Great Heights

Teaser Trailer

2009-05-07T08:41:00.003-05:00

Good Morning all!

Late last night the teaser trailer for Great Heights was loaded on the website. You can check it out at the link below.

http://www.greatheightsmovie.com/teasertrailer.htm

You will also be seeing a series of interviews and behind the scenes mini docs showing up over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned.

Building the set

2009-03-31T22:19:00.002-05:00

Long time no post!

A brief update for all you readers out there! A new short has arrived in the MEDIA section of the website. It is a series of images and video about the set building at the Merchandise Mart! Check it out in the media section now!

Be on the lookout for the trailer early next week!

On our way

2008-10-30T18:06:00.004-05:00

Hello Great Heights readers!

Sorry to be so quiet these last few months. It has been busy for many at Flashpoint Academy. You will begin to see more updates over the next few months, but most importantly be on the lookout for a teaser trailer arriving soon....

That's a Wrap!

2008-08-27T21:30:00.004-05:00

Last night at 9:30, the crew successfully completed the final day of shooting for Great Heights! That's a wrap! And a very successful one at that! Thank you to all who participated in helping us achieve this goal!

There were 19 days of shooting, beginning on July 27th and ending on August 26th. Here are a few photos from last Tuesday at the Merchandise Mart!

Now begins post production. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the next few weeks as we unveil more pictures, videos, and blog postings.

Final Week, here we come!

2008-08-20T20:50:00.007-05:00

The final week of filming has begun, and production is expected to finish on the evening of Tuesday, August 26th. First of all, you can check out our new set of photos for week 3, located here.

Post production and editing will take place in the coming weeks and into the fall. Stay tuned for more pics and clips!

Also, be sure to check back soon for videos on the set construction at the Merchandise Mart, and video blogs from the crew.

More Photos

2008-08-14T21:28:00.004-05:00

Pictures from week 2 are now up in the photos section! You can view them here.

The homepage also has links to the cast and crew!

"Know Your Limits, But Never Accept Them..."

2008-08-13T17:09:00.008-05:00

"Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them."

-Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Before attending Flashpoint Academy, a film professor told me: "There is not an original idea left in the world." When an individual makes a statement like this, they completely limit themselves to taking old ideas and reusing them over and over again. I don't know about most aspiring filmmakers out there, but I am not interested in telling someone else's story all over again.

Now REINVENTION is something completely different. Take a story and re-imagine it. Some of the greatest films out there are nothing really that special except for the angle. If you approach a project with a unique angle, you can go farther with that story than you ever thought possible.

For me, Flashpoint has paved a path to original and unique ideas. The school asks you to think outside the box, but makes sure you remember the box is still there.

This past week (Aug. 8-12), I've gotten to know my cast and crew better than ever before. In the many long hours we spent together, we got through moments of extreme focus, high stress, too little sleep, major complications that could bring the whole production to a screeching halt... But at the end of the day, we walked away knowing that we figured it out and it was only possible because we worked together to get to that conclusion.

Yesterday, Dan, Dorian and I worked a nearly 15 hour day and by the end of it, we felt like that one day alone could have been three different days. Just when it seemed like we were crashing, we started communicating better than ever before and capturing some of the best performances and shots.

We pushed ourselves to the limit and walked away with far more than we thought we would. There are original ideas out there. Unique, untouched concepts exist. You may think I'm naive and if you do, you're probably right. But I'd rather live a life of naivety if my only other option is cynicism.

Of course it is important to know your limits, but don't let them stop you. What you are able to succeed in and what you are not is always changing. The only way to truly live your life to the fullest is to wake up and dare to fail. More than half the time, you'd be surprised how often you actually succeed.

Set Construction

2008-08-06T16:54:00.002-05:00

Construction has begun on the bedroom set in Flashpoint Academy Studios at the Merchandise Mart! Check out the new photos in our photo section. You can also check back in the near future for our first video of the set construction!

