48 Hour Film

Jon Fairhurst · August 27th, 2007, 10:36 PM

Poorly Projected Pictures recently competed in the 2007 48 Hour Film Project among 55 entries in Portland, OR. We made it to the finals and won Best Musical Score.

Our Genre: Musical or Western (We chose Musical)
Character: Ray or Rachel Schwarz, Quality Control Expert
Line of Dialog: "Do you smell what I smell?"
Prop: Balloon

You can view Heart Break Break In here: http://colonelcrush.com/movie/index/00240001

Areas where I think we did well was with the editing and the pace, as well as the story and use of prop. I especially like that we were able to combine a plot (a heist) with a story (the idiot throws it all away for a girl who will never love him.) Not many 48-hour films try to cram a whole character arc into seven minutes...

Enjoy!

Chris Barcellos · August 27th, 2007, 11:49 PM

Nice job, as usual... Jon

Aron Yert · August 28th, 2007, 12:04 AM

That was really good.

It had a strong story, good pacing and use of the story required genre/character/line/prop.

And yeah, good job on the music.

Jon Fairhurst · August 28th, 2007, 09:46 PM

Thanks Chris and Aron,

It was a fun project.

For those of you who haven't done a musical before, this genre can turn your work flow inside out.

In a typical 48-hour film, you write Friday night, film Saturday day, created timed edits Saturday night, and start composing Sunday early morning as the locked edits arrive. By mid Sunday afternoon it's all finishing work: color correction, last touches on effects and titles, dialog normalization, mixing, mastering and dubbing the final tape.

With musical, you write the story and lines, but before you can film, the composer (me!) needs to write the melodies, create temp tracks with clicks and record all of the sung lines. We didn't go on location until 8:30 pm Sunday night. The actors sang with an iPod and BoomBox as the background.

While they filmed, I had only one song that I could orchestrate - the opening scene. All of the other scenes were snippets of melodies, sometimes as much as one verse, but often just a single line, These phrases were separated by dialog and video images. I couldn't really orchestrate those scenes until I got my first time-locked scenes. The first one popped out at 12:00 Sunday. I orchestrated like mad until about 5:15, and mixed until 6:30. We slammed it to tape and drove to Portland with seven minutes to spare.

Next year (assuming we don't get musical again) should be a piece of cake, in comparison!

Rob Gregory-Browne · August 29th, 2007, 01:21 PM

Jon, you might remember me from Northern Sounds (haven't been there in quite awhile and must return soon).

Anyway, loved the film. Loved the music. Your stuff is getting better and better.

rgb

Kevin Randolph · August 29th, 2007, 07:34 PM

I can't even imagine tackling a musical for a 48 hour project. And then to succeed at it?

Well done...

Really, well done.

Jon Fairhurst · August 30th, 2007, 11:39 AM

Hey RGB! Good to hear from you. I'm still semi-active at NS. And Ern is still there, complaining about his neighbor. :)

And Kevin, thanks for the kind words.

Aside from the upended work flow, musical isn't bad, if you have the right crew. Our five singers all had roles in their high school production of Les Mis. Three of them are formally trained. Marissa (Belle/Rachel Schwarz) will soon start her third year at NYU as a musical theater major. And I've been cranking out music weekly for Colonel Crush.

Otherwise, we could have chosen Western. Hmm. Where can we get a horse on Saturday morning?...

Hyun De Grande · September 3rd, 2007, 05:53 AM

I am blown away, that was GREAT! Especially considering the 48 hour limit..!
Everything was in place, the story, the acting, the editing, hell: you even scored the damn thing.. :)
I'm really impressed!

I'm entering the contest too (in Ghent). I've never done anything like this before, so I'm very curious in how it will work out.. :)

Jon Fairhurst · September 3rd, 2007, 11:45 AM

Hello Hyun,

I just watched Slappen. VERY intense! Great acting, photography, editing, sound, and music!

If you do a serious drama in the 48, be very careful to set the mood before you show any actors. Titles, music, sound design and inanimate objects are all very helpful.

The challenge is that most 48-hour films are comedies, and many are not well done. So any hint of a wry smile, overacting, stiffness or a wink can bring on laughter. If the drama makes people uncomfortable, they might laugh. If the audience is confused about comedy vs. drama it won't reach its potential.

Also, I recommend that the end titles leave space for introspection. The ideal response is 20 seconds or so of silence, followed by great, somber applause.

With comedy you worry that people might not laugh. As soon as you hear the first giggle, you are relieved. With drama you worry that people WILL laugh. There is no relief, until the end of the film.

Jon Fairhurst · September 3rd, 2007, 03:16 PM

FRESHLY RELEASED on ColonelCrush.com...

"Us and Them", our 2006 48-hour Portland entry.

We made the finals with this serious drama.

