Matt Kinsman - 2012 - My films this year, breaks and plans

2012

2012 was an exciting time for me. My course finished this year in March, And I had lots to do when we resumed classes in January, My wife quit her job and moved up here with me and shared our student studio, so instead of returning to christchurch I could stay in Auckland as that's where the film business is anyways. As soon as my course finished we moved out of the city centre to the suburbs.

2011 had been fun, we had shot ads, news pieces, short films and did lots of written work. Now the final project for the start of 2012 was to film our end of course film which had to be 15 minutes in length. While I was still getting my script approved I practiced shooting with the camera, the result of this being ‘Phonecall’, which was supposed to be an action thriller, however, busy as I was I never got to finish shooting the plotholes so, as a result I could share with Nazim and Victoria my talent for this piece, I made a quick edit of the footage I had. And then left it alone for another time.   

I met Victoria through starnow after looking through her profile when she applied for a role in King Style back in 2011 but I didn’t use her then as it was shot in Christchurch and not here in Auckland. To date she has now been in my film company logo, Phonecall and Timefish. Phonecall was shot at Parnell parks which were close to my place on Beach Road.

Phonecall haste edit (2012)

Timefish (2012)

For my final project  I had written a piece about a hit man who carried his conscience literally. However, my Teacher wouldn’t approve it in time so I wrote this quick small piece about a time travelling fish who gets a deadbeat writer into all sorts of trouble when assassins from the future come after the fish. Nazim helped me as camera operator and costar, and I also had good appearances from Victoria as my girlfriend, Chris as my nemesis and my wife who did the voice for the time travelling fish begrudgingly. My hair is soo short for this which sucked but at the time outside of my course I was shooting Emperor as a soldier so I had to have the buzzcut.

I tried Parkour for the first time, I’d like to practice properly once I have access to a gym and some mats as i only did basic rolls and I also learnt alot about time management from doing this project and overall I’m happy with the result, as a bonus I did another nunchaku fight scene, though I’d really like to sit down and design a proper one as I intend to do with Inevitable (2013). I still intend to shoot my original course ending piece though as it was much better and less rushed. Sometime later this year hopefully.

Outtakes of Timefish (2012)

Behind the fight scenes of Timefish (2012)

Footchase practice for Timefish (2012)

The Lighter (2012) dir. Nazim Khan (for SAE)

For Nazims End of Year project I offered to help him with camerawork as he did with my project so we could help each other out, however on the day of the shooting the actor he had marked out for the lead decided to do a no show, so with the clothes I was wearing (shorts, why would I do a film in my home clothes?) we started shooting. This film also starred Lee who had previously appeared in my first project Everyone’s a Loser when it comes to love. It was shot day for night and outside the Auckland Art Gallery so was quite fun shooting in public, and I learnt alot about camera shooting again from Nazim’s method. (uses a boom for sound, I never used a boom for mine, too much equipment though the sound quality is better) All in all, it turned out well :)

Thirsty (2012) dir Saari Santosh (for NCBT school)

With school over I didn’t have access to a camera anymore so really haven’t done much film work outside of school, Nazim’s friend was studying at a different film school and she needed an actor so Nazim asked me and I thought it would be a good idea to get more experience, this is the result of their efforts, there school seemed to have more equipment than ours and the dolly was a much bigger difference to my ‘walk with camera sideways’ approach ;) 

Professional Works (2012)

2012 was a bigger year for me professionally, right up until I finished my course, After that I went job hunting for a proper job. My biggest role this year was landing the role of a 1940's Amercian soldier extra on the set of Emperor, a Hollywood film which was shot here in Auckland from February to April 2012. I got to work alongside big Hollywood names like Matthew Fox and Tommy Lee Jones. 

Watching how Peter Webber directed the film also taught me alot of how I should do my own feature films. I also made heaps of contacts through the other extra's who did bootcamp with me, which I hope to make use of when I shoot Chase at the end of this year. Also, for my 16 days of 8-12+ hour shifts I also made enough to buy myself a car, so no more buses and trains for me and something to remember the film by :)

 Other work I got to do was basic background work in a couple of Shortland St episodes and a bartender at Mexico restaurant in Nothing Trivial.

so 2013?

