Indie Film | The Athletic Nerd

The Athletic Nerd REDESIGNED!

September 23rd, 2011 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Design | Technology | Web - (0 Comments)

The Athletic Nerd REDESIGNED!

I’m not a WordPress expert. Like many bloggers out there, I’m pretty dependent on the enormous amount of free themes out there. For nearly 2 years, I used the same theme with little changes other than some custom graphics here and there… Until I found the Delicate theme. A few new graphics and a couple clicks later and The Athletic Nerd has a sweet new look!

The first thing I want to point out, besides the brighter cleaner design, is the infinitely more functional navigation above. Now you can access all of the regular features and articles from one place. There is also a tweaked sidebar with less clutter allowing you to check out my most recent posts as well as some you may have missed.

And finally, there are new share buttons below each post so you can Tweet, Like and +1 the posts you like.

Comments? Suggestions? Email me at jason@17west.ca.

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CNN, Movies, Blogging, Donkey Kong & Screenwriting

HOW LOSING SLEEP CAN LEAD TO A
CREATIVE OUTBURST

I fell a sleep the other night around eleven which is seriously early considering most days I’m in bed by 1 or 2am. At 7am, my girlfriend woke up for work and I turned on CNN like I always do.

On a normal day, CNN works like a radio as I close my eyes and fall back a sleep. However, this particular day was different. I had way too much on my mind… I felt like working.

So I got out of bed, got dressed, fired up my Mac and got to work.

SEIZE THE MOMENT

Sometimes, you just can’t help but feel inspired and truly unleash your creativity. Moments like these have to be acted on. I could have stayed in bed and slept until noon but that isn’t getting my movie edited, my blog updated or my screenplay written is it?

36 Websites I Visit Every Day

My first order of business was to eat cereal and catch up on all my blogs, sports updates and movie news. This normally takes a while but it’s important to stay up to date. Most of the time, these sites inspire new blog posts so it’s worth it.

WORDPRESS

For the first time in weeks, my daily post wasn’t ready to go. I had to write something from scratch. So I organized my thoughts and wrote Buried vs 127 Hours. A look at the different editing styles the film’s used to tell their story.

Once I finished the post, I was still feeling energized. It was time for the heavy hitters.

FINAL DRAFT

Launching Final Draft always makes me smile. Two days ago, I finished a new short screenplay called The Guardian and I spent a couple hours rewriting and editing my gritty 9 page superhero drama.

Rewriting is my favorite step. I’m the type of writer that completes the first draft without stopping much. I just want to get the story and the major plot points on to the page.

I usually leave the script for a day or two and then I edit and refine every single word until I’m 100% happy that I’ve told a unique and entertaining story. Sometimes, I finish a short and it doesn’t feel unique at all. These moments are unfortunate but every screenplay you write is an evolution of the writer you wish to become.

Once I finished my first pass at the rewrite I printed it out for my ‘red pen’ stage. I basically leave my office and read the script free from distraction with nothing but my thoughts and a pen. This step is followed up by typing it AGAIN from page one using my rewritten copy and my notes as guides.

It’s going to be a fun week but my day didn’t end there.

FINAL CUT PRO

I’ve been making sure to leave myself at least a few hours every possible day I can to make progress on 17 West’s latest short film The Climb.

It helps that I’ve been writing more and more about the editing process over the last week or so.

XTRA: Click here to check out the editing archives.

I fired up the most recent cut of The Climb and completed a scene from start to finish. In what felt like an instant, I put together a pretty great little 1 minute scene full of dialogue. It helped that I already had a good idea of how I wanted to pace the scene but I was amazed at how easily it came together.

In the end, I edited for a couple hours and even found time to go back and refine a few moments I wasn’t happy with earlier in the film.

It’s really starting to come along!

DONKEY KONG?

Every brain needs a break now and then and my escape when I can’t play sports is video games. Currently, I’m right in the middle of Donkey Kong Country Returns and I just dominated the fifth world.

