BEHIND THE SCENES:
During 2014, the temperature outside, even in the shade, was extremely hot! Heat exhaustion was the order of the day: one actor passed out twice, and the director very nearly passed out once. Also, the recording equipment kept shutting off due to over-heating.
Also, being the first "big" production scene, the shots inside the convenience store were poorly executed due to the attention of the director being spread too thin, having to oversee all crew positions. Granted some actors were helping with camera and audio, but lack of proper training for them, and oversight from the director proved detrimental to those shots. Lessons in directing were plentiful that day!
A small location - although frankly unnecessary to the plot but giving much needed production value - at an abandoned school was used for a climactic sequence. Unfortunately the location deteriorated so drastically during the year it was unsafe to use that location during the 2015 shoot.
The 2015 shoot only saw one vital, main-plot-related scene shot -- well, two if you include the walking-through-waterfall-park scene, but that was going to have to be re-shot anyway -- but four weeks worth of "flashback" and "cutaway" scenes were sporadically filmed. Also, soon after, the director had a car accident and was without a vehicle for most of the summer.
WHAT DID WE LEARN ON THE SHOW TONIGHT, CRAIG?
- Again, regardless of scheduling or ease, SHOOT THE IMPORTANT, PLOT-RELATED SCENES FIRST!!!! Thus, even if we can't finish the entire film, we will still have a "short film" that can be used - a story without all the details or complexity of a feature.
- Whenever cast is available, FILM!!, and get it done ASAP because the cast may not be available in the future.
- A crew is almost as essential as the cast! Setting up the shot takes too much time for one person to do, concentrating on all the production stuff is detrimental to the scene when the director should be focused on the actors and their performances.
- This IS a "motion picture".... dynamic LIGHTING (and clear audio) are VITAL to a "professional" look - otherwise, it's no better than a simple YouTube video.
"Destiny" was LoneStar Picture's first attempt at a serious, dark professional-quality feature film. "Professional quality" meaning it was meant to be submitted to film festivals, use Canon DSLR and other equipment that would give it a "professional" look, and stepping out from the YouTube amateurish videos into the actual professional film-making world. "Insanely Sane" was a genuine attempt - and thanks to the performances, it generally succeeded in that regard - but that was our early, first attempt at a feature and contained many, MANY production errors. Insanely Sane, and all previous LSP projects, was a learning experience. Destiny was the culmination of all those experiences. However, in the four years (three aborted attempts due to cast dropping out and/or lack of finances), the film-makers grew in maturation and realized that the aborted attempts were actually a blessing in disguise as the original script had pacing issues and ultimately irrelevant/unnecessary scenes that were all fixed, excised, or revised due to our ever-expanding knowledge in story-telling.
Alas, casting problems plagued the production of "Destiny".
The first attempt was in summer 2014 starring Michael Fuqua, Teven Bowen, Anthony Perry, Gabi Allen, and Colton Frazier among others. Several factors led to one of the main stars dropping out.
The second attempt was in summer 2015 starring Christian Trigleth, Teven Bowen, Alexis Palm, and others. Several issues among the cast led to two of the main stars not being able to continue.
The third attempt in summer 2016 was a non-starter due to complete lack of finances.
Life happens. Some things you have control over, other times events are out of your control. Sometimes mistakes are made and we learn from them. Sometimes personalities simply clash - and when there isn't a huge paycheck to motivate "professionalism," and it's simply group of people getting together, we can fully understand why folks can't always work together on a project like this. But as history has proven, tis better to try and fail than to have never tried at all since even in failure, there is room to learn. (Alas, it's ALWAYS prudent to do your best to follow the advice of Master Yoda by going in with an attitude of "Do, or do not, there is no try.")
If financially possible (and getting a full cast, especially to see it through this time), a final attempt is hopeful to make this Resilience Production sometime after 2019. The entire plot and structure of the film will be revised. Some elements from the original have been transferred to other stories where they are more appropriate and necessary. The title of this third attempt will be changed to "DESTINED FOR MEDIOCRITY" - more relevant to this story's characters, and a play on the phrase "destined for greatness."
THE STORY:
A young man, apparently doomed to pay for the sins of his father and brother, decides to embrace that image. His first step of embarking on this new life of crime takes an unexpected twist when he and his friend jack a car and their lives are forever changed.
THEMES/MORALS:
Destiny. Fate. Relationships/Family. Resiliency. Forging your own path. Wanting to live up to expectations & not disappoint.
VIEW 2014 FOOTAGE SHOWCASE
