Wise Words
“It’s hard enough to write a good drama, it’s much harder to write a good comedy, and it’s hardest of all to write a drama with comedy. Which is what life is.”
Jack Lemmon
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My Thriller Debut (Part III)
I must say that again I got lucky. I can’t take sole credit for the way the team pulled together. I mean in 48 hours you really are asking a lot of people. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is. From the actors–you are asking them to show up at a certain time, with several kinds of clothing and props (because you have no idea what genre or story you’ve got until the last minute), with their full game on, ready to face the cameras with a script they’ve barely had a chance to read. From the crew–you are asking them to show up with all their equipment and artistic talent and their full creative hats on—not only ready to take direction and ready to speak up if they have a better idea; but also ready to fill a role we didn’t know we needed. I never had more fun. It’s exciting, challenging, and daunting. You have all these professionals depending on you to make a movie they can be proud of.
The Doll
So I handed out the script to the actors as they arrived that morning. I also gave them a character sheet. But I felt bad for not getting it to them sooner. I truly had to get faster at writing a script. Do you see what I mean about not wasting your time on the small stuff? When making a movie, no matter the budget, no matter your time allowed, concentrate on the important things—cast, crew, script. But a filmmaker can’t just focus on production; you also need a fabulous post-production team. In a 48 Hour film that means you have to get them the footage so they can do their thing. You need every person going full hilt to give his or her best. Then maybe you’ll have a film you like. For me, A House to Herself is a film I am proud of. And besides… I made a thriller!!! Read Part I
Back for More Filmmaking Madness (Thriller Part II)
We held our breathe as we waited to pull our genre from the hat. I did not want to make a musical or western or comedy. I believed I could turn any other genre into some sort of a thriller. And we also hoped that the required prop and line of dialogue wouldn’t be too silly for a thriller. The adrenaline was already pumping through me and the 48 hours hadn’t begun yet! The waiting around would normally be really cool because there were so many filmmakers in the room. There were family teams, amateur teams, and professional teams, and everyone was excited and making plans for their films even as their competition sat nearby. It would have been nice to chat with these people about movies and cameras and things film geeks discuss. Finally the kick-off was official and it was my turn. “We got Film de Femme!” I shouted. Whoo hoo!
A House to Herself
Our required elements were:
Prop— a piece from a board game
Line of dialogue—”Tell me again why this matters.”
Character— Zach or Zelda Alexander, Exterminator.
I must say that even doing this 48 Hour competition twice before, it doesn’t get any easier. Yes casting is vital, sure the experience and creativity of the crew makes all the difference, but it all boils down to the script. The story had to be imagined, a script had to be written, and everyone needed it ready to shoot in a few hours. Did I warn you that you don’t get much sleep during this 48 hour period? It turns out stamina is an important trait for filmmakers. I discovered that it ALWAYS takes longer to write the script than you think it will. After creating a few titles and loglines, I ran the ideas by my producer and DP. We picked the best one and I ran with it to write the draft script. The title of my first thriller became A House To Herself.
Summary:
Nora is a selfish trophy wife. She married for money and has no heartache when her husband dies suddenly. She has no desire to raise his bratty daughter, instead Nora wants to party, travel, and shop; that is until eerie events have everyone questioning Nora’s sanity.
The film featured Maria Skorobogatov, Allan Lazo, Eric Andersen, and YaVaughnie Wilkins in the lead roles. To be continued…
Eager To Make A Short Thriller (Part I)
I am drawn to short thrillers of the Twilight Zone type. In fact, have I mentioned that I LOVE the Twilight Zone TV series? Even all these years later, those episodes stand the test of time. But I’ll discuss my thoughts on that in a future blog post. Today’s post is about how I was eager to make my own short thriller film.
Guess what else was going on at about this time? The 48 Hour Film Festival competition was approaching. As you may know, entrants have no idea what genre they may get, nor do they have control over rules of the “city” imposed elements regarding the required character, dialogue line, and prop item. But I was game to give it another go. I mean how else can you make a movie over a weekend unless everyone is committed to hustle their tails off for a common purpose?
I signed up as a Team Leader. Mi Casa Su Casa Productions was going to give it a shot. And remember, I was determined to make a thriller. I figured there were a few things working against us—primarily the luck of the draw. Would I get a genre I could work with? What about all the other important ingredients of a good thriller—casting, music, and setting? So I got to work, doing the stuff that we are allowed to do in preparation of the 48 Hour kick-off. I assembled a team.
Scary Location
With the experience of the prior two short films, the feature horror film, and the audition for the feature film under my belt, I was all business about recruiting the cast and crew, and about finding the perfect location. Flexibility is key in making a 48 Hour film. But the one thing that is set in stone is the location. Oh sure, I wasted a lot of time and energy my first year running around getting permissions for 3 locations—just in case I got a certain genre. Forget that. A professional commits to one location and makes it work. That way you spend your time and creativity on the important things.
