Roll Out Schedule

Final Budget

                         Total Shipping Cost                                                                             $33.25


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Film Festival Choices

Cucalorus: Our Regional Festival choice. Located in Wilmington, our film's subject's hometown, Cucalorus is the perfect place to launch. Also, it's awesome.

River Run: Our Free Festival choice. "The RiverRun International Film Festival is dedicated to the role of cinema as a conduit of diverse viewpoints. Our mission is to foster a greater appreciation of cinema and a deeper understanding of the many people, cultures and perspectives of our world through regular interaction with great films and filmmakers." Located in Winston-Salem, River Run is ideal for our film's subject.


Asheville Cinema Festival: A North Carolina venue that accepts Documentary Short, Student Films. 


Atlanta Underground Film Festival: A Southern venue that accepts short docs and is welcoming to a small film like ours. 

Faith Film Festival: “The Faith Film Festival is committed to showcasing films and artist that offer expansive depictions of people experiences, beliefs and stories dealing with religious faith.”


Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival: "DocuFest Atlanta showcases meaningful life stories which educate and entertain audiences of every demographic."


Los Angeles International Underground Film Festival: “Documentary Short films that are 45 minutes or less. Any and all topics accepted.”

Hugh Chatham Bio

Hugh Chatham is about to graduate college with a B.A. in Film Studies, and has used the skills he's learned along the way to make a number of short independent films. Hugh also writes, and has been doing so since he could hold a pen. He has a number of feature scripts he's completed as well. He is eager and willing to work hard on any project, and thoroughly enjoys being creative in a number of different forms of art. Hugh has a farm in western North Carolina where he has spent his twenty-three years of life learning, working, and growing as a person. He enjoys spending time with his family, working outdoors, and generally anything that gets him out of the house.

Hugh and group Eval.

We're coming down to the last weeks of post-production, and I can confidently say it's been an experience. Coming into this semester with no knowledge of who would make up my group, and what topic we would be chained to for the next few months I'm thoroughly impressed with what we've accomplished. However timid in the beginning, we have persevered thus far. With excellent work ethics and creativity, my group members have made working on this project a shear pleasure. I have learned so much from them, and am surely proud of what we've done so far. I know that Brad and Morgan will have nothing but success in the future, based on their determination and desire to always do better. It's been a pleasure.

Hugh on Ken Burns

       I watched two Ken Burns films, one on the west, and part of one on the Civil War. Only part because of its length. The thing I enjoyed most about the Burns technique is his ability to make every shot interesting. There is a beautiful, poetic quality to what he does, and I feel this would be great for our documentary. I feel, however, as do my group members that it might ruin what we're after with our doc. to put to much ken Burns in. But a healthy dose would be nice. None-the-less i feel as though i gained a good bit from watching these two films closely. I think that it's only beneficial to know what other techniques works, and obviously Burns is one of the best in the business.

Morgan's Bio

Morgan Daniel Lear feeds off all things intangible: philosophy, realizations, awkward situations, worldly understandings, and knowledge. When it comes to his film work, he is a perfectionist that focuses on imperfections. He revels in all concepts and subjects that remind us that we are living, breathing, human-beings. Therefore, his love of cinema reflects his ambition to capture those humbling moments of humanity. Morgan aspires for self-actualization and a better understanding of the world around him. He's produced film shorts and he's (nearly) a college graduate (B.A. Spanish and Film Studies) who has an undying ambition to make the world a better place. He also knows how to cook breakfast tacos, speak spanish, design motion picture sound, work with his hands, and most importantly, think critically.

Morgan on Ken Burns's 'Jazz'

      In his piece on the american musical movement of jazz, Ken Burn combines expert interviews, archival photos and footage, to create his conservative piece about america's favorite improvisational music. By juxtaposing relevant photos with information given on-screen the information becomes accessible to the audience. Burn's style invokes the audience to apprehend information without biases or opinions; he aims to present genuine historical information through the words of people that know what they are talking about. Also, by linking relevant photos and footage to the spoken word, Burns keeps the viewer focused on supportable information (words: Louis Armstrong was a musician from the projects--> picture: Louis Armstrong as a kid living in the projects).
      Now, this filmmaker's relation to our project became very clear after the first 10 minutes of the film. He constructs visual and sound in a way that will maximize the viewer's apprehension of information: nothing more, nothing less. Our project lies in the realm of a Ken Burns film because its adherence to historical subject matter. If we are to follow in the steps of Ken Burns then we must looks at his pacing and his presentation of B-Roll.  His his speed of  B-roll revelation is something to note, because it slowly progresses in and out of the image. Also, he used a lot of dissolves and when pertinent can come handy when attempting to move the unmoving image. Basically, he produced a film that maximized education and minimized sensational entertainment. (Less Errol Morris--> more history channel). This documentary is historical and thus necessitates a factual based documentary. However, depending on where exactly Brad wants to direct the film, its has potential to deviate from Burns's pics (think irrelevant images+ put over factually based narration= create different meaning).

