Holiday Season – Post production at a crawl

As we enter the holiday season, my editing time will and has been limited on Petite Chardonnay.

Family is a key component to our life, and I will not miss any moment to spend time with mine. Hope you spend time with yours.

The intense and uninterrupted post production as come to a crawl until after the new year when it will be 18 hour days and nights for at least 3 months without any distractions.

There will be some assembly, but only basic preparation per scene, takes, and organization during this time, as well as, creating more marketing material such as updated posters, calendars, teasers, shirts, winter apparel, and more plus an exciting development I have decided to create a PHOTOGRAPH BOOK.  A 100 plus page book of selected photos from the 1600 photos that Patricia Collins, Mark Hoffman, George Ann Heck, Lisa West, and others have taken during the production.  The book may cost over $50, but it will be a hard cover, full color, landscape view — a must have coffee table book; and proceeds will be split amongst the photographers.

LOOK FOR THESE for your holiday shopping needs and grab a few items not just unique to collect, but they are useful.

http://www.cafepress.com/ariapicturesshop

I have the interviews and BTS video that Steve Dakota and Mark Hoffman took and will be assembling those together which does not take much concentration as the story itself; I am not worried about how fancy the bts sequence is as I am NOT selling that as the main story, not that it is going to be done with haste and no care, just saying I want my full attention on editing the movie, so I can keep working while family is home for the holidays.

 

Jim Heck is creating a photographic slide show for many uses, one is for the wrap party that is still in my mind, which I should get more votes from instead of a select few: do you want and think a sit down, semi formal $20 for adults and $10 for kids under 12 at Lucchesi or Double Oak in May would interest anyone?

I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, the end of the year, and a very, very prosperous and safe 2012 for all my family and friends. MAKE A NOTE: 2012 will bring new things for everyone, both financially and personally.

God Bless, peace, be safe.

- ger

A Film Maker’s Guide to Completion

this is a continuing and on going Guide and is subject to additions as I think of them.

This is a guide to help up and coming filmmakers who need a little information about the ins and outs of making a movie on a small, low, or no budget.

PART ONE

Start at the end to know where to start

Most people think the important thing when making a movie is having a Camera — and that may have some validity;  Some think you have to have a good story before you start — and yes a good story is a key element; There are those that feel the acting is most important when making a movie — and again acting is also a relevant part in making a movie — good or bad — but none of those compare in importance to knowing how you are going to finish the movie, such as, the media format, the editing system, music, audio and video effects, the output format, and most of all THE EDITOR.

You can have the best camera, box office smash script, and professional actors but without knowing how you are going to finish it and without an editor, a competent editor, you might as well stop before you get started.

An editor — a good one not to mention a great one — is the most important element in the film making process — yes this is coming from an editor and although it may sound biased it is a fact.  And after working on many, many projects and seeing other projects that don’t have a experienced editor on them, the projects that have longevity, look good, or even have a chance at getting finished have an editor that knows what they are doing.

WHAT AN EDITOR DOES FOR YOU

A skilled and experienced editor is the last person that tells the story, the person that puts all the pieces together in a cohesive manner — some may think the Director dictates the story, the edits, and the cuts which may be true, but the editor actually makes them happen — and the editor is the one that has the knowledge of how to export it in the format that was decided upon in the beginning which dictated how the movie was to be recorded in the first place — THE EDITOR IS KEY!

The editor is the one that spends hours, and I don’t mean 2 or 6 I mean 10 – 18 plus in a day, going back and forth on one edit to decide if it is one frame to the left or one frame to the right that will make the difference in the scene — these are the small things that no one will notice or see unless is was done incorrectly — and we as editors know this, but it is our job, our love of story telling, and our need to do things right that sets us above everyone else in the film making world — we have the time to fine tune and try variations.

The editor sets the pacing of the movie and a scene and can do so no matter what the pacing was on set.  The editor can also make an actor look good or bad depending on the takes used — and it is not always about taking the best performance on each camera set up on each actor in each scene it’s about what take works well with the preceding clip and the previous and the two before and after — these are the duties, the responsibilities, and the reverence that us editors revel in.

