Merci Bien!

A big THANK YOU to our most recent donors!

• Eleanor Dahners
• Sally Alberti
• Andrew Peralta
• Seth Caskey
• Connie Benavidez
• Sarah Klein
• David & Sylvia Fierro
• Joe and Debbie Perez
• Jimmie & Maggie Vasquez
• Frank Benavidez

We still have ways to go until A Note to Etienne is financed, so please support the film and its filmmakers and make a donation. Remember, every contribution is tax-deductible. So technically, you're lending the film a certain donation, and Uncle Sam is paying you back in April.

Donations of $500 or greater accredits you as an Executive Producer. That's IMDB, baby! ;) (P.S. If you help raise $500 or more from multiple sources (near and far), you get the Executive Producer's credit since you're, well, producing!)

An Homage to Jean-Pierre Jeunet

If you haven't noticed yet, a great deal of inspiration has been drawn from the magical comedy Amelie. The camera movement, the colors, the performances - the movie is a modern-day masterpiece and has obviously influenced much of this film's look. In order to merge Jeunet's vision with my own vision, it was important to grab specific frames from the film as an homage as oppose to creating an identical cookie cut-out. Here are some particular frames that really popped out at me, which I hope to recreate in A Note to Etienne with cinematographer Jorge Urbina.

Frame 1: This may be my favorite still of the entire movie. Although the camera movement is moving closer towards Audrey Tautou, I'm particularly fond of the stagnant shot. The dutch angle has a sort of obscurity that's really interesting.

Frame 2: If you haven't noticed, I'm really fond of the high angles looking down. I think a great deal of exposition can be told through body language and production design, and as shown above, it can also be really beautiful.

Frame 3: Yes, another high angle. However, this shot's an over-the-shoulder shot where we see much more than what's being expressed. So much is going on this one screen shot, and you really don't need to know what's actually occurring. Pure genius.

Amorette's Costumes

While we're still several months before yelling the word "action", it doesn't mean we're at a shortage of work. It seems like pre-production is filled with countless errands and menial tasks. There's storyboards to create, locations to be scouted, rehearsals to be had, and careful decisions to be made. However, I think pre-production can be one of the most rewarding phases during the making of a film. Personally, the more intricate the planning, the better the product.

Which brings us to one of my favorite parts of pre-production. The costumes. Below are some image boards surrounding the look I want for Amorette.

Costumes 1: Amorette isn't your typical character. Her mind wanders, she's overly-analytical, and extraordinarily expressive. Her clothes should represent her individuality and creativity.

Costumes 2: Her wardrobe has a lot of vintage selections. She's the type of girl who enjoys going to hand-me-down shops and "digging for burried treasure". When she finds that certain polka dot dress or laced blouse, it makes her that much more original.

Costumes 3: I love the neutral colors in this particular dress. It's not too flashy, yet it's still extremely unique. Especially paired with black tights and a vivid turquoise necklace.

Costumes 4: I love utilizing patterns for Amorette. She's interesting, yet complicated - just like these skirts. Amorette's the type of person who isn't afraid to pair different patterns together. She's comfortable expressing herself through her style.