The picture above was taken on our first day of filming. Cinematographer Doug Lee makes this stuff look easy, but it always amazes me how many hours go into one minute of finished footage.

We shot this scene at the Museum of Visual Materials in downtown Sioux Falls, and we simply could not have asked for a better location to double for the sinister Orphanage that doubles as a front for a covert ops recruiting ground. I played the part of Father, with my good friend (and the Best Man at my wedding) Travis Otto, playing the part of the deadly assassin, Bishop.

The entire film was shot in just three days, and even on such a short timetable, the days started to blend together. You get this kind of foxhole mentality when you’re in the trenches for so many hours a day with the same people and I’m so glad that everyone got along as well as they did. It’s easy for tempers to flare when you’re dealing with highly creative people who have been running on very little sleep, but everyone acted like a real pro.

I’ve got to give a special shout-out to Jon Barnes, our Key Grip on the production. It was a godsend to have someone of Jon’s experience and ability on the set every day. I’ve done other films where there wasn’t a decent grip present and I can tell you from experience that this went infinitely smoother because he was there.

I’m currently deep in the editing process on the film and despite my highly critical nature, I love what I’m seeing. I had hoped to have this film done for the Ridley Scott/YouTube contest, but there was no way to do that without making everyone look bad. Most of all me.

So we have a little breathing room, but the goal is still have it done in the next few weeks. Check back often for updates!

Coming soon… THE CHAMELEON AFFAIR!

Best,
Frank

Late last night I finally finished the promo video for The Chameleon Affair and set up the crowdfunding campaign over at IndieGoGo.

For those just tuning in, we’re producing this 15-minute film for a contest sponsored by YouTube and Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator) and there’s a $500K movie deal on the table if we win. It sure would be nice to win.

Any contribution you can make will measurably increase our chances of doing well in this competition. We’re hoping to shoot in the Arri Alexa (funding permitting) and we’ve got some great actors, crew and locations all locked in. I’m told the script isn’t too bad, either.

Please give if you can, but above all, please share the link with others! Thank you!

Frank

I often find myself caught between the two worlds of tech and creative. There’s a lot of folks in this field who are in the same place. It’s not by design. It’s not because we’re inherently gearheads. It’s by necessity. In order to bring forth the vision I see in my head — the vision that gets put onto the page which must ultimately be put on the screen — it’s important to know what tools I’ll need to make that happen.

This would be different, I suppose, if I had all the money in the world and I could simply hire a cinematographer with an expensive camera and priceless lenses to come and shoot my films for me. But in the world of DIY indie filmmaking, we don’t really have the luxury of specialization and education becomes the order of the day.

The simple truth is that there’s no one right way to get things done. I’m a big believer in that you get what you pay for, but I’m also a savage bargain hunter. There are companies out there who are offering terrific products for a fraction of the price of their competitors because they’re trying to get a toehold on the market. Ah, the joys of a free market!

Recently, I snagged a great deal on a Letus Extreme adapter. I posted some test footage from that the day I set it up. The footage looked great!

Yesterday, I sold that piece of equipment. Why? Glad you asked.

In 2009 I made the great decision to go live in China. I was in pre-production on my first feature film (Fu & Far Between — still in preproduction) and I had both my HVX200 video camera with me, and my Canon Rebel Xti, a still camera.

The Rebel did an amazing job. It opened up a whole wide world of imagery for me. (That picture above was taken with the Rebel.)

Later that year, after six months of living in-country and just days after a casting call on the Beijing Film Studios lot, I had a heart attack and had to return to the U.S.. I haven’t been back since. That’s something that eats away at me daily and I keep trying to find a way to get back there.

When I think about going back, I keep thinking about how to shoot my film when I get there and I know that my HVX + Letus gear isn’t the way to go. I’ll need to travel smaller. Lighter. And I’ll need a camera that can shoot amazing HD video with a wide variety of lens options.

Which is why, after much debate and gnashing of teeth, I decided to sell not only my Letus, but also my old Rebel. In exchange, I’m picking up the new Canon Rebel T3i (or maybe the T2i), which will work with my existing lenses. In essence, I’m taking the best aspects of both camera and combining them into one lightweight (and easily concealable) option. (The Chinese officials can get finicky if you bring in a large video camera, but they don’t bat an eye at still cameras.)

