Low Budget Short Film | The Athletic Nerd

UPDATE Indie Short Film: The Climb

I’ve been editing The Climb off and on since we shot the film in May. (I love Final Cut.)

You might say that it should have been finished long ago. Honestly, I’ve been having so much fun editing the film but trouble finding time to get the work done.

But I’m not making excuses…

I had a fairly large chunk of the film cut but decided to change the overall style and pacing of the film. The results have been awesome.

I’m so happy I went back and really thought about the story I want to tell again. Once I had it clear in my mind, the edits came easier than ever.

Behind the scenes, I spent a lot of time training on Soundtrack Pro and Color in preparation of the next step.

NOTE: If you’re looking to learn new software I highly recommend Lynda.com. Click HERE for more or below for a free trial.

I also wrapped up some long overdue web and screenwriting projects in order to clear enough time to really focus on this project.

I watched the rough cut so far the other day and I can’t wait to finish. I’m proud of the film thus far. It’s completely different than Playing Through in every way.

READ: Playing Through vs The Climb

2011 will definitely see the release of the film. I’m hoping to have it out sometime this summer.

I’m also planning a teaser trailer that should be released before the Spring. The full trailer will debut around the time the film is released.

I think what I’m really looking forward to is the sound and color work I’m going to tackle. The Climb was a good chance to try and handle all the post myself. It’s an interesting challenge and I’ll be updating constantly once things get going next month!

For more read all about how we made this low budget short film.

Producing a low budget short film: Pre-Production

Producing a low budget short film: Making The Climb

Does this poster sell our short film?

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Editing A Short Film You Directed… The Annoying Part

I have to admit that I haven’t been editing The Climb as much as I should be.

There were so many other projects that I had to wrap up before I could truly focus on the project again.

Now that I’m essentially caught up, I’ve been cutting a ton over the last week or so. Turns out I really love to edit short films! Firing up my wonderful copy of Final Cut Pro has always been one of my favorite things to do. There’s just something about editing that challenges your creativity and problem solving skills that I love. (That’s probably why I edit for a living too.)

Regardless of the fun I’m having editing the new film, I’ve noticed something incredibly annoying about my directing style.

I don’t shut up!

Since I directed the film, the editor in me decided to go a different way with the pacing of the story. It was a smart decision as the 3 or 4 minutes I’ve completed move very quickly. (Or at least, I think they do. I’ll know more when I show someone else the rough cut.)

The new style has opened up some pretty great uses for shots I never intended to use. Yet there I am off camera yelling things like:

“Action”

“Go”

“Nice”

“Again”

“Okay”

“Great”

“Sweet”

It’s only a matter of laying in audio from somewhere else but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t annoyed.

My voice found it’s way into so many shots!

It won’t last forever as the dialogue heavy scenes are up next but cutting one montage in particular was incredibly frustrating.

If I do come out of retirement someday, (even though it’s highly unlikely) I have to learn to keep my mouth shut a little more. At the very least, the editor in me needs to speak up sooner so I know WHEN to keep my mouth shut.

Truthfully, I’m not THAT annoyed. I just thought it was funny how many times I used a shot with my voice littered throughout.

I can’t stand the sound of my voice right now.

Just saying…

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I Dislike People Who Honk During Filming

May 25th, 2010 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in 17 West | Filmmaking | Producing | The Climb - (0 Comments)

I Dislike People Who Honk During Filming | Independent Film Blog

Understandably, you can’t really shut down city streets when you are making a low budget short film.

Obviously, we didn’t have much money to do so while filming The Climb.

For the most part, we used to steady traffic flow to our advantage but it backfired on two occasions.

Picture this…

It’s a cold Saturday afternoon and you’re 30 years old. Clearly you’re on your way to buy dish soap because you have nothing better to do with your weekend. After all, it’s on sale so why not pick up a bottle. Maybe two bottles? Nah only one, you don’t need two…

While you ponder the future of dish soap in your dwelling, you come across a film shoot.

Two thoughts go through your head.

“Oh look, a film shoot! I’m going to be courteous and drive by without disturbing those nice people.”
“I should really honk and screw up that film shoot.”

There were two idiots who chose Option 2 during production of The Climb.

