Welcome back, Hive!
After posting about the development and pre-production of my original short film, Targeted Advertisers, it’s time to get to the fun part: production! Even small films take a team of people to get made, and I was worried about how they would respond to my vision and direction. Everyone on my crew brought so much energy and creativity, I learned that they could take what I gave them and add to it. With everyone’s contributions, the film grew to be more than I could have imagined.
The way I look at people who helped make this happen
In the camera department, my friend Doron offered to be Camera Operator and bring his cinema camera to shoot on. My friend Bethany, also known as “Professor Beefcakes,” was going in as First Assistant Camera. Her job was to keep track of all the camera lenses and accessories, and pull focus to keep each shot crystal clear. Doron and Bethany were a team I had worked with before on school projects, and I had every confidence that they would do a great job. Rounding out the camera department was Lily, the Second Assistant Camera. She was in charge of calling each shot, logging them, and marking the actors.
Doron and Bethany manage the camera while Jay looks on
Lily holds the slate
Sound can be tricky on set, because most filmmakers love to play with cameras more than microphones. I’ve done a lot of sound work myself, but had to focus on directing. Luckily, Felix was bringing his own sound equipment, which he was well-versed in using. My friend Kenny, who I bonded with over our wacky senses of humor and common interest in Italy, joined Felix as the Boom Operator. At some point during the shoot, they started calling themselves the “Noise Boys” and became a legendary team.
Kenny in action, with Felix out of frame
Large sets will have teams for grip and electric, as well. Grips, led by the Key Grip, will set up various materials that block or shape light and shadows. Electricians, led by the Gaffer, set up and turn on the lights. We all pitched in to set up the lights and the rest of the set decorations. The actors brought their own costumes and makeup, and I decided on the final looks.
Felix and Jay hang a light
The three leads were played by some dear friends and former college roommates: Maya, Annie, and Aje. They drove down to Wilmington together and crashed in my living room for a few nights. My catch phrase during filming became “Thank God I’m friends with talented people,” because of the beautiful work each of them did.
Annie and I stand with Aje after her performance in a UNC Greensboro production
Posing with Maya during our time as roommates
I scheduled the shoot for a Thursday and Friday evening, then all day on Saturday and Sunday. The day we were starting, Doron sent me a message. His internship had changed part of their scheduling, and needed him to be in Raleigh, 2 hours away, all day Saturday and Sunday. Then, Bethany’s job suddenly called her to work all day Saturday too. With that, I really wondered how I could make the movie without a camera or camera department.
Even though I had brought the project so far, this seemed like an insurmountable challenge. Could I shoot the rest on a phone? On someone’s point-and-shoot digital camera? Or maybe I could reschedule. But everyone else was available then, and who knew if they would be available later? Was this the universe’s way of telling me it couldn’t happen?
I started asking around, and once again, Felix came to the rescue. He knew where he could borrow a 4k camera, so that we could shoot the rest of the film. It happened to be one that Jay was used to using, so he was comfortable taking over as Cam Op when Doron was gone. And remember how I was working at the theatre the day of the production meeting? Before I got sent home that day, I was chatting with a co-worker there who was looking to get into more camera work. His name is Cody, and he mentioned that if I needed any help on set, I could reach out to him -- but Saturday was the only day he was available. I sent him a message, and he was happy to fill in when Bethany would be out.
The camera department reacts to a new setup
The night before production started, a bunch of us headed to Walmart to pick up some film set necessities. I had started a GoFundMe for the project and made about $200, so that was the budget for the film. We bought props, kept the receipts, and returned them after shooting. After that, every last penny went to food! Since I was providing food and drinks for the crew, I let them pick out our on-set snacks. We stocked up on fruit, nuts, chips, Welch’s fruit snacks, and energy drinks, and partied our way through the store. Everyone was getting along and laughing together, and the camaraderie was already starting to build.
Snacks and scripts on set
Join me next week, when we finally say, “ACTION!”
xo,
Cecilia