Participation as a Team
 

Participation as a Team in the Movie:

For teams that are interested in the movie filming that will begin in Ambler starting Saturday July 7th. There is a set of instructions below. If your team would like to take part please do the following.

1) Reply to aostrow1@comcast.net by Tuesday 6/26/07 confirming:
a) The number of Students and Mentors that would participate in the film.
b) The number of operational and non-operational robots that you can provide. (any year is OK)

Please use this subject heading “Movie Participation (Teams)” so that we can organize the responses.

2) Please review, sign, and return the attached Team Release Form by Friday 6/29/07. You will only need one form for your team.
Please mail, hand deliver, or fax to:
Alan Ostrow, Wissahickon HS, 521 Houston Road, Ambler, PA 19002 Fax # 215-619-8113
Please note that you must submit a signed release to participate.

We will shortly send instructions about exact meeting times and shooting locations.
Generally most scenes will be shot in the WHS Circle Gym in Ambler on Saturday 7/7 and Sunday 7/8. You may also be asked to attend a brief training session prior to filming if you are given a larger role, such as a speaking part.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at aostrow1@comcast.net

Thank you so much for your participation! We look forward to seeing you all in July!

Alan Ostrow
Team 341

Re: Movie Shoot in Ambler PA
 

Are we allowed to nominate people? If so, I say Andy Grady should be out there.

This sounds like a seriously cool project. I'd love to be a part of it, but California's a little too far.

Re: Movie Shoot in Ambler PA
 

We are still in need. We have one MC and one play-by-play but there are two fictitious seasons in the movie. We have to make things look like two different years. The director can get professional actors, but I think an experienced FIRST person would be best for these roles. We're open to anyone that is interested.

Just a Few FAQs about the movie
 

I just wanted to answer some frequently asked questions about the movie.

What if my whole team can't participate?
You can be placed in the team scenes or crowd scenes without a full team. All 7 fictitious teams will be filled with players from multiple teams. So if you only have a few people, thats OK.

Can I participate as an individual?
Yes. We just need notice and the release forms and you can be placed in a team or classroom scene.

I will not know if I can go until the last minute. Can I still show up on July 7th?
Yes, there will be release forms at the door. You would be able to participate in the crowd scenes and have the fun of watching the film being made. There will also be a nice community carnival going on in the parking lot after we are done.

I want to bring my robot but its not a 2006 model?
Thats OK the game is fictitious and any year's robot will work.

What if my robot does not work at all?
Also OK! We can place it on a pit table for the background scenes.

Can my robot be in the film even if I can't stay?
Yes. We will take delivery starting on July 6th at 7AM and will take good care of your machine.

Will my team be paid or have its expenses covered?
Unfortunately not. But any team that contributes significant numbers of team players or robots will receive a credit line in the movie.

Has FIRST approved or sponsored this movie?
This is an independent project about a fictitious robotics competition. However the filmmaker has a son on a FIRST team and the script is well within the spirit of FIRST principles. He plans to communicate a very similar and very positive message.

I hope this answers a few questions that seem to be repeating and clears up some areas of misunderstanding.
We hope everyone can make it and we think it will be, at the very least, great fun.

Hope to see you there.

Preparation Meetings
 

The director has scheduled two meetings to prepare for the upcoming movie shoot.

1) Principal Actors and Secondary Actors (non-competition scenes)Tuesday July 3rd at Wissahickon High School from 11 AM until 1 PM (room TBD)

2) Team Players, Referees, and other Competition Scene Players
Friday July 6th at Wissahickon High School at approx. 4PM (after the completion of the playing field)
in the Circle Gym

The purpose of thses meetings is to review the scenes being shot and the role that each person will play in the scenes.

On Thursday evening I will send out a document stating whether you are in category 1,2, or both.

We are still waiting for final numbers from teams and confirmations from role players. So your quick response will help us to get the list out on time.

Thank you for your participation.

If you have any further questions please contact me.

Al Ostrow

Re: Movie Shoot in Ambler PA
 

Although we will be fine with the numbers we currently have, we could still use some team players and robots to make the scenes easier to shoot. (The director will be using CG techniques to increase the team and crowd size anyway.) The larger the actual pit and crowd scenes are, the easier it will be to film.
So my message is that there is still time to sign up as an individual or team actor. Just read all of the instructions in this thread.
You can still also be in the crowd on the 7th and 8th and don't need to give notice for that role.

Thanks!

Al

Re: Movie Shoot in Ambler PA
 

Here is an approximate schedule for the initial filming.
Team members will also have the opportunity to be in several classroom and team scenes that are not on the competition floor.

Approx. Schedule:
7/6 Field and Movie Set Construction at 7AM
7/6 Friday at ~ 8AM at WHS ( Filming of Classroom scene #1 and several interior building scenes)
7/6 Friday at 4 PM Meeting for background Competition Actors (Team Members, Referees, Announcers, Control Crew, etc.)
7/7 & 7/8 Saturday and Sunday at 7 AM (Competition Actors)

The director is working on a new shooting schedule, which should be out within a day or so. Dates and times of other classroom scenes will be announced soon. You do not have to be there for every classroom scene. However you should plan to be there on Saturday and Sunday for competition scenes.

