Daniel Rutter Films

Closing The Blog

2011-08-20T22:50:00.002+10:00

Due to inactivity for the last couple of months, and lack of readers (or interest)... I've decided to shut the blog down.

From now on, any updates can be seen on the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Daniel-Rutter-Films/176042589109477

Filming Band Live Gigs; New business venture

2011-01-02T17:02:00.003+11:00

In the last two months I found myself working for a few local bands. The first time was a freebie offering my services to the performers at Bangover Homegrown, the second was a paid gig for another local band.

Knowing that a few of these bands would love to have some semi-professional footage of their band performing live, I decided that a new part of my business would be Live Performances. I'm not charging a lot for these, as most of the time band sets last an hour (unless it's a dedicated gig to the one band).

The plan is, to hopefully improve my contacts with these bands so that in the future I may get work doing Music Videos for them.

Now, you might be asking: What do you really have to offer? Good question. I don't set up just one camera and sit it at the back of the room to record your gig. I have two cameras, one wide and one for closeups. Check out the videos below for examples.

The quality will definitely be improving once I start making more money. A new camera is on the list of things to get, in order to improve the quality of the wide shots. Improved audio, with a new recorder (already purchased, but will be adding more to this kit eventually). All footage is filmed in HD, so you can be sure you're getting high quality footage for your money.

The basic price I'm looking to charge is around $50 a set for the first hour, $35 per 45 minutes after that. Plus entry to gig. Editing services are offered for $250 extra . In return, the band will get:

-Individually edited tracks of their gig, as well as web-friendly versions burnt to DVD, all in 720p HD

-A fully mastered DVD with the full set, including menus.

-DVD artwork which will include stills of footage (unless photos or other artwork are supplied)

If editing services are not wanted, I can supply raw footage recorded onto DVD in their full HD glory. Prices are negotiable, and I'm willing to help develop any DVD into multiple copies for sale by the band. This would be a great opportunity for those bands who want to get their shows out there to more people, and to make a little extra cash.

You can contact me via Facebook, or through my website:

http://danielrutterfilms.webs.com

Misplaced Intentions - Not Good Enough For Truth In Cliché (Bangover 4)

2010-12-18T23:00:00.000+11:00

Bangover Homegrown 2010

2010-12-03T02:31:00.004+11:00

Recently I had the opportunity to film the Bangover Entertainment event in the town of Dubbo, dubbed "Bangover Homegrown". The event consisted of 5-6 bands, all local (from Dubbo) playing covers and originals. I tagged along on behalf of one band, but decided to film all of them and release separate videos on their behalf.

I'm slowly going through and putting them together, I should have them up over the next month... so keep your eye out (on this post, the above Youtube playlist WILL update as I add new videos).

Share it with your friends, let's help these bands get a bigger fanbase!

"The Hit"/Voice Recorder/Future...

2010-09-17T00:33:00.007+10:00

So the last few months have been a bit off for me.

Recently, the one thing that's had me distracted over the last month and a bit has been cleared up... and I can now return focus onto other things. My camera has been fixed also, and I recently wrapped up a baby project I'd been nursing since before my camera died:

"The Hit" is an idea I've had since first dwelling on the idea of doing "Story Of A Hitman". I made "The Hit" originally with the intention of turning it into a standalone 'narrative' piece for an online film festival. But recently, I figured a re-hash of this could make a great intro for "Story Of A Hitman". So... this is what I'll use, with some changes of course.

Also, I recently acquired a Sony Voice recorder and lapel mic, mostly for my wedding video shoots. I've been playing around with it over the last few days since I bought it, and I'm quite impressed with it considering the price (Only $90AU!)

Check it out:

Watch it on Youtube in HD for the best audio quality.

I will now also be using the Voice recorder attached to my boom pole + Rode VideoMic for future short films, and possibly "Story Of A Hitman" when I start that.

The Future:

As mentioned in an earlier blog post, I have a number of script projects underway. Many of these have been sidelined due to other things, but I've been in talks with various friends about doing some form of Zombie film (Which I won't be writing... only directing), as well as shooting "Story Of A Hitman" with friends. I'm still in planning stages for the music videos I have signed on for, and currently in talks with another friend about a short film piece about Child abuse.

It's going to be an interesting couple of months. I'm looking forward to having an extra set of hands around!

Australian "Backyard feature" films and other stuff...

2010-09-08T18:16:00.004+10:00

In the past twelve months I have been witness to the unveiling of many an Indie Aussie flick. They're not Hollywood, no sir. They are the blood, sweat and tears of our young film industry. If they were a movie themselves, we'd see them appear in slow motion clawing their way up an incredibly steep hill, reaching the top... and roundhouse kicking you in the face.

These films have come from the hearts and minds of my fellow film makers Jake Reedy, Dicky Tanuwidjaya, Andrew Thatcher, Joshua Long and many others. These films are each special in their own right. They aren't your typical "Kid in the backyard with the family camcorder and sticks for swords" type film makers... they're just like you and me. I believe, judging by the quality of their work, that they have big dreams of being the best at their craft... or at least, one of the best. I've never had the pleasure of meeting any of these guys, but I'll be damned if I doubt their drive!

Each of these directors has given me ideas and strength to step up my own game. When I first saw their work, I almost gave up. I wasn't going to compare to them. But something about the way they worked, the way I could relate... made me change my mind.

You know the old saying: If you can't beat 'em, Join 'em!

I want you to open a new tab in your browser right now, navigate your way to Youtube... and search these names. Search their names, or the films they've been working on. Tell me you don't see the potential, the skill... the DRIVE in that work. Can you smell the sweat? That's how hard these guys worked.

So look up the following, on Youtube and Facebook:

Tin God

Axed

The Devils 6 Commandments

Loyalty

Charity Hurts

What I would give to have the skills of these guys. Thank you all for helping me understand that I need to step up my game, and 'grow some balls' when it comes to my film making.

Script writing

2010-09-01T06:56:00.002+10:00

Alrighty, so now that my beloved HV30 is dead (or, out of action... for now) I'm going to try and focus more on my editing and scriptwriting. As it currently stands, I have one project to finish before the end of September... and that is, a short documentary/clip for the "Royal Far West" charity in my town. Looking to take my time with that one.

Also in the works, are a few scripts. I'm currently doing some quick rewrites of "Story Of A Hitman" which will be shot by me and a few friends sometime in the coming months. I also have begun writing a script called "Butcher" based on a fake trailer I did some months ago. I just finished penning a VERY quick script for a friend to shoot for an entry into an online film festival...

And then, I begin working on the script for my first full length feature film "Love and Loss". Ahh yes... this one's been on the cards for over 12 months. I just can't seem to find the time or inspiration... but I reckon I did a pretty slick rewrite of the opening scene. Just gotta figure out how to work in drama with my love for action. Expect something LIKE 'Taken', but not so much of a budget. Looking to get this one backed somehow... but I'm going to finish the script first!

