Lesson Learned: “Killer’s Revenge”
I hinted at this film in my previous post, but I would love to share what I learned from my first official short film "Killer's Revenge." Using only 8 pages, 6 crew members, 2 cast members, and 1 camera, my crew and I crafted a story that I am still fond of today. Granted, it had its issues, but the payoff is still one of the best ones my team and I have crafted to date. If you haven't seen it yet, you can catch all the suspense-filled action below.
Now that you've watched it, let's talk about it. Here are the most important lessons I learned from my freshman attempt.
1. Plan Ahead
A lot of headaches would have easily been avoided had we planned in advance.
This one seems a little silly, as if you're in the film business, you should know this already. However, you would think that I would have known this going into this project, but heck, I am still learning this one to this day. I cannot stress enough how important pre-production is. During the pre-production phase of this film, I drafted and finalized the script, scouted for locations, recruited my cast and crew with no audition process, just grabbing who I knew would be good, did a brief and hastily-crafted storyboard, then went to film. No rehearsals. No discussions. Let's just do it! Sounds awesome right? Well, one of my actors hadn't even seen the script until the day of filming, and he did a fantastic job, but one that would have been better had he even read the lines before we threw a costume on him. We had a ton of fun filming this film, but a lot of headaches would have easily been avoided had we planned in advance...well, anything really. So seriously, do your homework. Get your shots on paper. Give your scripts to everyone involved in the project, even the props master. This seems elementary, but in my case, I wish someone would have drilled it into my head.
2. Be Flexible
The weather was absolutely on our side.
This was a lesson I am also learning time and time again, but no film stretched my flexibility like this one. The first day of filming, one of my actors was four hours late. Four hours. Thankfully, he notified me a little ahead of time. But how was I supposed to film a film about two guys when I only have one of them for four hours? I couldn't cancel because we were all there, ready to film. We had to change our plans, and fast. We filmed everything we could possibly filmed with just one of the two actors, plus our cutaways. After the additional talent showed up, we filmed everything with both of them quickly and efficiently.
The second day proved to be the most difficult, but the most rewarding. We had been graced with beautiful outdoor weather for the first day and a half, but weather is unpredictable. In the middle of filming the lead up to the climax, the rain started pouring. We filmed what we could, but I had a decision to make. We could keep filming, or postpone production, which would set us back several weeks, if not months. That was unacceptable. So we kept filming, ditching a page and a half of dialogue in order to film as much as we could. In a move of unprecedented acting, I told my actors to get from point A to point B with no lines to guide them. Apparently skilled in improv, they nailed it, pulling in emotion and grit to say what their characters would to get them to the breaking point. And let's be honest, the rain during the fight scene made it that much more epic, especially with the dirt and mud, which was not makeup, by the way. As far as sound design and color correction during those scenes, we added in thunder and extra rain noise to make the transition and the scene more believable and more intense, and the payoff was incredible. We may not have predicted the weather, but in a case study of being flexible, the weather was absolutely on our side, making for a much better film than what may have happened.
3. Trust Your Team
They're behind me 100%, and they know I'm with them 100%.
I mentioned this briefly in my last post, but this film was the beginning of working with the greatest team I have ever worked with. During this film, we were able to laugh, have a great time, but film what was necessary when it got down to it. Every member of the team was vital to the success of this film, including my stellar script supervisor Gabe Owens, who had never done the job before, but made post production a breeze with his astute vigilance. Nathaniel Whittier was an indispensable assistant camera, and of course Josh Harbin, sound man extraordinaire, who ensures post production sound came off without a hitch. Andrew Owens beautifully captured our behind-the-scenes action as well as made sure all props and costumes were in their places. His eye for continuity kept us on our toes and made for seamless takes. My acting talent was unmatched with their skills for pacing, phrasing, and as-lobbing. I've worked with both Andrew Hall and John Stewart before, and you definitely haven't seen the end of our collaboration. They are incredible. And then there's my director of photography and assistant director Broderick Whittier, without whom this project would have never left the ground. The biggest and most important takeaway I have from working with Broderick is always, always, always trust your DP.
During the final scene, he asked if I wanted a particular shot, just in case. In all the chaos of the rain and mud, I declined, stating I had what I needed. However, when we got into the editing room, during the cutting of the fight scene, I realized I really wanted the shot he suggested, but there was no way to get it now. Since that day, if he ever asks if I want a shot, he knows the answer. Get it done. Better to have it and not use it than to want it and not have it. Trust your team. They're there to make the film the best it can be using their amazing skills. I will continue to work with my team not because they all have degrees in film, but because they love what they do and are behind me 100%, and they know I'm with them 100%. Trust your team.