FILMOLOGY

Enjoy the film.

http://www. filmaka. com/films. php?page=currentsubmission&film_id=b184a01e-b304-102b-b26f-00301b4506f4

Here’s a link to the making of Control

http://blog. myspace. com/index. cfm?fuseaction=blog. view&friendID=367368096&blogID=412297317

IFP/PHX PRESENTS MEET THE FILMMAKER AT BOOKMAN’S

Bookmans and the IFP/PHX have teamed up for the “Meet the Filmmaker” series, part of Movie Madness Month at Bookmans’ stores in August. Learn about independent filmmaking from directors, producers, actors, writers, and more.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 | 7-9 pm | Phoenix Bookman’s

Bivas Biswas, Writer/Director/Producer/Cinematographer

Bookman’s
8034 N. 19th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85021
Tel: (602) 433-0255

Now that the casting for “The Secrets” is complete and the shoot dates confirmed for later this month, I find myself in the same hole of wanting to shoot a film NOW, the sole reason that The Secrets was written to begin with and that was last month!

The most time consuming process of filmmaking after writing and casting and editing and shooting and just about everything else is got to be scheduling. Because scheduling just does not depend on one project. It depends on all the projects that are shooting in town and the degree to which we share common cast and crew.

So, I started writing a new short. Based on the murder of Black Dahlia to shoot this weekend. Told my friend that I could not come to San Diego with her to spend the holidays in a beach house where the sand is warm at 80 degrees. Instead, I would be in PHX in 105 degrees because I need to shoot this. First 5 minutes - written, the film opens in a warehouse. The location was available. Got word on friday night that we lost the location. The owners of the warehouse is out of town and the attendant does not have the key. 

About 1 in the morning, Friday night/ Saturday morning, wrote about 3 minutes worth of scenes to be shot indoors in a house and a restaurant. House - my house, restaurant- the one across the street. Actors. Me and my buddies, Valec and Arturo. Call time 10:00a.m.

Saturday (today) morning, they did not show at 10.00 a.m. Went down to the coffee shop across the street, started writing a new short. Two actors, a man and a woman and a house. My house. Me and the actress…let’s see, from recent myspace blogs,  Deena has been up for shooting something. and I know Deena, she is good. Emailed her on myspace and completed a 5 minute short by lunch.

Didn’t hear back from Deena. 11:30, my buddies, Valec and Art showed up.

We weren’t shooting the indoor scene from the Black Dahlia script anymore because it was too late to go ask the restaurant if we could shoot there. We went to lunch at Rocksprings, 15 miles north of Anthem, the best pies in Phoenix (if you go, get the Jack Daniels Pecan Pie).    

Over BLTs, sandwiches and a pitcher of Amberbock, we started brainstorming a short with 3 guys in a room. Valec, Arturo and Me -3 guys - in my living room. Started typing on the laptop. By the time we left there, about 2:30, we had 2 pages written. Came home, started shooting it. while I set up the lights, the camera, the mic, Valec got a case of water and Arturo took a quick nap. Next hour was spent kicking Val and Art’s ass and screen testing them for who was going to play the lead. While shooting the first scene, the last scene revealed itself. Wrote the last few pages while Arturo played the guitar and Valec worked to stay in character. So, now it’s a 5 minute short. we all love the story. We are shooting the rest tommorrow (sunday) morning.  

In the meantime, heard back from Deena at about 7 in the evening. I have emailed her saying if she can show at 8 in the morning, she can have my part. We are all playing gang members, so she would be the female gang member. I like that even better.

The trailer is uploaded from today’s shoot. Check it out at

http://www.dibpictures.com/screening/screening.html

click on the Playlist, select CONTROL, pump up the volume and enjoy.

Casting for THE SECRETS is complete

Tom - Brian Ronalds

Jolene - Heather Cambanes

Account Executives - Ira Bendick, Sam Paugh, Earnest Robinson 

Shoot Dates - Jul 26, 27, Aug 2.

Locations - Pending.

Folks,

Our short film “THE SECRETS” is in 4×4 mode. Driving slow but climbing rocks. Steady.

Next up is finding the right location. And you can help me here. By thinking. Thinking about your favorite conference rooms and the coolest restaurant/bars in town that let filmmakers in for free and get tons of advertising in return…smart business! Email me your recommendation, I’ll do the talking and if we like what we see, you’ll get a ceadit in the Special Thanks section of the movie.

We’re looking for a Conference Room and a hotel Restaurant/Bar area to shoot on a July weekend.

Thanks
Bivas

Paragraphs that rock from the book “What they don’t teach you at film school”

Desire is a sign. Spoken to you. Talent, in contrast, is a judgement rendered after the fact.

If you’re worried about being too exposed, remember that the audience does not know and/or care who you are. It’s their pain they care about and theirs they feel in the dark room. Let them have it.

Directors need to sharpen the same skills that private investigators do: the capacity to notice definitive clues.

Writing is more important than taking your vitamins. skip it and you will take a very expensive road back to square one. 

Breakfast, sex and the trip to the dry cleaners can all happen after the crucial 20 minutes of writing.

Tell a kid your story and see what parts you leave out. What you leave out in the telling is significant. They probably don’t belong in the film. If an 8 year old can understand the story without it, why have it?

Making films is an expensive way to find yourself

FINDING YOURSELF : A COST COMPARISON

Spiritual retreat in Santa Fe : $800

Trekking in Nepal w roundtrip airfare from LA : $3300

The couch (3 years, 3 times a wk, $100 sessions) : $46,800

Film School (3 yrs tuition, living expenses and film production costs): $110,000

Financing your own feature that sells :  $5,000 to infinity or beyond.

Actors, faces, characters who have lit up my films, if you’re reading this, I have news for you.  you can use this link to showcase your work to prospective producers. The playlist button will bring up a list of the films. You can tell em which ones to see. The streaming starts almost immediately.
 
www.dibpictures.com/screening/screening.html
 
OR just tell them to go to dibpictures.com and cllick on FILMS

Why do we connect to certain films and not others ? Is there a link between a film and our persona ? Often times a powerful film has a therapeutic effect. Why ?