Helping Hands from 2005

John Hartney · February 2nd, 2005, 07:17 PM

I'm in Chicago... Ikegami dv7 and Sony pdx10.

email me for rates...

jhart3@hotmail.com

Joshua Starnes · February 2nd, 2005, 08:16 PM

If they need anyone for the Houston area, I'm available. I can travel around the state as well.

Stephen Jackson · February 2nd, 2005, 11:35 PM

I'm in NY I'll send you an e-mail outlining our work and rates.

Rob Lohman · February 3rd, 2005, 06:10 AM

I've renamed and moved your thread

Jonathan Jones · February 4th, 2005, 12:27 AM

"Are you a member of either BAVC or FilmArts?"

Actually, I have never heard of these organizations and have been out of the loop for awhile. I worked in professional audio and broadcast media through the 80's and early 90's but have maintained media work as a hobbie in the interim - learning Quicktime authoring and then DV - so it is only recent that I have re-entered the professional market to work on professional audio and video production and need to learn more about supportive organizations in the area. Can you direct me to some helpful info links regarding these organizations? or just give me your own take in a nutshell if you'd prefer. Much appreciated.
-Jon

George Denson · February 4th, 2005, 08:29 AM

Hi everyone. I am acting assoc. producer on a film to be shot in New Jersey. We will have a good budget to work with. I don't know the laws of NJ. We would like to do the film non union so that we can actually afford to shoot the film. We are going to need a full crew for the 3-4 week shoot. I am looking for some people to help me out and possible work on the film. If you can help and if you know the laws up there, you may email me at videokick@yahoo.com. You can also call at -321-783-1939. Details are sketchy now as we can't give out much info, but this will be a blast and the procucer will be great to work with. At this point we are hoping to shoot Nov. - Dec. of this year.

Thanks
George Denson
Assoc. Producer
Tommy Productions

Richard Alvarez · February 4th, 2005, 10:10 AM

Jon,

BAVC = Bay Area Video Coalition. www.bavc.org Great certified courses in various programs, especially AVID. They do a lot of online work for KQED which is located across the street. Rental suites for FCP or Avid available.

FilmArts = www.filmarts.org Good classes and rental rates for film gear to members. Went to the members meeting last nite, slightly older group overall than BAVC. (Yeah, they were my age.) Leans more heavily towards documentary than BAVC.

Both good organizations with a slightly different feel. Doesn't cost much to join either one. Like any group, you get out what you put in. Good for networking. I'm not a native of the Bay Area, so my take is not long term.

Jonathan Jones · February 4th, 2005, 10:31 AM

Thank you Richard. Good stuff to know. I will definately look into them. Much appreciated.
-Jon

Ryan Graham · February 4th, 2005, 10:40 AM

Chris, use the Yellow Pages. They're pretty spectacular. Plus, they're yellow, which is cool, because the color of the paper is the same as the name of the book.

In one of those crazy coincidences, I was also working for a director in Baltimore a few months back, and he'd always ask for really wacky things. Like, we were going to film in an 8X14 room, and he wanted me to get the entire width of the room in one shot. See, there were going to be three actors in the shot, and instead of blocking it so they were close to each other, or against the shorter wall, he wanted to space them out across the widest wall in the room but still wanted to see all of them at the same time.

I tried to explain to him that the laws of physics dictated that I simply could not get far enough back to do this without cutting a hole in the wall, so he suggested using a "wide angle lens". I then tried to explain that in order to get the entire room in the shot, then lens would have to be so wide that there would be severe distortion at the edges.

I then took the initiative of recommending something radical. I suggested using a technique that has been quite controversial over the past 80 years of filmmaking: cutting.
"Yes!" I told him. "If you want to see what the person on the other side of the room is doing, you can just cut to a different shot!"
"Oh no," he said. "I want this to be gritty and real. I want the audience to feel like they're there, and there aren't any cuts in reality. No, we have to do this all in one shot."
"But the actors suck," I replied. "They won't be able to get through the whole scene in one shot."
"Well," he shot back, "We'll just have to stay there until they do, even if it means shooting until 3AM."
I sighed in exasperation, resigning myself to the fact that we would have to do this all in one shot.

"How about this," I said, excitedly trying to break him out of his drug-induced stupor. "Panning! Yes, that's right, you can actually move the camera to the right and to the left!"
Well, needless to say, he was stunned by this startling revelation. He looked at me with frantic, cocaine-addled eyes, his mind trying to grasp this new concept.