My camera is dead.

2010-08-26T20:37:00.000+10:00

Ahh yes... my beloved Canon HV30 has been damaged by a silly accident, and has been knocked out of action to a point that it will cost more money than I have to repair.

I'm not sure exactly what caused it, but I've either knocked the tape heads out of alignment, or completely damaged them. I'm hoping it's the latter one, because replacing the heads on the cam will cost me $360AU.

So for the next month or two (hopefully not long) I won't be working on any shorts, music videos or weddings as I had planned. Unless I can find someone who like's me enough to loan me a camera, or I can rent one.

I'm thinking of setting up a Paypal account so you can donate to help me get her back running again, but I won't get to far ahead of myself. If you're interested, leave a message below!

Making music videos

2010-08-12T11:22:00.004+10:00

Recently I decided to persue an old idea I had of making music videos.
So.. naturally, I've been watching a lot of music videos just to get a feel for them.. and you know what? I believe there is some SERIOUS SHIT out there. No, I'm not kidding! Who thought up the idea of doing a 'film/Hollywood dolly + tripod' music video for the metal goodness that is Breaking Benjamin - I Will Not Bow needs to sit down and think about what you feel when listening to metal. If I had been the one behind the camera, I would have shot/edited that bitch until it gave everyone nosebleeds! Metal is hype, exciting, worth screaming to. It's not Hollywood film! You smash cut the hell out of it, mix in some white flashes.. and shake that camera a bit. Let me give you an example of a well made music video:

Before you groan and say "But it's not metal!"... let me explain. It's rap, rap is similar to metal in these ways: It's exciting, it's fast paced... and the subject tends to change quickly. Let's examine the way they made this video. In the first few seconds, we see a nice smooth Dolly/crane shot. Not one shake. Until we cut to a close up, which was obviously shot with a shoulder mounted camera. Progressively through the video, they mash nice "Hollywood" camera movements (Dolly, Crane, possibly steadycam) with those elements of 'nauseacam' or shoulder mounted/handheld work. It's shaky, but its tolerable for your average music video viewer.

This is where slower paced editing, and dolly work is better suited (not that it didn't suit the above video):
(Click the link, Embedding is diabled) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-MvTpOQhCU&feature=related

Even when the band begins to rock out, there is some element of 'shakycam' in there. The director could feel the emotion behind the song, and when the song changed from haunting piano to glorifyed rock ending... he made sure the viewer knew it!

So, my message to those of you who make music videos... for the love of god, analyze the genre of music you're shooting for... and edit/shoot accordingly. Metal videos with just wide shots SUCK... Metal videos that are shot on tripods SUCK. Get in there, don't be afraid to stick a camera in the singer/guitarist/drummer's face and ROCK THAT AUDIENCE!

Thanks for reading.

Developing an idea, turning it into a story

2010-08-03T22:58:00.001+10:00

I was just doing some forum posting and I came across a thread where the poster was asking "How do you get ideas for films?". This is a good question, as even I run into problems writing stories and developing them. I've never sat a creative writing class, but I do understand some of the basics.

Finding the idea:

This is what I do. I look into my imagination, take everything that interests me as a person... all those fantasies I have/had, and those are my basics. For my script "Story Of A Hitman" I took my fantasy of wanting to be a professional killer/gun for hire, and wrote it around a character based on me. I took that, developed a dramatic "happening" (any will do really) and then based everything that happened to the character on that dramatic turn. Just like in real life, anything that happens to a character changes their direction in life. It affects their state of mind, their aspirations and their view. For better or worse.

There are some basic storylines that you can work off. Those being: Hero and Villain, Boy falls for girl, etc... it all starts with a basic line. This is where you should start, if your fantasies aren't similar to mine. Just write something that you WANT TO MAKE. What kind of film have you always thought you'd like to make? Or, what is your favorite film? As with most things, storytelling isn't all that original anymore. Just about every aspect of any basic story has been told. The best you could do as a storyteller, is take the best bits of any idea you have... and mash them together.

Developing the Idea:

So you have your bits and pieces written down. Or your one line that will basically sum up your script. Now comes the fun part... turning that line into a developed script!

No doubt you've got your hands on a word processor, or some form of script writing program... but incase you don't, grab Celtx and install it. Start writing notes in a blank text document, such as characters (you should ALWAYS HAVE A MAIN CHARACTER!) and locations... extra bits that might make your story nice and meaty. Got your main character? Good.... now comes the next bit.

Start a new script project, and think of the first place we should meet your character. We should introduce him/her to the audience, either during a dramatic moment... or through dialog (voice overs are a great way to start). In most cases, it'll be smooth sailing from here on. Just write what comes to mind, and it'll all piece itself together!

SOAH Updates/Changes

2010-06-08T03:07:00.000+10:00

Hello loyal followers!

Well, not much has become of SOAH since my last blog post, but I can say that we're making progress with auditions! I will let you all know when auditions are over who will be filling the roles.I'm not sure if I mentioned in my last update that I've done another draft of the script, this time I've extended a few scenes, added some... and generally made it more epic! It's shaping up to be a very awesome little film.

New Videography business
I recently started up a new business venture in the realm of videography. This means that when I'm not making movies, I'll be doing weddings and other events! So far, I've done one gig... and I have another lined up.
Not much more news in this area, but if you're interested in seeing my prices and so on... check out http://danielrutterfilms.webs.com and click the Videography link.

Jake: Story Of A Hitman by Daniel Rutter - fundbreak.com.au

2010-05-12T01:03:00.001+10:00

Jake: Story Of A Hitman by Daniel Rutter - fundbreak.com.au

Posted using ShareThis

Jake: Story Of A Hitman --- This is my plan.

2010-04-17T03:57:00.000+10:00

It occurred to me last night as I was finishing the final draft of the SOAH script that I may effectively bite off more than I can chew during the shoot. It also made clear that I will be trying my hardest to make a $1000 movie look like a $50,000 movie and that this may or may not be a bad thing.

The script of 'Story Of A Hitman' plays like a dance. The action scenes will require the actors to dive around, throw themselves about, and effectively 'get into the dirt'. The 'actions' of the characters when firing their weapons, in staying true to the 'Wooism' (John Woo's signature style, which I'm paying homage to in this piece), will be like dancing with no partner. I myself have spent countless hours choreographing the actions, spinning, ducking, diving and stepping just to get it right.

Now, I have a little over 3 months until shooting starts, and so I'm getting ready for the tiresome/boring typing of shot-schedules, equipment-schedules... basically, its gonna be a boring next few months. But, knowing that it's only going to help me effectively shoot this film without any unexpected 'I forgot's and such.

