CJ Lersch

I am a student at Full Sail University in the Masters of Film Production.  This is my journey!

[cj-lersch]

Sound Soaker

When Mom goes out leaving Dad alone with the baby, he must keep the house sound free with the help of a Sound Soaker lest he wakes the baby.

[cj-lersch]

Sound Soaker

When Mom goes out leaving Dad alone with the baby, he must keep the house sound free with the help of a Sound Soaker lest he wakes the baby.

[cj-lersch]

Day 4

[gayeddies]

[queerdean]

mjwatson:

#I don’t know how well thought out this was but the last one from dh pt.2 is facing the opposite direction #it’s like all of the harrys from his past are looking up to him #as if they’re both expecting him to live up to his prophecy #and understanding that he’s only a boy #he’s still the same person he was in the very first image

[cj-lersch]

I don’t agree.  I think It’s more like he’s looking back over the last 7 years and all that has happened.  Reaching the end of a journey and reflecting on the path.  Knowing he’s not the same due to all he’s learned and gone through.  Watching the evolution from boy to man shaped by growth, joy, pain,strength and moments of weakness.  The other portraits all have a sense of wonder for the future but the last Harry looks almost at peace with the past.

[cj-lersch]

Pretty unimpressed with today’s photo.  

[cj-lersch]

[cj-lersch]

Day 2

[cj-lersch]

I was challenged to do the 366 pictures (a photo a day).  This is the first one. It’s from yesterday but oh well.

[droo216]

Clue the Board Game starring…

Lucy Liu as Miss Veronica Scarlet Ted Levine as Colonel Conrad Mustard Helen Mirren as Mrs. Mildred White Carl Lumbly as Reverend Rowland Green Imelda Staunton as Mrs. Belinda Peacock Hugh Dancy as Professor Nathaniel Plum

[cj-lersch]

That’s my name!!

[cj-lersch]

And being who he wasn't, could be as he wished to be.

Rian Johnson, The Brothers Bloom

[cj-lersch]

Because going in alone is a very important thing to do.

Rian Johnson, via Stephen.  The Brothers Bloom

[cj-lersch]

Business Of Film

I was very excited about this month for a few reasons.  To start with, I was eager to devise a plan for Sound Soaker.  We have researched festivals to submit to as well as built an electronic press kit.  The process of filmmaking, from writing to pre-production, on to production and post is a blast and fulfilling.  Now comes the part that we share what we have been working so hard on.  That is both exciting and nerve wracking.  I find I can’t wait to show people Sound Soaker and, when I do, I watch their reactions carefully.  I am really looking forward to going to festivals.  

I am now feeling more prepared for being in the industry.  As someone with an “artistic mind”, I have found the idea of personal accounting daunting.  But after going over free lance taxation, I feel more confident in that area.

I enjoyed every Monday when we looked at the box office numbers for the weekend.  I liked predicting the outcomes and studying why films do well and others do not, what it means when some are released at a certain part of the year, and how previous and similar films can be indicative of a certain film’s performance.  I feel like studying this will help me pick my future projects as well as my writing.  

I was also anxious about the job searching process.  I now feel more prepared for my search and hopeful that I will be able to find a job in this industry.  To be honest I was nervous about it.  I know this industry has a lot of hopefuls.  Everybody wants to be in the movies, what makes me different?  Well, I am different because I am me.  I have passion and creativity unique to only myself. I now know that I can do something with that.  I am determined, I want to make films and I will work hard (and I am) to make that dream a reality.  It’s just lucky that I also happen to like the work I am doing.

[cj-lersch]

Sir Alan Parker, BAFTA Award winning filmmaker, says “You make three films. One when you write it, one when you shoot it and one when you cut it together in the editing. With luck they are not too ...

A blog I wrote for business of film.

[cj-lersch]

Film Assembly

This month was amazing! To be able to see the film come together so well gives me such a sense of accomplishment that I don’t think I have ever felt before.  Sometimes I can’t believe that I wrote something that I saw in my head and no I’m able to see it and show it to people.  There were times when other people would get to chance to see it and they would laugh.  Thant thrills me to no end.  That is the dream! Make them laugh, make them cry, make them think.  And the film still makes me laugh, even after seeing it about a million times.  