This is last call if you want to be a team member in a competition scene. After Monday we are closing it out. You can still show up for crowd scenes without notice.

Looking forward to seeing everyone next week.

Al

Re: Movie Shoot in Ambler PA
 

To All:

For Friday:
If you are arriving at 8 AM for the classroom scene, we will meet on the upper level of the gym by the entrance at about 8:30 AM for instructions and check-in. There will be lots of construction on the gym floor so it is best to observe from above.

If you are arriving at 4 PM for the Team actors meeting, we will meet on the gym floor. Construction should be complete by then.

For Saturday:
If you aren't arriving until Saturday morning then you should arrive as early as possible to check in, receive your pass, and get oriented. We will open on Saturday at 7AM for production.

See everyone this weekend!

Al Ostrow

Re: Movie Shoot in Ambler PA
 

You are still invited to be in the movie shoot on Sunday at Wissahickon High School Circle Gym between the hours of 10 AM and 3 PM. (All info is in this thread)

Even if you could not make it on Friday or Saturday, you are welcome on Sunday.
Also feel free to bring friends to be in the scenes. Just fill out the individual release form in this thread and show up on Sunday.
We need as many people as possible to be in the team, pit, and crowd scenes.

You'll have a fun time and its really awesome to watch the whole process.

Thank you to all of the individuals and teams in FIRST that have worked with us the last two days!

With special thanks to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Teams 103, 272, 433, 357, 423 and 1218. You guys are awesome!

We hope to see you there on Sunday.

Al Ostrow

Re: Movie Shoot in Ambler PA
 

Just an update:

We have had an incrediible weekend of competition scene shooting. We worked 12 hour days on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and there is still more to come. We have two more days of field shooting to go. On monday we will be filming close up robot shots, overhead shots, special shots, and hallway scenes.

After that we will be filming all over town for the whole month of July in coffee shops, parks, streets, and other schools. Palisades Robotics Workshop will be used for a build season montage at the end of the month.

The still pictures that were taken during filming this weekend are just unbelievable. We can't release any pictures just yet, but when we do........WOW!

Hopefully the payoff will be more kids interested in FIRST!

Thanks to everyone that came out this weekend.

I just wanted to also say a personal thank you to Rob Taminelli (NASA GSFC) and Ron Karpinski (FIRST FTA & Mentor), we could not have done this without your help!

Re: Movie Shoot in Ambler PA
 

To All:

We are still looking for students to be in classroom scenes this week. We are filming on Tuesday starting at 8 AM. Even if you have not participated yet, You are welcome!

I will try to get a schedule from the director for the remainder of the week. But for now, please come to the Circle Gym by 8:00 AM on Tuesday.

Thanks for participating.


Al Ostrow

Re: Movie Shoot in Ambler PA
 

To All:

We are still looking for classroom scene extras, all this week. If you want to be in the movie, please report any day this week to the Circle Gym Lobby of Wissahickon High School at 9 AM. (with a signed release form if its your first day) Shooting takes place all day, just stay as long as you can.

Even if you have only been here one day or even no days, we could use your help.

Attached are a few still photos from the movie set this past weekend. Enjoy the pics!


Mr. O.

Two more opportunities to take part in the movie
 

There are two more opportunities to take part in the movie this month before filming ends on August 1st.

#1 Saturday 7/28, 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Wissahickon High School, Circle Gym
We will be filming crowd scenes in the gym stands. We need everyone that you can bring. The hours are 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM, but if you can only stay for part of that time its OK. Please feel free to bring your friends or relatives on Saturday. We want to fill as many seats as possible!
We would love to see as many FIRST people as possible take part in this experience. Food will be provided during the filming for all extras.


#2 Thursday 7/26, 11 AM to 4 PM, Palisades High School
We will be filming scenes in the construction shop of Team 103 at Palisades High School. Actors are needed to play students working in the machine shop, building a robot. Hours are approximately 11 AM to 4 PM. Food will be provided. The number of roles is limited for the Thursday filming, since it is in a machine shop. For this shoot you must contact me before attending.

Please feel free to invite any interested people to the Saturday filming. We hope to see you at these events.

Please review this thread for further info.
Thanks for considering this request.

Al Ostrow

What to Wear
 

Just a note that for either shooting date, you should wear clothing that does not have obvious brand names or logos. (Coke, Nike, etc.)

Thanks for supporting this effort.
Hopefully this film and your help will inspire a whole new generation of young people.


Al

Re: Movie Shoot in Ambler PA
 

We are heading up to the workshop of Team 103 on Thursday to film "build season" scenes.

Our team and the movie crew is very appreciative of the help provided by Team 103, Palisades HS and especially Dave & Cathy Beck. They have been so supportive, providing robots, students, technical assistance and now filming locations.

The Cybersonics are AWESOME!!

P.S.
The crew was filming in a local diner on Wednesday. On the break I was shown some of the "Dailies" (rough cut film). If the film comes out half as nice as the Dailies, we are in good shape.