Teaser Trailer

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.

DM

On our way

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....

DM

Final Week, here we come!

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.

DM

Photos from Week 1

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

Complicated Shots

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...

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...

DM

Production Tomorrow

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.

DM