Opificer Movie Blog

My Letter to Apple Regarding Final Cut Pro X

2011-07-26T20:16:00.001-07:00

Dear Apple,

As both a filmmaker and video educator I have a distinct perspective on the new version of Final Cut Pro X. In a nutshell, the new version is extremely dissatisfying and downright insulting.

As a high school video teacher, I've been slowly trying to switch my budget conscience school, to Final Cut Pro. We were fortunate enough to afford Final Cut Express, and I was slowly trying to turn over our older IBM G5s to Intel Macs which could finally run the latest Final Cut Pro software. However, after seeing the lack of professionally in the new version I'm sad to say I may have to abandon Final Cut altogether.

Now as a professional filmmaker, who has had and used Final Cut Pro since version 2, I cannot express enough how disappointed I am in version X. You have essentially locked me out of 10 years worth of older Final Cut projects, in order to supposedly usher in a new and revolutionary way to edit professionally. Not only that, but you fixed what was not broken. Final Cut 6 and 7 were amazing peaks in the softwares lifespan and now you've dumbed it down in order to get more entry level users and potentially higher profit margins.

This is completely unacceptable! I've invested literarily thousands of hard earned dollars into Final Cut, Apple computers, and all the third party accessories and software associated with Final Cut Pro all for it to essentially have gone down the drain. This is the thanks you give a loyal customer and promoter of your company and products?

I beg and urge you to see the errors of your decision and revert Final Cut Pro back to the previous architecture and design of version 6 or 7. If Coca-Cola can see the wisdom of returning "Coke" to "Classic Coca-Cola" after a resounding customer demand, I hope you can too.

I'm just a small fish in the large ocean of Final Cut Pro users, but in the interest and needs of my students and fellow filmmakers/professionals I hope that you will take my opinion and feedback seriously.

Thank you.

-Gustavo Guardado

Happy Anniversary!

2011-06-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Has it really been half a year since my last blog post? Yikes! Ok lets get this party started.

Updates:

One Year Anniversary of the Start of Principal Photography.

Monday June 13th marked one year ago that the first scenes for Love, Concord were shot on location at Diggers Diner in Concord. That day will forever be etched in my brain as for me it was a culmination of literally years of work both for the movie and for my dream to direct a feature film. I remember at one point simply watching my crew setting up the first shot and thinking "wow, this is actually happening." Living out a childhood dream is a surreal experience.

Now I know what some of you might be thinking "One year later and the movie's still not finished?" My response to that is simply, you can't rush an artist. Actually in all practicality, being a full time teacher took precedence over the post production of the movie. It was my first year teaching at the high school level, and me being the perfectionist that I am didn't want do either of my passions (teaching and moviemaking) half assed. Therefore, I rarely had time to edit other than holiday breaks and the occasional weekend.

My other response to the notion that the film is taking too long to complete is to point out that, again, this is an independent film. I unfortunately do not have a full time staff to manage the day-to-day operations of traditional post-production schedule. Meaning, I'm doing most of the editing alone. Thus again why it's taking so long.

Change of the Timeline

So in one of my previous blogs I had hoped to have a 3rd cut by spring break of 2011. Well that didn't happen, obviously. Instead I'm currently working on the 2nd cut of the film. Which after the feedback from my colleagues on the 1st cut will be a very polished version of the film. In fact after I finish the 2nd cut, hopefully by the end of this week, I plan to hold one more screening for my colleagues to air out any last chance changes. Based on the feedback I'll either quickly in-act those changes or consider the film "picture-locked."

For those of you who don't know that term, picture-lock means all visual editing is done on the film. Therefore, sound can be focused on so that it can be enhanced or repaired where needed without the worry of the movie being changed and thus ruining any synchronization issues with sound. In other words, you don't start working on the sound of a movie until you know for sure the picture is not going to change.

Teaser Trailer and NALIP

So in anticipation of meeting distributors at the NALIP(National Association of Latino Independent Producers) conference this past spring, I asked Jimmy Freeman to edit a teaser trailer for the movie. We sat down and compared similar genre movies to ours and I gave him some guidelines as to what I didn't want included. Then he set about working on the trailer and less then a week later he was ready to show me his first cut.

Let me preface my reaction to his work by noting that Jimmy has always impressed me with his keen sense of editing. Of all his valuable artistic skills, it's his editing that truly sets him apart from others. Therefore, I knew his trailer would be good at the very least, but then he showed it to me. WOW! I was so moved by it and how well he represented the movie that it sent chills down my spine. It was so good that all I had him do was swap out a few shots, add a sound effect here and there and that was it.

After forcing both my lead actors, Angelina Leon and Jorge Diaz, to come to the conference we were all excited to see what the reaction to the trailer would be. We screened it at the filmmakers lounge on the Friday evening of the event, and got a decent reaction from the crowd. But it wasn't until Saturday morning when I started sharing the trailer with distributors that the excitement really started to build. Then what really gave me a sense of flattery was when my friend and fellow filmmaker Miguel Angel and his production team saw and enjoyed the trailer. Hearing from them how well done the movie looked based on the 2.5 minute trailer validated all me and my crew's hard work.

Miguel then took it upon himself to introduce me to a bunch of other industry people. All of which had ties to distribution, and all of which loved the trailer. In fact many of them were eager to see the first cut of the film, but to which I was not comfortable yet sharing. Nonetheless, based on the strength of the trailer we have a few interested distributors which is a HUGE deal! So hats off to Jimmy and his unbelievable work!

So where's the trailer already? Well we need to change the music before we can publish it on the internet. But we're close to being able to finally officially release it, so stay tuned!

The Next Movie?

Believe it or not I'm already thinking of my next feature project. While I can't give away much details I can say that it'll most likely be a project that's been running around in my head for a while. What I'm excited about is how Angelina (star of Love, Concord) has expressed interest in helping me write it. In fact her and I have already brain stormed the plot, characters, and setting. Our next step is to write a treatment and scene outline for the project. But again my main focus is to finish Love, Concord.

Well that's the much needed scoop of Love, Concord. Thank you all for the consistent prodding and excitement to see it finished. We're closer to end than the beginning that's for damn sure, and the journey has been quite amazing!

Forward!

-Gustavo

Jump Starting 2011

2011-01-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

Burrrr! It's cold here in the Bay Area! Kinda like this blog, so let's give it some love and start the new year off right.

Updates:

Love, Concord 1st Cut Almost done!

So as I wrote last time we have a finished rough cut which as been a HUGE help for me editing the 1st official cut of the movie. Instead of having to build it all up from scratch I can simply pull up a scene and it's footage and start tweaking shot selections, takes, length etc. I'm really methodical when I decide to touch up a scene, sometimes spending a whole day on just one, but luckily Jimmy's work is so good most scenes only need minor adjustments.

I spent about 4 days of my winter break from teaching to edit, and I'm really close to finishing the first cut. I estimate I should be done with the first cut by the end of the weekend so stay tuned for a cheerful post on our Facebook fan page if and when we hit this milestone.

Animation Domination

Part of the reason I'm really excited about the 1st cut is that my animator extraordinaire, Megan Johnson, has been hard at work cranking out the various animation scenes. She just recently finished them all for approval and they're simply awesome. The animation simply needs sound effects and possible some minor adjustments once the cuts of the movie progress, but for the most part they're all done thanks to my one woman army of Megan!

Other Creative Accomplishments

On a side note, I just wrapped up the final cut of commercial I shot and directed for the owner of Oodles of Noodles and More, in Brentwood, Ca. It's a 3o second spot that'll air on local Comcast channels, but I've posted it below so you can watch for yourselves. It stars two actors from Love, Concord and one of my current students from Heritage High School. Oh, and for the crew, see if you can figure out who the narrator is.

This commercial was done as a return favor to the owner who allowed us to use his other establishment, Digger's Diner in Concord, to shoot a whole day's worth of scenes for Love, Concord. I again want to thank them for their major contribution to my feature and hope that you readers will give their restaurants your patronage. Both places are quite delicious!

Well that does it for now I leave with another link to my good friend, fellow filmmaker, and supporting cast member of Love, Concord Miguel Caballero's website. He is producing his first feature film and needs donations to help make his film a reality. So please spread the word, make a small donation, or a large one, and help On the Run get to the editing room!

http://www.indiegogo.com/ON-THE-RUN-Corre-Ojitos-Corre

Until next time.

Forward!

-Gustavo

Out of Hibernation?

2010-11-22T22:00:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

You all must be saying to yourselves, "Where's the darn movie already?" Trust me I feel the same way so let's jump into our updates.

Updates:

Sundance 2012

As I've mentioned here and elsewhere my hope was to submit to the Sundance film festival in hopes Love, Concord would be accepted for 2011. Unfortunately, the closer we got to the September 25th deadline, the more I realized how unprepared the movie was to submit to any festival let alone the Country's premiere festival.

While I was ready to throw in the towel for Sundance 2011, my Co-producer and Co-editor was satisfied with that so he took it upon himself to edit my portion of the scenes and managed to put together a great rough cut before Sept. 25th. We screened it together one night and were both impressed how well the movie came together even in it's rough form. It really sent chills down my spine to see all our hard work and my life's dream come together for the first time in a rough cut. I immediately called Virginia to share the news, and as the wise veteran filmmaker she is, she convinced me that I shouldn't let the adrenaline of seeing the rough cut cloud my judgement to postpone entry into Sundance.

So I've officially decided to apply the movie for entry into the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. I feel that gives me a full year to polish the film to its absolute best shape and therefore, hopefully give the film the best possible chance to impress it's entry screeners. By waiting it allows me time to work on not only the editing but the sound and graphics as well. If I had submitted the film it was in rough form it would have been without at soundtrack, without sound design, and with a few missing shots still needed to be shot or animated. All of which don't help to impress festival screeners.

Next Steps

So what I plan to do is hopefully take a look at it again over the Thanksgiving holiday. I plan to screen it with my producer Virginia, take some notes and then hopefully begin another round of intense editing during the December break I have from teaching. Once the first official cut is done I'll screen it to to a select few to get more feedback and then begin working on the 2nd cut. I'd like to then have 3rd cut of the movie by the time Spring break comes around

in March.

That's the game plan for now. I'll try to keep you guys posted more often, but again with teaching at the high school level for my first time, I'm finding it difficult to plan my class and devote time to the movie. But I'm confident I'll be able to make the new deadlines and thus submit to Sundance 2012.

Well that's all for now folks. I leave with you some more photos from the production. Have a great Turkey Day!

Forward!

-Gustavo

Back From Hybernation

2010-08-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

I'm finally back from a very long hiatus to shoot Love, Concord and then recuperate from that marathon that it was.

But before I start the usual updates allow me to say thank you to all of you who have made a contribution both large and small to the movie. I want to specially thank my extremely talented and hard working cast and crew. You were all amazing to work with and I would jump at an opportunity to work

with you all again.

Next I want to thank all my friends and family who did favors here and there to helpthe project come to reality. There's too many of you all to thank, but know that I'll always remember your contributions and consider myself fortunate to know such kind people.

Updates:

So what have I been doing since we wrapped you ask? Well I took a much needed mini vacation and purposely didn't think, look, or deal with movie stuff. I purposely wanted to put some distance between myself and the movie so I could enter post production with a fresh set of eyes.

I also began my video teaching job at Heritage high school, so that took up a lot of time also.

Post Production has begun

About two weeks ago I finally sat down with my Producer Virginia and Co-Producer Jimmy to finally start the post production process.

The first thing we had to do convert the raw footage to a format Final Cut Pro (our editing software of choice) could work with.

Next Jimmy and I began syncing all the individual shots and takes of the movie and synced them up to all the individual sound files. And when I say Jimmy and I, I really mean Jimmy. Because with the exception of the last two days of footage, Jimmy synced pretty much all of the footage. If not for his help I'd be about two weeks away from editing.

Instead Jimmy and I will be meeting tomorrow to do the final data arranging so we can both begin editing the movie separately on two different hard drives. While in the past I'd have never let anyone edit my movies, having realized how much we actually shot, there's no way I can edit the movie and have it anywhere near close to ready for Sundance Film Festival deadline of September 25th. Luckily for me, I have someone I trust and who is amazingly skilled to help me edit. That person again being Jimmy.

Lead Animator Hard at Work.

During my hiatus from Love, Concord my lead (and only) animator Megan Johnson has been hard at work doing animation for the feature. While I can't go into detail about what she's been up to, what I can say is that it's looking amazing! She really is quite a gifted artist and her ability to turn my idea and vision into actual animation is just simply amazing!

She's still working on the animation and I hope to meet with her soon to see the final details in motion.

After Editing, Then What?

So while I hope to have a rough cut done by the end of September, it should be pointed out by no means does it mean the movie will be ready to screen. The rough cut will be simply that, rough. I'm hoping it'll show enough quality, even at the rough stage, to be accepted to Sundance. However, after the rough cut is assembled I'll most likely screen it to a select few fellow filmmakers in order to get some feedback, and then it's back to the editing room. This cycle will repeat until I feel the film is clearly telling the story I intended it to.

Once I have a final cut done, I'll begin doing sound work on the movie. Again, many people forget that most of the sound you hear in films is recorded after the fact or pulled from a library of sound effects. Luckily for me I had Dan Jasper as my production sound recordist, so my dialogue is amazingly clear and won't need much if any re-recording! Thanks Dan!

After sound is done hopefully I'll be premiering it either at a popular film festival or in the very least somewhere in Concord.

So that's the post production game plan. While I hope to continue posting blog updates about editing, there wont' be much to write about until we get the work done. That and my full time teaching job kinda makes it hard to write weekly now. Nonetheless I hope to write at least bi-weekly to let you know what cool scenes I've worked on.

Also I plan to slowly release the many thousands of productions photos taken by the awesome Mike Padua!

Well that's all for now folks. Thanks for being patient with me and I look forward to sharing the post production process for you.

Forward!

-Gustavo

Just because principal shooting is over...

2010-07-22T16:21:00.001-07:00

It doesn't mean that this blog is over. Quite the opposite, actually.

It's been a few weeks since we wrapped principal photography for "Love, Concord", and I'm just now settling back into things in So*Cal. I have 6-7 hour-long Mini-DV tapes filled with my footage shot from the set, including interviews with actors and crew to silly behind-the-scenes stuff that was amusing, to say the least.

Under the oh-so-helpful eye of Jimmy, I bought a Lacie Rugged external hard drive to house the huge video files that I'll be using for my project. I chose that HD because it's the same type Jimmy was using to wrangle footage from the set, so if it's good enough for him to rely on, it's good enough for me. I wanted a good, reliable hard drive to use since the one I bought two years ago to backup my iPod died on me in a few months.

Now that the shooting is over, I can finally turn my attention to my thesis project...Soon, I'll jump headfirst into watching and capturing all my video footage in order to make sense of it all.

It's still pretty surreal that I spent a nearly a month with the cast and crew of the movie, as it went by so fast...you always hear people say "man, that went by so fast!!" but I can really say that about my experience on and off the set for the three week period in June.

I have a lot of great interview footage with Gus and most of the principal actors, and it will be a lot of fun (and a lot of work) to compile it all together. But hey, I'm in grad school, I'm supposed to lock myself in the library and slave away at a computer screen all day...right?

I'll check in soon with more updates about my project and anything pertaining to post-production for the REAL movie, if necessary. It's my understanding that post-production will start up shortly.

Until next time, hope you stay tuned to this blog and the movie Facebook page... :)

--Adrian

THAT'S A WRAP!!

2010-07-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Yep, production is officially in the can for Love, Concord. We started our last day of filming yesterday at around 4 pm and finished...at 5 in the morning. Yes, a 13-hour day.

Needless to say, I felt beyond tired by the time we wrapped as the sun rose in the Concord hills. I have to commend Angelina and Jorge ("Gerry & Melinda") for their tireless energy all throughout the night, as they filmed scenes at our first location and then all night until 5. We were at a spot with amazing views of the Bay Area...to wrap shooting just as the sun was rising was beautiful and quite metaphoric, as you could say the sun is rising on our movie. :)

This has honestly been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The entire cast & crew of the movie are now my friends, and the thought of not spending 10-13 hours a day with them on various sets is sad. We all teamed up to help Gus reach his dream, and in doing so we've created a movie that I know a lot of people will love. All the actors did fantastic jobs with their roles, and I can't wait for the world to be able to see what we were up to these past 3 weeks.

This blog will definitely stay active, so don't think that just because production is finished, that the blog is too. That's not the case at all...I'll keep everyone updated about post-production tidbits and news leading up to our eventual movie premiere sometime in the (hopefully) not so distant future.

As a former student, I have to congratulate director Gustavo Guardado on living his dream. He's always wanted to direct his own feature film, and thanks to our wonderful cast & crew, that dream was realized just as the sun came up last night/this morning. That must be a pretty surreal feeling, and I know it will be just the beginning for Love, Concord.

Thanks to all you guys for reading my updates, and stay tuned for more soon! :)

--Adrian

Last Day! And another mention by Claycord...

2010-07-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of filming....:(

Claycord.com visited the set yesterday and wrote a follow-up article to the one they posted on Sunday...check it out here. It has some on-set pictures from where we were filming last night.

We of course are very thankful and appreciative of Claycord's interest in our movie, and hope everyone stays tuned during post-production and all the way up to when the movie will be viewable for audiences everywhere!

I'll post again later, I gotta get ready for the day...

--Adrian

There's really only two more days left??

2010-06-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Update 10:23 PM - We're finishing up scenes here at Melinda's house. After tonight, we will be done with scenes here....just a few last scenes to shoot tomorrow and then production wraps for Love, Concord. To say that's a bittersweet moment is a big understatement, really.

During snack/dinner time tonight, Kurtis, our 1st AD, serenaded us all with a rousing rendition of the song from "An American Tail"...and the rest of us are fervently planning our wrap party/karaoke jam at some Bay Area location to be determined. That should be fun.

So that's pretty much where we are, just a couple minor scenes to finish tonight and then just one more day/evening of shooting and we're done. Wow.

I did manage to interview Jorge today...I hadn't interviewed him yet, and it was perfect timing, coming right after the KPIX news segment and their interview with him the other day.

This pretty much sums up what's going on right now, as we are almost finished for the night.

There will be more posting tomorrow, so stay tuned as we finish what has been an amazing few weeks, in my opinion.

--Adrian

1:25 PM - *sniff*.

Yes, today marks Day 14 of production on Love, Concord. We only have one more day of filming left tomorrow (barring any last-minute makeups).

This has really been a wonderful few weeks for me...the cast and crew of the movie have all been so much fun to be around all day every day. After we're done shooting this week, and we won't be meeting up every day in the morning, it's going to feel pretty strange.

Anyway, yesterday we finished at around 1:45 in the morning, after shooting some scenes in the parking lot of the diner we visited waaaay back on Day 1. Today's call time isn't until 5 pm, so I don't really know what to do with all this free time. I posted more pictures on the Facebook page from our shoots the past week and a half, so check those out if you haven't already.

I'll try to get a post out later tonight when we're finished for the day.

It's been a fun ride so far, and it's sad to think that it's ending soon, but at the same time it's great to see the shooting schedule mostly working out as planned. That's a relief to everyone, of course.

Until next time...

--Adrian

Thanks to all the new fans!

2010-06-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

We have to take some time out here and thank each and every one of you who "liked" the movie on our Facebook page and/or read this blog as much as you can!

The folks over at Claycord helped us out tremendously with that article on Sunday morning, as our Facebook fan numbers skyrocketed in mere hours after the post went up. The comments keep coming in on that article, too. I posted about the Claycord article Sunday afternoon from the hotel where we were filming the prom scene, and things have progressed nicely since then, statistics-wise. More and more people seem to be finding out about what we're doing, which is nice to see. :)

KPIX CBS 5's piece on the movie that ran on the news last night was a great help, too. Ann Notarangelo and her husband John did a marvelous job, and it was really neat to see ourselves on the big screen TV.

Day 13 has been going well so far, it's been a less eventful/more light kind of a shooting schedule so far. Maybe we won't end at 2 AM tonight, maybe we will. I hope not, though.