It’s a really hard game so I’m quite proud to be almost done!

Break over. Still completely inspired to work.

CNN, Movies, Blogging, Donkey Kong & Screenwriting

WORDPRESS RETURNS

I felt fantastic. I had already accomplished so much with my extended morning but I still felt inspired to work. So I continued my quest to go back and update old posts. I literally started with post number 1 and managed to get through about 20 or so before I called it quits.

These old posts are now updated with better SEO keywords, titles and graphics. I also wanted to include relevant links to posts I’ve created since those articles were published. This process is probably going to take months considering I’ve written nearly 600 posts.

Still, it’s important work and I’m happy I was able to get a few done just in time to get ready for work.

CELTX FOR IPHONE

XTRA: Read my review of Celtx here.

It takes about 20 minutes to get to the studio where I work. Still feeling extremely creative, I used that time to start a 1 page screenplay we may shoot for a competition towards the end of March.

It may never get filmed but at least I can create a script and find out if it’s worth it or not. So I fired up my Celtx for iPhone app and nearly got the first draft finished before I got to work.

The script is extremely rough and needs work but the basic outline of the story is out there and I think it may have some use down the road even if we don’t make the quickly approaching deadline.

EDITING PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

From there, I got to work and prepared for a busy night filled with big hockey games and a ton of live shows. 11 hours of editing stood between me and what was definitely a good night sleep!

It was a fantastic day!

SEIZE THE MOMENT!

My shift started at 2:30. I’m really happy I didn’t sleep until 11 and waste what ultimately became an incredibly productive afternoon.

Seizing these moments is crucial if you want to succeed in a creative medium. Even if it’s just a hobby and you aren’t aspiring to be a professional. You have to constantly think about your projects and how you can make them better. You have to dedicate yourself and get the work done. Not because it’s work but because it’s what you love to do.

Yet every so often, something clicks and you end up with mornings like I just had. Moments when you can’t seem to keep up with the ideas bursting from your imagination.

If only every morning was like that.

FIND A JOB YOU LOVE
NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE

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Kevin Smith & Independent Filmmaking

February 11th, 2011 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Featured Posts | Movies - (0 Comments)

WILL KEVIN SMITH CHANGE INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
FOREVER?

Kevin Smith is right. He definitely generated a ton of hype for the world premiere of Red State at Sundance this year with basically no cost at all. Movie sites, bloggers, fans and critics were all talking about his plan to auction off the distribution rights after the screening.

It was a ballsy move for sure. What if the movie didn’t connect to the audience? Would it blow up in his face?

Little did we know, selling the rights to distribute and market his film was never his intention at all.

Here is his speech after the screening:

His intention was to prove that you could make and distribute a film for far less than the studios spend on films these days. So he bid $20 bucks on his own movie in a symbolic gesture to prove that times are changing in the independent film world.

THE LINK: Slashfilm

INDIE 2.0

His plan is simple. Instead of selling a 4 million dollar film to a studio who would then spend 20 million to market the flick, he would distribute the film as part of a cross country tour leading to a theatrical release he would orchestrate himself.

“It’s too much ****ing horse **it, I just want to tell ****ing stories.”

So he will take his film on the road armed with 1.7 twitter followers, his ever expanding podcasting network and the word of mouth of his loyal fans. There have even been protests both for and against the film and it’s religious themes. It’s all free publicity for Red State in the end. Is he on to something?

This plan has been met with mixed results.