Who knows what 2013 holds? I have planned to do some acting/stunt courses this year, finish shooting/editing and releasing Chase, my first full length feature which should be available on DVD for stores and online, I want to shoot a web series, A pilot for a series for TV, and at the end of the year start work on Inevitable my bloody action thriller. It all depends on cash and good fortune. Stay in touch :)

Matt Kinsman - 2011 - My films and my first year as a professional

2011, I'm getting better at taking photos and everything else ;)
2011

In 2011 I started a new chapter of my life, I wasn’t getting any younger and it was time I decided on a career and followed through, so, as a necessary evil, I left my hometown of Christchurch at the end of February (not because of the earthquake as many might assume, I had already planned it)

 and moved up to the North island of NZ to the city of Auckland to study filmmaking at SAE. Auckland is where Shortland St and other popular NZ television was produced (our version of Hollywood) so I made the right decision. I was putting my dream into action as even indecision is a decision and I had chosen to follow my dream of becoming NZ's most famous Action star worldwide.  It was hard as I was leaving my wife as she was doing her science job which she loved at the time and originally I had planned to return to Christchurch and reunite after the course.

SAE 3D Class project (2011)

One of the first projects in the SAE course was a 3D class project, they were looking for two volunteer actors and I put my hand up after 5 minutes when it appeared no one else was confident enough to, I decided that If I’m here to learn to direct and act I have to start somewhere. I know If I’m scared then I’m doing something right. We shot it over 2 days around Auckland and it was through the scouting and shooting that we bonded as a class after an awkward first couple months. I play one of the rival magicians in the finished video below. We all had our own 5 seconds ending, so this is my version.

King Style, Silent Shadow (2011)

For the 2011 V48hour film festival I flew back to Christchurch to visit my wife and family and friends and also enter the competition. Without having my own place it wasn’t easy, I stayed over at my cousin’s place, borrowed my old computer off my youngest brother and a camera from my course hire in Auckland. I handed in a roughcut which was over time as I couldn’t find a way to get the footage into the computer to use the normal program I used and and had to use windows movie maker instead. 

It was also the first time I had used Star now, a website for casting acting talent, so I learnt how to direct strangers for the first time, as well as some favourite buddies of mine. This version is the version I edited once I got back to Auckland with the original footage adding soundeffects and music. For a short film in 48 hours, It turned out pretty good. My only gripes is lack of equipment at the time and having no time to choreograph and just winging our fight scenes.

Tigerxcobra (2011)

In class we weren’t making many shortfilms at that moment, and I was in Auckland to learn to shoot movies, so I decided to rent the camera and shoot a pilot for a webseries with a classmate, Nazim and his friend. It was different shooting a short film with new people but I knew this was something I would have to get used to and we become great friends in and out of course because of it. It was supposed to be an action comedy, it turned out OK, but I knew next time I would need a better script then some notes on some refill and a couple of drawings ;)

Everyone's a loser when it comes to love (2011)

Our first chance at using the camera in course was for an assessment of making a  short film using at least 3 characters and showing off our storytelling ability. I used Starnow to cast it and met Lee and Safaa whom are both great talent. 

I was originally going to star in it as the boyfriend but my cameraman pulled the plug at the last minute so I took the reins and asked a friend to fill in, it was his first time on camera and the fight turned out alright. In future I learned to suss out my locations better as the fight scene location turned out to be a homeless shelter of sorts. And I had a run in with the police because of our yelling. Oh well, I passed anway, you check out the video below.

Pass it Down the Line (2011)

I wasn’t the only one doing the assignment, my classmate Nazim was struggling to find an actor for his short drama film and when he heard that I was looking at being an actor he offered me the role. I took it knowing it would be a stretch for me to play a non action role. It was a cold couple of nights as we shot it with a couple of friends of his but it was a solid experience for all of us. 

