Bounty The Movie

Dallas, Texas and Bounty

2009-06-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

The following stores say that they will be carrying Bounty or will know by July. Let them know you want them to carry it.

Blockbuster Video
3501 Mckinney Ave # A
Dallas, TX 75204
(214) 522-1522‎
Say They Will Have It

Blockbuster Video
3911 Lemmon Ave
Dallas, TX 75219
(214) 521-3300
Will know by the end of July

Blockbuster Video
2230 Greenville Ave
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 823-1530
Say They Will Have It

Blockbuster Video
314 W Jefferson Blvd
Dallas, TX 75208
(214) 946-5600
Will Know Mid July

Blockbuster Video
10677 E Northwest Hwy # 400
Dallas, TX 75238
(214) 343-6746
Say They Will Have It

Blockbuster Video
6437 Hillcrest Ave
Dallas, TX 75205
(214) 526-8700
Maybe - Will Know Mid July

Blockbuster Video
1099 Wynnewood Village Shp Ctr
Dallas, TX 75224
(214) 946-1451
Will Be Carrying It

Blockbuster Video
6465 E Mockingbird Ln # 380
Dallas, TX 75214
(214) 823-4568
Maybe - Will Know Mid July

Blockbuster Video
7979 Inwood Rd # 101
Dallas, TX 75209
(214) 358-6400
Too Soon To Tell - Will Know Mid July

Hollywood Video
314 S Hampton Rd
Dallas, TX 75208
(214) 943-2241
Do Not Have It

Blockbuster Video
5302 Greenville Ave
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 361-7338
Will Know Mid July

Blockbuster Video
2049 S Buckner Blvd
Dallas, TX 75217
(214) 398-2992
Should be Carrying it

Blockbuster Video
6760 Abrams Rd # 101B
Dallas, TX 75231
(214) 340-4133
Will Have In Store

Blockbuster Video
408 Casa Linda Plz
Dallas, TX 75218
(214) 319-8085
Maybe - Will Know Closer to August

Blockbuster Video
5959 Royal Ln # 635
Dallas, TX 75230
(214) 361-6688
Will Know Closer to Release Date

Blockbuster Video
2598 Gus Thomasson Rd
Dallas, TX 75228
(214) 320-0171
Will Know Closer to Release Date

Bounty News Updates

2009-06-04T00:15:00.000-07:00

More news on Bounty.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/blu-ray-disc/north-american-motion-pictures-expand-blu-ray-promotion-15778

Some stores are accepting pre-orders now. Lists will be on the Bounty Website.

Bounty News Updates

2009-06-03T23:40:00.000-07:00

Read about Bounty in the News

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6659113.html?industryid=47213

Coming to DVD and BluRay

2009-06-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a three year journey and here we are just about 2 months until Bounty is released on DVD and BluRay. Many of you have only been watching from afar or following through this blog but now you get a chance to participate. For this movie to be a success we need your help, which will help pave the way for more movies to be made.

We have only two months to help get the word out. One of the first things you can do is to start by signing up for our newsletter and telling your friends to do the same. You can do so from this page or by going to the website - http://www.stgham.com/bounty

Let's make a goal to have Bounty make #1 in the rental charts in first week, the only way that can happen is if you help spread the word. Sign up for the newsletter to receive updates on ways you can help spread the word.

Memories

2008-11-24T21:29:00.001-08:00

Today I went back and read the old journal posts for Bounty, noticed the misspellings and grammatical errors and how fun the making of this project has been. All that and 3 1/2 years from conception it is exciting to see it almost come to an end. Never thought I would be at a point where multiple distributors are interested in the project and signing a distribution deal could be so close.

For those of you who are still reading this, if there are any of you, then you can check the website to see the latest trailer that has finally been posted on the website. http://bounty.stgham.com

More info to comes and what the future of the film will be. To top it off - I am head deep in writing a novel for the National Novel Writing Month, as well as getting rewrites done to what may possibly be my next film unless someone wants to financing another one of my western scripts.

More to come and hopefully not a years span this time.

Long Time Not Forgotten

2008-11-15T23:44:00.000-08:00

So it has been far too long since the last update. I have started development for my second feature while wrapping ends up on this end. Bounty is currently in negotiations for distribution domestically. If all works out there is a possibility of a 2009 Q2 release. Can't say too much as of now but soon will let you know if anything has happened.

Festival Run

2008-03-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

While we await contracts or deals with distributors I have been submitting to film festivals. Currently we are awaiting responses for the Souther Circuit - Tour of Independent Films and the Jackson Hole Film Festival.

While we finalize contracts we hope to have a trailer posted soon.

Trying for Festivals

2008-02-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

We are attempting to raise money to enter into two festivals, both with deadlines coming quickly.

The first is the Souther Circuit - Tour of Independent Filmmakers with a deadline of February 25, 2008 - entry fee: $50.00

The second is the Jackson Hole Film Festival with a deadline of February 29, 2008 - entry fee: $85.00

I think we have a really good chance at making these festivals and will provide some great exposure for the film. Who knows, if we make the Souther Circuit then it may play at a theater in your area.

You can donate to the Bounty fund at http://bounty.stgham.com

We have already raised $30 lets see if we can make it to $135 by Feb 16th. The more money we raise the more festivals we can enter.

Moving On

2007-11-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, Bounty will not be apart of Sundance 2008 but an early 2008 release is still hopeful. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to be kept informed on the latest happenings with the film, release dates, where to buy, etc.

You can sign up for the newsletter at http://www.stgham.com.

The Wait

2007-11-28T21:53:00.000-08:00

Well, people have begun to hear of their results for the Sundance Film Festival. While one film Ulrich and I worked on has been accepted into the festival we anxiously await to hear the fate of Bounty.

