlier, Ethan and I went over to Alamo Square to scout the location for the Park Scene. We found a good spot and he helped me plan out some of the shots.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Friday March 12 shoot, rough cut...
Hallway shoot on Friday, March 12 went well. We got quite a bit done, especially considering the time constraint we were under. We had from 10am to 4pm to set up, rehearse and shoot most of the main hallway scenes. Next Friday, March 19 I have half the day scheduled for the remaining hallway bits.
Unfortunately some of the shots from the 12th will need to be re-done, for technical reasons- the time constraint we were under forced us to rush through some important parts. I'd also like to get more "B-roll" footage to help with the editing.
I cut together a TEST of the footage, which is very rough. No sound editing, no precision editing, no color correction. The footage is RAW, but it helps me to visualize the scenes and what is still needed to complete them. The editing process also enlightened me about ways to improve the directing of future scenes.
Unfortunately some of the shots from the 12th will need to be re-done, for technical reasons- the time constraint we were under forced us to rush through some important parts. I'd also like to get more "B-roll" footage to help with the editing.
I cut together a TEST of the footage, which is very rough. No sound editing, no precision editing, no color correction. The footage is RAW, but it helps me to visualize the scenes and what is still needed to complete them. The editing process also enlightened me about ways to improve the directing of future scenes.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
production schedule...
Production Schedule for March...
March 5th- Actor read through, meeting. discussion of characters and story with the actors.
March 8th- Camera test. "Gordon's apartment" location test.
March 11th- Ren makeup test
March 12th- shoot HALLWAY scenes with Jason, Anna, Julie, Ren.
March 16th- finalize props for Ren's apartment with Ben, provide parts, discuss usage of props
March 19th- shoot HALLWAY scene with Lenny and Gordon in SF. Go to San Mateo to shoot GORDON'S APARTMENT scene with Lenny and Gordon.
March 20th- shoot PARK scene with Anna and Gordon and Julie in SF, Alamo Square. Go to San Mateo to shoot GORDON'S APARTMENT scenes with Julie and Gordon.
March 21st- shoot REN'S STUDIO scenes in SF with Gordon and Julie and Ren.
March 28th- shoot REN'S STUDIO scenes with Gordon and Ren.
.... more days may be scheduled in the last two weeks of March...
wardrobe, props...
Rebecca Honett, (who also plays Julie) has offered to help with wardrobe and props.
Wardrobes for the actors have been directed by Rebecca.
thank you Rebecca!
Wardrobes for the actors have been directed by Rebecca.
thank you Rebecca!
Friday, March 12, 2010
production progress...
Thursday, March 11, 2010-
getting ready for Friday's shoot....
Actors and crew scheduled. Script breakdown for Hallway scenes complete.
Ready to shoot Hallway scenes for characters Julie and Ren. Jason and Anna.
time for a makeup test for Ren...
Ren needs to look a bit older and worn out. I will have special makeup for my performance as Ren.
I met with makeup artist Kristine Hartman. She added grey to my hair and beard, produced age spots on my face, and added a tired, sunken look to my eyes. After a lesson on the application of the makeup, Kristine provided the palette and brushes for me to do my own makeup for the shoots....
Thank you Kristine!
getting ready for Friday's shoot....
Actors and crew scheduled. Script breakdown for Hallway scenes complete.
Ready to shoot Hallway scenes for characters Julie and Ren. Jason and Anna.
time for a makeup test for Ren...
Ren needs to look a bit older and worn out. I will have special makeup for my performance as Ren.
I met with makeup artist Kristine Hartman. She added grey to my hair and beard, produced age spots on my face, and added a tired, sunken look to my eyes. After a lesson on the application of the makeup, Kristine provided the palette and brushes for me to do my own makeup for the shoots....
Thank you Kristine!
production progress...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
got my lab coat from
JMJ Uniform
6789 Mission Street
Daly City, CA 94014
very nice people...
thank you JMJ!!!
got a stethoscope too.
got my lab coat from
JMJ Uniform
6789 Mission Street
Daly City, CA 94014
very nice people...
thank you JMJ!!!
got a stethoscope too.
production progress...
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Movie Cast!!!
After a successful casting session on February 26th, I reviewed the audition tapes and decided on the cast for my project. I called the actors I had selected and scheduled a meeting...
We met last night, Friday, March 5th for a script read through and discussion of the characters and story.
Gordon Stills will be played by Michael Siemsen.
Julie Flowers will be played by Rebecca Honett.
Lenny will be played by Tony Sommers.
Anna will be played by Britt Kilcoyne McGregor.
Jason will be played by Bert Jason Augustine.
Ren will be played by me, Eric Caselton.
New Concept Art...