I’ve shied away from this evolution for a while. I was put off by the accessories needed, the rolling shutter, the horrible moray problems… but every camera has its challenges. And, honestly, when my unknowing mentor Stu Maschwitz recommended the camera, it was high time to pull the trigger.

I haven’t made the purchase yet, but when I do, I’ll post some test shots. Stay tuned!

Frank

Had the great pleasure this week to meet Andrew Kightlinger, the writer/producer/director of the feature film Dust of War, starring Gary Graham, Tony Todd and Doug Jones. At just 25 years old, he’s already done what countless others have only talked about. He made a movie.

A damned good one from the looks of it.

It was interesting to see him up on that stage during his first public speaking engagement. You know in a few years this will be old hat. He’ll have the patter down, he’ll have fielded all the questions already. Seeing him like this gave me a sense of the man, before the need to develop a public persona took hold.

I don’t remember exactly when it happened for me, that slight separation between who I really am and the self-aware author fielding autographs. And it’s not to say that I’m not being totally myself when I’m at conventions (come see me at MidsouthCon next month), but there is the awareness that people’s perception of you will affect their enjoyment of your work. You don’t want to send them away with the sense that you’re a pedophile or snake oil salesman. (I’ve often likened the experience to trying to get elected. There’s a lot of hand-shaking and baby-kissing.)

But for Andrew Kightlinger, it was an easy crowd. He knew most of the attendees. Called many by name. Nobody threw him any hardballs. He had a good time of it, and we had a good time with him. He’s already a name here in South Dakota, and it won’t take long to see him do much bigger projects. He says he wants to direct Nicholas Cage and Sigourney Weaver within five years.

My bet? He’ll do that and more. Much more.

I’m looking forward to it.

~Frank

We’ve been moving forward with our weekly meetings here in Sioux Falls (now up to twice a week, actually) and we’re excited to announce that we’ll be hosting an ongoing monthly series called Making A Scene with the Sioux Falls Arts Council. These free educational seminars will be focused on all aspects of film production, from acting to audio mixing, cinematography to sound design. It’s going to be a hoot!

In other news, we’re moving into a new studio space this week. Pictures coming soon, but you might want to lock your doors… because we’re about to blow them off.

Best of all, we’re officially in pre-production on a short film intended for inclusion in YouTube’s Your Film Festival film festival. There are no provided elements in this one, so we’ll finally get to tell a story without any outside influence. This is all on us.

Our entry will be a spy thriller called The Chameleon Affair. It takes the position that not every operative is Jason Bourne or Nikita and shows what life on the run is like for an agent who isn’t an elite superhuman killer. Starring the stunning Taylor Melone, the film will be shot in Sioux Falls and Omaha, Nebraska, with help from some very special people.

The last time I shot a film that wasn’t a 48-hour film, Ghost and the Machine, I went up against inexperience and inferior equipment and came up short. Chameleon won’t just be about winning this festival (and it’s $500K prize).

It will be about redemption!

Stay tuned!

I don’t normally post reviews anywhere. I’m vocal enough with family and friends and the wide world of Facebook about the things that I like that I don’t normally feel the need to clutter up the blogosphere with my oooohs and aaaahs.

But, man… the indiSLIDERmini from indiSYSTEM is just a brilliant piece of equipment at a price that’s just ridiculous. For less than $100, I’m getting shots that used to require packing my very heavy DIY doorway dolly and driving to the set with 12 feet of PVC pipe sticking out the back window.

The slider itself is solid, but light, and it worked equally well with the Nikon D7000 and my Panasonic HVX200. I haven’t yet had the chance to see if she’ll handle the weight of my HVX with my Letus Extreme on there, but I could hardly fault it if it didn’t.

I’d barely had the chance to unpack the slider before I had the chance to take her on a professional shoot. I’ll post a clip when I can, but in the meantime, there’s actually some great sample footage of the slider in action on YouTube.

Suffice to say, if you’re in the market for a slider and have been wondering where to spend your cash, the indiSLIDERmini has my seal of approval.