We were just on the news!! and Live Blogging continued...

2010-06-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

1:22 AM - Yep, still here...but we're almost done for the day! We just wrapped Kevin Copps (Melinda's dad), and we're finishing up a minor scene...I'm so tired I'm surprised my fingers are hitting the right keys...but soon we'll be done and can all get home and "recharge the batteries" before we reconvene tomorrow for Day 13.

To any new readers and fans of Love, Concord - thanks for the support! If you saw the CBS 5 report on the movie and made your way over here for updates, we appreciate it immensely...stay tuned for more posts every day (throughout the day, if possible) right up until we wrap production later in this week.

Tomorrow's a very busy day, so come on back to this page tomorrow for more detailed tidbits of what we're doing with ourselves.

--Adrian

12:12 AM - We're still here at Melinda's house shooting a very important scene in the film...and I think we still have one or two more scenes to finish tonight....so sleep will have to wait. The call time tomorrow is 1:30 PM, and I plan to sleep in rather than wake up early like I did today.

The set is still pretty much buzzing about the news coverage from earlier, as it's really great to see the local community and press take notice about the film. It must mean we're doing something right!

6:50 PM - KPIX CBS 5 just ran a feature on us on the 6 o'clock news! We're all really excited about it...Ann Notarangelo and her husband John were with us in the morning and just now at Melinda's house...check out the video on the CBS 5 website and spread the word!! :)

--adrian

http://cbs5.com/video/?id=66842

Live-Blogging: Day 12

2010-06-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

Here we are again, on set at Melinda's House, for another day of filming. Thankfully, the house has magnificent air-conditioning, which is much more comfortable than the 90 degree weather outside.

We're filming some pretty intense and sensitive scenes today, so it's a closed set for most of us. Only Gus, Kosei, and the camera & sound guys are involved right now, the rest of us are in the kitchen staying away from the commotion so as to allow the actors to get in the "zone".

Later today, the CBS 5 news people are coming back! We're changing locations, and a news crew is going to visit the set at around 6 pm to report LIVE from our location. So yeah, we're all pretty excited about that. When I arrived at our location today around 1 pm, the CBS van was parked outside and a reporter was interviewing Jorge...she had already interviewed Angelina and Gus, so they're going to have a lot of good footage for the piece.

If you are in the Bay Area, please tune in to CBS 5 tonight at 6 pm, as their piece on Love, Concord is set to be broadcast during that time slot.

It's really exciting to see all this attention for the movie. It's great that people are noticing our commotion everywhere we go, as well as the fact that Love, Concord truly will be making history once it is completed. That was one of Gus's motivations for creating this movie, and it's really cool to see the public and press appreciate it as they are right now.

I'll be back later with some more on-set tidbits, I have to charge my computer a bit first....

--Adrian

So apparently we were on the news....

2010-06-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

UPDATE @ 11:24 AM...I just received word that a news crew is coming out today to interview Gus and some of the crew, as well as film some of the set as we are working! We're all really excited for this, as it will help spread the word about the movie even more! The Facebook page has been growing in numbers frequently the past couple of days, and I can only see this helping that even more! I gotta go find a good shirt to wear, since we will be on television and all.... :)

CBS5 ran a short news piece about Love, Concord on the 10 PM and 11 PM news broadcasts last night...but I missed it. Had I known it was going to air, I would have been glued to the TV...I've tried to find the video online but it doesn't seem to be up yet. Needless to say, we're all very excited about that kind of coverage and hope the clip becomes available online soon.

We finished the prom scenes last night, and officially wrapped Blake Rosier ("Peter") and Logan Svenson ("Caitlin") for the film...which is bittersweet. When you start wrapping actors, that indicates that things are almost coming to a close...which they are, as this IS the last week, of course. :(

Anyway, we have a later start today (1 pm) before shooting more scenes at Melinda's House...so I should go and continue resting up before it's time to go. I'll be back later in the day...

--Adrian

Live Blogging is....Live!

2010-06-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

6:30 PM Wow. BIG things just happened.

A CBS news van was parked outside of the hotel we are filming at today, and a cameraman came onto the set and shot some footage with a big video camera...apparently CBS might run a piece on Love, Concord and what it means for the city...it's pretty exciting to see this kind of buzz forming about the movie!

Also, Claycord.com just posted an article about our production this morning...and it already has fifty or so comments in just a few hours. I guess the "first movie ever set in Concord" aspect of the film is making people pay attention!

Read the article here.

I'll update more about this soon if there are any other developments.

5:11 PM I just finished some really nice chicken/mashed potatoes/vegetables, courtesy of Sandra...we're running a bit behind (due to the complicated nature of these types of scenes) but things are still going well. Jimmy's been hounding me about live blogging and how I haven't posted in 3 hours or something but I've mostly tuned him out. Hopefully he'll calm down a bit. (haha jk lol).

The scenes are going well, but they've been time-consuming. Complex scenes like these involve many different angles and close-ups and such, so it's been pretty interesting to watch each specific angle/close-up set up in the room. The extras have done a great job so far too, as the fake quiet dancing has been pretty convincing.

Zach just walked by me screeching like a pterodactyl....from anyone else in life that would probably be a bit frightening and off-putting, but since it's "Xachary" it hardly surprises/bothers me at all.

Alex just asked Kosei "do I look consistent??", which made me chuckle a little bit. Oh, film set humor.

I'll be back in a bit....

2:18 PM Whoa....this hotel has free wi-fi (complete with a little ticking clock intimidatingly counting down until 22 hours from now when my free window expires)....so this is a blog posted from the movie set.

We've been here since 9 AM...it's now 2 pm, and the Prom scenes are going well...the extras are doing a great job silently dancing to muted music while dialogue scenes are filmed. I was a bit bummed when I got here today that I couldn't be an extra (since my suit is down in LA) but I can't dance for real, let alone fake dance to silent music. That takes some serious skills.

Today's going smoothly so far, the scenes are looking great...we're filming some important scenes in the movie...so I should go and continue my behind-the-scenes stuff. I'll check back in a bit later.

--Adrian

Week 3 commences shortly....

2010-06-27T07:57:00.001-07:00

Here I am, up at 7: am on a Sunday morning, all for Love, Concord. While my body is mad at me for being awake so early, in the long run it's worth it.

Today we're shooting some big important prom scenes that will probably take all day to shoot. Of course, with any prom you need flashy formal wear and fancy makeup jobs, so we have to take time out to thank Stephanie from Selix for providing us with the dapper outfits for our cast in the movie. You can thank her personally by renting/buying a suit/tux from the Selix store across the street from Sunvalley Mall in Pleasant Hill. The complete set of contact info is

951 CONTRA COSTA BLVD.PLEASANT HILL, CA 94523

EMAIL -PLEASANTHILL@SELIX.COM

PHONE - (925) 798-2214

We also need to thank Gabi Ballew for doing the hairstyles for our prom guests today, as that's a lot of work and in the end we're extremely grateful for her help. Thanks Gabi!

That's all I have to say right now, but I'm excited to see Day 11 of production start in a couple of hours! It's been a great ride so far, and I can't wait to see how it all ends up. Until tonight...

--Adrian

Week 2 is over...really???!!

2010-06-25T09:05:00.001-07:00

I have to admit, these two weeks have absolutely flown by. When we wrapped yesterday at around 5 ish, it hit me that this project is basically two-thirds of the way finished. That's crazy. It seems like a couple days ago that I met the cast and crew and began documenting the production of Love, Concord...and yet, yesterday was day 10 of 15 of shooting. Wow.

We began the day filming scenes at a movie theater in Concord...it was pretty neat being in a movie theater in the morning before it opens. We shot some scenes there and then switched locations to Gerry's House down the street in Concord...after a few hours of scenes just involving Gerry in front of his house, the day was over, and Week 2 was finished.

Sunday is the big huge Prom scene, which will be fun, since it's going to be a long shoot with a lot of different scenes and angles and people involved...we start bright and early at 9 am, and I anticipate us going through most of the day and into the night.

Reflecting on these past 2 weeks, every day that I'm on set I am more grateful for being able to be a part of this process. It's really been a lot of fun, and a lot of learning has gone on as well.

For the Prom scene, we have to give a shout-out to Stephanie from Selix (across the street from Sunvalley Mall) for providing us with some important costumes for the scenes...without her generosity and willingness to help us out things might have been more of a challenge....so thanks, Stephanie!

I'm going to go enjoy my two days off, and I'll do another post Sunday night after the Prom scene fun is over. Enjoy the weekend!!

--Adrian

Another day in the can

2010-06-24T00:41:00.000-07:00

I didn’t want to start tonight’s post with another “Today, we…”, so I guess this works. Earlier today we filmed a scene that makes me proud to say I'm involved with this project. I can’t wait to see it in the final version of the movie, as it was really something that I’m extremely fortunate to have been able to witness.

Besides that stunning moment, we also filmed scenes involving Gerry, Melinda and Melinda’s father Mike. We began at noon today, a much-welcomed break from the early morning wakeups we’ve had lately, and finished around midnight (so another 12-hour day). This house had an incredible backyard, with a grotto-like pool with a built-in cave. It’s the kind of backyard/pool set up that I want someday, in my dreams. During our down time I basically stared into the backyard, imagining this kind of awesomeness in my own place of living. Sigh. Maybe one day…

Okay, back to reality. Today marked the 9^th day of Production on Love, Concord, and as we’ve pointed out to each other, we’re basically more than halfway through our time together. So far this has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. I feel like each post I say things like “to see everyone work together so smoothly has been incredible...” but each day just makes that more true. Tomorrow we shoot at two different locations, which will be fun, including Gerry’s House for more interior scenes. I’m leaving halfway through the morning to pick up my girlfriend from the airport…I’m going to bring her and her sister to the set to get an idea of how this all works and what it’s been like to be involved with a movie set day in and day out for the past two weeks.

I need to make some more copies of the movie fliers I designed for Love, Concord, since we have more scenes to be shot in public locations, which means more people walking by with curious looks on their faces. So far the fliers have been a hit, which is nice to see.

There was a moment where we thought we’d have to do some re-shoots this Friday and Saturday, normally our days off, but thankfully we don’t have to this weekend, so we can all enjoy the customary two day break before shooting some huge climactic scenes on Sunday.

I just got home and I’m dead tired…and I have to get up in about six hours for another jam-packed day on the set of Love, Concord....so goodnight, readers.

Until next time…

--Adrian

We keep on rollin'....

2010-06-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

I'd say we're hitting our stride these past couple days. After Sunday's 13-hour marathon, we spent yesterday filming more school scenes (providing me with another chance to steal the show as an extra), and then switched locations to "Caitlin's House" to film some important night scenes as well. Yesterday also marked the third and final day that Bryan Navarro would be on set with us...Bryan, as has been mentioned here before, was the lead Gaelvision President and all-around go-to guy since he began at Saint Mary's College in the 2006-2007 school year. Because of his impressive resume and the fact that he traveled to the NCAA March Madness tournament to cover the SMC men's basketball team, Bryan was able to get a job with a news affiliate in Medford, Oregon as an on-camera news reporter. His busy schedule only let him work on Love, Concord this Sunday through last night. He did manage to get himself in the movie in some scenes at the school, so keep your eyes peeled for his role once the film is done.

We at Love, Concord wish Bryan the best of luck, and hope that he does SMC proud in Oregon...but that should be easy for him.

Speaking of busy schedules, we were forced to re-cast the role of "Alex", Melinda's friend. Vince Rodriguez, former SMC student and theater actor, was set to play the role, but his new involvement with CAL SHAKES, the California Shakespeare Theatre, made his schedule too busy to be able to juggle both acting gigs. It's too bad Vince didn't work out, but we wish him the best of luck with CAL SHAKES. Luckily, we were able to re-cast the role with a great actor out of San Francisco named Alex Rodriguez.

Alex is a natural for the role (besides sharing the character's name), as he's done a great job capturing the essence of the character in the scenes we've shot so far.

Alex has a lot of experience with theatre, having played parts in Rent, Pirates of Penzance, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and A Chorus Line, among many others. We're thrilled to have him on board the movie.

Today is Day 9 of Production, and call time is at noon...thankfully, that provided us all with a great chance to catch up on some of the sleep we've been sacrificing the past week or so.

That's what's new right now, I'll post up some pictures in the next few days...I was clumsy enough to drop my camera on the ground, breaking the lens, so I'll have to use my less-awesome camera for the near future as I see what my options are to fix my good one...but I'll post the pictures I've taken so far this week sometime soon.

Thanks for reading once again,a nd see you soon!

--Adrian

A week's worth of filming done....

2010-06-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

Today was the 7th day of filming, so we've been at it for an entire week of filming...yeah, that feels pretty good.

Today we filmed scenes at a Bay Area high school that provided some pretty scenic views and peaceful atmosphere...we began filming at around 930 am and finished (after returning to Concord High for an outdoor shot) at around 8:15 pm, making this one of our earliest finishes thus far on the production schedule.

Personally, this could not come at a better time, as I'm pretty darn tired. The tail end of last week took its toll on me (the 7 or 8 am call times combined with minimal sleep) and I'm still feeling the repercussions. My zombie-like state on set made me think about how tired Jorge, Angelina, Blake and Zach must feel, having to tape scenes or be on set for most of the day every day, and yet they all go about their duties without whining like I am here about being tired or hot or anything. That's pretty neat, and it obviously has helped make the production run so smoothly thus far.

As I keep saying, the crew has also been on the top of its game these past few days, getting the shots and technical stuff out of the way and dealing with issues in such a manner that no one loses his or her temper. Without that, this would not be nearly as enjoyable for everyone as it seems to be for us so far. Today was one of the least stressful days (at least I perceived it to be that way) of the shoot so far.

I also wormed my way into another scene-stealing (haha) performance as an extra....I can't wait to see my goofy self in the background of the scene once the film is done.

Yesterday, I had the idea of creating little postcard-type fliers advertising the film...in my mind, that's a lot better to hand out to curious passers-by or onlookers than just saying "yeah the movie's called Love, Concord, check it out". I ran it by Mary and Kristin, and they said go for it, so I will have them at the ready for our shoot on Thursday at another public location, in case any rubberneckers show up. It's free publicity and something tangible to hand to them, so I think it's a great idea. :)

That's all I have for now, as we have another early call time tomorrow at the school....I'm having a blast so far with this great cast & crew, and I look forward to each day beginning.

Onward!

--Adrian

13-hour shooting days are grueling....

2010-06-21T01:07:00.000-07:00

...but totally worth it.

Today, the first day of the 2nd week of Production on Love, Concord, began at 11 am (ish). I just got back to my house ten minutes ago. You do the math. Granted, today's location was LESS THAN TWO MINUTES from my house, but we were still on-set all day. Being at one location (out in the public, mind you) for an entire day means constantly dealing with passers by who see the cameras, boom mic, and other on-set techno gadgets and become forced to scream "what's this movie for???!!" or "Can I be in the movie?" or, if they're feeling particularly offended by our presence, to lay on the horn while driving by or intentionally disrupting our activities in some other way. That's just part of what goes along with filming in public.

Besides those annoyances (which are still tolerable since it at least means people are interested in what we are doing with our cameras and noise and big powerful light rigs), today was great. A lot of crucial scenes were filmed and there weren't really any hiccups or huge delays. Everyone arrived on set on time and we overcame the obstacles that were thrown at us with ease.

I think that goes to show the cohesion of this production team. The actors have been remarkable so far, what with their patience and dedication to their work. The crew has been on top of the proverbial ball since day one, and as we delve deeper into the second week, I look forward to seeing how things progress even further. As it is now, I'd say the cast and crew have a very tight connection (the actors, in particular, having a great chemistry together that translates extremely well on-screen).

I took a ton of pictures today, but as usual, I'm too tired to post them all up and we have an early call time tomorrow at a location NOT two minutes from my house =/.

So, I bid you adieu. Stay tuned tomorrow for another update at the end of the day! :)

--Adrian

At long last, the first week of production is OVER!

2010-06-17T21:56:00.001-07:00

As I write this, I can barely keep my eyes open. I glance at the clock and it's barely 10 PM. That's what happens when you spend 13 hours on location for a movie shoot.

Today concluded the first week of production for Love, Concord, and thankfully we all get two days off before resuming work on Sunday. Today we shot a slew of scenes at Concord High School...the shots involved a lot of people and took a long time to be completed, due to having to deal with the sounds and things that take place on a high school campus on a sunny June afternoon.

Our day began at 7:30 (which was mere hours after we wrapped last night at around midnight), and there was really only a short lunch break in between the action all day. People who volunteered their entire afternoon to be extras showed up at around 3 pm and were at the mercy of Gus and his crew for the rest of the day. Those scenes wrapped at around 8:15 ish, and before you could even process that the day was over, everyone scattered to their respective houses/apartments/friends' houses for some highly-sought downtime.

I took a bunch of pictures (as usual) and they'll be up sometime tomorrow. As for now, I gotta go relax and not stare at computer screens/cameras/noisy things for a while.

Goodnight, faithful fans. :)

Day 4 is done....

2010-06-17T00:31:00.000-07:00

Today was a lot less stressful than yesterday...I attempted live-blogging from my phone but of course that didn't work.

We filmed scenes at two prominent Concord parks today (one with a great scenic view overlooking the city)...it was a later start (11:30), but the day wrapped at around midnight. Tomorrow starts bright and early at 7:30 am, so we all will probably not get a lot of sleep tonight.

Things are rolling along nicely. Personally, it's extremely interesting to see how cohesive the process is when everyone works together. Everyone involved on set has his or her own specific responsibilities and things to do. Often, we all have to work together to make things happen, and that has probably been the aspect of production that has really affected me the most so far.

Zach has continued playing the ukulele during downtime, and has become pretty skilled at the same four chords...he can basically make a song about anything at any point and set it to the very same 4-chord progression each time, but they're always funny (at least to me and Jimmy). I don't know if it's the exhaustion that sets in after being on set for about twelve hours or any real comedic skill that Zach has, but whatever the reason, it's quite entertaining.

Okay, I should get some rest before tomorrow's early wake-up. G'night!

That's a wrap on Day 3!

2010-06-15T21:22:00.001-07:00

Today was pretty long, and I'm kinda tired, so bear with me. Today we filmed some more interior scenes in "Gerry's house", which of course was in Concord, and then moved on to "Tony's house" for some other scenes...but that was not without incident.

There was a memory card scare in the late morning that almost forced us to have to re-shoot Miguel's scenes (which would have been a terrible thing because his flight to Los Angeles was scheduled for tonight). Thankfully, after much Internet finagling by Jimmy, that situation was remedied and we didn't have to re-shoot his scenes. When the news came back that we didn't have to drastically alter our day, everyone was extremely relieved...that would have been a disaster, and Miguel would have to postpone his flight to LA.

Once we switched locations, the issues didn't go away...but rather than go through a play-by-play, I'll just say that there is a time and a place for Speedos and airhorns.

I attempted to conduct my interview with Miguel, since today was his last day. We got through about seven or eight minutes before our signals crossed with Dan (sound guy)'s audio and we had to stop. There wasn't really an opportunity to finish the interview, but luckily Miguel lives in LA as well, and he said he'd be willing to get together if need be once I'm back down South and we could get more interview footage.

Miguel left for the airport around 7:30, and it was somewhat sad that today was his last day...Gus made sure to take some cast & crew pictures with Miguel before the day ended.

I took more photos but wasn't able to live blog as the house we were at in the morning did not have wireless internet and the second location was in a street...so hence, all you get now is this post at night. I'll upload the pictures soon, I promise. :)

Day 4 is tomorrow, and thankfully it's a later start at 11:30 am....which means we all get to sleep in a bit (or at least a bit later than usual, hopefully).

Until tomorrow night.....adios!

--Adrian

Live-Blogging from Day 2....

2010-06-14T16:26:00.001-07:00

9:47 pm - We are now on the last shot of the day...after that's finished, Day 2 will be in the books! Day 3 begins tomorrow bright and early again...I'm not sure if there will be live-blogging capabilities there, but if there will, you best believe I will be posting all day again.

