Steel White Table

I just got back from my first film shoot — for a short film I’m making with my film class. I wrote the script, and was able to direct and shoot a couple shots. We all took turns. I was able to give the actor some direction here and there. I also did every other job on the set: clapper, boom mic, sound recording, and lighting.

I now know what goes into shooting a movie. It was just a one-day shoot, but I got to see how everything was done. Whether we end up with a good movie is another matter altogether. It could work, but what we shot today is not exactly the same movie I wrote. I’m also being over-protective because I wrote the script and knew what I wanted to see in each scene when the camera was rolling. I cringed every time we deviated from the script, every time someone misread their lines or, even worse, came up with their own lines. There were more than a few shots where I thought, “Okay, can’t do anything about that. Move on.” So I’m beginning to wonder how this is all going to work out in the editing room. Everyone else seems to be a hell of a lot more optimistic than I’m feeling right now.

What I’ve learned: 99% of the work that goes into shooting a film is logistics and hard labour. Plugging stuff in, moving stuff, unplugging stuff, moving more stuff. I’m not kidding. Exciting is the last word I’d use to describe it. Interesting at times, maybe, but not very exciting (Tom Cruise wasn’t on the set). The 1% of the work that is artistry consists of maybe framing the shot and the acting that happens while the film is rolling. And to give you an idea how often that happens, we worked 8 hours today and shot 10 minutes of film, most of which will end up on the cutting room floor.

Anyhow, if I’m making it sound like it sucked, it didn’t. I would do it all again tomorrow if I could, and the next day. It’s been a great learning experience. I’m looking forward to post-production on this one, and eventually being able to direct my own film.

P.S., I might post a link to the script in a later post. And if I’m allowed to upload the movie to Steel White Table, I will. I’m also thinking about reshooting the entire script on my own with my video camera, but we’ll see how things turn out first.

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