We are in pre-production on our next short film project and we are looking for actors. The story is a comedic short about a Hollywood production that loses one of its star actors just before shooting commences on the climactic scene. If you are interested in participating in this project, please email a headshot and resume to clint(at)redfoxmediainc.com. Here’s a list of characters:

Currently, our plan is to shoot over the course of two weekends in mid-late September.

A few years ago I came across this mock infomercial called “We Got That B-roll.” Anyone who works in video production, or who is familiar with the industry, will find the video humorous. It takes aim at the generic, overused, and sometimes unoriginal b-roll clips that fill up so many documentaries, commercials, and news stories. B-roll is an extremely important part of telling a story on film or video.

• It provides the viewer with context.
• It helps to explain concepts and ideas.
• It offers up visual variety.
• It holds an audience’s interest.

Despite its importance to the production, it’s amazing to me how so many people are willing to rush through the process of capturing b-roll. Shooting b-roll can’t become an afterthought. It needs to be an integral part of the shooting day. Here are a few things that need to happen to ensure that you capture great b-roll for your next project.

• Work it into the schedule. Give yourself and your production crew enough time in the day to set up, light, and shoot b-roll. The last thing you want is to rush around during the last hour of the day, trying to cross all the items off of your shot list. And that leads me into my next point…
• Create a shot list for your b-roll. Don’t wait until you get to the location to try and figure out exactly what you want to shoot for your b-roll. You will end up with a lot of footage that just won’t fit into your story. And that leads me into my final point…
• Make your b-roll relevant. Don’t just shoot the building because you think the architecture looks cool. B-roll should compliment and enhance the subject of your story. It should relate to what’s being said, either by those on camera, or the narrator.

B-roll can become a very stale and unoriginal aspect to a video, if not thought out properly. Or, it can be a visually striking element to the production and round out the story like nothing else. Its success or failure depends on how much attention to detail you give to the process during pre-production and production.

As mentioned in a previous post, our short film, A Changed Man, has been accepted into this year’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. A Changed Man will screen in the Local Shorts #2 block on Saturday, August 27th at 7:20pm at the Hill Event Center. Many wonderful people donated their time and effort to produce this film, which is a testament to the love the people of Birmingham have toward the film production industry. Enjoy the teaser trailer for our film. We hope to see you at this year’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.

I’m pleased to announce that our short film A Changed Man will screen at this year’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in Birmingham, AL. Our film is part of the “Local Shorts #2″ block, which starts at 7:20pm on Saturday, August 27. The film will be shown at the Hill Event Center, located at 1811 3rd Avenue North. A Changed Man tells the story of an emotionally-broken woman trying to put her troubled past behind her and regain a sense of normalcy in her life.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered their time, efforts, and energy to produce this film. I definitely couldn’t have done it alone.

Crew

• Written & Directed By Clint Till
• Director of Photography – Michael Praytor
• Producer – Todd Hornsby
• Editor – Sam McDavid
• Audio – Chris Burns & Jeremy Burns
• Music – Paul Merryman
• Art Director – Kimberly Johnson
• Gaffer – Chris Hilleke
• Hair & Make-up – Tara Merryman
• Script Supervisor – George Smyly
• Grip – Troy Wagner
• Production Assistants – Tyler Dawson & J. Neil Bloomer

Starring

• Kendra Fuller
• Kevin Watts
• Tammy White
• Nicole Hernandez
• Jana Harris
• Gabrielle Metz

The 2011 Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival runs from August 26-28, 2011. Visit the festival website to see the full weekend schedule and learn more about each film.

In April 2009, we started production on a short film, tentatively titled “If Only.” The production itself was set back several times due to bad weather and some issues with locations, but we finally wrapped in early July 2009. If you would like to see some production stills, click here. Since that time we have been trying to finish post-production and it has been a long process. One reason for the delay has been our conflicting schedules. It has been difficult for the editor and me to sit down and hammer out the cut. Another reason has been our approach to the story. When I first wrote the script, I had a certain structure in mind for the film. However, as the editor and producer looked through all the footage, they had a different take on how we should construct the story. We had several discussions on how we would approach the edit and I am very pleased with the approach we took. We have now completed the edit and currently the film is in the hands of our music composer who will score the film. Once we have the music in place we will due a final audio mix and some color correction before we submit it to this year’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. The film has been officially renamed, “A Changed Man,” and centers around an emotionally distraught woman who struggles to put her past behind her and regain control of her life.