There are so many things that an editor does to make a movie even get finished let alone be something people want to watch over and over again, it is truly a joke when someone who just bought or has played with a movie editing program for a short time sits in front of it to cut a movie, not a home movie, not some slide show, and not some youtube video of his friend crashing on his bike, but a real movie they want to project onto the big screen.  A real editor edits something everyday, learns something, challenges them self to get better, to be more creative, and to become more useful to a film project than one else or any other equipment.

Without a real editor skilled and experienced editor you’re just pretending your making a movie.

Petite Chardonnay Day 6 : “IT’S A WRAP!”

Day 6, Sunday, November 13, 2011, brought us a cool day — not as cold as expected — and as the day went on it also brought us closer to the end of our last day of principal photography — which was both exciting and heartbreaking.

With the five leads and a very small crew we kept to the same quality and discipline that we held throughout the production.  I could tell that everyone felt the end was in the air and we would not see each other in this capacity on this film again, but that did not bring their spirits down; everyone pushed forward and completed their tasks.

And when Frank Cosgriff — our first Assistant Director — yelled “That’s a wrap!”  Many emotions and cheers filled the room.

Most may feel their part in this film is over, and that may be true for some, but the journey is not — I think about everyone and carry them with me as I work the magical part of the process of filmmaking — at least the magic that I can add to it — everyone has done their job, now it is my turn.

As the days, weeks, and months go by many of you will find other projects to do, grow up, and have their braces removed; meenwhile I will be focused and working hard on one project; this film called Petite Chardonnay.  I will — at certain times — keep you up to date on the progress of the film in post production — I have already purchased several boxes of tissue for the occasion.

So with your patients, understanding, and I know you have the passion, dedication, and devotion for this film, we will continue to walk beside each other — in spirit of course — but to me the JOURNEY is NOT over — we have created memories and relationships that will live forever.

Be safe, God Bless, and I thank you so much for being a part of the first phase of this epic story.

- gerald

How To, informative weblog, or keep it to myself?

I have been pondering — for many, many months now — about writing a “HOW TO” book about filmmaking, or really about how to finish a movie.  I am not a famous filmmaker … yet, but what I lack in fame and fortune I make up in notoriety and skills in the post-production department, so that would be the emphasis of the writing — “How to finish a movie and bring to the masses for the beginner and intermediate filmmakers of the world.”

 

Kind of a long title, but that is more of a summary of what would be the context of the book.  Or would it be a weblog series?  A weblog series would be more complicated in making money from it.  Would I want to make money from my experience, knowledge, secrets, and skills?  Who wouldn’t?  But there are two sides of that coin; and both should be considered in detail because each one has its own meanings and possibilities; but at the core of either one of them, the fact that I would be telling, giving away, and handing over my techniques that I have spent $40,000 going to school to learn and spent 25 years honing would be outlandish.

I mean, think about it;  you see those people on tv saying they have found the answer to self financial freedom and if you want to know my secret, send me $$ and I will show you your path to financial freedom.

My question to those people — and to the one’s who buy into it — is, “If it works so well and you are the only one who knows this secret, why the heck would you share it with anyone?  Why have competitors?  Why share in the bounty of the treasure?”  KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!

I mean.  If I had the secret of life, riches beyond imagination, and the power to control it, I would NOT share it with anyone; well maybe my kids, some family, and a few close friends; MAYBE!  But to sell the idea to the world?  NO.  If it was that great of a plan, idea, or information you would keep it to yourself.  So the fact that they are trying to sell you a get rich quick scheme tells me it’s not worth the stamps they mail it with.

There is the quandary and the dilemma that I am going through.  I know my information will make beginning and experienced filmmakers in Sacramento, and the world, better filmmakers, or in such a way they would make better finished products that I would enjoy watching; but do I want to create competition for me that it hurts my chances at becoming a paid filmmaker and editor for A-list movies; either my own or someone else’s?  The reason for my apprehension is there are a few, not many, but a few really, really good aspiring filmmakers in Sacramento area.  One thing I have learned about life is, if you are having a party, and do not want the neighbors to complain, you invite them to the party;  also, if you have competition that might beat you, you should ask them to be apart of your team.

