Brisbane in Sydney: Downtown Production Part 2

So after a pretty intensive Friday, Saturday was looking to be a little more enjoyable since Tim wanted Laurent and I to be a part of it. At the time however, Laurent wasn't too sure if or when he was going to do anything so it ended up being a bit of a surprise for him.

We were to be up by 9 so we could be meet at Tim's place for preparation and picking up some costumes and equipment. All crew were to be on set by 10am with all the cast (ninjas) to arrive by 12pm.

The set was a warehouse owned by one of Tim's friends. The place was very spacious and allowed for adaptation.

Despite how tired everyone was from the previous night's shoot, everyone was in high spirits and pretty switched on. The custom dolly was assembled and brought in along with all the other props, costumes, etc... this is when I met Laurent's look-a-like, Alex.

Demonstrating high skill and talent within the film area, Alex is getting some pretty impressive words from Maria. Getting a rave review like that from Maria means that you've really shown some amazing stuff. To be honest, I was more impressed with how much he looked like Laurent... in fact, Laurent was as well... they seemed to form this close bond (maybe cos they look like they be brothers) in a short amount of time.

Anyway, since everyone gained a little bit of experience (or perhaps everyone just got use to working with each other), this shoot went on a lot smoother with the first scene getting knocked down very quickly. I'm glad I went through the pain of logging and reporting for two cameras the previous night since I was pretty much an expert for this shoot. I just started working with no problems... especially since for this first shoot, we were only using only one camera.

We had a lunch break after the first scene was done since they realised they couldn't really continue without ninjas :p I suited up, started stretching and jumping around. Shout out to Tan who took over the logging... you're really taking one for the team since we all know the pain of logging (especially for TWO cameras) :p

The first scene I was in, Tim runs past as he is ambushed by a couple of ninjas up ahead (played by Jack and Quoc). I randomly jump out from behind Tim ready to attack. Tim does quick hooking kick as I do a stunt flip backwards onto the ground. The other ninjas then come in from behind me. I don't know if Ryan wanted however many takes it was (maybe fifteen or more), I started to think he just liked watching me throw myself into the cold hard concrete.. not that I minded it.

Finally when that scene was finished, they continued with the chase between Maria and Ali. Meanwhile, Tim, the other ninjas and myself went to the other side of the warehouse to continue filming the Tim v ninjas scene where he is surrounded by eight or so ninjas. This took a few goes to get right since some shots just didn't sell. A few adjustments on my side also helped. I won't get too into it since it's not all that exciting (unless you wanna hear me talk about drilling myself into the ground over and over again).

I think I ended up acting the role of three or four different ninjas (all getting beaten up by Tim of course). It was all good though since it was a bit of a experience with stunting as well. I think I met all the parkour guys (oh, I forgot to mention that the ninjas were all Ali's parkour crew from 9Lives) through getting beat up from one side to the other. All really nice guys with a lot of skills and abilities.

After we did our little bit, Maria stopped us for an interview. Though stuttering my ass off, I managed to get out what I wanted to say. I wasn't so nervous so much as frustrated since I nerves was never really my problem. Anyway, the ninjas decided to make a bit of a cameo appearance which made things a little more fun :p

Soon after, the day's shoot was done and we took a few still shots. I wish I got one with Ali, Maria and Tim and maybe one with each of them with me. Ah well... I can ask for (though not in costume) when I go back down there for the launch of MC2!

On the way back, Maria dropped Laurent and I at Cabramatta for some food... I WAS SOOOO HUNGRY! The old saying, "the way through a man's heart is through his stomach" came about because of guys like me :p I'm a big fan of food (though the act of eating feels like a chore :s).

After a bit of a break, we dropped by Tim's place to pick up his iMac to start capturing. Watching the footage from the first night really showed our inexperience with the camera.. unfortunately, Laurent more so than myself. I'm sure Laurent is still kicking himself for the shaky camera. It's all good though, we're still all learning.

Sat down later with Maria to check out her blog post about us... I guess that means I'm officially a part of Rumble Pictures? Well, I got a crew shirt so at least I can look the part. Afterwards we had a strange conversation with Laurent about the crew shirt... to be honest, I still have no idea what he was on about. I think he's obsessed over his shirt now :p

After an early morning breakfast getting some banh mi thit (pork bun) from Cabramatta, we finally got to sleep only to be up a few hours later ready for Sunday's shoot (the last day for us Brisbanites).


This was a generally light day with shooting on location on top of a carpark in Lidcombe (I think that where we were). Since the ninjas weren't required for this scene, I dropped back to camera assistant. Though I did pick up a new job in the costume/continuity person. I had been fixing up Maria's and Tim's costumes bit by bit on the previous days (along with most of the ninjas) but this particular shoot was a little annoying due to the amount of wind. I was obviously THE costume person... I'm thinking Maria got annoyed but yeah, I didn't really care :p I'd like to think I was just doing a really good job :)

Again, Ryan utilised that magical skateboard to do some moving camera shots without a dolly. Made things a lot easier with slightly different results. When the shoot went into the stairwell, only a few crew members were needed so everyone else just stayed up on the rooftop. I was the master of the camera reports and logs again.