I’m glad to say we had an awesome turnout last night for our filmmaker meetup. We had folks from all facets of the industry, from actors to After Effects gurus, from amateurs to pros. A really nice mix.

My good buddy Corbet Miner showed up, who helped out on A Spud’s Life (coming to this site soon, I promise), as well as Dominic Wieneke, who founded the Sioux Falls Filmmaker group on Facebook. He’s also started another page for Production Notices here in town and I’m looking forward to watching that grow.

Dani and I got some good leads for low-cost studios around town, and we’re excited to start pre-production on The Chameleon Affair, scheduled to start shooting this April. Dani’s got her own script in development as well (currently untitled), and it uses the über-creepy doll she picked up on eBay last year. That thing is a horror movie waiting to happen. It may become a signature visual in our horror work going forward.

All for now. Stay tuned!

Had the good fortune today to handle the new Sony PMW-F3 with a set of three prime lenses (shown here with the 35mm).

First impressions: Coming from the HVX200, there was virtually no learning curve in the operation. The only thing that gave us pause was finding where to set the recording mode to 23.98. It’s hidden in a menu at the bottom of the hierarchy, away from the Video or Camera options.

We tried all three lenses that came with the camera — a 35mm (shown), a 50mm and an 85mm. The clarity and depth of field on all of them are amazing. We were just doing run and gun tests, nothing with studio lights, and aside from some fumbling around with the focus ring, the camera really performed. (The fumbling was our fault, not the camera’s.)

The camera has the familiar zoom toggle on the right-hand side, but it doesn’t work with the lenses provided. The Sony rep says that a zoom is available to ship with the camera, though, which may be a way to go for those doing corporate production who won’t have time to swap out heavy lenses.

Speaking of which, balance will be something to watch here. The lenses are nearly as heavy as the camera itself! My arm got fatigued surprisingly quickly.

We’ll do additional tests tomorrow, but I’m already excited about what the camera can do.

My wife and I will be hosting a filmmakers meetup here in Sioux Falls tonight at 7PM at the Caribou Coffee on Minnesota Ave. and 28th Street. We’re expecting a modest turnout, but we’re very excited to meet others in the area who share our passion.

In Florida, you couldn’t swing a stick without hitting someone in the business. Actors were plentiful, everyone owned their own gear, everyone knew how to edit, and we had access to studios for filming left and right. Things here are… different.

So far it seems like there’s a little interest, but very few actual productions. My wife, the Amazing Dani Fradella™, managed to get cast in a short film that was shot here last month. I’ll let her share her own experiences on that, but I’ll see if I can post the finished film when it’s done.

Though it might be a bit ambitious, I’d like to host a meeting every week. The first meeting of the month will be a general gathering. The second week will be for writers who want script coverage. The third week will be for lighting and shooting workshops; perhaps recreating scenes from movies. And I think that the last week should be an open casting call for those who want to act, but who might not have headshots or representation. If any filmmaking is going to happen in this town, we’re going to have to start building a talent pool. I’ll offer free headshots for anyone who shows up.

Sadly, one of my bigger gripes is that there isn’t a “pro shop” here in town. I have to buy all my gear online. I usually do anyway, but I’d like to get my hands on things now and then and see how they feel and hear how they work from people who have actually used them.

Last, it’s my hope for tonight’s meetup that we’ll find people who are serious enough to partner in renting a small studio space. Our arrangement with Kel Thompson and America’s Production Company in Boca Raton had been a great asset for us while we were in Florida, but I’m not quite ready to plunk down the cash for a full studio rental by myself.

Well, I guess we’ll see! If you’re reading this and you live in the Sioux Falls area, by all means drop by at 7PM and say hello!

I shot this yesterday with my iPhone. I wasn’t looking for a beauty shot, but I wanted to show the rig I was using when I shot the footage from yesterday. The background is a little busy, but I hope you can make out the camera well enough.

This is the first time I’m using a follow focus ring. Previously, I’ve always used a VariZoom VZPFI Focus/Iris Controller. And I loved that thing. This is a whole new workflow for me.

For the record, I’ll still be using my HVX200 as it is for most production work. All the extras are for the film stuff we’ll be doing going forward. I’ll definitely want to look into a larger monitor.