More news to come...

The Arrival

2007-09-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Well, the submission has official arrived at its destination.

"Your item was delivered at 10:32 AM on September 27, 2007 in BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90211."

Now that it has been delivered the waiting part has commenced.

Sundance Away

2007-09-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

It has been done. At 10:44:52 our submission of Bounty to the 2008 Sundance Film Festival was placed in the mail. It should be received as early as tomorrow. I originally thought that the submission office was going to be in Park City, Utah but luck for us it is only in Beverly Hills, CA. That makes the postage and stress of it getting there on time considerable less.

We submitted a rough cut with a temp sound mix, no sound effects/editing, no folly, no ADR, no Color Correction and no wires painted out yet. Hopefully the story and music will be good enough for them and we will make it into the festival. Apparently they only accept 16 feature films to be eligible for awards and receive roughly 7200 submissions (now that could be documentary features, narrative features, narrative short films, documentary short films, international or domestic), but nonetheless we have a long way to go. We should know if we have been accepted by sometime in December.

Until then, we will be working on all that was mentioned above.

stay tuned...

Sundance Push

2007-09-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

In the absence from the journal a lot has been developing with Bounty. The score is complete and we are just now working on getting all the sound fixed. Next week we are going to be sending in a rough cut of the film for our Sundance submission. If we are accepted into the festival it will be screening in Park City, Utah in January. The deadline is September 28th so we have lots to do before the film is mailed off.

In the near future the Bounty webpage will be redone and we will be posting a new trailer and some behind the scenes footage. This will be a busy week.

Stay tuned, for very soon we will have lots to share.

Getting close - you can help!

2007-07-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

Well the movie is getting even closer to completion but just as usual with low budget filmmaking we run out of money fast. But there is something you can do to help us out.

Right now we are at the point where we are waiting on the sound mix and the composers are ready to record some music. Our only problem is funds are pretty much absent. What we need to raise is about $1000 to record the score with live strings. If you want an idea of the quality of music that the music will sound like visit the composers web page at, http://www.livesaymusic.com.

Right now if we were able to raise $500, we would be able to recording about 10 mins of music. Just to put that into perspective the movie is about 100 mins long...pretty much self explanitory. The more money we are able to raise the more of the score we would be able to record.

We are vary close to completion and release is just around the corner, it is just these few elements that need completion before we are finished.

If you feel so inclined and want to see a feature length western film come to completion for you viewing please you can make a donation to support "Bounty" by following the link below:

http://bounty.stgham.com - once there click on "Make a Donation"

I promise you that when this film is done there are, without a doubt, more westerns to come from the mind of Jared Isham.

thanks again for your help and feel free to pass the word along.

Picture Locked - Composers work their magic

2007-06-27T22:37:00.001-07:00

Well, we have finally officially locked picture. Last night I met with the composers, Jason and Nolan Livesay, and we watched through most of the movie, it would have been the whole thing but when you learn of my editing system specs you would understand and then be shocked. We sat and talked about ideas and moods that the music might have and characters that should have themes and so on.

When we watched the film we chose to watch it without any temp music so that Jason and Nolan would have a fresh approach to the music they write. I had temp scores on the timeline but nothing I had really stood out to me as a piece of music that HAD to be in the film. While editing I wanted to cut the film without music as much as possible. Ben Barber, the editor, and I made the decision before we started editing to not use any music while editing so that the cut would stand on its own as much as possible. We wanted to avoid using music as a crutch to fix our problems. I only added music when I was laying out the entire rough cut and prepping it for review by some people before we locked our cut.

With the attempt to create a cut that stands on its own I felt that the music would be an awesome bit of icing on the cake. Also in respect to Jason and Nolan, I didn't want to give them a cut of the film that cheated in anyway. I felt that if they received a mediocre version I would be limiting the possibilities of what they could do. I wanted them to have the opportunity to be creative and not have to fix what I messed up.

It was much different watching the film without music, but I am very glad I was able to. Now our next big beast is getting the sound mix done and all the ADR (Addition Dialogue Replacement) done before Jason and Nolan finish.

I have worked with them in the past on a short film I did entitled Try Again where I also worked for the first time with Michelle Acuna, our lead actress in Bounty.

Check out Jason and Nolan's website and you can get a sample of their awesome work. http://www.livesaymusic.com

Another step complete

2007-06-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

If Step one was deciding to make the film and step two was raising the funds, then step three could be considered going into production and step four completing it.

If the above is true then Locking picture would be considered step five. Well, we are for the most part locked with picture, just have to drop in one shot and it is done. The next part of the process will be doing our effects and color correction, sound design, sound edit and dialogue fixes, score and the final mix....okay, maybe we still have a lot to do but the biggest parts are done.

Back and almost done!

2007-05-22T23:40:00.001-07:00

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted anything, but no need to fear post production is nearing an end. We are almost complete with our picture lock and will be moving in to sweetening and effects/color timing. It has been quite the ride and we have faced some interesting obsticles.

Recently we ran into a scare where we thought we lost a good deal of footage from our second phase of shooting. After we began planning for a possible pick up shoot we found the missing footage. Thank God! Ones gotta love technology. For the technical minded folk out there here is our post workflow/system.

Camera:
Panasonic HVX200
Camera Mode:
720/24pn
Camera Add Ons:
RedRock Micro M2 w/ Nikon Lenses

Editing
Adobe Premire Pro 2.0
Cineform Aspect HD
DVFilm RayLight

Using Cineform we ran into some problems with the camera original files not converting properly and only ending up with partial clips.

Using RayLight we found what we though to have been lost footage and are able to edit with clones of the Camera Original media.

