Toby and Jamie

[Eric T. Jones]

Or, the full title:

"Toby and Jamie (and all the aliens that landed in their backyard)"

A screenplay I'm currently writing, and one I intend to be a first feature intended to be shot this summer. More than anything, I want this to be practice for other, bigger scripts and projects--- basically, getting any and all bad filmmaking out of my system and proving that I can actually make a full film.

The camera's already been decided- my Optura60, whose headphone output was falling apart but I refuse to even CONSIDER replacing that camera until I've gotten something big out of it, along with the use of the anamorphic lens which I've regretted being unable to use much, especially since I was so pleased with the widescreen shots I got from "N".

[On another note, I've decided that I also really hate the 1.78:1 16x9 ratio; it is and always has been a terrible format for compositions]

That being said, so far I'm trying to work around locations and the quantity of actors (as little of both as possible), but also trying to get the full story-- one I don't mind being hokey or slightly cliche since, hey, it's intended to be a B-movie but with a lot of character development.

Also, I have the design for the aliens fully completed, and in terms of their "character", I intend for them to look animated and unrealistic. One day I might make a cheesy rubber-puppet monster flick since that's why I started Dead Moose, Inc. in the first place, but the way this screenplay is going this won't be that flick.

SUMMARY
Jamie is a high school senior who's really good at one thing, basketball- but she risks being kicked off the team due to her failing grades, so she signs for study buddy. Her partner is Toby, a "miracle worker" and sophomore whose past buddies have improved vastly, but wouldn't want to work with him again since- as he admits- he's in the program "to pick up chicks". In the middle of this, scientists report on a meteor shower that's threatening to hit Earth, but they think the atmosphere has burned everything.
But Toby meets his match with Jamie, the meteors haven't, in fact, disappeared and are bringing aliens straight to... Jamie's backyard. Of course, the whole "study buddy" thing is just a McGuffin to initiate the potential romance, and the aliens are something of an excuse to add some chaos into their lives.



I originally intended for the aliens to be McGuffins themselves, but I've enjoyed writing and drawing them so much that now they are directly involved in the plot. (that and people might actually want to see an alien movie. Whether they like this specific brand of alien is up to them)

Learning from past big projects, once I have the screenplay finished I might show it to some of you to see what needs to be worked out, then storyboard it in its entirety and have it play out before the summer... just so I've seen the entire movie and have a better hint if it's going to work (also to plan out the lighting and sound design, both of which I intend to work with after years of not).

If this is done on time, I want to submit it to Cinequest at least. Not expecting a breakout hit out of this one, of course- just the experience and thrill of completing a feature.

[Eric T. Jones]

I'm constructing a Writeboard with a scene-by-scene summary. It's amazing how much I'm learning just from my directing and screenwriting classes on the first day, and I'll have to say I can't remember the last time I've enjoyed writing this much.

[Eric T. Jones]

Completed the first scene-for-scene outline. Never mind the fact that it starts to get reaaaaalllllly shitty, but it's something complete. NOW I can start searching for plot holes, making it less disjointed, clearing up characters and rounding them up better, and overall uncrapifying the movie.

(partly on Kevin's advice and my own personal taste, I've opted to make the romance a little more subdued. Not necessarily less prominent in the plot, but a lot more subtle)

In its current form I'm also a little upset; my estimate is that it's 44 minutes, and I want this to be at least 74. More motivation to explore other untapped aspects of the story, maybe even delete some of the less-than-satisfying scenes after that.

[Eric T. Jones]

Before I go through to my second rewrite, I want to do a special effects test so I know what I'm in for. This would be a small 1-2 minute scene that would require, I think, the average amount of compositing work (and also to "sell" the movie to potential cast members), as well as testing out the animation techniques for the aliens. It's to ensure that I won't abruptly back out from the project and back out due to the effects demands.

Otherwise, I'm starting a second outline based on whatever scraps of the first outline I liked, as well as bits and pieces that other people who have read it liked (I also have a full page of suggestions as well as a list of noticed plot holes, abrupt scenes and terrible transitions-- which is good to know since some of this could be used to grab that much-needed runtime but also make a better-quality script). I want to make sure there's a strong backbone on this thing before I start fleshing out dialogue and write a full-on screenplay.

