Making Movies in Flyover Country

Color Correction Comparison

2009-06-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

So, I was thinking more about my last post and how color correction changes the intent and meaning of a scene. And I thought a visual example might help here. Below I've posted a side-by-side comparison between the original footage and the color corrected version (keep in mind that these are taken from a low-res copy of the film, as the editor has been sending them to me; since he's based in L.A. and I'm in Texas, he's been sending me files via sendspace.com). Anyway, see the image below:

So, you'll notice that the footage on the left is significantly more colorful than the one on the left. Now, I will say that we're in the process of 'dialing back' the effect you see on the right, which is sort of a bleach-bypass look (not familiar with that term? Read about it here - though keep in mind that the link refers to the traditional way of doing it, on film). I think we just went a little too far with it.

Anyway, it was always my intention that this segment of the film would have this look, in part to keep it separate from other parts of the film, and in part because of the bleak nature of the character's outlook. What's interesting to me is how hard it is for me to let go of the original footage. It's too pretty for the character and the story -- but because it's so pretty, so pristine, it's kind of hard to let go of it. The color corrected version is more raw and, well, "ugly" isn't the right word, but it ain't pretty.

However, "not pretty" is right for the film. Sometimes you have to go through "pretty" to get there.

Color Correcting ENDINGS

2009-06-14T18:44:00.001-07:00

The editor, Simon Tondeur, is color correcting Endings at the moment, so I've been reviewing the film from that perspective this weekend. It's quite strange, in a way, because I'm so used to seeing the film the way it was shot (in terms of color). Color correcting via non-linear editing systems like Final Cut Pro is pretty powerful stuff -- if you have a clean image, you can pretty much do anything you want with it (there are some limitations, at least at my budget level).

So I'm trying to re-orient myself to see the film through new eyes, to determine if the color corrected version, with various filters applied and with contrast increased in a lot of scenes, will serve its purpose.

Just another step in the process...

When will Hansen lock picture on Endings? When?!

2009-05-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

I imagine you're probably getting tired of boring postproduction updates on Endings. There hasn't been too much to update about lately. We got the picture cut to a point that I was pretty happy with it, then I took a break from it. Actually, I thought about showing it to people and trying to see what's working... but I got so busy with a summer class I'm teaching that I never made a decision as to who I should ask to watch it.

So I let a couple of weeks slide by, and then today I decided I finally had to make some decisions on my own, without relying on any (more) input. Trusting your own instincts is always difficult.

But I think we're there. Simon, the editor, is making a few minor changes that I want, and then I believe we'll lock picture this weekend. Of course, visual effects work still needs to be done, and sound. But we're on our way...

As for sound, Sound Designer Kelley Baker has come aboard to supervise the postproduction sound work. Kelley, also known as 'the angry filmmaker,' is an indie filmmaker in his own right, but he also had a long history as a Hollywood sound designer on such films as Good Will Hunting, Psycho (the remake), Finding Forrester,and Far From Heaven. I'm thrilled to have him doing sound on my film, needless to say.

Kelley actually came aboard a while back -- but since his work hasn't really begun until now, I failed to mention it.

The Bathwater Scene: Getting to the Picture Lock

2009-05-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

The rough cut of Endings is down to a total running time of 96 minutes, which both pleases and amazes me, especially considering the fact that my mockumentary comedy American Messiah was 95 minutes long.

I'm pleased to be able to keep a challenging indie drama like Endings to a shorter running time, but I'm also pondering whether or not certain elements work, if it's paced too quickly now.

I don't really think there are pacing problems (or, at least, none that can be fixed based on what was shot) -- but when you're faced with locking picture soon, you start questioning everything. I'm a perfectionist and a realist at the same time. I want to get it right, even if it means going through every take to check what else we've got; but I also want to get it done. Finding the middle ground between these two extremes is, I suppose, what an indie filmmaker does.

Also, the editor of the film likely won't stick around if I started reviewing every cut. I'm nitpicking things enough as it is right now, and he and I are haggling back and forth over one scene that he has affectionately dubbed "the Bathwater scene" -- so named because he believes it holds more bathwater than baby and should just be thrown out.

