The Bourne Barrage

I'm trying to develop a system of watching DVDs and TV shows that minimizes the time I have to spend waiting for the next episode, and the amount of money I have to spend getting a copy to watch. I draw on a number of different resources to acquire programming, including:

• Netflix (rent by mail for ~$1.50/DVD)
• Hulu (watch TV shows for free on the internet)
• SwapaDVD* (trade DVDs with people all across the country for $1.81 per disc)
  
• Amazon.com (buy any film for $20, or TV series for $35, but the price comes down the older the show is, or if you buy it used)
• Borrow or request items from the library (free)
• (And more. Wow, no wonder I have such a long list of stuff to watch.)

I realized this past week that I have a few kinks to work out in coordinating the various systems when I ended up with 3 copies of The Bourne Ultimatum almost simultaneously. One I ordered through Netflix, one my wife picked up at the library, and one is on its way to me from another SwapaDVD user.

So that's the Bourne barrage. But better that way than pining for programming.

Edit: My third copy of Bourne, the one that was supposed to be mine to keep, and that I started watching last night, is defective. There are no visible scratches, but it freezes at the same point in the disc every time, even on different players. So now I'm gunning for a "fourth" copy. I hope it's the last.

(By the way, the writer's strike was kind of a curse, not because it deprived me of my usual Heroes, Bionic Woman, Chuck, and 30 Rock, but because it lulled me into thinking that I could start watching other shows, which I did, including Roswell, Battlestar Galactica, and The Sarah Connor Chronicles, none of which I've finished yet. Doot do doo....)


*If you have lots of DVDs you'd be willing to trade, you really should join SwapaDVD.com. Be sure to put my email address at the bottom of your application as your referral, because then I get a free credit!

Chronicles of Narnia films: Random trivia

William Moseley ... Peter Pevensie
Anna Popplewell ... Susan Pevensie
Skandar Keynes ... Edmund Pevensie
Georgie Henley ... Lucy Pevensie

The actress who plays the older Lucy near the end of LWW is the older sister of Georgia.

The two older children are played by actors who are the oldest children in their family. The two younger are played by youngest children.

In the trailer for Prince Caspian, Skandar is always shot to look a few inches shorter than William. In reality, they are the same height (6'1").

My film directorial debut

I am proud to present my directorial debut as a filmmaker: a music video of the song "When You're Gone", by Avril Lavigne. I, along with the excellent cast and crew, have worked long and hard to create this, so I wanted to show it to everyone.

Please click on this link to watch the video:
http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=1119221735

Silk Trees Pictures

Silk Trees

Also check out the link to the Silk Trees blog.

Excited (and geeky)

To movie fans, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is the #1 site for all movie info. If you want to know who was in such and such a movie, and what their role was, there is really no other place to look. IMDb.com has pictures (screen shots, behind-the-scenes, and publicity), trivia, links to reviews, and more.

To those of us who dream of "being in Hollywood", surfing IMDb is about as close as we get. And being listed on the site? Distant fantasy!

Until now.

I'M LISTED ON IMDB.COM!!!!

Someone added me as Jeff Martin (XIII), (that is, the 13th unique person credited in a movie or television show as "Jeff Martin"). In the Elsewhere credits I will actually be credited as "Jeffrey Stuart Martin", so when the movie comes out I might try to change my listing. I chose to use my full name to increase my originality (and therefore name recognition), but I haven't decided definitively what name I want to use in my film career.

Interestingly enough, if my experience working on Elsewhere is any indication, people who actually work on movies, (as opposed to merely being geekily obsessed with them) couldn't care less about IMDb. Sure, maybe they use it once in a while to look something up, but they don't pore over the credits of their favorite movies, or link to it from their blogs.

I have long been firmly in the category of IMDb movie geek, but learning that it might not be cool for a filmmaker to be an IMDb movie geek has put a dent in my enthusiasm. Oh well. For now, I will celebrate!

