Would using a star filter for cinematography be too weird?

[Ryan Elder]

Actually I thought the cop thriller would be less money to shoot cause aside from the police station looking building, the rest of takes place in houses, cabins, parks, places like that, so I thought those kind of places would be more accessible, unless I am wrong?

But people I have worked with before, so far do not want to do that one and keep encouraging me to do the Santa Claus one I mentioned before, but I thought that one would be more difficult to do than the cop one.

[Brian Drysdale]

Having seen Saskatoon recently on TV programme, it's a rather pretty place, although i suppose there may be a dark underbelly side of town somewhere. Perhaps there's a Blue Velvet side to it, but on the surface it's not NY or LA.

Maybe the Santa Claus script is a better story? Perhaps you understand its world better than dealing with cops and dark characters.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh actually I felt I understood the cop world better at least in terms of plot. The Santa one, I feel I do not have near as much of a grasp on, but they want me to do it cause they said it's the best one I have access to so far. I wouldn't say the Santa one is a better story, just very different. But the Santa Claus one I find to be more challenging and intimidating cause it requires more lavish sets and production design, and would rather just do a script I can shoot at more real locations.

A.s for whether Saskatoon has a dark underbelly to it or not, well I wasn't planning on setting the script in Saskatoon though.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

We’re just pointing out things that didn’t work and why they didn’t work. It’s your job to understand the mistakes, what lead to them, and how not to repeat them in your next project.

[Brian Drysdale]

The plot is only how you tell the story, it's not the story. If that's all you know it probably has unconvincing characters within an unconvincing world. Do you know real criminals or inside the world of real police?

Saskatoon has to look and feel like the place where this story could happen, even if it's supposed to be another city.

[Ryan Elder]

Well I watch a lot of crime thrillers and read them so I feel I would do better in the genre that I like and watch more compared to the Santa one which I hardly ever watching anything, if that means anything?

I thought for the cop thriller, I would set it in a nameless city that is not identified, like some movies like Seven do, and thought that would be best.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

The only project I’ve ever seen from you that was decent was an interview with musicians. We repeatedly keep telling you not to try to make feature films. Stick to simple small scale projects like interviews or maybe vlog or youtube channel until you achieve some level of professional success.

[Brian Drysdale]

Watching crime thrillers isn't the same as knowing the real people, you're second or third generation from the originals.

Saskatoon looks nothing like the unnamed city in Seven, although I understand it was based on NYC, where the writer lived for a while.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh yeah, I'm not saying Saskatoon has to look like the city in Seven does it? It's not a rule that a nameless city in a crime thriller, has to look like that one, does it? I was just using Seven as an example of how it's set in a nameless city, and thought I would do the same. I've interviewed police officers and attorneys for it, if that helps.

[Brian Drysdale]

What police and attorneys say in interviews can be very different to what happens in real life, together with the office politics and egos that come with the job.

[Ryan Elder]

Sure, but I probably should still go by what they gave me in the interviews, and listen to that though, shouldn't I?

[Brian Drysdale]

You can listen to it, but you'll need more depth if you're making a serious film.

I've met a number of terrorists and police, but I would need to do a lot more research if I was going to make something that was going to be original and capture attention.

[Josh Bass]

I’m sorry you cant just fling “Ive met a number of terrorists” out there without giving us more detail. Its downright cruel.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh I just said I researched by interviewing police and lawyers. How is that cruel?

[Pete Cofrancesco]

I’m pretty sure these interviews wouldn’t be that helpful. You think if he interviewed wine makers or sommeliers it would have improved his time movie. It doesn’t hurt to have a general understanding but how many thrillers get deeply involved in the inner workings of the criminal legal system. Ryan has trouble writing plausible plots, premises, characters, dialogue...