The scene of me running after the train was a one shot deal which paid off. I also learnt there were other ways to shoot films than my point and shoot style and Nazim’s approach was much more planned and professional than mine, I was going to use a tripod more in my own films after we had shot this film.

Mondays (2011)

Another short film I shot using the SAE camera’s outside of school hours with a couple of classmates, Mondays is me attempting to make a short action film featuring guns (my first real attempt). Behind our school is some train tracks so I wanted to utilize this location, and it turned out pretty good. I learned how important angles are when shooting chain punches (this failed and I only found out during editing so no reshoots were possible). I hate after effects. It takes so long to create fake blood and realistic muzzle flashes etc, at the time I was supposed to be editing my proper school short film, (above) but this was more fun. I learnt not to do FX unless absolutely necessary as they were all time consuming.

JKDNZ club film#1 -Max (2011)

One of the most reassuring things I found when I moved to Auckland was that there was a Jeet Kune Do club here that had just started. JKD is Bruce Lee’s method of Fighting. It’s efficient, effortless and smart. After finishing Karate over a year ago I had been teaching myself JKD using books and DVDs, but to learn from someone in person was a dream come true. I became very good friends with Sifu Bruce Chen and Chris, and it was during one of these practices that I suggested we could make a short film. 

This is one of my best short films I felt and I knew in my heart I was headed in the right direction. I learnt that having skilled actors (though first time onscreen, the martial arts was legit) made a big difference. Also as an avid nunchaku lover, it was my first time making a battle too. It was such a fun film, I hope it’s as much fun to watch as it was to make.

JKDNZ club film#2- Jies cigarette pack (2011)

For the Second JKD club short film, again shot just over 4 hours, I engineered a way for my to be in it by having one of our classmates help me shoot it. It was my first time to choreograph a 2 on 2 fight (actually 2 one on one’s really). 

 

 Ready? fight!!

And this one is lighter in tone and actionwise very good, I nailed the chain punch angles and Sifu’s punches pack a wallop thanks to it. Really cool film, one of the highlights of the year for me and I got to work with my favourite people in the world at the time, Sifu, Chris, and Jie.

Remember (2011)

As we were working on scripts and film history I really wanted to shoot a short film as it had been a while and I was afraid to lose any gains I had made in my shooting knowledge. I filmed ‘Remember’ at the local park across from the apartment where I lived.

My wife had moved to Auckland during this time, leaving her job and I was still at school, so while we had money problems, I was still doing what I had set out to do. Irresponsible?  Maybe, but every dream has it’s price. After this film the 3 of us had sushi at a local Japanese restaurant which was nice.

2011 Showreel 

So with 2011 over I decided to put together a showreel to update my 2010 showreel from the year before which was sitting on my starnow profile as I looked for acting work.

Professional Works (2011)

One of the first things I did when I moved to Auckland was to research an acting agency, I know that most acting jobs are given to those in the know or with contacts, so having an agency was crucial if I was to build up contacts in the New Zealand Film industry. I joined Fresh talent as of all the agencies I researched there was no upfront joining fee, instead registration was paid after they had found you jobs then after that a standard agent commission of 20 percent which was reasonable.

my first ever blip on NZ television :)

As an Extra I got to see how Professional Film sets work, actors, crew, etc. It was eye opening and arguably taught me more than my actual SAE course did. Also, now I could say I was a professional Actor having been paid for my work :) (not really, the only lines I had all year was Surprise! and a happy birthday song :P )

My professional work I did in 2011 was extra appearances in Shortland St, Almighty Johnsons and an episode of Go Girls. (I will upload a screenshot when I rent the DVD)

Slowly slowly but surely surely, 2012 is going to be a good year if this year is anything to go by :)

Matt Kinsman - 2010 - My Films this year and what I learnt

2010

In 2010 I attempted my first feature, Credibility, which started as ‘Park fight’,a short film featuring me fighting my younger brother in the park, hence the name ;)