That just might be the answer; I need to get these people on my side and work with me, not against me, and in so doing combining our skills and talents into one creating a better chance for all of us to reach the top than battling each other.

 

Tired yet Inspired and ready to go this weekend

I am exhausted but what keeps me going is the exeptional cast & crew that I get to see on the weekends as we walk hand in hand on this epic journey creating a tender, heart touching, and emotional movie that will last forever — a new breed of actors and filmmakers to enterain the masses.

I am so ready for this weekend, I hope you are.

 

 

AAAHHH  Gotcha!!!  I know right.  We should just do it anyway.

We have three options of the interiors for the 13th and the first one will be a small crew, the others will be semi small crew but we will have a simple wrap party for cast & crew and either be potluck or bring your own thing to bbq and a salad. But that is not confirmed yet, just planting the seed.

 

the clips, takes, and media look so awesome and the acting is not that bad.  HA!  you know I joke around and you know I am harder on myself than anyone else, and as I have said before, like with all my other projects, movies, and creations I will spend the same amount of care and time to make this a cherished movie you will be proud to talk about for years to come.

Petite Chardonnay Day 5: debriefing

It was a long day of struggles, heat, distance, learning, and wonderful performances.  Yes all in one day.  We all made it through, some not as well as others, they did survive after all the hard work I made them do.  this was the hard working day for the crew and cast.

The scenes are 90% captured, I guess the other 10% I will have to live without only becuase I came in with a different plan, which was watch the scene and then decide how to photograph it.  It may have worked for others but it didn’t for for me.

I am please, very pleased, with what we have and the actors and crew.  It was a long hard day but WORTH IT!!

 

Thanks to Lori Grbac, Jacob Ambrosini, McKenna Whiting, Gary L. Conovor, Michael Klemp, C.J. Berdahl, and Nolan Bourassa for their talents and time.

Petite Chardonnay: Day 4: debriefing

Sunday, October 16, 2011 was a humbling moment for me on this project.

The cast & crew have settled into their roles — as Jim Heck and Frank Cosgriff noticed and mentioned to me “the crew has become more homogeneous” — probably better discription that settling in, but the fact that poeple like Jim and Frank have noticed it and feel it is important to mention, means a great deal.

Again. I am honored to have been blessed with such a fantastic cast & crew that jumps in when needed, goes above and beyond the call of duty, and takes the time to give ideas, suggestions, and input when they feel it is important — or maybe I am just collateral blessings from everyone else on the project and the good Lord doesn’t want tto hurt the rest of them just becuase I am attached, so I am getting a break; no matter what it is, I am truly humbled at the sacrifice, interest, and love that everyone has for this project, their fellow cast & crew members, and themselves — I wish this were a long running tv show like MASH or something that I can be with them every day.

Wayne Young & Don Weller, the Aerial Ventures people, gave us a show with their aerial maneuvers while capturing some senic clips from the air of Gary L. Conover and Michael Klemp in the vineyard of Lucchesi — up the production value, again.

Lunch was a relaxing spaghetti feed from my lovely wife Tamara and her mother Maureen.  Thank you.

In Chardonnay’s reveal at the beginning of the movie, Karly Avva melted everyone’s heart just the way I imagined it when I was writing the scene; Gary L. Conover actually teared up — course I will not let everyone know that I did as well, we’ll keep that a secret.  Michael’s stirring performace was not only equalled too Gary L. Conover’s presentation of his father, but haunting in his facial expressions as he relived some of his past.  So invigorating.

And one final note for this debreifing and one that should not be overlooked, the wonderful cast we have would not have been assembled as it is without the efforts, time, and talents of first class Ryan McKinney and his group at It Factor Studios, Charla Bybee, Susan McKinney, Jeffery C. Vanacore — who is our 2nd AD and more; Dylan Nelson — who is another member of our team; and Aaron [lastname].  He kept telling me, “You have a great cast.”

