Hi all,
Recently the S'kali team have been getting emails from other filmmakers who are in the midst working on getting their movies off the ground, asking us what the process was like and how did we get the movie made.
So we have decided to have a little Q & A here on the blog. Feel free to ask any questions in regards to any aspect of pre-production, production or post, any specific questions about lighting, camera, writing etc. Put them in the comments section and we will have the right person answer it for you in a post.
Fire away!
Friday, April 28, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Screenwriter For Hire
Hi all,
As S'kali is in the final stages of post production, I am now in the midst of trying to secure my next freelance gig. I am a screenwriter by trade, and am for hire for anyone needing any script development, formatting or script polishing work.
My rates are as follows:
Short Films
For a short film up to 15 minutes:
GBP 50 for the entire job.
This would entail about 3 weeks of work and providing there is no research to be done on subject matter etc.
Half to be paid before work begins and half after it is complete.
Should there be research involved, then the entire job will cost GBP 100.
This would entail about a month of work.
Half to be paid before work begins and half after it is complete.
For a short film above 15 minutes:
GBP 100 for the entire job.
This would entail about 3 weeks of work and providing there is no research to be done on subject matter etc.
Half to be paid before work begins and half after it is complete.
Should there be research involved, then the entire job will cost GBP 150.
This would entail about a month of work.
Half to be paid before work begins and half after it is complete.
Features
For redrafts, script polishing, formatting, and final drafts:
GBP 400 for the entire job.
This would entail about 2 months of work providing there is no research period, development etc needed to be done.
Half to be paid before work begins and half after it is complete.
Should any redrafts be asked for after the contract period that would be GBP 50 per redraft.
For feature scripts from scratch:
GBP 1000 for the entire job.
This would entail about 5 to 6 months of work and will include research, development and drafting till a locked draft that all parties are happy with.
Half to be paid before work begins and half after it is complete.
Should any redrafts be asked for after the contract period that would be GBP 50 per redraft.
I require that I am credited on all work I do.
For further information and to discuss any proposed work please feel free to contact me on:
Email: video@befour.co.uk
Tel: 00 – 44 – 7986 8288 08
Thank You.
Arivind Abraham
As S'kali is in the final stages of post production, I am now in the midst of trying to secure my next freelance gig. I am a screenwriter by trade, and am for hire for anyone needing any script development, formatting or script polishing work.
My rates are as follows:
Short Films
For a short film up to 15 minutes:
GBP 50 for the entire job.
This would entail about 3 weeks of work and providing there is no research to be done on subject matter etc.
Half to be paid before work begins and half after it is complete.
Should there be research involved, then the entire job will cost GBP 100.
This would entail about a month of work.
Half to be paid before work begins and half after it is complete.
For a short film above 15 minutes:
GBP 100 for the entire job.
This would entail about 3 weeks of work and providing there is no research to be done on subject matter etc.
Half to be paid before work begins and half after it is complete.
Should there be research involved, then the entire job will cost GBP 150.
This would entail about a month of work.
Half to be paid before work begins and half after it is complete.
Features
For redrafts, script polishing, formatting, and final drafts:
GBP 400 for the entire job.
This would entail about 2 months of work providing there is no research period, development etc needed to be done.
Half to be paid before work begins and half after it is complete.
Should any redrafts be asked for after the contract period that would be GBP 50 per redraft.
For feature scripts from scratch:
GBP 1000 for the entire job.
This would entail about 5 to 6 months of work and will include research, development and drafting till a locked draft that all parties are happy with.
Half to be paid before work begins and half after it is complete.
Should any redrafts be asked for after the contract period that would be GBP 50 per redraft.
I require that I am credited on all work I do.
For further information and to discuss any proposed work please feel free to contact me on:
Email: video@befour.co.uk
Tel: 00 – 44 – 7986 8288 08
Thank You.
Arivind Abraham
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Editing Update
Hi, my name is Ali and I'm one of the editors, the other being Luke, on S'kali.