I'm not sure I agree -- and therein lies the process. We're tweaking this one scene every which way, to emphasize various things, to avoid cheesiness, to trim bad acting, and to try to find a way to transition to the next scene (something I should have planned for better when we shot these two scenes)...

I just took a blog break to answer an email from the editor with his latest suggestion for transitioning. Today has mostly been dedicated to watching the film and working on these little details.

But sometimes I worry that I'm losing the bigger picture while we work on these details. On the other hand, I think I lost the big picture when I started shooting. I really can't see Endings in the way an audience member can, because I'm too close to it and too aware of all the details (of the story, of the shooting, of the post process).

It's kind of a sad thing, in a way. You're trying to create something transcendent, but you yourself can't experience that transcendence, because you created the thing and can only experience it with all your memories of its creation intact. The hard part is determining if other people can experience it as a transcendent experience, something that's hard to judge if you will never see it that way yourself.

I'm trying to determine at what point I'll ask some people unfamiliar with the story to watch it and comment. That's a nerve-wracking process, for me anyway...

In any case, the picture will likely be locked in the next couple of weeks. After that, color correction, visual effects, and sound work all need to be done. But picture lock always feels like the biggest step to me. That's not to diminish the others; the work involved in all of them is critical. But getting the picture cut itself right is critical in setting the stage for all those other steps.

The End of Spring

2009-04-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

Classes are ending here at Baylor on Monday, May 4th, though for me they end today (I don't have any MWF classes this term). It's always an interesting time. Spring fever has set in for students and for faculty, and everyone is exhausted. So it's not an unwelcome ending, but commencement means saying goodbye to some students who have been a more-or-less daily part of your life for several years. It can be strange. Their lives will change in new and exciting ways, and we remain here at their alma mater (that's not a complaint about my job; I love what I do).

My reflection on this event has been muted this year because the semester took a very busy turn when I was officially appointed director of the division. And since I'm teaching a mini-mester course that begins immediately after graduation, I'll barely have time to finish grading before I have to begin prepping lectures and figuring out how to cram a semester's worth of screenings and discussion into a three-week period...

American Mess Theatre Listing

2009-04-22T13:56:00.001-07:00

I just got a hold of the listing of theatres which will be showing my first feature, The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Mess, starting May 29th. Here it is:

Nova at Hartford
Hartford, Illinois

Hartford at Moline
Moline, Illinois

Nova Georgia
340 Tanger Drive
Commerce, Georgia 30529

Studio 10 Cinemas
1624 E. State Highway 44
Shelbyville, Indiana 46176
Movieline: 398-FLIX(3549)

Georgetown 14 Cinemas
3898 Lafayette Road
Indianapolis, Indiana 46254
(317) 291-3456

Nova 10
4353 Merle Hay Road
Des Moines, Iowa 50310

Theatres of Georgetown
401 Outlet Center Drive
Georgetown, Kentucky 40324

Branson Meadows Theatres
4740 Gretna Road
Branson, Missouri 65616
Branson Meadows Outlet Mall
Phone: 417-332-0464
Movie Hotline: 417-332-2884

The Amp Oxford Mississippi
206 Commonwealth Boulevard
Oxford, Mississippi 38655
Movie Hotline: 662-236-4080

Portsmouth Cinemas
1623 Chillicothe Street
Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
Movieline: 355-FILM(3456)

Lake Geneva 4
244 Broad Street
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin 53147

News on the Academic Front

2009-04-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

I'm watching the new cut of Endings today -- or trying to, between meetings and other interruptions -- but wanted to pause for a moment to relay some news. I was officially appointed Director of the Film & Digital Media program here at Baylor University today.

Well, the appointment is effective June 1, but the official notification came today.

Anyway, this is a big moment for me personally, and I hope it will mean big things for the future of the program here, as I look to expand upon the already great work that has been done to bring it to this point.

