How Second Chances Can Lead To Film Success?

Small budget means small crew and that’s exactly what I had. A director of photography (DP) (Ihana Brown), lead sound, actors, and my younger sister to assist with any additional help. It’s a few weeks before the shoot and the constant barrage of thoughts surrounding the key question, “what shots, objects, scenes, and lines (and the context behind them) need to be said/shown on camera for the end viewer to understand were swirling through my mind. To make things even clearer there was a lot of storyboarding.

It’s the day before the shoot, I spend the entire day buying groceries, creating/cleaning props (involved searching through recycling bins to find trash, bottles, cans, boxes etc.), prepping locations, sending out schedules, scripts, etc. That night, due to exhaustion, I sleep through all my alarms and somehow wake up to the chimes of multiple text message from the lead sound letting me know he’s arrived from Richmond and is waiting downstairs. (Shoot!)

 I quickly shrug my sister awake, wash-up and put breakfast on the table. I rush downstairs to let the lead sound into the building and coincidentally the first of the four actors needed for the shoot was also waiting downstairs as well. Not long after that the DP shows up with the second actress and off, we go to film the first scene in an apartment complex parking lot across the street. After we finish, we head back to the Airbnb where I task my sister to start putting trash and bottles everywhere to make the place look messy.

Difficult? Yes, because the Airbnb was already very clean. Next, came instructing the male actor on how to perform a mini physical stunt. I ask him to make it as realistic as possible. Grab the shirt. Do a little tussle. Throw the empty bottle and aim to make contact. It was all or nothing at this point, but I also had to ensure everyone’s safety.

A few more hours pass by, we get through the final scenes with the remaining two actors, and we wrap for the day. Did I feel accomplished? Yes. But it was short-lived because I’ve felt this feeling before. The real feeling of accomplishment will only come in post-production when all the footage has been sorted through and put together for a final product.

A month or so passes by and the editor sends me the first rough cut. My nerves start kicking in badly. I click the link. Watch the footage and I was so incredibly relieved! The tightness in my chest began to unwind. Other than a few minor changes and additions I understood everything from beginning to end.

But then I realized my opinion matters only to a certain extent. It’s all about the end consumer and their understanding. I needed to find a few people to give me their honest opinions. I reach out to WIFV Executive Director, Melissa Houghton, who gave me her thoughts and made the additional adjustments. Then, I reach out to director and producer, Alyscia Cunningham to look it over and it takes her a few days to get back to me.

She provides great feedback but also expresses that she had to watch the rough-cut multiple times and listen very carefully before she could understand the story from beginning to end. (My heart starts pounding again. That’s not good.) However, she states that all the scenes, lines, and shots that need to be shown to fully understand were captured and that the rough cut just needs to be rearranged. (Okay. I can deal with that).

I set up a zoom meeting with Alysica, the editor, and I to narrow everything down. A few days before the meeting was set to take place something unexpected happens.

I end up winning a film grant. Oh my gosh!

Other posts you may be interested in:

• How Important Is Visual Effects In Film?
• How To Save Money With Archival Footage In Film?
• How To Find The Right Film Director?

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