And it's finally here: enjoy.
'Spaghetti Western' created by Frank Higson.
Sunday 29 August 2010
Friday 27 August 2010
FILM - The Soundtrack Finished
So, having listened to Spaghetti-Western soundtracks numourous times, and gathering my information from Louis Vause, I have created a soundtrack. Here is a video describing the..behind the scenes..and you get a sneek preview!
Monday 23 August 2010
FILM - Editing Log
EDITING LOG
(Note - Sorry if this is scrappy or unreadable..I'm copying my quickly scrawled notes which for your sake I've touched up a bit):
Have removed all the footage that is simply unusable for example when Louis' moustache drops off of his face. Now have 16 minutes of footage. Have to get it to 5 minutes/ hmmmmm.
Have ordered the footage. Editing the duel to the Morricone track : A fistfull of dollars (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILB0yIn6jBg&feature=fvst) shame I cant use this track its perfect.
Beginning Title sequence over blue sky before pan down. A homage to one of the best parts of the Spaghetti Westerns - the title sequences. Shame I only have 10 seconds instead of 5 minutes for it. Title appears with gunshot - trying to get it as similar as some of Morricone's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9w2sqfNJuE&feature=related (great isn't it? skip the first minute in if your strapped for time). The font is as similar as I can get it to a spaghetti western font (http://www.dafont.com/eastwood.font) quite pleased with this font. What colour should it be? White. Red gives good connotations of blood/violence, but looks crap against a blue sky. White stills works and added with gunshot, theme of violence probably isn't lost.
Editing to storyboard - nice and simple steps, but very long process.
Need to dub sound such as footsteps but especially voices. The actors voices don't sound right.
(Note - Sorry if this is scrappy or unreadable..I'm copying my quickly scrawled notes which for your sake I've touched up a bit):
Have removed all the footage that is simply unusable for example when Louis' moustache drops off of his face. Now have 16 minutes of footage. Have to get it to 5 minutes/ hmmmmm.
Have ordered the footage. Editing the duel to the Morricone track : A fistfull of dollars (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILB0yIn6jBg&feature=fvst) shame I cant use this track its perfect.
Beginning Title sequence over blue sky before pan down. A homage to one of the best parts of the Spaghetti Westerns - the title sequences. Shame I only have 10 seconds instead of 5 minutes for it. Title appears with gunshot - trying to get it as similar as some of Morricone's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9w2sqfNJuE&feature=related (great isn't it? skip the first minute in if your strapped for time). The font is as similar as I can get it to a spaghetti western font (http://www.dafont.com/eastwood.font) quite pleased with this font. What colour should it be? White. Red gives good connotations of blood/violence, but looks crap against a blue sky. White stills works and added with gunshot, theme of violence probably isn't lost.
Editing to storyboard - nice and simple steps, but very long process.
Need to dub sound such as footsteps but especially voices. The actors voices don't sound right.
Sunday 22 August 2010
FILM - Research & Planning: Soundtrack
THE SOUNDTRACK
Here is the link to the first part, where he tells me about:
I've never written a soundtrack for anything before, but because having an effective soundtrack is so vital to my film, I'm gonna have to give it a try. But, I'll need some help: here are my interviews with Louis Vause, piano player and music expert.
Here is the link to the first part, where he tells me about:
-A quick history of early 20th century music composers.
-A quick history of Ennio Morricone.
-How Morricone's life shaped Spaghetti Western music.
-Morricone's low budget and his interest in minimalist soundtracks.
-Morricone's mix of non-diagetic and the diagetic sounds.
Here is the link to the second part, where he shows me the more practical aspect of writing the soundtrack, using a demonstration on the piano.
Using this information, I will now go and try and write a soundtrack for my film using Garageband. With no orchestra. Wish me luck.
Using this information, I will now go and try and write a soundtrack for my film using Garageband. With no orchestra. Wish me luck.
Friday 20 August 2010
FILM - Production log
HAS FILMING BEEN SUCCESSFUL?
DAY 1
Here is a video of myself talking very enthusiastically (I was tired and a bit ill ok?) about the first day of filming the duel scene.
DAY 1
Here is a video of myself talking very enthusiastically (I was tired and a bit ill ok?) about the first day of filming the duel scene.
DAY 2
Here is a video of myself talking about the second day of filming, the prison scene.