What you are missing

Greetings.

For those that have not been staying up to date with the journey we are taking, you are missing a great deal.

We are half way into this production and since day one; a family, caring, and loving feeling has surrounded us, and it is wonderful — trust me it is WONDERFUL, you should take a look.

Chardonnay Facebook page [ no account needed to view]
Chardonnay Official Website
Aria Pictures News Feed
Aria Pictures Official website

To those that look at this once and toss it aside as “Gerald is just pretending. Wasting his time, he’s got no talent or skills.” or “who cares what he’s doing anyway?”  You are not hurting me.  You are hurting yourself by ignoring such great actors, crew, and downright a fantastic group of PEOPLE that are pouring their heart and soul into this story — they believe in the story, themselves, and me and these are perfect strangers that we’ve just met wanting to take this journey.

I am spending $30,000 on this and if that is not serious enough for you, I have locations, such as, Lucchesi Vineyard & Winery and Double Oak Vineyard & Winery welcoming us on their property to help us make this come to life.

Several actors are coming 3 – 4 hours away; the crew is bustin their backs; the actors are NOT acting but making it look real; Ryan McKinney and IT FACTOR STUDIOS spent over 120 hours helping me audition and cast people out of their own time; and they are all doing this becuase of me?  No.

They are doing it becuase they believe.  And to believe is the first step in making your dreams come true.  And for the past 30 years I have had this dream on my own, now I have people beside me with the same dream and that is powerful.

It would mean a great deal to me if you could help support us by liking the page, staying up to date with the journey, and if at all possible tell us how it looks and makes you feel?

God Bless.

- gerald martin davenport

Petite Chardonnay Day 3

Day 3 was initially planned to do the car scene ending up with the conclusion of the car scene with all 5 lead actors.

With the rain out on Day 1, I had to reschedule the scenes with the child actors.  So what day would that be? Day 3.

So while planning it, I find out that Brendan Brooks won’t be able to make that day, nor would Todd Boyd or Scott Slotterbeck, my audio masters, no Mark Hoffman and Lisa West would be coming in around lunch time.

So I figured I’d send Jim Heck and Jeffrey C. Vanacore in the car with Charlie Merlo and Gretta Askew Sosine and I would stay with the child actors and knock out the two scenes with no problems.

Sometimes things don’t work out like you planned — sometimes.

The rain was gone, the day was nice, and I was feeling industrious — or crazy — maybe a little of both.

The stage was set, the players were in their spot, and the clock was ticking I knew what I did wrong but still thought I could pull it off, and with a little push from Frank and my self the day ended with a roar from the crowd as we were mesmerized by the performances of everyone there.

We wrapped Karissa Lee Carleton as Kimmie, Olivia Martinez Prado as Kyriè, Haley Klemp as Oceana, Kayla Rosa as Meadow, Kayla Jagger as Sunshine, Kameron Woods as Forest, Adrien Bourassa as Sean, and Freddie Olmos as Aria.

Michael Klemp said it so well and there is no reason for me to reinvent the wheel, so I am reposting his comment.

