Ghost Tours Official Trailer

You have all been so patient, I finally have a reward for you.

There are still finishing touches left to be done. I have drafts of the score from the composer, but we will be doing a live recording session so the music will get even better. Sound design is a work in progress. And I am still touching up the titles and transitions. It's so close to done I can taste it.

Fantastic news all around

Please join me in welcoming the newest member of the Ghost Tours team: composer Benn Cole, who will be doing a custom score for us.

Benn is currently part of the Film Scoring program at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA. If you want to learn more about Benn and listen some of his music cruise on over to his website Benn Cole Music.

Part of what makes this such an exciting announcement is that it means I'm at picture lock. The story is in place. There's still plenty of work to do, even on actual pictures, despite the name. There are two sets of images that are currently placeholder that I need to do some work on. But the story won't change and the timing won't change so it's safe for Benn to start work and it's safe for Dan the sound designer to start work.

They say sound is 70% of any film you see, so these two guys will be doing some very important stuff for me in the next few months.

Workshopping the current draft

I am very excited because I have a chance to play the current version for a group of people who know nothing about the story. I am working this summer at a place where everyone is involved in film or photography. It is obvious that the instructors and students in the workshops are creative, but in fact everyone is. The TAs and interns and staff all needed portfolios in order to get hired. So they have started doing artist lectures for the seasonal staff. Anyone who wants to share their work can get a block of time on Wednesday evenings. I expect it will be a very good group for providing critique.

Scene 2

In fact, my good news for this post is more than an image from scene 2. I reached a big milestone this past week. I have finished my first rough cut. It's Very Rough, but then that's the point. I heard someone say once that your first draft is always a success because its only requirement is to exist. Now I have about 6 weeks to get from rough cut to fine cut. That's achievable. I have my hunk of marble now and I just have to chip and polish until my David emerges. 

Scene 1

I have, in fact, been making progress on the editing. Not enough to give you a teaser. Honestly, that's not likely until the fall. But I am getting a good sense of what this film looks like and I love it so much I want to share.

I will periodically give you stills from the scenes I am working on. Sometimes with thoughts.

Killer airs on WMHT

In other news, my earlier film Killer had its broadcast premiere last night on the PBS station in the town I grew up in. It was quite a wonderful moment for me. This is the station I gave my allowance to so that they would keep showing Doctor Who, and now "Donations from viewers like you" are bringing you my work. It feels like such a huge milestone.

Here are the episode and the bonus features.

Post Production early update

I'll be honest, the early stages of post production are not exactly exciting. There is not much to tell you, and nothing at all to show you. It starts with making backups and then extra backups of everything. Then there is watching and listening to every individual piece of media to be able to tag it with scene and take numbers, and in the case of audio whose mic we're listening to. Then there is the process of merging all the disparate video and audio clips into single files. All of that is nothing but tedious. Happily it's all finished now. The next step is logging all the clips. Finding where every line gets said and which performances are my favorites. It's miles more interesting, but still won't give me much to show yet.

Stay tuned though. As I get to editing scenes I'll pull out stills to show you. The camera team gave us some fantastic images. And by the end of summer there should be a teaser/trailer to look at.

Shoot Day 8: That's a wrap

I feel like I want to take this team and go shoot a feature. Well, after a few days of sleeping. 8 days without a break was unsustainable over the long haul. But I'll tell you, we had it down. We had a pretty full day to begin with, then half a scene from the rain out day. Then a handful of little things that I woke up in the middle of the night remembering we ought to get. We were originally scheduled to wrap by 10:30 and and be heading home by 11, but everyone agreed, as it was the last night we would power through until we got what we needed. There was a distinct possibility that would mean wrapping at 1am. We were having group hugs and eating birthday cake by midnight. Day 8 was practically flawless.

Now all that's left is returning all the gear, tracking down receipts and making sure everyone has been paid back for out of pocket expenses during pre-production, and maybe making a third back up of all the footage.

And sleep. Lots of sleep.

