DEAR DIARY #1 - PRODUCTION DIARY OF R FOR E

Dear Diary, Gaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh! We are closing in on “Lights, camera, action!”

ONE WEEK AND COUNTING

Since the campaign wrapped, I have been running. Like Forrest before me, I had to hit the ground on go and not look back! The budget not being what we needed has meant, more than anything, extra work and longer hours of prep to get the production ready.

I have had to adjust all of our needs and expectations to be able to try and accomplish what we must, with what it is we were able to raise. And that means, compromise and cutting corners. So I have been doing constant perimeter checks to see what corners could easily be lost.

Structurally, we are sound, and in a good place. We got to keep our cast and crew intact, and have not lost anyone due to crappy (if any) compensation. And we have been able to meet most of our other needs as far as costuming and props are concerned (so far).

Locations have been the biggest challenge. As I imagined they would be once the dust was settled on what we raised and I saw what we had to work with. This meant us having to be much more flexible in what we could get, versus being able to set the expectations and terms ourselves.

MEET THE CAST

As I said, all the actors have stayed with us, and we even added a few more to fill in all the gaps and get this proverbial puppy off the ground. We now have all pieces in place to make the pages come to life! And I couldn’t be more excited about this cast!

Lilli and Anthony, the kids playing Darlene’s children in the film, are the only two members of the cast that I haven’t worked with in some capacity on another project. So it is easy for me to get my expectations way up high, knowing how all these all-stars of the Colorado indie film scene can deliver!

PROPS

Gotta give some shouts out to Engraved., LLC, Bravo Screen Printing and more as we’ve been assembling our props for the film. It’s been a process, but it’s coming together, and so far, we have managed to get our hands on most everything we need!

Including an actual working slot machine (thanks to my parent’s Legion connections)! So we have been blessed to get our list checked off to this point, and A LOT of that is because of our supporters here and beyond the letter!

The donations from folks, like many of those reading this Production Diary entry, have made this all possible! You have given the film access to the production value it needed to sell the narrative and to shine. So props to all for the props and all!

“SOUVENIRS, NOVELTIES, PARTY TRICKS!”

Okay, so it’s more like souvenirs/actor props, costume bits! But that’s not a quote from Top Secret. Continuing on from our prop peeks, here’s a look at a little more. Some of the drip we will be draping our actors in.

We got the actors costume pieces with the hotel’s logo embroidered on the chest. So they not only have the onscreen garb needed for the scene, but they also have something from the set to keep as a souvenir.

The producers all agreed the nametags were also a nice touch. That double up in that same way too. So we doubled down on the nametags with the wonderful assist of Engraved., LLC here in the Springs.

We also have the pieces coming together for another character in the film. Is it a harbinger of chaos? A portent of doom? A figment of a fractured imagination weighed upon by obligation and responsibility? Who’s to say?

Dealer’s choice! Our Croupier and other casino dealer extras will be decked out in matching patterned vests and bowties. So our casino staff will be styling in the black and white tones of the final image.

FAKING A CASINO

Our locations hadn’t worked out as we’d expected, nor needed. Mostly concerning the narratively necessary casino that plays heavily on the storyline. But we managed to be able to adapt so that we could fashion a casino room of our own, supplemented and carried along with b-roll footage from an actual one.

Through my connections at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, from my days in events via the Office of Student Activities, I found a casino rental outfit willing to work with our budgetary constraints to get us a roulette table.

We found a venue that has been beyond wonderful and accommodating as well, especially considering our aforementioned limitations of budget. And we are confident we can pull together a passable setting most effectively.

LONG RUN PAYOFF?

This ends up better for us in two major ways. Lighting and sound. This way, we have SO much more control over both those important cinematic elements as we shoot. While getting to film in a full casino would be wonderful, we would have absolutely no control over either.

It could have turned the post production process into something of a nightmare. With multiple ADR sessions needed to rerecord the dialog we would have lost in the mayhem of the diegetic soundscape of the casino floor and machinery. This saves us and our actors that cost.

Also, with a casino, the lighting would have been a lot, and it would have been completely set and staying as such. Here we get to play with a coordinated isolation of the table in the lighting as the scene/night progresses. So in the end, this was a blessing in disguise.

But blessing, though it may be, it is a costly adjustment that requires so much more from our budget to pull together. So there is that aspect of it. Hopefully we find it all paying off in the long run. fingers crossed!

SPONSOR A MEAL

Another way we are hoping to offset the lack of budget is by seeking donations for craft services and set meals. So we have begun reaching out to local businesses in hopes that some of them might want to sponsor a meal or two.

If you have any friends who you might like to share the campaign or meal-sponsorship with, we have a QR code below that directly links to CashApp (and we now have a Venmo account for the film also).

So feel free to pass along the need and seed to maybe get some things sprouting in our favor as production rolls into full swing next weekend!