After what seemed like an eternity, he turned to me, and his response was, in retrospect, nothing short of brilliant.
"No," he said, "I'd rather not have to pan".
"But we're shooting the whole movie hand-held!" I cried. "Isn't the point of shooting hand-held to be able to move the camera freely amongst any axis?"
"I'm not following you," he responded. "Look, I know what I want, so just do it the way I see it in my head."
"Can I cut a hole in the wall?" I asked, tentatively excited about the possibility of getting my aggressions out by destroying something.
"No, we'll just use a wide angle lens. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go snort up and then hit on the actresses."

And so it happened. Did I ever get a chance to shoot that brilliant scene? No, sir, I didn't. Because I left that production before my sanity permanently escaped me, and two brave yet naive young souls took over for me. And for them I weep.

Ryan

Christopher Harring · February 4th, 2005, 11:15 AM

this is cool. i didn't know baltimore had such a vibrant film scene. most of the work i do is on my own. i'm shooting a documentary called 'wild pack of family dogs' about strays in hampden, the neighborhood i live in. it has actually been a discouraging experience, because most of the dogs i follow (and following dogs is hard, because if they see you, they either trot up to see what you are doing or run away as fast as they can) turn out to be family dogs that are off their leash, and not actual strays. i should meet the director you mentioned, because i, too, am very interested in 'truth' and 'reality' and 'grittiness.' i want actual strays, not dogs pretending to be stray! if i could just rent the right equipment (a telephoto lens for not letting dogs see me, and a wide angle for a more stable shot when i am chasing dogs through alleys), then this project would go much more smoothly.

thanks for your input, ryan and ian. i did 'google' you guys, and it turned up some interesting results. i guess i don't really 'get' your movies, like maybe i watched them out of order or something, because they are kinda hard to watch. then again, i'm a documentarian (or 'dog-umentarian,' as my mom always says!) and you guys are different. if you know of any film organizations in baltimore that would be interested in my dog project, you should let me know!

Jesse Bekas · February 4th, 2005, 04:53 PM

George,

Nov-Dec of '05, huh? That's a ways off, but I should still be around then, and may have enough time open for a feature shoot. Please email me with details as you get them.

NOTE - I'm not specifically knowledgable on shooting laws in New Jersey, but I am shooting a short in March, so I'll be researching them around that time.

-Jesse

Marc Sacco · February 5th, 2005, 08:25 AM

can you give us an idea of what positions you are actually looking for? what format are you using? do you need equipment? details like that should be available at this point because they dont give away any of your script/plot details.

good luck!

marc sacco

George Denson · February 5th, 2005, 09:46 AM

Hi. The budget will be high six figures to low seven figures (probally top out at 1 million). I have discussed with the producer about shooting on high end HD cams and then transferring to film. We are going for a full distribution on this and want it to be as good as possible without having a hollywood budget. We need at least 3 cameras. It is an action adventure movie based (loosley) on a true story. We will look at film cameras, but I belive we can do it with HD.

I would like to find some crews with their own equipment who can rent themslves and their equipment together. We of course need grips, lighting crews and the usual. I would like to talk to anyone who knows about HD cameras and has access to them.

Any help would be appreciated. You can send resumes to my email videoquest@bellsouth.net . Again, this will be a great project. We have a lot of interest from this project. I can tell you the producer has already turned down a made for tv move and a cable movie to do it on his own with his and investors money.

I hope this helps. Because we are in pre-production, I can't give out more info, but that is standard for film. Let me kniow if you can help.

I have only posted here because of the quality of the group. If you know of somewhere else to post, especially a NJ forum, that would be appreciated. Even though I don't post alot here, I read alot of the forum.

Thanks
George Denson
Assoc. Producer
Tommy Productions

Jesse Bekas · February 5th, 2005, 10:28 AM

You might want to edit your email address to read "videoquest at bellsouth dot net" to avoid it being fished out by spammers.

Ian Corey · February 5th, 2005, 08:59 PM

No way, Ryan. That didn't actually happen, did it? That director seems like a parody of a coke-addicted director to me. Those poor saps.

