StairMonkey Films
Crew Journal
Day One, Shooting Log
Hey everybody!
We have finished the first day of shooting, and the footage is looking great. In particular, we were thrilled that it was sunny enough for us to film in the attic, which is definitely the greatest part of la Maison du Pastel and would have otherwise been impossible to document. There are not only dozens upon dozens of tiny water colors and crayons and blocks of ink all carefully molded with coats of arms and lettering, but hundred of boxes of packaging materials, labels, and other things the Roche family hasn’t made in ages. We found stacks and stacks of manuscripts and books, and even a pile of double-ended paintbrushes that the family used to either make or sell. Likely, they were used to make-up, and we’ve found TONS of lipstick packaging.
Something that we’ll hopefully be able to include in the film, is the fact that many of the art materials that we’ve discovered in the attic (which were used by many famous artists) are simply not in production today by any company. This of course restricts artists today and limits what art can now be created.
We also filmed the interview today, which is the meat and potatoes of the film, in the words of the DP. In the gallery you'll see a shot I took with my phone of the set up. Also among the photos are a lot of snaps I took of the DP climbing walls and buildings with the camera. The things a DP does to get a shot! Of course, the images are wonderful, and we had a very specific plan as to how everything was going to look. But the whole time, the possibility of disaster lingered. Luckily, the DP spent much of his life as a gymnast.
We got everything we wanted to yesterday, and have yet to stray from our schedule, so hopefully all will continue to go well!
Day Two, Shooting Log
Day two of shooting was loads of fun. More so for us than Margaret and Isabelle because they were up to the most tedious and stressful part of the pastel making process: creating the spectrum of shades of one hue. This is difficult because the pigments can be very ornery and can overpower one another in unwanted ways when the binders are introduced. Because Margaret and Isabelle are such perfectionists, this day was filled with many trials and a bit of anxiety. In the end of course, the result was a color which both Margaret and Isabelle were very proud of.
Leah and I, between shots of their toiling, had fun getting interior/exterior establishing shots of the grounds and documenting the inventory. Also, because we are such typography fiends, finding two-hundred-year-old medical supplies and documenting their labels and packaging was a treat. And just like yesterday, the weather was truly brought from summer, and so made even the heavy lifting enjoyable.
Over dinner we listened to some of Isabelle's favorite music, hoping to find something that could be incorporated as a soundtrack for the film, and so Leah and I were exposed to some Italian easy listening. We were also introduced to “casearia evora,” which is some of the african music which Isabelle has found she loves after her visits to Kenya and Tanzania. She shared with us some of the photos she took from her visits after dinner, and we brought back a collection of her favorite CD’s to listen in our room.
The day ended well, and hopefully today will be less stressful so we can begin filming the final stages of the process.
Day Three, Shooting Log
Yesterday we shot some amazing footage, despite technical difficulties with phone/internet/importing footage. We were able to film the pressing and rolling of one of the two colors we’ve been following this week: a beautiful blue-lavender shade. The other color, which has yet to be named as it was just created by Margaret (a very intense trial-and-error process we hope to interview her about) this past week is a deep, vibrant violet.
Zach found some amazing things in the attic—diagrams of products that haven’t been available since the 1800s and books of color samples from the collection at the time. (As he and Leah were carrying these heavy boxes up and down the steps to the attic, Leah’s happy spine was thanking Dr. McCourt!)
Today we’re very excited to be traveling to Paris, where we’ll film at the shop and get a chance to see the product in a new context. We hope as well to film how they label the colors and hopefully we’ll catch some willing, returning customers to say a few words about the product.
Enjoy the photos, and thanks again for your support!
Day Four, Shooting Log
Yesterday we finally got to see the Roché boutique! We set up camera and shot the product before opening. Unfortunately, the shop was a bit too tiny to be able to film while customers were inside, so as the shop activity grew we were forced to shoot elsewhere. After there was simply no other exterior angle of the shop and surrounding neighborhood to be shot, we felt satisfied enough to allow some time to dedicate to tourism.
We didn’t get to see the Eiffel Tower or eat a croissant while wearing a beret, but we found a mask shop and got to wear a hose head while climbing the 300 steps of the Sacre Coeur, and saw the Moulin Rouge. There is plenty of art hanging in the Louvre which were made with Roché pastels, so tomorrow we plan on returning to the city in order to get some of those visuals.
Today we plan on finishing up all of the interior shots of la Maison du Pastel, and if the process of gradating the colors goes smoothly for Isabelle and Margaret, then we will be able to have the entire process of inventing and new color on film. They also have yet to name this color, but if that also manages to be solved today then we may be able to have a labeling sequence. In any event, we have enough now to compile footage from other colors to illustrate the entire process, so today will be getting the substance that will make the film more than just an illustration. This is turning out well and is forming a wonderful and lighthearted film that we both can be proud of, but today we plan on capturing whatever mystery footage that we can all feel we are lacking, in order to really make this special. So that is our very vague goal for our last day, and probably most difficult, but we’re optimistic that we’ll get it.
Day Five, Shooting Log
Apologies for the late update, as we had run into several snags over the past day or so and haven’t been able to get online!
Gradating the color was very fun to shoot, as the bright purple and white swirling together made for a cheery image. The day was exceptionally sunny, and it just felt like summer all around. Two of the gradations were pressed and rolled, and a sample of each gradation was made into a very fragile “mock-up stick” for the purposes of the shoot. They can be used, but far more prone to shattering than a normal pastel would be.
While Zach stayed glued to the process and shot all the main footage, Leah took the second camera and ran around shooting all of the non-process shots we had yet to film. It took a bit of running around, but, in the end, we got everything we could have hoped for, and made our train back into Paris!
Before we left, Margaret and Isabelle made a gift of the mock sticks to us. Below you can see a picture of this (presently unnamed) beautiful new shade of violet, which will be available in the months to come from Roché pastels!
We finally finished filming on Friday, and Isabelle and Margaret managed to (despite the impracticalities) complete a full range of color for us. Normally, this process could take months to complete but they worked unremittingly every day, determined to show us as much as they could. Thanks to their enormous efforts and shared passion to the film, we managed to capture not only the entire invention and production of a new color, but their truly enlightened and charming insight to a largely unexplored dimension of the art world.
Now we intend to make the best film we can to repay them for letting us have such unlimited access to their private world. We will continue to include our Kickstarter friends with our progress as we edit, and we look forward to sharing the eventual finished product! Thank you thank you thank you for all of your support.
Post-Production Log, one
It’s here. I’ve just put the finishing touches on this trailer—granted, I need to be sure about the rights and regulations with Garage Band clips, but here is the trailer and the first sneak peek at the footage from this project! We are going back and forth between ROC and Roché for the title, so for now I just stuck the graphic that adorns the posters, t-shirts, and eventually the DVDs themselves.
You can view the video on the Kickstarter, here. Please leave feedback in the comments!
Post-Production Log, two
Hello All!
Sorry for the radio silence! I have been swamped with various projects (as the resume page shows) and with finishing up “ROC” and starting to pull things together for my next project!
I’ve been meeting with the fantastic Niko Onslaught for the soundtrack to ROC, and Zach and I are very happy with it! With any luck, we will be letting you all know the address for the inaugural screening of the piece, where Zach and I will be there to chat and I will be spouting info about fundraising needed for my next project!
Keep a look out for a video of Niko at work and for a new and improved storefront where you can actually buy t-shirts with PayPal and without emailing me! Yay!
Again, I want to thank everybody who contributes to my work in any and all shape or form. You know who you are!