This will be my last post of tonight, so...until tomorrow morning (hopefully)....adios and thanks for reading!

8:55 pm - So the outdoor shot was just filmed...but not without a carful of giggling girls who drove by and squealed with glee when they saw a movie being filmed in the front yard...they screamed "OMG WHAT'S THIS??!!" and also "Can we be in your movie??!!" None of us really paid attention, so they finally drove off but not before circling back around again for another drive-by.

Jimmy Freeman, data wrangler extraordinaire, has been sitting at his little makeshift desk in the living room doing the quick edits from yesterday and today...and from what I've seen it all looks amazing. These cameras take great video footage, and I think this movie is going to look really incredible on the big screen. I hope it's not my movie-making naiveté showing, but this looks really impressive so far.

8:20 pm - BIG (well, small) things just took place...here we were, arranging for an outdoor shoot, when all of a sudden a friend of someone who lives here showed up with...this:

Just TRY to not get all fuzzy inside when you look at this little guy (or girl?). Aww.

8:08 pm - they're moving things outside for an exterior shot...sounds like an opportunity for some footage!

7:12 pm - Wow it's already 7? It feels like 4 pm....I haven't personally done a lot of my behind-the-scenes stuff today that doesn't involve a computer. I had planned to interview Miguel since he's leaving after tomorrow, but the location we are filming at today is too small to really get a quiet enough place to conduct the interview. So we're going to do it tomorrow morning since we are filming at a larger place with more quiet nooks. Today has gone pretty quickly, so far.

5:51 PM - They just finished a scene with Gerry (Jorge Diaz) and Miguel (Miguel Angel) in the living room. The A/C was turned off again for sound reasons, and it's sweltering in this house...but that's a reality when you shoot in June.

It's 4:26 pm, and we just had some lunch...pasta and bread provided by Sandra, Gus's wife...they're still filming some interior scenes at "Gerry's house", and we're holed up here in the living room, blogging (obviously) and doing other tech-savvy things such as starting a Twitter account for the movie...which you can follow by clicking here!

Stay tuned for more posts in a couple of hours or so....

Day 2 is here....but first, a look back on Day 1....

2010-06-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some choice pictures from yesterday's first day of shooting! I somehow got that picture of the slate for the very first scene we shot...looks pretty cool, especially since I was across the entire room when I took it!

THIS bad boy is the camera they have entrusted to me for this project....an XL-2, I believe they call it. This camera is worth more than my life, basically, so I feel both nervous and excited to have the chance to use it....I'm just afraid that if I look at it wrong it will shatter to pieces....

I also started filming my behind-the-scenes mumbo jumbo yesterday without being on the right audio input setting, so some of what I shot was recorded without audio. Yay!

These are some of my oh-so-important notes that I scrawled down in my notebook from the beginning of the day onward....as the day went on I relaxed my intensity with the note-taking, but then made up for the downtime as the night progressed.

An outside shot of Digger's at the very end of the day...at this point everyone was probably a little tired but stayed focused long enough to finish what we had to do.

And finally, here's a picture of Blake Rosier practicing his guitar chops in the parking lot during the hour or so he wasn't needed yesterday....look at the determination on his face! He played some NeverShoutNever, as well as "Hallelujah" (with Zack "Xachary" Garcia on ukulele)...and it was pretty good.

So we're here at the location for Day 2...I have a pretty sweet unsecured wireless internet thing going on, so I'll probably be back in a bit with more posts...live-blogging is fun!

Until then, my children.....

--Adrian

Day 1 is in the books!

2010-06-14T00:51:00.000-07:00

After a long first day of shooting, Love, Concord is finally off and running!

Today was the first official day of production for the film, and we shot at Digger's Diner in, where else, Concord. The owners and staff of the diner were amazing in allowing us to stuff all our technical equipment and ourselves in the restaurant for about twelve hours. After everything was set up and ready to go, we began shooting some of the super-important diner scenes for the film.

This took a while, as several scenes were re-shot from different angles and done over a few times for continuity reasons....personally speaking, it was pretty remarkable to see things going as well as they did. I haven't ever been involved with a production that uses the services of so many different people. It was really interesting to see how everyone works together and does their part just right and just efficiently enough to accomplish the right shots and scenes.

Towards the end of the day, I was feeling really tired (having gotten up excruciatingly early the previous two days for World Cup action), but I got that last-minute boost of adrenaline when I was an extra in a couple important scenes. That was awesome, and I can't wait to see myself in the movie when it is completed.

On the technical side, I took a lot of footage today with my XL-2 camera, chronicling the start of Day 1 and filming some behind-the-scenes stuff, including a guitar/ukelele jam between actors Blake Rosier and Zachary Garcia in the parking lot, which was more than entertaining. I wish a jam session had been written into the film....

but I digress. I also got a few moments with Gus towards the beginning and ending of the day, in which he wrapped up his thoughts on Day 1 (which included a lot of excitement on his part, finally seeing his dream production come to fruition as it did).

I left the diner around midnight, and I'm extremely tired. I can't imagine how tired the actual crew members must be...but we all have an early day tomorrow, as Day 2 is set to begin bright and early at 9:30.

I have a bunch of pictures from today that I plan to post on this blog later in the week...as it is tonight it's a miracle this post was made as coherently as it is (I hope)....I have to catch some sleep, but I'll be back tomorrow with more diatribes and anecdotes from the set of your new favorite movie, Love Concord.

Until then....

--Adrian

On the eve of Day 1 of filming....

2010-06-12T18:21:00.001-07:00

Hello there faithful followers.

Today I conducted some brief preliminary interviews with the man himself (Gus) and Angelina Leon. These interviews were also used as an opportunity to test out the fancy camera that has been entrusted to me to use for the duration of this project.

In these 9 or 10-minute interviews, both Gus and Angelina provided me (and the cassette tape) with some insight as to their feelings about Love, Concord and their expectations for the movie. Gus also went a bit in depth about the context of the formation of the script and concept of Love, Concord. Angelina's interview was mostly about why she decided to become involved with the project.

Tomorrow is Day 1 of filming, with about two more weeks worth of production on the schedule, and I'm excited to see things start.

After a day of lugging around heavy camera equipment with my one good arm, I'm ready to relax for a bit.

Stay tuned for some posts from Day 1 of filming....June 13, 2010 is (almost) here!

--Adrian

Hiii Everybody!

2010-06-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, that was my lame impression of Dr. Nick from The Simpsons. I tried.

Anyway, hello, loyal Opificer Movie Blog readers. I'm Adrian, and I'll be running things here for the next few weeks while Gus helms the directorial chair throughout the greater Bay Area shooting Love, Concord. I'll be chiming in daily (that's the goal) with news and notes regarding the production, chronicling each day's shoot and any other loose ends and whatnot that may arise.

As Gus mentioned in one of his previous entries, I am going to turn my involvement with the production into a thesis project for my MA in Journalism program at California State University, Northridge. The aim of my project is to produce a short video documentary highlighting Love, Concord's production, paying special attention to the context of the film, the people involved, and (hopefully) see what it all means in terms of Latino-American independent filmmaking in Concord, a city that is not well-represented in cinematic history.

Of course, that's the goal, but I do realize that things may change over the course of the next few weeks. That's why I plan to be on-set every day for shoots, rigorously taking notes and videos of on-set activities...as well as interviewing various crew members before/after production wraps for the day.

I just picked up my camera equipment from Gaelvision (with a tip of the cap to Bryan Navarro, Grace Bosque and of course Gus himself), and will be ready to go come Sunday.

So keep your eyes peeled to this blog and the Love, Concord Facebook page for further posts and things of interest.

Onward!

Happy Birthday Opificer Movie Blog

2010-06-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Last week I was so caught up in all my movie preporations that I forgot to mention the blog is officially one year old! So happy Birthday Opificer-Movie Blog! They grow so fast these kids ;)

Updates:

My two lead actors Jorge Diaz and Angelina Leon are officially here in the Bay Area for the production. Having them both here really makes it feel real to me that we're actually shooting this thing! We have a lot of preparation to do, but already we've gotten a lot done and they're both really excited to start working with their fellow cast mates.

Table Read

On Saturday morning I'm doing a table read with my cast. This will be the one time the entire cast will be under one roof to read the script from beginning to end. This is often done in the TV world and occasionally in the feature film world. For me it's helpful to hear and see how the story will be given it's respective voices. It's also a last chance way to tighten up any rough dialogue before shooting. And lastly I think it's helpful for the cast to meet one another prior to shooting so they can build report with one another.

Extras Needed!

On week one we have a big scene that needs extras. We're trying to create a high school basketball game and we need a crowd. The day of the shoot for this scene is June 17th and the location is Concord High school's gymnasium. The rough call time for extras is 3pm but we'll post updates on the Face Book fan page. Again any and all people are invited to come to this scene filming.

Another big extras scene we need help with is June 27th. As mentioned before, for this scene we're recreating a prom so we're looking for teenagers and 20 somethings. We also need guys to come in black or navy suits. And girls need to come in dresses and semi made up (some prom dresses will be made available the day of on a first come first serve basis). This scene will be shot at the Concord Crowne Plaza Hotel Ballroom. Times are not set yet so stay posted to the blog or Face Book page. If you have any questions contact me at gguardado@gmail.com.

Passing the Baton

Well folks this is the last blog update I'm going to be doing until we wrap production in July. Again, stay tuned to the blog as Adrian Garro will be reporting from the set with stories, interviews, possibly even video!

Well, it's been an amazing year and I want to thank all you readers out there for the constant encouragement in chasing my dream. See you on the other side!

Forwad!!!

-Gustavo

Almost There....

2010-06-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

First off LA vs Boston for the NBA finals....BORING! Ok had to get that off my chest. Lets start!

Updates:

Lock and Loading!

We're almost there folks. This Sunday marks one week until day one of production for Love, Concord! I can't believe how fast these last two months have felt. I'm both excited and a little nervous about it. Not about my cast or crew, more about the logistics of the production as we have a very tight schedule to go along with our very tight budget! But most of the important things have been locked down and our first week of the productions is about 90% planned thanks in part to the amazing team I have in Virginia, Kristin, Jimmy, Jon, Kurtis, and Sandra. You guys more than anyone have gotten us this far. Great job!

New Blog Writer

So as I'm super busy planning things I don't have much time to write a lengthy article this week. And I certainly won't have time during production, but I've been steadily working with one of my former students to insure the blog posts go on especially during the exciting part of production. Therefore it gives me great pleasure to announce Adrian Garro (SMC class of 2007) will take over blog duties starting very soon.

Adrian has proven to me literally since day one of my teaching career that he is very passionate about all forms of media. We also have an uncanny affinity for the A's, music, and pop culture in general. Therefore, when told me he wanted to help out with the production in some capacity but wasn't sure how a light bulb went off in my mind. Knowing that Adrian is getting his Masters in journalism at Cal State Northridge I figured his best talents could be put to use taking over this blog. I talked to him about it and he informed me he needed a thesis project anyways, so after working his mojo at his college he was given clearance to write for the film blog as his thesis project. I'm very excited to hand over the reins of the blog to Adrian as I know he'll do an amazing job. So stay tuned for his first post of what will be many throughout the three week production phase of Love, Concord. Welcome aboard Mr. Garro!

Well that does it for me this week. Got's loads to do! Next week will be my last update until after production ends. So until then....

Forward!

-Gustavo

Audio Delights

2010-05-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

This Sunday marks 2 weeks until Day 1 of the production! Wow! Let's jump in.

Updates:

Let there be Sound!

I'm excited to announce I've officially hired our production sound recordist for the feature. Dan Jaspar was recommended to my by Jon Bowerbank (my DP) and I'm grateful for this connection. Dan and I met this morning and I already have a strong feeling we'll all work great together him on board. What's also interesting about Dan is that he's a Contra Coasta native as he grew up in Walnut Creek. So once again through the help of a Bay Area local this production has become an awesome example of community art making. Welcome aboard Dan!

Mariachi Hired

So without giving away too much about the story, there is a scene where a mariachi band is required. I've been stressing this aspect as Mariachi's are not cheap to hire and are usually really busy and difficult to schedule. However, Virginia (producer) managed to track down a one man mariachi by the name of Jose Tequila. We met him this week and heard his amazing music. He's agreed to write an original song for the movie and to be in the scene I require a mariachi for (along with two actors). Jose Tequila is yet again another Concord local who sees the promise and opportunity in our film and I'm really excited work with him. We get to hear the original song at the end of the week, if it's half as good as his improvised performance I'll be ecstatic. If you want to see him, he performs at Los Gallos in Concord, in the Todos Santos plaza (their super tacos are amazing there FYI).

Plea to Spread the Word About Indiegogo Donations

Again as we're only about 2 weeks away from the beginning of production I'd really like to ask all you readers to please either make a small donation to the indiegogo website or spread the word about the site. I apologize in advance if this seems forward and naggy (especially to those of you who have already donated) but we really could use extra funds to truly insure we'll make it to the finish line. Lots of things are in place already for the production, but what I'm really worried about is the costs of feeding my crew, paying for travel expenses, and the unforeseen emergency costs that always creep up in any production. We only have enough in the budget as of now to make the film as long as all goes well. If something costly comes up it could very well derail all my and my cast and crew's hard work. So please, please donate $5 or $25 (so you can get a free massage for $25) so we can build in some insurance that the production will go on without a hitch. Thanks in advance! Here's the link again:

http://www.indiegogo.com/love-concord

Well that does it for this week. Lots and lots to do. Next week may be a short article as I'm literally working day and night to finish planning. Until then....

Forward!

-Gustavo

Another Concord Establishment Onboard!

2010-05-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Can I just quickly say that if its another Boston vs LA NBA final I'm going to barry my head in the sand until its over. Anyways, lets begin.

Updates:

Location for First Day Locked

I'm excited to announce the location for the first day of principal photography will be at Concord's own Digger's Diner. I've been eating at Digger's since I was in high school so it's only fitting that some of the scenes for the feature be shot there. My producer, Kristin approached the establishment and spoke with the owner a few months ago and she seemed interested. So after the three of us met we agreed it'd be a great opportunity for both of us as I'd have an awesome location to shoot key scenes of my movie, and Digger's will get product placement in my film as well as two internet video commercials made, by yours truly, as a means of exchange. So readers join me in thanking Digger's by buying a delicious burger, or my personal favorite, a basket of their cheese fries at either their Concord or Brentwood locations. Thanks Diggers and welcome to the Love, Concord family!

Wardrobe Tests

On Sunday I met with five of my local actors to test wardrobe possibilities for their respective characters. As this is an ultra low budget feature film, I'm lucky in that my actors are more than willing to use their own clothes to shoot scenes in. And I have to say they all had great options for me and my wardrobe manager to choose from. In fact we were able to lock down half of one characters "costumes" by the end of the meeting. The rest of the actors all had at least a few items that we were able to lock down, but more work will need to be done. Once the rest of the cast from LA comes up a few days before shooting begins I'll be able to finalize the rest of the cast's costumes. Looking forward to it.

Set Piece Request

I'd like to ask my many readers if any of them happen to have a girls "day bed" frame. We need to use one for one very short scene and I'd prefer to no have to buy one for such little use. If you have one we could borrow for a day or two, or know someone who either wants to loan, give, or sell cheaply their "day bed" frame, please tell them to email me at: gguardado@gmail.com. For those of you who don't know what a day bed is check out the picture below. It doesn't have to be this nice, I just chose this photo to clarify what I need.

Well I got lots of fish to fry in order to make this movie happen in about 3 weeks! Until next time

-Forward!

T-Minus 1 Month and Counting

2010-05-13T08:33:00.001-07:00

Hello readers,

Exactly one month until the first day of production. Lots to update so lets jump in!

Updates

Last two supporting roles cast

It's with great pleasure that I announce Vince Rodriguez as our last lead role

cast member. Vince will be playing the part of "Alex" the antagonist of the story. Vince is yet another St. Mary's alumni which makes all three of my lead actors former Gaels. I first saw Vince's acting abilities in the St. Mary's production of The Marfa Lights. I knew right away that Vince had incredible acting ability. He then starred in one of the short films my students produced and again I could see he had amazing talent. I had a feeling when I first auditioned Vince that I'd met my Alex, he really grasped the uniqueness of the character very naturally. After bringing him in for a callback audition with Angelina, my lead actress, I was sold that Vince was perfect for the part. I'm really excited to work with Vince and am relieved to have my three leads finally cast. Welcome aboard Vince.

I'm also very excited to introduce out last major supporting actor, Kevin Copps. Kevin will be portraying "Mike" the father of the character Melinda. The back story of how I came to meet Kevin starts with my cinematographer Jon Bowerbank. Jon asked me to help out as a data wrangler on a feature film he was shooting last spring of 2009. Kevin had a small part in the film as a campaign manager. I was able to watch his performance for several scenes and immediately felt he could be perfect for the role of "Mike" in my feature. I approached him for his contact info and mentioned I'd call him in for an audition and about half a year later I finally did. His first audition was great. He far out shined the few other "Mikes" I auditioned. So after a long waiting process for Kevin I brought him in for a callback with Angelina again. Their chemistry as father and daughter really worked for me. So finally after another long waiting process I finally offered him the part and he accepted. I truly look forward to working with and seeing him perform with our leads. Welcome aboard Kevin!

Night of 1000+ Laughs

Last Friday was Love, Concord's 5th fundraiser at the Ninth St. Independent Film Center. My producer Kristin Youell planned and coordinated the event. She brought together seven talented Bay Area comics who had us all laughing in our seats. We had a full capacity crowd of 80 people and managed to raise over $300 for the production budget. Due to the big success of the event we plan to do another one most likely after we wrap principal photography for the feature. So stay tuned. Also on a quick note I once again want to thank all seven comics for their contribution to the event and for their amazing performances. I also want to thank professional photographer Irwan Tran for taking t

he pictures of the event you see here. Check out his gallery at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Irwin.Tran/Concordauthkey=Gv1sRgCImG9b_Th6ye0wE&feat=directlink#

Two Major Locations Locked

On Tuesday I had a meeting with management at the Concord Crowne Plaza to discuss shooting in their ball room. I'm excited to announce that Crowne Plaza has approved Love, Concord to shoot in their beautiful ballroom on June 27th. The scene we'll be shooting is the climatic prom scene (all high school movies have a prom scene, so why break the formula). I want to thank Concord Crowne Plaza catering manager Carol Saas and bartender Matt "Ben" Batiza for their huge help in assisting me with this arrangement.

For those of you who want to be extras mark your calendar now. Times aren't official but we'll most likely begin shooting by mid morning and go until mid to late afternoon. Again that's Sunday June 27th, 2010. Here's the catch, guys you have to wear a black or navy blue suit (as to pass as a tuxedo from a distance) and ladies you need to wear a formal dress and do your hair in such a way as to make sure it doesn't look plain or "non-prom-like." Anyone is welcome that can meet these criteria, a limited amount of prom dresses will be made available to girls who want to participate but don't have a dress but the sizes are also limited.

The second important location we landed on Tuesday is the gas station in which the lead character "Gerry" works. We got this awesome opportunity thanks to my producer Virginia. She approached the owner a few months ago and he seemed interested, so on Tuesday we payed him a visit and he pretty much said yes before we were finished explaining what we wanted.

Well folks that pretty much wraps this week. I've got a lot of things to do in preparation for the big day in 30 days so stay tuned for more exciting news next week.

Until next time....

Forward!

-Gustavo

Lenses Baby!

2010-05-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Not too big of a hockey fan but can't help rooting for San Jose. So GO SHARKS!

Updates:

Fundraiser #5

For my regular readers I apologize for yet again plugging my next fundraiser, but I just want everyone to be aware that it's this Friday at 8pm at the 9th Street Independent Film Center. Which is at 145 9th Street in San Francisco. Tickets are $12 at the door or $10 if you buy in advance. We have six local comedians who will be providing the the nights entertainment and we're excited about the event. So please spread the word and we'll see you there!

