December 2003: Click here for Fred's experience at the Mini DV Festival

August 2003: After months of work, I’ve finally found a place that I can feel finished with the project. So now, we’re entering into some festivals and see if we can arrange some screenings. We had a screening on July 7 for cast and crew at the Burbank Bar and Grille in Burbank, CA. We all had a great time, and although the movie wasn’t completely finished for the screening it was very close. It was a good time though. We were able to get everyone together and just have a good time. It was also my first opportunity to show everyone what we’d created. It was extremely rewarding to watch the movie with everyone and a complete rush to see people react to it. It was completely nerve racking for me both before, during and a little bit after too.

Before, I was just nervous to see how people reacted. I really wanted everyone to enjoy it. For Natalie and Justin, I’m sure it was completely nerve racking too. They had to watch themselves on screen for god sakes in front of other people. During the screening, I tried not to look away from the screen too much. It was my safety net in case everyone thought it completely sucked and was a general waste of their time. Thankfully, after, everyone was happy and no one thought they wasted their time. This was a good sign. I also put together a behind the scenes video, which will be on the DVD, which was great fun to put together and really fun for all of us to watch. Lots of laughter for everyone. Then after the screening was all over, a strange occurrence seemed to take place. For the first time, I realized just how personal a story it was and how much it meant to me that it was coming to a completion. I felt proud of our accomplishment and felt forever indebted to Justin and Natalie for bringing this story to life for me. I also felt empowered. I felt like this was just something that made me so happy, and I’d be a complete idiot if I didn’t find a way to do this all the time for the rest of my life. I can’t describe the feeling better than that. It felt good.

Work wasn’t fully finished. Jacob Morgan put the finishing touches on the overall sound mix. I had him try a few different things and we both arrived at a point where we were both happy with it. Dan Beyer managed to write a little more music for the end credits sequence and it sounded great. The music really came together well. I designed a box cover for the VHS and DVD versions. Jon, Mike and I shot some video commentary that I had a really good time editing. I just let my imagination run and tried to come up with something that looked a lot different than your standard commentary. It’s really fun to watch if I do say so myself.

Now, we’re finishing up making the DVD’s for everyone and concentrating on the festival screenings. I am holding off premiering it on the internet for now. I think it deserves a chance to see if it can get into any festivals at first. I’m finding that many festivals don’t want to show something that has already been screening on the web. But don’t you worry, if you just can’t wait to see this movie, you can buy your own copy on DVD or VHS very soon. I know that is a shameless plug, but hey, I really don’t care.

We’re constantly adding things to the website too. We have one short behind the scenes video on right now, that is different than what will be on the DVD. We’ve also got some info on Justin up for all of you to see. A new production article is coming soon too. I’m hoping to add more, we’ll see. Jon and I have both been working a lot of extra hours at our regular jobs too, so finding extra time is precious. Plus, I’m working hard at trying to write some new stuff. Writing is always a painful, frustrating and rewarding process for me all at the same time.

Have a good rest of the summer everyone. Wish us luck with the project and keep checking back for whatever updates we can muster. Thanks again for your interest. It feels so good to say it, so I’m gonna say it one more time. WE’RE DONE!!!

June 2003: We’re getting near the homestretch on this project now. I’m still doing a little color correcting, but it’s pretty close. I’m also getting some help from some friends who are a bit more skilled in audio than myself. I’m hoping that they can help me get rid of some of the background noise and round out the audio a bit more. If not, I’m even prepared to go to an audio post-production facility. I really want it to sound as good as it looks.

I have a third and final cut of the movie done. I’m still working on end credits, but otherwise, the meat of it is finished. It’s been tough these last few weeks, taking a hard look at the edits, trying some different shots and then trying more, until I found the right mix. I feel like I have the best movie that I could at the moment. Jon’s been taking a look at the rough cuts and giving me some pointers. It’s also helped to show a couple of other people too, to get a fresh perspective. I’ve found that the biggest help is to edit like a fiend and then sit back and try to wait for a few days and then watch it again. It helps to gauge how well the edits are coming together. I mean after 6 hours or more of sitting at my computer, a lot of stuff looks better than it should.

The other day I edited from 8pm until 6am and was just bursting with energy afterward. That was the day that I completed the third rough cut and found that audio was still lacking. I spoke to a few audio engineers and got their perspective on things they could do. Their rates were reasonable, but would blow this budget up big time. So hopefully, we can do it with a little help from friends, Jacob Morgan and Tim LaLonde. Thanks though go to Warren at Serious Music in Santa Monica and Greg and Gabriel at Avilon Music in Burbank. They took time out of their busy schedules to take a look at this small project and give us some feedback. It was very encouraging to hear that the audio is not in total disarray and helped to increase my confidence a little bit.

