Story Boards by Corey Mullins

Once upon a time I decided that it would be a really swell idea to write a series of articles on the making of my first short film. As you can see from the months that pass between each post, this didn’t turn out to be such a realistic goal. Lesson #57 – making a film of any size sucks up all available time and energy, leaving you with neither of either to put into blogging.

I’m embarrassed to see that the last update is about February. FEBRUARY! That’s practically years ago. So much has happened since then. Where to start?

Oh, I know. March. We’ll start with March.

After a few months of nos, March turned into the month of yeses.

March

• You may or may not remember that as of the end of February I had found a Director of Photography (DOP), lost him, and found a potential new one. Becky Parsons was really interested in shooting Curtains for me, but was in Toronto and waiting on word from another job that would bring her to Halifax, thereby allowing her to work on my movie. It was touch and go for a while, but in late March she was finally able to confirm. WooHoo! [...read more on Life As A Human]

Image Credit

Story Board Examples by Corey Mullins

Filmmaking 101 is a series of articles I’m writing for Life As A Human. Please check out the full article over there.

I haven’t written a new blog post in so long because nothing has happened. Or nothing good, anyway. Why write a post describing all the false starts and retracted promises that have been plaguing Curtains? It just sounds so depressing.

Depressing or no, it’s been my reality for the last few months. And I can’t very well skip over all that stuff and just tell you about the good things that are happening, now can I? (Spoiler! There is good stuff! Happening!)

When working on a creative project like this, I become so emotionally invested that it’s hard to be objective. Good news flies me to the stars. Bad news sinks me to the bottom of the ocean. To spare you from the boring details on how each of these events warmed or broke my heart, I’ve decided to make a list. Just the facts, nice and tidy…[...read more on Life As A Human]

Image Credit

Comedy & Tragedy Masks on Flickr

In my last article I mentioned that I wrote the short film version of Curtains for an application to a film program. That program is called Film 5, and is put on through AFCOOP, a film co-operative in Halifax, NS. They offer all sorts of great training and resources to new and established filmmakers in Nova Scotia. Film 5 is for emerging filmmakers. You apply with a script and a small team (writer/director/producer), and they hold your hand through making your film.

This sounded great. I put out a call to my Facebook friends for team members. I found a friend who works as an editor, and had a friend of a friend recommended. We three met, all got along, and all liked the project. We put together an application that I thought was a shoe-in.

We were rejected.

Now, I’m no stranger to rejection…[read more]

 Image Credit

Open source film making with Todd Harris @ Flickr

Creating something — whether it be art, music, literature, a new company, a product that you want to sell on the interweb to make your million — happens in two distinct phases. In the first you, and your idea, exist in a pocket universe* that is completely separate from our known reality. It’s your baby, your own, your precious, and you must protect it as it cannot possibly survive out in the cold on its own. Perhaps you invite a few trusted allies to visit your pocket universe, and introduce your idea to them, and try not to feel like you’re going to the bathroom naked in the middle of your high school English class (I’m not the only one with that recurring nightmare. Right?) — in other words, totally exposed and absolutely ridiculous. But for the most part it is kept in solitary confinement while you nurse it into being.

My, that’s a gooey metaphor. Did I get any on you? So sorry for the mess.

In my case, this phase was me writing the script….[...read more]

 Image Credits

 Cover of The Blend, Issue #2, by Matt Brossard

I’m making a movie.

That’s something I never thought I’d say! Who am I to make a movie? Who do I think I am? I never attended film school. I don’t know anyone famous. I don’t have any money and I don’t really have any idea what I’m doing.

I think that’s why this could work.

It’s sort of what I do. I see something that I think sounds cool and just dive right in, without really thinking. Maybe that seems reckless. But in my experience if I think too much about something then I come up with a whole list of reasons why I shouldn’t do it and talk myself out of it… [Read More]

Image Credit

Film Projector @ Flickr

Don’t think of it as me asking for money. Think of it as me telling you about this project I’m working on. And then, if you think it sounds cool and want to be a patron of the arts, you may decide to become a donor. Or not. Whatever.

