Archives: Virtual Crew

Virtual Crew,

Can it be February? For real??

Some of you have been on this journey with me for over a year.

DANG! Thank you so much.

As many of you know, Write & Direct officially launched!

This means I’m able to move forward with post production on RECKONING.

SOMEBODY PINCH ME.

So…post production. What happens now?

Picture editing, sound design, music, color grading, final mix and more.

On a studio film, a team of people fill these roles and it takes months to complete the movie. On RECKONING, you guessed it. It’s all on me.

Goodness.

The good news?

We have a composer! Dane Walker. He’s virtual crew and physical crew.

Can’t wait to see what Dane comes up with. He’s good!!!

Below is a pic from post production back in 2006 in Hollywood, CA. I worked on two films directed by Bob Odenkirk.

Bob is a super cool guy btw. Humble. Kind. Talented. The real deal.

Tracey Wadmore-Smith, Kyler Boudreau & Bob Odenkirk | Hollywood 2006

On one of Bob’s movies, something happened that I’ll never forget.

What was it?

I had the chance to speak with Bob’s DP (Director of Photography). Told him I was an editor, but eventually wanted to direct.

Know what he said?

Check it out: He said every director should go through editorial first so they know what shots they want on set.

WHOA! This guy just affirmed my entire career path in one statement.

But why would he say this?

Because until you actually piece a movie together shot by shot as an editor, it can be difficult to envision the shots you want for YOUR movie.

Camera angles, distance, framing, movement…it’s challenging.

Monumental impacts on story.

In Write & Direct my aspiring filmmakers learn to cut footage together before building their shot list or directing anything.

But I had a problem…what footage to use for the school?

Boring stock library stuff?

Lame.

Decided to come up with an alternative.

Cranked out a two-page script called THE GOLD.

Solo Slater, Actor and Director on THE GOLD

Drove out to a shooting location for RECKONING and went to work.

Just me, a script and gear. The scene is below if you’d like to watch.

Two disclaimers:

Number 1: This is NOT a story. It’s a scene. I’m not typically a fan of this type of movie making, but just needed course material.

Number 2: My wife says it’s corny. And she’s right. If I put this on my writing resume, studios would chunk me to the curb faster than raptors eat people.

Nerd Out Time: Check the timeline below for this TINY 2-minute shoot…The blue layer contains picture edits. Green is dialogue, orange is sound FX, teal represents stereo sound FX, pink is music and purple is ambient sound.

The timeline for THE GOLD in Davinci Resolve.

At just over 2 minutes long THE GOLD contains 41 picture edits, 67 foley sound additions, 1 ambient and 1 music track.

Now imagine a fast-paced BOURNE movie clicking in at two hours!

Whoa!!!

So without further adieu, here’s the link to THE GOLD:

https://vimeo.com/796513984

And remember…corny. You’ve been warned!

Kyler Boudreau

P.S. Wanna see the magic of sound design? Listen to the clinking of the gold bars. In real life, they’re just plastic.

P.S.S. If you know of anyone who wants to make movies, please tell them about Write & Direct! In fact, this link is PERFECT to send out: https://writedirect.co/film-school/

P.S.S. We’re at my Mamaw’s right now. She’s 95 and not doing great. Please pray for peace and serentity. Madge Crain. She’s an amazing woman. As is my mom who moved here around 8 years ago to take care of her.

Virtual Crew,

Happy belated New Year & Merry Christmas!

Our tree is still up, so this doesn’t feel too late, right?

Okay, it feels REALLY late.

I hope your holiday was more fun than stress!

Fun and stress are like a dysfunctional couple. They waltz into our lives hand in hand way too often. Someone needs to tell them to break up.

Anyway…due to events, holiday and illness, RECKONING experienced neglect.

The good news? We are now in POST PRODUCTION.

BOOYAH!!!

What does this mean? It means the film is being pieced together.

Shot by shot. Scene by scene. Act by Act.

Picture editing, sound FX, foley, music, color grading, VFX and…more shooting.

Wait, more shooting???

Yes. There are still a few things I didn’t get.

