Recently I was invited to introduce ‘Arthur and Merlin’ at the BFI, a new British fantasy epic shot on a remarkable budget. I asked director Marco Van Belle to share some of his experiences so if we choose to shoot an dark ages epic in the woods, we’ll know what we are in for! Over […]
Guest blog by Marvin Blunte Filming in any location can be difficult, but the jungle always adds another layer of complexity. I am currently shooting in the Thai Jungle during monsoon season and I wanted to pass along the following ten tips to anyone considering filming in similar conditions. Get your jabs. It doesn’t matter […]
I have seen this a lot in low budget films recently, and it’s a dead giveaway of the budget. We have our actors sat at a table, against a wall. We have our actors in a corridor, stood against a wall. We have our actors at a party chatting, against a wall. I get why […]
I am spending the weekend building and updating my presentation for The Guerilla Film Makers Masterclass on June 4th and 5th. (90% sold out now, so don’t wait if you want to come, and use the discount code CHRISJONESBLOG to get it for £60, reduced from £119.00 – go here http://www.guerillamasterclass.com) And I wanted to […]
If you want to make the most out of your limited resources, look at the locations you have and tailor your screenplay to match what is available. I learned a long time ago that moving a cast and crew from one location to another is akin to pushing an elephant up a hill. When scheduling […]
Today I went to a location just East of LA called The Vasquez Rocks. It was to film the introduction to my online seminar, and wanted a backdrop that suited the tone of the intro. I was particularly excited to go to the Vasquez Rocks as it was a heavily used location for film and […]
I flew into Vancouver, BC, Canada a few days ago, with a dual remit. First off, I am running my two day Guerilla Film Makers Masterclass here at a film makers conference called FTX West. Second, I am location scouting for Rocketboy and plan to spend a week looking for amazing places to shoot the […]
Saturday morning, the day after the pickup shoot, and I am looking out of my window in amazement at the weather. According to the BBC it should be bright sun, and it’s grey and miserable. Yesterday on the other hand, the day we shot, WAS AMAZING SUNSHINE! We could not have been luckier with the […]
Gone Fishing looks absolutely amazing. In large part this is down to Vernon’s photography and his insistence that we wait on the sun. We were very lucky in the main shoot and managed to shot mostly in bright sunshine, which Vernon then filled the harsh shadows with a whopping great 15k light and bounce boards. […]
I spent the most of yesterday wandering around our main location for the shoot – Bury Hill Fisheries, near Dorking. This venue has a lot of advantages and disadvantages. First off disadvantages – it just isn’t as spectacular as we wanted. Second, there could be a lot of fishermen on the days we shoot, though […]
Today has been a big day – the final prep meeting before we officially move into pre production, lock down and head out. Some big choices have needed to be made. Producer Ivan Clemments and I, sat around a table and worked through the script, budget and schedule. Passions ran high – after all, I […]