DP gig/SOAH news/New Videos

2010-04-10T00:36:00.006+10:00

Hey guys;

DP Gig

I have some good news! I was recently hired as a DP for a film being shot in Coffs Harbor, directed by Savva Emanon. I won't give you any details on the film itself, in respect to the director... but I will say this: Its an honor to be a part of this, being my first DP job... hopefully not my last! It's also the first time I've helped on a film that wasn't my own (not including projects my sister has been working on), and the first time I've worked with actor Jake Rundle (who is playing the role of Jake Smith in the upcoming 'Jake: Story Of A Hitman' directed by myself) and others. It should be fun, as I'm going to be learning techniques and using equipment I haven't used before... such as Dolly rigs. I'll be shooting it on my lovely HD camera... the Canon HV30, and doing some really interesting things with it that I've never done before (again... the Dolly rig, for one). I can't wait! More news on this as it comes...

'Jake: Story Of A Hitman' News:

I've decided to get back on the horse and ride this movie to the finish, and in doing so... I've decided to re-write it! As if it wasn't going to be difficult before, now it'll be impossible! But... impossible is good... its a goal I'm aiming for, and I'll get there eventually! I've decided to change the story drastically, with two main characters instead of one... and rather than making it an all out action film, I thought I'd give the actors room to breathe with some 'drama' in there. I'll still be paying homage to John Woo with his action scenes, but I'll mix in a bit of Luc Besson (after a recent viewing of 'Leon: The Professional') and a touch of 'Mission Impossible' in there as well. I've been studying up on the films a bit lately, jotting down things I've seen that I'd like to make a part of my own story. Besides that, and a case of writers block, the news on SOAH is good :)

New Videos

Recently I entered in two weekly short film contests hosted by the guys at HV20.com, filming two fake film trailers. While neither of them won, it was an interesting experience... I'll continue to enter these weekly contests as long as I have the time. Check the videos out here (Or go to Vimeo.com to see them in HD):

Butcher - Fake Trailer from Daniel Rutter on Vimeo.

Last Hope - Fake Trailer from Daniel Rutter on Vimeo.

Daniel Rutter Films Montage/Mixtape/Showreel 2008-2009

2010-04-02T22:15:00.001+11:00

Everything I made between 2008 and 2009...
Check it out, tell us your views :)

Taking your 16:9 footage and making it Anamorphic.

2010-02-22T01:47:00.003+11:00

Clicking the links will open screenshots ;)

Those of you who live and breath films will know that Anamorphic aspect ratios are pretty much a standard in todays Hollywood film market. What you probably don't know is: How to make your own films look just that little bit more cinematic. You could go out and buy an Anamorphic lens for your camera, which is hard enough to do if you don't own a high end camera; or you can do it digitally with your NLE (Non-Linear-Editor)... which is how, in many cases, Hollywood does it. Maybe not with the same tools, but... they do it cheap ;)

What I will show you today is pretty much the same way Hollywood does it, but cheaper.

Prep.
Now, this won't work for all situations... considering most people don't consider framing when they're filming, but there is a few things you can do to help you out. First off, take some masking tape, and put two strips on the top, and bottom of your Camera's LCD screen. This pretty much simulates where your framing will need to be. For added effect (and it will work SO MUCH BETTER), use a wide angle lens... even for close ups. This will help you fit more into the frame, and will give you as close-to-Anamorphic as you can get without buying the lens. Remember, when framing up with your LCD screen, that where the tape is covering, will be be what you are cutting out later in editing.

After Shooting, and on to editing.

I'm going to show you how to simulate this anamorphic effect in Sony Vegas 8 pro, but I'm pretty sure you can use the same method in Premiere Pro. To my knowledge, Final Cut Pro has a preset built into the program that allows you to actually do this effect automatically.
Bear in mind that my method isn't quiet accurate (but it does the job) and that you will probably want to experiment to get it just right.

Firstly:
Import your footage. Before you begin to crop and split your footage, make sure you DO AS I SAY. If you don't, you will spend a lot of time going through all your little snippets doing this one bloody thing. If you don't want to do it this way, you can always edit, render your file, and then re-import the rendered file... and do it this way. Quicker, easier... simpler. Your footage can be in 16:9 or 4:3 format... but bear in mind that A LOT of your footage will be cut out. Heres my footage imported into SV8

Once you've rendered out/imported a clip into the time line, right click that clip, and select 'Video Event Pan/Crop'. Type in the following details, and disable the 'Lock Aspect Ratio' button to the side of the dialog box.

You may need to tinker with the framing depending on your source file (in my case, I'm editing the stock .m2t file that I imported from my HighDef cam... in your case, SD DV may need tweaking) Also keep in mind that my timeline is set at a PAL DV preset (I chose 4:3, for DVD tranfer) and not HD. This method WILL work when rendering out in 720p or 1080p, but will look a tiny bit different.
Rather than type in every single number on every single clip, just click the box with the preset title 'Unknown', type in 'Anamorphic' and hit the save (floppy disk icon) next to the box. You can then simply cycle through the presets later on and select the custom preset. Once you've finished editing, render out and play in your preferred video player.

With my own clip, I added a bit of colour grading to give it some more cinematic effect.

Just experiment, you'll get it ;) HAVE FUN!

For those shopping for a Camera!

2010-02-11T09:27:00.001+11:00

OK, so those of you who follow me on Youtube will know that I bought myself a new Canon HV30 some months back. This camera is a great little cam, perfect for short films and such... with the High Def, external mic jack, Headphone In jack and all on DV tapes. The only real issue I have with this camera is the zoom. The built in lens is simply CRAP for wide angle capturing (You need to be a state away from your subject just to give the wide effect!), and pretty shit for close-ups too. If you're gonna buy one of these cameras, I suggest you buy the 43mm lens kits (Go for Raynox, if you can afford it... or just buy the lens' from Canon) and filters as well. That way, you get the WHOLE picture, not just a small piece. The wide angle lens really does help for those who will end up converting they're footage to 2.1 aspect ratio, as you can capture a lot more in frame, and not lose half of the picture when converting!
Anyway... Canon HV30 + Canon lens kit is upwards of $1000US ($1500AU) but totally worth it. It's also cheaper than the XHA1... but the image quality isn't as crisp. Check out YouTube for all the test footage :)

A Cancellation/New Project.

2010-01-28T19:07:00.000+11:00

So I've recently cancelled Story Of A Hitman, due to unforseen circumstances (I do this a lot, right?) and I'm now in the process of planning a BRAND NEW project... twice as interesting, action packed and fun-filled as SOAH. I've been writing it over the last few days, and I think I'm happy with the concept.

