Hi! Today my teammates and I viewed a quick video on YouTube to gain insight on how we should go about creating a short film of our own. The video itself was quite enlightening, bringing up some points we had not yet thought to consider and reaffirming those that we had already been aware of, yet presenting the information in a digestible manner that really drove the message home.
When looking at conceptualizing our short film, we felt as though the video made some valid points. The first of which was concerning the realisticness of actually being able to film what my fellow members and I are envisioning. The reason why it is so important for us to keep this simple rule in mind is to not only avoid going over budget, but to also ensure that we produce the best possible product. If we were to run into a roadblock regarding the inability to capture a shot that may have been essential to the storyline once we are already in the process of filming, we will be setback and inevitably waste additional time returning to the planning phase. This, whilst, the issue could be avoided entirely in the first place with rational thinking and constructive inter-teammate discourse.
In addition to this, the idea that all shots are meant to be intentional is something that stuck out to me as being vital to the success of our film, particularly in the thriller genre. To me, the purpose and intention of any good thriller should be to construct a realistic storyline that is coherent and easy to follow, yet one that leaves the audience with inklings of the truth that they can subconsciously piece together as the plot progresses before the film crescendos into a climax and all is revealed. Furthermore, my partners and I also found merit in opting to divert the viewers' expectations of where our film was the most likely to go next. I find this to be an interesting notion that we can toy around with this time around, especially since we are producing a short film, comprised of a defined beginning, middle, and end, as opposed to the opening sequence we constructed last year (albeit in different groupings), where the audience's imagination did most of the work for us. As for the style and message we wish for our short film to convey, we have discovered that establishing those aspects early on and creating a piece that adheres to them all the way through is the best way to maintain a consistent tone and express ourselves in a more direct manner.
When it comes to being prepared, the video highlighted the significance of having a number of contingency plans at the ready. As has been proven time and time again in our previous projects, sticking to the original storyboard and script is oftentimes an unattainable fantasy. This comes back to my earlier point regarding the plausibility of each of our shots and the script as a whole, both of which can be visualized with the help of a comprehensive storyboard. In the case that it does reach the point where we cannot obtain the shot that we desire, just the fact that we have already laid a foundation for the scene will allow us to have some idea of what alternate direction we should take, instead of just taking shots in the dark (pun intended) and hoping for the best.
As previously stated, and as disappointing as it is to hear, we do not have access to unlimited resources (hopefully some day when we make our break into the big leagues we will have somewhere near that amount), whether said assets take shape in the form of money, our own time, or that of others who we may wish to involve in our filmmaking process (actors specifically), or even the presence of adequate filming locations in our vicinity. With that being said, the capability of our actors is not guaranteed, so, as the video elucidates, playing into what their strengths are and using them to drive our point home will be what makes or breaks our scenes. Of course, since we are the creative minds behind our film, we are to influence the manner in which they act, prompting them to do so to the best of their ability and with a complete commitment to their roles, so long as they do so safely and their well-being remains prioritized. My team and I have already had a discussion regarding the potential of inviting people to our join our acting cast, a choice that we would uphold with the utmost sense of responsibility and gratefulness, providing them with anything they may need whilst filming and making their safety our number one priority, given that they are volunteering their own time and energy for a project that is not truly their own. Now, when it comes to locational limitations, it is important that whatever direction we wish to take for our pitch is reasonable with what we currently have at our disposal, whether that be one of our team members' homes, a local park, or even the library- we can make do with practically any place as long as we obtain the proper permission and respect the privacy of others who may also be present.
Upon considering the implications of our pitch, it is likely for our short film to be dialogue-heavy. What that means is that all of the diegetic sounds we incorporate should be audible (looking at you Christopher Nolan, even if it was intentional in Tenet, I still would have liked to hear what they were discussing), lest our viewers miss out on key details that would have otherwise clued them into what was truly unfolding. In the video, the speaker brought up the fact any downtimes one has when filming in a particular location can be used to obtain organic sounds that one could later apply in the post-production phase as they see fit. Now, although we already knew that recording longer shots that we later widdle down to create smooth transitions and a steady pace during editing was helpful for providing us with enough material to work with in the meantime, taking advantage of locational resources while they are still available to us is not something we had considered.
During filming, we will need to regularly touch bases with individuals who do not have a vested interest in our project, as to receive an unbiased opinion of how everything is progressing, as well as questions, critiques, and constructive criticism. Feedback will determine if we have succeeded on our mission to tell a conclusive and entertaining story, so long as the following questions (or variations of them) are not asked by our viewers under any circumstance once they have watched our short the full way through: "What happens next(?)" or "Is there a second part(?)". As flattering as it is to think that our film might have just been so good that they want an encore, said questions are likely to be hinting at a sense of confusion on the viewers' end or an ambiguous ending on our part instead, neither of which would have been our intention or objective to achieve. That would then lead to troubleshooting and reshooting to make sure that our message gets across and that there is no room left for questioning the fate our subject once the short comes to a close.
Last, but certainly not least, one must consider how to go about approaching the post-production process. Aside from actively filming and perfecting the shots on set, post-production is probably one of the most time-consuming steps in the filmmaking process. Just as the video points out, giving oneself enough time to edit without being pressured to meet strict time constraints allows for a more stress-free and productive work experience, a luxury I know my group and I would like to enjoy. The way I see it, there's no sense in leaving what can be done today for tomorrow and putting that pressure on our future selves.
Now that we have laid out all of the ingredients we need to make our short film, I'd say that it's almost time for us to start "cooking up something good(!)" (Mac DeMarco 2012).
No comments:
Post a Comment