Sunday, March 04, 2007

Ah ha ha, Ah haha ha...

I have internet now! Hence the name of this post. Hahahahahaha.

So much more convenient; i don't have to go to school to use the internet.

Here i am, Sunday afternoon, just had the remainder of our pizza from last night, drinking sparkling wine (Yellow) out of a cup. Gosh. Nadira brought it over. Not my fault.


What have i been up to recently?


I have just endured the most tiring 48 hours of my life, and the best part is that it was great fun and a good learning experience.


Remember Mike? Mike Quill. US of A 3rd year exchange student doing film at QUT, i met him at orientation, we had a lunch meeting and everything else started from then on.


We're supposed to shoot a timelapse for the short film we're doing, "Transmission". A timelapse is where you record 60 mins of footage and speed it up. For us, it was a shot of Brisbane city from Southbank. The frame looked something like this
And what Mike would do is reverse it, so it looks like we're going from night to day as opposed to day to night (6pm-7pm) and speed it up. So you could see clouds moving, moon emerging, lights in the city coming on or rather, switch off (since it's being reversed). The end product looks really cool. But the truth is, we're both perfectionists and our first 2 attempts, we were unhappy with.


The problem with the first day was that we put the ND filter on, which darkens the overall look of the frame, and we had the iris on manual. So after our hour, Mike switched the ND filter off and we saw a much more beautiful image that we could have captured. So we decided to do it again the next day, this time with the filter off and the iris on auto.


The problem with the second attempt was that all a few groups of ignorant people walked right in front of the camera, blocking the whole frame. Geniuses. We couldn't stop them because some of them didn't hear our panicked screams of "Excuse me , sir. Could you walk around please?" or "Sir, Sir!!! Could you cross further down please." Some had headphones on, obviously oblivious to their surroundings. It was quite frustrating, by the end of the hour, we had 5 groups of different people crossing the frame too close to the camera and at least 4 people that stepped into the frame, and after seeing our frantic gestures , pause in the middle of the frame, then "reverse" out of the frame.


Another problem was that we missed the lamp getting switched on, cos we were sort of late. We ended up running all the way from deep in the centre of the city (where Mike's apartment is) all the way across the bridge to Southbank. It killed. Before all this, let's start from 8am that morning...

FRIDAY

8am- Wake up, breakfast, brush teeth, go to uni for 1st ever Film History lecture (9am-12pm)

11.05am- Lecture ends early, supposed to meet Mike at GP campus in city to meet up with the prospective lead female of our 5-minute short film, Denika (who responded to our flyers). I head home, see Jay on the way back, ask her if she's going over to Yuka's (it's Friday, the gang's day together), cos in case i won't be going, i need to give her the 3 dvds i rented to return them on time (that night). Shairah calls, asks me the same thing. Sherman calls, asks me the same thing. I'm torn, i know i'll be too tired to hang out them once the day is over, but they offer to wait up for me til i'm done shooting, which would be around 7, 7.30pm. Jay follows me home so i can hand her the dvds and get my tripod and script before i leave for the city. We have coffee at Urban Village before she heads to class and me to GP. Jay decides she'll wait for me, and so Shai and Sherman decide to do the same.

12.05pm- After coffee with Jay, I catch the free shuttle and meet up with Mike. We discuss the revised script in more detail while waiting for Denika. Halfway through, another girl responds to our ad by calling Mike, her name's Mariana, we arrange to meet her at 12.45pm at the GP bus stop as she's coming from KG.

12.20pm- I call Denika, and this girl sitting at the table to my 10 o'clock reaches for the phone in her bag whilst whooping around to see if she could spot who's holding a phone to their ear. We smile at each other and she walks over. Mike talks to her about the script, her role in it and the possible days and hours of shooting. She has a nice personality, is Aussie, but can speak French. After all that, Mike takes a short clip of her, to see how she looks on camera, like he does with all the other girls we've interviewed, to send them to Bryan, his partner in Boston.

Denika

12.45pm- We meet with Mariana at the bus stop. Same thing, Mike does the talking and i add to whatever he's saying. In the middle of our interview with her, Damien, Mike's flatmate, also on exchange but from Chicago, bumps into us at the bus stop and decides to tag along for the day and later decides he wants to be a part of the crew.

After the interview, we went to the fruit stand just outside GP, where i found Marie two days ago.

Marie

TWO DAYS AGO
I was buying water from her when i heard her accent and asked, "By any chance are you French?" She said yes. "Would you be interested in acting in a short film my friend and i are making?" And by the end of the conversation i got her number and told her i'd take Mike to see her that afternoon. I did and he took a short clip of her too. Later that afternoon we shot our first timelapse that we were unhappy with.