Enjoying the end result so much I decided why not make this 2 minute film into something bigger, so around that scene I tried to build a story. It ended up a 30 minute feature that put into use all the tricks I had learnt so far as well as using my friends as co-stars. It turned out pretty good for a project that I shot over several weekends. :) below is the original parkfight and then a selection of all the fight scenes in the film, sadly my computer crashed so The whole thing is only on DVD and when I get a new computer later this year (2012) I will rip the DVD so you can see my first real film :)

Credibility short film (2010)

Broken Vows (2010)

For the V48 hour film festival this year we drew the ‘Femme Fatale’ Genre. I wasn’t quite sure on how to film this one and my wife and I also had an argument around this time about why I wanted to do this for, my Bruce lee book took the beating...which reminds me everytime I see it that I really have to follow my dream to make this all worth it. Anyways, amid all the real life drama we managed to film the short film below. My directing was alot better but not everybody understood the story, (the 48hr festival also shares audience critique) Broken Vows features the talents of my best mates as well as my sister of all people...

Datefight (2010)

Another film competition this year was a one off competition run by Twinings Tea, with the winner being featured in a news piece on TV3 and a years supply of tea etc. So one weekend I decided that me and the wife would shoot something for fun. This is the result. And, was the only kung fu film entered which encourages me to chase my dream of being NZ’s first real knug fu star :)

Test fights (2010) and Park Dispute (2010)

It had been a while since my last film so I decided to do some test fights after seeing an extra documentary on Jet Li’s Fist of Legend showing of Kurata’s action school. So I filmed this series of tests with a friend from my video job. Testing out cornflour as impact powder and some combo’s for choreography. It’s never easy shooting a film with just 2 of us and a tripod but over the year I’d get used to this :) Also is the short film we shot on the day after the tests. Simple, but does the job.

The MATT vs SAM series

With my tests complete I wanted to keep improving, My friend wasn’t so good at martial arts though he was very enthusiastic, so I called on another Friend, Sam, who I used to sell karate with and we made a series of short films, he was happy just to have some fun and a laugh and it was good for me to experiment with storytelling, choreography and shooting angles.  Recess is Over (2010) was the first of a series of films we shot every other weekend until the end of the year :)

Recess is over (2010)

The first film we shot was in the playground. And involved a suitcase. Other than that it was just an excuse to practise. Also chucked on some of my own music here, a little synth flavour to add to my raw shooting.

The End (2010)

Of the Me vs Sam series, this is my all time fav, it’s basically about one agent hunting down a traitor to the agency, and having a hand to hand fight. A shame about the end as I didn’t have after effects to add muzzle flashes but I’m sure everyone can figure it out. My favourite choreography in this one as I realised If I mixed up the kicking, punching, and footwork it can make the piece more interesting. Had lots of fun on this one.

I stand corrected (2010)

More practice stuff. Trying some long takes and a little story.

September Test fight (2010)

More practice. Plus I wanted to see what I would look like in all white.

Carpark fracas (2010)

This was shot outside the Bishopdale YMCA, where we used to actually train for our karate job 3 times a week. The film is about fighting about a carpark and the 3 things I wanted to try was, a water shot (e.g. punch spit), POV shots, impact powder and a long shot (of 20 moves etc). It turned out pretty good I think :)

Messy Pt 1 (2010)

Messy was supposed to be the next credibility as I was getting a little tired of shooting short 3 minute films and wanted something bigger but real life got in the way and I had run out of time to shoot the plot holes before i sold my computer before my 2011 odyssey to Auckland I had planned for next year. My favourite scene was the playground fight, I tried to be creative, but why would anyone roll over a swing? Looked fun anyway and one of my favourite choreographs :)

Messy pt2 (2010)

One of the scenes I had actually shot but the missing several will remain unshot. This was a good test for our acting anyway, and Sam's Russian Italian was fun ;)

So for all of my work in I completed in  2010 I cut a short Showreel which you can see for yourself below which I had planned to use for Starnow when I moved to Auckland in 2011. It was a good year.