For the technical minded, we're editing using Final Cut Pro Studio (5 HD) using a Sony HVR-A1E camera as a deck. Editing on a Mac, first generation G5 with a 1.8ghz processor and armed with 1.5gig RAM, a dual CRT display, and a 400Gb internal drive with 2 Lacie D2 drives daisy chained up giving us 860Gb of space which, as we're working in high-def, isn't as much as it sounds!
We're over a month into the actual edit now (I think... It's all been rather a big blur) although with the import procedure beforehand (the pain in the ass for any editor, and always the most uncreative, tedious part although the out takes always make for good watching), we must be looking at six weeks so far, and we've finally got a rough cut down which Arivind, the writer/producer viewed over the weekend. The feedback was very positive, but there is still a lot of work to go.
The rough edit, as always, is mostly a case of "sticking everything in order" to put it crudely. It's a chance to watch the whole film, make sure the story is coherent and that it flows at a good pace.
So far, so good. It's been a tough process. This is the first feature film for the crew and we're working with new high definition technology so many of the things that might have been a given with standard definition film can't be carried over into the HD era. Our first cut, however, is flowing nicely.
Our next step is to get creative with the transitions between scenes which I'm excited about as it will give us a chance to use some of the visually stunning cultural footage and location footage of Malaysia.
One of the issues which came about during filming were the changes to the "rest stop" scene near the end of the film (I won't give away the story here, but you'll know it when you see it). Originally the vision of this scene was fairly straight forward but the crew weren't too happy with the location and so we get a chance, as editors, to be creative in the way that we handle one of the most pivotal moments of the film. We get to "screw around" with the narrative here and tell this part of the story in a more interesting way. We also have some fantastic music to edit to for a sequence near the end of the movie. It'll give us a chance to almost create a music video of sorts (if you've ever seen Millennium's The Time Is Now, you'll know just how well these sorts of things can contribute to a film both from a story telling and artistic point of view) and to tell parts of the story in a way that is visually and emotionally exciting.
All in all, the edit has been a huge challenge but it's getting to be very rewarding. Of course, still to come is the enhancement of the actual picture, and I think we will be using Magic Bullet to treat much of the film, which I used previously on a short film, Mighty Tykes, last year. This will be quite a challenge as HD tends to show up any glitches and artifacts, so this will be a learning curve for us as editors too. Sound still needs a bit of work, but we're getting there.
The edit is helped along by copious amounts of coffee, beef jerky, pop tarts and the fact that there's a fruit machine in our studio... What more could we ask for?
...Sleep perhaps?
Friday, April 07, 2006
Eh, You Guys Actually Going To Manage To Meet Up or Not??
The amount of times the cast would hear me saying that to them either via email or on the phone from the UK was a common occurence. A lot has been happening over the past few weeks with work on the edit, the impending launch of our simple and concise website (seriously, no frills one) and completion of the trailers.
In the midst of all that I thought I would blog about the 5 people I casted who became 5 friends by the time I saw them again almost a year and a half later.
The S'kali production team got down to casting in the Summer of 2004. We put up notices on all the usual spots and then had a series of auditions over subsequent weekends.
It was always going to be hard to find people who could pull off characters that were loosely based on real people, who could embody their spirits and temprements.
Davina Goh - Sze
Davina possesses the inner silence and focused energy that I think one finds in actresses such as Naomi Watts. Everyday I would sit in front of the monitor and watch as this wonderful actress transformed herself so selflessly and totally into the character of Sze, nailing every nuance and emotion so perfectly.
Davina is also due to appear in Kit Ong's up and coming film and is busy with possible castings on future projects. Some may also remember her as the face of Whisper and TMnet at one point.
Jayaram Nagaraj - Ravin
The character of Ravin was the last one we cast. We had not found anyone who I felt fit the essence of the guy I had written. I knew of Jayaram via some relatives and gave him a buzz asking him to come in for an audition. We got him to read with Davina, a scene which was in the early drafts and is now the fight scene in Ravin's car.