“Why would anyone outside of Hollywood be upset if he found a way to beat the studios at their own game? But the idea that what Smith is trying to do is somehow applicable to small, independent filmmakers is complete nonsense.” Screen Junkies

“Amidst your overlong monologue of self-gratification, you mentioned that instead of having the studios pay to release your film, you were going to have us, the audience, pay you out of our pockets to fund it. Then, in passing, you quickly alluded to a crucial financial figure; for this ‘privilege’ of seeing your flick, we’d each have to pay “six, seven, ten times the price of a normal movie ticket”. (Pre-sale pricing released today confirms ticketing starts at $68.25 for nosebleeds, up to $142.70) You then defended this by adding that you’d follow the screening with a Q&A. What fanboy should (or could) drop that kind of coin to see a film? And now the question that must be asked…would Dante or Randal be able to afford that?” Joblo

Personally, I think HE can pull it off but I’m not entirely sure how that will translate to filmmakers like me who don’t have 1.7 million followers to draw attention to our films.

In all honesty, I think it’s a great idea. I think if it works it will open a lot of doors for him. What he is doing is creating an alternative to the studio system. Can you make a movie without spending ridiculous amounts of money on marketing?

I think it depends on who you ask. Take Christopher Nolan’s Inception. That movie received a ton of marketing cash in addition to the $160 million dollar production budget. The film went on to make more than $800 million world wide. (Boxofficemojo)

Will he ever see those kinds of numbers with his new strategy? Does it even matter? Again, it depends on who you ask. Honestly, I’m looking forward to seeing how well Red State does. He is putting a lot on the line for his first Horror film.

If people do pay large amounts of money, is it because of the film or the Q&A that will follow? What if the film fails? Will his tour have a positive or negative effect once the film reaches theaters?

On the other hand, what if the plan works and he opens a few doors by creating a new distribution model. He could position himself to help and inspire a lot of filmmakers out there. Perhaps other people will follow his lead and start championing lower budget films as well. Perhaps indie filmmakers will be more willing to release their own films as well.

A lot of people complain about the lack of originality in Hollywood these days. Everything depends on the bottom line. Kevin Smith’s new adventure could lead to more and more originality on the big screen thanks to the visions of countless indie filmmakers out there that don’t have access to the studio distribution system. He’s potentially giving aspiring filmmakers another avenue to reach an audience.

I’m pretty pumped to see where this road leads. I hope the tour stops in Toronto eventually because I would definitely pay to see Red State before it’s proposed theatrical run in the fall.

“True independence isn’t making a film and selling it to some jack ass.”

XTRA: Kevin Smith’s Red State Inspires Indie Filmmakers

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Editing: How A Dialogue Heavy Script Became A Quiet Movie

February 9th, 2011 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in 17 West | Editing | Filmmaking | The Climb - (0 Comments)

I love editing.

Whether it’s at work or at home with Final Cut Pro I’m hooked.

Currently, I’m completely engrossed in my new short film, The Climb. We shot the film in May but post has been a slow process due to life in general.

Still, I’m not working with a deadline and so it’s nice to be able to work on it when I can. A few weeks ago, I dedicated myself again and really thought about the completed film and what I want it to be.

The result of that thought process surprised me.

The script for The Climb was a finalist in a screenwriting competition way back in the 2007. It ended up being 4th out of about 1200 short scripts.

The script itself was always dialogue heavy and as it evolved, it was even more dependent on dialogue.

XTRA: Tweaking Your Screenplay

When we shot the film, I thought that the actor’s delivery of those lines would make or break the movie. They did a great job but something else about their performances struck me and changed the direction of my edit.

Some of the dialogue wasn’t needed. I’m very happy we were able to capture some of the quieter moments on set when we had the chance. I always intended to shoot beyond the dialogue on the page and it definitely paid off.

Now, I can sit back and watch the first 5 minutes of the film and marvel at the 3 minutes of silence at the beginning. The same information is being conveyed but no one is saying anything.

Quicker cuts. Better pacing.

I’ve definitely learned to step back and really think about each shot and what it means to the story as a whole. It’s an opportunity to be creative and that’s why I love editing so much. So many possibilities. So many things to try and the only limit is your imagination.

I’m having a blast.

It’s a far cry from the screenplay we filmed but that script did it’s job well. Now it’s time to build something original and entertaining.

Editing. I love this stuff.

