Mobile Production Company Operates Out of a Magic Bus

Director Tao Ruspoli (Just Say Know and This Film Needs No Title) shot his latest independent feature with the aid of a school bus and Panasonic’s AG-HVX200 P2 compact HD camcorder. Due to its small size, each of the three main actors handheld the camera to provide first-person perspectives. The production also made use of a Fig Rig (a circular camera mount designed by filmmaker Mike Figgis), and a self-standing monopod. The digital data captured with the camera was edited in Final Cut Pro and output to 35mm film.
FIX is the second feature produced by The Los Angeles Filmmakers' Cooperative (LAFCO), a mobile production company founded by Ruspoli. LAFCO is based out of a school bus outfitted with HVX200s and Panasonic DVX100 digital video camcorders, three editing stations, a portable library, a screening room, and room to sleep five.

The unique tale spotlights the race to get the main character’s brother (Leo) from jail to rehab before 8 p.m.If he doesn’t make it, Leo goes to prison for three years. The trio encounters dozens of colorful characters, each with his own excuse for why they can’t help Leo help out. In the end, it may take a drug deal to get the necessary funds for rehab.

Ruspoli, who also served as writer and co-director of photography (along with Christopher Gallo) on FIX, shot throughout the month of August, covering 36 locations in 16 days. He purchased an HVX200 several months before the start of the FIX shoot, and shot several music videos and trial footage to get a feel for the solid-state workflow. Each shot took about 10 to 12 takes.

He said they shot in 720pN resolution with four 8 GB P2 cards. They offloaded footage into a PowerBook G4 laptop and backed up to two LaCie hard drives. Back on the bus, Ruspoli imported the digital files into Final Cut Pro 6 on a Power Mac G5 equipped with an Xserve RAID storage array.

The project was shot in a wide variety of lighting situations, with only a bare minimum of reflectors and gels to maximize the available light. One scene, set in a crack house, was shot only by candlelight. He also shot some off-speed scenes, both fast (12fps) and slow motion (48fps), for B-roll footage. The HVX200 performed well throughout, he said, although he’s doing “heavy color-correction and stylization” in post.

Final color-correction and mastering will be completed at HD Pictures & Post (Santa Monica, CA), a co-producer of the project. The completed film has been submitted to the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

For more information about FIX, visit http://www.fixthemovie.com/.