Shoot Day 7: Big scenes and make up scenes

We had only scheduled 2 scenes for day 7, the two biggest, most emotional scenes of the film. I wanted to be able to take our time and get it right. So even though we also wanted to squeeze in the scene that got rained out the night before I tried very hard not to rush. As a result we ran a bit long, and only managed to get the master shot of the rained out scene. That's better than nothing. Now we know exactly where camera and lights should be, and what coverage we need. Still, we're going to need another long night because it's not like Day 8 was scheduled to be an easy day. We have a dog, and kids, and we've been going to 8 straight days so everyone is tired. On the other hand, it's our last day, we've done such great work so far everyone is well motivated to end strong.

And that big emotional scene we did last night? I can't wait for you to see it.

Shoot Day 6: Rain

Well, it was bound to happen. Now that the cast and crew has really hit our rhythm and can get up and shooting quickly and efficiently it rained. It's very frustrating because over the weekend it was 0-10% chance of rain on any evening this week. And then today suddenly it's 60%. And really, this evening, it was 100%, just a solid block of rain. We did get the afternoon scene done when it was merely cold rather than wet. And we managed the two short scenes in moments of drizzle rather than downpour.

I would like to say how much I love Paige who was such a trooper and never once complained even though she was cold and damp most of the night.

So we'll squeeze in an extra scene tomorrow night. And everyone has agreed that if we have to run a bit over time they're ok with it. So as long as we don't get multiple nights of rain we'll still be all right. Early on when we were securing the location they guys asked us if we could maybe do it in 3 rather than 4 nights. And I said we probably could squeeze it into 3, but that doesn't leave us any room for weather problems.* If we give ourselves 4 it won't be unrecoverable to have a patch of bad weather. Glad I held my ground on that.

Shoot Day 5: beauty shots with the ghosts

We had our first of four days at the brownstone location. About two-thirds of the film takes place on Esther's Front Step so we gave ourselves plenty of time today for figuring out how to deal with the location in terms of blocking and lighting and stuff. Then we did a couple of beauty shots. The very first shot of the film is a reveal of Esther on her front step and a tour coming in. It looks amazing.

One of the things I really wanted to get right was the costumes. If Tim and Esther look fake the whole thing falls apart. The shirt and waistcoat for Tim are vintage. And of course Esther's entire outfit is hand built. It is really stunning and so worth it.

And of course, none of these set pictures were taken by me. Many thanks to Sara Doring, Sarah Schmigdall, Aaron Bland, and all the crew members who donated production photos.

Shoot Day 4: Perfect weather

Today was our pick-ups for the things that got rained out on Thursday. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was a gorgeous day. We were doing Sarah around town, mostly lost in her head while the world and life swirls around her. We went to the fountain at Copley and did a time lapse. We didn't try to hide the camera or anything, though it also doesn't look like we're doing much when the actress isn't moving at all and no one is even really looking in the camera for a half an hour. It was very interesting to see how many people noticed the camera and walked around and how many couldn't care less and stood right in front of it. We were running one frame every three seconds. We have quite a few butt shots in there.

We are also officially at the half way point now. That seems crazy to me. I don't want it to be half over. I'm having too much fun.

Shoot Day 3: Ups and downs and ending high

A year from now, a month from now, maybe even a week from now I won't remember the chaos of today, I will only remember the fun and the good footage. If I were a person prone to freaking out today probably would have been a bad day. It started with getting a flat tire on my way to pick up our out of town actress. Then as I was on the phone with the producer confirming that we were finally on our way I got the news that the building we were shooting in is under construction and the classroom we were assigned apparently doesn't exist any more. At one point we had too many lights plugged in and because it's a holiday it took quite a bit of time to find someone who could unlock the fuse box.

The thing is all of these problems are surmountable. Fortunately, I am well versed in how to put on a spare tire, so we only lost about 20 minutes getting to set. We simply moved the walk and talk to a hallway that wasn't under construction, and the classroom to one further down the hall that was open. And eventually we did find a maintenance guy to fix our fuse problem. Our lighting crew is unlikely to ever make that mistake again. And at the end of the day we still wrapped early. So really, none of it matters.

