Saturday, December 8, 2012

It's about time for another update...

It's been a while since I gave some updates, so I wanted to touch base with all of you and let you know what's been going on.

We released a new poster for IPSEITY!

























Besides working with Matt Harris to produce this poster, I have also been meeting with Andrew Richardson on developing the musical score for IPSEITY. Paul Frateschi is hard at work on the color correction and color grading, and I plan to meet with Emmanuel Watson tomorrow, who has been working on the Audio edit for the film.

In addition to meeting with the four different departments of post-production, I have been editing a theatrical trailer, which I cannot wait to release.

Stay tuned for more updates as we enter the final weeks of post-production and prepare to release and market the film!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Interview with Student Filmmakers Magazine...

I just wanted to share this interview that I did with Student Filmmakers Magazine last month. Check it out to hear what I had to say about cinematography, tips and advice for other filmmakers, my most recent work, and some of my experiences making films!







Friday, November 16, 2012

Updates

It's been a while since I posted anything, so I thought I'd post to keep you in the loop with some updates:

I have been meeting with all of the different areas of post production, and things are continuing to move along. I have seen numerous special effects shots from Matt Harris, and am constantly being sent music samples for our composer, Andrew Richardson. Today I am meeting with our Sound editor, Emmanuel Watson, and on Monday I will be meeting with you Director of Photography and Color Supervisor, Paul Frateschi.












Speaking of meetings, I had a great opportunity to meet with Aaron Syrett, the Director of the NC Film Office. It was great to talk to him and hear about the state of the film industry in North Carolina.

That about it for now, but be sure to stay tuned into December to hear about wrapping on Post-production, screening dates, and possibly some other exciting news regarding The Strong One!

And of course, be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook!


Friday, October 19, 2012

Picture LOCK

Progress on 'IPSEITY', my feature length film, has been moving along slowly but surely. The past several weeks I've made a special effort to get things moving into the next phase of post-production: Audio.

In order to start working on audio design, all of the video edit needs to be 'Picture locked'. In other words, the entire video edit of the film should be complete. No more re-edits, reshoots, or pickup shots.

That said, there were a few loose ends that needed to be finished off. I was fortunate enough to be able to finish those several small shots this week, and today we are officially picture locked. The video edit is finished- now it's my job to oversee audio editing, color editing, music composition, and special effects.


One of the last shots that we filmed: Now one of my favorite shots in the film.
















I've been extremely blessed to work with dedicated people. Our lead, Charlie Allen, has been all-out dedicated to his role. Matt Harris, one of our producers and our visual effects supervisor, as well as our gaffer, has put in some excellent work and kept the momentum and enthusiasm for this project moving ahead at full speed. Matt has been working hard on making sure the special effects in this film are detailed and flawless, as well as developing cohesive promotional posters.

I can't wait to show you this film. We are working every single day to get us closer to that point. 

Until then, keep following the blog, stay tuned for updates on twitter and facebook, and keep an eye out for a promotional video in the next month or two!


Friday, October 5, 2012

Pictures from the short film 'Bryan' shoot

Enjoy some of the pictures from the short film 'Bryan' shoot that took place this past weekend. Stay tuned for more pics in the coming weeks.


Planning a shot with a green screen window.

Preparing for a shot with our actor, Rob Priester.

Talking over a sequence with Lauren Turnbull, our Script Supervisor, and Paul Frateschi, our DP.



























































Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Progress on IPSEITY and my next short film project



Progress on IPSEITY

Progress on IPSEITY is going well. We have already handed off our 38 visual effects shots to our Special Effects Supervisor, Matt Harris. These visual effects shots range from exciting things like gunshots to some less exciting things like superimposing images into a computer screen.

I've started discussion of our score for IPSEITY with our composers, Andrew Richardson and Ricky Kovacs, and I've heard a few small samples. Things are off to a great start, and we're excited to start putting music to the visuals of the film.

Audio editing and Color correction has gotten off to a slow start, but we are excited about working with a new member of our audio editing team, Emmanuel Teah Watson.

My Next Short Film Project

As some of you know, the next short film project that I'm slated to be involved in, entitled 'Bryan', will be shooting this weekend. I was asked by a friend of mine, Taylor D. Adams, the writer of 'Bryan', to direct the film. Stay tuned for some pictures and updates on this project!