Lenses Tested

Jon, my DP, and I went and tested lenses for the Canon 7D today and we've selected three we plan to rent for the three week principal photography shoot. All three are Canon lenses and here they are:

1. 50mm prime lens

2 24mm - 70mm zoom lens

3. 70mm - 200mm zoom lens

We tested all three for clarity, back focus, and breathing and all passed with flying colors. I'm really excited about having our "glass" selected because what truly makes the 7D worth shooting on is this ability to swap out lenses for various reasons such as mood, low light situations, and just plain better quality. These lenses are going to make a big difference in professional quality of the image versus the stock lens the 7D comes with and the stock lens the Sony EX-1 comes with (the EX-1 was our original camera of choice).

Wardrobe Planning Underway

My wardrobe manager and I met on Sunday to talk about all the various "costumes" needed for the feature. Ash has been a great asset in that he has creative ideas as to what each character should be wearing. Yet he also is able to listen to my preconceptions of wardrobe as well. My wife Sandra, has also been a great help in finding and suggesting various items for wardrobe as well. Lastly, Angelina, our lead actress has gone above and beyond expectations in helping to find important pieces to her characters wardrobe. Thanks to all three of you!

1st Official Production Meeting

Love, Concord's first official production meeting will be tomorrow. The producers and myself will be meeting to discuss the scheduling of the production shoot. As well as problem solving any remanding tasks that need completing. This will be first of many to come.

Well that's all for now folks, got a lot prepping to do for tomorrow and the fundraiser. Be sure to check in next week for highlights of the event.

Until next time....

Forward!

-Gustavo

Cast Almost Complete

2010-04-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Lots to update, but real quick "LET'S GO THUNDER! BEAT LA!"

Updates:

Many Roles Cast This Weekend

I'm very excited to announce that four people were cast over the weekend for major supporting roles in Love, Concord. Let me tell you about them starting in alphabetical order.

And the Role of Tony Goes to....

Zachary Garcia! Zachary was introduced to me by my producer Virginia McCarthy. Zachary's parents have been friends with Virginia for years and when I was struggling to find a Tony, she mentioned to me she felt her friend's son Zachary would be great. So while I was in LA a few weeks ago for a conference I auditioned Zach with my lead Jorge Diaz. At the audition I could see they had great chemistry right off the bat. So after talking it over with my other producers and reviewing the footage of the audition I realized he would be perfect.

So Zach will be our third southern Californian to join the cast. He's currently a freshmen student at the University of Redlands and is actively pursuing a potential double major in mathematics and creative writing. Zachary has also wants to learn more about filmmaking and had told me he wanted to volunteer as a production assistant should he not get the part, which I'm sure we'll still be able to accommodate that request. Welcome aboard Zachary!

And the Role of Gerry's Mom Goes to....

Nancy Ofelia Lemmel! I met Nancy through www.sfcasting.com and I can't plug or thank them enough. From the get go Nancy seemed like a very friendly and intelligent person when I spoke to her over the phone to set up our first audition. But when she came to audition she truly blew me and my Jimmy, my c0-producer, away! I was pretty sure I had just met the woman who would play Gerry's Mom, but me being the rationalist that I am set out to see more women just in case. Well in doing so all it did was further cement the fact that Nancy is amazing.

Therefore, this weekend I set up a call back audition with her and Jorge and again her performance simply moved everyone in the room. Jorge was practically brought to tears. After the audition all the actors and producers agreed she was too perfect to not offer the role. So it gives me great pleasure to announce she has accepted the role and has joined the cast. Welcome aboard Nancy!

And the Role of Peter Goes to....

Blake Rosier! Once again I have to give props to the SFCasting gods as they were the ones who put Blake before me. Blake was one of the quickest casting decisions we made. We really struggled finding red headed actors and I was determined to give this role to a red head. But sure enough on a last ditch effort I tried calling Blake one last time, as the first time I either left a message on the wrong person's voicemail or he never got my message.

Sure enough Blake answered and met with me, Kristin, and Jimmy on Saturday. After the first take of the audition we were already laughing in our seats. Blake just grasped the character so well and had both the mental and physical performance down we had to have him meet Jorge for a quick call back. The very next day Blake came back ran the scene with Jorge and once again had everyone, including a very giggly Angelina, laughing in there seats. So I am both very relieved and excited to have Blake, a local Martinez thespian, on the cast. Welcome aboard Blake!

And the Role of Caitlin Goes to....

Logan Svenson. Our third and, certainly not least, SF Casting lucky drawing is Logan. While I must say we saw a lot of amazingly talented "Caitlins" Logan really felt like the right choice. We knew it would be a hard choice after seeing Logan's first audition, but on her call back with both Angelina and Jorge we were quite certain she was our Caitlin.

Logan's background is full of both acting and modeling experiences. In fact she shot a short film the day before she came in for h

er call back and still was full of energy. We are really excited to have her on our amazing cast and know that she's certainly going to be a star! Welcome aboard Logan!

New Indiegogo Perk!

Many of you may have already seen the indiegogo profile Love, Concord currently has. But whether you have or haven't here's another reason to check it out and donate! The first 25 people to donate $25 will recieve a free 30 minute massage from professional massager Joe Cruz. The only limit is that you have to be in the Bay Area to receive the perk, so all you LA folk who follow the blog as long as you can travel at your own cost to the Bay Area yo

u're still free to donate and receive this perk. Joe is a certified and fully ensured massager and offers various types of massages through his business JCruz Massage Co. He can be reached at jcruz272@yahoo.com for those of you looking an experienced massager. Once again, here's the link to the indiegogo profile:

http://www.indiegogo.com/love-concord

Well that's all for now folks. I've got a lot of paperwork to prepare for the first day of shooting which feels like it's just around the corner. So until next time....

Forward!

-Gustavo

Schedule Prepping

2010-04-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Not much of a hockey fan anymore (back in the 90's NHL Hockey on Super Nintendo made me an arm chair fan) but I defiantly still like the Sharks. And I really hope they finally make it to the Stanley Cup Finals!

Updates:

Comedy Night Fundraiser

Once again for those of you who haven't heard the next fundraising event will be a stand up comedy night on Friday May 7th. It will be at 125 9th Street Independent Film Center in San Francisco and doors will open at 8pm. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. And now let me give mucho props to my producer Kristin Youell for

the awesome digital flyer she created with a friend (thanks friend of Kristin who's name I forgot!). See you there!

Speaking of Props

To all my fellow Concord High alumni out there, do any of you have any CHS memorabilia like shirts, sweatshirts, posters, mugs, flags, etc. that you wouldn't mind loaning to me for the sake of my feature film? If so please contact me as I need to start gathering props together for the various classroom scenes I have in my movie. I will of course take great care of your stuff and inventory each item as to make sure it goes back to its proper owner. Plus I'll put your name in the credits too.

In Process of Scheduling Shoot

I'm at the point where I've locked the script and will now focus on planning my shots for each scene. In doing this it will allow me to better estimate and schedule how long we'll need to shoot scenes and more importantly how long we'll need to be a location. I'll begin with what's called "lining the script." What this means is I go through the script and for each scene I draw a line from the top of the page to a certain point, then name and describe that line as a shot I intend to shoot on the set. The goal is to "line" a scene so that no part of it is left "unlined." This then shows you what your "coverage" of a scene will be and allows you, again, to plan the logistics of the shoot.

After I line the entire script I plan to go back and attempt to draw storyboards for as many of the scenes as I can. Hitchcock use to storyboard almost every scene in his films and he bragged that doing so allowed him to direct the movie before he even arrived to the set. I have also story boarded almost all my short films and also find its a truly beneficial to running an efficient set.

Latest Cast Member

Last and certainly not least I'd like to introduce our latest cast member Lauren West. Lauren will be playing the part of a "DVC Tour Guide." The back story about Lauren is that I met her at my bank. She works as a teller there, and as I was depositing my checks from the first film fundraiser she asked me what my fundraiser was for and I explained. She then explained how she'd always wanted to try acting so I gave her my email address and we kept in touch. Lauren came to my film festival fundraiser and once I began holding casting sessions she enthusiastically tried out. While she may have less experience to some of the actors I've worked with before, Lauren truly impressed me with her enthusiasm for my project and most importantly with her reliability. So I'm happy to welcome her aboard and look forward to shooting her small yet important scene. Welcome aboard Lauren!

Well that's all for this week folks. Got 101 things to do for the film so I better get at it. Have a great week! Until next time....

Forward!

-Gustavo

A Networking Weekend

2010-04-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Woo hoo! Two weeks without soda and consistently hitting the gym has been beneficial! So please keep the encouragement coming. Lets jump in.

Updates:

National Association of Independent Latino Producers

NALIP holds an annual conference to bring together Latino filmmakers from around the country to learn more about the industry of movies and television. This year it was held at the beautiful Loews Hotel in Santa Monica, and yours truly flew out to attend the event. First off allow me to thank my friend and fellow filmmaker/actor Miguel Angel for being the first person to inform me about NALIP and encouraging me to attend. And I'm glad I did!

At the conference I sat in on various presentations and lectures from a session on the do's and don'ts of starting a production company to hearing HBO executives talk about what they're "looking for" in original productions. As an official attendee I also was allowed to sit in on a small round table discussion with working Latino professionals in the industry.

But perhaps the best aspect of the NALIP weekend was the ability to network with literally hundreds of fellow Latino filmmakers from all over the country. I even reconnected with people I had worked with in my LMU film school days such as the actress from my thesis film, Kathreen Castaneda, fellow LMU alumni Stuart Altman who is currently pitching his feature film script to various studios, and of course getting to work and plan our project with Miguel.

Overall it was a great weekend and I highly encourage any Latino interested and serious about breaking into the industry to attend next years. I unquestionably will!

Another Producer Joins the Ranks!

On another very exciting note, another producer has come onboard the feature whom I'm really excited to be working with. Her name is Susie Talebi and our connection goes back to the first day of film school in the Fall of 2001. Susie was accepted and enrolled in my same Film Production program and we became friends and colleagues very quickly as we both inevitably worked on many student films and projects together.

During our third year at LMU Susie found a job at Sony Pictures and took a leave of absence from school to follow the great job opportunity she'd landed. She did that for a couple years and eventually returned to LMU to finish her masters and thesis film. She currently works for a production company in LA and we reconnected through the miracle that is Face Book. Susie, has already been giving me great advice on how to plan the production aspect of the film and her connections through her work with film distributors and studios will undoubtedly be beneficial. Welcome aboard Susie!

New Indiegogo Video

I had the opportunity to meet with Jorge Diaz on Monday to do an audition, that went very well by the way, and to also work on aspects of Jorge's character Gerry. But we also had a chance to shoot another promotional video for our Indiegogo profile page and I'd like to share it with my faithful blog readers! Again we're doing pretty good with raising funds on Indiegogo but we could use a lot more small donations. So once again please share the link to friends and family.

Don't Forget the Love, Concord Comedy Fundraiser!

If you haven't marked your calendars yet grab a pen and note down May 7th at 8pm. Again this will be a comedy showcase of six comedians and one hilarious MC! Tickets are only $10 if you buy in advance and will be $12 at the door. We'll be having an informal after party at 111 Mina Bar and Art Gallery. If you haven't gotten an Evite yet here's the Face Book invitation link:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111479145543593&ref=mf

Or email us at Loveconcord@gmail.com to get a personal Evite. See you there!

Well that's all for now. Until next week!

Forward!

-Gustavo

Camera Selected

2010-04-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

A's are off to a good start and I'm loving it! Let's jump in!

Updates

Fundraising Reminders

In case you missed it last week we launched an Indiegogo profile to promote Love, Concord but to also better raise funds. On the first day alone we raised about $180 which is awesome! But since then we've slowed down. Therefore, I'd like to remind all you loyal readers that no amount is too small (I think technically you have to donate a min of $1) so if you're holding back because you don't want to look cheap, then donate anonymously. And know that we'd rather receive a $1 donation then no donation. If money is tight, and it understandably is with almost everyone, then help out by emailing the indiegogo website to 10 of your friends. That would be a huge help!

Furthermore, let me remind you that this money we're trying to raise will primarily go toward paying and feeding cast and crew. As of now, almost every crew position and cast member is strictly volunteering their time to the production, therefore raising this money would allow me to at least offer some compensation to the crew rather than them simply working for no pay. Some of the funds would potentially go to the cost of locations as well. While we're working hard to get as many locations for free or "bartered" for, there will undoubtedly be some locations we simply have to rent. Again, while our current budget will enable us to get the project done, having the extra funds would be a huge morale booster to my cast and crew and thus further solidify our chances of completing the project as anticipated.

Here's the link and the video in case you missed it.

http://www.indigogo.com/Love-Concord

And the Winning Camera is....

For a while I've been testing and debating what camera to use to shoot my first feature and I'm happy to say we've finally made a selection. Our primary "A" camera will be the Canon 7D. This camera has truly proven it's ability to shoot in various lighting conditions with consistent beauty. But mostly what put me over the edge is it's ability to use various lenses and its awesome shallow depth of field. For all you non-techy people out there, a shallow depth of field allows one to shoot more professionally framed shots where something can be in focus in the foreground while the background be nicely out of focus. Thus gently pushing the viewers attention to what the filmmakers want them to see.

The other great and exciting news is we have an official "B" camera which is the 7D's little brother, the Canon T2i. This camera's video specs are identical to the bigger and pricer 7D, however, it's smaller, cheaper, and shoots on SD cards instead of compact flash. So with the help of Bryan Navarro, a former student of mine who owns a T2i, I was able to do side by side tests of the two cameras in both indoor and outdoor settings. And having looked at the footage side by side I simply can't tell the difference. They match and they both look fantastic so we have our 2nd camera for the production shoot.

Check out the footage yourself and see if you can see any difference.

Well that does it for this week folks! Enjoy the weekend and until next week...

Forward!

-Gustavo

Major Announcement

2010-04-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Hope everyone had a great April fools. For those of you who got tricked by our Face Book Fan Page all I can say is "hehehehehe!" So I'm writing a 2nd article this week to make a major announcement so lets get to it!

Here we GoGo!

Ever since our first fundraiser we've been make really good strides in raising money for Love, Concord. But as grateful as I've been of my supporters and the money we've raised, it still isn't coming in fast enough and in large enough amounts to make a dent in the ideal budget I'm hoping to have by June 13th. Therefore, I've discovered a website which I hope will help better publicize the project's endeavor to raise more money and thus better guarantee our ability to get to the end of the principal photography. While I'm confident I can make this movie on the limited budget we've gathered thus far, reaching the goal or raising $50,000 by June 13th will drastically improve our ability to make the film a reality.

So please visit the link to our new up and running Indiegogo profile and please make a donation. Every bit helps. For instance, if half the population of Concord donated $1 we'd automatically reach our goal to raise $50,000 with a lot extra to boot! While I know we're in a recession and times are tough for most people's budget, we truly believe we have an impressive film in the making here so please help see it come to life by donating whatever you can spare. If you can't make a donation, then please help the cause by spreading the word about our Indiegogo website. Email all your contacts, post it on your blog, Face Book page, etc. and know that not only I will be appreciative of your help, but my crew and cast will also.

For those of you who do plan to make donations the website has all the details of what you need to do. Plus there are perks for those of you who make large donations starting at $50 and all the way up to $2500.

Here's the link and let the donations begin!

http://www.indiegogo.com/Love-Concord

Thank you all in advance for your support. Stay tuned next week for more announcements and a brief article on my tests with the Canon 7D and its baby brother the Canon T2i.

Until then....

Forward!

-Gustavo

Making History, One Frame at a Time!

2010-03-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Who else is looking forward to baseball season? I personally am looking forward to another season of being a frustrated A's fan, but who knows maybe they'll surprise me this year. :)

Updates:

The Next Event is on the Books

Mark your calendars folks the next fundraiser is set for Friday May 7th, 2010. It will be a comedy night with about 6 (we may still add one more) comics performing their stand up acts. The comics include: JR Bennett, Bernie Anderson, Melanie Bega, Emmanuel Baja and headlining will be Natasha Muse. The MC of the event will be Peter Kim.

The event will be located at the same venue we held our film festival: The 9th Street Independent Film Center at 145 Ninth Street in San Francisco. Doors will open at 7:45 and the event will promptly start at 8pm. The event will end at 9:30 but we, the organizers, plan to meet at the 111 Minna Gallery/Bar for a little after party celebration. Which is just two quick BART stops away from the Civic Center BART station (which is closest to the Film Center).

Tickets will be $10 if purchased in advance and $12 at the door. There will be snacks and refreshments sold at the event as well.

If you'd like to buy your advance tickets before the May 5th deadline please email me at gguardado@gmail.com so I can arrange where to send your payment. Seating is limited to 80 people with a standing room only section of about 10-15 people. Our last event at this venue sold out so buy your tickets soon! Hope to see you all there!

Call Backs

I'm excited about tomorrow as I'll be holding call backs for key roles in the film. And to better help guide my decision, Angelina, my lead actress will be coming up from southern California to help the call back actors run the scenes they'll be auditioning. She has done this before with, Jorge, and their chemistry is what helped seal the deal on my decision for the Gerry role. Therefore, I'm really looking forward to seeing what these actors can do with my lead actress already impressive performance of her character.

Concord Historical Society

A few weeks ago I stopped by the Concord Historical society to seek out their endorsement for the feature. Part of the reasoning behind it was that since this is the first feature film to be set in the city of Concord, technically my film is making history. Therefore, it only seems natural for me to want this reputable society to endorse my film. After giving them a brief presentation about my goals for the film as well as giving them a written synopsis of the plot, they told me they would consider it and get back to me.

I later spoke to the society's Board of Directors President, Lloyd Crenna who told me he didn't think the society could endorse the film until it sees it. Which makes perfect sense. However, he did invite me to write a brief summary of the project so that it may be included in their quarterly newsletter. I'll keep you guys posted on this development. In the mean time check out their website if you're from Concord or need to do research on the history of it, they're a great resource and all very friendly too:

http://www.conhistsoc.org/

Well that's all for this week. Be sure to stay posted as I'm planing to make a major announcement in the near future (we've got something really interesting a brewing! Hehehehe).

Until next week....

Forward!

-Gustavo

The Leads Are Now Two!

2010-03-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Just got back from LA and boy are my lungs tired, "cough! Cough!" Hehehe. You know cause of the smog. Anyways lets jump in.

Updates:

And the lead role goes to....

First and foremost I have very exciting news. After months of search-

ing, auditions, and random submissions Love, Concord has officially casted it's #1 lead role of Gerry Guerra . And I'm happy to announce the role had been accepted by Jorge Ezra Diaz. Jorge is a very talented up and coming actor who recently just finished a feature film in where he played a lead entitles "Budz House" but he has also appeared on "Boston Public" and "The Brothers Garcia" check out his IMDB link:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0246612/

He also happens to be a St. Mary's College Alumni, class of 2006 (are you starting to notice a pattern with my cast and crew?). But our history is a bit of a funny one. Let's start with our "re-introduction" this past November by my producer Virginia McCarthy. We met on the set of a feature film none of us were working on and right away we could both tell we knew each other but didn't know how. We discovered through Virginia that we were both SMC alumni, but since he graduated a semester before I began teaching there in the fall of 2006, we couldn't quite place it. It took him giving me his headshot and resume to realize we had met on a former student of mine's thesis film in which I served as Director of Photography and he had a small part. Hence the "re-introduction."

Jorge and I later got together with my lead actress Angelina Leon (SMC Class of 07) for a "call back audition." He and Angelina did two scenes together and also did some improv as well. It was easy to see how talented and well prepared Jorge was. But as he was the first person I'd seen try out the part of Gerry I had no reference to truly judge him by. So after seeing several other actors try out for the part, I had Jorge do another scene with Miguel Caballero my actor playing Gerry's brother. Right off the bat their chemistry just mixed perfectly. So after a brief discussion with Miguel after Jorge left we both easily agreed he was a perfect Gerry. So again, with great pleasure and a huge sigh of relief, I once again want to welcome Jorge aboard.