New Production Budget

Pre-Production Unit # Rate/Day Days/Weeks Total Cost In-kind Cash Vendor Photocopying $15 $15 Production Phone 1 $190 $190 Total (Pre-Prod) $205 $190 $15 Production Transportation $100 $100 Storage/HD $118 $118 Camera Package Canon Canon 7D 1 $17 7 $200 $200 lensrental.com Lens 2 7 $84 $84 lensrental Canon Tii 1 4 $48 $48 lensrental Sound Package Recorder 1 $35 per wk 6 $140 $150 Avalive Boom 1 $25 6 $150 $150 AbelCine Pole 1 $8 6 $48 $48 AbelCine Lavs 1 $75 6 $450 $450 Abelcine Lighting Package 1 $125 6 $750 $750 AbelCine Catering $50 $50 Transportation $100 $100 Gas Statio Petty Cash Laptop 1 $1,350 $1,350 Apple Production Supplies Batteries $30 $30 Expendables $20 $20 TOTAL PROD $3,638 3348 $300 Post Production Computer 1 $2,500 $2,500 Apple Sound Software 1 $700 $700 Avid Editing Software 1 $300 $300 Apple FCP Hard Drive 1 $118 $118 Amazon Head Phones 1 $96 $96 Amazon TOTAL (POST) $3,714 $3,714 Distribution DVD's 50 $15 $15 Amazon Festival Entry Fees 4 $100 $100 Shipping 3 10 $30 $30 U.S. Post Total (Distrib.) $145 $145 TOTAL (COMPLETE) $7,702 $7,252 $460

Production Budget

Considering the subject matter and the time span of production, the production's budget will come primarily out of the crew's pocket.  As it stands now for the estimated budget, the majority of expenditures will be in production. I've set aside a maximum of $250 dollars for production. The majority of the  production expenses pertain to travel (gas) and supplies (batteries, photocopying research). Next to production, the only real major expense of the total production is festival submissions. I am setting a maximum of 100 dollars for festival submission. This will allow for the submission to  3-4 in-state festivals. Conclusively, the estimated budget for the entire production is $270. Following is the breakdown of the budget.

Pre-Production

Petty Cash $10

Total Pre-Production: $10

Production: 

Transportation: $100 (Gas)

Production Supplies:

      Batteries: $30

      Expendables: $20

      Photocopying: $20

      Other: $10

Craft Service: 

      Food: $50

Total Production: $270

Post-Production: 

Distribution: 

     Festival Fees: $100

     Postage: $10

Total Post-Production: $110

TOTAL COSTS: $390

     

Production Timeline

Pre-production and Production Timeline


February
10th-12th- Interview Father Bob at Saint Mary's and additional B-roll at church
                  - B-Roll Sunday Mass
                  - Crew Meeting
                


17th-19th- Possible Interview and Additional Footage in Mt. Olive
                 - Possible St. Mark's Interview
                 - Group Meeting


24th- 26th- Possible Theologian Interview 
                  - Plan B for Mt. Olive
                  - Research
March
2nd- 4th   - Crew Meeting
                  - Possible Raleigh Dioses Trip 
                  - Research and piece together found footage/images


9th- 11th - Crew Meetings
                 - (Open Week)
                 - Plan B for Dioses Trip 
                 - Research and piece together found footage/images


16th-18th- Crew Meetings
                 - ( Open Week)
                 - Research and piece together found footage/ images


 23rd- 26th- Crew Meetings
                   - Wish a Trip to New York to burial site of Father Price at Marykroll


30th- April 1st - VISIONS
                    - Crew Meetings
                    - Transfer Footage


April 10th- FINISHED WITH PRODUCTION
                    - Transfer Footage
April 17th- Completed first cut