The room was silent when they finished.
We offered him the role there, on the spot.
Jayaram is of course better known as Junior from Hitz.
Derek Ong - Tzao
The producers never thought Derek would work. I told them he would. When Derek read fo us, you could see, in his eyes, the wealth of life experience this guy brought with him. The producers were primarily worried about his theatre background and if or not he would be able to adapt to the different style of film acting.
Derek rose to the challenge, tackling Tzao with such minimal dialogue, all the while proving that his theatre background was giving him some serious acting chops. Watch out for his scene with the character Bahir towards the end of the film. The scene was shot in one take, and features what I feel is on of the most stellar performances.
Derek can be seen on the stage in Habeus Corpus.
Zimy Rosan - Bahir
Zimy auditioned with a heavy American accent. He had been away from Malaysia for a while and everyone was like "Will he lose it?". But sure enough, a few months back home was all he needed and soon enough he was doing all the "lah's", "oi's" and what not, like, if not better than any of his fellow countrymen.
I chose this picture because I think it shows the very thing that stands out when it comes to Zimy; his eyes. He says everything with it and there are times when every emotion he is holding under his skin explodes onto the screen via those eyes of his.
You will see more of this guy I am sure. Since being on S'kali Zimy has been for various casting calls and hopefully it results in some work for him.
Angeline Rose - Tehmina
Angeline is of course now well known to the Malaysian audience thanks to KL Lights and I am told has just secured a role on an upcoming film. Angeline had the challenge of tackling the one character I wrote without trying to know too much about her. With the other 4, I became so familiar with them, I had their histories and where I knew they would be mentally and emotionally at various stages of their character arcs.
With the character of Tehmina, I wanted it to be a little unknown, I wanted to see what the character would do and where SHE would want to be taken.
Angeline embodies that for me. You can never quite read her, but there is a lot going on under the surface and that was exactly what the character Tehmina needed.
I will always cherish this cast.
They will always be in my mind the people I worked with for my first feature. It was not easy. As it so often happens on a film, tensions arise and stress levels peak as tiredness and fatigue set in.
So once again I thank you guys.
In the midst of all that I thought I would blog about the 5 people I casted who became 5 friends by the time I saw them again almost a year and a half later.
The S'kali production team got down to casting in the Summer of 2004. We put up notices on all the usual spots and then had a series of auditions over subsequent weekends.
It was always going to be hard to find people who could pull off characters that were loosely based on real people, who could embody their spirits and temprements.
Davina Goh - Sze
Davina possesses the inner silence and focused energy that I think one finds in actresses such as Naomi Watts. Everyday I would sit in front of the monitor and watch as this wonderful actress transformed herself so selflessly and totally into the character of Sze, nailing every nuance and emotion so perfectly.
Davina is also due to appear in Kit Ong's up and coming film and is busy with possible castings on future projects. Some may also remember her as the face of Whisper and TMnet at one point.
Jayaram Nagaraj - Ravin
The character of Ravin was the last one we cast. We had not found anyone who I felt fit the essence of the guy I had written. I knew of Jayaram via some relatives and gave him a buzz asking him to come in for an audition. We got him to read with Davina, a scene which was in the early drafts and is now the fight scene in Ravin's car.
The room was silent when they finished.
We offered him the role there, on the spot.
Jayaram is of course better known as Junior from Hitz.
Derek Ong - Tzao
The producers never thought Derek would work. I told them he would. When Derek read fo us, you could see, in his eyes, the wealth of life experience this guy brought with him. The producers were primarily worried about his theatre background and if or not he would be able to adapt to the different style of film acting.
Derek rose to the challenge, tackling Tzao with such minimal dialogue, all the while proving that his theatre background was giving him some serious acting chops. Watch out for his scene with the character Bahir towards the end of the film. The scene was shot in one take, and features what I feel is on of the most stellar performances.
