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Next ones going to be animated....

Last night was single most difficult shoot day yet on Vanguard – thankfully it was also the last of the really big scenes. There’s plenty to shoot yet, a couple scenes that fell by the way and a couple picks ups, but otherwise from here on its bits and pieces to fill out the narrative.

I get’s pretty lonely directing and producing a feature, you’re surrounded by people but when things get tough you feel very much adrift and on your own. There’s nobody to turn for a rescue when things get ugly and nor can you tell everybody to go fuck themselves and walk away. Screw the auteur theory - it’s the film that owns the director. Once you’ve put up your hand for the job you’re locked in for a couple years of your life right to the bitter end.

You create a heightened persona, that of someone capable of orchestrating people and resources towards that ultimate of goals – ‘ a good movie’.  You endeavour to lead by example, maintaining enthusiasm and confidence whilst accepting that there are some things you just have to live with and choose instead to overlook various transgressions. And then cop shit for even the slightest infraction in return.

Maybe it’s a sign that you’re doing all right when they’re only fretting about the little things. Though it makes you think, ‘god help me if I fuck this movie up’!

Thinking the next ones going to be animated J.

 

E. J. Roy – Writer and Director of Vanguard.

6 shoot days left! Sort of...

From tomorrow we have 6 scheduled shoot days left. Then some pick-ups late next month when Kim (D.O.P) returns from Norway - for those scenes that fell by the wayside due to various ‘unforseens’. After that I got little bits and pieces not featuring main cast - extra's, cut-away’s, pilots and tank drivers etc. I'll schedule for that after I have a look at the rough cut.

Wrap party is tentatively Monday the 22nd. Rough cut and trailer - and another party to launch movie to industry roughly beginning of October.

Despite challenges of doing a feature this way, I’ve looked at footage and am well pleased with what we have, lots of good performances - and the bitch cuts together. Loads of work to do on it - but this things gonna look fuckin’ cool!

E.J. Roy - Writer/Director

CAST ON SET

Some of the lovely cast on set between takes. Featuring; Chris Sellers, Jaclyn Albergoni, Bianca Jade, Sarah Mawbey and the big man - Jason Stevens.

PIGS FLY!

We cancelled today’s shooting as a precaution against one of the locations tenants testing positive to swine flu! Not only are we another day behind schedule; we risk losing our assistant director and our firearms safety guy to quarantine!

It’s only an outside chance thankfully and probably just an inconvenience to all – but it’s a reminder not to get too wound up about scheduling on a low budge flick, as you never know what will come up. Just ask Terry Gilliam.

E. J. Roy – writer/director.

GRADED FRAME GRABS FROM 'VANGUARD'

Principle photography is winding down and I'm getting into post a bit now. VFX is still far off but here are some grabs of some of my very gorgeous cast in action.

E.J. Roy

The White Whale

From the moment I first learned what a director was - and that they made the movies I loved so much, I knew that’s what I was gonna be. While I toyed with other vocations and settled into a career story boarding commercials - I could never shake the desire to direct movies. Can't explain it or really justify it. Just is.

 

So here we are.

People ask me why not do some short films first - along with some music videos, and then chase funding? Why jump into a feature right away? Because life’s short, and that other road is long and well traveled. In this day of cheap, accessible digital tools, that scene is way too crowded for me.

Producers have also learned the hard way of late that those formats don’t necessarily carry over to long form narrative and feature length films. With the costs as they are, they are understandably cautious to entrust their project to an untested director. A movie is not a skit or a gag, and it takes more than style.

It takes a long time to make a movie, and it generally takes years to finance and prepare a project for the cameras – that’s a lot of time waiting and not honing your craft. The wonderful thing about being an illustrator is that you can just sit down and do it. Immediately you can exercise your technique and produce a finished product.

Maybe that’s why there are so many poor films out there.

Next they ask - why such an ambitious first film? Why not something more modest like a horror or drama? Because, if I see one more, low budget zombie flick or gritty drama about drug addicts I’m going to go nuts and eat somebody’s brains myself!

While a fan of the genre it’s become oversaturated and even note worthy entries soon disappear and sink without a trace.

The energy it takes to even produce a first feature, much less a short film, shouldn’t be squandered. So I’ve aimed high in the hopes of catching the sci-fi, fantasy fans – a demographic that’s been poorly represented in the past and still being stuck with mediocre fare from cynical studios and dodgy direct to video operators.

So here I am, Ahab chasing his white whale –to whatever end.

With love;

E.J. Roy

Writer/director of VANGUARD.

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