May 1st   - COMPLETED FINAL CUT
                 

Equipment Needs

For each week of production our group will utilize a consistent amount of equipment.
This weekend for our first weekend of shooting (Feb 12th- 12th) we will use the following:

(Interview and B-Roll List) Canon 7D

Canon Tii**

Sticks

Arri Kit

Boom mic (sennheiser)

h4n recorder

2 xlr cables

boom pole

Shure Mixer

Wireless Mic**

25 ft. stingers X4

gel bucket

**Considering we will be shooting mass at St. Mary's this weekend, we thought as a good idea to have another camera(man). Also, we will be doing the interview inside a very echoey room, so saw it as a good idea to have some sound options with the lav and the boom.

For the following weeks of interviews, we will use the same equipment (as long as we continue to have access to it for the duration of the semester.)

Hugh on Devotional Cinema

         After reading Devotional Cinema I realize the importance and power, more so now,  that film has; especially film that is true to its own nature. This short book illuminates the possibilities of film by presenting the most important factors one must be aware of. Dorsky explains how devotion, in regards to film, can bring about an entirely different more fulfilling experience. Dorsky explains the two basic types of time present in film, being relative time and nowness. He also says that shots and cuts, when complimenting each other, can open up wondrous moments of exploration. He says you cannot have one without the other, and that they are cinema's primal handmaidens. I really enjoyed this section of the book especially, because it presented the same information I've been taught over and over in the simplest most informative way possible. I found this quote by Dorsky to sum up the main idea of shots and cuts, "The shots, as moments of luminous accommodation, ripen and expand and are popped like soap bubbles by the cut. The cuts re-declare the clarity of the shots, restating the primal clarity of the view."
          While I find Nathaniel Dorskys viewpoints beautifully articulated and profoundly interesting, I don't agree with everything he says and stands for, because I think he tends to bring to much of the ethereal, inner soul type attitude to what is ultimately a personal conquest. But I do think that films that are more enjoyable and more spiritually gratifying, are ones where the filmmaker has allowed their true nature to mix in with a personal connection to an unbiased ideal. I think this book will help me in my film career because I have more of an awareness to vision, and the power of film now. I feel as if now I can approach a film with a clearer sense of connection, and appreciation.

Finalized Project Description

The Tar Heel Apostle

            We will follow the campaign currently in progress to have Father Thomas Frederick Price, a Wilmington priest, declared a Roman Catholic Saint. We will interview a specialist on Father Price in Mt. Olive, NC, Father Robert Kus of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, and Paul Townend of St. Mark’s, in order to understand why Father Price is worthy for sainthood as well as the process and qualifications thereof. While examining the sainthood process, we will explore what it means to be a saint, who is worthy of the title, and what a person and his/her supporters gain from sainthood. We hope to encourage people to consider what role religion plays in modern times.

            While many films about religion are serious and formal, we’d like ours to be lighthearted but respectful. By discussing the subject of Catholicism in this manner, we hope to make an enlightening and approachable documentary. Also, we want the film to be smooth and professional looking which means no handheld shots, no vox pops, and the film can’t look gritty.

            While the most obvious target audience is Catholics who are interested in different aspects of Catholicism, our intent is to make an informative documentary for non-Catholics. Therefore the film appeals to both religious and secular filmgoers. It’s also appealing to North Carolinians or anyone interested in American history.

            We will seek out funding from different church groups or Christian filmmaking societies that would enjoy financing this film. The film will be distributed through film festivals in North Carolina, though we believe the film has the potential to be picked up by film festivals throughout the US.

Brad on Dovotional Cinema

Nathaniel Dorsky writes about film with a lyrical, poetic style akin to Werner Herzog. On page 22, Dorsky describes the film Voyage to Italy, as “so direct and effective that one cannot say exactly why it functions with so much power;” a similar statement can be said about Dorsky’s writing style. His feelings for films extend far past mere appreciation. To Dorsky, film is one of the greatest expressions of life. However, his writings about cinema and the film experience are more existential than technical. Though he discusses aspects of mis-en-scene, his descriptions do not extend past speculative theories. His philosophical approach to film does not offer much to the practical documentary filmmaker except the notions that “great films make people feel good,” and “filmmakers should try to be innovative.” In point of fact, all of his examples were taken from narrative films.

