Setting the scene…

We all remember our favorite movie openings, those scenes that take us to the world of the story, drop us in from our real world into the realm of the characters. In Dog & Kat, I wanted to make that an immersive experience, beginning with the audio. Much of the move-going experience is enhance by the soundtrack. Here’s a look at the opening scene:

First scenes of Dog & Kat.

First scenes of Dog & Kat.

Sorry about the sideways read there. Anyway, over a black screen we begin with the familiar sounds of a mechanic plying his trade. Even if you’re not familiar with these sounds, you’ll soon relate them to the main character as you see him in action. Furthermore, the black screen briefly deprives the viewer of any visual cue, forcing the focus to the audio. And then, boom! A close-up that reveals another aspect of this world, one that goes on to visually link one character to another. More to come.

Published in: on July 2, 2015 at 11:09 am  Leave a Comment  
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Dog & Kat, script

I’ve written several feature film scripts. Most of them were not so good. Finally, I created a story that is quite pleasing to my story telling sensibility. The title is Dog & Kat.

Title page from the screenplay, Dog & Kat.

Title page from the screenplay, Dog & Kat.

It’s about a young junkyard mechanic who lives a miserable existence. He falls for a woman with a past, someone who shows up in the middle of the night and takes his supper, namely Katrina. What a way to start a relationship! Dog is not easily deterred. He knows what he wants when he sees it, and is willing to do whatever it takes. His determination makes him worthy, but also vulnerable, as Katrina may or may not be manipulating him for her own purposes.

I’ll be posting regularly here on The Bent Page as the project moves forward. Funding is in place, pre-production is under way, and it will surely be a wild ride to a finished film. Check back often for updates.

Published in: on July 1, 2015 at 10:44 am  Comments (2)  
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Making a Music Video in Aruba

An interesting opportunity came up, one to make a music video for Stone Temple Pilots who now have Chester Bennington (of Linkin Park) doing the front-man work. Their song, “Black Heart” was in need of a video. So, I put together a small crew of talented people and voila! Here’s the link for a look at the video:

“Johnny Black Heart” music video

We filmed the entire thing in San Nicolaas, Aruba, Dutch Caribbean. At times conditions were very challenging, but all’s well that end’s well. Has a nice, gritty look to it, that I thought fit the song. Hope you like it.

Published in: on December 9, 2013 at 10:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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Goodbye Kodachrome

Kodak announced that it is discontinuing it’s famous Kodachrome line of film. I greet this news with sadness. I remember using Kodachrome years ago, when I was in highschool and again in college. More recently, I’ve used Ektachrome, a film with which I’ve been able to achieve stunning results (in terms of color rendition, clarity, and so forth). However, the digital age has been upon us for some time now and sooner or later film will be a quaint thing of the past.

In some ways, this is a good thing. Film processing produces a bit of pollution and waste that digital photography virtually eliminates. Furthermore, digital manipulation can be less expensive and time consuming than the “old” way of chemicals and enlargers. No the results are not the same; they can’t be the same. The process is different. Thus, it is neither better nor worse in my opinion, simply different. I can accept that and adapt. Along the same lines, photography is open to more people due to reduced costs. This is another good thing as there are some sharp eyes out there who might otherwise not have a chance to practice the art.

Still, I miss days of winding film into a holder, exposing it, waiting until it came back from the lab and that thrill of getting a great shot. It’s sort of like Christmas morning every time with both the joy and disappointment of getting what you want or not.

Published in: on June 24, 2009 at 3:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
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