Thank you to 2 brave souls

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC

I'd like to thank CamVader And Clapboard Nick for helping me out with my intro to my new film.

Guys, it's better because of you.

As a rough cut, it still has a ways to go. But, thank you for helping me getting it on the right track.

For now, this is where it stands:

http://www.vimeo.com/26823357

Password is membersonly

What's going to be holding back the post now is funding. The greenscreen backgrounds will be replaced with better ones, the sound has a long way to go, and I'm sure some of the intro will be recut as more footage gets edited together.

What makes IT so great are the people here.

Nick and John, thanks again.

I'm just wondering if it is good enough now to show to one of my studio friends, explaining it is a rough of the intro and I'll be looking them up later when we go to NATPE to get them on board to sweenten a deal with a cable TV network like the SyFy Channel? Or, wait until it is more together, which may take a while?
 
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I haven't looked at this cut, but never show anyone your rough cut.

People who work in the business will always tell you that they understand rough cuts, and that they don't judge rough cuts by sound drops, color correction issues, effects not in place, etc., and then as soon as you start it and the first thing occurs that would be fixed by the final cut, they look alarmed and go, "What was that? Why is that making noise? Is that jump cut going to be there?" etc. People who say they understand rough cuts rarely do.

Always wait to show people the finished product, unless, as in the case of CamVader and Nick, they are helping you work on an edit. People who may put you in touch with distribution need to see nothing but the most polished examples you can show them, in my experience and opinion.

gelder
 
I though so.

I guess that applies to people I've known for over a decade too.

Thanks Steve.

That's why I told a film investor I met this past Saturday that the production is in post and I will invite them to the screening party.
 
steve gelder said:
I haven't looked at this cut, but never show anyone your rough cut.



gelder
Click to expand...

I think this is good advice, in general for scripts as well. It's a bad habit and no matter how many prefaces and warnings you attach, you're going to get judged. Worst of all is sending people half written scripts and asking for feedback.

Now, if only I could follow my own advice.
 
I had fun trying to help, Mike. These things can be just so subjective there is never a perfect contribution in all respects, or necessarily any for that matter.

Thanks for the kind words.
 
I'm just wondering if it is good enough now to show to one of my studio friends, explaining it is a rough of the intro and I'll be looking them up later when we go to NATPE to get them on board to sweenten a deal with a cable TV network like the SyFy Channel? Or, wait until it is more together, which may take a while?
Click to expand...

Finish the film first. Do not try to sell a work-in-progress.

Yes, it will take a while. Make it the best that it can be, before shopping it around. :cool:
 
Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC said:
I'm just wondering if it is good enough now to show to one of my studio friends, explaining it is a rough of the intro and I'll be looking them up later when we go to NATPE to get them on board to sweenten a deal with a cable TV network like the SyFy Channel? Or, wait until it is more together, which may take a while?
Click to expand...
I before spending more than a few minutes unsuccessfully hunting down Zach Syder's "300" pre-production proof of concept video he showed to the funding studio I watched your rough a few times (and pretty much most of your other uploads, as well, because I'm bad that way).

The rough cut gets better the more times it's watched, largely between the V.O.'s thick accent and the competing background music it's difficult to just enjoy the story - which I actually get and think is pretty cool.

If you want to pitch this for a studio pick up then, without any street cred, make the proof of concept as good as possible.

I know the "300" POC video is on the DVD features extra, but I can't find it online.
I think you're gunning for the same idea:
- Got story in hand,
- all the background homework is done,
- he're how you conceptually want it to look,
- do you guys want to buy it?
Close?

I agree with the advice provided in this thread: Make it as good as you can BEFORE pitching it.
If the POC audio can be better - make it better.
If the POC background can be better - make it better.
If the POC 3D animation can be better - make it better.

Five bucks says any STUDIO contractual funding deal will be scaled against or inversely to whatever YOUR production assets can bring to the table. I imagine their goal would be to pare away as many arguable assets you have and just try to offer payment for as little as possible.
From a business POV that's what I'd do.
I'd try to pay my subcontractors for as little as possible despite what song-and-dance, parsley on the side, and ambiance they were trying to sell me.

A distributor is likely looking for a bagged and tagged product.
Bring it.

"As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time."
- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
 
As I said, I was only thinking of showing it to a friend I've known a good ten years who has made a career of working in studio productions and does Independent films from time to time, not to a studio or a stranger yet. Especially, not to an investor half baked.

I expeect funds next spring from a tax refund that should cover expenses to get the production through post.

I will continue with new sections of the rough cut. My DP is editing together the big fight scenes, since he loves action on his AVID. He did a great job with a knife fight between 2 human Amazons. He actually re-choreographered it as we were shooting it. He made it better than the stunt coordinator was intending.

The person I'm looking to draft into the next production is a Hollywood professional in stunts and fight choreorgaphy. We will get way better fights scenes if and when my friend comes into the production as a stunt coordinator and this person will be offered a supporting acting role too. My friend is a big fan of science fiction too and will come up with way better cyborg fights that the stunt coordinator we had.
 