They literally HONKED repeatedly while yelling out of their windows.

Who does that?

Here is what I think happened after the honking stopped…

They rolled up their windows and cranked Celine Dion while laughing to themselves. However, something happened next that they did not expect. They glanced at themselves in the rear view mirror and the smile disappeared.

They thought to themselves…

“I don’t have any friends to share this joke with… Perhaps it’s because I’m an idiot who finds it funny to honk while people are filming.”

It’s okay idiot… At least you’ll have clean dishes…

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The Climb: Improving The Screenplay

March 30th, 2010 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Screenwriting | The Climb - (0 Comments)

Improving a screenplay is pretty much a fancy way of describing rewrites.

The Climb has been through a lot of rewrites during the pre-production process and I’m at it again with 7 weeks to go until production is set to begin.

Why?

Improvements can always be made. Over the last few weeks I’ve been giving myself brain cramps trying to make the script as strong as possible leading into next week’s rehearsals.

I had a breakthrough.

A subtle change in one of the film’s crucial scenes has elevated the tension and the story to another level.

Without giving away any spoilers, the film used to revolve around a specific action a character takes. It now completely revolves around an interesting relationship that I can’t wait to see brought to life this May.

For the rest of the week I’ll be implementing these little tweaks and improvements before sending out the latest draft to the cast and crew.

This is really going to be a work in progress right up until we wrap and I’m loving the direction this movie is taking.

I think it’s important to always be mindful of the story while remaining open to changes as the movie takes shape. I’m going to keep doing everything I can so I can look back and truly be proud of the finished screenplay.

This way, when the cameras roll, I’ll be completely confident that every angle was considered and every line scrutinized right up until I yell action for the first time.

Another rewrite? No.

Vital improvements? Yes.

I’m more focused than ever.

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Storyboarding When You Can’t Draw

I wish I could draw. Having the ability to see an image in your mind and translate it perfectly on the page is a skill I would love to have.

As a writer…

I have to rely on my ability to describe what I want people to see. A part of me hopes there are artists out there who wish they could write. It helps me sleep at night even though I remain insanely jealous of talented visual artists.

As a director…

I have to be able to communicate what I’m looking for clearly with as many tools as possible. I’d like to present key crew members with beautifully drawn storyboards but I can’t draw!

This coming Spring, I’ll be directing The Climb. I wrote the script a while back and I have a very clear vision in my head of what I want the movie to be. We’ve reached the point in pre-production where I have to start bringing people up to speed on what I’m looking for visually.

Storyboards would be perfect at this stage but I don’t have the budget to hire an artist and we’ve already covered that I can’t draw…

So what’s my answer?

The Cahier

I’m bilingual by the way.

Among my film friends, The Cahier is now a household name on productions I’m a part of.

It’s basically a notebook you would use as a journal in the second grade.

I start a different book for each movie and inside, I plan every single detail I can so I’m prepared when the cameras roll. Playing Through was the first time I used this system and I loved having it around on the set. It was well worth the effort.

Essentially, I plan one scene at a time.

First, I describe each shot I want to achieve.

I then write notes on what I think will be needed to pull them off.

I also do my best to draw stick figures and simple shapes to help convey the framing and composition I want in the shots.

It’s not a perfect system but the results are the same.

You have to know what you want on set. I like to have a clear idea before I get there.

Some directors like to arrive and plan each shot in the moment.

I like to have a plan going in while doing my best to remain open to new and better ideas. I think that’s the reason why I rarely use The Cahier on set.

Planning, storyboarding and thinking in advance can seriously help you artistically but you can never ignore your instincts when you’re in the moment.

Regardless, the whole process is unbelievably fun because after all, I’m making movies!

To quote M. Night Shyamalan from the documentary found on the Signs DVD:

“This visual script should represent the absolute worst that this movie can be.”

Still… I wish I could draw.

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UPDATE Indie Short Film: The Climb

Editing A Short Film You Directed… The Annoying Part

I don’t shut up!

I Dislike People Who Honk During Filming

Picture this…

Who does that?

The Climb: Improving The Screenplay

Why?

I had a breakthrough.

I’m more focused than ever.

Storyboarding When You Can’t Draw

The Cahier

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