Dialogue Greatness

Monty Python & the Holy Grail (1975)- Directed by Terry Gilliam
King Arthur (Graham Chapman) is on his quest for the grail when he comes upon peasants. (Michael Palin as Dennis & Terry Jones speaking in a high pitched voice as a woman.)

Woman: Oh. How do you do?

King Arthur: How do you do, good lady? I am Arthur, King of the Britons. Whose castle is that?

Woman: King of the who?

King Arthur: King of the Britons.

Woman: Who are the Britons?

King Arthur: Well, we all are. We are all Britons. And I am your king.

Woman: I didn't know we had a king. I thought we were an autonomous collective.

Dennis: You'rw foolin' yourself! We're living in a dictatorship. A self-perpetuating autocracy in which the working class...

Woman: Oh, there you go bringing class into it again.

Dennis: Well, that's what it's all about! If only people would...

King Arthur: Please, please, good people, I am in haste. Who lives in that castle?
Woman: No one lives there.

King Arthur: Then who is your lord?

Woman: We don't have a lord.

Dennis: I told you, we're an anarco-sydicalist commune. We take it in turns to be a sort of executive officer for the week...

King Arthur: Yes...

Dennis: ...but all the decisions of that officer have to be ratified at a special bi-weekly meeting...

King Arthur: Yes I see...

Dennis: ...by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs...

King Arthur: Be quiet!

Dennis: ...but by a two thirds majority in the case of...

King Arthur: Be quiet! I order you to be quiet!

Woman: Order, eh? Who does he think he is?

And the Angels Sang...

Canon C500 Cinema Camera 4K Screening- Director of Photography and Full Sail Instructor James Neihouse just announced the below:

Save this date - June 27th, 2012 for Canon C500 4K presentation here in Orlando. My friends from Canon will be bringing the 4K films shot on the C500 to show - Location to be announced later - thinking Winter Park. Possibly a special guest, and maybe some hands on time with the camera! Mark your calendars now! Stay tuned for updates. 

I will pass along updates as I get them. Rumor has it that the location is at the Regal Cinema in Winter Park Village. The C500 is a 4k (4096 x 2060 pixel) camera in both PL and EF mounts. The beauty is it's cost at approximately $30,000. This digital cinema camera may truly put feature filmmaking into our hands at a staggeringly low cost compared to other 4k capable cameras. I suggest that you stay tuned and keep June 27 in mind.

Cross Country Student Filmmaker

A young man from Kodiak Alaska has just started out on a 6000 mile bike trek to Key West, Florida. John is an interesting person. He is also quite motivated. I don't personally know John, but I was a judge for the 2012 Creative Minds Scholarship in which he was a winner. His essay and application materials were quite good, but what struck me is the short film he sent in. Yes, it is creative and entertaining but that's not what struck me. There are many creative and entertaining students that I know.The effort, planning and time it took to produce his film is what shows throughout the piece. As a filmmaker, I appreciate the persistence it takes to work out the many logistics and less "glamorous" details and refinements to truly create a fine production. I believe that John will not only complete his trek but come away with life lessons to be envied and great material for his documentary. Mind you, this guy hasn't even started film school yet! He just recently graduated high school. So check out his blog and support him in any way you can. http://johnsamericabiketour.blogspot.com/
Filmmakers are a community.

Pick of the Week

Raising Arizona (1987) is an early Coen Brothers film and the first to really show off their gift for comedy. Ex-con "Hi" (Nicolas Cage) and ex-cop "Edwina" (Holly Hunter) are desperate for a child of their own. Unable to conceive, they decide that a local wealthy couple with quintuplets can afford to give up a child. Hi and Ed abduct the baby. In doing so, they get much more from life than they bargained for.  Look for great performances by an ensemble cast including Dan Goodman, William Forsyth, Francis McDormand and former heavy weight boxer Tex Cobb. Any fan of "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou" will surely see the roots in this weird and wonderful predecessor.

Best Scene: The bank robbery.

Dialogue Greatness

Caddyshack (1980)   Carl (Bill Murray) talking about having been a caddy for the Dalai Lama:

"So we finish 18 and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, 'Hey, Lama! Hey! How about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know.' And he says, 'Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.' So I got that going for me, which is nice."

Film Crew Slang

"Kill the Houselights"- When lighting a set, one of the first things to do is to "Kill the Houselights". Turn off any overhead lights, regular lamps etc. Then the electric dept. (lighting crew) can light without any stray light contaminating the set.

Electrics, Electricians, Electric Department- Film speak for the Lighting crew on a film. The head Electric is the Gaffer. His foreman is know as the Best Boy Electric.  Their crew are Electrics. They are also called "Juicers".

Grips- Grips are the brothers and sisters of the Electrics. While Electrics handle lighting gear and power, Grips handle a variety of rigging jobs. It includes shading lights with a variety of grip gear; operating camera dollies & cranes; rigging cameras to just about anything (cars, trains, roller coasters, trees etc.); and building or rigging anything that we need to complete the shots. They are part mad scientist, part construction worker. If you remember the 1980's show "Mac Guyver" you may consider Grips to be the real life Mac Guyver. The head of the Grip department is the Key Grip. The foreman is the Best Boy Grip. The others are Grips. They are also referred to as Hammers.

A lot of people incorrectly refer to both crews as Grips. Or incorrectly refer to all of the electrics as "Gaffers". Learn the roles, it will help you to better understand the process of filmmaking.

Professional Union crews traditionally have clearly defined differences as Grips and Electrics. It gets a bit muddled on non-union and low-budget gigs because they may not be able to afford the classic distinction.

Both Electric and Grip Department are under the supervision of the D.P. (Director of Photography or Cinematographer). In the United Kingdom the D.P. is referred to as the Lighting Cameraman. Same job, different title.

As a filmmaker, you will run into situations where there are several versions of film slang for the same thing. Be open minded on set and ASK!  If you tell someone, "I was taught that this is a widget not a gidget, you're wrong!", you might just get kicked in the teeth. You also reveal ignorance instead of desire to understand.

Misconceptions in Film

Product Placement is a way in which companies buy advertising space in a film for their client's products. It also is a way for a producer to fund some film production costs. Obvious examples include: Reese's Pieces in  Spielberg's "E.T. The Extraterrestrial"; Popeye's Chicken in Adam Sandler's "Little Nicky"; and the all time king of shameless product placement ...Michael Bay hawking General Motors  products and several others in "Transformers".
The Misconception: Students often think that if they place a product very prominently in their film that it may entice product placement payments. Wrong. It could actually get you in legal trouble. A deal has to be struck with the advertiser prior to using it in your film. They protect the image and associations of their products very carefully. What if parts of the film are offensive to the client or the client's perception of their demographic of customers? You have to solicit them and cut a deal contractually. Also, film festivals may have strict rules about copyright.