Derek can be seen on the stage in Habeus Corpus.
Zimy Rosan - Bahir
Zimy auditioned with a heavy American accent. He had been away from Malaysia for a while and everyone was like "Will he lose it?". But sure enough, a few months back home was all he needed and soon enough he was doing all the "lah's", "oi's" and what not, like, if not better than any of his fellow countrymen.
I chose this picture because I think it shows the very thing that stands out when it comes to Zimy; his eyes. He says everything with it and there are times when every emotion he is holding under his skin explodes onto the screen via those eyes of his.
You will see more of this guy I am sure. Since being on S'kali Zimy has been for various casting calls and hopefully it results in some work for him.
Angeline Rose - Tehmina
Angeline is of course now well known to the Malaysian audience thanks to KL Lights and I am told has just secured a role on an upcoming film. Angeline had the challenge of tackling the one character I wrote without trying to know too much about her. With the other 4, I became so familiar with them, I had their histories and where I knew they would be mentally and emotionally at various stages of their character arcs.
With the character of Tehmina, I wanted it to be a little unknown, I wanted to see what the character would do and where SHE would want to be taken.
Angeline embodies that for me. You can never quite read her, but there is a lot going on under the surface and that was exactly what the character Tehmina needed.
I will always cherish this cast.
They will always be in my mind the people I worked with for my first feature. It was not easy. As it so often happens on a film, tensions arise and stress levels peak as tiredness and fatigue set in.
So once again I thank you guys.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
On to the bandwagon then..Why not?
Just about everyone else who was in and around the production has had their say, so I figured..what the hell. So here goes.....
My name is Jay and my involvement in the production was a three pronged sorta thing. I was a part of the cast, on the production crew as well as the soundtrack, which incidently, is still under construction. What can I say about the whole thing? Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, it was the best damn thing I've done in my life, up till this point, whatever's gonna top this will probably be too much for me. Yes, there were times over the course of those two manic weeks when I wanted to rip my shirt and strangle someone(which of course I didn't), but it was worth it. Who would have thought those long conversations that I had with the Tuan Direktor from my dingy flat in Newcastle would eventually lead me to lighting his sets? Initially, I wasn't even confirmed as a member of the production. Then I was confirmed with the unfortunate(just taking the piss) honour of playing the lead character's brother, Kumar. It was about that time that one of my songs caught the ear of the Tuan. After all that, about 2 or 3 weeks before the shots were cast, following all those pre-production meetings, I was honoured with the position of runner which eventually led to gaffer.
An experience it was and it always will remain in the memory, even if we do make this our livelyhood.
Also, through hours endless experimenting, lighting a porn set seems like a piece of cake...so give me a call if you need help, my fee is $0+++....hehehehe
Wait for IT!
My name is Jay and my involvement in the production was a three pronged sorta thing. I was a part of the cast, on the production crew as well as the soundtrack, which incidently, is still under construction. What can I say about the whole thing? Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, it was the best damn thing I've done in my life, up till this point, whatever's gonna top this will probably be too much for me. Yes, there were times over the course of those two manic weeks when I wanted to rip my shirt and strangle someone(which of course I didn't), but it was worth it. Who would have thought those long conversations that I had with the Tuan Direktor from my dingy flat in Newcastle would eventually lead me to lighting his sets? Initially, I wasn't even confirmed as a member of the production. Then I was confirmed with the unfortunate(just taking the piss) honour of playing the lead character's brother, Kumar. It was about that time that one of my songs caught the ear of the Tuan. After all that, about 2 or 3 weeks before the shots were cast, following all those pre-production meetings, I was honoured with the position of runner which eventually led to gaffer.
An experience it was and it always will remain in the memory, even if we do make this our livelyhood.
Also, through hours endless experimenting, lighting a porn set seems like a piece of cake...so give me a call if you need help, my fee is $0+++....hehehehe
Wait for IT!
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