What am I talking about? Let me tell you!

Allow me to introduce you to Curtains.

Curtains is a short film I wrote, based on a fantastic short comic by Matt Brossard. I am going to produce it, along with the help of co-producer Dave Mullins and director Carolyn Thomas. We think we can do this for about $3000.

Below is all sorts of information about the project, and where funds we raise will go, for those of you who are keeners.

If you are interested in making a small donation towards the project, you can check out our Indiegogo campaign. And if you wanted to share the information with your friends through your favourite social media outlets, that would be appreciated too.

Okay, on to a non-money related question. This is a test to see who has read this far down. I’m taking suggestions for things to do with my blog. As I’m no longer traveling, the travel stories are running a little dry. I don’t want to let the blog wither and die though, which it will if I don’t start watering it with blog posts. Suggestions are most welcome!

About Curtains

Curtains is the story of four old friends and former circus performers: Mae, Charlotte, Patty, and Delores. Their friendship has seen them through their careers, retirement, illnesses and the loss of their partners. Now in their later years, they still get together once a year on the anniversary of death of their dear friend Bernice. The anniversary is marked with flowers, poker, old stories, and a lot of laughter and love.

Curtains is a story that has been near and dear to my heart for many years. It’s first incarnation came from artist Matt Brossard as a short comic in The Blend in 2002. I took his story (with permission) and turned it into a short play that was read as part of Once Upon A Theatre Collective’s fundraiser in 2012.

I want to take the story even further and believe film is the way to do that. By transporting Curtains to the screen we can bring the chaotic and colourful world of these women to life. I would be honored to have your trust and support in this project.

Meet The Creative Team

Sarah Gignac (Writer and Co-Producer) has been a writer and editor over 13 years. Writing credits include My Body’s Rorschach (short story), published in Pilot Project in 2012; To Opening Night(novel), which won 3^rd prize in the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia’s Unpublished Novel Contest in August 2012; along with many travel and humour articles that have been published in the Times Colonist and on the blogging site Life As A Human.

Carolyn Thomas (Director) is a graduate of the theatre studies program at Acadia University. She quickly learned if an opportunity doesn’t present itself, you have to build it from scratch. This attitude has resulted in the production of her first two Fringe shows (2009 and 2012), an acting group for fellow theatre students at Acadia University (2009-2010), and the HalifACTS! actors’ group in Halifax, NS which she cofounded (2011). As part of the HalifACTS! actors’ group, she has worked collaboratively to create two films: The Tourists (2011) and Hatchet (2012). In 2011, she was Creative Producer for a short film Tough Girls Don’t Pull Hair which won Best Film, Best Lead Actress, and Runner-Up Best Screenplay at the Annapolis Valley Short Film Festival. She is also currently working with friends on a short documentary film project. If you are able, please help us bring Curtains to life on the big screen.

Dave Mullins (Co-Producer) A Graphic Designer since 1999, David made a change in 2004, graduating from the Screen Arts Program at the Nova Scotia Community College in 2006, David has been working in the world of Post Production. Working as an assistant editor on television shows such as Chef at Home for The Food Network Canada and Family Renovation for DIY in the US. Currently working at Ruby Tree Films as Post Production Supervisor for the I Prophesy series on Vision TV, David brings a vibrance and tons of technical expertise to his role. Believing in true collaboration, David yearns to learn everything about the film and television industry he can get his hands. “This is so I can make a whole contribution to any project. I want to help make dreams, reality. My motto ‘Let’s do this!’.”

Where Your Donations Go

We want to make a great short film on a small budget. The creative team (Sarah Gignac, Carolyn Thomas and Dave Mullins) are not taking any pay for their work, and in fact are helping fund the project from their own pocket. Your donations will help pay for:

• Our talented actors
• Rent camera, lighting and sound gear
• Post production costs
• Food for our cast and crew
• Insurance
• Costume and prop rentals

The perks you’ll get for supporting us!

