Caged Birds: Update Two!

Now let it be known that given the trauma of the last 72 hours the fact that Melissa and I now have both a lead female and male makes us both entirely happy!

Do they know the lines? No! But do we care? Erm sort of but we can work on that! And quite honestly, after our first meeting I’m feeling quite pleased! Having said that tonight (19 Feb 2013) is the first official day of filming! Woo added with all kinds of hoo are being felt! And mass amounts of freak out!

Thanks to the wonderful human’s at the Department of Drama and Performance Studies at UKZN, we have secured thee perfect venue for our “surreal” scenes. Do I hear the question, “Pray tell gentle lady, what be the plot of this hallowed piece?” My response? “Ain’t nobody got time for that! Go check it out bitch! Word! Peace out! ” *drops mike*

Let it be known that being back in the beautiful bush like atmosphere of the Drama Department made me happy and tingly and all kinds of ways! Note ALL theatre’s smell exactly the same! Except the one in which you spent the vast majority of four years in. Combined with the memories of the ghost of Studio 5, one brotha-from-anotha-motha leaving me in the proverbial lurch whilst under attack (it was a homey, it was dark, he was a pansy).

So lay the scene in which our filming took place, a space in which memories haunt just like the agro theatre ghost that lives therein.

First up, lighting checks! With Melissa arranging the camera, I began sorting out our ginormous lights whilst our actors found themselves in various stages of undress and rehearsal. All was well till we realised that my oh-so-fancy Nikon D3100 only shoots 21 seconds of film. Darn you, advertising demons!!!! Quick swop to Canon and they were off! Melissa...you are a tech god! I bow down! 

The first few scenes went off without a hitch! That was until Brett decided to be his usual filthy self (dude where the heck was it at varsity? We totes would have been bffs if I knew!!)

Followed by multiple takes, line screw up’s, general rudeness and forgetting of lines by one singular member of the cast who-shall-not-be-named-even-though-she-knows-who-she-is-but-like-I-said-I’m-not-naming-names! P.S Sister-friend you done good!

The night culminated with all fancy scene’s being shot and a close to midnight walk in the rain…all the way up to main campus…with equipment and alles in tow!

Guy’s this is promising! I’m pleased! Wooo-hooo!!

The Beginning: Caged Birds

So whilst I honestly wanted to blog about this the day it happened...I was pooped okay...rehearsals are exhausting!

So Feb 18th was d-day! First cast meeting, rehearsal slash scene blocking day. Tad bit ambitious, I won't lie? Oh and not forgetting it was also the first day our cast were meeting, saying hi, having to build some intensely awesome chemistry. Asking too much was I?

Whilst gathering at Denis Shepstone building, room 18, complete with collapsing ceiling and horror movie flickering lights, we began our fancy rehearsal.

A long night of reading, notes, dirty stories and blocking ensued. Pleased, doesn't even Begin to descibe my current state.

I wish I had taken pictures, it would have been fun! But alas I did not but I have multiple shots from the next nights! So yaaaay!

Caged Birds Part 1

Howdyalles! Hope you guys are awesome...

Me,I am tired. Bushed. Why? Well part of 2013’s “Get Shit Done!” list includes mealready getting shit done!

Whatshit is getting done? Well... we’re making a movie yawl!! Woohooo!

Sowith the aid of my trusty homey Melissa you can find her on Twitter we’ve spent copious amounts oftime, i.e 3 weeks working on this little project called Can Caged Birds sing. Yes,draw the allusions you want to draw, we like it!

Aftertwo weeks of planning and preparing, going through rigorous auditions, blood,sweat and cake (see rice cakes for me!) we found or perfect cast! Pure blisspulsed through our veins until the first speed hump, 3 days prior to our firstshoot. Lead actress out. Hotly followed by recasting of lead actor and actress.

ThankfullyI have been blessed with thee bestest Galentine (aka Girl-Valentine) in the formof my bff, you can find her here. Though she spends her days wading throughapplications and court drivel, she has happily (albeit begrudgingly) filled inas our lead actress-all with no performance background. Trust me, this lady iskilling it. I’d link you to our leading male but he appears to be somewhat ofan enigma i.e. cannot be found on social media!

Nowthis short film is headed straight to the loving arms of the DurbanInternational Film Festival (if you guys are reading this, please love us and accept our submission!!! I shall make you brownies!!)

Filmingbegins tonight! Studio bound straight after work and couldn’t be more pleased!

Overand out! 

Resolving to Resolute...or something

Dear, gentle readers, how wonderful it is to converse with you once again!

Evidently 2013 is set to be a busy year, as evidenced by the fact that I have renamed it "The Year of Getting Shit Done".

Normally I have a highly bohemian like need to not confine myself to the rigours of resolutions, bucket lists and the The Secret (retardedly inane book, tells you to think positive. Yes that's it.). But sadly this way of thinking has not got me as far as I'd like? Well this isn't to say I'm not fairly pleased with life in general because I am...but sometimes you just need a little more.

Which leads me to this! My little list of things to GET SHIT DONE!!!!

GET SHIT DONE

1. Learn a spot of coding.
2. Work on learning actual photography and not just dabble exclusively in macro-photography?
3. Make a bucket list.
4. Someday enter DIFF.
5. Try to stop getting 'hangry' so much, i.e. hungry-angry
6. Write a little more. It's totes a muscle.
7. Generally be nicer to everyone.
8. No doing my doormat impersonation. That shit be done.

I am painfully aware that this list is fairly similar to my resolution list, well that just cos I'm consistent so yeah, that's it.

Now bearing in mind that Marx says that man is a constantly evolving being, this list will most likely evolve and grow. So high five self and let's GET SHIT DONE!!!!!!!