 We got luck with the people we have had working on this film from the beginning.  This month is no exception.  The dub stage team was incredibly helpful and, obviously, Sound Soaker would not be the same without their help.  I learned a lot by working with them and I had a blast doing it.  Bill is not only a great instructor but a terrific source of support and encouragement in our final month.  And he’s an awesome guy with great industry stories.

 I know that sound design is not something I am meant to do but I understand it a bit better and I think I was able to communicate what we wanted effectively.  It was a bit of a rocky start and we continued to hit a few bumps in the road as we went on.  Still those setbacks aren’t noticeable in the film.  I am so happy with the way it came out.  

 I cannot wait to show it to people!  I know that is the next step and yet still I can’t believe we have a final picture.  It feels like yesterday I just had the idea for the script and now it’s a real thing!

[cj-lersch]

Post-Production

This past month of post-production has given me an even deeper appreciation for those in the industry who love it.  It is not something I am interested in.  I am glad I understand it a bit better.  It has opened my eyes to things to consider in pre-production and production when directing, DP-ing as well as writing.  When I write I always see the film in my head as I’m writing but now I’m also considering the shots taken and how they will edit together.  As a cinematographer it is very important to consider workflow and while I still don’t fully understand it, now I know how important it is to understand it and I will be looking for a copy of “Workflow For Dummies” very soon.  Using Avid was a particular challenge for me.  I think a valuable lesson to learn is the right tool to use and, for me, Avid was counter-intuitive in many ways.

 I will also be taking a closer look at color correction.  As a DP and Director, there is value in knowing how a film can look and how it’s done.  I would like to look more into “behind the scenes” of the editing process of films I like. I was usually only interested in the production side of behind the scenes.  I found the BTS we watched of the editing of the first Star Wars film particularly interesting.  It’s amazing the time and hard work those editors put in for only a few seconds of the film.  

 My favorite part of this class was watching the films.  I wish we watched more films in this program and analyzed them.  I think that analyzing films can help us not only form opinions but also be able to articulate why we feel that way.  How are we going to make good films when we haven’t studied what makes a film good?

[cj-lersch]

Production

I expected to film my thesis in this month, which is what I did.  I also expected to learn a lot through filming.  This also happened.  I think one thing I was particularly prepared for, and the book First-Time Filmmaker F*** -Ups talked about, was being flexible.  Murphy’s law says that what can go wrong, will go wrong. There is no way to be prepared for every possible occurrence but planning and having back-up plans takes you miles and being able to think on your feet will take you the last few steps.

The structure of a film crew that the book Set Basics goes through is so important to how a set runs. I think this is somewhere we could have improved on.  Our first day was a bit hectic but by Thursday I think we worked well as a group. The hierarchy is vital to the efficiency of a set.  While we had a production meeting I wish we would have a had a more in depth start of production meeting like described in The Complete Film Handbook where people meet who they will be working with and taking orders from.  The problem with this program is there is so little time and it is very difficult to manage everyone’s schedules.  This is also the reason we had a very inconsistent crew and by the last two days our crew was pretty sparse.  In some ways though I think that was better because there wasn’t too many people running around not knowing what to do.  

As for my role of DP, I loved it.  I loved watching what I wrote and saw in my head come to life right in front of me. You learn how important your team is quickly.  I had a great team, in particular my Key Grip and Gaffer.  I trusted them completely and they worked so hard.  I’ve learned most of all this month that trust is essential in film.  You have to trust that your team will do their job properly.  Particularly when it comes to safety.  If a grip doesn’t secure something properly or the best boy doesn’t calculate amperage correctly it could be very dangerous.  The Complete Film Handbook also talks about “designated areas of responsibility”.  Meaning if you are not an electric, you don’t plug things in.  This was a bit of an issue on our set.  I also learned why we keep house power and generator power separate.

Overall I’m happy with what we got and I can’t wait to get to editing!