Future Obsticles/Work:
Post Production Sound/Audio
We will have to do a lot of ADR work. The difficult part will be trying to salvage as much of our location audio as possible - much of our second phase of shooting is unusable due to overmodulated audio or levels so low nothing picked up.

I recorded some pretty darn clean takes though :-).

until next time...hopefully not quite as long a span though.

...stay tuned.

Bounty Teaser

2007-03-01T15:19:00.000-08:00

As we step into post production we are working hard at getting the trailer up to the best standards possible. Once it is ready we will post it on the website. Until then you'll just have to wait.

In The Can

2007-02-20T02:39:00.000-08:00

It is a few hours into Tuesday and we just arrived back from set. Bounty is now officially wrapped. Later today (i.e. in about 5 hours) I will need to start assisting with the equipment returns.

Over a year in the making and we now have the feature film Bounty in the can. What lies down the road only God knows. Let's see what he has in store for us next.

Stay tuned...

Last Day of Principle Photography

2007-02-18T21:56:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is our last day of principle photography. We shot around 9 pages of material today and are trying for 10 pages of stuff tomorrow. Things looked really good and we had a picture wrap on our second principle character.

A lot of traveling is going to take place tomorrow but after we finish we will have our movie in the can and on to some intensive post production.

Stay Tuned...

Back at it!!

2007-02-16T14:01:00.000-08:00

Bounty is back from hiatus and will be shooting an additional three days. Our call time is 6:30am, once again. We are almost complete and things are looking great.

Bounty Official Webpage

2007-02-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

It has been about one years time since the official bounty webpage was launched. Now we get to see it happen again. The website has been redesigned with an updated cast and crew list. You can also see the trailer from the site as well.

Enjoy:
http://bounty.stgham.com

Updated Teaser

2007-02-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

We have an updated Teaser. There are a few shots that we wanted to include but after running into a few technical issues we will be forced to hold them off for the next trailer.

Here it is, hope you enjoy it and share it with your friends.

Bounty Teaser

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On hiatus

2007-02-07T23:17:00.000-08:00

The Bounty production is on a short hiatus from shooting as we prepare for the final three to four days of shooting. While that is awaited you can view the unoffical Bounty webpage at http://www.xanga.com/BrokebackBounty. One of the producers, Tony Wang, has put this together and is updating it often.

Day 12

2007-02-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

We have wrapped our 12 day shoot and are working on gathering the funds to shoot another three days this coming weekend. We are currently working on putting together a real trailer with a real sound mix and story cut into it this week.

We are doing some final organizing of our footage and creating back ups of everything. Tomorrow is our major return day that will keep us extremely busy as we reschedule equipment for our final days of shooting. A huge goal of ours is to have as much of the film cut as possible this week so we will know what shots we need to get while we still have our talent.

You can expect a better trailer by the end of the week or early next week.

We are done with a hard part but it's not over yet. Stay tuned...

Day 8

2007-01-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

We may be adding a few more days on to shooting. We also have been getting a good response from a slop together trailer. For those who have noticed the lack of horses in the film, just note we shot the posse riding out of town today and it was really cool. This weekend we will put together a more refined trailer since we will have the time.

Below you can see our first "teaser trailer"

Day 7

2007-01-29T05:09:00.000-08:00

I leave for the set in about 20mins and have just completed the "temp trailer" we have been working on. Ben (the editor) and I took the night in shifts because we had a deadline of today to get it done. It is not the greatest cut trailer because we spent most of yesterday working on data management so we could find the clips easily. We didn't start actually editing until about 11:30 last night. Ben assembled the timeline and I went in and laid down as much of a soundtrack as I could, then we burned it to DVD for the producers, Tony and Ulrich.

It took us a while to figure out the best workflow but once that was fixed we began moving pretty quickly. We are editing in real time the full resolution HD files. There was a time when that was nearly impossible.

Off to set...

Day 6

2007-01-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

We've made it half way and today we finally got to sleep in. Our day off is not particularity a day off. We are reworking some logistic issues and seeing what we can cut down in the script. We are attempting the near impossible by shooting in twelve days but are determined to make it happen. The weather could really give us some problems if it doesn't clear in the next couple of days but luckily we are shooting interiors for the next few days.

Today we are prepping all files for editing so we can cut a trailer for promotional purposes. We had a few minor complications at first but figured out the best workflow and are now getting ready to get things assembled.

The last week was intense and we are pushing to be able to complete everything within the next 6 days of shooting. We are going to have to step things up a notch to make sure everything moves as scheduled and we can be completed in a weeks time.

2 down 10 more to go

2007-01-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

We just wrapped our second day of shooting today. If we keep pushing hard like we are doing then we may make our 12 day shooting schedule.

Day 1 was a bit interesting. Some crew dropped out the early early morning of the shoot. Then our generator never showed up and we had to rent from a different place and our lunch had some complications which set us back about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. With all that said we still came only 1 1/2 pages from making our day of 6 1/2 pages. We were slightly discouraged with the dealings of the day but the end proved that we just may make our days.

Day 2 - Today. We had a slow start. Working with the steadicam as well as making most of our wides made things difficult but we still pulled off 9 set ups before lunch. After we had some food in us and the directing team had a discussion we blasted out of the first half of the day and completed nearly 15 setups almost making our day of the gun fight.

The wide shots are hard to do at this particular location because we have a lot of obstacles to deal with as far as set dressing. A lot of modern houses sit in the background of set so we are constantly trying to hide them and frame them out. Today's epic wide was a high angle looking down on the town as the sheriff and deputies spread out for the opening gun fight. It reminded me of Gunsmoke so I will consider it my omage to the classic western.