Like my character Jasper Bennett who tells Rose where to find the letter in town. I just shot his takes yesterday:

Elias McKim plays Jasper Bennett, a banjo playing resident of Little Cataloochee.

Reshoots are also on the to-do list, which is pretty common.

When I was an editorial PA after film school on LET’S GO TO PRISON (directed by Bob Odenkirk) they redid the entire ending of the movie during post production.

Martin Scorcese shot new scenes while editing THE DEPARTED because it was only in post that he realized he wanted more in the story.

If the big guys can do it, we can do it!

So that’s the latest.

I’m back in the saddle, riding the proverbial horse as far as it’ll go each day.

And of course you’ll get to see cut scenes before anyone else!

Kyler Boudreau

P.S. Our film school launches end of this month! If you know anyone interested in directing movies, this could save them 5-10 years in their pursuit of the craft. If they join before January 31st they can save 75% off tuition. Use code prelaunch2023 at https://writedirect.co.

P.S.S. Our new precious daughter Reverie is doing incredible. We need to get her in a movie soon!

It’s Friday.

Friday’s are good.

This one just got better.

I’m sending this your way because you expressed interest in the Write & Direct training.

“And I dig that about you!” – Jerry Maguire

Let’s keep this brief: The school officially launches in January of 2023.

However, most of the training will be live before then. And I’m dying to get people plugged in.

So from now until the end of December use code UNSTOPPABLE to take the normal tuition price of $1997 down to just $97.

That’s right. Ninety-seven bucks.

WHOA!

I’m not broadcasting this deal.

It’s going out to those of you who expressed interest.

Those of you who want to write and direct your own movies. Who have that unique, unquenchable desire to become story tellers for the big screen.

I understand your passion. It’s why I’m an active filmmaker.

Help me help you reach your dreams faster than I did.

Faster than so many other aspiring filmmakers who trusted the legacy film school model.

If you want to direct movies, Write & Direct will get you there.

I hope to see you on the other side!

If you have questions, shoot me an email.

And hey…have an incredible Christmas season to wrap 2022!

Kyler Boudreau

P.S. My latest film RECKONING is in post. It’ll be released February of 2023. Get behind the scenes info at: https://theatereleven.com/reckoning/​

It’s Thanksgiving week.

Wait…what? THANKSGIVING?!?!?

Pretty soon it’ll be Christmas. Then New Years.

Then my 92nd birthday and this movie still won’t be done!

Deep breaths.

If you’re familiar with the life of Jesus, you’ll remember the story of Mary and Martha. Jesus told Martha in so many words “Hey, you need to take a break. Chill out.”

I’m the Martha of Marthas.

Take a break? For real?

Don’t worry…we’re still getting into film nerd stuff like normal in this email.

It’s not just about Thanksgiving and breaks.

But let me first say this:

We are all slammed. We have families. Jobs. Dreams.

Yet each of you take the time to read my verbose emails.

Some of you even respond or share the film with others.

WOW!

Seriously…this means so much!

Thanksgiving cannot pass without a massive THANK YOU to each of you for being virtual crew. For your part in RECKONING.

My promise to you?

It’s just the beginning of movie making awesomeness!

Okay cool. Enough sappy stuff.

What’s the topic today? Story Boards.

Then and now.

In Gladiator Maximus states: “What we do in life, echoes into eternity.”

This summarizes pre-production for all movies on the planet.

What’s done in pre-production echoes into every part of a completed film.

A crucial part of pre-production is a shot list. Also supplemented by story boards and alternatively what I personally call “story maps.”

Yep, you heard that right. Story Maps. My very own coined term.

Buttons popping.

We’ve talked about some of this, so I’ll keep it brief:

Shot List: Shows every camera setup for every scene in a movie. Yes, you heard that right. A director has to “cut” their movie together ahead of time in their head.

Here’s a page from my shot list for RECKONING:

Story Boards: Drawings ranging from basic to elaborate that show camera setups from the shot list.

We’ve all heard a picture is better than a thousand words? This is what story boards are all about.

