Stuff I learned from making "I Am Facebook Legend"

Last time I posted I talked about producing I AM FACEBOOK LEGEND. The end result was very pleasing. Throughout the process I learned so much. I learned more about color correction in two weeks time than I did in my entire life. My favorite scene by far is the warehouse scene. The natural lighting in there was spectacular, and I would love to film again there in the future.



This video had about 13 audio layers. Needless to say, that made it easily the most complicated video that I've ever made from an audio perspective. Thanks to some great products from http://www.videocopilot.net (Pro Scores and Designer Sound FX), I was really able to make the audio reach a professional level. I also pulled sound effects from a few other websites with free sound effects and royalty free music (freesound.org, soundsnap.com, incompetech.com). Many people made positive comments on things like the color correction, cinematography, the acting...ect, but to me the audio is easily the best and most professional part of the finished video, and is also what makes the video good in my opinion.

My computer is pretty fast, but it has its limits and I Am Facebook Legend pushed it to that limit. By the end of editing, I was pretty sure my computer was going to just explode into a giant fireball.

I had to stabalize a few shots with after effects. Even though I am still light years away from understanding that program or comprehending its limits, it was good to get my feet wet in it.

Above all, I learned a lot about myself through this project. I learned that if I am ever going to do a "short film" again, I don't want to burden so much of, and I want to delegate some of the project to my very talented friends. For this video I directed, filmed, edited, and produced. I thought it would be good to put a deadline on the video, so I released the trailer and gave myself two weeks. However, in the future if it is just me editing and producing the video, I think I will be more realistic with myself...because after I released the trailer I basically spent every waking minute of free time working on the video. I wasn't getting good sleep, I wasn't exercising, and I wasn't spending much time with my family. It was not the ideal situation. This all goes back to me delegating next time or not putting a deadline on it if it is just me.

However, all that said, I would love to do another short film like this again. Finding the time for it is the greatest hurdle. After that, with my friends' help, we could do just about anything! Especially since next time we would use even nicer cameras and equipment. We filmed this with the Canon HV40, and that camera does a pretty decent job. However, to really achieve that true film look, you need more than just great quality. I think great depth of field is such a huge component to that, and that's why in the future I want to start using DSLR cameras as much as possible.

In the end, this is the first video I have ever done that I feel (kind of) comfortable with calling a "short film." Even though there are thousands upon thousands of short films out there that are better, but this was definitely a positive step. I love challenging myself as I try to perfect the art of film making. I have a long ways to go, but this was a lot of fun, and as I said at the top, I'm very happy with how the finished video turned out.

I AM FACEBOOK LEGEND (in production)

After I figure out how the heck I'm going to finish up the bloopers video that I'm currently working on, I'll move on to the next project- I AM FACEBOOK LEGEND

This is a video that we filmed in March and I simply have not had time to work on. I also devoted myself to finishing Never Ever Shake An Adult (which can be viewed by clicking here). I also had to finish up an engagement video for my friend Truman's wedding, which was shown at his wedding in front of 450 guests. That was the largest audience a video of mine has been shown to at once. The reviews so far have been positive. You can check out my professional work by going to my vimeo page. I've created a distinction with vimeo, that I will only put "professional" works there, and the billgripextras channel on youtube will exist soley for absolutely random things that are not deemed worthy of the main Billgrip channel. What do I qualify as a "professional" work? Probably something I'm being paid to do, something that probably isn't comedy. Wedding video is the best example of that.

Back to the main topic of this blog post- I AM FACEBOOK LEGEND. The video is basically a spoof of the movie I AM LEGEND with Will Smith from 2007. We had this idea for a really long time, and it is based on the truth that my friend Micah does not, and will not get a facebook page. Obviously we've taken that idea to the extreme in this video and created a world where everyone is on facebook so much that human life has basically ceased to exist as we know it.

