Newfoundland

Robert Edge · January 21, 2006

I re-read my post about this project and decided that it is probably of little interest to this site, the project not being theatrical, and that the post was too long, so I've decided to edit it to zero to save bandwidth.

Francis Kuhn · January 21, 2006

I re-read my post about this project and decided that it is probably of little interest to this site, the project not being theatrical, and that the post was too long, so I've decided to edit it to zero to save bandwidth.

Well, it seems to me it was a fine post and certainly not out of place. It's not like this is NASCARtalk.com, if you know what I'm saying.

At any rate, good luck with the production and the film.

January 21, 2006

I re-read my post about this project and decided that it is probably of little interest to this site, the project not being theatrical, and that the post was too long, so I've decided to edit it to zero to save bandwidth.

What is this film about? I did a little digging but can't find anything.

I'm sorry I missed the original post... :(

Can you repost for a short while?

Stephen Williams · January 21, 2006

What is this film about? I did a little digging but can't find anything.
I'm sorry I missed the original post... :(

Can you repost for a short while?

Hi,

I'm interested too!

Stephen

Robert Edge · January 22, 2006

I've had some e-mails from people who saw this post before I yanked it.

Here's the deal.

The film is a documentary that will be shot in Newfoundland in August, with additional footage shot in New York and a few other mainland cities.

On the one hand, I'd like to do a series of posts on this project. There are a lot of decisions to be made between now and August, and I think that it would be interesting to have a running record of the issues, how they get resolved and why they get resolved in a particular manner.

Because I am producing this film, the discussion would be about all elements. By that, I mean that the issues that I have to deal with, and would like to talk about, are not restricted to cinematography. They cover sound recording, music, production, post-production, etc.

What do I get out of this? First, just writing things down helps one clarify things in one's own mind. Secondly, I think that I'd get some valuable feedback from some very knowledgeable people.

On the other hand, I think that there are a couple of problems with pursuing this idea.

One problem is that the site, as I was reminded recently, is focused on cinematography. That is fair enough.

The second, and bigger problem, is that participating in this site is often like being in a shooting gallery or demolition derby. David Mullen and some others may be able to talk about productions that they are working on without finding themselves in the middle of a donnybrook, but that does not apply to everyone who participates.

I have to worry about this in particular because I'll be working with people, in particular the subjects of the film, who will know about the posts, if only because I'll tell them, and who could be affected, perhaps offended, by what they read.

I just can't handle a situation where a discussion about this film turns into a no-holds-barred debate about the virtues of super 8 or, for that matter, a platform to express extreme views on film v. video.

I do want to find a forum to discuss this film. There are a few options, one of them having to do with this site.

I'd like to add that I'm not talking about a huge production underwritten through some BBC/PBS/CBC/Canal Plus consortium. I'm just a guy who believes that there's some raw material here for a good film.

Anyway, thanks to the people who contacted me about this.

Also, this is as good a time as any to say that there are people who participate in this site who have been enormously helpful in answering questions that are pretty much directly related to this project. If I raise a question about shooting without a slate and relying instead on Aaton code, I really do have a reason :)

Cheers

Tim J Durham · January 22, 2006

What do I get out of this? First, just writing things down helps one clarify things in one's own mind. Secondly, I might get some very valuable feedback.

On the other hand, I think that there are a couple of problems with pursuing this idea.

One problem is that the site, as I was reminded recently, is focused on cinematography.

The second, and bigger, problem is that it is often like being in a shooting gallery. David Mullen and some others may be able to talk about productions they are working on without finding themselves in the middle of a donnybrook, but that does not apply to everyone who participates in this site.

I have to worry about this in particular because I'll be working with people who will know about the posts, if only because I'll tell them, and who could be affected, perhaps offended, by what they read.

I just can't handle a situation where a discussion about this film turns into a no-holds-barred debate about whether I should shoot it in super 8 or, for that matter, a platform to express extreme views on film v. Video.

I do want to find a forum to discuss this film. There are a few options, one of them having to do with this site.

Hi,

I think anyone who reads and participates in this site would benefit greatly by getting insight into what producers- particularly low budget, independents- go through in trying to get their projects made. It's a very tricky process and from what I've often read here, many are apparently unaware of what a producer has to go through before the camera crew comes aboard.

Documenting that process would be invaluable as far as I'm concerned and is the real meat and potatoes of what this site SHOULD be about (and often is). Getting a story onto the screen. That's what makes this site worth the price of admission to me, but I only speak for myself.

There will be the odd disruptive dipstick (and I suppose that's been me a time or two) no matter where you post your journal IF it's to be interactive.

Jon Rosenbloom · January 30, 2006

Where in NFLD are you going to be filming? I've made two trips to the rock; what an awesome place. The food's pretty bad ... but the people and the landscape are both quite memorable. We stayed a few nights in a (now defunct) outport, and my wife always told me afterwards I should go back w/ a camera and record the life there, before it disappeared.

As a photographer, I found it very difficult to photograph there, because taking the time to really settle into one spot meant sacrificing whatever stupendous scene might be around the next bend in the road. You'll have less fog in August.

Good Luck!

Robert Edge · January 30, 2006

J-Ro,

We'll be shooting most of the film on the west coast at Gros Morne National Park and the surrounding area. The geography is very diverse: one of the few places in the world where the earth's oceanic crust and mantle are exposed, resulting in very sparse and highly specialized plant life; dense forests, moose, caribou; excellent salmon streams; freshwater fijords; and of course the Atlantic ocean, whales, etc. I want to shoot from the top of Gros Morne mountain, although it's a long hike (elevation 2844 ft) unless it turns out that we can get up there by helicopter. We may also go across the strait to shoot some footage in Labrador. L'Anse aux Meadows, the site of the Viking settlement, is about a three hour drive north, but I'd like to find time to get there.

We'll also be filming in St. John's on the east coast, which as you know has one of the world's great natural harbours. There's a sequence I want to shoot near the site where Marconi received the first transatlantic radio transmission. We may also go into St. John's for a few days in the spring to do some interviews and maybe get some footage of icebergs.

We haven't decided yet whether to get to Gros Morne via Cornerbrook airport or to take the ferry from Cape Breton island in Nova Scotia. If the latter, we'll arrive on the island at Port aux Basques and drive from there to Gros Morne, which will give us additional opportunities.

One of the issues with this project is that the bleak Newfoundland portrayed in The Shipping News, however appropriate for Annie Proulx's story, is not my idea of Newfoundland, especially in August, but on the other hand I don't want this to look like a travelogue. In any event, the film is about people, so the landscape will ultimately play a supporting role.

As you say, traditional Newfoundland food is not haute cuisine. My judgment is more favourable, but I've had some pretty good Newfoundland home cooking. In any event, one of the subjects of the film has trained with three of France's greatest chefs, among them Alain Ducasse, so I don't think that we're going to suffer.

What outport did you spend time in?

Jon Rosenbloom · January 31, 2006

We visited the outport of Harbour Deep back in August, 2001, just before they were to vote on whether to close the town, which I guess they agreed to do because it ain't on the map anymore. 3 1/2 hours by ferry from Jackson's Arm on the Northern Peninsula. We planned on staying only one night, but the seas prevented the ferry from running the next day ...

We did the hike up and down Gros Morne. It's a long, long way around the back of the mountain, like 7 hours between outhouses ...

Last, there was - actually - a pretty good restaurant in Trout River (The Seaside Inn??? It's right on the beach), which is close by the Tablelands.

Enjoy!