Shop class in high school is FINALLY coming in handy…

So for the last couple of weeks I’ve been trying to figure out exactly how to build my faux-louver door contraption. For the opening scene I need to simulate looking out of a louvered door, and the actual louvers on my closet door are too close together to actually see anything on the other side. So I got this brilliant idea to grab 10 (free) paint stirrers from Home Depot and paint them white. Then tonight I got the idea to use a cardboard box and pin them up with push-pins. That allows me to spin them to the exact angle I need to be able to see something. Check out the finished product:

Beautiful, ain’t it? And here’s a quick shot from the inside showing the louvered simulation:
Well, you get the idea. So now I can position the camera behind this contraption to shoot the opening scene where the killer enters the bedroom and the woman is hiding in her closet. How exciting! With this in place and my airsoft gun, I only need my unique cowboy boots and some dirty jeans in order to shoot this scene. Anyone have a weird looking pair of size 12 cowboy boots that I can borrow?
I’m still working on the storyboards for the truck scene, hopefully I’ll post an animation of that in the next couple of days. I’ve been in contact with Chris and Rob and I’d like the three of us to get together within the next couple of weeks to rehearse the script. Then it’s a matter of picking a weekend to shoot the major scenes. I’m actually leaning toward October or November at this point, and take the chance that it might snow. We’ll see…got plenty to do until then.
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One step forward and one step back…

Well, the good news is I found someone to fill the role of Hunter Williams. His name is Chris Stevens and he is currently a senior at DeSales University. He comes highly recommended by Jeannie, so he’s already good by association 😉 I’m going to work the details out with him and Rob to see when we can actually shoot this thing.
The bad news is that Grover had to drop out of the role of COUNTER MAN. Unfortunately without him I can’t shoot any of the meat market scenes, so I need to fill that spot quickly. I’ve got Leena looking once again to see if anyone at her theater company that can fill those boots.
In other news, I purchased and received the airsoft gun for the opening scene. For $12 shipped, this thing really looks and feels like the real thing! Just need to cover up that orange tip when it comes to shooting (hee hee) that scene.
I also recently purchased a cheap tripod that will allow me to be a bit more independent when it comes times to shoot. And today at lunch I picked up a pair of battery operated mini fluorescent lights for the interior truck scenes. The idea is that it’s night out when they’re driving, and these two lights will be illuminating their faces while we shoot the dialog. I guess we’ll see if and how well they work…I might try to do a test tonight.
Over the weekend I was also able to storyboard the interior truck scenes with HUNTER and TREVOR. I’m in the process of scanning in the pictures and importing them into Celtx…I will post an animation of them when I get a chance.
That’s about it for now. I’ll keep everyone posted with any more information when I get it. Stay cool…summer’s almost over 🙂
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The wheels on the bus…

Well, things are actually happening my friends! Unfortunately Jeannie had to drop out, but she recommended another actress by the name of Aimee Wein who will be filling her role. Jeannie also recommended another actor for the role of Hunter Williams, and I just emailed him. If he agrees to be in Quick Shop, then we’ve got a full cast and we can actually start production! Woo hoo!

So if everything goes well, all shooting will be done this fall. I’ve got plenty to do from now until then, but I think it’s definitely possible. I will blog and tweet as much as I can to keep everyone up to date.
For anyone interested, here is a link to the current incarnation of the script for Quick Shop:

www.moviesbymartin.com/quickshop/QuickShop.pdf

Enjoy!
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Huh?

Wow…what just happened to the last 5 months!???! Lots of things…but unfortunately not a whole heck of a lot to do with Quick Shop 🙂 Things are finally slowing down again so I’m going to try and get some traction on this dang movie. I’ve sent some feelers out to make sure everyone’s still on-board, then we’ll be ready to go.

So this fall is looking like it might be a good time to shoot. Leena is still working on getting that elusive second lead actor. I guess we’ll see how that goes.
So I’ve got plenty to do…finish storyboards, prepare louver door attachment for the camera, plan shoot dates…lots. Here’s hoping I can keep the wheels turning on it for the next couple of months.
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