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We're all done! It was not easy - we were almost shut down all the way up to the day before - but the kind, diligent work of a few beat out the selfish, inconsiderate acts of another few, and for that we are overjoyed!The shoot it self was a wonderful experience. A lot of thanks go to Jordan who laid the groundwork for the smooth path we walked. Martin also deserves a heaping load of thanks - he could be found two nights before the shoot climbing around the outside of our house in the dark with plastic sheeting and a staple gun, braving the unkempt plants and stray cat poo for his art. Also Brian, who's care kept us fed and laughing, and who's patience and willingness to be put out supplied us with 90% of our shooting locations.A huge thanks also goes to our hearty actors. For the most part I knew them as friends before I asked them to go along with me on this crazy thing. This fact makes it all the more impressive that each of them was able to risk, at best embarrassment, and at worse, communicable sickness. But really they impressed me with their willingness to do something both interpretive and self-effacing. It's all well and good for me to write a silly script, but for me to pass that head-space on to a number of other people and ask them, "now make it real for yourself" is entirely separate and more difficult thing. They came through like I only hoped for, and then some!Well done everybody; cast, crew, moms, pets, supporters, etc.Thanks to everyone, and stay tuned for updates.best, L
Dear Cast and Crew of "Better Get Straight, This is your producer (Jordan) writing on behalf of both myself and Lincoln to announce that the "Better Get Straight" shoot dates are being pushed...CANCELLED?! No, NOT cancelled... just pushed :-)BUT WHY?!
Well, lots of reasons; but mainly, the extra time is turning out to be essential to meeting the needs of certain key actors, locations, and equipment, all of which we need in order to complete the movie to our standards. So, let me formally apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and assure you that our team continues to work diligently producing this film (and you should be too - wink, wink, nudge nudge).
The new tentative shoot dates will be between the weeks of January 19th and February 16th. I realize that this is a wide range, but the reason for this is that we want plenty of leeway to learn about YOUR availability. If anybody has any known scheduling conflicts during that period, please let me know ASAP. Also, please don't hesitate to call me at (415) 342-3143 or email me at info@JLPMOVIES.com if you have any questions.
I look forward to talking to everyone soon! Sincerely, Jordan Livingston producer, "Better Get Straight"
Our wonderfully thoughtful and capable DP Martin Dicicco has done us all a favor and stitched together some panoramic shots of our locations! these ought to be a an invaluable tool - and as pieces of art they're very Hockney-esque.
Also, as you might notice, we have a location locked for the Game Force! we will be shooting at the InteractCD on Lake St. in Pasadena.
Much thanks to Martin and Jordan for both of these feats.
Happy trails,
Link
This is in NO WAY meant as a road map or a rule book! I completely give you creative license in your shopping/finding of the costumes. I include these pictures and these words only as a shorthand so that we have a bedrock of material to work from.
Kate: obviously the most important - and most nuanced. the way I see it, we ride the line between these two truths about her: Kate uses her clothes to stand in for her personality - she wears loud/overly fancy/brightly colored and patterned/vintage clothes as a mode of overt expression so that she doesn't have to speak for herself; and she actually dresses cute/shows she has a sense of personal style and it is lost on these guys.
Things to consider - I think she might wear a dress to work one of the times. A nice vintage-y one that would especially contrast with her surroundings there. She also, on the other hand, wears a lot of men's t shirts. Perhaps they are modified (sleeves cut off, as a dress with a belt, etc), perhaps they are lifted from her male roommies. During the bedroom scenes, for instance, I see her wearing an old Misfits shirt, or there abouts.
Jason: This guy has some specific costume notes in the script - but they are not hard and fast. I do think this guy is stylin' though; the H&M fake leather jacket, tight jeans, shiny shoes, (dare i say) a scarf..? Either way, he's put together and clean cut-ish.
Brad: This guy is not "fashionable" at all. He hangs out in a "hipster" world, to some degree, but he is not interested in his clothes. Mervyns -bought button downs, one of those goofy-ass t-shirts here and there (think "Big Dog"), and that's it. There are not really pic.s for him.
Dirk: this guy is like the "scene-y" version of a jock. He might rock a flannel shirt, a bright colored hoodie, a big belt buckle, etc., and he might do it in a semi "with-it" manner, but he is obnoxious too. T-shirt: "fuck you, you fucking fuck." Get it?
Dylan: This guy possibly embodies the most "hipster" cliche look. gay, young, hip, Los Angeles - GO!
Other guys: Don't over think it. They can be dressed like hip kids, or they can be nerds in sweat pants and novelty t-shirts. Have them use their own clothes and it'll be fine.
Inattentive Mother: she is on the trashy side, but she works. Subtlety is the key here. She certainly has her priorities crooked though, so a faux-fur or shiny gold coat might not be out of the question.
Kid: Whatever a kid would wear to a store... a stained Pokemon tee and some too-high-on-the-waist jeans?
Final note: this is not only not restrictive, it is a wish list. we have no money to throw around. We can spend on things we must have (E.G. Kate and Jason) but everything else can be thrift shopped, borrowed, from actor's closet, etc.
Thanks a lot and don't hesitate to ask should Q's arise!
-L
Color:
Warm tones. Reds, oranges, yellows, etc.
Dressing:
lamps. Martin wants to utilize lamps in his lighting scheme, so the instructions here will be more specific as we go, but in general we're talkin' thrift store-o-rama! the more varied the shades and the more outdated the style, the better!
We will also try to procure a couch (or two) for free from friends, but also be on the look out for a warm tone, "flop house-ish," ratty, sofa, great!
Wall stuff will be much more chaotic. I've included some examples of "punk houses."
A lot of these, however, are much more "dirty" than I picture our house becoming. I like their subversive nature, but we might think about replacing the music centric elements with "nerdier," army navy surplus centric stuff. The people who live here, remember, are part hipster, part video game geek, part WWII enthusiasts, but ALL distracted youth. so the more visually stimulating and lacking in cohesive theme the better!
As far as things to buy (in other words something helpful) here are some ideas:
Lamps, outdated flags (USA, Soviet, Commie Vietnam), goofy thrift-store-bought wall art/paintings, perhaps an old broken TV, army men/old GI joes (which do not need to be returned intact), Power Glove, Super Scope, progressive rock (elo, rush, super tramp, etc) concert posters... as a start... and in warm tones.
Thanks!
The easiest and most cost effective way to deck-out the store would be to fill the area behind and around the counter with actual game cartridges. A lot of people still have them in their collection and they can be easily borrowed over the weekend without remuneration. While looking for a location to shoot, in fact, Brian and I visited a vintage game store which simply had a wall of un-boxed, used NES games on the wall behind the register. it was great and would be really cheap to reproduce.
Ex:
The next tier of things are actual ads for video games. these are not easy to borrow, not because they are treasured, but simply because they were essentially trash. They can be found easily enough on Ebay. Note: every Nintendo Power Magazine, Gamepro Magazine, and Electronic Gaming Monthly, from the 80's/early 90's came with a free poster! buying a lot of these babies will almost certainly be cheaper than trying to find single posters. Again the era to look for is like 1988-1994ish.
Ex:
The other, possibly higher ticket set of items to look for would be actual displays. we may have to hunt around for these, but so long as we find cool ones, it will be worth it. hopefully, even if we drop $100 or more, the resale value of things like this won't fall during the making of the movie...
Ex:
As far as the actual interiors of the store, they will depend exclusively on the location. A lot of these things are small and incidental, but realistically we will only be able to hang small background elements.
Thanks!
I will try to upload a document soon. this blog thing is not really useful if we can't do that.
enjoy!, LH
