Cafe Blocking

Yesterday we had rehearsals and I was able to work out the Cafe Blocking. This is just the beginning and I still have to work out the camera on paper for the cinematographer. I also blocked the hillside in Galilee. I have to put that in later.

This is the first half of the blocking which causes Brad and the Successful Business Women to inter act.

Yellow - Waitress

Blue- Brad

Red- Successful Business Woman

Grey - Young Man

Corporate Executives:

Rae- Teal

George- Green

Barbara- Pink

White: Extras

This is the second half of the Cafe Blocking which causes Brad to see the Young man and eventually the Business Executives.

Agustin in Test Glasses Shots and Costuming

Here are images of Agustin trying out glasses for the role of Brad:

These frames are more circular which as his wise wife pointed out soften his face which is angular. As his character travels from the angular world to a more circular flowing world this could work to emphasis his not fitting in. They also look older an a little dated. Which could work.

These frames certainly emphasis the positive aspects of his facial structure. And would make him more a part of the angular world of the cool metropolitan cafe.

As with all frames the challenge will be for my DP who will not like me for the reflections. And I might not like me for the challenges it will bring in regards to the chroma keying on the hillside. But If I could pull it off, the hillside reflections could be very realistic.

Here is Agustin in the Suit he might wear:

Cast Rehearsals and Costuming

There has been so much going on I can't possible blog every detail. Over the last week, God has given me the strength to cast and costume all the background actors who are playing dual roles in the script. Agustin was key in casting, as was the Christian Actors organization. Not all the actors head-shots are here. But here's most of the images of the cast and in horrible rough workings of their Biblical Costumes for the Hillside. If I didn't have to keep a Blog for this I would not do this - No Filmmaker would.

The Successful Business Woman / Water Woman:

Veronica Reyes

The Young Man / Lyre Player:

J. Alex Brinson

The Corporate Executives:

Ray Hernandez

George Joseph Boseman

Barbara Puff

The Waitress / Hillside Rich Woman:

Lorraine Montero

The Homeless Man / Jesus:

Lee Zunis

Living and Active is Cast

Well "Living and Active" is Cast...

God has blessed me and the amazing actor I was praying to work in the lead role is able to work on the project - Agustin Rodriguez:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0735230/resume

He's an amazing actor, talented artist who's also directing a film right now and a great friend and brother in Christ.

Lighting Test Renders

I want the lighting to be warm, early sunset and high contrast so that the Actors lit can have bright highlights and rim lights that can bloom beautifully. Much work to do to get there....

Galilee Test Renders

"Imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery" Anne Shirley

Those are the lines spoken by one of my favorite literary characters, Anne Shirley, from one of Lucy Maud Montgomery's many Novels. Happily I now find the greatest joy I have is imitating the work of the greatest and most amazing artist of them all. Never ending, always creating, his level of perfection-always beyond human reach, his love always right there - God.

Well here are test renders of Galilee. I finally was able to get the DEMs of the area. Because of the military unrest there. The Digital Elevation Maps are very hard to get. I don't know why they are even called DEMs. they are really black and white displacement maps. Anyway. I basically took the DEMs into another program I have called Geo Control which has great fractals for terrain creation, then created a displacement tiff file and brought that into Vue 7 . Untimately, God willing I will front ptject in Maya and add the crowd displacement and other elements I need. Oh the fun!!!


Here an image I used for reference of the Sea of Galilee with the Golan Heights in the background.





So here's the terrain I'vee created so far. My goal is to have basic renders on set for the green screeen shot for camera placement. The grass still need to be worked on and I need trees. But I was really focusing on the terrain.

Here's the opposite view of that shot. The red cone is the Camera location and the location for the main character on the top of the hillside.


The next two shots are test images for close ups for images of hands passing baskets of fish and bread etc. The actors will have to be lit for shadows in production so all this needs to be worked out now.




Of course the lighting is not right. It will be sunset and the images need Radiosity and a whole lot more, but this is a beginning.

Concept Photo Cafe

Here is a Concept Photo of the Cafe once dressed:

Cafe Location Photos

The Location for the Cafe Set, Here are the Photos:

I have permission to take photos down and friends making new bookstore cafe images. A concept photo will follow.

Decisions- Cafe will be real only the hillside 3D

I have been laboring this over for months. It was recommended from the beginning I not do the Cafe as a 3d set, but I still wanted to hang on to it. Well, the reality of finishing thes last two film made me realize it's two much. The Hillside in Galilee is the pivital scene, that's what I need to concertrate on and that's what I will do. Just doing that will be a challenge.

I've begun working on images, practicing making hillsides, here's one:

Decisions - No Photo Realism

Iv'e decided to take the Photo-realism aspect out of my thesis. I am realizinhg you really need a team to do this well. I will still go for it, but will have more of a style to my thesisi than just photo real. I all actuallity, I would never shoot live action to look "real life" I always have a style with all I preoduce, so this truly seemd fitting.