Fundraiser #4

This weekend was our LA fundraiser and while a smaller gathering than I'd hoped it was still a successful event. I want to give a big thank you to the Luna and Simeon families. Araceli and Fermin Luna graciously hosted the event in there beautiful home in Walnut. Also, my mother-in-law Leticia Simeon kindly prepared her delicious homemade Mexican rice and beans for the event which, by the looks of our guests were a true success. Thanks to both families once again for your kind selfless generosity.

We had several winners at the event and here they are:

Frances Leon won the Coppola Merlot wine bottle

Lily Ortiz took home Two tickets to Regal Cinema Theaters

As did Claudia Simeon

And Hanieh Jodat won the $25 gift card to Jamba Juice.

Thanks to everyone who came and all you Bay Area readers stay tuned as we're working on the next fundraiser and it's going to be something we haven't done yet!

Well that's all for this week. Tomorrow I'm taking a much needed day off from pre-production as I've been working pretty much everyday for the past two weeks. Until next week....

Forward!

-Gus

The Crew Keeps Growing!

2010-03-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Is anyone else still dragging around because of Day-lights-saving? Cause it feels like I've needed a nap every afternoon this week!

Updates:

Our First Production Assistant:

I'd like to welcome our first of many production assistant, Alana Ubeda.

Alana will be graduating from St. Mary's College this spring with a BA in Communication. And surprise, surprise she's a former student of mine! Alana not only took several of my video classes she was also an active member of Gael Vision the student tv station of which I was the faculty advisor. But it was Alana's amazing talent at video editing which really impressed me and sometimes frustrated me ;) Alana was so naturally talented at editing that at times she didn't take my constructive criticism so well. Plus she liked to give me crap or test my patience with how often she checked her text messages in class, but all in all Alana was one of my most dedicated students and I'm glad she'll be working on my feature film.

Speaking of, while Alana will be doing the typical production assistant tasks, we've given her the specific task of touching up our actors make-up. While we hope to get volunteer dedicated make-up artists (especially for the prom scene) for the smaller scenes having a full time make-up artist may or may not be necessary. Therefore, with Alana on the set we'll always have someone ready to take responsibility for the consistency of the make-up for our actors. Welcome aboard Alana!

Second Producer Hits the Ground Running:

Our new producer, Kristin Youell, is already proving how invaluable she is. For instance, she was instrumental in writing a proposal we plan to use to approach businesses for contributions to the feature film. She has also begun planning the next fundraiser, which will once again be held in the Bay Area. And last but not least she's currently helping me lock down locations for the production. She's definitely hit the ground running and I'm so relieved to have her help.

Casting:

We're very close to being done casting our major roles for the feature. And we've made good progress with the supporting roles too. However, we're still not quite done. Hopefully once I return from my trip to LA we'll be able to get our last rounds of casting done.

LA Party/Fundraiser:

So as many of you should know by now we're having our 4th fundraiser in LA this weekend March 20th. There will be food and As before we're holding a raffle which everyone automatically is entered in with their $10 entrance fee. But we'll be selling additional raffle tickets for $5 each to better your odds of winning. The prizes so far will be:

1. Your choice of any two of my used DVDs for sale

2. A bottle of Copola Wine

3. Two movie passes to any Regal theater.

4. A $25 gift card to Jamba Juice.

If you need info on how to get to the party please email me at gguardado@gmail.com. Hope to see you there.

Lastly, I just want to thank all our new "Fan Page Followers." For those who don't know we now have a "Love, Concord Fan Page" on Face Book. Please help spread the word and join! The larger the fan base we create the better chances we'll have at selling the film and getting accepted to film festivals. Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Love-Concord-Movie-Fan-Page/347397132388?ref=sgm#!/pages/Love-Concord-Movie-Fan-Page/347397132388?v=wall&ref=sgm

Well that's all for this week folks.

And Two More Join the Party

2010-03-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

Sorry for the delay in this weeks posting, but I've been real busy with meetings and auditions this week that I've had no time to write. Alas, I'm free so here we go!

Updates:

Newest Cast Member Added:

I'd like to introduce Mary Lekich who will be playing the role of Ms. Sing

the speech teacher in our feature. Mary is one of the many people who responded to my Craigslist ad and boy am I glad she did. Her resume includes such accomplishments as voice over work, acting in video and theater, and modeling. Mary came and auditioned for me and did a great job of picking up the character on a "cold read" (meaning she had no advance preparation for the audition). She really sold me on her commit

ment to her character when she, in her spare time, emailed me photos of herself looking less glamourous and more raggedy as her character description states. While her part is a small one of only two scenes I highly look forward to working with Mary and can check off yet another character on my "to be casted" list. Welcome aboard Mary!

New Crew Member Added:

I'm extremely pleased to announce our newest crew member Kristin Youell who has come on board to be a "Co-Producer." Kristin and I know each other through two of my favorite people Anthony Giovannetti and his sister Christina Giovannetti. As Kristin and I kept running into each other at Giovannetti social events we discovered we had a common interest in film. While everyone knows I want to be behind the camera, Kristin on the other hand wants to be in front of it. As she put to me recently, she knew she wanted to be an actress ever since she was around 4 years old and performed ballet on a 2 x 4 in the living room floor of her house.

Recently when Kristin noticed I wrote about needing a locations manager the light bulb went off in her mind and realized this could be a great opportunity to learn more about acting in the round about way of helping to make a film. So she contacted me with her willingness to offer her services as a producer, we met, discussed the position and the project, and I'm happy to say that she's officially on board. Her background in banking and her charismatic personality I'm sure will be invaluable as she sets out to lock down the locations for the shoots as well as other tasks. Not to mention I look forward to spending time truly getting to know her as we only seem to ever see each other in loud social gatherings. Welcome aboard Kristin!

Check out her website at: www.kristinyouell.com

Coffee Anyone?

This week I'd also like to mention the first official donation which has been made to the feature. Everyone who's ever worked on a feature film (and some shorts too) will tell you not having coffee available on the set in the morning can result in mutiny. But as my film has a limited budget it was a cost I was not looking forward to spend (not much of a regular coffee in the morning drinker). However, Kim Wilborn and Jennifer Freeman the respective mother and sister of my awesome former student Jimmy Freeman; have graciously offered to stock pile the free 1lb of coffee they earn each week working at Starbucks in order to give it to us once we begin shooting. So my crew will have name brand coffee and I can now use the savings of that cost to pay for other much needed necessities. Therefor, in advance appreciation of the cast and crew, thank you Kim and Jennifer for your awesome selflessness and amazing contribution to the production. Generosity and kindness seem to be genetic trait this family.

The Power of Face Book!

Lastly, I'd like to share that Love, Concord has an official fan page on Face Book. Here it is:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Love-Concord-Movie-Fan-Page/347397132388?ref=sgm

On goal of the page is to build up an audience for the finished film, but also like the blog it's there to keep you all informed with what is currently going on with the production, how one can help, and other interesting news.

So please share the fan page with any and everyone you know and please help us build it's numbers as this will dramatically help with the productions ability to lock down distribution. Thanks!

Well that's all for now folks. All you LA folks don't forget the party/fundraiser next Saturday March 20th. If you haven't got an Evite and for more info on that feel free to email me at gguardado@gmail.com.

Forward!

-Gustavo

4th Fundraiser Announcement

2010-03-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

Hello readers,

Welcome to March! We're just 102 days away from shooting. Being so close to only having double digit days left is getting pretty nerve racking. But I'm confident I and my cast and crew will be ready for the first day!

Updates:

Fourth Fundraiser to be held in Los Angeles

That's right folks Love, Concord's fourth fundraiser party will be held on March 20 in Los Angeles. The reason being is because my gracious in-laws have been wanting to help out and have offered to help me throw and host a fundraiser there. Therefore, the next event will be hosted at the beautiful home of my sister-in-law Araceli and her husband Fermin. The other reason we're throwing this event in SoCal is because, as Sandra and I use to live there, we have lots of friends who are really anxious to learn about my production. Not to mention I have a few former SMC students now residing in LA so it just makes sense to at least have one event there.

The details are still being worked out, but as before you can expect us to have a raffle, awesome food, and at least one screening of one of my films. So all you SoCal folks who've been following the blog and have wanted to come to my events but couldn't because of the distance, now's your chance to participate! I guarantee you'll have a great time as all the previous three events have been lots of fun! So mark your calendars for March 20th and stay tuned for more info. I'll also be sending out Evites, so if you'd like to be included on that please let me know!

Auditions Going Well

With all the excitement of Miguel joining the cast I forgot to mention how the auditions have been going. So far so good. I've seen and met a lot of really nice and talented people. In fact I'm close to giving a few of the parts based on what I've seen. However, my gut tells me I still need to see a few more people before I officially cast those certain parts.

The one thing I've been struggling with is finding someone for the lead role of Gerry and the major supporting roles. While I've seen a few people who've read for "Gerry" I really feel I need to see a lot more people for this role as he's so critical to the success of the movie. And unfortunately there's only been two people who I've liked so far for Gerry. Both of whom have difficulties attached to whether or not they can do the film, one is a minor and the other lives in LA. So the casting will continue, but again, I plan to announce new cast members soon so stay tuned!

Well that's it for this week. Again all you LA folk mark your calendars for March 20th! I hope to see many of you there.

Forward!

-Gustavo

New Cast Member Added!

2010-02-24T11:12:00.001-08:00

Hello readers!

Just flew back from Nashville and boy are my arms tired (sorry couldn't help it)! Last week I planned to write about my recent trip but then more important stuff happened so that'll have to wait. So lets get caught up.

Updates:

And the 1st Supporting Cast Member is....

I extremely pleased to announce the supporting role of "Miguel"

has been given to my long time collaborating actor Miguel Caballero. Miguel has a rich resume of acting experience. He studied and received his BA in acting at UCLA's School of Theater, Film & TV. He was a member of the Latino Theater Company Laboratory in 2003 - 2005 where he had a leading role in the award winning play Melancholia. His TV resume includes appearances on shows such as CSI: NY, ER, JAG and The Visitor. He has starred in several independent feature films and is currently producing and starring in the much anticipated feature On the Run.

My personal background with Miguel goes back to my first year at LMU. In casting for my first student film I was fortunate enough to meet and cast Miguel for the lead role of my short "Chicas on the Way." I quickly saw once we began working, that Miguel was more than just talented, he was reliable, and he was inquisitive. He didn't simply settle for me to direct him like a puppet on a string, he truly up-ed my game as a director by forcing me to think of things I hadn't considered or offering suggestions about his character or scene which had eluded me.

Therefore, it was a no brainer that I set out to work with him on next two student films at LMU. Miguel took the role of the antagonist in my bastard child of a film "The White Room" and once again took the lead role in my thesis film "Big Meet." After film school, we unfortunately lost track of one another. But as I set out to write the feature length screenplay that would become Love, Concord I completely had Miguel in mind for the supporting role of the older brother. So much so I got lazy and simply named the character Miguel.

As I set out to hold auditions for this role my inner voice told me I had to at least try to get a hold of Mr. Caballero and see if he'd be interested. So by the grace of luck, Miguel didn't change his phone number and soon enough he called back. I offered him the role, he read the script, and the rest is history! Again, it's very exciting to have Miguel on board and already he's doing more than simply offering his acting talents, as he's trying to help me with the casting of the two most difficult roles.

Set Back on Camera Purchase

About two weeks ago I set out to finally buy a Sony EX-1 on eBay as I'm at the point where I need my own prosumer grade HD camera for freelance gigs. I found what looked like a decent deal on eBay. The seller was offering a lot of accessories but the catch was the camera had a lot of hours of use on it, and it look more than a little worn and torn. After asking questions about the appearance of the camera, the seller assured me it was all in excellent working condition an that the digital pictures on eBay were just poorly shot. So I bid and won.

Several days later I got the camera and was enraged to find the camera had a giant crack at the base of the handle and the handle itself was splitting apart exposing it's electronics to the elements. I wrote the seller back immediately telling her I wanted a refund because this was clearly a sign of how poorly treated the camera was. Oh and those "poorly shot" photos were not poorly shot. The camera was filthy with dust and muck. So she replied with an offer to fix the handle for $75 which was unquestionably well below what it would actually cost to repair.

Therefore, I had to file a complaint to eBay to get my refund. Once I did that eBay instructed me to ship the item back. I promptly did just that and two days later I get an email from the seller accusing me of leaving the battery charger and a memory card out of the package. She threatened to not refund my money until she got them back or paid the several hundred dollar cost to replace them.

This chick was a total scam artist, because I not only put everything back that they shipped me I rechecked about 5 times before I gave it to UPS for delivery. When I confronted her about it she then accused me of not requiring a signature for the delivery and that it must have been broken into while sitting in front of her home. Yet another lie! Who would steal a charger and memory card and not a multi-thousand dollar camera sitting in front of a house?

I investigated with UPS and they confirmed the delivery driver hand delivered it to someone at the address. So finally eBay intervened and must have put pressure on her to refund my money. And I'm happy to report I got my money back via PayPal yesterday, two weeks and countless headaches later. I may have lost the $40 bucks to ship it back to them but better that than the several thousand they were trying to scam me out of for a $hit camera!

The moral of the story is....don't buy video cameras or anything of significant value from eBay! Especially if the photos look as crappy as your gut instinct tells you they are. Or in the very least research the buyer before you commit. But in this case this woman really did fool me, because all her seller feedback was positive. So again buyer beware of large value items on eBay. The website may offer a money back guarantee but it's certainly not worth the hassle to save maybe a few hundred bucks.

Well that's all folks! Have a great week!

Forward!

-Gustavo

Casting Away

2010-02-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

Hola readers!

Anyone else bugged by the lack of Olympic games coverage? Not that I'm a huge fan, but come on NBC at least try to give it the same coverage as the summer games.

Updates

The 1st Auditions are in the books

On Sunday I began auditioning for Love, Concord. Luckily for my sake we only had one person to look at on Valentines. But Monday we saw quite a few people. I was fortunate to have the help of both my lovely wife Sandra, and the always charming Jimmy Freeman. So thanks to both of them for allowing me to focus on the performances. Overall, I'd say I have good feeling about two of the actors who read for me with one of them being a really important character. We're continuing to hold more auditions this Friday as well as next Tuesday, so again if you know anyone interested in getting some acting experience send them to this link:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/tlg/1604037064.html

Awesome First Meeting with Wardrobe Manager

On Friday night I met for the first time with my wardrobe manager Ash Hakimi. We talked about the screenplay which he read and had complimentary things to say about. But then we dove in and discussed the different characters and how their clothing style would affect their perception on screen. Ash was full of great ideas I hadn't even considered, because I've never read my script solely thinking about costumes. So with his fresh perspective and focus on wardrobe he opened me up to some new ideas I hadn't thought about.

There's a lesson to learn here for other 1st time micro budget feature film directors, when possible always get a specialist to help you with things like wardrobe, props, make up, etc. Because having someone who's only concern is a specific aspect of the film does two things:

1. relieves pressure from the director.

2. gives you a different perspective which can enhance or change your opinion for the better.

Again, I'm very much relieved Ash is on board and I really look forward to continuing our collaboration.

Compression not a Factor between EX-1 and 7D

On Friday afternoon I also happen to attend a users conference at MacWorld. One of the lecturers was a video compression expert who gave a very engaging presentation about how and why compression is so important. I also learned some great tips for how to compress video better in Final Cut Studio 2 and 3! But for the Q & A session, I had the opportunity to ask him if he thought the compression codecs for the Sony EX-1 had an advantage over the Canon 7D. At first he thought I was asking which camera in general was better, so he began to say how the EX-1 is a jack of all trades camera, and how it's better suited for doing multiple kinds of video shoots. But that 7D was the better camera to shoot things that can easily be repeated and how it's much more reliable in low light scenarios.

When I cleared up my question about picking which camera had a better compression scheme for it's video, he essentially said they're both equal on that aspect. Both camera manufactures have done a great job, therefore my fear of the 7D potentially having a weaker compression of its HD video can now be put to rest. With this info in hand and the various sample video I've shot with both cameras I'm really leaning toward the 7D as the camera of choice to shoot Love, Concord.

Last but Not Least

I'm still in desperate need of a Location Manager/Scout for the feature. If you know anyone or are interested please send and email to: loveconcord@gmail.com.

Well there you have it folks. Next week I plan to write about my trip to Nashville, TN. I'm doing a shoot their for my friend and documentary filmmaker Angela Kline. Her documentary is about a painter who's work is collected by many celebrities all across America.

Until then....

Forward!

-Gustavo

The More the Merrier

2010-02-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

I'm finally over my evil cold! Woo hoo! And I made it 5 weeks without a soda. I finally broke down and had one during the Super Bowl, but can you blame me?

Updates:

Love, Concord has a new crew member to add to its growing numbers. I'm happy to announce Ash Hakimi has come aboard as Wardrobe Manager. Ash has a very interesting background. He worked at very fashionable and popular clothing store in Vancouver, Canada where he was an Assistant Manager/top salesperson/ and fashion coordinator. In college Ash split his interests into both film and horticulture. But it was his talents with landscaping that lead him to create his own successful landscape design and installation business called: Utopic Gardens. (www.utopicgardens.com/).

Ash, has been given the latest script and he and I will be meeting soon to start discussing all the various clothes, costumes, and outfits each character will need for the production. Then the task will be to actually plan, organize, and secure what we decide so we'll be ready to go come time to shoot. Ash's enthusiasm and personable attitude truly have me excited to collaborate with him, and I'm sure he'll be a great addition to the crew. Welcome aboard Ash!

Another Interested Concord Filmmaker

Through a chance liaison I recently met Jeff Mosley an established stuntman and actor here in the Bay Area. Jeff was also recently trying to get a feature film project off the ground in Concord and offered to meet with me to offer advice and input on my project. Unfortunately, Jeff's project is currently shelved until he can reorganize his plan of attack to accomplish it, but he wanted to meet with me to offer ways to keep my film from entering the same predicament his is in.

We met yesterday and he truly gave me some very insightful advice and has offered to lend a hand on the production as best he can once we start filming. While I've just met him, and I'm always skeptical of strangers offering "free help," I genuinely feel he legitimately wants to help my production. In the very least simply because, like me, he wants to see the East Bay Area's film community thrive and prosper. His vast experience in the local industry could be a true value to me and most likely will be yet another reason my production is a success. You can look up Jeff's vast experience at

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0608444/

Well there you go folks. Next week I hope to write about how auditions go as I plan to hold some this weekend. Until then have a great week!

Forward!

-Gustavo

2010-02-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

Hello Readers!

Finally starting to feel normal, but my throat still feels like I swallowed a Costco size hairball. On another side note I'm one month free of soda and feeling great! Woot! Woot! I may sneak one down during the super bowl though. GO SAINTS!

Urgent Positions Need Filling

We're less than five months away from shooting and there are a few key positions I need filled and I don't have a single lead on them. The first and probably most important for pre-production is a location manager. I'm having a big difficulty securing and finding locations for the 17 places we need to shoot at. Not only that, but the places I do have in mind, still need to be contacted and explained about my project. Therefor, if you know anyone who's either interested in becoming a location scout or manager please send them my way. Or if you know someone interested in perhaps producing movies, this would be a great entry level way of becoming a producer. Not having to worry about my locations would releave a heavy burden from me, and allow me to focus on other important director duties.

Another important position I need filled is a wardrobe manager.

What this position entails is someone to help me go through the entire script and decide exactly what each character needs to wear and help either locate, buy, or order the costume and make sure it arrives to the set at the right time on the right day. This would be another great opportunity for someone perhaps interested in costume design or even becoming a producer as this is a department head position which would teach one a lot about how each department works with one another.

Those are the two most important positions I need filled immediately, if you know anyone interested have them contact me via email at: gguardado@gmail.com

Casting Reminder

I've been receiving a lot of headshots from the initial casting call, but I'd still like to get more. I've updated the latest cast openings on Craigslist. Here's the link:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/tlg/1582524079.html

If you know anyone interested in acting please share the link with them. There's a few supporting roles, and 11 minor speaking roles and they are of various ages, genders, and ethnicities.