Genre: HISTORICAL FICTION
Character: CARL MARROW, SCRAPBOOKER
Prop: NAIL CLIPPERS
Line: "Oh no, don't you dare go there."

http://colonelcrush.com/movie/index/00250001

August 27th, 2007, 10:36 PM	#1
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	48 Hour Film - An Award Winning Score Poorly Projected Pictures recently competed in the 2007 48 Hour Film Project among 55 entries in Portland, OR. We made it to the finals and won Best Musical Score. Our Genre: Musical or Western (We chose Musical) Character: Ray or Rachel Schwarz, Quality Control Expert Line of Dialog: "Do you smell what I smell?" Prop: Balloon You can view Heart Break Break In here: http://colonelcrush.com/movie/index/00240001 Areas where I think we did well was with the editing and the pace, as well as the story and use of prop. I especially like that we were able to combine a plot (a heist) with a story (the idiot throws it all away for a girl who will never love him.) Not many 48-hour films try to cram a whole character arc into seven minutes... Enjoy! __________________ Jon Fairhurst

August 27th, 2007, 11:49 PM	#2
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	Nice job, as usual... Jon __________________ Chris J. Barcellos

August 28th, 2007, 09:46 PM	#4
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Thanks Chris and Aron, It was a fun project. For those of you who haven't done a musical before, this genre can turn your work flow inside out. In a typical 48-hour film, you write Friday night, film Saturday day, created timed edits Saturday night, and start composing Sunday early morning as the locked edits arrive. By mid Sunday afternoon it's all finishing work: color correction, last touches on effects and titles, dialog normalization, mixing, mastering and dubbing the final tape. With musical, you write the story and lines, but before you can film, the composer (me!) needs to write the melodies, create temp tracks with clicks and record all of the sung lines. We didn't go on location until 8:30 pm Sunday night. The actors sang with an iPod and BoomBox as the background. While they filmed, I had only one song that I could orchestrate - the opening scene. All of the other scenes were snippets of melodies, sometimes as much as one verse, but often just a single line, These phrases were separated by dialog and video images. I couldn't really orchestrate those scenes until I got my first time-locked scenes. The first one popped out at 12:00 Sunday. I orchestrated like mad until about 5:15, and mixed until 6:30. We slammed it to tape and drove to Portland with seven minutes to spare. Next year (assuming we don't get musical again) should be a piece of cake, in comparison! __________________ Jon Fairhurst

August 29th, 2007, 07:34 PM	#6
Kevin Randolph Major Player Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 423	I can't even imagine tackling a musical for a 48 hour project. And then to succeed at it? Well done... Really, well done. __________________ "... the drama is on your doorstep..." - John Grierson www.grvideo.net

August 30th, 2007, 11:39 AM	#7
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Hey RGB! Good to hear from you. I'm still semi-active at NS. And Ern is still there, complaining about his neighbor. :) And Kevin, thanks for the kind words. Aside from the upended work flow, musical isn't bad, if you have the right crew. Our five singers all had roles in their high school production of Les Mis. Three of them are formally trained. Marissa (Belle/Rachel Schwarz) will soon start her third year at NYU as a musical theater major. And I've been cranking out music weekly for Colonel Crush. Otherwise, we could have chosen Western. Hmm. Where can we get a horse on Saturday morning?... __________________ Jon Fairhurst

August 28th, 2007, 12:04 AM	#3
Aron Yert Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 39	That was really good. It had a strong story, good pacing and use of the story required genre/character/line/prop. And yeah, good job on the music.

August 29th, 2007, 01:21 PM	#5
Rob Gregory-Browne Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 107	Jon, you might remember me from Northern Sounds (haven't been there in quite awhile and must return soon). Anyway, loved the film. Loved the music. Your stuff is getting better and better. rgb

September 3rd, 2007, 05:53 AM	#8
Hyun De Grande Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Oostkamp & Ghent, Belgium Posts: 32	I am blown away, that was GREAT! Especially considering the 48 hour limit..! Everything was in place, the story, the acting, the editing, hell: you even scored the damn thing.. :) I'm really impressed! I'm entering the contest too (in Ghent). I've never done anything like this before, so I'm very curious in how it will work out.. :) __________________ My movies:http://nl.youtube.com/user/somatichdg -> Comments are welcome.

September 3rd, 2007, 11:45 AM	#9
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Hello Hyun, I just watched Slappen. VERY intense! Great acting, photography, editing, sound, and music! If you do a serious drama in the 48, be very careful to set the mood before you show any actors. Titles, music, sound design and inanimate objects are all very helpful. The challenge is that most 48-hour films are comedies, and many are not well done. So any hint of a wry smile, overacting, stiffness or a wink can bring on laughter. If the drama makes people uncomfortable, they might laugh. If the audience is confused about comedy vs. drama it won't reach its potential. Also, I recommend that the end titles leave space for introspection. The ideal response is 20 seconds or so of silence, followed by great, somber applause. With comedy you worry that people might not laugh. As soon as you hear the first giggle, you are relieved. With drama you worry that people WILL laugh. There is no relief, until the end of the film. __________________ Jon Fairhurst

September 3rd, 2007, 03:16 PM	#10
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	FRESHLY RELEASED on ColonelCrush.com... "Us and Them", our 2006 48-hour Portland entry. We made the finals with this serious drama. Genre: HISTORICAL FICTION Character: CARL MARROW, SCRAPBOOKER Prop: NAIL CLIPPERS Line: "Oh no, don't you dare go there." http://colonelcrush.com/movie/index/00250001 __________________ Jon Fairhurst