JH: What areas of the trailer did you use Adobe products on and how were they used? JM: Martin took the helm for all visual effects; along with his experience working as a special extra for other features, he has been in animation and graphic design for many years and utilised Photoshop & Illustrator for all titles in the trailer. He also created the muzzle flash, the snipers crosshairs and that bullet that whips by the camera in the trailer's finale.
JH: What do you think you learned the most about filmmaking in directing this spec trailer?
JM: I learned many things; Making a trailer is a great way to hone your editing skills, and it forces you to rethink the lengths of your shots, which is a good discipline to learn. Exposure and lighting is a key ingredient for your film, getting it right goes a long way to give it a more professional look. Camera auto settings are a disaster.
Shooting outdoors is much harder than I had thought; your light source keeps changing and moving, not to mention weather is not always on your side. (Especially if you live in Ireland) Also time is you enemy; any estimates you make on how long it will take to shoot a given scene can be multiplied by a factor of 10. The most important thing I learned is that most of the shots you plan out on paper are distinctly different on set. As soon as you look through the lens, the shot is not always as aesthetically pleasing as you had hoped. But as you gain more experience this becomes easier to foresee. With so many areas to consider, its vital to prioritise what needs to be done and what I can actually get done. Every one must work to their strengths, so it was valuable to have a range of skills to utilise through my family so I could focus on the project at hand.
JH: Do you have plans for which investors you're going to consider approaching now that you have a very professional looking spec trailer?
JM: Well I wonder if any of the judging panel are interested. But seriously, the intention had been to complete the film ourselves and enter it at the Galway and Kerry Film festivals next year. Sir Allan Parker was among the judging panel this year. Hopefully we could network with the right people and perhaps get funding to reshoot on a higher budget. But if there are potential investors reading this I would be more than happy to discuss doing business.
JH: What are some ways you think the Creative Suite 3: Production Premium package and the Magic Bullet 3 Suite you just won will help you in making the feature version of this film?
JM: To have such a generously integrated high-end production package, used recently in production of DeNiro's 'The Good Sheppard', we are all quite excited about it and its true value in our production is yet to be experienced. Along side Red Giants Magic Bullet, it will mean a faster turn around time for effects or title shots. And in post production we can even control the mood of each scene to keep them distinct, just as Gladiator's sepia tone and the Matrix' green or blue hue distinguish each other.