The early pre-production schedules I'm coming up with very carefully due to my directing class and the projects I will have to do for that (luckily the rest is now all one big mega-project but the individual fragments still need to be... um... turned in). However, during one of those filming sessions is when I want to do the special effects experiment, involving shooting the live-action part and model animation done in a couple weeks after.

The current plan:

PRE-PRODUCTION
-around May 17- The first writing conference involving the storyline. I'll likely have a few people learn to operate the external sound recorder, which I will not be able to operate.
-May 24- The live-action portion of the effects test should be shot.
-May 25- Outlines should be finished, revamped, and the screenplay should be prepared. Casting should either begin or be right in the middle of.
-May 25- Location scouting begins.
-May 31- A concept of the sound design of the film should be completed.
-June 7- A bare-bones animated composite should be completed for the Effects Test.
-June 8- A next-to-final draft of the screenplay should be finished.
-June 8- Locations should be confirmed. Storyboarding should begin.
-June 14- Familiarize the cast with the characters they're portraying, and start rehearsals. Obtain schedules from all the cast members to better plan out shooting days. Get release forms signed and confirmed by parents.
-June 15- Full-motion effects test should be completed.
-June 17- At least one of these three: storyboards should be completed, shot lists should be completed, or both. All special effects shots will have storyboards.
-June 21- Wardrobe should be approved and confirmed for every scene.

PRODUCTION
-June 30 to July 18- Start shooting and don't stop until it's wrapped! I'm going to schedule 3 weeks as a safety net. I want it to be done in two.
-ASAP- The day after the first live-action scene intended to include SFX is completed, an edit will be made and effects photography will officially begin. Even if it's just motion tracking and planning the positions for a completed shot, it will start once the first live-action plate is out of the lab (so to speak).

POST-PRODUCTION
-starts June 30- ADR will be conducted at whatever time no scenes can be shot. Time is valuable on a big production and should not be wasted, so if it is not spent making the film, it is spent refining it. I am preparing to work long nights editing the day's scenes so no time is wasted in getting to post-production, which will be done during production itself! If reshoots are required, they might be done during this time. If no scenes can be shot, then foley will be worked on.
-by July 25- The first full cut should be completed. On this week, it will be screened to select crew members. After, film festivals should be researched.
-July 28 to August 8- If necessary, more reshoots, additional ADR and foley.
-by August 15- A second rough cut should be completed, with at least 50% of the effects completed.
-August 31- The sound mix should be completed.
-September 7- Special effects should be finished. As in completed.
-September 14- The final cut should be finished, with a screening for everyone involved in the production. Start submitting to film festivals and don't stop until the buzzer sounds! Primary target is San Jose Cinequest, but chances should be increased; a couple of "late" submissions are perfectly acceptable if it means getting the film out there earlier. We are not working on a feature-length production for nothing!
-sometime in 2009...- when all is said and done, a DVD release is planned, of course.



THINGS NOT DECIDED YET:
-How many characters there will be. I'll try to cut this to a minimum while writing the script, although some scenes will call for extras (I do NOT want "Toby and Jamie" to be "one of those indie films", hence why I want to make something with special effects and extras).
-Exact locations.
-Who will be playing the leads, Toby and Jamie. Never mind that I don't have a full cast, but I would like at least the leads.
-What the aliens will be animated with. I'm going for either construction paper or claymation, although for the latter I need to investigate what material will be the most efficient and cost-effective. FPS also needs to be decided. [(5/25) PROBABLY plasticine clay which is non-drying and shapeable. I don't want visible fingerprints on these things due to the fact that I plan to photograph them at 60fps (although individual movements would never go beyond 12fps, so 5x frames)]
-How to shoot night scenes, which I intend to have. I could take the plunge and see how the Optura60 works (I was not impressed with the quality of the night shots it got for "Checkmate", which were almost pitch-black), borrow my boss' HV20 which can shoot 1/24 shutter speed (as opposed to 1/60), or use the old "Fight Movie" camera one last time since it shoots in the dark fairly well. Since the latter lacks manual options, I'll have to investigate further. [(5/27) Having real examples of films actually shot at night, I prefer the blue-tinged traditional day-for-night and the authentic purple-and-orange tinged night seen in "Collateral". However, the latter film required video cameras running at a VERY slow shutter speed (1/24 and they had to push the exposure a LOT). What I'll probably do is color-correct it later in post production to get the purple-and-orange tint I want (possibly some tests need to be run), and shoot day-for-night for the sake of exposure. I find the slow shutter speeds unappealing enough to where I'll settle for fake night.]
-Who's composing the musical score, and how much old-fashioned public domain music I might be using.