What matters is the moment I expect I will remember most about today: watching my actors perform and feeling really giddy about how well they were all clicking. Then one of them caught me with my "I'm so excited" smile and just laughed. It really was a good day.

Shoot Day 2: hit the ground running

Today was the first day with the full crew, and for many of them it was the first day they had met. We also started the day with a location that we had very limited access to in terms of time. So it was a pretty big challenge. I'll admit it was a little rough at the start. But once we found our speed the day went very well. We ended up finishing early.

All things being equal I would have preferred to have more time at that first location, or else do the location with the time crunch later in the shoot so that the crew was more used to working with each other. By the end of the 8 days of shooting we'll be a well oiled machine and probably could have eked out a few more takes in that amount of time. The thing is though, I liked the footage we got. I didn't leave feeling like "If only..." I would have shot more, but I don't feel like I needed to shoot more. Ask me about it again once I start editing, I suppose.

Shoot Day 1: a mix of rain and sun

It's always best, when possible, to have your first day be an easy one. It gives the team a chance to get to know each other, discover people's personalities, work out the kinks. So for today we were doing all the Sarah walking around stuff. Only one actor, a skeleton crew, and a fine day for walking around the city. That was the theory anyway. We had a fine morning. We got three of our five shots done, and then the rains came. That's ok. We have time in the schedule to do pickups on Sunday, which is forecasted to be a better weather day. And the crew was all, "Yeah, sure, okay." I love my crew. Very hard working while also being very easy going.

Welcome to the team

In a bit of last minute excitement we had to recast Sarah today. Sometimes unexpected challenges lead to wonderful opportunities. Our new Sarah is Paige Friedman. I met Paige when I was a reader during auditions for another project back in February. She was fantastic and I thought, "Someday I'm going to work with her." Today is that day. Well, the day after tomorrow.

Paige Friedman is a recent Acting BFA graduate of Boston University's College of Fine Arts. Some theatre credits include Neoptolemus in Philoctetes, Catherine of Aragon in Women of Henry VIII, and Cassandra in new play Pygmalia. Film credits include Something About Her, Les Miserables College Parody, and Francis and Sally Mae are Missing. Thanks to Aaron, Kris, friends, family, and Boston University.

Creating Costumes

We are two weeks out from the start of shooting and everyone is busy as a bee. Charlotte Dore, who is playing Esther, has taken charge of building her own costume. We got a sneak peek the other day at how it is going.

Hit the ground running

Preproduction is in full swing. Props are being purchased. Costumes are being built. Locations are being secured. Rehearsals are being scheduled. Shot lists and storyboards are being drawn up. Gear is being tested. We are three weeks out from the start of shooting. My to do list is a mile long, but it is full of things I really enjoy doing.

If you would like a little entertainment in the meantime, Killer got accepted into the American Online Film Awards. You can watch and vote for it here.

https://americanonlinefilmawards.org/film/14S85rgdns

In the meantime some exciting news

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to our fundraising campaign. The current total stands at $4,350 and I have taken in all the checks for the charitable donations so they should clear your banks soon. It is hard for me to describe how honored I am that you all believe in the project enough to actually share your hard earned money with us.

Most of our attention these days has been going to locations. There is a lot of bureaucracy that I won't bore you with. Suffice it to say, it's a process and we're working our way through it.

In the meantime, I've had some very exciting news about a past project. Killer, made in my first semester at BU, has just been picked up by a regional PBS station to air as part of a shorts showcase. The show TVFilm will have its sixth season starting in June. I don't have the broadcast dates yet, I will be shouting them from the rooftops as soon as I know.

Location Scouting

About two thirds of Ghost Tours is set on Esther's front step. It is her spot along the tour and also where Sarah likes to go when she needs a break from the pressures of school. So it is important that we find the right location. There are a lot of things that go into what makes a spot "right."

Second Casting Announcement

I am thrilled to announce that we have cast both "ghosts." Esther and Tim are the two people who helped Sarah start up her ghost tours business.