A director can show an image of their vision to a director of photography (DP) or other department heads and everyone is instantly on the same page (as much as possible).

And this is where our fun begins today!

Well…Hopefully it’s fun.

If not, send complaints to: [email protected]

Hahahaha. My wife is gonna kill me.

Following are a few story boards from RECKONING, combined with screen grabs from what we actually shot in production!

Note on the above: I haven’t told anyone this yet, but if you look closely you’ll see I forgot boots this day of shooting. And there was no way I was packing up and driving an hour back to get them.

It was black socks for GHOST that day! And it was FREEZING. Someone call SAG.

Cool, right?

I have other story boards that are completely NOT what was shot. But hey…there are no story board police.

All of the above shots are from the beginning of RECKONING. Why?

Because I STOPPED with the story board insanity.

As fun as it is to see drawing to screen, it’s a complete waste of time for me. There are no department heads on my movies! We’re shooting Rebel Without A Crew style, so drawings were not the best use of time.

What did become insanely valuable? STORY MAPS.

These are my own combination of a shot list and visual story board.

Here’s an example:

The A, B and C cameras above don’t mean separate cameras (like it would typically mean) but rather various setups that are needed for the scene.

Story maps saved my bacon with complicated scenes involving multiple actors and a lot of movement.

And hey, wanna see something really cute?

Rose Lawson has a desk in my office. She recently decided to start putting her own story boards on the wall like Daddy…

If that isn’t precious, not sure what else qualifies.

We have a future filmmaker. If I never win an Oscar, she will.

Anyway, have an incredible Thanksgiving!

If you have the Martha disease like me, force yourself to take some moments and tell your family you love them.

Kyler Boudreau

P.S. Did you see the new teaser for Write & Direct? If you know anyone who’s interested in filmmaking, this is for them:

https://vimeo.com/user179792361/writedirect​

Virtual Crew,

When I was in film school, my directing teacher showed us his feature film.

It took him SEVEN YEARS to get it done. I’m sure 100% of us overly-confident students thought he was crazy to take that long.

Now I eat crow.

What does eat crow mean anyway? It doesn’t matter.

The Write & Direct film school has been wildly responsible for RECKONING delays.

But something else has played in. What?

A little precious named Reverie Bleu Boudreau.

The below pic was from this AM. I was holding her in editorial while watching footage (don’t worry, nothing scary).

Reverie is now six weeks old. We adopted her in Pennsylvania. My wife was there for her birth! It’s a beautiful story. Details worked out in ways that only God can work them out.

“All good things come from above.”

Sometimes we try and associate bad with God. But that’s not how the science behind it all works. “Jesus wept” is the shortest sentence in the Bible and it packs the most meaning.

A conversation for another time.

Our birth mom was pressured towards abortion, but she said NO. We’re so grateful. However, it’s a sacrifice for a mother to choose adoption. It’s hard to understand until you really go through it.

Now that cutie pie is home and growing pudgier each day, I’ve jumped back in the saddle.

Back in the saddle? Eat crow? Even my vernacular is now 19th century.

This was yesterday…

There’s an unavoidable issue all filmmakers face:

Sometimes after the work required for production, you land in editorial only to think, “The movie would be so much better IF.”

Many of your favorite films had this happen. Take JAWS.

Did you know Spielberg re-shot a scene in Jaws on his dime?

He didn’t like the original footage, but the studio said no to a reshoot.

So Spielberg paid for it.

You see…a film owns part of a filmmaker’s soul.

We’ll do crazy things to get it right.

Yesterday I went out to get an “if.”

SPOILER ALERT.

There’s a moment when Ghost shoots a good guy. It’s terrifying. It’s the one person Rose was counting on to do her job for her.

Did you catch that? Do her job for her.

Rose’s flaw in RECKONING is this: Even though she saw God work once, when evil regroups and comes back at her, she doesn’t want to do it again.

And we get that, right?

There’s nothing worse in life than to think we beat something, only to have it hit us again. Sometimes even harder.

But Goliath was only the first Philistine David dealt with. They kept coming back. If you recall, another giant almost killed King David decades later.