Voice Over Artists

2009-04-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well, my two oldest daughters become voice over artists last week. The local NPR affiliate, KWBU, broadcasts from about 20 feet from my office door, and the station manager, Brodie Bashaw, asked several people if their kids would be able to read some copy (or just repeat it back) for a promo she was recording. My oldest, Emma (who also stars in my new film, Endings, recorded one all by herself, and the other features several children edited together (Emma is on there as well, and Anna, my eight year old, is the one who says, "The Waco Cultural Arts Fest will be September 19th and 20th").

Download the promo mp3 files to hear my kids promote the Waco Cultural Arts Fest on KWBU:

KWBU Promo - Emma

KWBU Promo - Emma, Anna, and others

Doctor Who extravaganza

2009-04-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

Well, the deadline for the "call for proposals" for my edited volume about Doctor Who is today. Which means that I got a ton of proposals yesterday, and I'm expecting more to trickle in today.

I should have guessed that would happen. So now I'll be wading through a sea of Doctor Who scholarship over the next couple of weeks.

Twitter

2009-03-30T11:39:00.001-07:00

Okay, I caved and decided to start Twittering: www.twitter.com/Prof_Hansen.

ENDINGS - the first trailer

2009-03-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here it is, folks. The very first extended look at my new film, ENDINGS. Post-production continues, but we managed to get a promotional trailer done.

I should note -- editing is by B.K. Garceau, and original music is by Joseph Leggett.

I suggest watching this on a larger window than the one presented by my blog. Click over to vimeo directly to watch it there.

ENDINGS - first trailer from Chris Hansen on Vimeo.

ENDINGS Post-Production Update

2009-03-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Another Endings post-production update: There hasn't been much progress of late, due in part to various levels of indecision on my part, but I have hired a new editor to take it from here, and I feel pretty good about that decision. There is a little bit of waiting now, while the new editor goes to work. And while I'm anxious, I feel a little relaxed now about the process now because I think the film is in good hands.

American Mess release plans

2009-03-06T19:17:00.000-08:00

I don't have full information yet, but it appears that a release date for The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Mess has been set. It's May 29th.

You can see that info here: Monogram Releasing.

I'm sure more complete info will be available eventually.

Just FYI...

2009-02-26T16:19:00.001-08:00

Created by Train Horn

ChizFilm Award for CLEAN FREAK

2009-02-26T10:36:00.001-08:00

Jonathan Chisdes over at ChizFilm has been an ardent supporter of my work since seeing my first feature at the Virginia Film Festival, and he has used his annual ChizFilm Awards to honor another film. He named Clean Freak his "Best Short" of 2008.

Thanks to Jonathan and ChizFilm for your continued support of my work.

CLEAN FREAK at Bare Bones

2009-02-24T14:23:00.000-08:00

Clean Freak was just invited to screen at the Bare Bones International Film Festival, in Muskogee, OK. Nice to pick up a few more screenings here at the end of the film's festival run.

It will be in Corvallis, OR in March, at the da Vinci Film Festival...

Poster- minor changes

2009-02-23T18:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, had to repost this. There were some minor changes to it (mostly with the festival laurels -- had to add "Official Selection" to them, and spell out what "STIFF" stands for).

The New Poster

2009-02-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

Below you will see the new poster for the theatrical release of American Messiah, titled The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Mess for this release.

Does Absence Make the Heart Grow Fonder?

2009-02-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

Or does it just make you forget me?

Sorry I've been mostly absent on the blog. Between post on Endings, beginning work on a new script, editing a scholarly work on Doctor Who, and my classes here at Baylor, I have barely had time to eat lunch most days. So blogging took a back seat. It takes a lot of energy to be witty and erudite in this blog -- cut me some slack.

All kidding aside, I really have been busy (I wasn't kidding about the items I mentioned above). So, stuff continues. I'll have a new update when my head is back in the blogging game.

Membership...

2009-01-31T20:02:00.000-08:00

Just found out today that I am now a member of the Independent Writers Caucus of the Writers Guild of America, west.

Which is kind of cool.

The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Mess

2009-01-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

It's official -- the theatrical release title of "American Messiah" will be The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Mess.

The producer and I feel like it's a good link to the original (for marketing purposes) and still has a draw to get people into the theatre.

I'll post the new poster here when we are done with it. And release details, too, of course.