Chris, you should check out The Top Floor in Baltimore. They'll show freakin' anything. ;)

February 2nd, 2005, 07:17 PM	#136
John Hartney Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Elgin, Illinois Posts: 206	I'm in Chicago... Ikegami dv7 and Sony pdx10. email me for rates... jhart3@hotmail.com __________________ John Hartney Elgin, Illinois USA 847.742.9321

February 2nd, 2005, 11:35 PM	#138
Stephen Jackson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York NY Posts: 77	I'm in NY I'll send you an e-mail outlining our work and rates. __________________ Stephen Jackson RoaDDoggZ productions www.roaddoggz.com

February 3rd, 2005, 06:10 AM	#139
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	I've renamed and moved your thread __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 4th, 2005, 08:29 AM	#141
George Denson New Boot Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Merritt Island, Florida Posts: 10	Need help on film in New Jersey Hi everyone. I am acting assoc. producer on a film to be shot in New Jersey. We will have a good budget to work with. I don't know the laws of NJ. We would like to do the film non union so that we can actually afford to shoot the film. We are going to need a full crew for the 3-4 week shoot. I am looking for some people to help me out and possible work on the film. If you can help and if you know the laws up there, you may email me at videokick@yahoo.com. You can also call at -321-783-1939. Details are sketchy now as we can't give out much info, but this will be a blast and the procucer will be great to work with. At this point we are hoping to shoot Nov. - Dec. of this year. Thanks George Denson Assoc. Producer Tommy Productions

February 5th, 2005, 08:25 AM	#147
Marc Sacco Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: new fairfield, CT Posts: 65	can you give us an idea of what positions you are actually looking for? what format are you using? do you need equipment? details like that should be available at this point because they dont give away any of your script/plot details. good luck! marc sacco __________________ www.zenimage.com The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all....

February 2nd, 2005, 08:16 PM	#137
Joshua Starnes Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 356	If they need anyone for the Houston area, I'm available. I can travel around the state as well.

February 4th, 2005, 12:27 AM	#140
Jonathan Jones Trustee Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Healdsburg, California Posts: 1,138	"Are you a member of either BAVC or FilmArts?" Actually, I have never heard of these organizations and have been out of the loop for awhile. I worked in professional audio and broadcast media through the 80's and early 90's but have maintained media work as a hobbie in the interim - learning Quicktime authoring and then DV - so it is only recent that I have re-entered the professional market to work on professional audio and video production and need to learn more about supportive organizations in the area. Can you direct me to some helpful info links regarding these organizations? or just give me your own take in a nutshell if you'd prefer. Much appreciated. -Jon

February 4th, 2005, 10:10 AM	#142
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Jon, BAVC = Bay Area Video Coalition. www.bavc.org Great certified courses in various programs, especially AVID. They do a lot of online work for KQED which is located across the street. Rental suites for FCP or Avid available. FilmArts = www.filmarts.org Good classes and rental rates for film gear to members. Went to the members meeting last nite, slightly older group overall than BAVC. (Yeah, they were my age.) Leans more heavily towards documentary than BAVC. Both good organizations with a slightly different feel. Doesn't cost much to join either one. Like any group, you get out what you put in. Good for networking. I'm not a native of the Bay Area, so my take is not long term.

February 4th, 2005, 10:31 AM	#143
Jonathan Jones Trustee Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Healdsburg, California Posts: 1,138	Thank you Richard. Good stuff to know. I will definately look into them. Much appreciated. -Jon

February 4th, 2005, 10:40 AM	#144
Ryan Graham Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 81	Chris, use the Yellow Pages. They're pretty spectacular. Plus, they're yellow, which is cool, because the color of the paper is the same as the name of the book. In one of those crazy coincidences, I was also working for a director in Baltimore a few months back, and he'd always ask for really wacky things. Like, we were going to film in an 8X14 room, and he wanted me to get the entire width of the room in one shot. See, there were going to be three actors in the shot, and instead of blocking it so they were close to each other, or against the shorter wall, he wanted to space them out across the widest wall in the room but still wanted to see all of them at the same time. I tried to explain to him that the laws of physics dictated that I simply could not get far enough back to do this without cutting a hole in the wall, so he suggested using a "wide angle lens". I then tried to explain that in order to get the entire room in the shot, then lens would have to be so wide that there would be severe distortion at the edges. I then took the initiative of recommending something radical. I suggested using a technique that has been quite controversial over the past 80 years of filmmaking: cutting. "Yes!" I told him. "If you want to see what the person on the other side of the room is doing, you can just cut to a different shot!" "Oh no," he said. "I want this to be gritty and real. I want the audience to feel like they're there, and there aren't any cuts in reality. No, we have to do this all in one shot." "But the actors suck," I replied. "They won't be able to get through the whole scene in one shot." "Well," he shot back, "We'll just have to stay there until they do, even if it means shooting until 3AM." I sighed in exasperation, resigning myself to the fact that we would have to do this all in one shot. "How about this," I said, excitedly trying to break him out of his drug-induced stupor. "Panning! Yes, that's right, you can actually move the camera to the right and to the left!" Well, needless to say, he was stunned by this startling revelation. He looked at me with frantic, cocaine-addled eyes, his mind trying to grasp this new concept. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned to me, and his response was, in retrospect, nothing short of brilliant. "No," he said, "I'd rather not have to pan". "But we're shooting the whole movie hand-held!" I cried. "Isn't the point of shooting hand-held to be able to move the camera freely amongst any axis?" "I'm not following you," he responded. "Look, I know what I want, so just do it the way I see it in my head." "Can I cut a hole in the wall?" I asked, tentatively excited about the possibility of getting my aggressions out by destroying something. "No, we'll just use a wide angle lens. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go snort up and then hit on the actresses." And so it happened. Did I ever get a chance to shoot that brilliant scene? No, sir, I didn't. Because I left that production before my sanity permanently escaped me, and two brave yet naive young souls took over for me. And for them I weep. Ryan