A Quick Plug for a Fellow Lion

Just want to remind you all More Than a Game a documentary about Lebron James' high school basketball team is now out on DVD! I'm not just mentioning it because I happen to know the director of the movie from film school, I genuinely liked it. This is a great story about what it takes to achieve a dream in the face of poverty and other obstacles. You don't have to be a Lebron James or basketball fan to enjoy this film, so rent it, Netflix it, or buy it! You won't be disappointed, and if you are you have a lump of cole for a heart.

That's it folks. Until next week....

Forward!

-Gustavo

News from the Sickly Director

2010-01-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

Sorry again for the delay in this weeks post, but I've been fighting a nasty cold since last weekend. Luckily, I'm starting to feel normal. But man what I'd pay for a clear head!

Love, Concord Scheduled

Debbie Brubaker has written a preliminary schedule for principal photography of the feature. While I've literally just received it and haven't had a chance to fully dive into some important aspects about it popped up immediately. First off, she predicts we'll need 27 days to shoot instead of the 15 days I'd been hoping for. While this is a significant difference from my goal, I believe there's room to work her 27 days down to something more close to what I'd like. On a side note, when I originally started planning this project I actually gave myself one full month to shoot it all, so perhaps my initial prediction was pretty accurate (insert Gus shrugging shoulders).

Debbie's almost done with the budget for the project so I'm really looking forward to reading that and sitting down with her and Virginia to further discuss the project. More on that to come later.

Live Event Shoot Shows Weaknesses in 7D

This weekend my faithful and trusted former student and fellow videographer Jimmy Freeman used the Canon 7D to shoot a speaker for Virginia McCarthy's forthcoming documentary. The shoots allowed us to really test the 7D's ability to do live event recording. Here's what happened.

Jimmy used the 7D as a "B-Cam" to shoot several speakers at a church in San Francisco. The speakers in total spoke for over an hour. To record their audio the 7D was patched into its 1/4" mic plug from a mixer which was receiving mic audio from the microphone where the speakers spoke from. Right off the bat, the frustrating thing about the 7D is the lack of real audio control. There's no headphone jack to confirm it's receiving signal, and there's no level indicators to monitor how low or high your signal is recording. You're virtually left to a guessing game estimation or recording a little bit of footage and then playing it back to see if it recorded audio.

Once audio was done being troubleshooted, Jimmy began shooting the speakers and ran into the next issue with the 7D. The manual states the longest any single shot can be is 29min 59secs or 4GB whichever comes first. Therefore, Jimmy had to stop the recording every 29mins even though he had 16GB compact flash cards. The other issue is since there's only one card slot, to swap out a full card he lost whatever was happening. Again, since he was shooting the "B-cam" footage this wasn't too big an issue, but a noteworthy one nonetheless.

The next morning when Jimmy set about capturing the footage, he ran into a major snag. The movie files were not being recognized by his Mac and we both suspected the large file size had something to do with it. After doing some internet research, Jimmy discovered the 7D apparently suffers from overheating issues when recording long shots. Well this was may have been news to both of us, but it didn't help the fact we still had several 29 minute shots we needed downloaded.

Luckily, Jimmy still had two more 16GB cards to record the next event and this time he limited his shots to no more than five minutes in length. This definitely did the trick in terms of being able to download the footage with no problems. However, I'm still yet to get the original shoot's footage off (mostly because I've been too sick to try). But Jimmy was able to start getting some of the original long footage off by using the camera's built in clip editor to shorten the shots into smaller parts. He also installed the Canon software that came with the camera, which also allowed him to pull off some more footage. I plan to do a combination of these two solutions and I'll write about my progress in next weeks article.

Well after this ordeal, it's obvious the 7D is not meant to do live events. This camera would still be a great "B" camera to do an event with, so long as it's clear to everyone the footage will be nothing more than "cut away" footage. If you need a 2nd camera to sync up with your main unit, the 7D is NOT for you when it comes to a live event.

Stay tuned for more experiments with the 7D as well as more results from our future head to head dual with the Sony EX-1.

Until then everyone have a great weekend!

Forward!

-Gustavo

A New Recruit

2010-01-19T11:32:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

Had a lovely long weekend with friends and family. Hope you all did too.

Updates:

Love, Concord welcomes its Art Director

I'm happy to announce Paul Renaud has joined the growing production team as our Art Director. This position is responsible for all the props and set decoration for a movie. If done right it's almost an invisible job, as the viewer will hopefully not notice that a set is missing the proper decoration or "feel." He'll be working closely with me, until or unless, I find a production designer for the movie. The production designer is in charge of every visual aspect of a movie including costumes.

As always I like to give a background to the people who are

joining the production, and Paul's in yet another personal connection from my past. Paul's vast video production background eventually led him to teach videography at Concord High. This is where I met him as my first video teacher and one whom I've used the skills he passed onto me to this very day. Paul continues to teach video at College Park High School in Pleasant Hill. Also, he currently writes, directs, and executive produces a local youth cooking show called: Twyla's Kitchen. Which I happen to be a camera operator on. He's currently working on a new version of the show and you can find out more about his previous productions and works in progress at: www.eduvisiononline.org.

I'm honored to be working with yet another one of my mentors and am excited to see the talent I'm sure Paul will bring to the production. His first task will be to assemble an art department crew to help him find and produce props and or set dressings. He tells me he plans to recruit some of his current students and perhaps some of his former ones, yet again making this a very locally driven community project.

Casting Call Has Begun

As mentioned last week I've posted a listing on Craigslist calling for actors to submit headshots and resumes to me for the opportunity to audition for the various speaking parts in the feature. If you know any actors or anyone who's interested in being in the film please direct them to this link: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/tlg/1551495324.html

Thanks!

More EX-1 vs 7D Testing to Come

Jon, my DP, and I will be shooting more tests with the Sony EX-1 and the Canon 7D side by side in the very near future. I'm really interested to shoot a night scene with both as the 7D is said to do low light extremely better than the EX-1. Stay posted as we'll share our results here on the blog.

Brubaker Hired to do Budget

Debbie Brubaker has officially received the 6th draft of the script and is preparing to write the budget for the production. This will be a great tool to plan the logistics of the shoot as well as help prove our worthiness to grant foundations. She gave me an estimated completion time of the end of the month so I'm looking forward to reading her budget and meeting her in person to further discuss Love, Concord.

Well that's all for now folks. Stay tuned for more exciting developments for the feature next week. Until then....

Foward!

-Gustavo

Roaring Good Time

2010-01-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

Our brand new couch just arrived today. I can finally call our new apartment home! Ahhhhhhh.

Updates:

Opificer Film Festival a Hit!

This Saturday was the first ever SF Opificers of Film Festival hosted and organized by myself, Jon Bowerbank, and my lovely wife Sandra. I'm happy to share it was a complete success. The exact turn out is unclear be easily had between 70 and 80 people in attendance. We ended up screening 10 films as we had a last minute entry. Nine of the Ten directors appeared at the festival and after the screening I invited them to the front of the theater to introduce themselves and to explain the inspiration behind their film. All their answers were truly engaging and gave great insight to their creative process.

Aside from screening the 10 films and help exposing the artists to a new audience, we managed to raise the most money yet of any of the fundraiser events I've hosted thus far. We made $700 in profit toward the Love, Concord production budget and we're now nearly at 20% of my goal to raise $10,000 by the beginning of June.

Another great aspect about the film festival was the hour long social/mixer hosted in the theater lobby immediately after the screening. This gave all the festival filmmakers a chance to meet each other as well as the various other filmmakers who didn't enter work but simply came out of their passion to support young and local talent. I for one, met many interesting and talented people during the social and look forward to keeping in touch with these artists so as to continue our mutual interest to make movies here in the Bay Area.

Another fun aspect to the festival was the audience award ballet. This ballet allowed the audience to pick their favorites in various categories. The winning films and filmmakers don't win an actual prize other than kudos and a genuine morale booster, which any artist can admit to coveting. So here are the winners, congratulations to them all:

Best Actress: Maggie VandenBerghe for ".... a 1000 Words"

Best Actor: Nick Scoggin for "The Fenceline"

Best Cinematography: Philip Hurn for ".... a 1000 Words"

Best Original Concept: Ryan Wilmot for "The Artistic Process"

Best Screenplay: Jonathan Bertain & Benjamin Foster Campbell for ".... a 1000 Words"

Best Director: Jonathan Bertain for "... a 1000 Words".

Best Picture: ".... a 1000 Words"

As I predicted "The Fenceline" and ".... a 1000 Words" were the run away hits. Kudos to both directors for their crowd pleasing work. For those of you who missed the festival here's one of the entries. And don't worry, with the success of this event Jon and I plan to do another one within a few months. If you know anyone interested in submitting please get them in touch with either Jon or myself. And lastly, stay tuned to the blog as we'll make announcements about the next event here.

I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to the other filmmakers who screened at the festival. Thanks also need to go to the audience who came out to enjoy our artistic offerings and by doing so are supporting my feature film project.

I want to thanks my mother, Mila Calvo, and my brother, Michael Guardado, for not only supporting me by coming out. But also by actually working the event and helping ensure everything ran as smoothly as it did. ¡Gracias, y te quiero mucho!

I also want to tip my proverbial hat to Jon Bowerbank, my partner in crime, for helping to organize and conceiving this terrific idea.

Last and certainly not least, I want to thank my beautiful wife Sandra. She more than anyone is making my dream possible in more ways than I can count. This festival is just her latest effort. If every artist had as strong a supporter as my wife, we'd all be Picassos.

Casting Calls to Go Out

This week I plan to finally submit casting calls for the various roles in Love, Concord to Craigslist.com. Once they're up and have a link I'll post them on Face Book as well as the blog. Once I start receiving headshots I hope to begin holding mass auditions by the end of this month. If you know anyone interested in acting, now's the time to get me their info. Email me at gguardado@gmail.com.

6th Draft to be Delivered Today!

Later today I plan to finally email the latest draft of the script to Debbie Brubaker who we've hired to write a professional budget. Again, I can't over exaggerate how awesome it is to have her doing our budget. Her name alone on this aspect of the project will undoubtedly go a long way.

Well that's the scoop guys. Be sure to check out more pictures from the festival on my FaceBook page. Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Forward!

And the films are....

2010-01-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

Happy New Year everyone! It's finally 2010 the year I officially shoot my first feature film. Only 157 days left (as the counter so constantly reminds me)!

Oh and I'm soda free thus far this year! Woot! WOOT!

Updates

The Showdown Begins!

On Monday Jon (my DP) and I shot a short movie using both the Sony EX-1 HD video camera and the Canon 7D digital-SLR. As mentioned before these two cameras are now competing with one another to be the camera I select to shoot Love, Concord.

So rather than shoot random test footage we decided to start off by shooting a short script Jon wrote years ago. I directed the actors while Jon, and our trusty assistant Jimmy Freeman, handled the cameras. Jon's lighting for the shoot gave us the ability to test daylight balanced lights mixed with actual sunlight for both cameras. We had hoped to shoot a tungsten balanced scene, however, the 7D's only battery died and we weren't given a charger.

We shot most takes on the 7D and then did a final take of shot with the EX-1. Right off the bat, the ability to use prime lenses on the 7D made it a heavy favorite. But at the same time it's lack of balanced audio inputs forced us to use the EX-1 as our primary audio recorder. On the set I noticed how just based on appearance alone both cameras look almost the same in terms of quality. But when I looked closer on a few takes the thing which set the 7D apart was the depth of field. The larger chip and the longer prime lenses we used definitely gave it a more polished look than the EX-1. And for one shot, the compact size of the 7D also was a great benefit.

There's still more test scenarios that need to be done before I sign off on the 7D but as of now, the EX-1 should be nervous. Keep posted to the blog as I'll feed you side by side comparisons like the ones below as we shoot them.

The Festival Selections are Finalized

Jon and I finalized the films to be screened at the first ever SF Opificer's of Film Festival. Here they are in the order they will screen on Saturday night starting promptly at 7:15pm.

"Time Capsule" directed by Jimmy Freeman

"Drowning" directed by James Z. Feng

"The Price of Morality" directed by Hisham Izzeldin

"The Claw Machine" directed by Megan Johnson

"The Fence Line" directed by Brian Rasmussen

"Wake Up" directed by Devon Perez

"....a Thousand Words" directed by Jonathan Bertain

"Waiting" directed by Maressa Stertz

"Marta's Last Exit" directed by Gustavo Guardado

Again, we'll begin promptly at 7:15, screen all nine movies back to back, and have a 10 minute Q and A session immediately following the presentation. After that, there'll be a social/mixer in the lobby of the theater until 10pm.

Tickets for the event are $12 at the door. Refreshments will be sold as well. Please come early or on time. I hope to see many of you there and to meet all the new filmmakers and their friends and family.

Well that's all for this week. Next week I plan to post photos from the festival and hopefully some more test footage.

Forward!

-Gus

More Pieces to the Puzzle

2009-12-30T01:29:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

Sorry for missing a week, but as wise person once said "my dog ate my homework."

Updates:

Let there be tungsten balanced LIGHT!

My quick trip to LA was a success. For starters I bought a used 2K Mole Richardson studio light. This sucker puts out a lot of light and uses a lot of voltage. But it'll definitely come in handy when shooting Love, Concord. It was quite a deal too. This sucker costs about $1400 brand new and I got mine for $200 with a spare bulb! And if we had rented one for the entire duration of the shoot it would probably cost more than $200 so buying it used made the most sense. Especially knowing that these lights are battleship grade. They're built to last and I know it'll be reliable on my set.

The 1st Audition is away.

Aside from buying gear I mainly went to LA to audition an actor for the lead role of the movie. I managed to get my lead actress to meet us there to help run a few scenes with the actor auditioning. Now as a rule of thumb I rarely if ever bring in 2nd actor into an audition so early in the casting. I usually hold off until I've seen lots of actors and have weeded it down to three choices. But for this actor I felt he was worthy of us jumping right in. And he proved me right. He was really good a grasping the character and taking my direction. That and he had a working chemistry with Angelina which makes a huge difference. Now, that being said since I haven't seen anyone else yet I can't say he's right or wrong for the part as I have no comparison. But I will say that he certainly left a memorable impression on me and if I had to make the movie tomorrow for some crazy reason I think he'd do just fine.

Strong Praise from Experienced Producer

Last time I mentioned Debbie Brubaker, a talented and accomplished producer, had read my script and was going to have a conference call meeting with me and Virginia. I went into the call a little nervous that she was going to point out a laundry list of flaws with my script, but instead she gave me a very positive review. This is HUGE! For a producer as experienced as she to not only say there were only three minor flaws, but also she believes it can be sold for a profit truly raised my spirits. Virginia herself admitted this reaction from Debbie further raised her excitement to be working on the project.

Now what happens is I've gone and fixed the issues Debbie suggested I amend and I'll be giving her the finished 6th draft soon. She's then going to write a budget based on the script as well as a tentative schedule for shooting it. All this will be crucial in figuring out exactly what we'll need to accomplish the production. Having her expertise on these crucial pre-production aspects will be worth every penny we're paying her for. Again, I can't express enough how great of news and morale booster this is for me and the project!

SF Opificer's of Film Festival

The deadline to submit your short film to the first ever SF Opificer's of Film Festival is quickly approaching. So if you haven't given it to either me or Jon Bowerbank, emailed it to us, or put it in the mail you may be left out. Drop either of us a line if you still plan to submit.

Speaking of the festival I'd like to announce yet another official entry. "....a Thousand Words" is the latest short film by Jon Bertain. Jon lives and works as a professional editor in the Los Angeles area and shot this latest movie on the RED ONE digital HD camera. We're real excited to be able to premiere his film and we're sure the festival audience will also appreciate the hard work he put into this gripping movie. Bertain is yet another former student of mine from my teaching days at Saint Mary's College and I'm proud to see just how much his talent has grown since he graduated from SMC.

Again, the event is January 9th at the 9th Street Independent Film Center in San Francisco (it's the 9th at the 9th, pretty easy to remember huh). Tickets are $12. Doors open at 7:15pm and the event starts promptly at 7:30. There will be a one hour mixer/social in the theater lobby immediately following the screening. Thanks and hope to see many of you there.

Well That does it for this week gang. Have a great new year everyone!

Forward!

-Gustavo

Wheels Keep Rolling

2009-12-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

Hello Readers!

Sorry for the delay in posting. I'm in the middle of moving to a new apartment and I'm living out of boxes.

Updates:

Potential New Producer!

I got some great news to share! My producer Virginia has passed along the latest draft of Love, Concord to a very important person: Debbie Brubaker. For those of you unfamiliar with her work, she has produced many feature films such as: La Mission, Dopamine, Bartleby, and many more. Not to mention some of her films were accepted at the Sundance Film Festival which is not easy to do (look her up on www.imdb.com she's done a lot of work).

So with Virginia passing along my script to her, Debbie will be reading it and compiling a profession budget for the project. This is a huge step in getting the project some serious weight behind it as we'll be getting expert advice on what to prepare for from someone as seasoned and accomplished at producing feature films as anyone could ask for. Hopefully, she'll have the same interest and reaction to the script as Virginia and Jon and will perhaps come on board to also help produce the project. Either way, just having her perspective on what we should prepare for will be a huge advantage for me as a first time feature film director. So again, I'm very excited about this development! :)

Off to LA.....again.

As mentioned earlier I'm off to LA to audition my first candidate for the lead role of Gerry. Angelina my actress for the lead role of Melinda, will be meeting me in LA to help with the audition. We also plan to discuss some of the logistical aspects about her role such as wardrobe, make up, etc.

So since I'll be down there during my usual posting day of Tuesday, next weeks blog may come a little later than usual. But I'll let everyone know via Face Book when it's up.

First Accepted Film

I'd like to announce the first film to be accepted to Jon and I's SF Opificer's of Film Festival. The short is entitled : "Time Capsule" and is directed by Jimmy Freeman. For those of you who don't remember Jimmy is a former student of mine who is also collaborating with me on my feature. But he is a talented artist in his own right. He also endeavors to direct films and is currently writing not only one, but many short screenplays. So come see yet another young budding Bay Area talent showcase his latest and greatest.

The festival is Saturday January 9th at the 9th Street Independent Film Center in San Francisco. The address is 145 9th Street. Doors open at 7:15 and the screening begins promptly at 7:30. Tickets to the event are $12 and all proceeds go to the production budget for my feature film Love, Concord. Hope to see you all there.

Well that does it for this week folks. Have a great week and until next time....

Forward!

-Gustavo

Is it really Snowing?

2009-12-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

Hello Readers!

Wow! Snow in Concord and parts of Contra Costa County, haven't seen that in a while. Lets hope it continues.

Updates:

Weekly Meetings Resume:

Last week my producer, Virginia, and I resumed our practice of meeting weekly to discuss the feature film project. Jon, my DP, joined us last week as well. The three of us discussed logistics of the shoot. In particular we began to focus on locations and how many actual place we'll need to shoot the movie. The trick is to try to squeeze as much use out of one place as possible. For instance, if we shoot interiors at a house we're trying to select a house that can be the setting for more than one scene. In fact, a house may be used in the film that ends up being three "different" places in the story. That's useful! Because all movies suffer from a lack of time in their budget, so the less moving around the better!

Massive Light Please!

Jon and I also began talking shop about what lighting equipment we'll need to do the various scenes we're shooting. As the script is set in everything from day, night, interior, exterior, etc. lighting is, as always, be a challenge. However, since Jon has a respectable lighting package in his arsenal we should manage fine without having to pick up too much costly lights. One item we are planning to buy is a used 2K Tungston balanced Fresnel light. For those of you unfamiliar with movie lights, this sucker is pretty big and puts out quite a lot of light. Jon plans to use it to help light some of the night time exteriors. We'll let you know if we get it.