Saturday 7 August 2010
FILM - Character Design
WHO IS WEARING WHAT?
So, in 'Spaghetti Western' - who is going to wear what, and what props will I need? I want to make sure the clothes are not bright, but dark and cool, to keep it gritty and real, and give undertones, for Jim's character, of a sort of 'anti-heroness'.
Jim Higson - The Cowboy.
Inevitably, I will look at some of the characters that inspired the character of The Cowboy. So basically, Clint Eastwood...
I of course don't want very colourful cowboys. Blacks and browns are best, as the distinction between good and bad doesn't necessarily have to be shown through clothes. However, I do want a big distinction between the Mexican and Cowboy. A poncho is a good way to indicate instantly that one character is Mexican, so I will have the Mexican take the poncho, and have a more western styled jacket for the cowboy. Everything about this character has to be Western, to be immediately recognisable as the 'Gringo' cowboy character. So I will have a western styled brown jacket, black jeans like Eastwood above and a black hat to match, and a denim or grey shirt. I will need to get cowboy boots as well.
Louis Crompton - The Mexican
The Mexican character again needs to be immediately identified as the Mexican. The Mexican characters in Western films tend to be characterised by simpleness and ruggedness. For my character I want a sombrero, a stereotypical Mexican hat, a poncho, and some simple prison style clothes, as he has just come out of prison.
So, in 'Spaghetti Western' - who is going to wear what, and what props will I need? I want to make sure the clothes are not bright, but dark and cool, to keep it gritty and real, and give undertones, for Jim's character, of a sort of 'anti-heroness'.
Jim Higson - The Cowboy.
Inevitably, I will look at some of the characters that inspired the character of The Cowboy. So basically, Clint Eastwood...
I of course don't want very colourful cowboys. Blacks and browns are best, as the distinction between good and bad doesn't necessarily have to be shown through clothes. However, I do want a big distinction between the Mexican and Cowboy. A poncho is a good way to indicate instantly that one character is Mexican, so I will have the Mexican take the poncho, and have a more western styled jacket for the cowboy. Everything about this character has to be Western, to be immediately recognisable as the 'Gringo' cowboy character. So I will have a western styled brown jacket, black jeans like Eastwood above and a black hat to match, and a denim or grey shirt. I will need to get cowboy boots as well.
Louis Crompton - The Mexican
The Mexican character again needs to be immediately identified as the Mexican. The Mexican characters in Western films tend to be characterised by simpleness and ruggedness. For my character I want a sombrero, a stereotypical Mexican hat, a poncho, and some simple prison style clothes, as he has just come out of prison.
Friday 6 August 2010
FILM - Health and Safety
TRYING NOT TO GET HURT FILMING
Some of the things I will write about here may seem ridiculous, but if I was to fall off of a 25 ft roof onto flat stone, I would be deeply upset. And probably dead.
Scene 1 One shot is taken from the roof for an establishing shot. I will ensure safety by not going on top of the wall when filming. As I said, I would really rather not fall off the roof.
Scene 2
The main problem is that there is no paths to the location, which is quite out of the way in a field. I will need to get people to help bring down props such as the grave and the guns, as well as water, a fall mat and the camera.
The water will be important because it is very hot and we will be filming for hours.
The fall-mat, a hard large mat, will be useful if I need to film a low angle - I can position myself on the floor without getting hurt, and for the Mexican's death scene. (The floor was covered by many spiky plants, so the mat was very important).
I will bring gardening gloves to remove and particularly spikey plants and rocks.
In both scenes the floor will be a hard stone, so a drop for the camera would completely destroy it. I will make sure to use the safety-wrist attachment to make sure that it doesn't fall if I was to let go of it. I am also taking the camera and props to Italy on the plane. I will carefully wrap them so as to ensure they make the flight too and from Italy.
Some of the things I will write about here may seem ridiculous, but if I was to fall off of a 25 ft roof onto flat stone, I would be deeply upset. And probably dead.
Scene 1 One shot is taken from the roof for an establishing shot. I will ensure safety by not going on top of the wall when filming. As I said, I would really rather not fall off the roof.
 |
| High above the trees: great for interesting camera shots, bad for falling off. |
Scene 2
The main problem is that there is no paths to the location, which is quite out of the way in a field. I will need to get people to help bring down props such as the grave and the guns, as well as water, a fall mat and the camera.