Photos from Week 1

2008-08-02T07:36:00.003-05:00

Be sure to check out the photos from our first week of filming! You can see them in our photo section.

The Science of Insomnia

2008-07-30T14:40:00.000-05:00

There is a unique sensation one experiences when walking away from a day of work on a film set, especially when it is as successful as the day we had yesterday. Creative energy, when fully engaged, is not something that dissipates quickly, making the transition from “set life” to “real life” quite jarring. Crossing the threshold from our carefully constructed fantasy into the haphazardly formed reality that surrounds us is akin to crossing over into a new world in an unfamiliar dimension with a ridiculously inefficient concept of time. The place did not seem to be inhabited by people in the traditional sense, but rather sleepwalkers floating through the dream I was living. Thoughts conjured in my head as to what motivations lie behind the actions these zombies were taking, as all I could see in their eyes was a deeply engrained emptiness, reinforced by years of repetition. I felt like the only person who was truly alive in this city, surrounded by the undead masses going through their paces as creatures of pure habit. Normally this fundamental nature is skillfully camouflaged from the casual observer, but last night I had the right kind of eyes to see it all so clearly.

For a second, I feared they may become hostile. This feeling was quickly assuaged by the knowledge passed down to me by luminaries such as George A. Romero, Max Brooks and Robert Kirkman. Thanks to these three visionaries, when the zombie apocalypse comes (and it will), I will be prepared. After a slight misstep, I strode confidently to my ultimate destination.

For the reminder of the evening, my thoughts were focused on dissecting the shoot, discovering what internal machinations caused such chemistry amongst a crew that had never worked together. I wanted to preserve this vital essence and this intense euphoria I was in the throes of, attempting to bottle it up so it could be liberally distributed throughout the remainder of our days together. Through my inexact scientific methods, I was able to draw a few conclusions as to what produced such delicious results.

Danny Crook, thank you for rearranging your life to be a part of this picture. I often feel as though my ideas are only 90% formed, lacking those extra little details that push them from interesting to exceptional. Danny is the guy that brings the other 10% without fail and often generates an even higher percentage of awesome (which is quantifiable, I assure you), creating mathematically impossible shots superior to what I had originally envisioned. In the words of Heath Ledger’s Joker, “You…complete me.”

Our producer, Dan Meincke, is a robot. Actually, he must be a cyborg as I do see him eat so he must have some sort of biological functionality. I did not know that we as a species were in possession of this level of technology, but he is proof. He works constantly, all day and all night, with an energy that never seems to wane and an output level that even Enrico Fermi would be jealous of. He also has the uncanny ability to maintain strict authority while being easily approachable. These are not human attributes, and must be the result of secret government experiments. I’m just glad he is on our side – imagine if the communists had gotten a hold of him.

Such strong personalities require a true leader to hold them all together, and Mike Noens is definitely up to the task. When I first learned that he was directing two feature-length films in one summer, I was divided. Part of me thought, “This guy is highly motivated and I want to work closely with him” while another part of me thought, “This is going to be a train wreck and I want a front-row seat.” Either way, I was in. I quickly discovered within a few days of working on Coasting (the first film we shot this summer) that Mike is more than capable of handling such an insane workload. He has the work ethic to ensure that he gets what he wants each day, an abundance of creativity and a working knowledge of film that is rooted in experience and a deep love of the medium. What really strikes me though is his ability to inspire a crew. I am sure everyone working on both movies this summer had the same doubts as I did, but his incredible level of dedication to each project made it clear to all of us that neither of these films was an afterthought, but fully realized projects with high potential for greatness. Everyone brings everything they have to set each day, and without a strong vision and understanding of the story being told sitting at the helm, this would not happen. This kind of charisma is rare, and I feel lucky to witness it five days a week for an entire summer.

