RMM General Meeting Minutes – October 2014

rmm

October 30, 2014
Start Time: 6:30PM
Total in Attendance: 25
Location: RCTV
Agenda:
 
Introductions:

  • Made individually around the room
  • Announced resignation of Treasurer and Secretary Chris Hazenbush

Upcoming Events:
RMM Executive Board Meeting

  • Second Thursday of each month
  • Next meeting is Thursday, November 13, 2014
    • Put out call for new Secretary and Treasurer
    • Any interested parties should come to the board meeting for more information

RMM Writers Group

  • Next meeting is Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at Animatus Studios
    • 6:00pm to 8:00pm
    • Currently working on logline challenges
    • Looking to switch back to Crossroads Café soon

RMM Mind2Movie 2015

  • Thursday, January 22, 2015 – Sunday, January 25, 2015
  • Mentioned that this year, you can opt to have the environment as the character so the film can also be entered into Fast Forward Film Festival
  • Secured Scott Fitzgerald, Karl Goldsmith from the Rochester Finger Lakers Video Office, Michael Gamilla from Image Out Film Festival, and Rebecca Delaney from Fast Forward Film Festival as judges
  • Tentative showing date at Cinema Theater is February 9, 2015

General Meeting Date Changes

  • November meeting is now on Thursday, December 4, 2014
  • December meeting (White Elephant Party) is on Thursday, January 8, 2015

Upcoming Projects:
Pancho Lane – Columbia One (documentary film)

  • Documentary about the first Peace Corp group in 1961
    • Involves the history, training footage, and follow up fifty years later
    • Ends with reunion party in 2011
  • Needs assistant editor
    • Wants to have it done by the end of the year
  • E-mail Pancho at ethnoscope AT yahoo DOT com for more information or visit his website www.docfilm.com

Liz Lehmann – Sharknado Spoof

  • Needs sound person for filming on November 1, 2014
    • 9:30am to 12:00pm
    • 1 actor, 1 scene, 2 shots
  • Has equipment, but needs a sound monitor

Chuck – Skin Deep (short film)

  • Short film with heavy visual and make-up effects
  • E-mail zeroonefilms AT rochester.rr DOT com for more information

Jake Baird – Fast Awake (short film)

  • 30-page script
  • Needs all cast and crew, except for music composer
  • E-mail jakemppbaird AT gmail DOT com for more information

 
Speaker:
Peter Kiwitt – “The Dangers of Reasonable Compromise”

  • Background
    • Teacher at RIT (directing)
    • Worked in the film industry in LA for 20 years
    • Recently finished shooting Purple Heart and will be shooting another film soon
  • Top lessons learned from shooting Purple Heart
    • Don’t underestimate how hard it is to make a film
    • Don’t underestimate how hard it is to get an “ok film” to a “good film” or a “great film”
      • It’s very difficult to get it from 80% there to 100% there
    • Study what you shot to learn and make your next shots better
  • The Dangers of Reasonable Compromise
    • Everyone has to compromise, but it’s dangerous
    • Simple compromises early on can become bigger issues later
    • Example: had to compromise on a glass breaking scene, but it changed the emotional impact of it
    • Example: had to make a fight scene less intense, but it changed the emotional buildup of the character
      • Result: had to rearrange the scenes in post for it to make sense
    • Always “listen to the tickle” in the back of your head
      • Even if you don’t understand why
      • What will hurt you later on is what you don’t consciously recognize while your filming
      • Little decisions can sometimes make a big difference
  • Additional filmmaking tips
    • The first cut should be the movie you wrote, then start cutting the movie you shot
    • Get multiple takes, look for the best moments in everything, and cut to get as many of those good moments as possible
    • Keep writing the script until you get it perfect, then shoot
      • Should take up to at least 7 drafts
    • Always cut the best movie you shot
      • Should take at least 7 cuts
    • The Director should cut with the editor for the last cut
      • Cutting requires a sense of rhythm and flow
      • Need to feel it
    • You can always make something work in editing
    • Story still matters
      • So many filmmakers/content out there, but how much of it is really great?
      • Very hard to make something truly great

 
Screening:

  • Chris Hazenbush – Can’t Weight
    • Screened his short film

 
Networking:
 
End of Meeting: 8:30PM
 
RMM General Meeting Minutes – October 2014 (Word Doc)