The music will absolutly be replaced. It's all I could find that is royalty free and sounds somewhat like science fiction. It will be sound scored by a composer, custom to the production.

I already said to my DP I want an audio editing house I've gone to before to do the final sound mix. They may ask to have some of the narrations redone with specific ways of making them better. The post audio house has contracts with all of the local cable TV networks, so their work is good. So, audio will improve. What they do for liittle guys with small change like me is assign a new trainee to work on the audio with a union editor looking over their shoulder to guide them on how to work on the audio at a discounted rate over what they normally charge.
 
It's looking pretty awesome! Can't wait to see how you develop this further!

I definitely agree with the "make it the best you can before pitching" sentiment that others have expressed. However, if the guy is a friend of yours, peer review is good at ANY stage of development, and if he has some insight into the market you want to pitch to down the road, even better!

Once again, I'm looking forward to seeing you progress with this!
 
Thank you, JoshL.

You people on this forum are the greatest.

I guess I'll divide my time with the editing and developing IC3 script.

With the right post team, the footage can only look better and better. All it takes is money.
 
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rayw said:
I before spending more than a few minutes unsuccessfully hunting down Zach Syder's "300" pre-production proof of concept video he showed to the funding studio I watched your rough a few times (and pretty much most of your other uploads, as well, because I'm bad that way).

The rough cut gets better the more times it's watched, largely between the V.O.'s thick accent and the competing background music it's difficult to just enjoy the story - which I actually get and think is pretty cool.

If you want to pitch this for a studio pick up then, without any street cred, make the proof of concept as good as possible.

I know the "300" POC video is on the DVD features extra, but I can't find it online.
I think you're gunning for the same idea:
- Got story in hand,
- all the background homework is done,
- he're how you conceptually want it to look,
- do you guys want to buy it?
Close?

I agree with the advice provided in this thread: Make it as good as you can BEFORE pitching it.
If the POC audio can be better - make it better.
If the POC background can be better - make it better.
If the POC 3D animation can be better - make it better.

Five bucks says any STUDIO contractual funding deal will be scaled against or inversely to whatever YOUR production assets can bring to the table. I imagine their goal would be to pare away as many arguable assets you have and just try to offer payment for as little as possible.
From a business POV that's what I'd do.
I'd try to pay my subcontractors for as little as possible despite what song-and-dance, parsley on the side, and ambiance they were trying to sell me.

A distributor is likely looking for a bagged and tagged product.
Bring it.

"As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time."
- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
Click to expand...

I do have 300 on DVD, so I'll look it up.

Interesting you bring up the accent of the narrator. I discussed it with two crew people and I went with someone with an accent, thinking back to The Fifth Element where The Fifth Element barely spoke English because ancient lanugagues were not English.

Artemis is a more ancient diety than Greek civilization and the Greeks adopted her from the Amazon civilization that founded the city of Ephesus in Turkey where the Temple Of Artemis still stands as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is even mentioned Acts 19 of the New Testiment in the Bible.

So, Artemis would know many languages from all of the variations of humans she created around the universe as the life giving goddess who nurtures the universe.

Artemis is narrating the intro by the way.

Artemis.jpg


Here is Daniela Dakich as Artemis: Goddess Of The Hunt

We show a different version of humans in the Amazon society on the planet, Delta Four in the film.

Here, the cyborgs are cast to look intimidating around the humans by being noticibly taller than humans:

283916_2252267108759_1310719072_2695215_7498545_n.jpg


There was a lot of though that went into the planning of this production.
 
Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC said:
Artemis is a more ancient diety than Greek civilization and the Greeks adopted her from the Amazon civilization that founded the city of Ephesus in Turkey where the Temple Of Artemis still stands as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is even mentioned Acts 19 of the New Testiment in the Bible.

So, Artemis would know many languages from all of the variations of humans she created around the universe as the life giving goddess who nurtures the universe.

Artemis is narrating the intro by the way.
Click to expand...

Make sure you play up on this in the score. Have your composer throw in some turkish instrumentation/modes on top of the sci-fi orchestral/electronic stuff. I love that kind of fusion of influences, and it's a good thing to exploit as much as you can!
 
Thanks for the suggestion, JoshL.

I found a youtube video on the legendary Queen Myrine who raise an army of Amazons to battle Atlantis which is over 10,000 years ago. Lemuria and Atlantis co-existed for 30,000 years together and Lemuria is said to have been a Matriarchy society where women ruled and lived lives close to nature. So, you can see how the Greeks re-invented Artemis as the Goddess of the Hunt where she used to be the Goddess of the Amazons.

According to Gordon Michael Scallion, the Lemurians were star travellers who were in 2 previous star systems before coming to Mars before coming to Earth. They were originally being of energy without physical form that evolved into humans.

I have the surviving cyborgs from Earth on a journey to disscovery the true origins of humans in the universe. Artemis will become their guide.
 
I think I have a good solution. I'll contact my friend with an email and attach a few of my best promo photos and just give this person a heads-up I'd like them to work with us for the feature we will be pitching to the cable TV networks at NATPE and the short is in post and the feature script is in development.

I think that will work.
 
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