the making of Enter the Savior - a memoir
The Second Weekend Shoot
Part 4/6

At Last, a Silver Lining...

Living my dream

I went through the rest of the week feeling fairly encouraged.  I was having high hopes again for the project.  All week I thought about the film.  I redid storyboards, bought some props, and rehearsed in my mind over and over again how I would make the film.  I choreographed the martial arts scenes in my head, drew them on paper, visualized sequences, thought about cinematography and prepared myself mentally.

I bought a handful of props at various places:

- two syringe needles that I bought at a drug store one early morning
- Mike, my cinematographer bought for me a pair of martial arts pants and a pair of light martial arts shoes at a martial arts store in Chinatown
- I was also contemplating fake blood, but then decided against it

People at the film school could testify that I was a possessed mad man that entire week.  During breaks, I would frantically pace back and forth the hallway and in circles.  I would mutter to myself and then start hooting to no one when I got excited.  I was so excited about the project that energy would radiate out from inside me, and as the weekend drew nearer, I could feel a surmounting giddiness so overwhelming that it would be hard to sleep at night.  Oh baby.  I got in touch with my actor Julian and confirmed with him to meet in the alley on Saturday at 2pm.

The Big Day
Finally, the big day arrived.  It was Saturday morning.  I met my crew at the film school and set out to Chinatown.  We got there around 1:30 in the afternoon.  We met Julian and started immediately.  The weather was beautiful.  The alleyway was well-lit, Julian was looking as big and as threatening as ever, Mark was ready to jump into his angelic savior role, and I was ready to act, do martial arts and direct!  It was my day.  It would be the day that I lived my dreams.

The first set of shots was of Julian when he first appears in the film as the drug pusher.  He was an exceptional actor, performing beyond what I expected.  Even with his sunglasses on, his facial expressions really spoke the mood of the scene that I intended.  He really brought life to the villain.  I shot all his single shots using low angles.  In many shots Julian would stare straight into the camera and I would tell him to either punch or grab the camera.  (At the time, I didn’t realize that I was using so much first person perspective.  It naturally turned out this way because for all the shots that I wasn’t in, I wanted to operate the camera myself.  Eventually though, I would have to direct others to film me and my actors.)

Martial Arts Action Sequences!
After shooting Julian’s single shots, it was time to film the martial arts scenes.  I went over the first choreographed fight sequence with Julian.  After a brief rehearsal, we prepared to shoot.  The first sequence was Julian’s three kick sequence.  He would open with a hard round house kick with his right foot, followed immediately with a round house with his left, then end in a spinning back kick.  I set camera to shoot us from the side.  To capture two people in the frame at once, I had to move the camera all the way to the opposite wall of the alleyway.

ACTION!
After measuring the focal distance, taking light readings, setting the focal length and the aperture, we were ready to roll, literally.  I yelled, “ACTION!”  And Julian kicked once, twice, spun and threw a beautiful spin kick.  I blocked, blocked and ducked.  “CUT!  Good job!”  I gave Julian a high five.  Mike said it was a good take.

Awesome.  I felt a sudden thrill and joy surge through me.  “Bring the camera and set it next to me!” I yelled.  I needed the next shot taken from a low angle pointing in the direction of Julian but framing my upper body at the same time.  Focus and light measured.  Lens and aperture set.

“Ok same kicks Julian. 

Mike, bring down the frame rate to 18 frames per second!”

“Got it.”

“Roll film!  ACTION!”

*Kick, block, kick, block, spin, kick, duck.*

“CUT!  GREAT JOB!!

Another high five to Julian.  This was awesome.  I changed angles again, this time framing Julian in the entire shot.  All good takes.  Next set of martial arts sequences.  A punch sequence.  Good takes.  A flying side kick sequence.  Good takes.  Savior blocking the deadly blow of the drug pusher.

Take one, take two, good takes.  Next scene.  Good takes.  Next scene.  Good takes.  GOOD TAKES.  I ran back and forth the alleyway setting up shots, directing my crew members where to put the next camera, taking light meter readings, directing Julian and Mark, removing used up film, loading new film, and all the while feeling such a tremendous sense of exhilaration and exuberance!  I felt God’s refreshing pleasure sweep through my body like a cool breeze would sweep over a tired sweaty body on a hot summer day.



Above: Corresponding storyboards and what was actually filmed.

I felt like an eagle soaring over the mountains, with the pure freedom to fly as far as I could fathom!  And oh what freedom!  I was living my dream!  Living my dream!  LIVING MY DREAM!

“Were out of film!  Change rolls!”
One roll, two rolls, three rolls, four rolls, five rolls, six rolls, seven rolls, the pile of shot film was getting higher and higher, I was crossing off storyboard pictures as fast as they were being shot - two hours, three, four, five, six hours passed in a blink of an eye.  It was starting to get dark.  The light meter was registering way below the minimum.

A few more shots of Julian were needed of him falling to the ground.  We moved to the entrance of the alleyway to capture every shred of light that we could in the rapidly setting sun.  We used light reflectance (bounce) boards, we turned on the headlights of Julian’s car and worked as fast as physically possible in the race against the fading light.

“Get ready to fall Julian.
FOCUS!  CHECK THE FOCUS!  OK!
Open the aperture ALL the way!
Quick!  Ready!
Roll Film!  ACTION!!”
Julian falls.
“CUT!  MIKE, GOOD TAKE?”
Mike: "Good take!"

It was almost completely dark.
“Julian, thank you.  Thank you so much.  Great job today.  Guys, everyone, great job.”

It was 8pm.

A great day, but it was far from over...
We had worked 6 hours straight, from 2pm to 8pm, no breaks for food, only water.  6 rolls of film was shot, about 16 minutes of footage, a few hundred shots.  We packed our things and left the alley.  Although we were tired, the day wasn’t done yet, it was time to shoot Mark’s film.  My film, however, still wasn’t finished.  There were still a lot of shots left.

It was Saturday night, the final weekend to shoot, and we still had a film to shoot tomorrow morning.  I asked my crew if it was okay to come out for me to finish the shoot after we finish everyone else’s.  They agreed.  I was slightly relieved.  Since equipment had to be returned by Monday morning, I really hoped that all other films would be completed by early the next day so I could use the rest of the Sunday to finish mine.