Draft 5.1

I recently went through and corrected the many typos of the 5th draft and even managed to chop almost a full page off. But as I received some excellent feedback from Jon, I'm probably going to end up adding that page back for a key scene at the end of the 2nd act. So I expect draft 5.2 very soon.

SF Opificer's of Film Festival

It's official people! The mini film festival will be Saturday January 9th, 2010. We're still accepting submissions for the festival in any genre and at any experience level, so if you know someone with a short movie encourage them to enter it. The deadline for submission is December 31st 2009. The submission fee is $10 and if your movie is accepted there's a $20 screening fee. All this goes toward the cost of renting the theater and the proceeds, again, go toward the Love, Concord production budget. Tickets for the event are $12 and it should be a fun night! Contact me at gguardado@gmail.com for more info or find me on FaceBook.

Well that's all for this week. I know I haven't written an article in a while but at this stage I'm finding I have less and less time to do it. Don't worry the time is being well spent planning and prepping for the production. So it might just be updates for a while, but I'll return to full articles soon.

Stay warm everyone!

Forward!

-Gustavo

Short Week

2009-12-02T11:45:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

Hope everyone had a relaxing Turkey day. Mine was surprisingly traffic free as I drove back to LA to spend the holiday with my In-Laws. Mmmm I had home made tamales a month early! Yum!

Updates:

1st Casting Audition

Angelina, my lead actress, and I are currently aligning our schedules to do an audition of an actor to possibly play "Gerry" the lead character of the feature. Since she lives down south and works full time it's a bit of a tricky task but hopefully within a few weeks I might be writing about finally casting the lead character.

Location Hunt:

Yesterday I had lunch with Jimmy my former student and friend at our usual Concord diner. A while back he suggested I approach the restaurant owner to see if we could use their place as the much needed diner in the screenplay. So yesterday I finally spoke to the manager and she seemed interested. She mentioned, the decision obviously hinged on the owner but nonetheless she seemed enthusiastic about it and that's good enough for me right now.

SF Opificer's of Film Festival:

We are still accepting submissions for the short film festival Jon and I are coordinating. The submission fee is $10 and if your film is selected there's a $20 acceptance fee. But it's a small price to pay to be able to see your film in a professional quality screening room with a live audience to offer feedback and comments. The event will be Saturday January 9th, 2009 (We had to change the date of the event due to a booking mishap). Doors open at 7pm the event will be roughly 90mins. After the event there will be a one hour mixer social in the screening room lobby. Tickets will be $12 and all proceeds will go toward the Love, Concord production budget.

Buy my DVDs!!

As those of you who came to my fundraisers know, I'm selling off my DVD collection to also help pad the production budget. I still have a good 50+ DVDs left from my original amount of 200. I'd still rather sell them directly to you versus pawning them so email if you'd like a list of the movies I have left. No movie is more the $9 bucks and some titles are as cheap as $3! Plus if you buy two $5 DVDs I'll knock off $1! So email me at gguardado@gmail.com if you're interested.

Well folks that does it for this week. Sorry for the short posting, but as it was a short week can ya blame me ;)

Forward!

-Gustavo

Back from the City of Traffic.

2009-11-24T12:45:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

Just got back from LA and boy are my lungs black! ;) Actually the weather was quite nice compared to the Bay Area so can't complain too much.

Updates:

As mentioned last week I went to LA to visit my producer Virginia. She has been working on an independent film as a script supervisor. This crew position is critical in helping the director ensure they have shot each scene in it's entirety. As most scenes are shot out of sequence, the script supervisor points out any missing action or lines the director may have missed. The script supervisor is also responsible for continuity. Meaning, making sure if an actor picks up an object in a scene, the script supervisor will point out if the actor accidentally picks it up with the wrong hand during a different take.

Virginia was nice enough to allow me to visit her on the set and I got a great opportunity to see a professional crew work from an excellent vantage point as I was sitting with her and the director the entire shoot. This allowed me to watch an experience director and get ideas and hints as to how I will handle my feature once we start shooting. I even had the opportunity to ask the director for advice for a first time feature film director (like myself) on what to expect from the burden of actual production (essentially, shooting the movie).

The director (I can't name names or the production as a liability issue) advised me to plan well during pre-production. Really use the time to plan your shot lists, not so much as to set them in concrete, but to be best familiar with your material so should something change on the day of the shoot you'll be better prepared. He also advised to basically follow your instincts but to not be afraid to listen to other ideas or options. "Many first time directors," he said, "often second guess themselves but don't act on it because they don't want to appear indecisive. Don't let that pressure stop you from changing your mind. In the end the director is in charge and has every right to change the game plan even if it causes the crew to abandon their efforts to get previous task done.

Lastly, I learned that shooting with two cameras can be a huge advantage for a director. This allows him/her to shoot the scene from more than one angle and depending on the situation could save a lot of time. This is especially helpful and time efficient if the scene being shot is restricted to close ups of the actors and if the lighting can be changed with minimal effort. The moment you change it to wide shots or have to move lights around, having two cameras then becomes a burden. Therefore, I've decided what I need to do with Jon (my DP) is comb the script for scenes we can shoot with two cameras but will not have lighting difficulties.

Mini Short Film Festival

Due to the success of the screening of "Marta's Last Exit" Jon and I are throwing a mini short film festival on December 11th. So if you want to see my latest short movie in a theater screening this is your chance. Also, if you have a short film you'd like an audience to see we're looking for submissions. There's a $10 submission fee and a $20 fee if your film is selected. Tickets to the "Opificer's of Film Festival" will be $12. So please contact me or Jon if you'd like to submit your film or check out the FaceBook link to get more info:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=180829541652&index=1

Well that's all for this week. Hope everyone has a belly full of fun and food on Thanksgiving. Until then...

Forward!

-Gustavo

My Movie has a First Name

2009-11-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

Who else is excited about Star Trek being out on DVD and Blu-Ray? Beam me up!

Updates:

Fundraiser Part Deux:

So first and foremost lets talk about the party/fundraiser/premiere on Saturday. About 22 people attended the first public screening of my latest short film "Marta's Last Exit" and I'm confident enough to say that it was a successful screening. Many people were very impressed with what I already knew, the videography from Jon Bowerbank (my DP for the feature) is simply breathtaking.

Also, many people complimented Angelina Leon's (my lead actress for the feature) amazing performance as the troubled teen title character. Everyone agreed her performance was so attention getting yet gracefully subtle. I couldn't agree more.

I feel the screening truly raised the level of excitement and anticipation for the feature to come. I for one am very excited to work with these two people and count myself fortunate to have them on board.

Aside from watching my short we also had appetizers, desserts, and drinks. But what a lot people enjoyed was the raffle. Here's who won

Prav Chandrasekaren won his choice of any of two DVD's from my collection I was selling at the event. Christina Giovannetti won a bottle of Sophia rose wine from the Francis Ford Coppola vineyard. Megan Johnson won a $25 gift certificate to Pride of the Mediterranean in Black Hawk. Amanda Gillespie Baker won a $50 gift certificate to Bijan in Walnut Creek

And finally the grand prize winner was Diana Camacho who won $10o gift certificate to Bay Grille in the Berkeley Marina.

Lastly, we had a silent auction where Amanda made out like a bandit by winning the Canon color printer/scanner/fax machine for $40! She also won two bottles of wine from napa valley vineyards for $25! Lucy Chung also made off with the William Sonoma Kitchen set for $30. Anthony Giovannetti won Johnson Bro.'s plate set for $30 and lastly, Prav won the Johnson Bro.'s tea cup set for $40.

Overall we raised just over $500 in profit towards the budget of the feature so thanks to all who came. I also want to thank those of you who knew you wouldn't make it but bought raffle tickets nonetheless. This really does help, but again my goal is to raise $10,000 from donations by the time we start shooting in June. So as of now we're about 10% there!

To help us get to that goal I'm currently planning another event for the very near future. This time Jon Bowerbank will be helping by co-planning a short film festival in San Francisco. We'll be screening "Marta's Last Exit" there for those of you who still want to see it as well as other local entries. We have a tentative date of December 11th or the 12th. So pencil us in on your calenders and here's the link to the Face Book "event" :

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=180829541652&ref=nf

Grant Writing:

On Thursday last week I took a one time class on grant writing for filmmakers. It was offered by San Francisco Film Society which I've decided all local filmmakers should become a member of. This class taught me a lot about the preparation for applying to grants. What stuck out most from the class was just how much time an grant application will require. It's not something that can be filled out in an hour or a day.

Also, I learned about fiscal sponsorship. This, in a nutshell, allows filmmakers to collect money either through a grantor like a foundation or big business. And also allows for small time donations from individuals as well. The difference being is that once a film production is granted "fiscal sponsorship" anyone who donates money to that film can essentially write it off on their taxes (I am not an authorized financial planner, please consult with one before heeding this advice). The only problem with fiscal sponsorship (from my understanding of it) is one must be making a film for "non-profit" reasons. However, the teacher also mention a "hybrid" type of fiscal sponsorship which would allow one to receive "non-profit" grants and still attempt to sell the film for profit. But again I hope to get clarification of this by joining the SFFS and applying to their grant program.

Lastly, I learned there's a lot more emphasis for grants to be awarded to documentary films. While I would like to make a documentary one day, my first feature is going to be a narrative and my plan is to continue making narratives until I find a cause and or passion to pursue via a documentary. So this may be a challenge for me but I'm positive I'll be able to get some type of grant, if not for the production budget then definitely for post-production.

And the Winner is....

To say I've been struggling to name my feature would be like saying The Raiders have a hard time winning games, DUH! But alas after a very long trial and error process involving you oh so faithful readers I've come to a final selection. Thanks to everyone who participated in the voting process and also those of you who offered suggestions.

The envelope please. And the winner is....... Love, Concord

While two of my closest friends were adamantly against this title I feel it best encapsulates my feature film's story. This is a love story after all, and the use of Concord as a double entendre becomes clearer once you've read the script and discover more about the lead character Gerry.

So that's it the production has a name. Now allow me to mention that movies constantly evolve until the day they're finally screened and even then they may still change. Therefore, while I'm completely satisfied with this title it could change with a more suiting option I may discover in the editing room. But until then my movie is called Love, Concord.

Well that's all for this week folks. Next week I plan to write about visiting a professional movie set my producer, Virginia, is currently work on as script supervisor.

Have a great week everybody!

Forward!

-Gustavo

Directions to Fundraiser/Screening

2009-11-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

So apparently Google Maps and Mapquest can't find the address to the fundraiser so here's how to get there:

From Highway 4 Eastbound:

Exit San Marco Blvd/Bay Point

Make a right at the off ramp onto San Marco Blvd.

Make your first right at the light onto what should be Leland.

Go straight until the dead end.

Turn right at the dead end. The San Marco Villa office/clubhouse will be in front of the main entrance to the apartment complex.

From Highway 4 Westbound

Exit San Marco Blvd/Bay Point

Make a left at the off ramp onto San Marco Blvd.

Make your first right at the light onto what should be Leland.

Go straight until the dead end.

Turn right at the dead end. The San Marco Villa office/clubhouse will be in front of the main entrance to the apartment complex.

From Concord using Baily Road.

Turn left onto Leland.

Go straight until the dead end.

Turn right at the dead end. The San Marco Villa office/clubhouse will be in front of the main entrance to the apartment complex.

If you get lost or need last minute directions please feel free to call me at 925-980-9461

Hope to see you there!

Forward!

-Gus

Some Words from the DP

2009-11-11T07:26:00.000-08:00

Hello readers!

Hope everyone had a great week, let's jump right in.

Updates:

Sound Issues Fixed

I had John Bennett, a production/post-production audio professional work on some of the sound issues for "Marta's Last Exit." In the short amount of time he worked on it he was able to really help shape the sound to a place I'm more comfortable with. I feel it still needs a little tweaking, but I may just be biased. I'll let the audience on Saturday's premiere tell me if I'm being too picky.

This Saturday's Event

Speaking of Saturday! The fundraiser/premiere is still set for this Saturday at 4:30pm. If you'd like to lock in the $10 cover charge please RSVP me via the Evite invitations I sent out, or my email at gguardado@gmail.com. For your connivence you can pay the $10 per ticket cover on the Evite with PayPal. Otherwise it's $15 at the door. Also, don't forget we'll have a silent auction at the event. Up for bidding are a beautiful china set from William Sonoma, a cooking utensil bundle also from William Sonoma, a brand new Canon copier, fax, scanner, printer. And some other possible last minute items. We'll be screening "Marta's Last Exit" a few times throughout the event so come early or come late you'll be able to see it. Hope to see you there!

Going back to LA-LA land.

My producer, Virginia, is currently working on a independent film in LA and has invited me to come visit her on the set. She's going to try to get me some time to speak with the Director of Photography about the "B" camera they're shooting with (a "B" camera simply means a 2nd camera a production uses which usually doesn't have all the bells and whistles the "A" camera would have. It is also some times smaller to better fit into tight spaces), which happens to be the Canon 7D I wrote about in previous blog articles. Hopefully I'll get a chance to meet the director to get some tips for my feature, but in the very least I'll up close to the action and can watch him at work.

The Short List:

Ok folks here's the short list for the final vote for the official title of the production. I want to thank all that voted. I promise this will be the last time so please vote on these selections. Pick one only please. The official title will be announced at the event on Saturday!

1. Un-Concord Love

2. Select Start!

3. First Love Concord

4. 16-Bit Love Story

5. Love, Concord

Well that's all for updates. As promised this weeks article is written by Jonathan Bowerbank, my DP. So I'll leave you with that and the promise of pictures and a recap of the party for next weeks blog entry. Until then take care!

FORWARD!

-Gustavo

Greetings film fans and friends! Jonathan Bowerbank, the film’s DP and co-conspirator here! Gus is hard at work planning the party, so I figured I’d give him a handbrake and type up this weeks blog entry to give you a bit of insight into who I am, what I do, and perhaps what inspires me.

First of all, some background information. Gus and I have known each other since we went to El Dorado Middle School in Concord. Also known as our “traumatic adolescent years”. We had P.E. together, exchanged a few elbows here and there on the basketball court, yet at the time we still really didn’t really know each other all too well. It wasn’t until the summer before our junior year at Concord High we started to really hang out and discover how much we had in common, more importantly, our love for movies. We didn’t always see eye to eye with regards to our opinions on which films were great and which were junk (and we still don’t!), but the difference in taste and an aesthetic appreciation for the art opened up a dialogue for creativity and a drive to someday start making films ourselves.

We were fortuitous enough to be attending the only high school in the district that had an A/V department fully equipped with professional video cameras and editing bays. It was here we found the outlet we sorely needed for bringing our ideas to fruition. We soon began producing short sketch pieces and our moderately popular cop series “SQUAD”. Needless to say, we were both hooked for life.

Not long after graduating high school, we parted ways in search for our own life experiences. Gus pursued his degree in filmmaking, and I took off on my travels to Central America where I lived in Guatemala for two years. It was one of the most inspiring lands I have ever visited, and it has certainly contributed to my own personal perspective on life, peoples’ living situations and world culture today. It also helped me arrive at an acute desire to tell meaningful and truthful stories through the craft of filmmaking, and has given me a keen eye for how I would like to depict this world we live in through honest and/or poetic storytelling.

This is all in addition to my own mental catalog of inspiring films which have helped me to focus on the type of filmmaker I want to be. I soon discovered I wanted to focus on cinematography, which involves nearly every creative and technical aspect of film production. Camera, lighting, set design, etc. For the past few years I have done a lot of Camera Assistant work, which consists mostly of technical duties to make sure a film’s cinematographer can focus on the creative rather than having to worry about the technical issues that can and do arise during any given shoot. I’ve learned from my experience the importance of a solid crew and the advantages that come from working with a group of creative individuals on what is essentially a collaborative art. It truly does take an army.

As with any army, there has to be a General, and Gus has certainly earned his stripes. I’m honored to be one of many he is entrusting to bring his vision to the big screen. I hope this has given you at least a bit more insight into the type of production this is turning out to be. I honestly appreciate any support we gain from you to help us to be able to do what we love, whether it be moral or financial support.

In addition to everything Gus has told you about the film’s influences, I just wanted to include a short list of some of some of the films that have influenced me for this film:

“Quinceañera” (2006)
“500 Days of Summer” (2009)
“Saved!” (2004)
“Say Anything” (1989)
“Swingers” (1996)
“Pretty in Pink” (1986)
“Dazed & Confused” (1993)
“Almost Famous” (2000)

Until next time, take care, read a book, get to the movie theater and don’t stop doing whatever it is you enjoy doing.

Update Central

2009-11-03T12:44:00.000-08:00

Hello Readers!

Saw The Onion Movie this weekend and laughed my ass off! It's on DVD so go rent it. Got a lot of updates so lets dive in.

Updates:

The latest addition to the blog is the helpful little countdown clock in the upper left corner. This clock is relentlessly counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the first day of production. A lot of people ask me "when are you going to start?" Well now you can always have an accurate up to date answer! Plus it's a good motivator for me to not procrastinate on the many big steps I have to take to finally be prepared for day one! Which is 219 days away! Yikes!

The 5th draft is done! Yes it took a month longer than I wanted it to take but it's finally in the can. I realized part way through writing this one how important a scene outline is to the writing process. I hadn't done a scene outline since the 2nd draft, but since this draft had the most significant changes to it since that draft, I realized I couldn't wing it anymore. So I stopped writing and hammered out a scene outline. With that done I breezed through the 5th draft quicker than the pace I was going at without it. Also I should mention, the notes and suggestions my Producer Virginia and Director of Photography (DP) Jon helped tremendously to get this draft to the most efficient and sharpest it's been. Thanks guys!

"Marta's Last Exit" will be getting looked at by a post production audio professional. I'm meeting with him tomorrow to hopefully fix the dialogue issues I'm having and what's kept it from being %100 done. But rest assured it will be ready in time for the event on the 14th. I'm also submitting it to its first festival this week as well. If I get into it, it can automatically be considered for the Academy Awards Short Film category. Wish me a broken leg!

Speaking of the event, I still haven't confirmed the location. But I'm close! So keep posted to the blog and or my FaceBook page as I'll announce it once it's finalized.

Lastly, not many people voted on the various title ideas last week. I could REALLY use your help with this guys. Here's your chance to be part of the creative decision making process of a feature film. So please vote on which titles you like so I can make a top five list for a final vote next week. Again I plan to announce the official title of the production at the fundraiser/premiere on the 14th.

That's it for this week guys. I know I haven't written an article the past couple weeks, but I really had to focus on finishing "Marta's..." and the 5th draft so I promise next week there'll be updates and an article. In fact, my DP Jon Bowerbank, will be writing it!

Until then, go Phillies and have a great week everyone!

Forward!

-Gustavo

Title Playoffs

2009-10-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Damn Yankees, let's hope Philly can stop the annoyance that is Steinbrenner's team.

Updates:

Marta's last exit is 95% complete. The only thing left is to tweak the dialogue a little to make it sound more consistent. Does anyone know a good postproduction sound editor? Perhaps a student studying sound? If so let me know.

The fifth draft is more than half way done. There's some major changes in this version. Most of it has to do with scaling back the amount of locations. The more locations the more the production crew has to travel. The commute time alone is a problem, but loading and unloading movie equipment, costumes, props, etc. is just as costly to a production's time. I expect to have a finished 5th draft by the middle of the week.

Party location change. So do to an unforeseen scheduling conflict the November 14th fundraiser/premiere will no longer be in Brentwood. I still plan to hold the fundraiser that day, but I'm currently looking for a new location. I have a lead on one but nothing confirmed. So stay tuned as I'll be updating the info as soon as I can. Sorry for the inconvenience everyone!

Casting. I'll be holding casting for the main cast and speaking roles beginning in January. So if you know actors interested or yourself would like to audition for parts please contact me. I'll be posting a more accurate list of characters next week as the 5th draft will be done by then.

Second to Last Round of Title Suggestions

Consider this the playoffs to the World Series. This is the last batch of totally new title ideas I'd like to get your opinion and vote on. I'm then going to list the top 5 title ideas on the Tuesday before the fundraiser for you to vote on so the official title can be announced at the Nov. 14th event.