[Eric T. Jones]

I bought (presumably) plasticine clay to test-animate the aliens, but first I've created an animatic to see if I even think this is a good idea beyond paper. Starting to animate it on Premiere, and will see how it goes.

[Eric T. Jones]

I am pleased with the animatic and will go forth with the claymation version, possibly composited onto a live-action background and testing software motion blur.

[Eric T. Jones]

No effects work yet, except creating a few preliminary sculpey models and drawing faces on them with sharpie. I may take photos, but I'm happy with the look; the ultimate color of the aliens is still under consideration, and I might first run tests with digitally compositing hand-drawn faces.

I've spent most of last week digging into my Ultimate Toby and Jamie Notebook (officially, it's Dead Moose, Inc. Production Number #101), where I've tried to pop in as many questions as I could think of regarding some plot holes that Grace kindly pointed out, and some I noticed myself in the original outline. Also using some of what I've learned in screenwriting class regarding how films are structured, I was initially going to start on an outline, but I decided instead that since I know 98% of my story anyway, to try my shot at writing a first full draft.

Reached 11 pages today alone, and I'm hoping it ultimately reaches at least 90 pages. (standard screenplay length is 120 pages, but they usually contain scenes that are about to be deleted, too) Based on experience from shooting a chase scene last week, I'm trying very hard to make sure any scene with a car either takes place entirely inside the car while it's moving, or doesn't have to directly synchronize with anybody else's actions. It should work; I don't think it's gonna be too background-dependent when shooting inside while it's moving, and most of the other shots I want are just of the car passing by or parking.

(the actress who plays Jamie (17) is going to need a driver's license, as well as the actors playing Toby's two friends (16 and 17))

What I Know: one sequence I want is going to involve lots of car action, but by its nature it's during nighttime and I can get away with a lot of offscreen.

That being said, I'm writing scenes that have at least three or four things going on at once, which I'm sure is going to give me a heart attack during shooting. I guess that means I'll be going for longer shot lengths, but that's for the planning phase AFTER I have a script. I suppose I could be up all night cranking out scenes whenever I get stuck, just to finally have a full-length script finished without gaps. Yeah, time to stop procrastinating and get back to writing.

[Eric T. Jones]

After a few days of writer's block, I decided to just skip a scene on page 35 as I'd likely delete it for redundancy anyways; I'm getting anxious to finishing a first full draft, no matter how crap it is. Which is fine since I ALREADY have a lot that I want to fix (in the field of minute character details). It's at page 38 and I don't anticipate writer's block for at least the next XX pages. Estimated length is a little over 90 pages.

I might want to get my casting done soon, so I can have some "character sessions" with the actors.

Otherwise, given the shooting from the chase scene "Nathan.", I'm starting to question if I'm actually going to set up lighting. Maybe for some scenes, but it'll probably be very subtle since it's a HUGE transition (and I've planned what I realized is a VERY tight schedule for anything I've ever worked on); that, and the general "run-and-gun" nature of my filmmaking, I might use this film to test if that method can sustain a whole feature.

(besides, I might not be able to make a film that way ever again after this)

[Eric T. Jones]

Realizing how WAY behind schedule I am, as I'm still tinkering around with the screenplay (I'm only at page 40 at the moment due to the overload in schoolwork these last two weeks), filming could very possibly be July-August rather than July. Despite the fact that this is "practice" and supposed to be a B-movie, there's a certain quality level I want to reach, too.