There are several reasons why I am very excited about this film:

1) Cast. I love working with new cast, and Rob Priester, Lilly Nelson, and Jeff Briggs have shown some great talent.











 













2) We're shooting on a RED Camera. For those who don't know what that is, I'll tell you this: Peter Jackson is shooting 'The Hobbit' films on a RED camera. The quality is amazing, and I'm excited to work with it.



















3) I'll be using a megaphone, and no one will be able to ignore me on set. (I'll be nice about it, I promise)




















Be sure to like my facebook page at www.facebook.com/nicholassailerfilms, as well as follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/nicholas_sailer!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Some thoughts on directing...

The following is an excerpt from the book "What They Don't Teach You At Film School" by Camille Landau and Tiare White. I wanted to share some of their thoughts that I found particularly relevant to the subject of directing and establishing a vision for a project. Enjoy.


What they don't teach you at FILM SCHOOL














You don’t need permission. No one asks you for your security clearance. It takes something a little more subtle. To be a director, you have to be able to say, “I care.”


You must be willing to take a strong and tenacious point of view with regard to the story you are telling. You have to be willing to say why this story is meaningful to you, and what your personal relationship is to it. This puts you in a vulnerable place, which is why, when faced with it, most people don’t actually enjoy directing.
                

         Remember when you raised your hand in third grade for liking a book, movie, or song, and the other kids laughed at you? You were uncool for liking something. For caring. At thirteen, “I don’t care” and “I don’t know” became key phrases. You still use them when you’re nervous.
            
     
          The reason it’s hard to direct a film is that you have to say, “I care” a lot. Not just “I want to make this film,” which is like saying, “I care.” But also “I want the camera here” (not here) or “I want this color paint for the walls” (not that one. That’s “I care.” Directing a film means taking the path of most resistance. 

            Every time you express your care or concern, you take a risk. 


Sunday, September 16, 2012

SPARKcon!

Last night, 'The Strong One' screened in front of a crowd of 200-300 people at SPARKcon, Raleigh's creative arts festival. The Raleigh/triangle audience loved the film, and responded with enthusiasm. Some of the audience even clapped and cheered to lines in the middle of the film!


'The Stong One' Screening in Downtown Raleigh.

















Overall, SPARKcon was a success for 'The Strong One'. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us! We look forward to more screenings in the future!



Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Recap of Marina Del Ray Film Festival and the upcoming ‘STRONG ONE’ screening!


As some of you know, I spent the weekend in California at the Marina Del Ray Film Festival. The film festival went well- I made some good connections, and got to see a lot of Venice, CA. The festival is in its first year, so it was relatively small, but it was a great experience. Enjoy some of these pics that I took during the trip!

A nice view of Venice Beach.









A local sandwich shop.




















Palm trees at Venice Beach.





















On the pier.




















The next public screening of THE STRONG ONE will be at SPARKcon this weekend in Raleigh, NC. SPARKcon is an awesome arts festival that focuses on film, design, dance, art, circus, fashion, music, poetry, theater, and more! If you are in NC this weekend, you should NOT miss this.




THE STRONG ONE will screen on Saturday, Sept. 15th. The short film screenings start at 7:30 at 500 Fayetteville, St. Raleigh.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Some EXCITING news!

Hi guys! I just wanted to give you updates on some EXCITING news!

Marina Del Ray Film Festival:

The STRONG ONE has been officially selected to be shown at the Marina Del Ray Film Festival which takes place next weekend, September 7th-9th!

I'll let you know if Marina Del Ray actually looks like this.










I have been very blessed with the opportunity to attend, so next week I will be flying into LAX for the weekend to attend the festival! Stay tuned for blog updates, pictures, and more as I watch the other films, network, and meet some other filmmakers and producers.

Sparkcon:

In some more local, but equally exciting news, THE STRONG ONE will also screen at Sparkcon in Downtown Raleigh!

You do not want to miss this!











The official screening is on Saturday, September 15th at 7:30 pm, on the Main Stage, which is 500 Fayetteville St. Raleigh. There will be films by 18 different filmmakers screened. For more info, go to the Filmspark WEBSITE!