My Sundance Experience

2009-01-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

I always said I wasn't going to go to Sundance until I had a film there, but when I was invited this year by Matson Duncan to attend his Cultural Leadership Summit, I really couldn't say no. I was, in fact, invited last year, but I couldn't make things work.

The purpose of the event was to bring together a bunch of like-minded filmmakers and those who think and write about film and culture in order to discuss how films can edify culture.

The event was a great success, for me at least. I met some terrific creative people and connected with them over morning sessions as well as in between films, over great meals (and rushed ones) on Main Street in Park City, UT. The weather was, on the whole, pretty decent, with temperatures staying in the high 30s during the day and only getting truly cold after dark. Crowds were down this year at Sundance, so while there were still lines aplenty, it was at least possible to move down the street (which, from what I've been told, hasn't always been easy in years past).

It was hard to get tickets to films. This is the kind of thing that makes you really want to have your film screen at Sundance -- there is no film that doesn't have a sold-out screening.

Here's what I saw:

Shorts Program IV: Shorts programs are always a mixed bag, and there are plenty of differing opinions on what a short should be. This program contained a little of everything (in my opinion, of course). The attack of the robots from Nebula was a quirky piece about an unbalanced fellow who believes the world will be destroyed soon (by the titular robots). It worked for me, but I could easily see why it might not work for others. Sparks, an Elmore Leonard adaptation by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, seemed like a good idea, I'm sure, but, in spite of its stylistic flourishes, it was essentially a story told in dialogue-heavy flashback by the two oh-so-clever main characters (Carla Gugino and Eric Stoltz). Elmore Leonard has been done much better in the past. Next Floor was a brilliantly realized take on gluttony, as a group of wealthy eaters pigs out on rare foods until they fall through the floor -- again and again. Completely visual (almost no dialogue at all), and really effective. Short Term 12 is a terrific emotional film about a psychiatric youth residential home, filled with screwed-up kids and damaged counselors. The worst of the bunch was Choices, a pointless piece wherein the audience watches a man make love to his girlfriend while he narrates the story of having to choose between his mother and his father when they divorced in his youth. Poorly shot and needlessly "edgy," it did nothing for me.

Amreeka
DIRECTOR/ SCREENWRITER: Cherien Dabis
U.S.A./Canada/Kuwait, 2009, 96 min., color
English and Arabic with English subtitles
Amreeka tells the story of a Palestinian single mother and her son when they move to America and live with her sister and her sister's family right after 9/11. It keeps the tone light throughout much of the film, focusing on her fish out of water status and her frustration at not being able to find a decent job in spite of years of experience and education. The acting is quite good, and the writer/director smartly doesn't try to make things too maudlin, even though the events are serious. By using the tropes of a typical film in this genre, the filmmaker manages to get the audience to identify with this woman, who is an outsider to U.S. audiences by virtue of her nationality. Her plight is universal, though, and her love and concern for her teenage son shine through.

The Maid
Chile, 2008, 95 mins., color
From the Sundance site: "After 23 years of service to the Valdes family, Raquel is comfortably ensconced in a vague existence between maid and her illusion that she is a family member. Her barely concealed bitterness and increased clashes with her employer's eldest daughter lead the family to think she is overworked. They hire more help, and, feeling usurped, Raquel begins to sabotage each new employee by resorting to childish antics, clinging to her ambiguous place within the family." There were some very solid moments in this film -- some real human emotion and redemptive ideas. Ultimately, it's bogged down by a repetitive first half and some not-so-great camera and sound. I remember thinking that the film should have been shorter, but when I checked the running time, it was only 95 minutes. That's never a good sign. The first two-thirds of the movie seemed to repeat the maid's war with other maids over and over, and though I'm sure this is "how it really happened" (the director explained the semi-autobiographical nature of the story), it makes for lazy and ineffective storytelling.

