The Big Idea
Upon reading Glenn Wood’s initial script (sixth draft), I was well impressed. We’ve since progressed to the polished 10th draft, which has garnered praise from trusted peers. An 11th draft will be available soon that incorporates the newly written character notes found on this website.
By about the 9th draft the inevitable question came up – How do we make this great little film without too much external damage being done to the script by those handing out the money?
This led to the existential question most filmmakers ponder at some point: How do we make this film without them altogether?
This is when we came up with the big idea. Since the story unfolds over the course of one evening, and largely takes place in a single location, why don’t we break into a department store with dozens of small high quality cameras and clandestinely film the entire movie within a few hours? That would keep costs down wouldn’t it?
Let’s entertain this idea for a second.
We couldn’t just show up, place cameras everywhere and start shooting. That’s not proper filmmaking! It would need to be very well planned first. We would need to run the scenes with the actors many times to work out where the cameras would go and what props we would need etc.
But this could be done, offsite, in a warehouse space with lines drawn on the floor with some shelving units to mirror the dimensions of the actual store. We would start with the all important performance of course. Once we are happy with the blocking we would bring in the cameras. Dozens and dozens of them, for every possible angle so we can get in and get out before anyone notices.
As fun as that sounds, we’re not going to do that. The breaking and entering part anyway. The rehearsing in a warehouse yes, and the dozens and dozens of cameras absolutely. But we will get permission, and we’ll shoot the actual film over five or six days. After that we will shoot for another five or six days creating the content that will ultimately promote the film.
The value of multi camera coverage
What would such a technique mean to the style of the film; filming with dozens of cameras strategically placed throughout the store? For starters, it will allow us to run the action more like a play than a movie. Having all angles covered essentially means whole scenes can be captured in one take. Certainly a time saver, but there are many other reasons.
I think this approach will really benefit a script like this, where the characters continuously bounce off each other. As you are well aware, shooting schedules are not always actor-friendly. Filming in chronological order is not always cost-effective. Juggling the availability of locations, equipment, cast and crew seems to take precedence over any care for an actor’s emotional arc or rhythm.
In Robbing The Hood we will have the best of both worlds. Dozens of strategically placed cameras throughout the location allow our actors to stay in the moment as they perform even the longest, most complicated scenes.
For the other roles we will cast experienced actors (like yourself) who will hopefully relish the experience to do something a little different. The exception will be the role of Eddie. Eddie is likely to be a fresh-faced newcomer. To prepare Eddie for this role I would like to use character-based improvisation to bring him up to speed.
I’ve done work in this field before with Rob Marchand and plan to involve him in Robbing The Hood. Rob uses character-based improvisation to build characters from the ground up. The actor is entrusted with the character’s emotional journey while the director maintains control of the overall narrative. It is based on the Mike Leigh style of character improvisation. It’s a wonderful technique for preparing directors and particularly young actors for the rigours of filmmaking. Rob explains the process in this video.
Although all our performers are more than welcome to participate in the workshop, it is the actor playing Eddie I think will benefit most. Because your role is a cameo Sam, there is not a great need for you to be part of this preparation. However, I put it in here just in case you would like to or are interested in the methodology.
How else will the multi camera effect play a part in how our audience engages with Robbing The Hood?
Thanks to modern camera technology, and the plan being to have way more cameras than normal, amongst other things this means way more camera angles to choose from.
A multitude of camera angles allows us to use unmotivated cuts between similarly framed shots (which come with the seamless continuity) to convey a feeling that these characters are being watched. Not in a traditional surveillance footage way as that sort of framing is too detached. Our cameras will be up close and personal. For the viewer, this technique will foster a sense of unease as the characters negotiate their way through a night that goes from bad to worse. The sheer number of shots allows us to create tension through the continual shifting of the viewer’s perspective. In moments of high action we can also ramp up the pace of the edit dramatically with this amount of camera coverage.
