Well Hive, are you ready to continue?
Last week, I posted about developing the story of Targeted Advertisers, the short film I wrote and directed. By the time I had the screenplay finished and got some friends who were willing to help, it still seemed like a long shot to actually make it.
First, I asked my friend Jay to be the Director of Photography. I had seen some of his work, and he actually specialized in music videos. He was developing a distinct style that incorporated some of the experimental and mixed-media aspects into narrative structures. I was looking for some scenes to be a cinematic style, others to seem more like found footage, and for some to have graphics. He could do it all, and I had seen him put together videos that blended the modes beautifully.
Jay thinking outside the box for lighting
Jay and I sat down to develop a storyboard and diagrams. A storyboard is a series of drawings that demonstrate what the framing of each scene will look like. He used his tablet to sketch out each shot, then put them together into a sort of 2D time-lapse of what the film could look like. We also drew up some overhead diagrams, which are like birds-eye-views of the set to determine where lights, cameras, and actors need to be for each shot.
Communication is key between director and cinematographer
Once we had figured out what shots we would need to have coverage for the whole film, I wrote them down in a shot list. On many sets, shot lists are organized by numbers or letters. I organized my shot list by color. That way, I wouldn’t risk getting mixed up once we went into production and started keeping camera logs. Once we had the shot list, we could estimate how long shooting would take.
A peek at our color-coded shot list
I brought on my friend Kaylene to be my Co-Producer/First Assistant Director. People think of the “producer” as the one who funds the film, but that’s actually the Executive Producer. A Producer’s job is actually to be in charge of how the film gets produced. They help with developing the script, hiring or recruiting people, budgeting, scheduling, and so much more. The 1st AD’s job is to keep the set on schedule and running smoothly. In this case, Kaylene brought organization to my creativity. I like to say she’s a “real one,” always witty and sarcastic, but sharp and dependable.
Kaylene was also behind the camera for all of these behind-the-scenes shots...
We figured we could get it done over a weekend, and set tentative dates. I had written the film with specific on-campus locations in mind, and knew what equipment we would want to check out from the UNCW equipment room. What I had failed to consider was that graduating meant I was not a student anymore. I wouldn't have access to one of the most important locations, or be allowed to check out equipment, since they were only available to current film students. Suddenly, a week before graduation, I realized that I had whole new challenges.
That feeling when everything starts to go wrong but you have to keep going
I had always been a good student, so I wondered if I could get special permission. You never know if you don’t ask, right? I ended up asking the right person, and found a way to use the location I was hoping for, under strict circumstances: I couldn’t let people know how I got special access to this space, we could only use it on a specific day between specific times, and we had to leave it in the exact condition we found it in.
One of our locations (not the super secret location though - my lips are sealed)
For equipment, my first thought was to borrow some from a rental house, but when I asked one of my professors how to go about that, he hit me with a harsh reality: you need insurance if you rent equipment, which can cost thousands of dollars. That was NOT in my budget, and I felt stuck. Then, we had a showcase of all the student-produced films from the semester, with a mixer afterwards. At the mixer, I was chatting with Felix, a friend I had been in some studies seminars with. I mentioned the project, and he was really interested -- and unbeknownst to me, he had a ton of his own equipment! He was literally a stroke of luck.
It's difficult to find a pic of him standing still, not working on something
I set up a production meeting the week of the shoot, where my crew came together to look over the shot list and diagrams. I was working as a stagehand at the local theatre on the morning of the meeting, and knew I would be finishing my load-in shift with little time to spare. I was worried about making it in time, and kept my fingers crossed that I wouldn’t be late to my own meeting. I must have wished a little too hard, because while I was pushing a wardrobe gondola, one of my coworkers pushed a prop gondola the other way. My fingers were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and got smashed to the point that I had to be bandaged up and sent home!
If you look at the phone in my hand, you can see my fingers were still bandaged by the time we started filming
Luckily, my fingers weren’t broken, but I wasn’t happy to be heading into production with a busted hand. Still, the excitement for what was to come kept me motivated to keep going. I had already overcome so much, and we were ready to shoot! Next time, I’ll get into the craziness that followed.
xo,
Cecilia