February 4th, 2005, 11:15 AM	#145
Christopher Harring New Boot Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 12	this is cool. i didn't know baltimore had such a vibrant film scene. most of the work i do is on my own. i'm shooting a documentary called 'wild pack of family dogs' about strays in hampden, the neighborhood i live in. it has actually been a discouraging experience, because most of the dogs i follow (and following dogs is hard, because if they see you, they either trot up to see what you are doing or run away as fast as they can) turn out to be family dogs that are off their leash, and not actual strays. i should meet the director you mentioned, because i, too, am very interested in 'truth' and 'reality' and 'grittiness.' i want actual strays, not dogs pretending to be stray! if i could just rent the right equipment (a telephoto lens for not letting dogs see me, and a wide angle for a more stable shot when i am chasing dogs through alleys), then this project would go much more smoothly. thanks for your input, ryan and ian. i did 'google' you guys, and it turned up some interesting results. i guess i don't really 'get' your movies, like maybe i watched them out of order or something, because they are kinda hard to watch. then again, i'm a documentarian (or 'dog-umentarian,' as my mom always says!) and you guys are different. if you know of any film organizations in baltimore that would be interested in my dog project, you should let me know!

February 4th, 2005, 04:53 PM	#146
Jesse Bekas Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA Posts: 572	George, Nov-Dec of '05, huh? That's a ways off, but I should still be around then, and may have enough time open for a feature shoot. Please email me with details as you get them. NOTE - I'm not specifically knowledgable on shooting laws in New Jersey, but I am shooting a short in March, so I'll be researching them around that time. -Jesse

February 5th, 2005, 09:46 AM	#148
George Denson New Boot Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Merritt Island, Florida Posts: 10	Hi. The budget will be high six figures to low seven figures (probally top out at 1 million). I have discussed with the producer about shooting on high end HD cams and then transferring to film. We are going for a full distribution on this and want it to be as good as possible without having a hollywood budget. We need at least 3 cameras. It is an action adventure movie based (loosley) on a true story. We will look at film cameras, but I belive we can do it with HD. I would like to find some crews with their own equipment who can rent themslves and their equipment together. We of course need grips, lighting crews and the usual. I would like to talk to anyone who knows about HD cameras and has access to them. Any help would be appreciated. You can send resumes to my email videoquest@bellsouth.net . Again, this will be a great project. We have a lot of interest from this project. I can tell you the producer has already turned down a made for tv move and a cable movie to do it on his own with his and investors money. I hope this helps. Because we are in pre-production, I can't give out more info, but that is standard for film. Let me kniow if you can help. I have only posted here because of the quality of the group. If you know of somewhere else to post, especially a NJ forum, that would be appreciated. Even though I don't post alot here, I read alot of the forum. Thanks George Denson Assoc. Producer Tommy Productions __________________ Sometimes the bull lose - Sometimes the bull win.

February 5th, 2005, 10:28 AM	#149
Jesse Bekas Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA Posts: 572	You might want to edit your email address to read "videoquest at bellsouth dot net" to avoid it being fished out by spammers.

February 5th, 2005, 08:59 PM	#150
Ian Corey Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Baltimore Posts: 45	No way, Ryan. That didn't actually happen, did it? That director seems like a parody of a coke-addicted director to me. Those poor saps. Chris, you should check out The Top Floor in Baltimore. They'll show freakin' anything. ;)