What was also encouraging was that I was listening to some of the music that we’re composing for the film. We’re working with a talented composer by the name of Dan Beyer, who is a friend of Natalie Jannsen. I got to hear some of the music for the first time the other day and I absolutely loved it. I can’t wait to hear the rest.

It was my personal goal to finish this film by July. We will definitely meet that goal and may have it done earlier than the end of this month. When it’s finished, we can start to enter it into some contests and festivals. I can’t wait to see what people think. In early July, we’re having a screening for the crew and the actors. I really want people to be able to see what their hard work accomplished and just properly thank them for helping us make the movie.

This month you should see an upgrade to the website as well. I’ve been slacking off on that, while I concentrated on editing. We should have a few more pictures up soon and I’m gonna get some behind the scenes video up by August. I’m also adding some articles on the making of the project. The first one concerns the actual idea behind the project. Next up, is the physical production including rehearsal and casting. Then the post production and finished project. Hopefully, one a month or so, until the end of September.

One other thing too. I think this speaks to the evolution of our filmmaking efforts. When Jon and I were doing the post on CHASE: CUT SHORT, we learned Final Cut Pro 1.2.5 and began editing on a G3 iMac DV 500 MHZ. I’m still using that same computer for the post on this project, but I’m really pushing the limits of its capabilities. I’m currently running Final Cut Pro 3 and would be running version 4, except that it won’t run on a G3. I feel that I’ve maxed out the potential of this computer and look forward to a new G5 desktop machine early next year. I also think that I’ve been able to get very comfortable with the program and have learned a bit more of its capabilities. Who would’ve thought, that it would happen so quickly.

Wish me luck that we can complete the film soon and you’ll be able to find out where you can watch it. Until then, keep looking around the website. We’re attempting to update a lot of the content. Thanks again for the support.

April/May 2003: I wish that I could say that this was another creative rush of a month or two for me. Partly it was, partly it wasn’t.

When we completed production, I decided to wait a week before I began editing. I wanted to get some perspective on the project and try to judge the footage by really looking at it, instead of remembering the euphoric feelings of the physical production process. I couldn’t wait a full week to start, but at least, I just started digitizing initially. I held to my week’s wait before I started cutting anything.

I was able to get a full rough cut done in just under 3 weeks. That included working a full time job with lots of days of overtime for good measure. I have to admit that it took about a week and a half, before I really got into the editing. I once again got very nervous, thinking I had no clue how to go about this and that I was a big ‘ol failure. I guess that passed, because I started to really enjoy what I was watching and the final half of the film came together quickly. This was the very fulfilling part.

Now comes the not so fulfilling part. I’m faced with taking a hard technical look at the film. Fixing all the audio. This takes a lot of time of really listening for any technical snafus and then finally tweaking all the levels so that they’re fairly consistent throughout. I don’t consider myself strong in audio post production, but you learn a lot as you try to decide what you like and what you don’t. Then I’m faced with attempting the color correction. It feels very daunting, even though, I’m sure once I try to really get into it, it will come off fine. Then I have to consider whether I’d like some music in the film or not. I’ve got some ideas and some plans, but nothing written in stone just yet. It’s just a phase filled with a lot of technical and not so fun parts. It also takes a lot of time, late nights, and being locked away alone with the computer. I also have to be careful, not to spend too much time alone with the movie, or I just go stir crazy and start hating everything. I lose my objectivity. I’ve been known to be frustrated, cranky and downright unappealing to be around. But whatcha gonna do?

Many people say that the real magic of filmmaking comes in the editing phase. You can make it look anyway you want to. It’s also, in my opinion, where a lot of the toughest decision making comes. What to keep, what to discard and ultimately coming up with a cut that you will show to the rest of the world and say, “Here’s my film, what do you think?”.

Wish me luck as I continue to make the tough decisions and try to come up with a good short film that you’ll all enjoy.

March 2003: This has been quite a busy month. We began the month with the 2 final rehearsals where we really hammered out the script and the actions. We held a technical rehearsal with the crew so everyone was comfortable working with the equipment and understood exactly what would happen on the day of the shoot. The tech rehearsal was invaluable. It allowed us to work out all the lighting issues and helped us to figure out what else would be needed to make the project look good. I took the time to review videotapes from the rehearsals to further fine-tune our shot list. I was also able to eliminate some of the nervous jitters that I was having close to filming.