BACK TO FRIDAY
1.40pm-Like i mentioned, we went to the fruit stand. The only reason was to get Marie to read her lines in French, because she was the only girl that hadn't done so. Denika could read her lines no problem, with the emotion we wanted. Mariana could do the same too. So now it was up to Marie, she had the perfect look we wanted, was really a French woman, good figure, pretty face. We were worried that she was ONLY a pretty face. And indeed she was. She couldn't give us the emotional factor and read the lines flat, oh my God, just what we were afraid of. SHE COULDN'T ACT!!! We were at her fruit stand, and we kept getting interrupted by customers. So we decided we'd come back after lunch. Mike said that she could've been too distracted or too shy, cos she was in a public place. We thought we'd give her a second chance and try again after we ate something, it was pretty late. She told us to come back at 3pm when she'd be off work.

2.50pm-So we did, and we tried to push her into that zone. At the end of the session, beside her fruit stand, we made progress. Her attempts were acceptable, and hopefully on the day of shooting, she'll be feeling it a bit more, and it'll turn out to be a success.

3.24pm-We headed to Mike and Damien's apartment to see which part of the city to shoot. It was basically scouting locations for us. Especially since the scene in the bedroom would be shot in their apartment. So we need to find a building that we can shoot from, to see Mike's balcony.

3.50pm-We talk to a receptionist at the Marriott hotel which is right across the street from Mike's apartment. They can't help us as they wouldn't give us clearance to the rooms and the highest floor they can allow us to shoot from is the 4th, which won't work cos Mike and Damien live on the 21st floor.

4.10pm-We head to their apartment for a rest and a dose of air-conditioning, the heat just kills. Before we head up via the elevators, we ask the receptionist if they have a ladder or a step ladder cos we would need it for an aerial shot of Mike's bed, where Marie would be according to the script. They have one and can lend it to us when we need it. Cool. We head up to their apartment. They have a killer view of the city. Perfect. We have beer and eat pretzels, talk more about the script and possible locations to get good footage of the city. Their apartment is in the typical condition you would find any guy's apartment, and there's 4 of them, so you can imagine the mess. Haha. It was funny. Food bits on the carpet everywhere. Nothing is tidy. Dishes not washed, there's the cardboard of a sixpack beer in the sink, it's wet. Half-eaten food on plates here and there. Guys can't housekeep. Most guys. I spot another building behind the Marriott hotel from the balcony and decide that we should go over and see if we can get permission from them to shoot from their building.

4.55pm- We go to the apartment building across the road, and this friendly guy that's in-charge gives us permission to go up to the 17th floor to have a look. Why the 17th floor we don't know. So the 3 of us head up there, but it's not high enough, so we go up to the top floor, 21st. And it's perfect, Mike takes out his camera to see if it would look good. The shot can be done. We go back down and thank the guy, he tells us that we can call the number on the card and notify the person when we would go to shoot within the coming week.

5.40pm- We decide to leave for Southbank so we can get there by 6pm. Not knowing how far it actually is, i tell Mike i need to use a bathroom, and he says "be quick". So i go to the Marriott, closest there is. And we start walking to Southbank after that, at about 5.45pm.

5.50pm- We've been walking for 10 minutes and it seems like we won't get there in time, we start jogging with all the equipment, Mike with his camera in this backpack that weighs about 3kgs and me with my tripod and backpack, much much lighter.

6pm- We get there, a bit late, and see the lamp has already been turned on. Crap! We set up anyway and start shooting, Damien joins us a bit later after parting with us before to go back to the apartment for something.

7.10pm- I call Shairah and they tell me they're in the city waiting for Sherman, she's with Jay. Asks me if i want to have dinner with them first before going back to pack, so i decide to do so.

7.20pm- We meet up and decide where to eat.

7.35pm- We get to this shop called Satay something that Sherman suggested and eat noodles. At this point, i'm really tired.

8.40pm- We catch the bus back to KG, they want to use the internet at Uni while i go home and pack.

9.08pm- I get home, pack, talk to Daniel a bit, asks if i'm going to that party that Nad told us about. Told him no cos i'd be staying over at Yuka's.

9.30pm- I start walking to KG bus stop where the 4 of us would meet up and take the 340 bus to Carseldine. I take a nap on the bus.