I've had a change of mind lately regarding my shooting style (which I have yet to find)and I've decided that being 'shy' about my status as a film maker, and hiding myself away into quiet parts of town with my 'shoots'... My next film will probably get me arrested, sued and probably lose my reputation (what reputation?) with the residents of this town. But screw it... This film is going to be awesome, even if I die making it!

I'll update a little later with some info.

13-01-10: "Colour Grading"

2010-01-13T09:38:00.003+11:00

So I downloaded the tryout of Magic Bullet Looks from the Red Giant website (www.redgiant.com) a few days ago, but hadn't had a chance to test it out untill now. I've noticed that a few editors and Youtube/Vimeo short filmers have been experimenting with this tool, and I decided that I wanted to check out what I've got on offer when it comes to editing Story Of A Hitman later in the year. I must say, I'm quiet impressed with the level of control I'm getting from this tool! I've attempted to do something similar with the standard Sony Vegas colour corrector, but never had anything like this. Take a look at this:

Impressive right? A lot of people might say that its a little overdone, but I think that it instantly makes it look so much sexier! The overall colour is warmer, the skin colour is almost true to real, greens are well saturated, yet the grass looks dry and dying.The shadows are more natural, and the blacks are nice and deep. For a simple test of cap gun smoke (some unpublished footage I filmed for my own personal use)... it looks like a film! Almost reminds me of the grading from District 9, except a little warmer. Lets look at another:

This still is from a test film I shot with my siblings, testing my new Special Effects package and how well it works with my HV30 (Actually published, on Facebook). I attempted the orange 'warm' effect on this footage, but it made the muzzle flash to bright... so I thought a greener '35mm' film look might be better. I was quiet impressed with the contrast (I like deep colours on my most of my films) and the vignette around the edges really brought out the film effect so much more. If you look at the original, you'll notice that it's sharper than the final output. That's the Magic Bullet Looks 'film' post effect... slightly modified. I've always thought that film came out really sharp, but still... this does give a nice soft glow to the actress.

The Looks tool can give you control over everything from diffusion effects, Depth of Field, Vignettes, Saturation and brightness, Gradients... pretty much anything that can change the colour of original footage. I'm almost convinced that it's worth paying for! Check out the trial on your own footage, you'll be impressed... I garantee it! Works with Sony Vegas, Premiere Pro, After Effects... and theres a standalone 'Image Builder' which you can use to modify stock JPEG photos. The Looks Builder doesn't allow you to cycle through your footage (at least, not on Premiere Pro or After Effects... I haven't been able to get it to work on Sony Vegas) and fine tune... but it might be a good idea to shoot in the brightest conditions possible to get the best control over colour grading in this program (Isn't it the same for anything else?).
Have fun, let me know what you get!

Update 11-01-10: "Writing Styles"

2010-01-13T09:33:00.002+11:00

I was typing an email up to an actor-writer a few nights ago and I was attempting to explain my writing style and how I sit down and design a character around what I want to be. It had me thinking:

What do other writers do to pen that great story?

When I'm writing, I sit down and design a character based around myself, or what I wish I could be. I then take that character down a path of choices that I wish I could make, or have the choice to make. I write that character into a relationship based around what I consider to be important, give him a woman based on my own dreams, children with qualities I can only hope that my own will have, hell... I give him a car I only wish I could drive.
Basically, that character is based on my dreams and desires. As with lots of people, these things tend to change constantly, so using this form of writing style is actually quiet promising... as it tends to deliver something completely different every time. I'm not really sure if every writer writes this, I doubt it, but it's a possibility that someone else out there has a similar style.
It's really hard to write a feature length story based on what you want a character to feel, experience, and change... I have no experience in writing 90 page scripts, as I've only ever written short films. Needless to say, I won't be directing shorts for the rest of my life... and so I'm practising my skills for the day that a feature drags itself out of me. I'm writing a few different ones at the moment, though most will never see the light of day (or the ink and paper they *could* be printed on). But its all experience for me.
Now, this actor-writer mentioned to me that he writes 'commercial' scripts/stories... the kind of stories that Hollywood (or in his case, the Australian Film Industry) would be proud to turn into films. While my stories aren't 'commercial'... I think, with more depth... they could compete with films such as Powder Blue, 25th hour and so on. These sorts of films have always interested me, and I would like to attempt a film of similar calibre. But could I do one with my writing style?
I guess that only the future will tell, right?

New Website!

2010-01-04T16:35:00.002+11:00

I've had a gander at Webs.com and found that they can host the kind of website I want. This will be temporary untill I can get a proper site and domain, but it means that posting content will be easier. I have also started a blog over there... But this one isn't closing down just yet.

Check it out: http://danielrutterfilms.webs.com

Self Critics And Me...

2010-01-04T16:29:00.000+11:00

One thing that I always have trouble with, is under-estimating myself. I have my days where I honestly believe that becoming a film maker will be a waste of time... that I won't make it further than my first film. No matter how many ideas I have, or the drive to film something I've never tried before.
But there are those days where I think that no matter what, I'm gonna give it a crack anyway. I get inspired when I watch a film, I see a camera move or a sequence that I can't get out of my head, and I know I have to have a crack at it. I love the idea of being a film maker... I'd love to spend the rest of my life making films, working with Australia (and maybe the worlds) best actors and actresses. I know theres work to get there, and I'm far from being there...
Not everybody lives their dreams overnight. I'd love to have the luck that Tarantino and Rodriguez had... Make one indie film and then suddenly become Hollywoods most popular directors. Australia isn't America... but there are those people who make names of themselves by just making a good first film.
Those days that I'm down, the days I just want to give up and walk away... are the days where I honestly believe that I won't be able to hold on long enough to get better. I've spent most of my life trying to grab attention for my creativity... Films, Photography, Art and Graphics... I've tried everything. One might call it 'Finding my calling'... I call it 'trying too hard'.
There are times on these days, where out of the blue someone will turn around and say 'Dan, I believe in you!'. I thank the man who lifts my spirits... I look to him a lot for acceptance of the stuff I do... Jake Rundle. I've never met the man in person, never worked with him, Never even seen the man with my own eyes! But this man is the one who manages to inspire me to continue. Something he said to me just a few weeks ago that I'll never forget: "I like the fact that you're 'always on the ball' and thinking about developing your script, characters and establishing your ambitions as a film-maker - You have the talent and potential to make it"... this man, one I've never met... has managed to stop me from walking away everytime I've thought about it. He's become a close friend, and a rock that keeps me standing.