The highlight of the day was when we were losing light and hand a handfull of shots left to do. As one of the shots was being framed and set up and I ran over to the location of our next setup and was able to combine three shots into one. At first the DP was all that happy with the idea because our lighting was at the worst time of day with the sun behind us. I walked to the other side of the buildings and to see what it looked like with the sun facing us. We went with the shot and it turned out great, thanks to the crew.

One thing I always learn while on set is how valuable each person is. Because I see how hard everyone is working I attempt to make it my goal to thank everyone before I leave set.

Tomorrow is day three with a lot to do. It ain't over yet.

This is it

2007-01-21T23:45:00.000-08:00

No more prep. Call time is 6am. going to bed.

Breath of Air

2007-01-20T00:24:00.000-08:00

These past two weeks have been incredible insane. I've been working pretty much every day for the past two week averaging about 15 hour days. Last minute conflicts in need of resolve, my car breaking down and soaking me dry 5 days before the shoot.

Obstacles are popping out at us from every direction and it is kicking our butts. Today we picked up have of our equipment, running into obstacles all along the way but made it through. Hopefully I will get my car back tomorrow and it will last until the end of the shoot, if not then.............who knows.

Jarret, Michelle and Austin all made it to the location today and got fitted for costumes and played with the guns. Both Michelle and Jarret got some time on the horses and the set is looking great.

Even though the weekend is here and we shoot in two days, there is no rest for me and the above the line crew. I have a meeting with Ken (Director of Photography) and Neil (1st Assistant Director) tomorrow and we will hopefully get the shooting schedule all smoothed out. All we need to finalize as far as pick up goes is the lenses, camera and filters. We are shooting on the Panasonic HVX200 with P2 media and are using the RedrockMicro M2 adapter with Nikon lenses. Ken recently shot a short film entitled "Illegal" directed by Andrew Oh and produced by one of our producers Tony Wang. You can read all about it at www.dvxuser.com, just search for "Illegal."

Ken is using a chocolate filter to shoot Bounty to give it a really cool brownish look.

No turning back now, if I get a chance I'll make another post and hopefully I'll get enough rest on Sunday before the shoot.

here we go....

2 weeks to go

2007-01-08T22:47:00.000-08:00

With over a year of development/pre-production we are finally only 2 weeks away from going into production. Now going into crunch time I am seeing how valuable and amazing the crew I am working with is. We do another location scouting on Friday to run through things and to get an idea of how to set things up.

I have had some great new insights to the script and have finally completed the shot list. I will now go into creating overhead maps for each scene. A very vital thing that our team has been trying our best to do is to stay in constant communication. Once we fail in communicating the we will most likely fail at filmmaking. So far this team has be amazing in doing that.

Production starts Jan 22.

Down to Business

2007-01-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

We are now less than three weeks away from shooting and this time we are not pushing back. We are one person away from having all of our key positions filled and things are moving quickly. Next week we plan on making another trip to the location to walk through the set and discuss logistical issue. We will probably cover contracts and the DP, Gaffer and me will run through the shot list and figure out anything we foresee being a tad difficult.

I have been reviewing the script consistently, making sure that I am ready for anything that may arise. Just in typing up the shot list to be able to give to people I have been able to cut out 28 shots by deciding I did not need them or combining two, three or more shots into one.

The biggest thing to hope for right now is that it doesn't rain while we are shooting.

Shot List

2006-12-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

We went to the location again this last Friday and went through some of the buildings and looked at what they had set up. I have started putting together my shot list and am doing some storyboards; I hope to have them done before the first of the year.

The final script is 103 pages which will require us to shoot a massive 8 1/2 pages a day with our shooting schedule. I will have to be extremely prepared to be able to pull this off and my 1st AD is going to need to help us all in accomplishing this. If we are able to raise a little bit more money then we should be able to extend shooting a few days and shave off a little bit of our required daily page count.

stay tuned...

It has begun

2006-12-10T00:55:00.000-08:00

It has begun. Today deal memo's were signed and our dates officially confirmed for production. We have had the dates scheduled for a few weeks now but now have it in writing. Bounty goes into production January 22 and should wrap principle photography on February 3.

Along with that, the script is finally locked. It was locked on Wednesday and the only changes that will be made now will only be for a few select scenes. It has been a long processes of rewrites spanning an entire years time since December of 2005. From conception of the project in May of 2004 this project has come a long way.

Things are getting really busy with the prep and will be jam packed right after the holidays. It has been a long ride and we are soon to get to the exciting parts.

Stay tuned...

Maybe this time

2006-11-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

Shooting dates are about to be set. We are trying to be careful so as not to need to push things back again. Things are looking in our favor though. The script is nearly locked and locations are finally set - just a few things that need to be finalized.

The film went to AFM (American Film Market) this past week for an attempt at a pre-sale and to begin building interest.

More to come...

Full Speed Ahead

2006-09-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

After a very long silence, things are about to begin moving ahead at full speed. We have had a change of plans on our original idea for a location and we will most likely be working with a company called Caravan West. They have been very supportive of our project and will be providing our costumes, props, weapons and horses, not to mention the infinite amount of historical accuracy they have contributed. We will be doing some final location scouting tomorrow morning to get an idea of how the newly constructed frontier town set will look and compliment our story.

Final locked shooting dates are still in question but the outlook is very promising for November. There is also a little extra money still being raised.

For the most part the script is done, except for a few minor things to enhance the characters.

stay tuned....

Still Waiting

2006-09-25T00:13:00.000-07:00

Our meeting was postponed so we are still waiting. We hope to have some decisions made fairly soon. A lot has to do with locking down, in writing, the location and fixing the minor details to the script. Hopefully things will begin to pick up soon.

