The Shoot!

On Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th July 2012, we shot my short film Planet Love. It was a fantastic weekend full of fun and laughter. Both the actors - Amelia Gildea and Engel Angelica - were excellent and my trusty crew were amazing.

I love being on set. I love the buzz, the excitement and the complexity. I love seeing what I visualised in my head as I wrote the script coming to life on the screen and then all the extra surprises that come with shooting. A filmmaker called Vivian Mainwaring once said to me 'The film that you shoot is not the same as the film you write and the film you edit is not the same as the film you shoot...' and he is absolutely correct. Although much preparation goes into the film in advance, when on set new ideas about both performances and shots arise. Some things that have been planned do not work and many things get taken out and added in. Chemistry between actors affects the tone of the piece as do the light and the weather conditions. That's what makes it fun and scary!

Now it is time for the edit which as Vivian says brings its own new elements! Yesterday I started organising the rushes in Final Cut Pro in preparation. This takes forever but if it isn't done, it is impossible to find anything and then the whole edit becomes a total nightmare. The footage we have captured looks fantastic and I am really pleased with it - brilliant camera work by my cinematographer Victoria M. Morton and lovely performances. We may even have enough to make two versions of the project (watch this space for more news on that possibility).

If you want to see more images from the project, do take a look at the gallery on the Planet Love page on http://www.racheldax.com/film/planet-love
You can also support us and find out more about the project on Twitter http://twitter.com/PlanetLoveFilm
and on Facebook where you can see even more images from the shoot and 'LIKE' the page :-D https://www.facebook.com/planetlovefilm

I hope to have the project released by August 2012 when it will be featured on 'One More Lesbian' Media Site.

Look forward to showing you the real thing
Rachel

xxxx

(All Photographic Images by Zennis)

Pre-production! Yikes!

Well. It is finally here. It is the week before my next short film shoot. This occasion is quite monumental for me because it is my first time on set since getting sick and nearly snuffing it etc.

Pre-production is always quite nerve wracking. Making a film is alchemy, and everything that can go wrong usually does. In fact it would be very weird if it didn't. How any of us ever pull it off is a miracle in itself, I think! But I hope to have something quirky, sexy and memorable as the end result :-D

Today I am converting my final shot list into a 'storyboard' which is always a laugh given that I cannot draw and even my stick people look like they've been done by a 3 year old. But storyboard I must or the cinematographer will have no idea what I want the film to look like.

'So what is this film about?' I hear you cry... Well I'm not telling you! LOL! In fairness, though, I will reveal the following details: It is just under 3 minutes long. It is set to music but it is not a pop video - it is a story/film. It has lesbians in it and yes, they will be frolicking in the sheets! (What more do you want?!).

For those of you who are interested in my work as a novel writer... I am on the second half of part 3 of 'The Legend Of Pope Joan'. I had hoped to have finished it by now but my film work has temporarily taken over, but it should be done by the end of July and released by the end of August if all goes to plan.

For those of you not familiar with what I do - I am a 'Storyteller' in that I write, produce and direct film and theatre and also write novels (and sometimes act, and sometimes take photographs but try to avoid drawing ;-)...) oh yeah and that other thing that pays the bills - I teach! Here is the link to my website where you can watch my first few films and find out more about my first novel 'After The Night'. http://www.racheldax.com

I will post some images of the film shoot at the end of the weekend. It will be premiered and specially featured on the 'One More Lesbian' media site so I will put up that link once it is ready.

Best wishes
Rachel
xxx