Why Goshen is the next Hollywood

A few times over the course of my film internship with Elsewhere, when I mentioned that I was interested in working on more films, people implied that this sort of work would be much easier to find in LA (or, I presume, in New York). I'm sure this is true, but having just bought a house in the merry little town of Goshen, I have no intention of moving any time soon. In any case, I'm not particularly worried about my film career, because I think that Goshen is the next Hollywood.

According to an article on independent film by David Bordwell, companies like Fox and MGM started out as "independents" who moved to the west coast to get away from "the studio" (at the time, the Motion Picture Patents Company). More and more people starting making independent films, and at some point the town of Hollywood, CA became synonomous with filmmaking. New York, and more recently, Chicago, have also become big places for filmmaking, simply because people started making films there.

In the last few years, people have started making films in Goshen. New World Arts has not one, but two short film festivals every year. A few years ago, a Goshen College grad that I went to school with made the award-winning Pearl Diver. Other Goshen residents and GC grads worked on and starred in Corduroy. Actor Steve Buscemi and LOTR star Liv Tyler directed and starred (respectively) in Lonesome Jim, filmed in Goshen and nearby Cromwell. And finally, Elsewhere, the film I worked on, was not only filmed in Goshen, but is set in Goshen, Indiana, and features actors from cult favorite films Office Space and Napoleon Dynamite.

Clearly, Goshen is not only producing film talent, but also attracting it. This is why I fully intend to continue my career in film, not by flying to California (although I do hope to do that some time), but by involving myself in the myriad of film projects that are going to keep coming to Goshen, Indiana.

In a movie vs. working on a movie

A few times since I started this internship, people have made comments along the lines of "wouldn't you rather be in the movie?" (ie: as an extra). I was surprised to hear them ask this, because it had never occured to me. Ultimately, I think it will be more rewarding to be on set during the whole shoot, instead of just coming in for a day; to have my name in the credits as a production assistant, rather than to be a nameless face in the background.

I suppose it's a sign of how serious I am about being in the movie business. It's not just some far-out fantasy, it's an actual career prospect, and careers are built on hard work, not on being in a movie for a day.

Life as a film production assistant

Five days ago, I didn't know exactly what a production assistant did. Here's a brief synopsis:
-carry stuff between set and basecamp (eg: bottled water, batteries for the walkies).
-"lock up" the set during filming (make sure no one gets into frame or makes too much noise).
-set up chairs and tents for the actors.
-hang out and be useful and responsible for anything that needs doing.

Biggest surprise:
-so many lights--and this is only a small production!

Best part of working on a movie set:
-not sitting at a computer.

Worst part:
-sore legs from standing 12 hours a day.

Fun things to do:
-chat with crew members.
-hand people bottles of water (you always get a big thank-you).
-enjoy the awed looks of the public when they wander by and find out you're making a movie.

Biggest misgiving:
-all the energy used, mostly for lights, and driving people around, but also for all the pop cans and water bottles that don't get recycled.

Oddest film lingo:
-the second-last shot of the day is called the "Abbie", after a 1950s director who apparently used to promise the crew that it was the second-last shot, then do 5 more.

Phrases buzzing around in my head:
-Picture's up!
-Uh, hey Jeff....
-Let's invite 1st team in.
-Go for Strum.

So anyways, I'm having a blast with this whole film thing. It's a lot of work, but so worth it!

Production Internship

I got an internship as a Production Assistant for an independent film shooting in Goshen! The movie is called Elsewhere. It's a "teen thriller" about a girl in Goshen who falls victim to an internet predator.

They say that when you're looking for a job, you should tell all your friends so they can keep an eye out for openings. I did, and it worked! We were at the Brew Friday night, and Jamie saw an advertisement for internships in this production. I called them up and got an interview on Monday, which went very well. Carlos has to formally confirm it with his boss, but he pretty much said I was in. [edit: I'm in!]

I'll be working 12-14 hour days Saturday-Monday from Sept 23-Oct 18, but this is exactly the sort of opportunity I've been dreaming of!