It makes me wonder: Does every film maker have this moment? Do they all question themselves? "Is it worth all the money... all the time... am I wasting my time? Are people laughing at me for trying?". I know that my main problem, and not just with movie making.. is that I'm to self-judging. I judge myself before anyone else can... hell, I do it for them. I cannot understand why I do this, I never will... but all I need is to seriously believe I can do this, that nothing can stop me... I can only go up, I'm at the lowest point possible. If I could put my mind to studying and learning the film-making techniques... I could get somewhere.
Robert Rodriguez once said "The moment you decide you want to be a film maker, you are one"... I tell everyone that I'm a film maker, 99 percent of them laugh in my face... but there are the few that actually stare at me like "Are you serious?"... I've had the odd few actually question me and request to see my work! Maybe part of me wants the fame... Every film-maker wants to be recognised for his work. But I love telling a story, and with a camera is much easier than with a pen.

I have one piece of advice for anyone who's interested in film making: You're your own worst enemy... You will be the first to judge your work, and if you've got that mindset that you can't do it without..."Name object here"... you'll fail before you start. I'm nowhere, but I have a few short films under my belt... I used what I had at my disposal. I didn't own a camera, so I used a Mobile (Cell) phone. I didn't have any friends, or know any actors... I used my siblings... hell, I even acted myself! Granted, all of the films I've made so far are SHIT, but they've taught be so much... and I know where my expectations are. It all starts with a story, not what you film. Sure... fist-and-gun fights are fun to shoot, but building some half-assed story around a firefight isn't film making. I've been there, I know...
With Story Of A Hitman, I started with a story... the firefights were just part of the final outcome. Without them, my movie would be bad! I've analized my story like a film critic... I know what I want to see myself do, and I know exactly how I want it filmed.

That said, I have this film set out in my head... now all I need is to crack out the confidence and film it exactly the same as I want to.
Self-Critics are their own worst enemy...

A word from the editor...

2009-12-15T13:44:00.001+11:00

Hey there.

It's been a while since I'd posted something up here that wasn't... a rant. So today, I'm gonna spare you all the rants and just give you plain old news about my projects.

Those who follow me on Facebook will know that I was supposed to be shooting my short film 'Story Of A Hitman' this week, but due to circumstances beyond my control... I've postponed. I haven't given any reasons, but I will give them here.
One of the actors has requested a postponement due to private matters, and I also saw an oppertunity to go back to the table and do some re-writes. Although I haven't done anything since the cancellation last Friday. I have been, on the otherhand... been working on another project.

I recently postponed my project 'Love And Loss' as I wasn't happy with the story and location I had chosen. So I took it also back to the table (Sense the pattern here?) and took a pen to it. I have an inclination to make it into a feature film. I will be writing this with actor Jake Rundle, and with his writing expertise and my... help, we will hopefully have a working draft in a few months. I would like to see this script be one of my first 'feature' films. That will be a long way off for now, as I neither have the experience nor the confidance to turn a script like that into a working film.

You may notice that I've changed the artwork at the top of the page. I thought it was time to change it up, as I want to leave my old work behind and focus on improving my techniques and project quality. Both pictures are of myself in various poses holding pistols... but they are early photography I had been fooling around with for use with 'Story Of A Hitman'. I've also decided that 'Postal Assassin Productions' will be my fake production company from now on, and 'Daniel Rutter Films' will just be what links my films to me. Postal Assassins Productions does link back to various movies that my sister and I worked on together, and I still value her input and help on the various projects that I'm working on. I certainly hope to have her help throughout the years to come.

My Upcoming/'In The Works' Projects:

'Jake - Story Of A Hitman' --- Unfinished/To Be Filmed.
'A Story Of Love And Loss' --- In Writing.
'Untitled Thriller/Suspense feature film' --- In Writing.

In the future I will be kicking off a website on which you can click to the various projects and catch the latest on filming and behind-the-scenes stuff. If anyone is interested in building a website and/or hosting it for me (for a negotiated fee) please leave your email, or message me on Facebook or Youtube. I have only limited experience in web design, and to be frank... I suck at it. So if you're willing to do a professional job, and don't mind doing it for cheap... let me know.

Non Region 4 DVDs and how to get them to play.

2009-11-25T13:29:00.000+11:00

Recently I bought a copy of Hard Boiled on DVD from America. I couldn't find a single solitary copy of this movie in Australia... not the special edition, anyway.
Now, I don't own a region free DVD player, and I'm to lazy to download region free firmware for my PC's DVD drive. So, what I did to get my DVD player to play it... is ripped it to my hard drive using DVD Decrypter (http://www.dvddecrypter.org.uk/) and burned it to a blank DVD. This doesn't allow you to play the original bought DVD, but you have a DVD backup copy that is region free! So, now you have a working copy, and you're free to save your original from dust and scratches!

Now, In most countries BY RIGHTS you are allowed to make a back-up of DVDs you've bought, in order to save your originals from general wear and tear. If you're not sure... just check the laws in your country. But... don't worry to much if you're cracking a DVD just for your own personal use... So many people do it, that the cops can't catch them. think about it... if half the population in the world are downloading and copying DVDs (for home use)... are the cops really gonna throw us all in jail? We're not the ones they should worry about... It's those piraters that mass-copy and sell for profit!

Interview with Daniel Rutter/ Jake: Story Of A Hitman

2009-11-23T13:49:00.001+11:00

Over the weekend, My sister Skye decided to interview me about my upcoming production 'Jake: Story Of A Hitman'. This was to give some insight to the film, our budget, actors and characters. Check it out if you want some behind-the-scenes action!

The films 'Facebook' fan page: http://bit.ly/4s1HKU

My Films On Facebook

2009-11-10T14:37:00.001+11:00

I've just finished putting both 'Story Of A Hitman' and 'Love And Loss' on a facebook page all of their own. These pages will be the ones updated the most, so become a fan to get the latest info!

Click the links below to go to their respective pages!

Love and Loss on FaceBook

Story Of A Hitman on Facebook

Both will be updated as soon as news becomes available... which should be flowing very quickly in the next month with screenshots, photos and behind-the-scenes stuff!... Shooting begins in December.

HD Vs. Full HD - How they fool you with your LCD T.V

2009-11-10T09:48:00.002+11:00

Take a look at the latest catologue from Myers/Good Guys/Joyce Mayne/Walmart... how many LCD T.Vs are there with the label HD? Now take a look at the resolution for that T.V... lower than 1920x1280? Right. Not HD at all.

Some people out seeking a FULL HD (Thats how they market it... FULL HD) T.V will see these "HD" T.Vs at affordable prices and go out and buy one... Get it home and find out that its not HD at all... its... worse than that. I've seen a T.V advertised with 1024x768 resolution, labelled as "HD". Thats a joke! Remember those old 18inch CRT monitors we used to have (some still do) on our computers 6 years ago? Most of them had a max resolution of 1024x768. Was anything 'High Def' about those monitors? Same goes for these LCD TVs. Don't get fooled into buying one just because it has the label HD and has a nice price on it. Sure... they're fine if you're just looking to update to something a little bit fancier. But they just won't give you the full HD experience when you watch your football/cricket matches and Bluray/HD DVDs, or play your Playstation/Xbox 360 at full quality. DVDs will look better on the lower quality LCDs, not so pretty on the full HD ones (see High Def vs. Standard Def; the article I wrote last week for resolutions of DVD vs Full HD). For those of us who like our (BluRay/HD Camcorder) movies with the best-possible-quality-short-of-owning-the-film-negative-itself... Full HD is ideal.