Like any filmmaking technique this needs to be thoughtfully applied to avoid it becoming a gimmick, or worse, a distraction. Depending on the emotional context of the scene we might pare it right back to a single shot on only one camera. I like what this technique offers up for us as a storytelling tool, but we will certainly not ignore tried and true methods of film craft.
It is also important to note not all the cameras will be fixed in place, there will also be tracking and panning shots. Tracking shots will mostly be done on a dolly as I want these shots to have the same deliberate framing as the many static cameras. I like the way Wes Anderson uses camera coverage and will lean into this style at times; For example, the way he preempts the drama by panning ahead of time, suggesting to the audience that the camera is trying to tell them something. It gives us a feeling that what is about to happen is inevitable. This is the sort of storytelling I would like to explore in the proof of concept shoot.
Having generous coverage is one thing, but knowing what to do with it is another. How we cut it together will shape the audience’s perspective of each character’s agenda and how one might have dominance over another simply by the angles we choose to cover them from.
An example of this can be found Here in this section of a video essay from the YouTube channel Every frame a painting. I have to say, I’m not a huge fan of doing 30 plus takes with actors, like David Fincher is reputed to do, but when it comes to film craft the man is a master.
My point is, multi camera coverage is not a gimmick, it has some very interesting and real benefits for films like this.
Collaboration
The type of cameras we chose for this project are very important. Sony A7s full-frame cameras are light, compact and shoot exceptionally well in low light as well as having an excellent dynamic range. Sony A7s can also be automated through wireless technology so our camera team can run them remotely, essential when running dozens of cameras simultaneously. We can also use small lighting and grip packages to produce extremely professional results.
There are of course obvious technical challenges when using dozens of cameras all filming at high resolution for up to 20 minutes at a time. How do we manage the sheer amount of data? How do we control multiple remote focus on cameras and in some cases the ability to pan and tilt and track?
By collaborating with Sony and building a system to wrangle the data and solve the other creative challenges mentioned, we have an opportunity to create a unique and valuable case study. By doing so we can create world-class content for the company that is willing to partner with us, to demonstrate just how good their technology is and their role in the new world of filmmaking.
This is why I have my sights on Sony. Plus I really like their cameras.
While working through the technical aspects of production, we can create behind-the-scenes content demonstrating how we solved the challenges involved in making a feature film using dozens of cameras rolling all at once. Some scenarios will require our engineers, camera department and grips to work with Sony to get the results for things that have not been done before, with the idea to position Sony as a champion of innovative filmmaking. Now that’s a collaboration.
As a result we can supply them with an all-encompassing ad campaign for their cameras. In return, they will provide us with cameras and technical expertise as well as remuneration for the content we create for them. Remuneration that will ultimately fund the film.
As a gift-with-purchase, any content that we provide them will be intrinsically linked to our film and will therefore become marketing for the film. In this regard, all of this content becomes bonus marketing material, driven by a company with massive credibility and reach.
On top of this content, we will also use the talent pool involved in this project to produce filmmaking tutorials sponsored by Sony that will be delivered to film schools and online resources such as No Film School, Cinema 5D and IndieWire and many more.
Just imagine: Lessons from award-winning cinematographer Adam Clark on lighting for low light conditions, workshops on preparing characters using the Rob Marchand improvisation method, a directorial tutorial called the ‘Language of the Camera’, written by Geoff Murphy and presented by me. The possibilities are bountiful.
Just a reminder, this website has been streamlined just for you Sam. A more indepth pitch website will be sent to Sony (or camera company X) going into more detail about the ideas above. Priscilla Jeha, the owner of The Together Society advertising agency is an associate producer on this film and will be the one to broker the deal with Sony for us.
Promoting the film
Because filmmaking is a high-risk business it’s not surprising many producers and funding bodies try to mitigate mistakes and potential failures by doing what’s been done before. Sadly, by doing so, they seek out formulas instead of innovation.
Innovation is ubiquitous in this project. The execution in itself is a story, so it becomes an integral part of our marketing strategy. Audiences love to see behind the curtain so let’s give it to them. Let’s show them this film is made differently well before they get to watch it…
Imagine a trailer/teaser that goes something like this:
The screen is black. We’re looking through the lens of a camera yet to be turned on.
