But before you hit the play button below, please… PLEASE read the following…

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT watch this thing on a laptop with no speakers attached!!!

I worked relentlessly to perfect the soundtrack to the film and it would destroy me to find out that anyone would accept watching this on a system that barely lets you hear anything. You have to experience the rich sound of the violins and the bone-shaking power of the bass. You just do. So yes, turn the volume up!

Another note. The video link you’re about to watch can be seen in HD, so if your internet connection is fast enough, please watch it that way (click on the HD icon, then click on the link to Vimeo’s site to watch it in HD there).

Ok…

Ready?…

Go!!!!

Every Day the Same from Raji Barbir on Vimeo.

And here’s the music all on its own if you want to come back and enjoy it by itself:

Part 1:

Part 2:

A little background to the film.

I came up with the idea for the film about a year and a half ago, with the hugely talented Sasha Zoumadakis in mind. I imagined a woman, leaning against the window of a train, hardly looking out, peacefully happy to go home.

But as I suddenly found myself in a position to actually shoot the film, I felt the need to flesh it out beyond just filming a woman going home. And before I knew it, it turned into a film about the crushing and seemingly meaningless repetition of life.

I know… Not exactly the happiest concept…

But for me, “Every Day the Same” now stands almost as a reflection on my personal experience in times like these and hopefully something you, my dear audience, can relate to:

No longer seeing the point, but with no other options, continuing with life in autopilot.

I hope you enjoy it.

For those who don’t wanna bother going back and reading, NURF Wars was an idea that originated from trying to figure out how I could have actors running around with guns in the middle of downtown without getting shot at by the cops. NERF guns were the solution. And I misspelled the title because… Well because I can. It was a combination of NERF Wars and Turf Wars, but there’s not really anything in the film to help you understand that… So I don’t know…

Anyway, so I did shoot it, but then my camera got stolen in March and I got really busy in the summer with weddings. The whole project got put on a perpetual backburner and I couldn’t touch it until I could find some time again.

I found some time again.

Now, although the film has a way to go (a ton of special effects, animated title sequences, sound design, music and all the DVD authoring stuff), here’s my favorite frames coupled with some commentary without giving away any of the story twists.

Walking against the flow.

The beautiful and talented Dani Jae. She apparently lives in a place with unbelievably dramatic lighting.

He didn’t have a clear shot.

One of the prettiest scenes in the movie. But see, if I’d had my new camera, I’d have thrown that distracting background out of focus.

Bad guys looks awesome!

A link to Every Day the Same will be coming soon. Probably next week but I’m not sure. Are you salivating yet? Yes, I’m a giant tease.

The camera’s video mode doesn’t have any kind of auto-focus to help you, but sometimes, missing focus makes the shot look gorgeous. This was one of those shots.

I love this shot because we were asked to stop filming by one of the Starbucks employees just moments before. Nobody had a clue that I kept shooting anyway! hahaha

I love this angle. There’s a strange but beautiful voyeuristic quality about it.

I’ve never seen anyone so sad about having to go to work! Sasha is a brilliant actress, I was lucky to have been able to work with her.

Ok, THIS is what I mean about the camera’s video capabilities. This was 100% IMPOSSIBLE on my old camera. Remember the one? It was stolen last year. Good! Blessing in disguise! But just look at this shot! Only her right eye is in focus. Even her LIPS are in soft focus!

Just because I wanted to have a shot somewhere that had ridiculously shallow depth of field.

Ahhhh going home and lookin’ fabulous!

This was THE image that captivated me almost two years ago when I came up with the concept for the film. It’s good to finally see it on screen and alive.

Another place we weren’t supposed to shoot. Kohl’s. Sasha and I laid out exactly what we needed to do before going in and were fully expecting to get kicked out. We didn’t, but we were in and out within about 40 seconds. By the time anyone had a clue, we were already outside and saying goodbye. Another huge advantage to the camera. It’s small enough a video camera not to attract any attention to itself. My old one was big enough to have gotten us kicked out before hitting record.

Another “I wanna show off how cool shallow depth of field in a movie looks” shot. Although with this shot I did also want to emphasize the moment she really gets home. Like “It’s official! The keys are up, world! Leave me alone!”

Pretty. She had a real conversation with a friend.

Sasha once again flexing her acting muscles. Seriously. Not having any other actors to feed off of throughout an entire project is very, VERY difficult to do convincingly.

Posted something similar a while back on my Facebook account. I just love the way the windows’ light flared in the camera.

I’ll be posting the movie online soon…ish…

I don’t think I even mentioned this on the blog… I have no idea why.

A little while ago, in what I still think was an unbelievable stroke of good luck, I received a notification that my new camera had been shipped.

It was on back-order.

Everywhere.

Anyone I asked would tell me that even though I pre-ordered the thing in October, it’d be anywhere from two to three months from January before I could hope for it to head my way. But on January 18th, it came to my door.

The next day, I got my new lenses.

And the day after that, I shot a movie with it.

The ability to switch from great still photography to High Definition footage within the same camera and with just the click of a button is an unbelievable experience. Sure you get used to it, but it still rules. The funny thing is that I used to scoff at the idea of bringing video to a photo camera. “Psh, just make me a good photo camera would ya please?!”

Well, it turns out that photo cameras shoot really, truly gorgeous video. I discovered this a year and a half ago when the Canon 5D MkII came out and everybody’s heads exploded at the sight of the footage. Mine included. But I couldn’t justify stepping down to the 5D just to get video. Then the 7D came out. Even cheaper than the 5D and also equipped with beautiful video. But it was a step down from the 5D, so forget it. Both cameras would mean spending money that I’d later regret.

So, I patiently waited for my 1D MkIV to come out.

It finally did.

And now… The movie’s done!! Here’s a couple of images to whet your appetite

The poster:

The image that will go straight on the disc:

If you’d like to come see the film, I’d love to have you! Just leave a comment or email me directly! ]]> http://rajibarbir.com/blog/2010/02/19/new-movie/feed/ 1