Intersect Portal Roadtrip

It's a good thing time is just a human construct, because you could be tricked into thinking we've been working on this movie for years and years... but actually, especially from the standpoint of the history of our planet (earth), we just barely got started.

::: VIDEO BELOW :::

So, welcome back! Let's go on a little trip. We've packed up our time machine and hit the road so we could introduce it to a sampling of different environments. We even pointed a camera at it while we were out. Maybe it will end up helping us promote the movie in some way.

First step, crank up the jams. We stuck to tradition and went with Fit For Rivals, full f*cking blast. We dragged the portal out of retirement and gave it a wipe down... it was hidden under a tarp, constantly battered by the unforgiving Arizona weather, including what appeared to be a few lightning strikes. We found the 120º temperatures to be the perfect setting for a scene in the snow. And who's gonna know we WEREN'T in the actual snow, am I right?

We eventually threw the portal on a trailer and showed it what the woods and streams are like up in the Tonto National Forest of Northern Arizona. We clambered up the scorching sand dunes of Tatooine Yuma, lugging the portal behind us, before attempting to roll it back down and the end of an exhausting day. And finally, we all had a day out on dog beach in Del Mar, California, until the tide started pulling the portal out to sea.

We returned home, necks burnt and shoes full of sand, confident that we had shown the portal a rewarding couple of days.

Coming soon - What the hell else have we been doing on this movie!?

-Luke (D.P.) ((I'm the goober on the left))

ADR sessions

The last update for INTERSECT was December 13, 2011!

Over the past 3 years Black Chalk Productions has been busy with a number of projects, most notably the feature length documentary, THE UNBELIEVERS. Since then, we've made tons of new connections and additions to our team - all of which will help to make INTERSECT the best film it can be. This blog post chronicles the first few steps back into the world of sci-fi time-travel.

:::VIDEO BELOW:::

SITREP: The film has been edited, pickup shooting has begun, and ADR is mostly complete. ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) or "looping" is the process of re-recording dialogue by the original actor after the filming process to improve audio quality or reflect script changes, according to Wikipedia. ADR is generally a luxury afforded by big budget films, as it can be costly and time consuming, but we chose to take this step to make this film the best it can be. It gave us the ability to slightly massage certain performances in addition to creating a more even sound to the film throughout.

The video below details the process of recording ADR:

Intersect - BTS 16 from Black Chalk on Vimeo.

The purpose of this video, while fairly esoteric, was to illustrate the benefits of ADR recording and give some insight into the process. A special thanks to Thomas Amason, of FIT FOR RIVALS, for his tireless work as our ADR maestro.

In the coming weeks and months, we will be updating the blog with more regular status reports. We do hope you'll stay interested in our film.

-Luke (D.P.)

Day 50 of shooting!

Well folks. It happened. We've made it through 50 days of shooting on the Intersect film! Don't celebrate too much just yet tho... there is still another hefty chunk left to do yet. But celebrate a little... jeez!

Here's a video to fill you in on what you've missed...

:::VIDEO:::

This blog adventure, while short, chronicles a couple crazy days.... and a few milestones for us. Firstly... 50 days of shooting!! Which, is pretty serious. A bit boggling to think back on... and looking at the terabytes of footage that is stacking up for this film is seeming quite daunting. But we're getting so close to the end! We cant wait to start editing this thing!

Ryan Adelson, wrapped!

This week we wrapped two acting pros: Kelcey Bligh and Ryan Adelson. Kelcey is, of course, the younger version of the film's blond starlet, Dr. Caitlin Webb... and Ryan plays the role of Dr. Nathan Beaumont's younger self. Both have been great to work with, and a joy to watch on camera. These kids are going to stun people! Working on set with young adults has been full of surprises, but it always struck me how much energy they have! We're shooting in Phoenix, Arizona, in the sun, in the summer, with temps of 100+ degrees... and Kelcey is doing gymnastics between takes... while Ryan and D'artagnan (in a sweater) are slap boxing and chasing each other around set between camera set ups. That fact definitely kept the crew on our toes.

Kelcey Bligh, relaxing on set

D'artagnan is still tied in for a few more days of shooting. But we've moved to the indoor section of the film. Something we're all quite happy about. But for one scene, we did have to jam a plastic syringe up his nose and fill it with fake blood. He wasn't thanking us for that. But like a trooper he took his fake blood with a snort and a smile.

The next 4 - 6 weeks are going to be crazy hell weeks for us. There will be a lot of shooting going on any time we can squeeze it in.We'll be dressing sets in between work, and driving all over town to different locations. Should be a lot of fun, when it's done. The finish line is getting so close... keeping the engines pumping men! I'll try to keep the blogs coming during the shooting... but just be patient.

Gus and Luke...we know how to sit!

-Luke (D.P.)

You have to know where your towel is...

Every few days, whilst being on set filming this movie... I'm reminded of the importance of the standard, garden variety bath towel. It got me thinking.... can a movie actually be made without one? In a word, I don't think so. (Ok, a few words) But read on, and decide for yourself... it's an election year after all, better start thinking about these sort of issues!