First Casting Announcement

We have been making some wonderful progress with casting lately. Here are our first three confirmed actors. Selima Smith-Dell will be playing our lead Sarah. Shubhra Prakash will be playing Priya, the TA that all the professors wish that all the other students could be. And Kevin Kate will be playing Professor Messere who is sure that Sarah can finish her PhD if she could just do it his way.

Charitable Donations to the Arts

When I was 8-10-12 years old my local PBS station would show episodes of Doctor Who, and then come on during the breaks and say, "If you want us to be able to continue showing your favorite British programming, you need to become part of the process." I would run off to count my allowance, and then thrust my ten dollars at them. Nobody used the word crowdfunding back then, but that's exactly what it was. PBS set the standard for the rest of us.

The idea is sound, because you're doing it one way or the other. You can spend $12 for a ticket and $10 for a box of popcorn at your local multiplex in the mall to watch whatever it is Hollywood wants to churn out for you. Or you can become part of the process and contribute to the creation of media that you want to see made. If you are into that kind of thing, Kickstarter and IndieGoGo are full of projects and you can almost certainly find people who want to tell the kinds of stories you want to see. On the other hand, you can save yourself the hours of trolling through random projects and stay right here.

I am not using one of the crowdfunding websites because I have found a fiscal sponsor. What this means for you is that if you donate to my film you will get to write it off as a charitable contribution. If you are itemizing your charitable donations for your taxes anyway, this becomes a win-win for both of us. If you want the tax deduction use the contact form on the right and I will send you the information on how to make out the check and where to send it. On the other hand, if you won't use the tax deduction anyway, then use the donate button on the right. It connects to our PayPal account, which will be very useful for things like prop buying.

What's in it for you?
In the fine tradition of PBS, I too will have thank you gifts for you. Everyone who contributes will get a special thanks in the credits. But wait, there's more.

$10 - a digital download of the film upon completion.

$25 - a digital download of the film, plus an autographed copy of the script signed by the cast and crew.

$50 - a DVD copy of the film, plus an autographed copy of the script.

$100 - a DVD copy of the film, an autographed copy of the script, and an official Ghost Tours tee shirt.

$500 - a BluRay copy of the film, an autographed copy of the script, an official Ghost Tours tee shirt, and a DVD anthology of the collected works of Heron Media.

$1000 - a BluRay copy of the film, plus the collected works of Heron Media, an autographed copy of the script, an official Ghost Tours tee shirt, and if you live within a 50 mile radius of Washington, DC, Albany, NY, or Boston, MA a private screening with the director for you and 20 friends. I'll provide the popcorn.

Marketing Sarah's Business

One of the interesting things about having a character who is running her own business is that her business needs just as much attention paid to the marketing as the film does. You might have noticed this in the background of the blog, but have a better look at our first draft of Sarah's logo.

First Audition Announcement

We are in the middle of the casting process for the five principle players. It's a bit earlier than usual, but I would like to have the time to get the word around the Boston community of actors so that we can find people who really fit. Also there are costume considerations for a couple of the parts. The sooner we get them cast the sooner we can have the costume designer working with a real person, and more specifically a real person's sizes.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in the following parts please use the contact form to the right, or send an email to gtmithesis@gmail.com with Ghost Tours Auditions in the subject line.

The Core Team

The key to good filmmaking is having a good team. It is also what makes filmmaking so much fun. It might start as one person's idea, but the end result is so much more than that. The collaboration is not only between the director and the actors, though certainly the actors have a huge contribution to make. Well before the actors are even selected, people are joining the team who will have a incredible impact on the final product. It is important to put together a team that is talented, invested in the story being told, and is easy to work with. The first few key people can make or break a film.

Here is who we have so far:

Welcome to Ghost Tours

In these days of high definition cameras on all our phones and iMovie or MovieMaker on all our laptops, it has become very easy to make a movie. However it is still just as difficult to make a good one. My goal for 2014 is to make one of the good ones.

Welcome to the production blog of Ghost Tours.

Sarah is a woman so caught up in school, work, and trying to figure things out that she misses life going on around her. Only when she opens her eyes to the magic of the world can she really determine the course of her life. 

What is going to make this film different from previous Heron Media films?