For me, the first day of filming is usually the most difficult day. Though everyone comes in with fresh energy and a shared vision, for a producer/director, there is always the inevitable first day learning curve.
This past weekend we did a little shoot with Jacob Rachniowsk and Taylor Davis(featured in the photo below) from Cloud9 Drones.
This one felt different. Lets get that out of the way right off the bat. I don’t think I’ve hit my professional “peak” when it comes to film. But from my small experience, I can tell you this one was different.
The beauty of indie filmmaking is that nothing is ever set in stone. The possibilities are endless. The curse of indie filmmaking is also that nothing is set in stone. So many factors are often beyond your control and you have to learn to be extremely flexible in order to succeed or at least to stay sane.
You’d think what you’d remember the most about working on a film would be the actual working part. What happens between action and cut though becomes quite a blur after you’ve gone through the scene a few times. My memories mostly consist of what happened during the lulls between setup and filming, and the rides out to set. Is that to say I forgot everything that happened during filming? Not at all.
This was taken on the last day of shooting Two Roads, our latest project for the LA Film Prize. Alex was finding himself a spot to set up the camera for a wide shot in a field.
If I had the opportunity to travel more I would. Travelling opens the door to many elements of inspiration.
From the sights and sounds to the experience of getting lost or meeting strangers that become your friends, travelling is invaluable to any artist.
Well, well, well! I had a hoot on the set of my first scripted shoot, which was a commercial for Bucee’s. Actually, it was a commercial for something that Bucee’s invented. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Bucee’s, it is a well known convenient store in Texas. It’s like the Wal-Mart of gas stations. No kidding.
Monday we did a little reshoot for a certain film named Funemployment. Cramped quarters were shared to get the shot and sound positioned right. I had a bit of an issue getting out of the unit, though didn’t have much of a problem getting in somehow. Christine was on the scene running the camera, while Roxanne McDanel did makeup duties, she also flipped the light switch during the scene. Shayla Begir and Adam Duncan(not pictured) were in the scene. I was busy handling the sound, it went alright except it was a little cramped when Christine and myself crawled…
The Rocket Brothers shoot was awesome, mostly because it started in the afternoon (which is always awesome) and ended on time (also awesome.) Just kidding… What made it awesome was the people, cast and crew. The band was the nicest bunch of folks I’d met in awhile, and the crew was in high spirits like usual.