We will most likely need to start making our rounds with searching for distribution. I am in the process of raising some more money and if that is successful then we will most likely be able to afford an entertainment attorney to look over our distribution agreements and contracts.

We are almost into our test phase, we have a few options we want to play with before we make a decision on format. Stage Ham Films is almost ready to release a new business strategy for post production which should save us a lot of money and help things to run smoothly.

A goal is to get as much stuff ready and as many decisions made this week as possible.

Stay tuned....again.

A Milestone

2006-09-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight we are having a meeting that could determine a lot on how we will proceed with production. The meeting has been in development for a while now and has finally been set. On the other side of things, more possibilities for money have been come about.
As we find out more information on these leads we will be able to pursue them further.

With a few more revisions of the script we should have it locked. Things will probably start rolling more rapidly very soon.

...stay tuned.

Defining Moments

2006-08-28T20:16:00.000-07:00

This week we are preparing some business material for a meeting we have scheduled for Wednesday. We hope to have our shooting dates nailed down after the meeting and confirmation of the actors we hope to pitch our final roles to. As always, we are still looking for a few extra funds so that we do not have to cut so many corners. Depending on the funds we receive will determine if we will still be shooting HD or if we will be shooting film.

The script is undergoing some more changes, working on the character arc and a few formatting issues. I have been receiving positive feedback regarding the script and hopefully it wont come across as a thrown together story, considering it has been two years in development.

check out the latest attachments on the official website - http://bounty.stgham.com.

Stay tuned...

Beyond Development

2006-08-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

The script is now going through minor adjustments and is for the most part done. We have been receiving some great feedback and a lot of people are getting rather excited about the progress. Within the next few weeks we may be pitching to some bigger named actors and are in the process of scheduling meetings with other producers who are expressing an interest in the project.

In the next few weeks we should have a locked shooting date and things should begin rolling again.

Stay tuned...

Development Meeting Part 2

2006-07-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

We have gone though a number of development meetings for the rewrite of the script, argued about where the story should go, changed our ideas a number of times, played with different ideas of who the main character should be and finally hit a stream of consciousness that we are really excited about. Last night we really made new ground and the story is becoming something that has never been seen before on the screen.

By this time next week we should be reading through our completed draft and ready to start our prep before shooting. Pushing shooting back to work on the script more was definitely one of the best things we could have done. We have gone from having an okay script to having a script that will rock your socks off. The collaboration between the three writers has really payed off.

Stay tuned...

Development Meeting

2006-07-04T01:57:00.000-07:00

The script is undergoing some radical changes, again. With the new writers on board we have a brand new outlook on the film and are very excited with where it is going. Tonight we spent about 8 1/2 hours re-developing Act 1. We were able to focus on the key characters and really spend some time getting to know them as well as having something of interest always happening in the entire act. We should have the first set of pages completed by Thursday and will hopefully start hammering out Act 2 and successfully and interestingly meet our points that we already have established for Act 3. Right now the rush is to try and make a shooting date of August or at least begin some principle photography in August in a mad rush to make AFM this year.

We have a new sense of excitement about the script and are looking forward to getting things moving towards production.

Stay tuned...

Additional Writers

2006-06-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

Two more writers have joined the writing staff of BOUNTY, Ben Barber and Xander Assad. They have taken over the current draft of the script bringing their own approach to the script. If all goes well then we will have the final script complete very soon.

Script and Other Things

2006-06-16T00:02:00.000-07:00

It was a good thing that we pushed shooting back to work more on the script. The latest draft of the script is leaps and bounds better than the 1st draft and even the draft before this one. Some downsides, though, more cast, more action and more animals. That will make things harder for producing and staying within a time schedule of 3 to 4 weeks.

Apparently, westerns are gaining a lot of interest recently so I am going to try my best to get shooting going in August. If we are able to do that then we can have a trailer cut even while we are shooting and possibly screen a rough cut of the film at AFM (American Film Market).

Some other things on the technical side. We will very likely be shooting this film digitally. For the less technical, there are a few formats to choose from when shooting digital.

You have standard definition which is 720 pixels wide by 480 pixels high, usually referred to as 720x480. Now depending on the camera and processing method used the signal can be either progressive or interlaced. If the signal is progressive it is normally written like so 480P.

In high definition your options are normally open to two choices, 1920x1080 or 1280x720. Frame rate can also play an issue in this giving you typical option of 24p, 25p, 30, 60 - both 30 fps (frames per second) and 60 fps vary between interlaced signals and progressive. Progressive is normally better (if you were wondering what the difference was).

In high definition the camera options have increased drastically in the past couple years.

For DVCPRO HD (typically 1280x720) there used to only be one option, now there are 3. Two of the cameras now allow for 1080p acquisition.

HDCAM is the more popular at 1920x1080. Star Wars was the ground breaking film to use these cameras, or if you want to get really technical, Once Upon a Time in Mexico. In the latest of the Star Wars saga, the newest of the Sony HDCAM cameras were used. The difference was in the color space provided. I could be wrong but I think the original HDCAM camera had a color space of 4:2:0, although it might have been 4:2:2. Anyway, the new cameras, which cost about $120,000, provided a 4:4:4 color space to work with.

With all that said, Panasonic's new HVX200 camera offers 1080p DVCPRO HD recording in a 4:2:2 color space typically only available on the $100,000 Sony HDCAM. We will likely use this camera to shoot with and post using the Cineform intermediate codec, which provides realtime editing with an 8bit or 10bit color space, equivalent to 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 respectively.

Things are getting exciting.

