Heartbreak of the Argos

Wow, I am super excited about the sci-fi film we all are working on called Heart of the Argos! But we have run into some problems... We've been wiring in all the fluorescent bulbs and other tiny lights we are using to light the space ship and the set has really been coming to life! Here are a few pictures.


Peter's eye light while in the cockpit... looks good any way the characters turn!



Peter in the cockpit area.



Amazing art in the cockpit.



Cool cables in the hallway.



Spenser working on the mechanic's bay through the door.



Spenser and Matt working in the mechanic's bay.



Dillon's eye light from the lights in the mechanic's bay.



The layers of the mechanic's bay.

The set looks amazing, I am super proud of all of us for being able to fit all of this in such a small space. I got chills when we realized that we were actually going to have camera moves and shots that litteraly match the concept art drawn by Spenser and Matt from months ago!

The only hard part is that with the amount of light we are dealing with and the small space, we have discovered that the nice new camera that we want is now more of the camera that we need. See, besides it being the perfect size and weight for Spenser to hand hold it through our tiny set(and he'll be hand holding it a lot, the new lenses for this camera will enable us to not have to bring the light level up(which would destroy the lighting ratios we've already established) and we risk what we call "shooting blind" because of the view finder systems in the older cameras(we won't be able to catch the boom mic or even the top of the set if it is in frame because the light level is so low... but it will show up on film!)

But we are so close to getting the money for this camera that we're willing to make sacrafices...

So Spenser and Matt and I talked about all the ways we could shift around funds to find $2,000 more dollars to ensure we get this camera and lenses. What we decided on was we would pull the money from the food budgit(which I know Sam is against) but we'll just have to find a way to get free meals.

So if anyone out there has any ideas on where to get free meals(my parents have generously agreed to BBQ for us one night and Spenser's mom is making us one or two meals) please email me:
pmatarrese@gmail.com

Here is a little taste of how the ship will look in an example of what is basically the opening shot of the film:


PhillM tip-of-the-day:
Always wrap any spiced wire(where you join two wires together) with electrical tape. Also, try and use wire buts whenever possible, they are easier, faster and safer.

Cats

This video made me and Andrew laugh so hard we cried:


PhillM tip-of-the-day:
Careful when you type in cute kitties into Youtube, you'll be sitting there for hours watching videos. It's dangerous.

NYC pics

Here are some pics from NYC:

The Brooklyn bridge (yes, I walked over it).

The empire State Building (yes, I went up it).

The Flatiron Building near Madison Square park.

The Ghostbuster's Building- now home to FDNY Ladder 8.

The greenscreen at the NYU Todman soundstage... last day of the shoot.

The Imagine memorial in Stawberry Fields, Central Park NYC

Me and the Empire State Building.

NYC Public Library... as seen in Ghostbusters

A shot from the set

Me in Joe's apartment(all the way up on 160th street) at night.

NYC!

Me and the two PAs who came down from Boston: jenna and Luke(both from Rob Meyer's shoot we did in Boston)

Brian and Me on the mean streets on New York.

Fred and Me in the subway.

The subway map and me.

Safari Phill.

Taxi sunset...

New York New York

So today is my last day in New York, I fly back to LA tomorrow in the evening. It's been an amazing expeirence working here in the city that never sleeps. The film looks great, I can't wait to see the footage cut together- I am super excited! Today is the 4th of July so I am just relaxing at Joe's apartment until it's time to meet up with everyone downtown for fireworks. Earlier today I walked around a little bt, found the Ghostbuster's fire station, did some shopping, and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. I am downloading pictures as I type and will post them in a few minutes.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
A cheap and easy way to prepare your power distro for rain or moisture is with garbage bags. Just make sure you wrap all connections(the cables are rubberized and sealed already) and remember... water flows downhill, so try and get ur connections elevated.