So back to RECKONING:

Rose sees the shot happen and bolts. In the original script we follow Rose as she flees to town.

But I found myself really wanting to see Ghost. What did he do next?

You know? I wanna see him to step onto the porch and look down at the victim. It’s a sinister moment that makes a thriller a thriller.

So fine, we went back to the cabin and got the shot.

But there was a problem. I also wanted the audience to see the victim.

But my actor is now back in Texas.

Freaking directors…always wanting the impossible.

We had to get creative on set and use logs to build him.

I think it worked.

Moral of the story? Don’t quit, and use available logs to fix everything.

No, the moral of this story is that I’m so sorry you’ve waited this long for a movie that doesn’t even star Tom Cruise.

But thank you for sticking this out with me! I cannot wait to start cutting scenes together and giving you sneak peeks.

Until then…

Kyler Boudreau

P.S. Don’t forget that my online film school launches in a couple months. You can get people in FOR FREE. Just email me for the code. They will be forced to invite you to Oscar parties when they’re famous.

​https://writedirect.co/enroll/​

Virtual Crew,

It cannot be mid-August!

I really have been working hard. Promise.

If you were investors in RECKONING, you’d be lighting up my phone:

“What’s the hold up?”

“We need to release this movie!”

“You will NEVER work in this town again!!!”

Fortunately, crew members such as yourselves are much more understanding. Thank you for that.

But seriously, what is the hold up?

The film school.

Write & Direct continues to crack the whip above me like a merciless farmer over a gasping mule in the summer heat.

And this week? Change in plans. Needed to cover my Mamaw in TN.

She’s 94!

Beautiful lady. Grandad passed a couple years ago. A great man.

My Grandad was a master mechanic for the fire department. There’s a garage here that can hold two firetrucks end to end.

Decided to shoot some of the Production course for the school while here.

One the topics we cover in production is how to light a set.

It’s not just about looking cool. It’s about serving story.

Three kids at a campfire telling ghost stories are gonna be lit wildly different than a couple at that same campfire who are falling in love.

The angle, diffusion, intensity, height…it all plays in.

All to serve story. And story is about entertaining the audience.

Anything else doesn’t work. Ever.

Back to lighting:

This is what a garage looks like on camera without any lighting attention:

Yeah…No Oscars happening for that image.

But a simple 4-point lighting setup, and you get this:

Now we’re talking.

It didn’t turn me into Tom Cruise, but it’s film school not miracle school.

Lighting is just one of the many things covered in Write & Direct.

Don’t forget to tell any wanna-be filmmakers you can get them in for FREE!

Crazy valuable.

And yes, I will finish RECKONING.

The all-wise King Solomon said this: “First plant your fields and then build your house.”

Write & Direct is my field. RECKONING is my house.

Oh…and by the way: If you ever want to go crazy, shoot training videos in a hot garage with crickets and distant trains.

Crickets are SO DANG LOUD. Ruined some recordings.

I resorted to lighting dark corners, using my brother’s blower to shoot air into dark places and STOMPING on any of the monsters I could find.

Wrapped shooting at 4AM and crashed in my Mamaw’s basement.

Woke up a bit later to…you guessed it, a cricket.

The men in white coats almost had to come.

Stay sane. Talk soon!

Kyler Boudreau

P.S. Here’s the link to send people to: https://writedirect.co/enroll/​

The discount code to get them in free is GREENLIGHT.

BOOYAH!

P.S.S. Here’s a wider shot of the set with the lights numbered. Remember, we always have to geek out!

Virtual Crew,

Why has RECKONING taken so long?

I’ve been shooting a film school at the same time.

Well okay…that’s one of the reasons. I suppose acting, running the camera and directing hasn’t helped anything.

But here’s the point:

Today the film school is officially operational!

Wait, that sounded like I’m talking about the Death Star.

How about this:

Write & Direct is LIVE!!!

​https://writedirect.co/

I started this project 19 months ago.

Students will learn how to make a movie in literal, hands on steps.

From idea through post production. And they’ll be plugged into a private, growing community of filmmakers.