Also... here is a VIDEO wrap up of the past few weeks:::

I think the best place to start is with the innovations the towel has been responsible for on this specific movie:

"Towel Dolly"

The first one that comes to mind is something we invented on set in the laboratory... the "Towel Dolly". Tried and true, the Towel Dolly got us through some tough shots in the past. Namely focusing on one of our actors staring at a mouse sitting on a desk, and having to dolly around it to make the shot more dramatic. Our dolly was either too high or too low, and we couldn't 'reach' over the desk itself... so we plopped the RED on a folded towel and started pulling. Sounds simple, but it worked brilliantly.

"Towel Dash RED Mount"

This weekend we shot some of our in-car chase footage. Jason's character needed to rush to the lab in panic-riddled scene and we needed a tight, front-on, steady camera angle inside the car. Again... in this low-budget indie film, we couldn't afford a caged up vehicle dolly with a crane attachment. So we disassembled the RED, spread the pieces out over the dashboard, wadded up a towel around the body, and jammed it between the windshield and the dash. Looked great, worked great, and probably saved $5k. All because of a towel.

"Under Dash Pillow Towel"

Same situation, needed a low angle shot inside the car, didn't have a small/heavy duty tripod to support the RED... why not contort my body under the dash, use a towel as a pillow, and rest the RED on my chest? Worked perfectly.

"RED Towel Guard"

Or, how about for the POV from the chase vehicle? We dangled the RED over the side of a pickup truck, but didn't want either item getting scratched... stuck a towel in between the two... Done! And even used another towel as a knee pad for resting on in the back of the truck, and one around my waist when I was being tied in.

Now... I know what you're thinking... "Yeah, but Luke, those circumstances you listed are ridiculous... what about in a normal movie?" Well. How about I quickly just list of other uses? Shoulder pad for under the RED when shooting hand held... something for the child stars to lay on while shooting on the hot ground of the alley... cushioning the fall of breakable props... cleaning up pools of semi-coagulated fake blood...  makeshift knee-pad for kneeling/low angle steadicam shots... and how about as simple as a dust cover for the camera? Douglas Adams pegged it when he wrote of the importance of the towel, and the crew on this movie won't soon forget it.

All the towel talk aside... this blog marks the last day of shooting for Jacob Lacy, our lead bully "Abner". Jacob really brought something dark and slimy to the role of Abner. On a number of occasions we were shocked how creepy he made the character! We can't wait to edit his footage... it's just teeming with wickedness. Thanks for all your hard work Jacob!

This post also meant a return to the much loathed, incredibly dirty, insanely hot alley in south Scottsdale. Neither kids nor crew were happy, but after a look at the dailies we decided we needed one more day down there to make the fight scene really pop... and we got it! It looks great. The kids really beat the crud out of each other! We couldn't have asked for better.

Stay tuned for the next post... we're approaching an epic milestone! And always remember where your towel is!

-Luke (D.P.)

The last few weeks...

The first published frame from the movie. Straight from the RED.

...and we're back! We hadn't forgotten about you. We've just been waiting for the right time to post.

...and look... I even made a video for you to watch... :::VIDEO BELOW:::

This weekend we knocked out the final remaining stressful on-location shoots of this entire movie! We filmed a fight scene in a dead hot Phoenix alley, a number of scenes at various school locations, and the biggest of all... the funeral for William Marshall!

D'artagnan Driscoll, Ryan Adelson, Kelcey Bligh, Jacob Lacy

The alley fight scene... This was a serious, knock-down, drag 'em out, in the dirt, blood, guts, boards, and bullies type of brawl. It took two days of filming to complete it, and by the end of it, cast and crew were all pretty beat up.

Meet young Abner, Jacob Lacy

This week, we meet a new main character... Young Abner, who is played by Jacob Lacy. He is the bane of Ryan's school years. Abner, like any bully, rolls with a posse of baddies... played by Colin Bird, Tommy Wojtas, and Joe DiGiovanni.

The sun in Phoenix is not your friend. Standing in it for 8 hours is bad enough... trying to make a film, and have the footage look decent is another story by itself. But the kids came in ready to fight and we got some amazing footage.

Schools: Shooting at a school doesn't sound difficult, but finding cinematic locations in Phoenix (and finding locations that appear timeless enough to fit in a time-travel movie) is hard. Then you have to get permission from the school...and stock the school with kids (waiving permission slips from their parents) who are willing to work all day on a weekend.

Bullies: Jacob Lacy "Abner", Tommy Wojtas, Joe DiGiovanni

The funeral for Bill: I think Gus will tell you the hardest thing of this entire movie so far was securing the cemetery for our funeral scene. Between Gus, Jason, and I,  we'd scoped out every cemetery in the Phoenix area...and even gone as far as Prescott looking for possible locations.

Finding good locations was one thing... finding a cemetery that would let us film was another. We only had a small window of opportunity with our actors - and just as time was about to run out...Mesa City Cemetery returned our call. When we wrapped in the cemetery it was a giant load off our backs. "The funeral scene is done. I can't believe it." -Gus.

Mike "The Godfather" Vallone and Father Tom

We are getting near the end of filming now! We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we are charging towards it. Only a handful of weekend shoots left... then it's time to edit! Well, time to catch up on sleep... then start editing. :) Stay tuned in.

-Luke (D.P)