| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
 Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 8:04 am Post subject: First Day Of Filming On The Fortress TV Show! |
 |
|
First Day Of Filming On The Fortress TV Show!
By Maurice Ali, Journalist
This was going to be one long day and it started early in the morning with me setting up the equipment for the shoot:
I use the all metal tripods as I need the "piece of mind" that comes with them. Further, the extra wires you see there are the earphones I had connected:
The day started off early with the taping and informal interview of Dan - our narrator on the show. What reminds me to always expect the unexpected; he forgot his civies, was lucky this time as I had my laundry in the car and swapped an old black tee shirt for his uniform. The interview went well and at the conclusion I decided to take a few "stills" of Dan. Here is a head shot taken just as the morning light appeared and made him squint:
The photo below was selected because I just love that picture! The lighting is fabulous! I hate to say it; but properly contrived, this would have been a "killer" corporate shot!
Anyway, that was the first shoot. I went home and crossed my fingers with regard to audio and video quality; thankfully all was great!
The second shoot was with our lovely Emily. Emily, it should be remembered, has been with the organization from the start and has always been available to me when needed. I really value this type of person and she will always have a place at our organization.
Trouble arose when it started to rain well before the shoot. I had planned to shoot the set at the same location as Dan's set; but now that was impossible. I drove around the area frantically looking for an overhang that would keep the equipment dry and yet afford good lighting. The camera cost so much that I don't have artificial lighting yet and have to skimp wherever possible. I found a possible location at an abandoned Canadian Tire Store in the area:
I took this photo the day after. That is why you don't see any rain.
I rushed Emily over to the location and the two of us ran to the entrance of the store in the pouring rain. I unwrapped the camera (in a green garbage bag no less.....) and set it on the tripod and began to shoot.
This was the actual spot.
This kid really knows how to interact with a camera. Several times I just had to step back a bit and admire how well the imagery works here, Of course this is all at the amateur level, but the imagery is first class! We did not have time for still pictures as she had to be rushed to her work; but I have lots of her. Here is one where she is giving the camera lens "the eye":
Next up was our newest model: Punita. Punita was selected as I needed at least two female models for the TV show, and also to give our organization more of an international "flair". Here is a picture of the beautiful Punita:
And the head shot:
Her taping went well and had a very funny moment as a truck driver did everything possible to distract us; including almost running over a woman!
The final shoot was with Dave Getchel. Dave is our singer/song writer/guitarist. I really like this guy because he understands our philosophy behind the organization and has been involved for quite a while. A very cerebral man, Dave really wants to be known for his lyric and song writing abilities. His hope is to have his songs distributed for use by other artists; and a few famous ones would also be nice..... Here is a photo of Dave taken at the conclusion of filming:
So; a very successful day of filming for the TV Show. This material is going to be used. We will use parts for the actual TV show and the rest for the documentary we are also producing based on the making the The Fortress TV Show. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2004 4:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Just to let you know, the recordings were excellent! We will keep recording everything as we do it for the documentary. This is a logistical problem the taping, we will have to work out. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 8:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
With the Protest Book out of the way.....back to the TV Show!
All tapes are to be Sony DVCam intelligent tapes with comments and such imbedded.
Nothing is too be erased or overwritten!
More taping to be done within the next two weeks as this weekend is coming up too fast for reliable appointments to be made. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 10:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I guess I now have inclusion to the professional videographer's club. I was talking with some film makers and they gave me a rundown on my equipment. Apparently there was a problem with the early PD170 camera that made an audible hum that transferred to tape with the LCD screen out. The affected serial range ends at 1113000 - mine thankfully is far later than this..... Still it is fun to start rubbing shoulders with others in the field.
Our project should be fun also. I have some info on editing programs and will start to finalize what sort of computer setup I will need to do all this.
The computer:
I actually think the twin processor Apple is the way to go; but money is the concern. I see this in use at graphic houses and I saw the letdown my own computer gave me earlier in the week. I figure twin huge drives and huge RAM with the latest video card and sound card, with firewire inputs. I have XLR interface with USB (for Tascan) but the video side still would have to be addressed.
A setup like this would hold me in good stead for audio and video work. This computer would be off-line and I could just use the old computer for the web. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Sue
Joined: 14 Oct 2003
Posts: 200
Location: London England
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 4:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| you have achieved so much in the last few months Maurice - I for one think it's exciting - Well Done ! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 8:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Sue wrote: | | you have achieved so much in the last few months Maurice - I for one think it's exciting - Well Done ! |
Well I could not have made it through the slow times without your support Susan - Thank You!
Same applies to Zardoz in all his incarnations, especially when I was setting up at the beginning. It was just to easy to give up the idea then when we had little traffic.
My mysterious friend "My Shadow" has been here from the start, and was of help making our in depth report on Freenet. He claims to be not as much of a hardliner of rights and freedoms as me.....yet he accessed Freenet more than I.....more than 99.99999 percent of the population. I think he is one of the leaders of the freedom fight.....in waiting.....
Even my dear Penelope gave the cause a shot-in-the-arm when she arrived and still graces us with her literary wit every now and then.