Lessons Learned From My First Audition
One of the benefits of being involved in other filmmaker’s projects is getting to meet more filmmakers. As the Script Supervisor on a feature horror film, I was invited to attend the producer, Justin Johnson‘s, audition. Naturally, I had my eyes open for casting my next project.
I learned three lessons during this audition process. First, be as prepared as possible. That means holding the audition in a place where interruptions are minimal, having one person in charge of the paperwork, and staying on schedule. Your ability to hold an organized try-out tells the actors (and crew) what you’ll be like to work with. I was impressed by Justin’s preparedness and his competence on the set dealing with all the people working, performing, and asking questions.
Second, have someone taping the auditions so you can review them later. This is vital when you have two or three actors you’re considering for one role, or you’re thinking of offering a different role than they auditioned for, or you have a change of crew such as a new director. They’ll want to see the talent you’re recommending. Taping also let’s you see what that person looks like on film. The third lesson relates to actors. You never know who else is in the room. The DP may also be a producer. The screenwriter may also be a director. And, as in my case, an observer may also be a filmmaker. Many eyes are watching you, wanting you to be the ‘one’ they’re looking for. So my advice is, no matter how small the role you are auditioning for, act as if it’s the role-of-a-lifetime. Because someone sitting in the room just may be in the position to offer you that dream role someday. In actuality, I have cast two short films from this audition and I found crew members, too.
My Directorial Debut Part III
We went above and beyond what was expected of a 48-hour film, and we sure had a blast. Of all the technical planning and scriptwriting—which are essential of course—I can’t tell you how vital it is to have a committed and capable cast and crew. Not only did I luck out with my genre, but also I can’t boast enough about those who worked on this project with me.
On the set of The Road Ahead
Sure enough, we used Friday for the scriptwriting and coordination; Saturday for filming; and Sunday for editing, music, and credits. This year the prop was a pin or pen. I must say that we sure as hell had the best use of prop than any of the other submitted films in our city competition. But guess what? We didn’t win an award for it. Probably because we had M-16’s all over the place, or so I’m told. But who cares about that? I stretched myself creatively, I had the opportunity to work with amazing people, and we created a film that entertained an audience. Maybe there is something I’d like to tweak, but this is the nature of the 48-Hour film, right?
My Directorial Debut Part II
When the script was finished (is a script ever really finished?) we had a crew meeting to finalize the details and the guys went home. I emailed the script to the cast and tried to get a couple of hours of sleep. Last year, with my homage to the CSI series (actually more of a parody) we had a gun scene and some people thought our film was penalized for it. This year I thought, if I’m going to be penalized at least let me really show the weapons. So our film was a Vietnam movie about soldiers who run out of gas in enemy territory. Creative use of ‘road trip’ right?
I couldn’t wait to start filming and I couldn’t sleep. In the middle of the night I realized that passersby might panic seeing us walking around with M-16’s. So I made a couple of impromptu signs borrowing ‘open house’ signs from my sleeping realtor-husband. Early the next morning we set out for the remote location where we were to film.
My Directorial Debut
My Directorial debut was an exhilarating experience. Once again participating in the 48 Hour Film Project, I felt a little more prepared this time around. I had ideas in my head that I wanted to pursue; depending on what genre I pulled out of the hat. Right at 7:00 p.m. all the team leaders lined up to pull our assigned genres. After we pulled our genre we had to wait for everyone else to pull theirs and then we were given the required line of dialogue, the required character, and the required prop.
My Directorial debut!
There were genres that I was praying I didn’t get. I did not want western, musical or comedy. My team and I decided we could handle any of the other twelve genres, but those were the dreaded three. Luckily I pulled ‘Road Trip’ and I was thrilled. I called my producer on my cell. He was at his home with our DP, the prop and costume guy, and a PA. By the time I got to them we had a rough idea of what movie we were going to make. I sent them off to the prop store while I got busy on the script. I was sure I could have the draft done by the time they returned. But it actually took awhile longer. We sat together and discussed where I was going with the story. They had great input. We all agreed we wanted to blow everyone away with our version of a road trip. While the crew worked on the props, the producer called the cast and gave them all their instructions. Meanwhile I was still plugging away on the script.
My Second Short Film
In 2008 I went back for more of the same craziness. I assembled an entirely new cast and crew. Actually I had decided that wearing four hats for my first short film was too much. This time I brought in a producer. This wasn’t just any producer. I had worked with Justin Johnson on his first feature horror film. I was the script supervisor and I provided the craft service. That experience was educational, fun, and scary. But that’s another blog post.
Justin’s film had just finished production on the Sunday of the same week the 48 Hour Film Project started. Somehow Justin’s and my raving about the upcoming 48 Hour project got many of the cast and cast excited and they signed on. I was l-u-c-k-y. We had just wrapped on 5 weeks of filming and I thought they were insane for agreeing to it but they said they liked working with Justin and me. I think it was the cooking I did for them each filming day. Either way, I was thrilled. This would be my very first time being the director.