Short Group Project #5 Big Hand for the Little Dummy

[daveindezmenez]

Late November the director of this project, Victor Bruno, and Dan Holmes went over some notes on the original script and I set a December 15th deadline to complete a rewrite which I met. Since I was given no further notes on the script, I'll have to assume that it was acceptable. Attached is the last draft submitted and it has changes from the original script and is overall better,

[AaronFaulkner]

This new draft is MUCH better. I liked it. There were a few things I would've done differently but that's just a discrepency in stylistic choices. Well done Sir. Well done.

[daveindezmenez]

As per my reply to the message about January's meeting, this last version of the script (Big Hand rewrite draft1pt4.pdf) is greenlighted as far as I am concerned. Since submitting this last and final draft I've not heard anything from the production team. Was a location found? Is a vent figure needed? Is there a date set for casting? Is mid to late February still the time planned to shoot it?

[daveindezmenez]

I have not heard a thing about this project except for the brief mention of it in the minutes of the January meeting. What is the status of it? Do we still have a director? Has a location been found? Has any date been set up to cast actors? Have props and costumes been thought of? Where are we on this project? If nothing has been done about this project by the end of March perhaps I should consider taking the script and making my own version of it. I don't think we made any agreement that prevented this. It can still be done as an IDFG project too. I just hate to see it sit on the shelf. Would there be any objections if I sometime made my own production of this script?

[PJMAtkinson]

Dave,

If you feel passionate about this script then there is absolutely no reason why you can't or shouldn't do it yourself. You can draw on IDFG members to accomplish it still; this is how Trophy Wife got made. TW is not an IDFG project, per se, but it draws heavily on the group's talent. If you prefer to do this one yourself, more power to you. Project # 6 should get rolling soon, so some progress and/or a decision on #5 should be made soon.

[daveindezmenez]

I'll probably keep in mind producing a version of it myself, whatever happens. If IDFG as a group doing a group project is unable to complete it for whatever reasons, I understand. It was still an honor to have the script selected, despite any problems that came up.

[mattlberge]

I would as polietly as I can recommend that the director or someone give us a progress report at the February meeting on the 23rd as to what the status of this project is, and who is going to act as producer, etc. If there is no report, no plan, or no producer, I recommend we cancel this project as the "formal IDFG group project" and let/encourage Dave Thrasher to go ahead with it, and help him as he requests and as schedules allow.

Then I would recommend at the Feb. meeting we discuss the procedures and frequency of future formal group projects, as I feel more "informal" group projects like Trophy Wife are equally beneficial to the group. i.e. people with the time/motivation who want to lead a project should go right on ahead and draw from the group. That's not to say the "formal" group projects should go away entirely, but perhaps one or two a year is all we should do.

[daveindezmenez]

Matt, I agree with your sentiments. Formal full-blown projects have been sapping some of the energy away from the informal ones and the ones where a specific skill is being learned (lighting, camera operation, special effects, etc.) would probably do more for the group. But it is really up to you guys what direction the group should be going in. I'll let Project #5 run its course - whether it results in a film or not - before I reclaim the script and attempt to do anything with it myself. It would probably take awhile anyway to get it going because of budgeting and planning. Because of its potential I wouldn't want to rush it. But again, before I do anything with it I want the original project to move forward to its completion or be canceled.

I would as polietly as I can recommend that the director or someone give us a progress report at the February meeting on the 23rd as to what the status of this project is, and who is going to act as producer, etc. If there is no report, no plan, or no producer, I recommend we cancel this project as the "formal IDFG group project" and let/encourage Dave Thrasher to go ahead with it, and help him as he requests and as schedules allow.

Then I would recommend at the Feb. meeting we discuss the procedures and frequency of future formal group projects, as I feel more "informal" group projects like Trophy Wife are equally beneficial to the group. i.e. people with the time/motivation who want to lead a project should go right on ahead and draw from the group. That's not to say the "formal" group projects should go away entirely, but perhaps one or two a year is all we should do.

[Prescribed Films]

Maybe we can still use project #5 to learn some lessons. We can see how fragile projects can be. That making a movie isn't always a given or as easy as it looks. And there are a ba-zillion reasons they fail.

I also think Matt is right on the money. IDFG has kinda got into a rut with these projects. Not that "making the business card" isn't a bad idea for the IDFG. But by continuing to do it, it's kind of turned the IDFG into a production company. Which I think has sorta led us away from it's original vision. Not to speak for Bruce and Insane, but I think we always wanted the IDFG to be more of a resource for filmmakers and production companies. A place for filmmakers to share their resources and experiences and talent to others. Not so much to become it's own product machine. That's why we used to do more "exercises" and "workshop" type things, so we could learn from each other.

I also want to ENCOURAGE filmmakers to make their own films. We can still all always help each other on their films, but we should be able to actually get more real product out there. Maybe do more IDFG projects in between. When there aren't other projects for us to work on.

I'm just rambling. Things I've been thinking. I hope we talk about this in person at the February meeting.

Jason

[daveindezmenez]

Jason and Matt, I think both of you are right on the money. IDFG has drifted away from its original purpose and lost its way. I'm glad to see there are a few people that have remembered what the group is all about. It seemed exciting at the time when we started doing complete shorts as group projects. I know I got caught up in it and even thought about the idea of constructing a feature where teams of us could shoot sections of the story. And, of course, when all this professional feature film making activity started heating up, because of the state film incentives, it further distracted us from what we had originally been doing. Hopefully IDFG will come out stronger than it's ever been. I can make no promises about being at the next meeting but do hope something good comes out of the discussions.