M. Andre Moore, is one of the directors here and not only helped start off the newspaper with his political wit and literary style, but added reporters to the paper and assisted in the TV show. My first business meeting was with Mr. Moore and I see and converse with him on a regular basis.
Zahava is another journalist that came in with the newspaper and will have a segment of the show devoted to her. She will read some of her poetry on the show. I look forward to actually meeting her for the first time.
Dave Getchel set the tone for the organization by composing the FOFDOT organization theme. He to will have a segment on the show for his singer/song writer/guitarist talents. I think this gentleman has much to offer this organization through his intellect and ability to breach the chasm from idealogy to art.....
Mike is our technical wizard and he will make his appearance to help film the show. I can tell you that it is a comfort to know the technical aspects are covered by this veteran of filmography.
Dan went out of his way to get on the show and here he is. I needed a man with 18 plus years in the music business to narrate the show and fill in for any problems that may occur. Rock solid in ability and reliability; when we selected Dan we knew it was a done deal!
Emily is like the daughter I never had. Whenever I asked she helped out. She will always have a place here. Model performer, you name it and she does it.....fantastic!
Corra is still a member here though she has stepped back a bit for personal reasons, I still talk to her every day and she is particularly excited about our upcoming book. We may or may not see more of Corra in the future.....only she knows.....
Puranam is our newest director and gave us global reach as he is stationed in India. Very enthusiastic, I am sure we will be seeing more of him in the future.
Punita is our newest model and will help with the show. Count on seeing more of her in the weeks to come. Welcome Punita!
Our most recent helping hand has come form my friend Pet who helped boost our traffic by offering me rotating ads on her numerous sites and then went and helped our book project by designing the cover (she is going to get full accolades for this when the book is officially launched and has credit on page 2).
This organization could not have sustained itself over the last year without the input of these individuals and all the other wonderful people who have helpped us out. A warm thank you to all.
Maurice |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 8:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Back to the show:
My wallet took another hit with these necessary items:
That battery alone cost almost 260.00! But we need them to make the show a reality.....
Scripts and learning to be a cameraman - This is my life! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 2:29 am Post subject: |
|
|
I interviewed Mark today and took some pictures:
Mark is one of the corporation's directors and one of our most talented writers. I taped him at his home in the greater Toronto area at dusk to check the moving camera's low light gathering abilities. Thes shots should come out ok if your monitor is adjusted properly.
Some shots of Mark taken after the interview.
I was somewhat criticized for not having any event shots.....so here is the camera and subject on location. I have since checked the footage and the video looks great!
More Equipment:
The lights should have been used in this shot!
I think I have most of the equipment we need for the show now, except for the very high quality tape - that I will try to get next week..... I decided to buy another large battery and with the three batteries we should be set for the picnic show on September 18, 2004. I also got a Sony charger and carrying case (I tried to avoid this but there was too much stuff to lug around and the idea of the camera rolling around the car.....). I purchased a professional metal tripod interface to make effortless connection to the camera and tripod (it is the black thing on the tripod). Finally, I got a pair of lights to ensure we can always shoot indoors (These like to arc when plugged in so I will have to connect to a power bar and then power up!). The batteries are the real killer at over 500.00 for the two - this is obscene! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:26 am Post subject: |
|
|
Yesterday I did more filming on a personal level. I took the new equipment into our "studio" (I can actually say that with a straight face now) and did some more shooting.
The new lights are great and turn dusk into day! I did a set where I showed where all the files were, all the cards, our flyer, our first paper (crooked in a frame.....), and then made some small talk - Good.
I also showed them our computer setup and then zoomed in on the displayed page which was the fortressoffreedom.com home page!
That was about it. I am constantly learning about film making techniques and should be somewhat competent by film day in about one months time. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 4:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Good News! I have finally found the proper tape for the show. Simply the best tape in the world..... We now have new, state fo the art, broadcast quality supplies and equipment for the show. It is now ours to lose..... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 5:27 am Post subject: |
|
|
| The Toronto International Film Festival starts September 9 and ends September 19 - which just happens to be the same dates of my next vacation and filming day for the Fortress TV Show! Most interesting is the DV editing workshops (probably with emphasis for the 24p fans and not the documentary/electronic news guys like us). Anyway, I will be rubbing shoulders with many film makers and hopefully something rubs off..... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 5:12 am Post subject: |
|
|
This thing is starting to look like a diary.....oh well:
That contraption in the picture is the boom microphone stand we will use to record Dave and myself. The brass attachment fits the holder supplied with the SM58 microphone and I also bought a twenty five foot long professional XLR cable (then regretted not buying the fifty foot.....). We are basically ready to tape now. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 5:44 am Post subject: |
|
|
Fortress Of Freedom Song!
Dave has submitted a new song to me specifically about our web site. Check it out.....I Love it!
Click Here For The Song: fortressoffreedom |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Sue
Joined: 14 Oct 2003
Posts: 200
Location: London England
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 1:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I have to agree with you Maurice - it's fab !!! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7685
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 7:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I purchased one more piece of equipment today:
This is a music stand of a heavy duty variety. I need it to make my speech on the show. We will probably have to double the boom stand and the music stand for that shot. Still finalizing elements of the book with the printers. I am starting to get the urge to finalize the narrative script for Dan and my speech and then practice! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
