"The Hero"
by Michael Field
www.UpOnTheRoofProductions.com

Who wrote the screenplay? How long did it take? How many drafts did he/she go through?

I wrote the screenplay a long time ago. It was actualy a different short film called "The Jog". The concept of the story remained the same with our protagonist rescuing the proverbial "damsel in distress". Except back then the main character was a guy out for a jog, hence the title, and for "The Hero", our main character is a man trapped in a humdrum suburban life. I wrote the original story over two years ago and subsequently made three short films in between before revisiting "The Hero". It took a few rewrites and then we were off and running, so to speak.

Was the screenplay strictly followed in the filming?

In everything I write and later direct, I always view the screenplay as a blueprint. I want my actors to work off of it and if we end up discovering something in the process of shooting, then so be it. It's that level of spontaneity that makes shooting exciting. Since there was a lot of action throughout the script, I couldn't write down everything we wanted to do before seeing our location. I knew our hero had to chase down the bad guys, but I had no idea where he would do the chasing. So we figured a lot of that on the way.

How did you finance the project?

Whether you can say we're blessed or just extremely stupid, we own a lot of equipment. We shot on a miniDV PAL, edit on a MAC with Final Cut Pro. Both of which we've had for over a year now. This short movie marks the first time we've used our new dolly track, doorway dolly and sound equipment. All of which we own. Since the movies takes place in the day, we didn't need to purchase a lighting package. Just a few bounce boards for fill. The financing is all me and my company, Up on the Roof productions, which in the end amounted to a few miniDv tapes, food and the occasional coffee...who are we kidding? Loads of coffee!

Did you story board your scenes? And if so, did you use a program or an artist or?

I usually write a shot list down, which includes the most in depth shorthand ever that usually I end up explaining to my cinematographer and company member, Adrian Correia. I've never used storyboards before, but that doesn't mean I'm opposed to them. Just don't have access to them.

How did you find your actors? What kind of pay if any did you offer your actors and crew?

A few of the actors I've worked with before on previous shorts. Our hero, Michael Petrafesa, is someone I know. He doesn't do the acting thing professionally, but I liked his look. Especially for this short. Since there's not that much dialogue in the short, I used people who had certain looks. From the thugs to the hero to the papergirl. We didn't pay any of the crew or actors, unless you count free meals. I wish we could pay all of them and I remember who hepled us out so one day, hopefully in the near future, I'll be able to repay them. They gave up their time for the simple joy of telling a story and that's something that should never be taken for granted.

Did you create a budget and did you stay on target throughout the process? What was your budget?

Budget was very small. Of course, food and anything that pops up along the way. We had to shoot the movie over the course of a few weeks, since everyone wasn't available on the same day. Common problem in independent cinema, but not entirely impossible to overcome.

Did you rent, buy or borrow? Was it a one camera shoot?

Our camera. Our one and only camera for the shoot.

However many cameras you used, how did you handle setups and coverage for the shots? Any advice or warnings you can give?

We had a lot of set-ups, but because of the DV format we were able to move pretty quickly. Just pick up and go. And my crew is always on the ball. Usually, I'm there with them grabbing whatever I can to move us along. My advice is to plan. Always plan. The more planning you do the smoother the shoot will go. Yes, I like the spontaneity of a shoot, but planned spontaneity is the kind I want. I must go over my shot list a dozen times in the days prior to the shoot. Plan, plan, plan ahead.

How did you handle sound on the shoot?

We recently purchased a sound mixr, boom pole and shotgun mic. We mixed directly into the camera as we shot. What's great about digital video is you can also use the camera as your very own DAT recorder. We've gone out with the camera, the mixer and the mic and recorded sounds and background noise for most of our shorts.

What kind of lighting did you use and how much of the indoor and outdoor scenes were lighted?

We used the sun. Bounce boards and the sun. The one indoor scene was bright enough so we didn't need any lights. We lucked out. The rest was all outdoors and was all natural. Besides we've color corrected a majority of the movie in post, so lighting was never a real issue.

What type of obstacle did you encounter when shooting outdoor?

The wind. It would be windy one day and the calm the next. The wind was so strong, the wind screen did nothing for the mic. A lot of our obstacles dealt with the sound equipment...such as, the final scene of our movie takes place next to train tracks. It was a Sunday and this particualr track was kind of a off-shoot of the main track. So we're talking three trains the whole eight hour day. Well, one train comes along and the conductor decides it would be funny to blast the horn. LOUD!!! We weren't shooting, but the my sound guy had the mic still on. It was like watching your money get blown out the window, but thankfully the mic withheld the sound blast.

What were the obstacles you encountered while shooting? Any Advice?

For some reason, we had the knack for attracting the police everytime we shot. One time we were shooting a dolly shot, using a car as our dolly, while our hero ran down a street. We shot the scene several times. The fourth time, a cop pulled up and said a woman called and said men in a car were trying to kidnap another guy. Huh? Did she not see us walk back up the hill and do over again? Maybe we were really bad kidnappers? My other piece of advice is when shooting on location, make sure you know where you can find the bathrooms. I was a victim of that on our outdoor shoot next to the train tracks. Not a big highlight of my directing career...

What kind of shots, dolly shots, crane shots, steadicam or other types did you use and what resources did you use to accomplish these?