11.30pm- We arrive at Yuka's place. First words from Kannan, "Wow, you guys are so late." I say, "yeah, that's why i told you i might not want to come, but they sorta forced me, waited for me so i'd feel bad and have to come." Shairah says, "We waited for you cos we knew if we didn't you wouldn't come." Me: "True."

1am- I take a shower, Kannan makes coffee for everyone and we sit outside under the stars and just talk til about 8.10am.

8.30am- Everyone is asleep.

12pm- Everyone wakes up. Fluffy is back from getting de-sexed. Poor girl. She was still surprisingly hyper though. And apparently while we were asleep, Sue got back from Brunei, yes, she is a week late, she's blonde-der and has slimmed down.

3pm- We call a cab to come get the 4 of us (Shai, Sherm, Jay and I), we refuse to walk under the scorching sun.

3.10pm- Cab gets here, we drop by Bracken Ridge nearby to return the 6 dvds that are a day late. Luckily there are no penalties or fines cos they're old movies. We tell the cab driver to drop us at Chermside mall to take the bus.

3.40pm- We end up having lunch at Chermside mall.

4.10pm- We leave for the bus stop.

4.45pm- I get home, call Vincent, cos we arranged for him to send me my skateboard and a bag of stuff that his mother so kindly helped my mom bring over for me.

5.08pm- They arrive and i leave my aparment door open thinking it wouldn't close and that i'd be up in a flash.

5.15pm- I'm locked out, Vincent and his mom want to see my apartment, so they're waiting at the stairwell with me. We're waiting on Daniel who wouldn't pick up his phone; he went out to get ciggies about 10 minutes before. I'm anxious cos i'm supposed to meet Mike at 5.30pm for our 3rd attempt at a perfect timelapse starting at 6pm. While we're waiting Nad walks up the stairs.

Convo:

Me: Hey.
Nad: Hey. What's going on?
Me: We're locked out.
Nad: Where's Daniel?
Me: Out getting cigarettes.
Nad: Yeah, he's not picking up his phone.
Me: I know, i tried twice, sms-ed him.
Nad: Yeah, actually i came here to pass you this. (Reaches for her bag and pulls out Macbeth)
Me: Oh, thanks! Yay! Now i can read it. Oh, this is Vincent and his mom.
Nad: Hi.

5.25pm- Daniel comes up the stairs.

Convo:

Daniel: Hi.
Me: We're locked out. I went to get stuff and left the door open, but the wind closed it. And i didn't bring my keys, obviously.
Daniel: What? I didn't bring my keys either!
Me: What? Are you serious?
Nad: He's joking.
Daniel: NO, really.
Me: Guess we'll have to climb in, your window's open right?
Daniel: Haha, just kidding. (Walks to the door and reaches for his keys)
Both me and Nad push him, jokingly but with force.

Vincent and his mom come in to tour the apartment and i'm thinking, gees... i'm running late.

5.35pm- I get to the bus stop only to find that the next bus to the city is due at 5.48pm. Crap!

5.57pm- I get off the bus at the nearest stop to Southbank i can, and that's the Southbank bridge. So i break into a jog, once again. After a long night the night before and only 4 hours of sleep... i'm running yet again.

6.04pm- Damien says to me, "Man, you're late again, Jamie." "I know, I'm really sorry." I can see Mike has set up the camera on his shoes. We're shooting a different frame this time, closer to the river as opposed to the frame with the sidewalk and lamp post in it. The frame of the river looks much better, like the pic below.

During the timelapse, one of Mike's friends that he met during international orientation came to join us, her name's Jenna, she's from Germany. She comes on this bicycle that she bought for only $40. Haha. It's old, but it works.

7.05pm- Our timelapse is a success and it looks good. We part ways at the city. They asked me to join them for drinks back at the apartment and they'd be cooking dinner. But i was too tired and was in no mood for drinking. So i said thanks and left Jenna with them.


And that's the end of my really long 48 hours.



Mike

Damien
Thanks for reading and thanks for caring!

3 Comments:

Blogger Shannon Ng said...

I can see that someone is going back into running. Hahaha

9:51 PM  
Blogger Morgan said...

woah. your weekends are screwed. sleeping at 810am in the morning? but that is the fun bit about uni. NO LIMITS. The taking the bus thing is scaring me. ahahah XD.

10:24 PM  
Blogger yatman said...

WOW,DAMIEN'S SUNGLASSES LOOKS LIKE YOURS.N DENIKA IS CUTE.
SO IT IS GOOD TO HV SPEED BUT DON "POK KAI" TOO OFTEN. THINK U HV ENOUGH INJURIES ON U. TAKE CARE!DOM

12:07 PM  

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