The water will be important because it is very hot and we will be filming for hours.
The fall-mat, a hard large mat, will be useful if I need to film a low angle - I can position myself on the floor without getting hurt, and for the Mexican's death scene. (The floor was covered by many spiky plants, so the mat was very important).
I will bring gardening gloves to remove and particularly spikey plants and rocks.
 |
Spiky plants and rocks: great for filming a scene set in a harsh environment, bad for lying down on. |
In both scenes the floor will be a hard stone, so a drop for the camera would completely destroy it. I will make sure to use the safety-wrist attachment to make sure that it doesn't fall if I was to let go of it. I am also taking the camera and props to Italy on the plane. I will carefully wrap them so as to ensure they make the flight too and from Italy.
Sunday 1 August 2010
FILM - Shooting Schedule
WHO CAN FILM WHEN?
Here is my shooting schedule. These notes are mainly for me - I had to organise my thoughts.
 |
| A graph to show who is on location when. |
This graph shows my shooting schedule for my film. I arrive in Italy on the 10th of August, late at night, and leave on the 22nd of August. So I can film from the 11th to the 21st. But the actors in my film: Jim (Higson - cowboy) Louis (Crompton - Mexican) Sidney (Higson - Sleepy Mexican) Sean (Whiteman - Prison Guard 1) and Charlie (Higson - Possible extra), come and go throughout that time, so I need to note when the actors are present at the same time. For the outdoor part of scene 1, there are 3 of the actors involved. To get a good sunlight, I will need to film this scene early in the morning, when the sun is shining on the face of the prison in the scene. I won't film it on the 14th or the 15th of August, as Sean Whiteman will have just arrived and will want to settle in to his holiday. I think the 16th of August will be most appropriate, as if there is no sun on AM 16th, then I can easily rearrange to the 17th. For the latter part of that scene I want sun coming in from the opposite window. to shine through the prison window bars - so it will need to be filmed in the afternoon. This means that I can only film the other scene - the stand off, on either the 13th or the 14th. This scene only uses Jim and Louis who will both be in Italy. Using this data, I will now complete a shooting schedule.
SHOOTING SCHEDULE
TO PRINT OFF FOR FILMING
SCENE 2 'THE DUEL' EXT
DATE 14 AUGUST
ACTORS - JIM HIGSON + LOUIS CROMPTON
TIME - 16:00
PROPS - JIM HIGSON - CLOTHES - Cowboy Jacket / Black Jeans / Cowboy Boots / Leather Belt / Black Cowboy Hat / Grey 'Neckerchief' / Grey Shirt
PROPS - JIM HIGSON - Pistol / Pistol Holster
PROPS - LOUIS CROMPTON - CLOTHES - Sombrero (Round) / Poncho / Patterned Shirt / Grey Long Johns / Black Shoes / Leather Belt
PROPS - LOUIS CROMPTON - Pistol / Pistol Holster / Cigar / Moustache
SAFETY - Large water bottle x2 / Gardening Gloves / Hats / Mat / Box
PROPS - SCENE - Wooden Cross marked 'Maria'.
SCENE 1A 'THE PRISON' EXT
DATE 16 AUGUST
ACTORS - SEAN WHITEMAN + SIDNEY HIGSON + CHARLIE HIGSON
TIME - 10:45
PROPS - SEAN WHITEMAN - CLOTHES - Sombrero (Pointy) / White shirt / White trousers / Sandals / Rug
PROPS - SEAN WHITEMAN - Cigar / Pistol / Poncho
PROPS - SIDNEY HIGSON - CLOTHES - Sombrero (Round) / Towel
PROPS - CHARLIE HIGSON - CLOTHES - Straw Hat / Towel
PROPS - CHARLIE HIGSON - Rifle
SCENE 1B 'THE PRISON' INT
DATE 16 AUGUST
ACTORS - SEAN WHITEMAN + LOUIS CROMPTON
TIME: 15:00
PROPS - SEAN WHITEMAN - CLOTHES - Sombrero (Pointy) / White shirt / White trousers / Sandals / Rug
PROPS - SEAN WHITEMAN - Cigar / Pistol / Poncho
PROPS - LOUIS CROMPTON - CLOTHES - Patterned Shirt / Grey Long Johns / Black Shoes / Leather Belt
PROPS - LOUIS CROMPTON - Moustache
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