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Deborah S. Patz – Author

Author of film books for industry pros and youth

Jun12012

Who’s Tweeting IN the Movies?

There are a lot of mundane activities you typically don’t see characters do in the movies: characters never seem to need to go to the bathroom… or actually eat the breakfast they prepare… or… well, the list goes on, and I’m sure you have your favourites. What about tweeting? Checking a Facebook account? Checking email? When was the last time you saw a major character in a movie integrate daily social media into his or her adventure?

Of course, it’s all about filming what’s important to the story, but the final edit can reflect our life back to us in a rather skewed way – entirely removing that which we do so often. Does it diminish the perceived importance our frequent but time consuming social media activities… or does it show us what adventures we can have if we unplug now and then?

Hmmm… interesting thought.

Cheers & a connected shoot to you,
Deb

May182012

3 Things I Learned About Filmmaking from… A Chorus Line

… and I mean the Broadway musical, not only the movie.

1. You “Need” To Work in the Arts
In the song “What I Did For Love” they sing about “we did what we had to do”. For some careers one is called to take them on. For the arts, however, I believe you have to “need” to do it. Working in the arts is very demanding on so many levels, and rewarding in unique and incredible ways. It’s not for the feint of heart… somewhere inside you, you “have to do it” to survive and blossom in it.

2. Exceptional Talent is in Any Department
The musical is about the performers auditioning to be in a chorus line, not to be in starring roles. The chorus line performers are the stars. Each one of them has exceptional talent to be where they are – whether they get the job or not. So too with a film crew – exceptional talent lies in any department and at any level… and it’s a thrill to discover and honour to work alongside such folk.

3. The Story Can Be Experienced in Different Forms
We’ve all seen books filmed that don’t match the book experience and wondered why the movie couldn’t get the story closer to the story in the book. I’ve seen “A Chorus Line” on Broadway, and then later adapted in a dinner theatre, and again later adapted into in the movie. The dinner theatre didn’t have enough space on the stage for the entire chorus line, so they cut a couple of parts and re-assigned certain songs and parts of songs to other chorus line members. Indeed the intimacy of the dinner theatre could not duplicate the grandness of Broadway… so the story was adapted to its environment… and oddly enough it was hard to see where the changes were made (they did it so well). To successfully adapt a story from one medium to another, you have to really understand the two mediums and find how the story will best be experienced.

Cheers & a good shoot to you,
Deb

May52012

Tail Credits for VE Day: Blackadder Goes Forth

World War anniversaries have me thinking about Blackadder screen credit.

It’s impressive when tail credits stretch beyond the fast-flashing cards or speedy roll to take on the thematic tone of the movie – even for a portion of list. Blackadder Season IV, however, really goes to town (or to war, in this case) with matching theme of the screen credits to the content of the show. Season IV is the WW1 season, and the tail credits are in cards over scratchy “newsreel” footage:

BLACKADDER GOES FORTH
Captain Edmund Blackadder
ROWAN ATKINSON
Private S. Baldrick
TONY ROBINSON
General Sir Anthony Cecil
Hogmany Melchett
STEPHEN FRY
Lieutenant The Honourable
George Colthurst St. Barleigh
HUGH LAURIE
Captain Kevin Darling
TIM McINNERNY
Title Music
Composed and Arranged by
HOWARD GOODALL
Played by
The Band of the 3rd Battalion
The Royal Anglian Regiment
(The Pompadours)
Bandmaster
WOI TIM PARKINSON
P/Br. 647989 Libotte, J
Vis/E. 110143 Turner, R
Tech/Co. 289346 Massen, D
V/M 420372 Abbott, C
VTE. 614981 Wadsworth, C
Cm/S. 841842 Hoare, J
S/Svr. 733731 Deane, M
Dep/Svr. 713429 Way, N
L/Dr. 991243 Bristow, R
P/Mgr. 323476 Cooper, D
P.Att. 114209 Sharples, V
AFM 529614 Kennedy, J
C/Dgr. 368807 Hardinge, A
M/U Dgr. 862641 Noble, C
Dgr. 404371 Hull, C
Dir. 232418 Boden, R
Prd. 597602 Lloyd, J
(c) BBC tv MCMLXXXIX

Often with contracts specifying exactly how one’s name should be spelled in on screen, it’s doubly-impressive to see these particular credits. They become an integral part of the show and you want to watch and puzzle-out the whole list. Who decides what everyone’s number is?

So… are you inspired? What can you do to really integrate the screen credits to your film?

Cheers & creative credits to you,
P/Mgr. 970210 Patz, D

Apr222012

Inspiration at the Movies: The Wizard of Oz

Scarecrow wonders if the Wizard of Oz will give him a brain; should he go on the journey to Oz?

Dorothy: “I couldn’t say, but even if he didn’t, then you’d be no worse off then you are now.” (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)

Dorothy totally inspires us into action, but in a realistic way. Making a change in your life doesn’t guarantee you a better situation, but not making a change keeps the doors of possibility closed. Inaction is status quo; action is potential.

Sure, with action comes risk. But with action also comes the possibility of change and growth. Five years from now, yes, we’ll all be 5 years older. But where else could we be if we apply for that job? Or take that course? Or reach out to meet that person we want to meet? Hmmm… the possibilities are endless if we dare to journey down that yellow brick road.

Thanks, Dorothy.

Cheers & exciting opportunities to you,
Deb

Apr62012

Titanic Set Sale

The odd things you can pick up from a set sale!

Sure, there are a lot of clothes – some with fake blood stains – and furniture, lamps, dishes, silk plants and all the ordinary sort of fare… but what about all those seemingly film-set-unique items?

At a set sale, perhaps the oddest purchase I’ve known of was a scaled-down but still significantly-sized bow of the Titanic (to decorate a corner of a living room). How many homes can you visit where you can stand “aboard” the Titanic while having a cuppa tea? What an odd industry this is!

What’s the oddest treasure you found at a set sale (or at someone’s house afterwards)?

Cheers & happy hunting,
Deb

Mar252012

Backwards Budgeting

When it comes to budgeting, whatever you do, don’t start at the beginning! Start backwards.

Huh?

Peruse a budget template. That’s a lot of categories, isn’t it? Kind of makes the budget template seem smart by itself. Not so.

Sure, if you start budgeting at the first category and work your way linearly though the template to the end, you’re going to find line items you never considered. You’ll say to yourself, “that sounds good. I probably need one of those” and add it to your budget… and sooner than later your budget’s bottom line will swell to an unruly size. Who’d have thought that your production would cost so much!

The solution? Start budgeting backwards.

How much money might you have for the production? A ballpark figure will do, if the final financing amount isn’t available. That’s the end and that’s as far as you want to go.

Now go to the middle. Start budgeting the set crew categories below-the-line. You’ve decided on how many days, so that’s the place to plug in the first set of numbers. Bypass many of the template’s recommended categories. If you’re not entirely sure that you might want one of its recommendations, add it in for $1… the ridiculous amount will flag the category for when you review the overall budget after writing the first draft and then you can consider the recommendation in context of the entire budget and all departments in place.

Finally, fill in the other missing categories. By the time you review the budget from beginning to end (toward the end of your first draft), you will have a sense of the overall budget and can more wisely by-pass or select those extra categories.

It takes a bit of practice to know how big a crew and how many days a budget can support at different budget levels, but you’ll probably surprise yourself when you slow down a bit and let your logical brain kick in. The budget template is only a guide… and you’re the smart one writing the budget itself.

Cheers & smart budgeting to you,
Deb