Now, before I bitch about this.. I'd like to tell you WHY they do this. Besides money, Besides the tech junkies... you get those who don't know what this-and-that means in the tech world (resolutions, contrast ratios, sharpness ratios, response times etc) to fork over their hard earned cash for something less-than-desirable. Now sure, a lot of these people REALLY don't care... they just want their new T.V. But are you sure that its worth that $600+ when you're not sure of its quality?

At the moment, you can expect Sony and Samsung (the leaders of LCD market) to give you what you pay for. But don't go anywhere until you've seen the T.V work, and seen the output quality of the T.V. You don't want to get it home only to find that the quality is... shit. The higher the resolution, the better the quality of your games/BluRays... And stay away from those with 'built in' DVD players... even the ones with BluRay in them. If this player craps out... (and it will... right after the warranty runs out) you're screwed. I don't reccommend that you get one with the built in HD tuner, but thats simply because anything built into the TV is likely to die... and take the T.V with it. But its a matter of personal preference. Buy a Set Top Box if you can spare the extra space. And don't expect your old VCR tapes to look great either... most will look stretched, and otherwise grainy. Make sure you protect your investment, possibly purchasing extended warranty... a surge protector power board (Seriously, get it or you'll regret it) and listing it under your household contents Insurance.

DVD pirating

2009-11-09T12:02:00.001+11:00

It occurred to me recently as I made a backup of a DVD I bought recently at how easy it is to pirate DVDs. It's a wonder anyone buys DVDs... its just to easy to get them for free. If you have a decent net connection, you can download an exact copy of the DVD from any torrent site... or if you don't mind watching movies on the PC... you can get the HQ DivX avi from the same source. I don't know, but I reckon that the distro companies are doing something wrong. As it stands, its illegal to copy a disc that you don't own... or download any movie from the net via Torrents (there are exclusions, which I won't get into) but... as so many people do it, its hard to enforce the law. Hell... I know a cop... A COP who copies/downloads DVDs. And its so much easier to go to the local DVD rental store and grab the latest flick for 5 bucks o/n and do a copy at home... sure, you don't get the pretty pictures on the cover, but do it right and you'll have an exact replica of the disc. Anyway, back to the distro companies.
At the moment, the average new release sells for around $30/40 bucks at the local Big W/Sanity, and about $25 on Ebay. Most people pay less than that for their net connection! I think that these Distro companies are selling these at to-high prices. If the latest release (lets say... Public Enemy) came out at around $15, I'd buy it... but I refuse to pay $30 for a DVD I can rent for $5 and copy onto a blank DVD for less than $1. Lower the prices, sell more. Hell... even new release BluRay is to expensive! What is it for a new bluray... like $50? Meh... I'll get the DVD version from the local video shop thanks! As a movie maker, I can see why they hike the prices up. It's all to do with money-made. You dropped 20 Million down on the budget of the film, you wanna get that money back in spades. But selling it at a dumb-ass prices is just not going to cut it. These days, you don't need $20 million to make a decent flick. You can make a decent looking flick on HD for 100 grand... if that. Sure, you can't use big name actors (which is where the big-budget comes in), but you can start some on their careers and pay them shit-all... Most actors are just happy for the experience.
So, closing... Either drop the prices of DVDs, or drop the budget down a few mill, because I, and others... will continue to refuse to pay so much for what we can get for free.

High Def Vs. Standard Def/DVD Quality

2009-11-03T11:51:00.001+11:00

It has long been discussed that High Def outweighs Standard Def in Advantages. I'm gonna have a bag at it and explain why I prefer which over what.
Lets start with the one everyone else knows. Standard Definition, otherwise known as DVD/like quality (720x480 resolution for those who want to know) is the standard these days. Every DVD and T.V channel claiming they're SD use this format. This is great if all you own is a normal T.V, and DVDs look great...right? Yes, DVD is pretty much still the standard (and still cheaper than BluRay... we'll get to that in a sec). If you want to reach a wide audience, DVD is the way to go. Most films and film-makers release in this format, and it holds great quality... Most DV tapes transferred to DVD don't even lose quality!

High Def, on the other hand... is the new player on the market. Sporting 1920x1080 resolution, or FULL HD (don't be fooled) quality. BluRay players are getting cheaper and cheaper now (compared to the $1000 they were when released) and you now have the option to view the film as the makers intended. Theres a swift distinction between DVD and BluRay (resolution for a start: 720x480 compared to 1920x1080), that being BluRay players provide clearer pictures on both standard and LCD/Plasma TVs. This is due to the HDMI outputs that most DVD players do not have. Those DVD players that do have HDMI really do not provide much better quality than the stadard RC cables. But lets get back to HD.
High Definition is about as close to film-like as you can possibly get at the moment. Film resolution is something like 2000xsomething... and so 1920x1080 is obviously quiet close to film. While, no... HD isn't better quality than film, it is cheaper and easier to use. In moviemaker terms, HD can be recorded to tape, hard drive, or even memory cards at costs that make Hollywood laugh. You could probably shoot a feature film on tape for $300 (If you already had the camera, the talent and everything else payed for... This is just tape costs) as opposed to film (which is like $400 for one 400 foot role of film...).

Basically, HD is the new SD. Standard definition will probably not survive much longer, but it's still cheaper to distribute in SD. The added ability of HD transfer to DVD via any computer is also what entices young filmmakers. HD is easy and quick to transfer straight off the camera and onto your computer hard-drive. Easier than that to edit and then down-grade to DVD. Besides the resolution change... you really don't lose any quality.

So whether your a film-maker, Videographer, or just wanna film little Timmy and his football game... HD is the best to go. HD cameras are dirt cheap (check out the Canon HV30 at $1300AU)... and you won't be left in the dark in six months when something new comes along.