This set of pictures means so much actually! It shows the true dedication of the cast and crew working together to make “Chardonnay” the block-buster hit that it is meant to be.
I worked with the young actors in the morning (probably getting in the way:), and then I had the honor of doing my scenes in the afternoon along with Karly Avva, Charlie Merlo, Gretta Sosine, and Gary Conover…
There was no “acting” going on by any of the actors I worked with… Was I disappointed? No, not at all…
None of the actor’s I mentioned needed to “ACT” at all. They were, and they became, the characters in the film! Why “Act” when it was so “real” already?
Karly Avva, in her role as Chardonnay, consistently delivered one stunning performance after another, take after take. Her “looks” of fear, happiness, and curiosity, will surely win your heart over when you see this film!
Gretta Sosine amazed me by the look of sheer fear and apprehension as Charlie Merlo’s character grabs her daughter “Chardonnay” from her arms. Gretta is an unbelievable actress in that she made it all seem so “Real” during the scenes that I worked with her in…
Charlie Merlo was mesmerizing as he “owned” the role of “Jessie…” He is truly an outstanding actor and a powerful one at that. When he and Gary Conover squared off together as Gary’s character “Richard,” armed with a shotgun, demands Charlie’s departure from the Vineyard, true chills ran down my spine as I was standing off to the side between them thinking to myself “This has got to be a movie … right?” Kudos to the two of them!
Gary Conover’s soft spoken exterior pales when he assumes the role of “Richard…” Strong, fearless, opinionated, and tough are only four of the many traits he brings to life to his character who plays my father in the movie. Working with him is a real example of how a professional actor works their scenes!
All I can say (and I’ve said way too much already:) is that I have never been on a film or TV set where EVERY SINGLE ACTOR nails their roles so perfectly.
Gretta Sosine said it best to me as we were talking together in between her car scenes with Charlie Merlo… She said: “I really think that this movie was perfectly cast”.

- Michael Klemp

He did not describe himself, but he was not without merit or distinction in his “non acting” achievement, it was nothing short of brilliance by all of them.

Charlie Merlo may or may not be wrapped, we are in discussion, or actually I am in a decision mode to bring him back to do some pick ups in the car with Gretta. scheduling nightmares.

BUT: I am so proud and honored to be blessed with so many people that care about me, the story, their fellow actors, filmmakers, and themselves.  I have no idea what I have done in he past to deserve this, but I know I will be waking soon as things like this only happen in a dream.

I have looked through the clips and they are breathtaking.

Thank you all.  this is a project that we can all be proud to be a part.

Congrats on being nearly half way done — with principal photography that is.

“the WATERING hole” winner of the Producer’s Choice Award

It came as a huge surprise and I am still dumbfounded that my fellow filmmakers chose “the WATERING hole” as their favorite out of all ten movies for the 2011 Place Called Sacramento filmfestival.

I am truly honored to receive such accolades, as is the cast & crew, since there were many great movies up there that could have easily been the favorite of all.

But on Sunday, October 2, 2011 at the Crest Theater in Sacramento after watching Reluctant, The Chozen, CSI: Sacramento, Stalag Sacramento, The Purse, Borrowed Time, Buddies, The Break Up, the WATERING hole, and Lucky Shot, the audience favorite was The Break Up, and truly deserving.

Of course I was not on stage at this time, as I had my 15 minutes of fame last year for THE GOLdEN TREE, as well as, Treasure Chest of South Sacramento that was written by Guy Pace, and this year I was also a contributor to BUDDIES, I meant no disrespect to the other filmmakers, I am not comfortable in front of a huge crowd — I’m not an actor and the reason I am behind the camera.

Anyway, at this time I am saying movie titles to Jim Heck — Audio Master and DP on Buddies and the WATERING hole — that could, should, or might win when Ron Cooper says “The Producer’s Choice Award goes to the collaborative team work of Rob Tillitz and Gerald Martin Davenport”

“WHAT!?”  I said with confusion, disbelief, and a sense of fear — I knew I would have to go up on stage after that.

I was blind sided by the outcome and being chosen by my peers to recieve the Producer’s Choice Award for 2011 for “the WATERING hole” — yes three days later it has not registered that it really happened.  Something we all do is day dream that our name or projects win awards and entertain people, or be super hero and save the day or the world, and when it happens we step back and wonder if it is real.

Granted it’s not a major life changing experience, but it is one nonetheless.  And I am very aprraciative of everyone for enjoyong my work — that was my main goal to begin with when I started this journey, and lets me know that I am on the right track and I do have the talent and sklills — something we all question and second guess ourselves in life.

Contratulations to the cast & crew for winning such a presitgious award, in the Sacramento fim comminuty, and for giving me such great performances to work with and mold into a award winning movie.