XTRA: The Climb Update

Check out the film’s official page by clicking the image below.

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Kevin Smith’s Red State Inspires Indie Filmmakers

November 12th, 2010 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Movies - (0 Comments)

Kevin Smith's Red State Looks Awesome

I have gigantic amounts of respect for Kevin Smith’s work.

Before I go further, let me say that I’m not necessarily a die hard fan of his films but I still find them to be entertaining.

I’m a huge fan of Kevin Smith the person. I first became a fan after a friend of mine showed me the first Evening With Kevin Smith DVD. I now own all three in addition to his hilarious books. What I find fascinating is how easy it is to relate to him as he rants about his adventures in Hollywood.

He’s just up there talking about how much he loves making movies. His movies.

It’s admirable because he does things his way and is successful because he answers directly to his fans. Naturally, he wants to attract new fans as well but he’s always mindful of the people who have followed him along the way.

Kevin Smith is easily one of the most accessible filmmakers in the world. Whether it’s through his DVD’s, books, blogs, smodcasts or tweets, he always seems to be reachable.

That is why I’m a fan.

Following Kevin Smith is a glimpse into the world of filmmaking by someone who did it by himself. He took a huge risk and found an audience with Clerks and hasn’t looked back since.

Yet there are still people out there who criticize his films. Most notable, the recent ‘Hollywood-ish’ buddy cop comedy Cop Out.

I think he returned to his ‘do it yourself and see what happens’ roots as a result.

That’s why I’m hoping Red State is his best film to date.

The film was made for a reasonably low cost and he is handling most of the work himself. Case in point, he edited the film each night and had a rough cut ready for the wrap party.

That’s unheard of yet not surprising given Smith is so passionate about his films.

When he launched the first poster Red State shot up my most anticipated films list.

Kevin Smith's Red State Inspires Indie Filmmakers

Here is what Mr. Smith had to say about the poster on his blog:

“Moody, weird, and pitch-perfect for the tone of the film. If I went out to an ad agency here in town, I’d be billed close to 20 grand for a campaign that’d maybe… maybe… include this poster. But this piece of artwork (I call it “The Holy Ghost”) didn’t come from a top-tier ad agency: Jon Gordon is my RED STATE producer, and this poster was created by his assistant, Melissa Bloom. So we’ve got a marketing image that was put together by someone who was on set every day, integral to the process that produced the film which inspired this image. This isn’t the work of some gun for hire who’s doing six other campaigns; we’re not just one of many. The marketer is actually family, RED from pre-production all the way through wrap, so she’s got an insight into the flick that no ad agency could ever boast (not even one-time Glo-Coat golden boy Don Draper over at SCDP). I’ll take passion over pedigree any day.”

I think that statement alone is inspiring to independent filmmakers out there.

Come up with a film believe in and make it happen.

Recently, he debuted the teaser trailer before a small group of fans in a feature he calls Red State of the Union.

You can actually listen to the event and subsequent Q&A here.

“Your audience is coming so lets reach for the audience that’s not coming… I hate that.”

He’s doing all the right things. Promoting the movie himself through a community he’s built around the fans that love his work.

He’s planning on doing more Q&A’s leading up to the film’s release and I for one will be tuning in for all of them.

I’m looking forward to seeing some footage from this film. It’s completely different than anything he’s ever done. I think it’s a perfect film for him to make. Why not change things up and step away from comedy and do something completely different?

My favorite Kevin Smith film is Jersey Girl. That’s probably an unpopular opinion but I think Mr. Smith would agree that’s it’s not about popular opinion. It’s about the movies you connect with.

It’s too soon to tell if Red State will be a hit with fans or critics alike.

However, how can you not be curious about a film he cares so deeply about?

PS: I’m curious as to how people will take the religious tone of the film especially after the amount of protesters against Dogma.

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The Athletic Nerd REDESIGNED!

CNN, Movies, Blogging, Donkey Kong & Screenwriting