BEST LOCAL FILMMAKER

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

www.dibpictures.com/music/musiclibrary.html

As far as AVID, it’s still struggling to install the audio drivers. Quite picky about  hardware for a software application in 2008. Screw it. Everything that’s A-list in today’s market (either self proclaimed or in real) is always a fucking pain in the neck! 

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.

Tom - Brian Ronalds

Jolene - Heather Cambanes

Account Executives - Ira Bendick, Sam Paugh, Earnest Robinson 

Shoot Dates - Jul 26, 27, Aug 2.

Locations - Pending.

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

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.

the sky is a shade of purple grey heading towards black. the drizzle has given way to rain. orifices on the ground laid out like land mines with smoke seething out of them. the smoke curls up vertically. On their way up they take on the shape of the statue of the academy award.

I come across a circular chasm. calm, dead, inviting, no smoke shaping out of this one. covered with debris and dead branches smeared with ashes. in between the branches and the twigs, the eyes can see black, the chasm is filled with black water. undisturbed by the falling rain.

I barely pass it when I hear the hissing sound and I know immediately, before I could take another step, I turn and there she is, rising out of the black hole, her neck reaches up, she is as tall as me - I have seen her before, I have read about her but don’t know her name. she has black beady eyes on a black and white checkerboard patterned body. Her tongue unfurls as she looks at me for a split second before slamming down on me.

I thought i was standing but i am lying on the ground with her body flush against the entire length of the left side of my body. I can feel the rain on my face. I’m surprised I’m alive. why did she spare me? she lies motionless beside me. I’m trying to stay still. breath carefully. after what seems like an eternity, I reach out, slowly, to make sure i’m not dreaming, expecting an ice-cold feel to the touch, I place my hand over her, the sheets curled up with the blanket is right where she was. I’m awake.

I touch my face, I’m dry! tick tick tick tick tick…the steady marathon of the hand on my clock perched on the headboard. Splashes of light stream from outside, through the blinds on the bedroom window and make patterns on the wall. the hum of the AC running. 21st century amenitites, working the way they are meant to. everything is in place. everything the way I left them here, in this world, in my time. I am here. this is my world. this is my time. that was just a dream.