Trailer to my first feature

[Brandon Freeman]

So, I'm hoping the next one I shoot has a) funding and b) a RED (or five).

This was shot on a budget of, count it, $700. That was basically spent on getting some lights.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=G2zNJ9e01NA

Really looking forward to 4K -- gonna be looking at this user group for operators, hopefully!

[Kevin Halverson]

Congratulations, impressive production values for such a low budget trailer. Guess that $700 goes a lot further in Boise than it does in LA; production insurance alone is several times that around here! The last trailer I lensed (just under 2 minutes TRT) was over $27,000 (guild talent, location fees, production insurance, small crew, transportation costs, etc).

[Jason Francois]

Not bad Brandon.

A couple moments of overacting and marginal sound are the two things that stick out the most.

If you were to tighten it up just a bit, loop all the dialogue and rebuild the sound bed it would seem a lot more professional even as it sits.

that said, your shot selection wasn't all that bad. A couple of handhelds where it might have been better to be slightly locked off and maybe a couple of odd eyelines, but it mostly looked like a movie (amazing how rare that is).

Anyway, that's my take, for what it's worth. :)

J.

[redhector]

Very nice, I'll love to see your movie when finish, also I just finish the production of my first feature here in Los Angeles and, yes, even I shoot it all in my House the Budget is around 20k + deferred...

I'm in post production editing my movie and hoping my next will be shoot with The RED one. :sorcerer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdoim3Z6BmQ

[Ramesh Jai]

Not bad Brandon. Love the car shot. Just a comment - the name THE BROKEN QUIET is very student filmish.

[Brandon Freeman]

Thanks for all the comments. I've learned so much on this shoot (I directed, shot, edited, composed the music, etc), but the biggest thing I learned? It's better to share the load than think you're the best at everything. I'll be looking for qualified cinematographers, DPs and what not for the next one, to be sure. (Not that I didn't have a great crew this time around -- I just didn't delegate enough of the work.) That way, I can just write, direct, edit and compose. :)

As far as the $700 stretching, to put it bluntly, no one was paid, and there weren't any location fees (Boise's really trying to attract filmmakers). They told me that unless I made something off the film, they wouldn't need anything for the use of public areas, and if I did make something, it'd be like $300. So, if we get distributed, I'll be sure to write the city of Boise a check. Most everyone was just hungry to get their face out there, and I was more than happy to help! My lead actor, though, had a bit more caution to start as I had zero status in any filmmaking community and was not paying anyone. After reading the script, though, he was in. Of course, that encouraged me quite a bit.

During the shoot, he really took me under his wing in many ways and forced me to direct, as I'm naturally a bit timid. I'd compromise with a line or a performance, and he'd say, "Brandon, what do you want me to do? I can do it differently."

Of course, this means that for the next film I'm gonna be a total hard-ass. :)