In some further news, the video cut for IPSEITY is completed, and the post-production team will be meeting in the near future to review and begin the work on the musical score, the audio editing, the color, and the special effects!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Cast interviews!

This weekend, we not only did pickup shots for IPSEITY, but we also brought back some of our main cast and interviewed them for some promotional behind the scenes videos!

We interviewed Charlie Allen, Katherine Drew, Doug Nydick, Kimberly Parker, Abigail Cornell, and Mike West. Greg Wait will also have an interview video released, but his interview was scheduled for a different time.

I can't wait to release these interviews, along with several scenes from the film. Right now, that is a couple months away, but we are well on our way there, and the video cut of the film will be finished before September.

Check out these pictures from the shoot!

Also, a special thanks to Cliff Armstrong for letting us use Trailblazer Studios in Raleigh for the promotional shoot!

Charlie Allen (played Ian Tesh) gives his behind the scenes interview.

Trailblazer Studios green screen set up.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Updates on IPSEITY

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to give you some updates on IPSEITY. This Friday (Aug. 24th) we shot several pickup shots with Katherine Drew, Charlie Allen, and Mike Gutowski.

For those who don't know, 'pickup' shots are shots that have to be redone. It's not a reshoot of an entire scene, but it definitely requires some kind of recreation of the scene.

In this case, we recreated the first scene of the film, and shot a couple of small shots that we will piece together with the rest of the original footage. The audience will never know. Enjoy these pictures from the shoot, and stay tuned for some pictures of the promotional photo shoot, and the cast interviews!

Also, be sure to check out my website at www.nicholassailer.com!

Talking the scene over with actor Mike Gutowski (Hitman)
Directing the scene

Mike Gutowski (playing the Hitman) controls the scene.


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Updates

In the past week I have met and talked with several new people that will soon be joining to post-production team to work on IPSEITY. I can't wait to introduce them and give you more details about the project. More on that coming soon!

Also, this week I had the opportunity to help Brian Decontreras and Caige Crampshee on their short film. Collaborating on projects with filmmakers is always a joy, and I am always looking to work with new faces.

Stay tuned for more updates - and in the meantime, please check out my website and follow me on twitter!

www.nicholassailer.com

www.twitter.com/nicholas_sailer

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Updates, reshoots, auditions, and radio!

Last week, 'The Strong One' team, including Cinematographer Josh Bielick, Writer/poet Tim Reavis, and I, were asked to speak on WUNC's radio show, "The State of Things". It was an exciting and fun opportunity to talk about 'The Strong One' to a broad audience, and we were very thankful for the experience. Check out the podcast of the show on WUNC's website, HERE!

Meanwhile, in other news, the talent management agency, 'Depa Management Group' will be representing me at the Marina Del Ray Film Festival in September! Check out my bio page on their website, here!


Pre-production on my next directorial film 'Bryan', written and produced by Taylor D. Adams continues. Auditions were held on Sunday, and I can only say good things about the talent that will be involved in this film.


Post-production for Ipseity continues on. The video cut is still in progress, and we conducted a reshoot this past weekend. See below for some pictures of the scorching hot August sun, and our attempt at surviving it.


Director of Photography, Paul Frateschi, stays cool.




















Stay tuned for more news as we finish the 'IPSEITY' video cut, and produce some interviews with cast and crew!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

My next directorial project!

Time for an update!

Things are continuing on with IPSEITY. Editing is still going full force, and this weekend we will begin some small reshoots and pickups. Stay tuned for pictures from these shoots - although it may seem like Deja vu, because, after all, they are reshoots.


In late August, we'll have some more pictures of reshoots, and in addition, we are shooting interviews with the cast. Be sure to stay tuned for that!



And finally, the bigger news:

My next directorial project is entitled 'Bryan' - it is a short film, written by Taylor D. Adams, and will be shot this fall! We are currently in the stages of pre-production, and scheduled to have auditions this weekend. I can say that without a doubt, you will not want to miss any step of this production. The writer and producer, Taylor D. Adams, has a great vision for this project and is very excited. Check out more info about this project at our Kickstarter, HERE!