We can offer you a variety of perks for supporting our film. Some related to the project, some seemingly random. Hey, everyone has unique talents, and we want to share ours with you! Depending on your level of support, you will enjoy such benefits as:

• An acknowledgement in the credits as being an official film funder.
• Collectable cards of Curtains main characters, signed by the actors.
• An invitation to a private screening of Curtains.
• Special, hand-made swag of some kind designed and made by the crafty creative team.
• An invitation to a private dinner prepared with love by the creative team.

What happens if we make more than we’re asking?

We are asking for the bare minimum to make this film happen. This includes a lot of volunteer time from our crew. If we make more than what we are asking, the extra money will go towards turning our volunteers into paid crew, increasing the budget for production and post production costs, all of which will help make Curtains an even stronger film.

What happens if we make less than we’re asking?

If we don’t make our minimum donation request, we will still go forward with the film! It may take us a little longer, is all.

When will this all go down? 

That depends on how fundraising goes. We hope to shoot Curtains in the late winter/early spring of 2013, and have the final cut done by the summer.

You can check out our Indiegogo campaign to donate!

Day 2 will start in 34 minutes, and my brain is already on information overload. So instead of saying more about the bootcamp, I will share pictures of my lovely accommodations at the Aloha Tourist Home. It’s a lovely creaky old building with sloping floors and dark corners to lurk in.

And then they just. Wouldn’t. Die.

You may remember that over a month ago, one of the remaining babies tried to kill me in my sleep. Don’t worry, it’s now swimming with the fishes!

Shortly after that episode we were down to 6 balloons. And then it was like they all gave up. Their spirits were collectively broken by my lack of dying. Within a matter of days they all fell to the ground.

All but one.

The last, a deep pink anomaly, stayed glued to the ceiling. (Not literally. I checked.) Not only did it need to win the balloon-off, it needed to break every single balloon-floaty record IN THE WORLD.

A few weeks ago it FINALLY started to lose some of its floatyness, and began to explore the house. I was able to capture footage of it introducing itself to our bedroom fan.

(Note: There are no popping balloons in this video. I swear. I know some of you fear that noise. I’m with you. This video is free of scary balloon deaths.)

Since this brief-but-humiliating encounter, it spends most of its time cowering in the corner, hiding behind my yoga bolster. It’s all, “Hey, you’re into that yoga crap, you wouldn’t hurt a defenceless creature, would you?”

Yeah right. Prove to me you weren’t in on the whole “choking me in my sleep” escapade, and I’ll spare you from the scissors for another day.

Maybe.

Something outside caught my attention. Just there, through the crack in the curtains.

Just there. Do you see it?

Look closer.

Ah! There it is!

Nature. Better than any reality TV programming.

As you’ll recall, these balloons took up residency on February 14th, 2012. Around two and a half months ago. They all stayed floating high and proud for the first month. Clearly they were having a competition to see who would remain the floatiest for the longest.

After that first month they started to drop, one by one. When they hit the floor, Corey would deem them out of the race and…uh…”dispose” of them.

About a week ago a rogue balloon turned on us. My only guess is that it witnessed the disposal process, and decided it would try to take us out before it was its turn. So it did what any self respecting balloon would.

It tried to choke me in my sleep.

In the middle of the night I awoke to a tickling in my throat. I opened my eyes and there it was – a pink balloon sitting on my face, trying to smother me! It had positioned it’s curly ribbon in my mouth and was waiting for me to take a nice, long, deep breath. If things had gone according to plan I would have inhaled the damn thing.

Well played, pink balloon! But, as always, I had the last laugh!

I kicked the balloon out of the bedroom, checked under the bed and in the closet for fellow conspirators, then went back to sleep.

The next morning, Corey hunted out the traitor.

Warning, the following pictures may disturb delicate viewers.

Since the public execution, there have been no more attacks.

Six balloons are left. Who will outwit, outlast, and outplay?

PS, does anyone else think it’s crazy that helium balloons are lasting this long?