Still, I found his section on “Time” and the “nowness” of a film to be of some usefulness. He explains how originality can add to a film’s realness and make it seem in the moment. Indeed, the repetition of common documentary clichés and techniques, much like the tedious exchange of prearranged, idle dialogue phrases and ideas, can weigh down a situation and make it seem phony and uninteresting. My group and I have discussed the look and tone of our documentary and have agreed that we want to keep it light and approachable. So many films about religion take a serious, formal tone in reverence to the topic. We would like to keep ours relaxed and lighthearted while still being respectful to the subject matter. Hopefully we can accomplish this through our interviews, either with our discussion with our subjects or our camera placement.

In the end, I find Dorsky's views on film to be romantic, but perhaps too philosophical. I tend to be critical, and if Dorsky is simply going to speak of film with grand, idealized sentiments rather than give tangible examples for filmmakers to aspire to, I can't take him very seriously. I will say that he has a superb writing style that keeps the reader thouroughly engrosed, if annoyed by his lack of conciseness.

Morgan on Devotional Cinema

  Essentially, this book establishes everything in cinema that I love. It speaks of truth and clarity and the fluidity of the motion picture. I feel like this is THE filmmaker's and film lovers bible. Given that, you can already tell how this book will inspire my approach as a filmmaker. Now, with every single creative decision I will think, " Am I being true to virtues of cinema, and since cinema affects my metabolism (as a viewer), am I being true to myself? Is this scene (or interview) expressing the nowness of this particular moment, or is it undercutting it? I think they're may be moments where I might fall from grace, and in those moments, I'll go back to the book and realize the correct approach to my creative decision.
    Also, Nathaniel Dorsky cites examples from specific films that express the truth that he preaches on. By citing these pictures, Dorsky points out the apostles of Purity in Cinema. Films such as the passion of joan of arc (1928) and La Notte (1961) demonstrates to filmmakers like myself the idea of balance in cinema: The balance of the subject and self and the balance of narrative and nowness. I know now that there is this balance, and it is my duty as a filmmaker to uphold this balance in every film I make. I will need to think, "Is this shot in the now? Will the viewer be as one with this scene/shot/image as I am now?" If not, I will need to reassert the principles laid out in the book to make sure that the scene/shot/image expresses quintessential nowness. 
     Now that I've opened up Pandora's Box thanks to you Shannon, I now have some serious responsibilities (not like I didn't before) as a filmmaker. Anyways, I truly believe that this book represents something of greater power in cinema. I think a strong example is when sunlight passes through leaves and makes its way through the lens and hits celluloid. At that moment in time, while the winds graces through the trees, and the light still manages to bounce itself onto the celluloid; The affinities of now imprint on film.

Project Proposal and Crew Positions

Brad Clayton: Director, Researcher, Interviewer

Hugh Chatham: DP, Lighting, Researcher

Morgan Lear: Producer, Sound Recording, Researcher

Option 1: SOPA Documentary

We will explore the proposed Stop Online Piracy Bill and how it will do much more harm than good. While discussing the SOPA Bill we will briefly examine the topics of privacy, online piracy, and Internet control. To do this, we’ll interview North Carolina Representative Mike McIntyre, a knowledgeable professor in the Computer Science Department, and the operators of online sites who would be affected by the passage of the SOPA bill. It is our intention to show that, while the prevention of media piracy is an important issue, the SOPA bill goes too far by infringing upon many liberties. Even if the SOPA bill is shot down, we believe that more like it will come as corporations and governments attempt to control Internet activity.

Our documentary will implement an experimental approach with a somewhat bleak tone. We might try actually filming a computer screen with our interviews playing on a Youtube video.

Option 2: Wilmington’s Saint

            We will follow the campaign currently in progress to have Father Thomas Frederick Price, a Wilmington priest, declared a Roman Catholic Saint. We will interview UNCW Theology professor Dr. Young as well as a clergyman from either St. Mary’s or St. Mark’s Catholic Church to understand the process and qualifications of sainthood. While examining the sainthood process, we will explore what it means to be a saint and who is worthy of the title. We hope to encourage people to consider what role religion plays in modern times.

            For this documentary, we will try to create a “heavenly” atmosphere by using a brighter exposure and using holy music in the background.

Option 3: Wilmington Massacre

We will document the Wilmington Massacre of 1898, the only coup d’etat in American history. While covering the event, we will also explore the documentation of history and the issues of race relations then and now. We will interview UNCW public history Prof. Gisolfi for her expertise on the subject.