Almost immediately we hear the faint wurl of a device being switched on. As the image flickers on we see a camera assistant in front of the lens adjusting the iris and focus. Behind them we see other crew members crouched down, peering around a corner, watching two actors playing out a scene deeper in the background. The camera assistant and the other crew members scurry away as the actors break into a heated exchange. A fight breaks out and they move towards us, stopping almost on top of the lens we’re looking through. After sizing each other up, one of the characters launches into the other with a rugby-style tackle. At the moment of impact, we cut to a fully edited and graded sequence from the film. We are now watching a finished trailer.
The intention is that sequences like this will feel like they are captured organically, but there will be obvious stage direction needed to make this sort of trailer work. I have a team of copywriters all very keen to be part of this process.
But there is more…
Live Theatre
As modern filmmakers, we must have a clear understanding of our marketing strategy well before we start pre-production. To excel we must have a plan for content beyond just taking sections of the film and pasting them together for social media platforms (like most films do).
Creating content like the scene you did for Hunt for the Wilderpeople where you told cinema goers to turn off their phones is such a simple thing to do yet works extremely well as a piece of engagement. We are going to take that sort of content to a whole new level.
This is where your involvement can ramp things up dramatically.
Remember the idea of breaking into a department store and filming the entire film in one night? Well, we’re gonna go there, from an engagement point of view at least. We are going to suggest life has imitated art and tell the world we actually broke into a store to make this film. But it is how we tell them that creates engagement.
Even though the filming of this production will take place over a couple of weeks, we are going to manipulate it to make it seem as if it happened in a single night.
The climax of this particular storyline as suggested will be the arrest of the entire cast and crew. The most noteworthy person of course being the famous Sam Neill. For story purposes you would of course claim you had no idea that the filmmakers had put you in such a compromising position and that you assured that this was a legitimate project.
Such content would be released through social media profiles of cast and crew, cops taking selfies with Sam Neill as he is arrested, as well as through, ‘members of the public,’ in the area at the time of the arrest. We could also ask social media influencers, as well mates in the film industry to re-post the event internationally.
But further to this, if someone were to search backwards from the time of the arrest, they would find posts from cast and crew to back up the legitimacy of the event. Posts that we have intentionally released along a timeline to make it feel legitimate.
And you wouldn’t be the only one in the dark. Like you, most of the crew would be unaware filming was happening illegally. Through these deliberately released posts we would suggest that towards the end of the night, when people are tired and tempers get frayed it would all come to a head when a disgruntled crew member calls the cops. Of course, being completely innocent you would be released after questioning.
You could respond to a tweet or message from a friend to say, ‘Yes there was an incident, but the police let me go after some questioning.’ Or something to that effect. You could also state that even though you had completed filming for this small role, you will have nothing more to do with the project, and your lawyers are working to ensure the film is never released. But of course, you can’t possibly talk to the media in any further detail as the case will still be under investigation.
Obviously for this stunt to work the entire cast and crew must stay faithful to the idea until the end. No doubt, anyone who really tried to dig deeper would discover the truth, but if we get the story right it shouldn’t make much of a difference at that point, the viral marketing horse will have bolted…
More than just making a film
While exploring the ideas and strategies for the execution of this film, I realised I was creating something bigger than my desire to simply provoke and entertain. It occurred to me that the strategies employed in this film could open doors for other filmmakers to sidestep the gatekeepers and tell stories they are passionate about. This is very appealing to me and was the dominant driver for me choosing this path while others tried to persuade me to take a more conventional route.
Ironically, this realisation of why I needed to take this approach happened during a meeting with the NZFC about this film and other projects on my slate. When I told them about my plan for making this particular film I received a response that went something like – “Don’t you think you are trying to do too much? It seems like you are trying to change the world.”
Of course I’m trying to change the bloody world. What filmmaker isn’t? It was clear to me that not only were their priorities all out of whack, I realised right there and then that I had to go all in.
How about you Sam? Are you in?