Shooting Pushed Back

2006-05-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

After some careful analysis and planning. We have decided to push shooting back due to script and location. The script is undergoing a major revision, heightening the character tension, raising the stakes and packing it full of action. The location we would like most to work at is currently booked until the end of July. We have set two different dates for shooting and depending on distribution will determine which one we are more likely to settle on. We visited the location and fell in love with it.

With the current developments with the script we may possibly be able to bring in some named actors and highly experienced crew.

Don't worry, because the shoot is still scheduled to happen this year.

The Business Side

2006-05-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

We are drenched in the business aspect of pre-production. While small little adjustments are being made to the script every day, we are focusing on getting our schedule locked, crew members in place, cast secured and the budget finalized. Shooting commences in just under 4 weeks time. Tomorrow we will do some location scouting and by the end of the week, if all goes well, have our locations figured out.

We are currently in negotiations for one location and if that does not work out we will most likely end up at the Paramount Ranch. As far as casting goes, we have received over 1200 submissions and are looking to hold auditions next week.

So our first deadline, June 12, is quickly approaching, stay tuned for more updates as they come.

Script - Part 3

2006-05-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

We have been working hard the past few weeks to finalize our shooting script. Each rewrite is a step closer to locking the script. All of the locations have been locked and most of the scenes are locked just some minor fixes within the scenes are being adjusted. Hopefully our latest rewrite will be our final one. The story, since the original draft has gain 15 pages of material and is more action packed then I ever imagined. This is going to be one intense western. To top it off we will be shooting at break neck speeds with only a 19 day shooting schedule, averaging 4 to 5 pages a day.

Next week we will be doing some, hopefully, final location scouting. I will post pictures with our findings.

Script and Moving Forward

2006-05-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

I am currently working on completing the latest draft of the script. This will mark the seventh revision and the story is becoming better with each one. Since the funding has come in, things have been moving a break neck speeds. We should have our schedule completed by the end of this week. Still the biggest thing that we are working on is the location. We will hopefully hear about it by the end of the week.

Cast is also being secured and finalized.

Some future deadlines you can keep your eye out for is June 12 when we begin shooting and August 15 when we will have our locked cut of the trailer.

We will begin to receive paperwork and deal memos to sign regarding our sell and distribution sometime this week.

Funding

2006-05-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since the last post as things have gotten busy. Today marks the day that all the funding has been secured for the shoot. We are awaiting a few obstacles to get meshed out, one being word back from a possible location. If all goes well we will be shooting in Newhall/Valencia area in about a month. Our final cast is still being worked out but all looks to be a go.

I will be more consistant with the post in the future.

Script, Funds and Distribution

2006-04-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

The script has gone through a number of changes in the past few weeks. We are currently working hard to lock the script so that we can get straight into preparing for production and gathering final funds and securing distribution.

The characters have gone through some major changes resulting in more action and stronger character arcs. The character's driving force in the story are what continues to be the most compelling aspect of the story. When the script is locked then we will begin to use it to secure final funding and distribution deals.

We are currently waiting on contracts and deal memos to be drafted by interested sales agents and distributors. We will post further progress as thing arise and contracts made.

Locations - Part 7 - Melody Ranch Con't

2006-03-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

I got in contact with the people from Melody Ranch and unfortunately this small little show entitled Deadwood, being shot for some small company called HBO or something has the location booked for the next year. So the hunt continues.

Locations - Part 7 - Melody Ranch

2006-03-04T15:23:00.000-08:00

It is amazing what you can finda, even when you think you have looked every place imaginable. After thinking I had seen every western town set in Southern California I stumbled across another very promising location by a tip from a fellow filmmaker friend of mine. This location is in Newhall, CA and is called Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio. It is about the same distance as the Paramount Ranch location and looks to be the most practicle place to shoot.

The next determining factor is the cost. Due to our current super ultra low budget it the location fees, if any. Will either give us hope towards making this movie or wave us on in our journey to find an affordable location. The studio's website is http://www.melodyranchstudio.com. I plan on making a visit to the location within the next week.

Locations - Part 6 - Montana

2006-03-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

The trip to Montana proved to be a very productive one. I give special thanks to Bill Kuney of the Montana Film office who assisted in making contact with the appropriate people to show around the locations we had scheduled to visit. The film office for any state or county is one of the most resourceful places in assisting in your locations scouting.

While in Montana I visited four locations that had the possibility of working for our story: Virginia City, Nevada City, Bannak and Hellroaring Gulch in Butte. With it being winter the average temperature was around 0*F, which prompted us to where warmer clothing as compared to the weather in California.

Nevada City was a great location due the amount of buildings and the access that it had to lodging and some other nearby towns. The town was about 1 mile away from Virginia City and both were under the supervision of the Heritage Commission in Montana. Nevada City was unique in that the buildings were preserved buildings that were brought from all over Montana to create the town. There were a number of interiors and movies such as Return to Lonesome Dove was shot there and Seabiscuit seriously considering shooting there.

Bannak was about 90 miles away from Nevada City and was also under the Heritage Commission. The town was preserved from its original state in the 1800s and some of the buildings were being restored for safety. Unlike a lot of Ghost towns I've been to, you were able to free walk in a lot of the buildings. There was a large two story Hotel that we were allowed to walk around in. Inside there were a number of rooms and a couple of safes. In the upstairs of the building the ceilings were extremely tall. The downfall with this location was that it was out of the way and to dress some of the sets would prove to be difficult. The upside of the town was its authenticity. The town was almost exactly the way it was over 100 years ago.

When I arrived in Montana the temperature dropped to -15*F and then by the time I left warmed up to around 15 to 20*F. While doing our scout the cold weather proved to not get along with my camera all that well. I was constantly putting the camera in my coat and rubbing it in attempt to warm it up so that it would operate. I ended up having artifacting to a lot of the footage due to the cold and by the end the tape mysteriously decided to stop reading the info on the tape. I will have to try playing it back on a different machine to see if it is just the camera.

