Scouting for Strindberg

In a couple of weeks, we'll be shooting a few newly added scenes to our Strindberg's Assistant project. These will include two therapist office visits with our protagonist, Agda (played by Joyce Aasen) and her ally the Therapist (Tashona Smith). So today, we scouted the location which happens to be the house of our good friend Barbara Bolan. Joining Robert in planning out the shoot were Jeff Modjeska (camera operator) and Randy Slagle (assistant director).

Robert and Randy sitting in as Jeff takes a few photos with his Artemis Pro viewfinder app.

Other than covering the windows and then setting up the lighting, the room will require very little in the way of prep/art design.

MARCH 1st UPDATE: Some of our cast were feeling under the weather so we had to postpone our shoot which was set for March 1st. We're currently working on rescheduling. Unfortunately, some of our crew have other obligations so we're re-filling those roles now.

MARCH 16th UPDATE: Our shoot was on again, scheduled for Sunday March 22nd. Our cast was ready to go and our new crew set. Then the coronavirus threat nixed everything. We'll have to regroup when it all blows over. 

Updates Continue on Strindberg Scripts

As we continue to convert our short film, Strindberg's Assistant, into a series, each episode is taking on a character of its own. We're hoping to complete all the scripts before too long so we can begin shooting the remaining scenes.

The Magic is in the Details

As the edit of No Sleep for Ronni progresses, we're adding small b-roll details here and there. The result, we hope, will be a robust visual imagery that will move the story along in even more interesting ways.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL HOLLY

In one scene, we learn there are 12 test subjects who have been brought in to be experimented on. Our lead character, Ronni, resists the procedure, but the other 11 have succumbed to it. While these other subjects are not really a part of the story, we still want to briefly flash their photos on screen.

This means, of course, that we need to actually go out and shoot photos of 11 additional people in hospital gowns. And they need to look like they've come under the control of the research doctors' methods. Fun stuff!

Revamping the Strindberg Script(s)

When our friend, Colin Cameron, first came to us in early 2011 with a story idea involving August Strindberg--Sweden's most prolific playwright--we weren't too excited. Apparently, the 100th anniversary of his death was fast approaching. To celebrate his life and achievements, a Stockholm-based group was sponsoring a short film contest where they were accepting outside submissions.

At the time, Robert had never seen or read a Strindberg play, so the excitement Colin was feeling wasn't reciprocated. Yet, as Colin continued to present his idea, a few things stood out. The story would take place in 1910. A period piece! That would be cool. Colin would play Strindberg and we'd give it the feel of an old-time silent film. Groovy.

Colin's concept was to recreate a one to two minute scene from Strindberg's later life, couched in the format of a documentary. Robert agreed to help make the film. However, the more they talked about Strindberg, the greater the allure was to do something bigger.

The thing that sent Robert off and running on his own tangent was the fact that Strindberg had read spiritualist writings and dabbled in alchemy. Now we're talking! The possibilities for a narrative film just got interesting! Colin thought Robert was kind of a weirdo sometimes, but the feeling was mutual. So they decided to produce both projects, making use of the same footage for the pair.

Unfortunately, we never pulled the pieces together to submit to the Stockholm festival. However, by August 2011, we were shooting scenes for Robert's story called Strindberg's Assistant.

So why are we still talking about this in late 2019? Long story; short version: life happened. We got busy with other things. Then death happened. Colin passed away unexpectedly in November of 2016. To honor his memory, we want to finish this project.

In 2017, Robert invited fellow filmmaker Michael Holly (a John Truby disciple) to join the writing team. The two collaborated to clean up the Strindberg's Assistant script.

But the big news is this: Just about a month ago (November 2019), we realized we were trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Strindberg's Assistant is not a movie; it's a series. Michael and Robert are currently dividing up the script into multiple episodes. Additional scenes and characters have been added. Shooting will occur in the new year and the series will be released online in October 2020. Booyah!

More "Ronni" Pick-up Shots

It's been well over a month now since we finished up several commercial projects that had been on our plate. As a result, we've taken advantage of this window of opportunity to ramp up the edit of No Sleep for Ronni. In addition, we've been checking off the remaining pick-up shots that are still needed.

Earlier this evening, we filmed in the basement of camera operator Jeff Modjeska, knocking off two different pick-up segments. The first was a scene featuring Jeff Blankenship as a research surgeon conducting an experiment on his test subject, DW Wanberg. Actor Chris Weis played a security guard while Jeff Modjeska doubled as another research doctor.

Additional scenes were filmed on green screen and involved Chris doing security guard things. Fun stuff!

While the edit of the movie has come a long way, it's a complicated project, the most intricate one we've ever worked on. Loads of keying, compositing, masking, and more. So unfortunately, we still have quite a ways to go before it's finished.