The Problem with Youtube/The world

2009-11-02T11:09:00.002+11:00

Amongst the 50 billion or so (overstatement) Youtube members, maybe 1/4 of them are film makers, another 1/4 are independant so-and-so's who report on Celebrities, films and other famous stuff.
The film makers seem to be finding it hard to make even one view on their videos. I myself find it really hard to put my videos out there AT ALL. That said, most of my old stuff is crap... but I've seen worse out there that have close to 3000 views. Mine barely make 200. So where are we going wrong? We don't have the added advertisements and endorsements of famous things, places or people... and we basically have to fend for ourselves in that right.
If I made a movie with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie... would I then be able to make 3000 views? If I did an advert with Coke, would my video end up in the top rated daily? It would seem that fame has choked out the film makers in every way. Its hard to get people to take you seriously anymore. I remember years ago when I met someone who claimed to be a film-maker and I said 'wow... a movie maker, thats awesome'. But these days, if you tell someone that you're a movie maker... they don't even take you seriously. Yes, I do realise that the film industry is a really hard thing to get into, and I feel for all the other Film-makers and actors out there trying to get some step-up into the industry... but we're all competing for the same thing.
It's hard to say that you're not going into the film industry for the fame... I'm doing it for a lot of reasons (I like to make movies, I get to mix with other people, I'm learning something new), but when you spend a lot of time on a project, and find that people don't take you seriously and won't even watch your hard-worked-on movie... it puts you off. But yes, its a good way to weed out the weaklings. That being said, I'm bitching about it being so hard... but theres no way I'll walk away from this business.
Not a chance in hell.

Rh0de Videomic Pt-2

2009-10-21T11:01:00.002+11:00

So here are the photos I promised!

My rather poxy rig, but my prized posession! We have the Canon HV30 High Definition camera, a Rh0de Mono VideoMic, and Lens hood. I also have a tripod (not pictured here) and a 'Poor Mans Steadicam' Stabilizing rig for those smooth panning shots, as well as -not so bumpy and shaky- chase scenes and scenes where hand held is just to shaky and the tripod is to awkward.

Take a look, let me know what you think.

New Rhode Mic/ Facebookers

2009-10-20T14:03:00.001+11:00

Ok, so I finally got my new Rhode VideoMic. Thats a new cam, new mic... I'm pretty much set for the movies. Only a few more things to get (some lens' and filters and I'll be right).

I'll upload some pictures in the next few days of the cam and mic.

Also, those of you who use Facebook should look out for me there. Send a friend request and I'll add you!

I'll be adding photos and videos there from time to time. There is also a small clip exclusive to facebook users that I made a few days back. This video won't be touching Youtube... so don't bother asking!

Say hello if you read this..

Update 11/9/2009: Latest.

2009-09-11T10:31:00.004+10:00

Wow... its been over three months since I last updated the site.

I really need to focus.

Ok, so its September 11th... the day America was rocked. I'm holding back my personal opinions on it all. I'm not American, and I don't really care for the politics. I'm a film-maker, not a politician. I could make a film about it... but again... I'm not American.

So, I have my new CAMERA!!!

One Brand new Canon HV30. Which means, HIGH DEFINITION SHORT FILMS BABY!!! YEA!!!!! Thats right. Daniel Rutter Films is about to get a whole lot more film-like. That means, I'm stepping into the light of 'Independant Film Making' and walking the line with properly trained actors!

Anyway... I've recently signed up with several actors to help me in my quest to make two short films. The last time I updated this page, I mentioned a project entitled 'Love And Loss'. I'm still doing this project. I'm also starting up a another, 'Story Of A Hitman' to be filmed around the same time.

This is the first poster for the movie 'Story Of A Hitman'. Thanks to Jake Rundle, who is one of the actors in the movie... for drawing this.

With that being said, My sister Skye and I shot something that will be used in the film... A news reading. Skye will have a cameo role here, as our news anchor.

We filmed her on a greenscreen background and then edited it with After Effets.

Overall, it was a nice outcome.

Going for festivals!

2009-06-09T10:26:00.003+10:00

Yep, thats right... Daniel Rutter Films is going for film festivals!

Early last month, I started up a project entitled "A Short Story About Love And Loss", a script I'd been silently working on. Planning is under way, and actual actors have been cast. Shooting hasn't begun yet, but will begin *hopefully* mid-August. I'll be using BRAND NEW equipment, and hopefully spitting out some higher quality stuff. This film will not be released on Youtube untill I have put it through its paces via any short film festival I can get it into.
Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted!

Daniel Rutter

Slayer: The Beginning Released

2009-04-27T10:44:00.003+10:00

Originally written by Skye Veech… I revised the script and fixed all the impurities that were in it. Skye had filmed a version similar to this, but never finished the editing. I took a look, and pointed out the mistakes in shooting that she’d made. Here it is… the remake.
As usual, I shot this on my Nokia N95 camera phone. Music was supplied by the wonderfully talented composers of NewGrounds.com.

Slayer: The Beginning (TRAILER) Released

2009-04-22T11:13:00.001+10:00

Slayer: The Beginning (TRAILER RELEASED).
Filming for Slayer has been finished, and is currently being edited.
Trailer was filmed separately a few days ago, to try and develop the background of the film. The film itself will be only a few minutes long, and the footage you see in the trailer has no showing in the film. Still, I hope the trailer has the effect I wanted it to.
OTHER NEWS:
I have recently created an account on Metacafe, to increase views to my films. I have been informed that videos on this website are viewed in much higher quality than that of Youtube, and I’m eager to test this theory.
http://www.metacafe.com/f/channels/DanielRutterFilms
You will notice Hunting A Shadow… and the Slayer trailer on there. I’ve been tossing up on the idea of uploading my previous films…
I’ve been on the lookout for a new camera recently, as my Nokia N95 is no longer giving me satisfaction with its lack of high quality. I’ve been stuck on the type I should get… should I select a DVD camcorder, a DV camcorder, or a camera with memory card slot? The cheapest I have found is a DVD camcorder, at a rather nice price of $199. I’ll inform you all of which camera I’ll be getting when the time comes.
More info will be released along with the film. Thanks for dropping by.

Hunting A Shadow RELEASED!!!!

2009-03-18T10:20:00.000+11:00

It’s about time I released something I promised to you guys. As usual, here’s the info all you technical junkies wish to know.
This film was filmed, as with my others, with a Nokia N95 camera phone. Unfortunately, what you see on YouTube is only one quarter of the quality this camera can produce. I shot it in about four hours (it was rushed, the phone was going flat…) and wrote the script in a week.The music, as with my other films, is provided by the talent of Newgrounds.com and their audio portal. Thanks to FarCryDX, Chris, and the others whose tracks I used… without them, the film would have been crap.
As you would have noticed, this movie had a huge amount of rough camera work. It was rougher than I wanted, but I think that it actually works for the particular storyline. I wanted to emphasize the reason of the story a lot more, but when you’re working with the limited resources I have… you make do with what you get. I had planned a massive scene that the soldier character shares his exact reason for revenge. It was a majorly emotional scene, and required acting skills I certainly don’t possess. We did film some of it, but decided not to finish it, because it sounded crap. That, and it took the film over 10 minutes.I would also like to mention that I stole the sniper rifle sounds from Battlefield 2, and edited them to fit. Thanks EA games, please don’t sue me!
Skye was a great help with the filming of this movie, as always. I’d like to express that she is the reason I make all these movies with her.
I had planned on sending this away to a Film Festival, but decided that I would make something bigger, better, and high quality for that. I’m in the process of penning the script for the said project… but without giving to much away… it’s going to be based on a novel I read recently.