So take a look at these, again, you don't need to know much about the story I'm more interested in your gut instinct to the titles. Please vote by emailing me or posting a comment below on the blog. Oh and they're listed in no particular order:

1. Last Clown of Concord

2. Gerry's Concord Love

3. First Love Concord

4. Select Start!

5. Love Memorial

6. The Clown and the Brain

7. Gerry Grew up Concord

8. Un-Concord Love

9. 16-Bit Love Story

10. Gerry Wants to Continue

Well that's it for this week folks. Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!

Forward!

-Gustavo

The Feature has Begun....Sort of.

2009-10-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Let me start off by saying I saw More Than A Game this Saturday and was very impressed. I highly recommend you go see it for yourself. It's a fantastic story about never giving up and the camaraderie of being in a team. And it happens to be directed by a fellow Loyola Marymount alumni who often hung out on campus at TV Engineering where I worked. So please go see this great documentary which is now in theaters as you'll be supporting yet another young up and coming director.

Let's Try Something New

I decided to do a video in effort to save time writing out the blog this week. In the end I didn't save much time. Either way take a look:

Here's a Clip of the First Footage From the Feature

It's nothing fancy, and on a small screen it isn't very impressive, plus I haven't color corrected it yet, but I'm happy to share it nonetheless.

Don't for get if you want to buy tickets or get an evite for the fundraiser email me at gguardado@gmail.com. Have a great week everyone.

Forward!

-Gustavo

Party Time!

2009-10-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Hope everyone in the Bay Area is enjoying the rain, I am.

Updates:

"Marta's Last Exit" is almost done folks. I'm still finishing sound and again, it's not my expertise so it's taking longer than I hoped. Nonetheless, it'll be done in time to submit it to a local film festival.

My DP and I have been researching a possible new camera for the feature film. It's the Canon 7D Digital SLR. Ever since Nikon released a D-SLR that shoots HD video more companies have followed suite. So if the specs are for real The Canon 7D may become our production camera. We plan to test the crap out of it side by side with our current camera of choice the Sony EX-1 once the 7D is released. Stay tuned for updates on this topic.

Also, still working on the 5th draft. Due to my need to finish my short film, unfortunately, my script has taken a backseat. But I am hacking away at it, slowly but surely.

The Next Fundraiser = Party!

So allow me to announce the date of the next fundraiser, drumroll please......

Saturday November 14th, 2009!

That's a month and one day away folks so mark your calendars cause this ones going to be bigger and better! Not all the details are set, but here's what we know so far.

It'll be hosted by my our friends Jorge and Debra at their beautiful home in Brentwood (no not the LA Brentwood, which isn't an actual city like some people think). The event will be in the evening and we'll be premiering "Marta's Last Exit" for the first time to the public. I also plan to reveal the official title for the feature after the screening so that should be exciting. But then after that it's party time as we'll have a music, dancing, drinks, and appetizers!

The event will have a ticket price of $10 for advance purchases and $15 at the door. Your ticket will automatically enter you into the raffle we'll be having. So far the prizes we have lined up for the raffle are gift cards to local Bay Area restaurants, for instance, Bay Grille on the Berkeley Marina and Bijan in Walnut Creek.

We'll also have a silent auction at the event. Up for grabs so far is a china set from William Sonoma and a baking kit from there as well. More items will be added as we get closer to the event.

You can talk to the people who came to the last event if you want proof of the great time we had, so we're positive you'll enjoy yourself at this one. Plus, you'll be supporting a local artist, yours truly, on his quest to make a feature film. Evites will be going out soon but feel free to email me at gguardado@gmail.com if you didn't receive an evite to the last event. I hope to see a lot of you there!

Well that's all for this week. Stay dry Bay Area!

Forward!

-Gustavo

Sound is Half the Experience

2009-10-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

So I was sick most of last week so I this week's article will be short.

Updates:

Still working on the 5th draft of the script. It's taken a lot longer as I've been getting more frequent freelance gigs. That, and I'm making some significant changes to the script. But I hope to be done with it by the end of this week.

I went to an advanced screening of an independent film I worked on this past winter and had a great time reconnecting with the crew. I also was able to share my endeavor to get my feature made next summer with these crew people and most offered their services to me. So it looks like I may have a few more volunteers.

Still finishing my short, "Marta's Last Exit." Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the completion of principal photography. It is by far the longest time it's taken me to finish a movie, but in my defense my previous three were made in college and film school when I ate, slept, and bled film. Not that I don't know, but I got student loans to pay! It'll be done soon, however, as I have an October 19th deadline to submit it to Alice's Three Minute Film Festival.

Sound is Half the Experience

So my producer Virginia introduced me to her good friend this weekend who happens to be a production sound recordist. Which is great because I'm in the hunt for a quality sound person. This particular crew position is responsible for the sound that's recorded on the set of a movie or TV show. It's a thankless job as often times even filmmakers neglect what the production sound person needs to properly record clean audio.

Therefore, I simply wanted to write a little about how the audience should pay closer attention to just how amazing movies sound. The next time you're at a movie theater remind yourself to listen to the sound that's being offered to you. You'll start to catch little subtitles you certainly won't here on your TV's little two inch speakers.

Now this isn't all the thanks to the work of the production sound person, as a lot of "sound design" goes into the post production of a movie. Nonetheless, if the movie had a good production sound recordist then most of the dialogue you hear will be the actual dialogue recorded on the set. And saves a lot of correction work in post-production.

And when the two are combined what you get is scarier visuals, more heartfelt drama, and more riveting action. Sound helps create offscreen space and more fully creates the mood the moviemakers attempt to put you the viewer in.

So trust me, I'll be putting as much attention to the sound of my feature as I will the visuals. It's something I learned as early as my first short film and something I'll forever use to further enhance the overall experience of my movies.

That's all folks have a great week!

Forward!

-Gustavo

The Use of Metaphors

2009-09-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Just got back yesterday from hiking up to Half Dome in Yosemite and what an experience! But more on that later.

Updates:

I recently signed up for a class offered at the San Francisco Film Society on how to apply for grants as an independent filmmaker. I'll be taking this course with my producer, Virginia, in November and hopefully this'll help me raise funds for production. However, from what I understand the application process for grants, even when you win them, takes a long time. Therefore, if I do get awarded grant money it most likely will go toward postproduction. Again, the money I'm trying to raise and or save now is going strictly to the production costs of the shoot. Many people forget that it requires a lot of time and money to edit, sound design, and do visual effects and or graphics to finish a movie properly. So I advise other budding filmmakers to take a course like this as grant money can be the difference between a shot movie and a finished movie.

As for an update on my promise to sacrifice certain things until the production is over, that's going well for the most part. I'm getting in really good shape, I haven't lost much weight but I know for sure that I'm getting my cardio stamina where it needs to be. Also, the battle with my addiction to soda is slow and steady. I seem to have leveled off to one soda a week. Nonetheless I hoping to go further and be able to say in a few weeks that I made it a whole month with out

it!

The camera which my DP, Jon, and I agree we're going to use for the feature may soon be within grasp. I'm currently researching what it would take to lease the camera and or buy it outright by splitting the cost three ways between Virginia, Jon, and myself. All three of us have a need for a quality HD video camera but don't want the heavy burden of buying it alone. So pooling our resources together would allow us each to use the camera when we need it while saving a us money and potentially earning us money.

Half Dome as my Metaphor

As you all probably know metaphors are often used in literature, speeches, theaters and movies to connect to seemingly different things and or topics to show a resemblance to one another. Well this weekend Half Dome was a metaphor for me and the journey I'm on to make my feature a reality. Here's the story.....

At the beginning of September my brother, Mike, asked me if I'd be willing to hike up to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite for his 35th birthday on the 27th of the month. He warned me that it was a grueling 17 mile hike and the last 500' were on a cable system which if not climbed right could mean certain death. Being the acrophobic person I am I kinda laughed and said he was crazy, but I didn't say no.

He gave me time to think it over and as I did I realized it'd be a great way to motivate me to get into shape as I promised I would for the sake of the movie project. Therefore, I accepted my brother's challenge/invitation and began training for the hike by doing three weekends in a row of 5-10 mile hikes. When I finished doing my 1st hike up Mt. Diablo I thought I was stupid to think I could do Half Dome. I was sore as hell! But after the 2nd Mt. Diablo hike I regained my confidence as I did it faster and wasn't as sore when done.

So Saturday the 26th we drove to Yosemite. It was me, my bro, and his good friend Cyrus. We camped that night in the valley and woke the next morning and began our day long adventure at 6:30am.

The first two miles of the hike were miserable! I don't know if it was the nerves, or the lack of sleep, or the banana I ate, all three but when we started I was fighting back the need to puke. Plus the first two miles were the most physically demanding of the hike. You climb tall stair after tall stair and it just annihilates your energy. Not 30 mins. in and I was thinking of quitting. There was no way I could do this all day. But something in my head just told me "DON'T GIVE UP!"

It sounds cheesy I know, but that saying and the fact I didn't want to ruin my brother's birthday wish compelled me to take the next step. So finally after about an hour and a half into the trek I started feeling better. I was the slowest one in our group, as we hired a guide to take us there and back, but damn it I was doing it!

We got to "Sub-Dome" around 1:30ish and there before me were the cables to the summit. The problem was, there was a traffic jam on them and we only had a limited time to reach the top or we'd be hiking back in the dark. So we didn't waste time and got in line and began the scariest part of the adventure. Did I mention I'm scared of heights?!? Again, the only thing that got me on those cables was not wanting to let down my bro or myself and the hard work I put into getting that far. So one by one we climbed.

About halfway up my back started to spaz, my feet were burning from the pressure, and the line was still moving much too slow. Mike, who was right behind me, started complaining that his arms were getting tired too. All these things you don't want when you're about 5 yards in each direction to certain death!

So my bro and I had to ask ourselves if we should just turn back or risk climbing to the top? Either decision did not look good for either of us at that point but we had to do something. Cyrus, like the madman that he is, said "Fuck this!" and went out the cable system and climbed it up along side it risking his life to beat the lines and make the summit. Which I'm happy to say he did.

My bro and I, on the other hand, decided we couldn't be that bold and turned around. We safely returned to the entrance to the cable system and sat wallowing in our defeat. I honestly held back tears thinking I'd ruined my brother's birthday wish and dream to make the top. We sat there a while, and suddenly Mike and I realized something. The line was a lot thinner. My bro picked up his bag and said "I'm going for it!" and I told him to "Do it!" I really wanted to follow him, but I something told me to stay back, which I did.

So like a rage induced Rambo, Mike tore it up those cables and got to the point we stopped at in about one minute, when it took us about 20! Next thing I know he's almost at the top, and then I couldn't see him anymore so I knew he had to have made it! I was relieved.

The guide recommended I get a head start going back down so I left, disappointed I didn't summit but proud nonetheless I made it that far.

The hike back was even longer that the hike there and after all the energy it took just to get to Sub-Dome, it knew it was going to be just as tough getting home. But we made good time, after my brother caught up to me I got a bit of a rush hearing about what he saw up top. I lived vicariously through his success.

We made it back to the car around 7pm, 12½ hours after we started. We did 18 miles total at an elevation change of about 5,000 feet for a total height of about 8,836 feet. This was by far the most physically demanding thing I've ever done in my life and the best part about it is that I was fully expecting to be immobile and energy-less the next morning. But to my surprise I felt better than I had in years. Two days later and I still feel great!

So what the hell does this have to do with the feature? Again, this trek was my metaphor for what I am and will go through to finish my movie. As of right now I'm doing the "training" similar to the pre-hikes I did before going to Yosemite. But the production will be much like getting to Half Dome. Full of hard, sometimes self doubting, work but I now know I have the mental focus to plow through whatever problem comes my way. I may not have gotten to the top, but I know now what I need to do to ensure I do it the next time. Which is precisely how I see this first feature film.

The film may not be a blockbuster success, but I know it'll be a major accomplishment nonetheless. Just like making it 99% of the way to Half Dome is nothing to laugh at either!

So there you go folks. Go out there and find your Half Dome! Then once you do use that to inspire you to follow your dream, whatever that is. You will never regret the hard work you put into hiking the path to your life's ambition.

FORWARD!!!!

-Gustavo

Food for Thought

2009-09-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

I must start off by saying this week was a bit crazy as many unexpected things prevented me from focusing on feature film stuff. So updates will be short this week.

Updates:

So looks like Love, Concord is in the lead for the title of the movie. Many of you posted comments on the blog, or emailed me, or Face Book messaged me your feelings and that title was overwhelmingly well received. However, before I sign off on it I'm going to do one last poll on a final list of contenders for this movie's name.

Organization is Key.

Part of why I have few updates to write about this week is because I took a paid gig on a shoot this past Thursday. I was basically a glorified photographer's assistant and a data manager on the shoot. What was being shot was photos for a shoe company's ad campaign and HD and 16mm footage for a behind the scenes/webisode type thing.

I started working at 7:30 am and didn't get off the clock until 12am. I worked 16 and a half hours on a shoot that was suppose to end by 9pm. Why did I slave away and work well past the time I was booked (besides wanting to be paid)? Because this shoot was one of the worst planned shoots I've ever been on.

For instance, at the first location of this production day there were about 10 models, 5 crew members, 3 make-up artist, and various staff members from the shoe company on the set and only one case of bottled water. Needless to say by 1pm we were out of water with no replacements in site. To add insult to injury, we were suppose to eat lunch at 1pm, did that happen on time? Nope! Not only that, but we didn't eat until around 5pm because we wrapped the first location 90 minutes late because the DP wouldn't hurry up! And no one put pressure on him to do so.

All this brings me to the point about how important a production's planning will determine it's success. Granted this one day shoot won't suffer much from running 14 hours versus 12, but imagine if this became a habit on a 6 day production week? Morale on the set would crash and burn.

Therefore, I want to insure my readers, and most importantly my crew, that I won't make the same mistakes. I can promise that my production will be meticulously planned as I wont' stand for wasting anyone's time.

And I especially won't ever starve my crew on my set. One thing I've always taken pride in is how well my crew is fed. I don't settle for crappy fast food or pizza every day like on other low budget movies. I serve up well catered meals both because it's my way of thanking the hard working volunteers and I'm a food snob. The only time pizza or junk food is served on my set is if it's a majority request or it's an unexpected emergency.

Returning to the topic of planning, this is one of the many things I taught my video students. In fact many of them were shocked as to how much pre-production paperwork I required before I green lit a production. But in the end many of them returned from their principal photography to exclaim how all the planning made a world of difference in the success of their shoot.

So allow me to teach you non-film folks a key position that makes a significant impact as to whether this happens or not. The position is called the 1st Assistant Director (1st AD). What's with the 1st in front of the title? I'll get to that in a moment. The 1st AD is in charge of running the set of a production. This person cracks the whip by getting all the different crew members, department heads, actors, etc. in and out of the set at the right time in a safe and efficient manner. They do this, among other managerial things, so the Director can focus on the important artistic decisions that need to be made on the set. Without a strong leading 1st AD a production will become a slow, inefficient mess.

Now, the 1st aspect in this position designates the level of command they have as there are more than one Assistant Director on a well run production. The second one would obviously be called the Second Assistant Director (2nd AD) but the third one is actually called the Second Second Assistant Director (2nd 2nd AD). Only rarely are there Third Assistant Directors, and it takes an epic film like the Lord of the Rings trilogy to necessitate that much. The lowest AD position on a movie is called an Additional Assistant Director, and again, are rare and only for movies with huge cast members and or production demands.

The importance of a strong 1st AD is one of the first concerns I brought to my Producer Virginia, but she has assured me she has thought of it also and how she thinks she'll be able to get someone to fill the position more close to the start of principal photography. Now that is a crew member I'm looking forward to profiling on the blog, until then we'll just have to wait patiently.

Well that wraps it up folks. Have a great week everyone and wish me luck on my hike up Half Dome this weekend.

Forward!

-Gustavo

Who Says Movie Making is Easy?

2009-09-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Just got back from Mt. Diablo and boy are my legs tired! Well, got back Sunday but the legs are still feeling it.

Updates:

First off I got to give a big shout out to two people who've been busting their humps for the production, Monica Angulo and Angela Groppetti Kluver. Both have been hard at work searching for Concord High cheerleader uniforms from circa 1997 and have found three already! Monica has been emailing and Face Book messaging like crazy to find not only the cheer uniforms, but prom dresses from that era for the movie as well. She's also been feeding me tips on how to better market the movie and myself.

Angela has also presented her cheer coach talents to the production by offering to choreograph the background cheer leaders in a key scene of the movie. She has also mentioned being able to fill out the cheerleader extras with some of her actual students.

Awesome job ladies! Thank you!

Speaking of CHS I recently spoke to the current Principal about the possibility of shooting there next summer. The good news is he seemed open minded about the project. Plus, my biggest fear was he would say CHS would host summer school next year, but as of now he says it depends on the budget issues California has been having. The quasi bad news is he directed me to the permit request form on the school district website and it stipulates that the production would need an insurance bond. Yikes! So that's another hoop I'm going to have to jump through, eek. Any insurance specialist out there reading this? No, seriously email me: gguardado@gmail.com.

The final update is I've been meeting regularly with my producer Virginia and DP Jon and both have been giving me excellent feedback on the script. We've been focusing on logistics of scenes in the script and both have pointed out how I need to start scaling back my grandiose ideas. They've been very good about not simply agreeing with me, and that's vital. I honestly feel a director's success depends on his or her ability to work with people willing to disagree with them. It's like the emperor's new clothes, if no one says anything to critique you, you're gonna look bad (as an example I offer George Lucas's movies post divorce to Marcia Griffin, the only person who probably ever openly told him some of his ideas sucked).

Making Movie is Easy!

This is what I use to say on shoots in film school whenever we hit a seemingly insurmountable snag on a set. Mostly because I'm a smart ass, but also to remind the crew that movie making actually isn't easy; it takes hard work and sacrifice.

One of the first things I taught my video production students was "making movies is not for the faint at heart." The with a plethora of movies, TV, DVDs, and other visual media; people take for granted the work which went into making it. Sure, part of this is because people are not interested in knowing how movies and TV are made. However, a little curiosity to learn how artistic productions are created can lead to a better appreciation for the craft.

For instance, when I was shooting a project; I amazed a visitor to my set after explaining to him that the shoot we had been doing for three days was going to make up three scenes in a 15 minute movie.

To illustrate further; pick any movie in your DVD collection and realize that for every minute you see of the finished film on screen, the movie makers probably shot 10 more minutes you won't see.

One of my favorite quotes from film school was "It takes hard work even to make a bad movie!"; which couldn't more true. Good or bad, whenever you watch something in a theater or on your TV, you can be rest assured that many people worked long and hard to get it made.

To bring this full circle, working hard isn't limited to moviemaking. There's something about finishing a collaborative artistic effort that creates an uncommon bond. Whether it's the group effort to bring a play to life, shoot a movie, or TV show; when it's all said and done the experience teaches you something about yourself.

This is my way of encouraging those of you reading this to join me in my movie making adventure. Even if you come to watch for only a little bit, I promise the experience will not only teach you a lot about how a movie is made, but a lot about who you are as a person. I look forward to the new bonds that will be created, and cherish those with the people who are working on my production. I can't thank you all enough!

Lastly, I really need your help and thoughts on naming this darn movie of mine. The following are some recent ideas for a title and one of them I feel strongly in favor of (not gonna say which one). What I need is for you guys to tell me which of the titles jumps out at you positively on a gut instinct reaction. And which title do you like least. Oh and visualize the titles written in a funny 80's graphics type font. Feel free to share your thoughts and or title alterations on the comments board, or email me, Face Book message me, whatever is easiest. But please reply somehow, the lack of a title is killing me.

1. Love, Concord

2. Gerry's Conquered Love

3. Conquistador of Love

4. Diablo's Advocate

5. Gerry's Advocate

6. Playing Gerry's Advocate

Well that's all folks. Until next week.....

Forward!

-Gustavo