One interesting thing to note is that each of the locations I have been happy with I have seen a cotton tail rabbit hoping around. If I can get the footage restore from the tape then I will post some pictures of the rabbits.

Locations - Part 5 - Paramount Ranch

2006-02-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

I looked at a new location today that may possibly work and is close enough to where lodging would not be necessary. At the present moment they are not charging a location fee so all that would have to be paid for is the Park Ranger that will be there to supervise. Depending on if we can meet our schedule in an eight hour day will determine how much less we will have to spend.

The location is not quite as deserty as I envisioned it when writing the script but due to money, some creative flexibility will be required.

The Paramount Ranch has been the location for a great number of the early westerns that established the look of the western genre in Hollywood. This is also the location that Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman was shot - Colorado Springs in Southern California. A bonus with this location, besides the absence of location fees, is that it also has interiors. The entire town was built for the purpose of making movies. It is like a mini backlot specifically for westerns.

As opposed to the Universal location, the Paramount Ranch would be a distant location at 40 miles from our central location. Some of the interiors look like they will provide plenty of light to shoot with available lighting and they have direct views down the main streets of the town.

This is the first location that I have looked at that has a jail and saloon. This particular jail house is one room. For Bounty a false wall will have to be built in order to separate the jail cell from the main office. An interesting bonus to this jail house is the back wall (pictured left) is removable for the option of replacing with a similar wall to bust down for a jail break. One agreement that must be made if shooting at this location is to, obviously, return everything to it's original state or make it better.

One other thing that we will most likely have to do if we choose to shoot here is dress a few of the sets. The interiors are just that, except for the bank which has a built structure. For the saloon, which plays a major part in the story, will have to be completely dressed with saloon style doors, shelves for the liquor, bar, tables and chairs and the works.

Another possible problem that we may face is shadows. Fortunately the town has been built so that the sun rises on the east side of the street and sets on the west side but the street is also in an L shape so part of the street will be more prone to drastic shifting shadows than the other. The town seems a little bit to new for me so I think with some processing techniques, such as skip bleach or high contrast adjustments I can hide some. To cover the other part I will just need to toss a few tumble weeds on the road and dirty up the edges just a bit with dirt and leaves, to give it the feel that it has been sitting for a while.

All in all, this location was very much satisfactory and could definitely work for the film. In any case money still must be raised, but things are coming together. The four months until shooting date has already passed and time is flying by quickly.

Locations - Part 4

2006-01-24T17:42:00.000-08:00

The location scout is proving to be the most valuable step in the whole process. Depending on where the location that is decided upon is located will be a huge chunk in the budget. Because of the amount of money that we currently have discussions are being brought up with Laser Pacific, Panavision and Kodak regarding equipment and processing and film along with the attempt to find a location that will not cost our entire budget. The largest cot, as of now, is the location - mostly due to its proximity to the cast and crew. If the location is a good distance from LA then lodging will have to be provided which could easily cost up to $10,000 or more for a three week shoot.

Generous contributors to lodging will be the first thing we seek out when our locations are narrowed down. There are currently three more places I am going to look at in California, which may end up being my final ones to pick from. The final determing factor will be the total cost including lodging and permit fees.

The following are my top three choices.

Bodie State Historic Park
Bodie, CA
Near Bridgeport, CA

Universal Studios
Denver Street
Universal City, CA

North Fork
Old Town Medera
Bass Lake, CA

Funding/Distribution - Part 1

2006-01-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

The search for a funding and distribution has begun and is heading forward at full speed. Already, there is a building interest in the project from distribution companies and investors. Some prospective crew and cast for this film will also bring a lot more notice to the project. We are currently looking at actors such as Tom Selleck, William Lee Scott and Rachel McAdams while some crew members may consist of renowned cinematographer Row Wagner, A.S.C.

Script - Part 2 - Seeking Funding

2006-01-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

The next revision of the script has been complete. After being given a lead to a possible distributer and funding I forced myself to buckle down and finish the draft. I spent six hours on Sunday doing revisions and then went to sleep, got up and spent another six hours on the script.

So I have submitted the script for consideration to one possible distributer/financier and am working on putting together a small script package to send off to another possible funder. While I wait on those projects I am working on putting together a killer pitch to start pitching to some bigger name talent. This next few weeks could include quite a few advancements for the film. Stay tuned for updates.

Locations - Part 3 - Calico

2006-01-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

Today I made the 2 hour trek to the Calico Ghost Town to see if it was a possible location that could be used for the film. At first glance it looked like it had some possibilities but upon further scrutinization I found it to be a last resort. First off, not that this is bad, it was purchased from the mining company in the early 1950s by Mr. Knott himself of Knott's Berry Farm. What is cool is that he bought the town so that he could preserve our pioneering culture. Unfortunately, it does not fit our movie.

They have paved the streets, probably to keep things a little cleaner, so if we did shoot there then we would have to bring in truck loads of dirt to cover the paved road. This could cause a problem, mainly with the budget. I am not up to date on the price per truck load of dirt nor do I know how many truck loads we would need. Another problem is that we could really only shoot one direction. In the picture above you can see the entire town and the freeway. It may be small but for a western it is sometimes very important to be able to do a 360 shot without having to worry about modern architecture.

Because a lot of the story seems to revolve around the Saloon I find it very important that our location has a Saloon in it or at least an exterior of one. I was able to find a saloon at Calico it just seemed to missing half of it (as pictured below). There were other buildings that could have worked as saloons but it would be dificult to make it work with the script. Another thing to note is that most of the buildings are on one side of the street as well as the street goes uphill. With the layout of the town and the modernization of it, this location has been scratched off the list.

