Filmmaker
Alex Ferrari first came to our attention a couple of years ago after
the release of his groundbreaking short film, "Broken". Shot for only
$8,000 and featuring special effects normally only seen in Hollywood
movies, "Broken" changed a lot of minds about what could be
accomplished on a small budget. Alex Ferrrari recently
released another interesting short film, "Cyn", and we catch up with
him about his latest projects and how "Cyn" was produced.
-Roger M. Richards
RMR: Please tell our readers a little
about yourself, and your background in filmmaking.
AF: My name is Alex Ferrari. I was unsatisfied with conventional
filmmaking, so I decided to acquire as much knowledge about the art
and craft of storytelling as I could. Coming from a post production
background, I combine my passion for storytelling and post-production
experience with my own visual style.
I was raised in New York, now I'm stationed in Miami. I have edited
four feature films as well as editing, post supervising, and directing
over 400 commercials. I didn't just settle for just directing and
editing, with my production company The Enigma Factory Inc.
I have entered the world of producing feature films as well. Currently
I'm producing the bold new documentary by indie filmmaker Anthony
Gilmore called “Behind Forgotten Eyes”, which premiered a the Cannes
Film Market, wrote, produced & directed the award-winning short films
BROKEN, “Cyn,” and “Daddy's Home.” I also am developing the feature
film “Red Princess Blues,” which I'm also writing and directing, and
developing the feature film version of “BROKEN.” I hope that is
enough, my ego feels better now ; )
RMR: What is your motivation for making
films like “Cyn” and “Broken”?
AF: To make more films. I wanted to create something that would
get me attention and hopefully be given an opportunity to direct a
feature film. It's not easy living in Florida.
RMR: The special effects and tech aspects of you films have been
receiving accolades because of their excellence, particularly because
they are executed on a very small budget. Could you explain why this
is such an important part of your films?
AF: I have been in post production for over 10 years and I
understood what the tools could do. I write VFX into my stories and I
had a pretty good idea on how we would accomplish them. I also wanted
to prove that you could make a high quality product that could look as
good as a big budget Hollywood film. Anything that can set you apart
from the crowd.
RMR: Can you describe the pre-production and casting process for “Cyn”?
AF: What pre-production? I had 6 days to make the entire short
film, from writing it to final output.
[The Production Breakdown]
Friday: Write the script and prep the shoot
Saturday: Casting and prep the shoot; also begin working on opening
titles & prep visual effects
Sunday: Rehearse, Fight Choreography and Production Design the
location
Monday: Shoot day
Tuesday: Editing and color correction; begin scoring process, sound
design & visual effects
Wednesday: finish scoring, sound design, composites of visual effects
and master output.
RMR: As technology has been changing your projects have moved from
standard definition video to high definition. What cameras did you
use, and how did cinematography proceed?
AF: Cyn was shot on the Panasonic HVX200 in HD 720p Native using
four 8 gig P2 cards. This allowed me to have my assistant
editor/cameraman Ricky Pierre-Louis to download the footage on a Final
Cut Pro editing system while still on set. The workflow was amazingly
fast and the images were beautiful. Cyn was edited on Apple's Final
Cut Pro HD.
The workflow from the Panasonic HVX200 was seamless.
The final edit took a record breaking 4 1/2 hours to edit and about 6
hours to do all the color correction. For color grading I used Red
Giant's Magic Bullet Editors and Colorista, as well as Natress's G
Film plugin's. I wanted to bring a "graphic novel" stylized look to
Cyn. This was achieved with great lighting by seasoned director of
photography Egon Stephan Jr. of CineVideoTech fame in Miami, FL.
Egon and I only had a few brief moments to discuss the look and
feeling of the project in pre-production Together we created a very
unique and polished look.
Visual effects are always a part of my films and Cyn was no exception.
Dan Cregan from Numb Robot was asked to create multiple explosions, a
room being shaken to pieces and an opening and closing title sequence,
all within 4 days. Sean Falcon also was brought in to do what he does
so well "muzzle flashes."
RMR: How was “Cyn” edited, and what gear did you use”
AF: As I stated above the amazing and wonderful Final Cut Pro. For
my money I will ALWAYS edit on FCP. Screw AVID ; )
RMR: What are your goals for this film, how would you define
success?
AF: I would like to get my "Cyn" out into the world and hope she
is loved. People have been reacting very positively to the film so
far.
I would like to get some attention on my feature film project "Red
Princess Blues"
http://www.redprincessblues.comwhich is the main reason for doing
Cyn.
RMR: Do you have any other upcoming projects that you wish to talk
about?
AF: Fun you should ask here is some info on my new project: Red
Princess Blues Animated: The Book of Violence is an animated short
film prequel to Alex Ferrari”s upcoming feature film Red Princess
Blues. Artist extraordinaire and Creative Director of the Visual
Effects House Numb Robot, Dan Cregan will be making his directorial
debut. Alex ferrari will pen the twisted tale as well as produce. RPB
Animated is a chance to explore the world of “Princess,” the main
character of Red Princess Blues. We hope to have the short done by
Fall 2007.
........................................................................................................................ Roger Richards is the Editor and Publisher of The Digital
Filmmaker.
AF: My name is Alex Ferrari. I was unsatisfied with conventional
filmmaking, so I decided to acquire as much knowledge about the art
and craft of storytelling as I could. Coming from a post production
background, I combine my passion for storytelling and post-production
experience with my own visual style.
RMR: As technology has been changing your projects have moved from
standard definition video to high definition. What cameras did you
use, and how did cinematography proceed?