This past weekend, I shot my short. Since I rented the camera for the weekend and my DP was only available for a couple hours each day, I was in a rush to get the shots I had envisioned. I then had to shoot some scenes and transition shots myself. For the most part, I’m pleased with the shots. I’m thinking I might have to go back and shoot some things, but with a Canon 5D.
Directing was a new experience for me. TG is absolutely right when she says a filmmaker must be calm on set. I was so stressed out that I had become hasty in my directing and I’m sure my actors felt that way as well. I’m certain my directing was flawed – it’s difficult to communicate to others what my vision is. My main character was a bit difficult to direct since she is not a trained actor. It definitely challenged me as a director to bring out the character “Anna.” I realized she had been “over-acting” and I started capturing moments when she wasn’t actively acting by not telling her we were recording. I also realized it’s not a good idea to cast your good friend. She began to question a lot of my creative decisions in front of my crew and actors, which cut down on a lot of time. I definitely did not appreciate that since I was so short on time already. I had a clear vision of what I wanted in each scene. Essentially, a professional demeanor on set would’ve been appreciated instead of a casual one. The other actor didn’t require much directing as he was an acting major. I was also getting a bit frustrated, since my sound person needed training and guidance on how to use a Tascam and didn’t mark each file as I had requested. But, what can I do now?
Here are some stills from the shoot. I shot in C Log, so the images are a bit flat until I go to post for color correction.
I also decided to tentatively title my short “Face the East.”
Jocelyn
