Here’s the deal:
We were finally able
to wrap up all the exterior shots for my next short film, BloodGuilt, over the holidays. They all took place in one location, which allowed us to
get them done in two nights. But, that’s not to say the journey was easy; because it wasn't. In fact, the journey to getting those shots in the can was
filled with all sorts of setbacks.
And that’s not all:
We were actually
slated to shoot all of our interior shots first. The location was locked with
the owner and everything. Plus, I had an investor scheduled to stop by, and check
us out in action. However, the night before that shoot date, I received a
call from one of our main actors. He informed me that he wasn’t feeling well
and wouldn’t be able to make it through the shoot. And since it was the
holidays, no one’s schedule would line up for another 2 weeks;
which included the availability of the location.
Fortunately:
I realized that there
was enough time in everyone’s schedule to get the exterior shots completed
before then. But, since I focused all my attention on the interiors, I was
not ready for those exterior shots at all. But, if there’s anything I’ve
learned in life (and not just in filmmaking) it’s to take advantage of the
opportunities that present themselves. Because those opportunities may not ever
present themselves again. Besides, being thrust into a situation where I’d
have to plan as I go, is only going to make me a better filmmaker.
So I dug my heels in,
and got to work:
And in the span of a
few days, I was able to develop a shot list, gather the props we needed, and dress
the location in enough time to be ready for the exteriors. Everything came
down to the wire, but we were all ready.
Only, when we got to
the location, our power source died on us… Which threw my entire lighting plan off; and literally left us in the cold.
Bottom Line:
We weren’t able to complete
our shots that night, and had to schedule another shoot day. But-
I can’t emphasize this
enough:
You have to take
advantage of your opportunities. So, I used that time to create an even better
shot list, based off the difficulties we ran into that night. I also used that
time to purchase a brand new generator, which would provide even better lighting
setups than before.
But that’s not all:
On the morning of the next
shoot date, another actor contacted me, letting me know the he was feeling under the weather; which
of course meant, we had to reschedule yet another shoot date…
But a couple of weeks
later, we were able to get back to that location and take care of business. We
had long johns, a massive generator, gloves, and we even pitched a fire. It was
awesome! We got the shots we needed and then some; but in the end, it wasn’t
even about the shots. Because that night, our little cast and crew shared a
bond.
The best part?
We banded together and
fought off all the elements (in this world and beyond) that attempted to thwart
our desired goal. And because of our PERSEVERANCE, we are that much closer to
completing our short film, BloodGuilt!
Perseverance is trait that I’m definitely learning to appreciate (and
develop) while on this journey of independent filmmaking… [salute]
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