With the shoot now comlpete, we all went back onto the roof only to catch everyone else creating their own little skits, this time with Laurent and Julian. They were actually both pretty good at acting. We later worked through a few other short skits where everyone got involved. The first was where everyone is just sitting calmly having a bit of a chat then Stephen runs past and yells "COPS!". Everyone suddenly scatters (I don't know why) whilst Quoc stays there as he's talking on the phone.

The next was a Rumble Pictures version of a Bollywood sing and dance scene. I've never been a fan of Bollywood, but I have to admit, this was fun. Shooting of the first few episodes = Complete.

Went to maccas with Mr.D Ryan, 1st director assistant Julian, DOP Rudge, Tim (sorry, couldn't think of a cool nickname), Laurent and myself. Our conversation went from filming techniques to general interests, then from random chatter to talking about what Brisbane could possibly do in the future with regard to Rumble Pictures. We should've recorded all of this. Ah well...

It was the last time I saw Julian as Mr.D and DOP came over to Tim's for a final interview. This was quite lengthy but still fun. The format for this was probably more suitable as an interview than any others we did since the camera was static on a tripod.

Since we had a lot more time, the guys had a lot more to say. They gave a pretty good overview mixed in with their own experiences and personal opinions on things. During which they did give a mention of both Laurent and I. Since I worked more with Rudge, he gave me a pretty dazzling review. Since I don't really take compliments too well, I was sorta lying on the driveway dressed in a ninja suit not really knowing what to do :p

Anyway, after the interviews were done and the guys left, Tim drove Laurent and I back to Maria for the final captures so we could begin editing.

When we got back, Maria had already begun her own version of the documentary. After getting some lunch as the last couple of tapes captured, I started my editing. Laurent helped a lot with choosing shots to use. In the beginning I wasn't really sure which ones I should use since I didn't have a clear idea of what type of documentary I should do... to be honest, I was hoping Laurent could give me some insight since this really isn't my field of expertise.

Time was running out (my flight was at 8:30am so we had to leave at about 7am) and we were both getting more tired on top of being exhausted from last few days. Eventually we chose a nice group of clips emphasizing a few points and I got into the editing. On a side note, this actually gave me a good grounding for using FinalCutPro :p

Showcasing the activities and roles I was apart of and Laurent's own experiences with the Rumble Pictures crew, we decided to emphasize the differences between other production sets as opposed to Rumble. The verdict... Rumble's just so much more fun! As you'll see in the production blog, we had heaps of fun performing a lot of random tasks as well as interacting with most of the cast and crew. I believe that we formed some strong relationships as we demonstrated what we were capable of but more importantly, we made a lot of a great friends.

So having said all of this..... I'd like to firstly thank Tim (the bossman I suppose), for allowing us to take part in Downtown Rumble as well as teaching us some basic choreography and the times you took us out to eat (and even sneakily paid for our meals... dont' worry, I'll be doing the same when you come up to Brisbane :p). Next up is THE DOP, Rudge Hollis. With his skills and experience, he made my job a lot easier and gave me the time I needed to adapt to the task at hand. That and the fact that he was probably the coolest person on set :)

I'd also like to thank Ryan Peters, the director of this production. The first shoot on Friday was pretty crazy but in the end, you pulled through. You had to deal with a whole cast of problems as well as some random asian running around and nagging you for those timecodes after every take.

Tan and Stephen for all the advice and patience with me with the camera reports and logs. Tan even took over the logging during the warehouse shoot so he's a true champion!

Craig Anderson with wealth of knowledge and vast experiences within the film and TV industry, he doesn't show any signs of arrogance. Upon meeting him, he was already telling jokes and conversing as if we were friends. If I meet anymore people from the industry, I really do hope that more and more of them are just like him.

To all the people I met on during the this trip which includes (sorry if I missed anyone or spell your name incorrectly): Jack, Quoc, Alex, Michelle, Ali and the 9Live crew, the hair chick, Elanor (sorry, I'll get my bio out to you soon :p), Bervely... that's all I can think of at the moment. I hope to work with everyone again some day.

Last, but DEFINITELY not the least, I have to thank Maria for without her, none of this would have been possible. She gave both Laurent and I the chance to take part in the Downtown Rumble production at her own risk since she hadn't really seen any work from Laurent and limited work from myself. She let us crash at her place (thanks to the Tran Clan again) and drove us around from location to location. She is a wealth of knowledge and experience nicely packaged with a strong feeling of confidence and ability. I truly believe that anyone who sticks with her will undoubtedly gain what's required to move up in the world no matter what field you work in.

... and that was my trip to Sydney in a nutshell. Again, thanks all who was involved in Sydney and also to Laurent who showed us some good stuff. Obviously there's that we can improve on so hopefully we'll get there as Brisbane Rumble starts up.

Stay tuned for more!