Here is some new concept art from Xander. This is Ren's Studio, where he lives and builds his robots, writes the Artificial Intelligence program, and transforms Gordon and Julie to new "enhanced" and "perfect" versions of themselves.
"Asshole Robot and the Benefits of an Artificial Mind"
The working title "Asshole Robot" came from an idea I had about a guy who's roommate builds a robot to replace people he doesn't like. When the 'guy' asks his 'roommate' for the rent, a man sized, very stiff mechanical robot intercepts and insults the 'guy'. The robot is such an asshole! Eventually, the 'roommate' builds another robot, which looks exactly like the 'guy'. The new robot, which is a perfect replica, then murders the 'guy' and replaces him, taking over his life. Soon the 'roommate' builds other robot replicas of people, and murders them also. Meanwhile, the stiff, mechanical 'asshole robot' watches over and insults every person who comes along before they are replaced by replicas.
The story eventually evolved into what I have now. The title "Asshole Robot" no longer fit my story, so I didn't have a title. When I decided to cast the current project, I needed a title, so I used the original title as a working title. It got the attention of potential actors, and has turned out to be a catchy title. But I still needed a real title for the project. I finally decided on a title for the current project:
"Benefits of an Artificial Mind"
While the new title fits the story, it would be a shame to loose the catchy working title. My solution is to expand the new title to:
"Asshole Robot and the Benefits of an Artificial Mind"
So this is the title for my project.
The second rewrite of the new script has undergone some significant changes and upgrades, based on research done for this class project. I've added new characters to support the main characters and show their personalities. The characters have been fleshed out even further as I wrote backstories and scenes with the supporting characters. Now all the characters have many layers of depth and backstory to help bring them to life. The complexity of the characters will provide a challenge to the actors and hopefully a fulfilling experience to the movie's audience.
One of the later editions to the cast is an alter ego of the main character, Gordon. This new character, which I call "Confident Gordon", provides insight to the mind of Gordon and how he deals with other people. The reason for the Confident Gordon character is to show the struggle that Gordon goes through after the computer program takes over his mind. The artificial intelligence program takes over Gordon's mind for the most part, but the old Gordon is still there, being controlled by the program. I am still working on incorporating Confident Gordon into the scenes which take place after Gordon has undergone the transformation. This may be the biggest challenge I face as a writer, as I have to think about the subconscious struggle between the Artificial Intelligence and the suppressed natural personality of Gordon. Now Gordon's alter ego, Confident Gordon, becomes subservient to the computer program, which proves to be the dominant personality.
The story eventually evolved into what I have now. The title "Asshole Robot" no longer fit my story, so I didn't have a title. When I decided to cast the current project, I needed a title, so I used the original title as a working title. It got the attention of potential actors, and has turned out to be a catchy title. But I still needed a real title for the project. I finally decided on a title for the current project:
"Benefits of an Artificial Mind"
While the new title fits the story, it would be a shame to loose the catchy working title. My solution is to expand the new title to:
"Asshole Robot and the Benefits of an Artificial Mind"
So this is the title for my project.
The second rewrite of the new script has undergone some significant changes and upgrades, based on research done for this class project. I've added new characters to support the main characters and show their personalities. The characters have been fleshed out even further as I wrote backstories and scenes with the supporting characters. Now all the characters have many layers of depth and backstory to help bring them to life. The complexity of the characters will provide a challenge to the actors and hopefully a fulfilling experience to the movie's audience.
One of the later editions to the cast is an alter ego of the main character, Gordon. This new character, which I call "Confident Gordon", provides insight to the mind of Gordon and how he deals with other people. The reason for the Confident Gordon character is to show the struggle that Gordon goes through after the computer program takes over his mind. The artificial intelligence program takes over Gordon's mind for the most part, but the old Gordon is still there, being controlled by the program. I am still working on incorporating Confident Gordon into the scenes which take place after Gordon has undergone the transformation. This may be the biggest challenge I face as a writer, as I have to think about the subconscious struggle between the Artificial Intelligence and the suppressed natural personality of Gordon. Now Gordon's alter ego, Confident Gordon, becomes subservient to the computer program, which proves to be the dominant personality.
Monday, March 1, 2010
More "sci-fi talk" terminology...
More "sci-fi' terminology lifted from Star Trek TNG...
Resonance frequency
Primary databse
Central core of the processing system
Momentum distributors
Thought protocals
Personality subroutines
Reality assesment grid
Sensory distribution array
Optical data interpretors
Input filtration chain
Command path discontinuity
Locator subroutines
I am working on incorporating this type of "sci-fi" talk into the language used by the scientist character, Ren. It will make sense in the mind of the Ren character and bring credibility to his way of thinking.
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