This video is a spoof, not a parody. My friend Brice and I had a heated discussion about the difference between a spoof and a parody, and they are different, as this link makes clear. There Brice, I just link slammed you. We all know that everything on the internet is true, so once you find a link that supports your theory, you have also proven it. A.K.A. link slammed!

The reason I want to make it clear from the beginning that this is a spoof is because, while you'll see some similarities in the root of the idea and even a few scenes, if you actually watched I AM LEGEND followed by I AM FACEBOOK LEGEND you'd probably find yourself saying, "wow, that's way off." I actually refused to let myself watch I AM LEGEND while scripting and filming I AM FACEBOOK LEGEND because I wanted it to be a spoof, and I wanted the pre-conceived notions I had about I AM LEGEND (whether correct or incorrect) to be my starting point for creating the spoof. But I did watch the movie yesterday just to see some editing style and get ideas for background music, and rest assured...this is as spoof as spoof gets.

Maybe you think I'm just giving excuses as to why our short film will be nowhere as good as the original. Let me give you a few more while I'm at it- lack of a multi-million dollar budget, lack of time, lack of people resources, lack of professional actors (with respect to my friends, they do a great job).

Nonetheless, I'm still really excited about it, I think it's going to be super funny, and you should get excited to. I will hopefully have a trailer up within a few weeks and the whole video probably a week after that. Here's a picture to get you excited.



-Billgrip

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Peace.

Trying to gain direction

I'm married, and I have a 10 month old son. Deep down I'm still the same guy who made the Milkshake Music Video back in the day...in some ways. I love to entertain people and be creative. I love hanging out with my friends and having a lot of fun. Although I'd never make a video like that again and there are certain lines I won't cross...I still love making Billgrip videos.

But what do I do now? I barely have time to make videos with friends. I live two and a half hours away from most of them. When we do get together, we just want to hang out and making videos can be time-consuming and stressful. I don't share the same level of comfort with other people that I live around now, and even if I did that still doesn't eliminate the lack of time to actually put these things together.

At the same time, I want Billgrip videos to reach their fullest potential. But I need some direction...at this moment I'm unsure. Here's some of the questions I'm asking myself about the future of this "hobby"...Welcome to the mind of Billgrip:

.....My job requires me to be creative all day long. I create brochures, posters, manage a website, and occasionally create videos. My hobby and job have become one, yet I've found that my job is not as fun as my hobby. In fact, my job sucks the fun out of my hobby. Should I continue to make videos for fun at all? If so, do I continue to make comedy videos? If so, do I make them about video games? I don't really play video games as much anymore...so that's not really me now as much as it used to be. If I don't make comedy about video games, what kind of comedy do I make? My friends really get behind stuff that relates to video games because they know them well. The majority of my audience subscribed because of Lag in Real Life. That video was a huge success, and we can continue to make those videos for almost guaranteed success...But we aren't really pushing the limit of what we could do...
...I'm a Christian. Should I make videos about my faith? I say I want to glorify God in my hobby, but is it enough to just make clean videos without swearing and to give God credit at the end? That seems lame. If I make videos that pertain to my faith, what style would they be? It seems like it could be more work and time than I currently am willing to give...
...Most cinematography I've ever done has been pretty plain. Someday maybe I'd like to make a legit short film, that can stand up with the millions of other legit short films out there. Legit short films need people who can pull off a convincing acting performance in a most-likely serious role. With all respect toward my friends, I don't know if any of them could do that as well as I'd like. I know I couldn't do it as well as I like. Should we try to make a horror film? An action film? Do I have the patience and attention to detail to pull that off cinematically...
...In order to pull it off cinematically, I'd need to have the right equipment...which I do not. I have the right programs, a decent camera, but no dolly-tracks or lighting sets or people to run that stuff while I'd direct. I don't have the money for that stuff and probably never will. Then, even if I had that stuff, would I have the time, motivation, people resources, and know-how to do it right?...I need direction.

Meanwhile since I'm trying to find direction, I'm actually just standing still.