And that’s just the beginning. More is coming like the new Write & Direct Studio platform!

The school isn’t 100% done. We’ve launched with the Development course. Over 30 lessons on how to tell a story for the big screen.

Pre-Production launches next. Then Production and finally Post Production.

You are hearing about this first.

Check my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok (my goodness).

No announcements yet. Just you guys!

Remember: If you know anyone who wants to be a filmmaker, as Virtual Crew, you can get them in for free. They pay nothing.

Email me for the discount code.

Here’s the link to register: https://writedirect.co/enroll/​

I’m telling you, anyone who goes through this training will be so much further ahead in many areas than I was after graduating from film school in Hollywood, CA.

Back to RECKONING…

Journey and I return to the farm to reshoot a few shots in the barn tomorrow. Her tooth is much more loose, but it’s still in.

Oh, and I just received permission to use this song in the film:

Josh Turknett has graciously agreed to let me use his music for FREE.

So kind. Thank you Josh!

That’s all for now…

Kyler Boudreau

P.S. Thanks so much for celebrating with me. For any sharing of the school, the film…for your moral support!

​

Virtual Crew,

Life never goes the way you plan. Right?

For example, you think you’ll celebrate certain things. Like your daughter’s first loose tooth.

But when your daughter is the star of your film and you’re not done shooting?

HECK NO.

48 hours ago, Sandi announces Journey has two loose teeth.

You could hear my scream echo through the North Carolina mountains.

NO!!!!!

She can’t lose a tooth! Rose Lawson can’t suddenly have a gaping hole in her smile.

Instead of celebrations from Daddy, Journey received lectures.

“Do not wiggle them!”

And yesterday, last minute, we set out on a LONG shooting day to get two final scenes completed.

It all began with breakfast that included scene inspiration.

Then it was back to it.

One of the scenes was SCENE 50. The final duel betwen Ghost and Rose. To be honest…I’ve been avoiding this scene. It’s big. It’s tough.

But the loose teeth kicked me in gear.

The weather didn’t really care about RECKONING. We sat on the porch of an old farm house, waiting for the rain to stop.

It stops. I haul the gear back out. Rain starts. Return to porch.

Daddy Director became frustrated. Rose Lawson stayed happy.

Hey….at least there was a porch.

Then God granted us cloud cover without rain. Journey stepped into the role of Rose Lawson.

At this point in the story, her character has realized nobody is left to help her face Ghost. She’s gotta trust God and do this again.

Ghost is in for a surprise. Whups…that was a spoiler. I’m supposed to alert you ahead of time. But you’re crew! That’s part of it.

After the final duel it was was off to Rose’s cabin.

It was time to finish SCENE 8.

Here the audience is introduced to Rose’s shooting abilities as she pops apples off the fence with a six shooter.

Good story telling always, always, always includes setups and payoffs.

I can’t have seven year old Rose Lawson pull a gun at the end without showing her handle a gun earlier. The audience would cry “foul.”

But here’s the other part…You can’t just stick a setup in for the payoff.

Setups MUST work on their own as entertainment. The payoff is the bonus. If you remove the payoff, the setup should still stand.

In RECKONING we see Rose shoot apples off the fence. Jacob Miller shows up to compliment her skill. Jacob tells her “the Philistines kept coming back after David.”

Problems in life never go away with one punch. They regroup and come back after us. Sometimes worse than before.

Goliath was just Philistine fight number one for David.

The Philistines never gave up. And David had to continually trust God to beat them again. So does Rose. So do we.

So back to the setup…the apple scene works on its own as entertainment, but keeps the audience from having an issue with the end of the movie. And it also speaks to the theme of the entire story!

BTW…wanna know how the apples fly off the fence?

Fishing line tied to the stem.

I asked Journey if she’d like me to tie a bit to a loose tooth.

She said tooth fairies don’t leave a reward if you force the tooth out.

Wait…what? The rules have changed since I was a kid and my Dad yanked my tooth out with a string. Without me knowing it was about to happen btw.

So that’s the latest. THANK YOU for reading and being a part!

Kyler Boudreau