You Won't Miss Me
U.S.A., 2009, 81 mins., color & b/w
The title is accurate. I won't miss this film. Or, more accurately, I won't miss the second half, which I didn't bother watching. I am not one to walk out of a film. I even sat through Eddie Murphy in The Golden Child. But 45 minutes into this film, I couldn't bear any more. It was pretentious and boring, an "unscripted" attempt to capture an unbalanced woman's miserable life. I guess it succeeded, as it made me pretty miserable. The improvisational nature of the shooting was, I'm sure, thought to be pretty innovative, but I thought it made for a pretty shoddy end result, with actors looking around uncomfortably as they apparently ran out of things to say. I thought about articulating more about why I don't think this is a good film, but I feel as though I've wasted enough time on it. In answer to the director, who asked me from a distance, as I walked out of the theatre, "So you hated it that bad?" -- yes. Yes, I did. I would have answered you at the time, but I wasn't aware you were talking to me at first, and the moment passed.

If you want to read more about the film, read the description at the Sundance site.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience. I hope to be back next year, and I hope to continue some wonderful new friendships.

American Messiah on iTunes, and a Sundance Update

2009-01-19T13:58:00.000-08:00

Well, I returned last night from my brief Sundance experience, and I have stuff to report, but I'm not sure I feel like typing it all up right this minute. I saw several good features, one awful feature (it's not Sundance if you don't see one lousy film), and some interesting shorts. And I got to meet some really cool people, indie filmmakers like myself, and getting to connect with them -- and with the people who helped to make this trip possible (members of a Park City church) -- was both encouraging and humbling.

So, more on that later...

The other news I wanted to report is that my first feature film, The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah is now available for download on iTunes. Which is, you know, pretty cool.

UPDATE: adding a link to American Messiah in the iTunes store: see the movie here.

Clean Freak screening at da Vinci Film Festival

2009-01-12T17:45:00.000-08:00

You haven't heard me mention any screenings for Clean Freak of late, and the reason for that is that there haven't been many. The film inexplicably hit a streak of rejections that I really don't even want to talk about.

Well, it's not really inexplicable. It's a 27 minute film that's part documentary and part mockumentary and also contains a wry and subtle commentary on the nature of documentary filmmaking in general. So, um, yeah, it's been a real crowdpleaser.

I'm being too hard on it, perhaps. In actuality, I think the running time is the largest factor in the film's many non-selections, because fests prefer their short films to be 10 minutes or under, as a general rule.

Anyway, I've completely buried the lede here -- Clean Freak has been selected to screen in the 1009 da Vinci Film Festival. The fest takes place March 6-8 in Corvallis, Oregon.

So Maybe I'm Controversial After All

2009-01-08T09:22:00.000-08:00

When my first feature, The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah, was making the rounds at festivals, I had thought it might inspire some controversy because of the religious satire in it. Now, I should preface this all by saying that I am a very religious person, and the satire in the film was aimed squarely at people who abuse and misuse religion for their own purposes.

And since I sensed it might be controversial, I was almost disappointed that it wasn't. Most people took it as intended or just found it funny.

But today, someone was finally offended enough to do something about it.

I have been working with a distributor in the midwest on a small theatrical distribution for the film. I had intended to keep this quiet until I had all the details worked out. But I had a conversation with the distributor today during which he explained that he wasn't going to be able to release the film in the theatres that he deals with because of the title and the poster art -- specifically, the word "messiah" in the title and the images of Christ on the poster.

So, hmmm...

I was taken by surprise, only because the film hasn't inspired much controversy thus far. But this is a case of perception trumping reality -- it's not the content of the film that offends (apparently), but the fear that people who see the poster and hear the title will believe something about the film that isn't true.

Thus, if I want to see it get a theatrical release, I must change the title and the poster design. To end any speculation: I've decided to do just that, simply because I'd like to see the film released, and I don't feel that I'm compromising any principles. I'm not having to change the content or intent of the film, just the perceptions and concerns created by the title.

And, in any case, I suppose it's better to be controversial.

I'm also choosing to view this is as a positive. It's a chance to rethink something that's already been completed. I have lately had some misgivings about the title (I always wished I'd chosen to call it "Local Messiah" as I think that would have intrigued people more, and audiences always react positively when Brian calls himself a local messiah). But I can't use the word "messiah" at all now.

So, if you have any title suggestions (or poster design suggestions, for that matter), leave them in the comments below. And I'll share the new title choice and poster design when we have it complete...