On a good note, if the weather keeps up the way it has been - Sunny in January, there's LA for you; can't wait to move to where there are real seasons - then I might be able to make a trip to Bodi without having to worry about getting stuck in or stuck out.

Bounty The Movie - The Webpage

2006-01-07T00:23:00.000-08:00

At last, the Bounty webpage has been posted. You can find it at http://bounty.stgham.com. At this webpage you will be able to find information about the story, cast and crew, budget and finaces, as well as a link to the production journal. I am most proud of the Bounty Store, http://bounty.stgham.com/bountystore.html. At the Bounty store you will be able to purchase high quality photographs and other items with a western theme to help in the funding of the film Bounty. All profits from the Bounty Store goes directly to the budget of the film.

Locations - Part 2

2006-01-06T03:16:00.000-08:00

I have found a few other posible locations but am still leaning towards Bodi, California for the deserty look to the landscape. A big issue with choosing locations is how it fits the story. A lot of the decision is being made on landscape and on town layout or structure.

Another big thing I am looking for is the structure of the buildings.
A typical hollywood backlot location would look too perfect. For this particular script, it is best if the buildings are a bit worn out to give the impression things have been unkept for a few years.

Starting in the next few weeks I will be making trips to many of the locations to see how it will work for the story. Another big issue with this particular production is the price of lodging. I have to take into account how far the closest town is, if I know someone that is close enough to donate lodging to the production and how much it will cost to get everyone there.

Things still seem to be leaning towards Bodi, CA. With the way the current rewrite is going it will fit the script the best because all the locations are right there in the town. Either way, it is going to take some creativity to get cast and the very few crew I will have there.

Camera tests will begin shortly as well as fundraising and attachments.

Locations - Part 1

2006-01-05T04:27:00.000-08:00

I was reviewing some photographs for the locations I am deciding between and noticed a possible problem with the location I was leaning more towards. Looking at this picture that I was able to view from the California Film Commision website, http://www.film.ca.gov/state/film/film_homepage.jsp, and I noticed that there are telephone poles in the shot.
At first I figured that I could just frame them out of the shot but then I also realise that with the harsh sun that will most likely be there when we are shooting, the shadows will be on the ground like in the picture. I will also have to be careful with the telephone wires. This will cause me to need to be very creative about how I am going to get some of the shots. I am hoping to go back there and do a more thorough scout of the location very soon, but it will most likely be covered in snow if I go back soon. I am going to Montana in February to do some scouting, if I don't use Montana for this movie I can probably use it for the next western I do.

Script and Music

2006-01-02T02:48:00.000-08:00

One thing that I am trying is to work on some music for the film while I write. As I have been working on revisions I have been deciding where musical themes and a score should be placed. I added in a new scene where the emotional and visual connection is very strong, I think that it will be the pivitol scene in the film.

In previous versions of the script I just had the characters talking about an event but got very bored with the lengthy dialogue scenes and wanted to the film to reflect more of the protagonists attitude and to show things instead of say it. I ended up removing most of the dialogue about the event and am choosing to show bits of it as the characters develope and are revealed. I think it is adding a scenes of mystery to the story and characters as well as shows the story rather than saying it. I once heard someone say that films are visual mediums and books are written mediums so if you are making a film, show it don't say it. I think there is a time and place to have lengthy dialogue scenes - Quinten Tarentino is a prime example - but there is also a time and place to let the picture say everything. As the saying goes a pictures tells a thousand words.

I am looking to have the next draft done by the end of this week.

Also, the Bounty Store will be open soon. It will have products that you can purchase which will help in the funding of the film.

Script Revisions/Pre-Production

2005-12-29T03:55:00.000-08:00

The script is going through massive revisions. There are a number of scenes that are being rewritten and a few that are being added so that there can be more emotional connections made with the characters. The more I do revisions to the script the more I am leaning towards the location at Bodi, California. Unfortunately both locations I am looking at covered in snow and may not be the most accessible at the moment. I will be calling the Bodi main office after the New Year to schedule a time to go visit. I am planning on visiting Montana on Presidents Day weekend to look at locations there.

Because of the budget for this movie I am playing with the idea of shooting in all available light for two reasons: 1) to save money on renting equipment, and 2) to speed up shooting time. Because I only have two weeks to shoot the entire film I want to be able to move as quickly as possible. I will also be pitching to some actors that I may not be able to have for very long, if they sign onto the project. If I am able to shoot quickly then I can get there stuff done in a shorter amount of time and save money by only having them on set for a few days.

My other big issue that I am working on is crew. I will be keeping the crew to a minimum so that things can move quickly but I will need to have an experienced sound person to avoid having to do any post ADR work.

For production and post-production I am looking at a couple of things. For production I am leaning heavily towards shooting on the JVC GY-HD100U and am going to post using Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 with the Cineform Aspect HD plug-in. For post audio I am going to mix in Adobe Audition and visual effects and color correction will be done in Adobe After Effects, (basically I will be using the entire Adobe Video Collection all the way to delivery and possibly film outs.)

I am planning on bringing the editing set up to the location so that I can cut while we are shooting. This should make the turn around process go much faster as well as allow me to decide if I have all the shots I need before leaving the set.

Tests are still under way but the main focus for the next few weeks in going to be on the script.

Introduction

2005-12-27T10:41:00.000-08:00

At this blog you will be able to find a journal noting the progress and events of the making of the feature length western entitled Bounty. The film is a Stage Ham Films production and will be written, produced and directed by Jared Isham. Currently in pre-production, Bounty is scheduled to be shot in June of 2006 in either Butte, Montana or Bodi, California.

Stay tuned for future updates.