Well, I've already disclosed that we used a doorway dolly, dolly tracks and car dolly. When first going over the shot list, Adrian and myself were adamant about not keeping the camera still. Always be moving. This was our first action-type movie since our very first short from our days at the NYFA (New York Film Academy). We wanted to have motion in most, if not all, of our shots. Slow push ins, dollying to the left, right, back and forwards. Everything we could do to keep the camera moving.

What other equipment did you find useful on your shoot? Is there anything you wish you would of had and didn't?

We used our brand new dolly and tracks for the first time. We originally had our own dolly tracks made for us from what seemed like cast iron. You needed almost three people to carry a track. This new dolly was sleek, light and easy to use. It was great. We wanted to have car mount for some of our scenes, but it was either rent that or pay for our sound equipment. So we had to sacrifice the mounts. Oh well.

POST

How did you edit the movie? Did you transfer to tape and edit via computer?

We popped the miniDV tape out of the camera and right into our computer at home.

What kind of editing system are you using? IBM, MAC, Capture card? Editing, sound and other software?

Our equipment is a MAC G4. We currently use Final Cut Pro 3.

What were the obstacles you encountered while editing? Any Advice?

The only real obstacle was time. Getting some. I've been using Final Cut Pro for a while now and I've already messed up on previous projects enough to finally learn from those...I think. I probably jinxed myself, but I've discovered more things from screwing up than anything else, so cross your fingers! My advice when editing is to know when to step away. Too many times, I've forced myself to edit when I was either angry, tired or both. It doesn't help. When editing, you're really writing the movie over. And from my experience writing, I take numerous breaks to recharge my creative juices. The same holds true for editing. If you take it in pieces, you'll find yourself loving the process more than you ever thought you would.

Where did you get the music for the film?

As I type this, original music is in the process of being composed for the movie. I found a composer, Steven Gutheinz, on-line. He was the only composer who's samples were what I wanted. I know the trend these days is for techno or electronica in action movies. I wanted something more cinematic. Something reminiscent of the movies of my youth. Scores you remember and associate with the movie as soon as you hear it. I'm not putting down techno or electronica, I just have a special place in my heart for movie scores. I'm confident Steven will deliver.

How much Foley will you end up incorporating in the editing process?

We only needed to add a few background voices and sound effects. Since we had little dialogue, the movie will have ambient sound and music over most of it.

Did you have any trouble with sound in the post production?

Not at all. We recorded a lot of sounds during the shoot. Whatever we didn't have or needed, we got it. Very easy when you own it all.

What are the main suggestions you would give other filmmakers, based on your experiences on this film? In planning, in post
production, in scoring, in editing, in pre production, etc.?

There's a time for compromise and there's a time for sticking to your guns. It's easy to say and harder to do. Trust you instincts. Always plan and plan again. Plan for mistakes, plan for disasters. We had orginally shot a whole slew of scenes with a different damsel. But she couldn't make the second day of her shoot, so we had to go to another girl. Now when my friend called me up in the early hours of the morning, cursing and sounding like someone died, to tell me the news, I was a little...scared. But I knew we had someone to turn to. Always think of the unthinkable and then plan for it, even if it's only planned out in your head. The only other suggestion I have is to have fun. Not many people can or will do this for various reasons. Don't get mired in the crap, when what you're doing is so much damn fun!

What were the obstacles you encountered while marketing it? Any Advice?

Well, I first contacted this guy, Eric Colley from IndieClub... We're in the process of getting the word out. We're kind of in a holding pattern waiting for the music, but I've been sending out my feelers for anyone to take a look at our stuff or even just talk film.

Have you been approached by distributors and if so, what are the results so far?

Not yet. We're hoping this short becomes a calling card for what we can do. I'm a firm believer in show me, don't tell me. I meet a lot of people that tell me what they want to do and all these great ideas, but never get around to actually doing it. "The Hero" is only a small piece of what we can do. We're hoping someone will see that and give us a chance to make them look as smart as hell for finding us.

Have you tried the film festival route and if so, how is it going?

I've been marking different festivals that we're going to send "The Hero" to. Hopefully, we'll get some acceptances and go from there.

What are your future plans for the film?

Along with sending it to the festivals, we've got a digital press kit in the works which might include the movie along with other shorts and commercials we've done.

What do you have in the works after this film?

Up on the Roof is consists of a group of guys trying to tell stories. I've been fortunate to complete "The Hero". The cinematographer for all of my movies, Adrian Correia, is hard at work on his short film tentatively titles, "15 blocks". Other members are working on various short films such as a comedy about a college party and a horror short, which I might direct, about an obese man who doesn't take too kindly to teasing camp counselors. I'm working on a possible feature entitled, "Save the Quad", which is a story about a group of movie theater employees who in a last ditch effort to save their theater from the wrecking ball, turn it into a late-night porn house. It's very much in the style of late 70s/early 80s comedies and it's fairly inexpensive to do. Remember we own our own equipment, which helps a tremendous amount in regards to the wallet.

Anything to add?

Thank you very much for the opportunity to spread the word out about my project, "The Hero" and my company, Up on the Roof. If anyone is interested in checking out our earlier work or just checking us out, please visit our website at www.upontheroofproductions.com We've also got the trailer for "The Hero" online if you'd like to catch a sneak peak. Thanks again.