I also have to thank Mike for being the bravest director I have worked with. He not only has the courage to say yes to my many outlandish ideas for how this movie should work visually, but also the resolve to tell me when something is not working for him. It is truly a collaborative, mutually respectful relationship, and in a way I look forward to him telling me that he is not happy with something because I know the ensuing conversation will be enjoyable and fruitful. We both want this movie to stand out, and what a pleasure it is to work with a director who understands that playing it safe is not the way to achieve this.

As I came to these realizations, my mind wandered back to the film itself and what other ideas could be plucked from the ripe script. The floodgate broke and concepts began to pour in, thoughts of how to make the camera more than simply a device to show us these events. The camera should be a way to show us what this world looks like through the eyes of these characters. This may sound simple, but it is easy to forget that our eyes do not take in information from our surroundings so much as they project our own feelings onto the environment, changing what we see to reflect our moods and desires. When considered from this perspective, the task becomes much more challenging but the results infinitely more intriguing and rewarding.

As the hour grew late, my body informed me of its need for rest, but my brain simply refused to cooperate. I lay in bed for hours sorting through ideas for shots and possible techniques to engage before finally drifting off. I got barely any sleep last night, but today I feel more energized and mentally active than I have in weeks. I feel as though I do not need the sleep – I am now in possession of something far more fulfilling. My life has become better than any dream I have ever had, and it is because of the simple fact that I have the best f***ing job in the world.

Complicated Shots

2008-07-29T15:18:00.000-05:00

A few days prior to production, Dorian Weinzimmer (director of photography) told me he wanted to attempt shooting the Lurie Garden scene in one shot. For a moment, I thought he was joking. There was no smile on his face. Just that completely serious, dead-panned look that those who know Dorian know what I'm talking about.

To give you a better idea of what kind of shot this was, I would have to suggest recalling the 8-minute shot from the 2006 film, Children of Men (directed by Alfonso Cuarón). Although Dorian's one-shot is much shorter in length, it didn't mean it was simple. His idea was very intriguing to me and was definitely a challenge.

The day before principal photography began, we took a trip over to Millennium Park's Lurie Garden to block out the scene and run through a series of rehearsals. The day of the scene, we spent three hours attempting to get the shot. Finally, after about 12-15 takes, we not only got the shot. We nailed it!

Starting off with something so complex like this seemed daunting before, but in the process of getting it, we really came together as a cast and crew on our very first shot of the first day. I was really impressed with our focus and dedication.

Can't wait to see Ryan Berena (editor) cut this one together!

Filming Begins...

2008-07-28T21:25:00.000-05:00

Production is underway, and for the last two days a skeleton crew has been rehearsing and filming at the famous Lurie Garden, located in Millennium Park.

Designed by Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd. the Lurie Garden is home to hundreds of perennials, trees, and shrubs. Surrounded by Lake Michigan and the beautiful Chicago skyline, the crew filmed for several hours under the hot sun to complete an integral part of Great Heights. Here are a few photos to show off the work...

Great Heights is directed by Michael P. Noens and stars Jonathan C. Legat and Erica Schmueck, and is filming for four weeks in Chicago and Palatine, IL.

Later this week, a new link will arrive on greatheightsmovie.com. A photo section will display all of our production photos, and a few stills from the movie as filming progresses. Stay tuned...

Production Tomorrow

2008-07-26T15:25:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, Flashpoint Academy Studios will begin production on its first feature film, Great Heights!

www.greatheightsmovie.com will bring you daily updates, such as production photos, video blogs, news from the set and much more over the course of the next several weeks. Please check back often!

So, to start things off, here's some location photos, which we will be filming in during the course of production.

With the final day of Pre-Production nearing its close, I would like to thank all of our contributors for their faith and generosity. This would not have been possible without you!

Here we go.

The Final Countdown to Production

2008-07-24T03:13:00.000-05:00

Throughout the production process, the crew of Great Heights will be blogging about their experiences both on and off-set. From pre-production to post, we will share our successes and our struggles.

The first day of production is Sunday, July 27th! Only 3 days away!