Sasquatch In A Tollbooth Films

Going For The Gusto

jayboy75 — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:38:26 +0000

It’s now been over six months since we started shooting the film. Our production schedule was hindered over spring break when one of the principal actors suddenly left for the beach when we were supposed to be filming. Such is life. We got back into gear once everyone got home for the summer and have been doing tons more filming and planning, including some re-shoots the other night where we had to overhaul dialogue in one of the main scenes that outlines a big part of the plot.

Things started getting so complicated with the storyline and all the twists we wanted to throw in there that we finally had to sit down and write out an outline and a sequence of events so we could piece everything together and sort things out so that we’re straight on the chronology of the film. Certain sequences appear out of order and it’s important not to reveal too much too soon.

If you haven’t already guessed, we have decided most definitely that we are going full-length feature with this one. It began as a short, then we thought about making it around an hour, and then just said what the heck – let’s make a real movie. Then last week, disaster struck – one of our actors (coincidentally the same one who left for the beach in the spring) broke both bones in his right leg near the ankle and has to go in for surgery. I’m so glad we filmed several of his remaining scenes in the few weeks prior to his accident. While he’s recovering, we have parts to film that don’t involve him.

Still, we’re again set back and having to push the expected completion date further into the future. Rather than the end of the summer for wrapping up production, I’m now hoping for mid-autumn or winter as a release date.

Post-Production Begins… Before Production Ends

jayboy75 — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 04:36:54 +0000

I tend to get so excited about a project that I just have to start working on it before I really should. In this case, I’ve started at the beginning – editing the opening sequence of the film that we shot on the first night of filming. There is a lot we need to add and much more to shoot in order to fill out the rest of the story, but this isn’t a simple matter of knowing how to make a video. This is a film that could potentially go full-length if we are able to grab enough story and make it cohesive and fit it all into a nice little package. Problem is, I haven’t planned out exactly how that package is going to look. I have a pretty rough idea in my head, but I don’t want it to all just be filler and fluff just so we get out to the full 90-minute length or whatever. It has to really speak, like either be funny or add to the plot or both.

Filming in NYC

jayboy75 — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:40:32 +0000

We had a unique opportunity this past weekend that will work out great for the film. We just so happened to be going on a family trip to visit New York City on New Years’ Day. This had been planned for months, but I realized that it would be a complete waste not to bring my equipment and get some footage of some of the many amazing locales across the city.

Since my brother plays one of the principle roles in our new heist movie, just getting him on film doing certain things in the city was enough to add an entirely new layer to his character’s back story. I’m really glad we had both the opportunity and the wherewithal to get it done. We got all touristy and went to the top of the Empire State Building, where I was able to grab some unbelievable footage of the city that will make a great bookend to our story. So stoked!

Another Filming Session and More Possibility

jayboy75 — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:30:59 +0000

Seems like every time we get together to work on this new film, we capture a scene that opens up a new avenue for us to further lengthen it and flesh it out. We got a great new death scene with two of our main characters that I think turned out absolutely brilliantly, and I’m looking forward to getting into post but I want to see if we can finish out our production schedule before people are done with winter break first. I’ll keep you posted.

Heist Filming Continues

jayboy75 — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:08:44 +0000

We got a couple of good scenes tonight that introduce a new character – the ‘crime boss’ archetype, played by a member of the F4C who was out of town and unable to participate during the first filming session. In a way I’m glad for this, because it set the precedent for who would play which roles in the film. If we’d had four main characters, I think it would have been a little too much.

With the storyline and plot possibilities this quick couple of scenes adds to our film, I think it really is going to end up being a lot bigger than we had originally anticipated. Which is a good thing. I think it’d be nice to have an indie filmmaking experience where we got surprised with a full-length feature (or close to it) just by virtue of having done so much filming and gotten really good footage that we can piece together a story that makes sense and is worth watching.

Heist Movie – First Shoot

jayboy75 — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 07:01:29 +0000

Filming began on our working title “heist movie” and we managed to film the entire opening sequence, but I think we barely scratched the surface of what we could possibly do with this film. It’s going to be a joke, as usual, but it’ll be a joke that we’re going to put enough time and effort into in order for it to come out looking like a visually appealing joke.

Our films are done mostly using the principles of ad-lib and improv; rarely do we use pre-made scripts, and when we’ve tried to the results have been less than enticing. So most of the time things just build off one another. When we do Bachelor Pad we all just make it up as we go along. Sometimes there’s an idea or two tossed around, then we go with a basic theme for the scene or the episode, and then we just keep filming until enough funny stuff happens that we can cut out all the boring drivel and just leave in the funniest parts.

Anyway, I’m off topic here. The heist movie. I’m pretty stoked about it at this point. I think it could really be a killer flick and will make Flight of the Falcon, our previous short film effort, look like a pile of garbage. I’m speaking only in terms of visual quality; we’re using much better equipment and better techniques that’ll make this one better. But getting better is the point, isn’t it?

Heist Movie – Pre-Production

jayboy75 — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:29:47 +0000

The latest SIAT film started out as an idea in my mind (as opposed to an idea in one of the other F4C members’ minds) to make a short that would equal or top our last one, Flight of the Falcon. We shot FOTF in a single evening and somehow managed to get around 17 minutes of grainy, 8mm tape footage to compile as our first cohesive plot line. It’s a ridiculous plot line and a horror/comedy spoof of the worst kind. And by worst, I mean most awesome.

Right now it’s just called Heist Movie, because I’ve always been a big fan of caper and gangster movies like Snatch, Goodfellas, etc. It won’t be release with the title Heist Movie, of course. Not only would that be dumb, it would be unimaginative and a lame attempt at the typical comedy spoof genre titling.

So I’m hoping we’ll get to shoot some footage when people are around over winter break, because we usually end up hanging out anyway and filming is often part of that. It’ll be a question as to whether we can get it all done in one night again, but I somehow don’t remember how it was humanly possible to get so much done on FOTF in such a short time, so this may end up taking awhile.