[look up "Transmorphers", "Snakes on a Train" and "Allan Quatermain and the Temple of Skulls" on YouTube and watch their trailers. I want "Toby and Jamie" to be at least 10 times better than any one of those look, sound or act. To my knowledge, they were all shot under the severe time crunch of 9 days, obviously NOT the shooting schedule I'm going for]

[Eric T. Jones]

Okay, first draft ever is FINISHED. Running at... 69 pages, or really, 68-and-a-half. Yikes. I was hoping for something around 10 pages longer than that, but maybe there's something I missed in this one that could be expanded in the rewrite.

[or I could just do what "November" did and insert the slowest ending credits scroll in the universe]

[Eric T. Jones]

Okay, so now that my quarter is (very nearly close to) over and I only have the first draft of the screenplay finished, let's evaluate this schedule:

PRE-PRODUCTION
-around May 17- The first writing conference involving the storyline. I'll likely have a few people learn to operate the external sound recorder, which I will not be able to operate.
-May 24- The live-action portion of the effects test should be shot.
-May 25- Outlines should be finished, revamped, and the screenplay should be prepared. Casting should either begin or be right in the middle of.
-May 25- Location scouting begins.
-May 31- A concept of the sound design of the film should be completed.
-June 7- A bare-bones animated composite should be completed for the Effects Test.
-June 8- A next-to-final draft of the screenplay should be finished.
-June 8- Locations should be confirmed. Storyboarding should begin.
-June 14- Familiarize the cast with the characters they're portraying, and start rehearsals. Obtain schedules from all the cast members to better plan out shooting days. Get release forms signed and confirmed by parents.
-June 15- Full-motion effects test should be completed.
-June 17- At least one of these three: storyboards should be completed, shot lists should be completed, or both. All special effects shots will have storyboards.
-June 21- Wardrobe should be approved and confirmed for every scene.


A full month or two behind despite my ceaselessly tweaking and refining my screenplay based on continuous note-taking. I would still like a writing conference and other needs to expand this 69-page script into something closer to 90.

I'm thinking of having live-action creatures for some shots that don't need much complexity and would be too painstaking to do in stop-motion, but none of the effects tests have been done yet. Since I no longer need to do my final project for directing class, I can jump straight to experimenting with the SFX.

My guess is, filming will start in August and seep into weekends during the school year, which is fine since I will need some scenes on-campus (and in classrooms). Post-production work, I'm hoping, can actually be done during shooting. I really want ADR to be done when filming isn't so I don't have to worry about it later.

I do want a couple of crew members for boom mic and sound recorder operation, so next month will probably be practice for that. Animation and sound design tests as well.

Finding out where I'm going to get my cast is another problem. As for locations, I think I know what I want; it's just up to getting a confirmed cast list, confirmed filming dates, THEN asking the location owners.

I also want my cast to be acquainted to their characters, so some improvisational rehearsal days may be in order.

[Eric T. Jones]

Still enduring rewrites, although now I've found the pieces to some potentially radical changes (should potentially add on a good 10 pages and a third act).

Needless to say I have shot zero frames of this movie this summer, and like anything else, how I'm finishing is definitely not like how I'm starting (it's looking less and less like a B-movie about aliens as it's going along). If I didn't have a primary influence on the film before, I do now: James Cameron's "The Abyss".

The aliens now have an origin story (however much of that will be visible in the final product will still be better than building off... nothing), and I'm fairly sure that they will be CGI. Only in the sense that they're 100% digital, but they will be animated frame-by-frame and with switchable parts as if they were still being done with clay. If I can learn to model on the computer well enough, it can be a far more practical option. Or realistic, production-wise.

I hope to get this shooting before fall season is over, and I'll probably be shooting all the outdoor scenes first.

[kenny]

So have we decided on the actors yet? When and where we film? This would be excellent to know.

[Eric T. Jones]

We have not decided on actors because I have not called any up yet. I suppose I could just mail a crapload of people and have them all meet on the weekend and I can see who can play what [we all know how our schedules are gonna be... right?], if their locations are secure, insurability, and the like.

[Eric T. Jones]

Epiphany. A darker, bloodier second draft is in order.