We took two days to shoot our project, March 17 and 18, with cast and crew foregoing green beer in order to film. It was two of the most exhaustive days that I’ve experienced in quite a while. Yet, at the same time, it was probably my most rewarding filmmaking experience ever. I felt like we stayed completely in control the entire time. We had some unforeseen problems arise, but we seemed to solve them quickly. The crew was ready for anything. It was a truly collaborative effort. Michael Gardenias who shot the piece got quite the workout as I kept making him shoot handheld and long takes. He’ll be feeling the pain from this shoot for a day or two more. Jon Edwards juggled work, family and long hours on the set. I’m sure his arms will be sore from holding the mic for 2 long days. Steve Swarting was able to give us some time during his hectic schedule and he was a big help with the lighting. He was able to give us a little better look, which should increase our production value. Tim LaLonde helped us out the first day and gave us all some lessons in audio. He helped us hook up a mixer, which allowed us to use a shotgun and a table mic to capture audio. Scott Elia and Ed Gallagher came by after their long workdays to assist us for the later part of the day. Their presence helped immensely, because they were fresh and energetic which was much needed later on into the late evening. Rounding out our crew, Ronit Shapow served as our Makeup Artist. She was able to give the production those small touches as she continued to work throughout the day. She kept the actors looking good under the hot lights all day long.

Speaking of the actors, I can’t say enough about them. Natalie Jannsen and Justin Ipock. They worked continuously throughout the day and delivered consistent performances all day long for two days straight. They put in an 8-9 hour day on the first day and another 12-hour day the next. At one point on the second day, they nearly brought me to tears with their heartfelt performances. They never complained even though they went long stretches without a break, had to go from yelling at each other in one scene to kissing on the couch the next, and listening to me say “That was great, but can we try it one more time?”. In my opinion, they elevated my script about 1000%. I am truly indebted to them and I can only hope that I can do them justice in the editing phase. They are true professionals and I would be lucky to work with them again in the future.

Now, comes the next phase. I will lock myself in my room with my iMac, begin to edit the film and start the postproduction phase. I also would like to take some more time with the audio this time around. My knowledge is limited, but I learned a lot from CHASE: CUT SHORT (which is still available for online viewing on iFilm), and hope to raise my game a little with this project.

I can’t wait for the final project to be seen. I am definitely giving it an online premiere and a DVD. These are still months away, but we’ll keep you posted. Hopefully, you’ll all enjoy the final product. Until then, check out the production photos. We’ll keep adding to the site as we’re able to.

Thanks for your interest.

February 2003: I’m happy to announce that we’re back up and running. Due to some scheduling conflicts, we had to recast the role of Dave. Thank you to Darren Reiher for his work that he put into the project and we wish him continued success. Stepping into the role of Dave is Justin Ipock. He is a fine actor and we’re lucky to be working with him. He will make a strong contribution to the project.

With casting now complete, rehearsals have begun and my excitement level is building. It’s wonderful to finally hear the actors breathing some life into the script that I wrote. We’ve designed a shot list, the equipment is reserved and we’ve scheduled the shooting for late March. We’ll soon be adding some behind the scenes photos and biographies to the site. You can look for these updates once shooting is completed.

I can’t wait. It’s a rush to see the project beginning to take shape. We are planning on having a few more rehearsals where we can work out all the kinks in the script and hopefully have a relaxed shoot. The finished product will be available to view before you know it.

January 2003: Unfortunately we experienced some unforeseen setbacks, which resulted in the postponement of filming until sometime in early 2003. We are attempting to get all challenges resolved quickly. We were just a few short weeks away from filming when these setbacks occurred and with the impending holiday season we felt it best to postpone and regroup after the New Year.

I was personally a little upset. It’s difficult when you feel that you are ready to go and you just want to do it. I feel like I have been living with this project and not being able to get it done, really put a damper on my psyche for a couple of weeks. Luckily, I just put up a few Christmas decorations and I felt a bit better.

Now, my Christmas decorations are down and my family visits are over. I feel re-energized and I am ready to begin work again. We will definitely shoot this project soon and I will keep you updated on the progress as it begins to unfold. Thanks for your support.

November 2002: We held the auditions for the role of Dave and were blessed with an overwhelming supply of quality actors for the part. Each actor read a short scene with Natalie, which allowed us to gauge their reading of the character and how they would act alongside our Andrea. They all did a fantastic job. Unfortunately, we had to select just one. It was a tough decision. I found myself watching the audition tape over and over again. Our choice eventually went to Darren Reiher. We know that he’ll be a great addition to the cast.

With shooting coming up in only a few weeks and the holidays coming, we’ll begin rehearsals and then shooting to follow. We’ll be finished shooting the project by December 19, with postproduction beginning directly after that.

October 2002: Special Night, a short film directed by Fred Miller IV, is now in pre-production. It’s slated to shoot in December with an eventual release sometime in 2003. It’s the story of a girlfriend and boyfriend who are coming to the end of a long relationship. I think many of us know what that’s like.

We are lucky enough to have the wonderful Ms. Natalie Jannsen, from Chase: Cut Short, playing the lead female role of Andrea. We are conducting a casting search for the role of Andrea’s boyfriend Dave, which will be completed by the end of this month. We are now in the process of mulling over the many resumes and headshots that we received from our casting notice in Back Stage West. Many thanks to all those who responded to our ad, we really appreciate it.

Keep checking back for updates!