Hunting A Shadow Trailer Released.

2009-03-16T11:34:00.001+11:00

And I finally finished the script I've been working on. Not only did I finish writing it, but I also filmed it overthe weekend.The story follows a soldier looking for revenge on a ruthless sniper who took out his team while on aseek and destroy mission in the bush. After hearing of his loss, a journalist decides to join him in the hunt, hopingto catch a big story. What you will see is unedited footage sent to the government my enemies of this country.
While it only took a day to film, I plan to spend some time perfecting the final product. This is only a small project,compared to the ones I've been dreaming up for the future. So, while I edit the movie... check out the trailer, and tellme if you think it'll be boring, or if it'll be worth checking out.
If you're wondering why some of the shots in the trailer are kinda unstable and awkward, I'll tell you. The entire idea ofthis project was to mess around with the idea of "documentry-style filming"... or ametuer camera work. If you've seen filmslike "Cloverfield" and others similar, they all use this sort of technique. When I was overlooking the stuff I'd captured, Inoticed that it might be a little rough, but hopefully it will bring the effect I'm attempting to the audience.I hope to be done by the end of the week, but I really want to perfect this... so be patient!Thanks for dropping by...Daniel Rutter.

Revenge Scenes Released! Heres the info!

2009-03-12T11:03:00.002+11:00

If you've followed the link from Youtube to here, then thanks for taking notice. I never showed this in the clip, because I didn't know how to... but heres the story.
The main character returns from active duty to visit his brother, who he had lost contact with after havingan argument over him joining the army. His brother, a journalist... hated war, and therefore despised his brotherfor joining and fighting. On returning, the main character finds his brother murdered after uncovering a drug ringin town (Opening scene, guy with bag over head... gets executed). He then decides to dish out his own brand of justice...Revenge.
After the opening credits, I wanted to have the main character just walking through the town, and have him narrating something along the lines of what I mentioned above. This would bring you up to date on the story and have some idea ofwhat's going on.
While I don't want to give to much away (I still have the script, and its a good story... so I can still use it in thefuture), That is the general idea of the movie. What I thought would be simple and easy to shoot ended up being a headache.
I shot the "opening scene" in about an hour, and the river shootout in 3. Editing both (seperately) took about a day (combined).The river shootout was my first major shootout that I'd edited. All gunshots and sounds are digitally edited in, and Ireally had to be patient editing them all in.
Music, as I always tend to do, was found on Newgrounds.com and provided by Xerxes Sango and MaestroRage. Both very talentedin composing battle/buildup sequences. Thanks to both, and please check out their stuff!
Movie was shot with Nokia N95, as with Lovers Poet and Suicide: A Broken Heart. I had shot craploads of footage forthe shootout scene, but it was a windy day and it messed with the camera heaps... so most of what I shot ended upscrewed because it was so shaky. I edited it all in Sony Vegas 8, as I have done with all my recent work... and allgunshot/bullet hits/ricochet effects (not sounds) were provided by Action Movie Essentials (made and sold by AndrewKramer... www.videocopilot.net). Thanks Andrew!
Actors were: Patrick Veech (young boy, blue shirt), Skye Veech (Tallest girl, she was the character Nikita... the druglord -stands in the middle, executes the prisioner), Laura Dooley (Revolver weilding, short fry girl) and of courseMyself (I was the character refered in the script as "god". The main character).
That is all the information I can give you.

Cancellation of Revenge. And release of thescenes.

2009-03-03T15:15:00.002+11:00

I've decided to cancel my long-awaited short film, Revenge.
I came to this decision after discussion with my actors and not coming to an agreement in order to fix the situation holding me back from continuing filming. In light of the situation, I've decided also that I will not be using children in my future action movies. This is probably for the best. I've also released a video on youtube containing the scenes I had filmed. I had a whole word document typed up for this blog post, but this computer I'm using doesn't like me much, and refuses to open the file. So I cannot give you any other info at this time.

Reguarding the scenes video

If you've followed the link from Youtube to here, then thanks for taking notice.
I never showed this in the clip, because I didn't know how to... but heres the story.

The main character returns from active duty to visit his brother, who he had lost contact with after having
an argument over him joining the army. His brother, a journalist... hated war, and therefore despised his brother
for joining and fighting. On returning, the main character finds his brother murdered after uncovering a drug ring
in town (Opening scene, guy with bag over head... gets executed). He then decides to dish out his own brand of justice...
Revenge.

After the opening credits, I wanted to have the main character just walking through the town, and have him narrating
something along the lines of what I mentioned above. This would bring you up to date on the story and have some idea of
what's going on.

While I don't want to give to much away (I still have the script, and its a good story... so I can still use it in the
future), That is the general idea of the movie. What I thought would be simple and easy to shoot ended up being a headache.

I shot the "opening scene" in about an hour, and the river shootout in 3. Editing both (seperately) took about a day (combined).
The river shootout was my first major shootout that I'd edited. All gunshots and sounds are digitally edited in, and I
really had to be patient editing them all in.

Music, as I always tend to do, was found on Newgrounds.com and provided by Xerxes Sango and MaestroRage. Both very talented
in composing battle/buildup sequences. Thanks to both, and please check out their stuff!

Movie was shot with Nokia N95, as with Lovers Poet and Suicide: A Broken Heart. I had shot craploads of footage for
the shootout scene, but it was a windy day and it messed with the camera heaps... so most of what I shot ended up
screwed because it was so shaky. I edited it all in Sony Vegas 8, as I have done with all my recent work... and all
gunshot/bullet hits/ricochet effects (not sounds) were provided by Action Movie Essentials (made and sold by Andrew
Kramer... www.videocopilot.net). Thanks Andrew!

Actors were: Patrick Veech (young boy, blue shirt), Skye Veech (Tallest girl, she was the character Nikita... the drug
lord -stands in the middle, executes the prisioner), Laura Dooley (Revolver weilding, short fry girl) and of course
Myself (I was the character refered in the script as "god". The main character).

That is all the information I can give you.

Suicide: A Broken Heart -Daniel Rutter Films-

2009-02-02T13:12:00.001+11:00

Here it is!

Suicide: A Broken Heart

2009-01-30T13:23:00.000+11:00

Unfortunately, Youtube has been cracking down on the use of commercial tracks in their users videos. So, I've had to re-edit the video. I've done that now, but I'm a bit slow today... so I forgot to bring the video with me >.<
I will put it up here next week some time.

Welcome to the new blog, btw. :)