gungho girl

As filmmakers we always want to tell a great stories and we want acknowledgment for producing such fantastic productions via the receiving of the proverbial festival award or, even better, that ever-elusive studio deal or cozy relationship with a well financed producer that will ensure we will be able to make even more awesome flicks AND have those films shown in theaters throughout the world. Oh and don’t forget the eventual Oscar or Golden Globe award as icing on the cake.

Because I am the type of filmmaker that harbors such previously mentioned fantasies, I am often plagued with perfectionist tendencies. Every little detail must be in perfect order – the script, the acting, the right equipment, kick-ass art direction, the cinematography, the sound, the editing, et cetera and, to ensure this, everything must be planned to the minute detail in pre-production for success. Given the parameters of the 48 Hour Film Project, I chose a different approach. One I felt would make me feel happy, successful, and not become too much of a b*tch on set during the run. Simply – “Have fun. Get it done.”

This was my second year participating in the San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project. Last year a friend of mine, Rosie, asked me to lend my media production expertise to the Taza Films 48HFP crew. This team consisted of a few novice filmmakers from the Art Academy University, a professional composer/sound designer and his wife (a local professional improv actor), and myself. Production coordination was minimal, crap for lighting, we had no mics for sound, we suffered several technical problems with our post equipment, and hours before the deadline, of course, the entire crew was succumbing to the effects of sleep deprivation. I was literally falling asleep at times with my eyes open while editing.

In the end, we had a blast and a film that, perhaps, wasn’t award winning but definitely something we all enjoyed and was very proud to have completed given the challenges we faced. For me, that experience re-acquainted me with my passion for making flicks. I needed this reminder.  The rekindling of those feelings was more satisfying to my Soul than the pursuits of fame and fortune and that’s why I chose to do it all over again when Taza Films invited me back this year.

This year only five us returned from our previous party: Walid Khoury and Salem Abi-Hannah (Taza Films), Christopher & Jill Eickmann (Composer & Improv Actor Extraordinaire), and myself. We were joined this year by: Clay Robeson (Indie Filmmaker, Actor, & Associate Producer of the SF Improv Festival), and Joy Bergie (Improv Actor Unscripted Theatre). This is another reason why I like the 48HFP. One gets to meet new folks. Built in networking. Can’t beat that.

This year it felt like the stakes were a bit higher. Though we submitted a film last year, we didn’t make the early deadline to have our entry judged. It was screened but not eligible for prizes. That was definitely a priority this year.  Also, we had more indie pros on the team this time. So we all had very high standards based on what we’ve accomplished in our own previous productions (again, that classic urge to be great rears its head). Everyone jumped into the thick of it with whole-hearted enthusiasm.

Well, as to be expected with any 48HFP, chaos can easily ensue if one say – can’t get their car out of the public garage, or a lead has to work until noon, or “What?! We forgot that?!, or the software not only takes an hour captures the footage but takes TWO HOURS to render?! A la gran! Given the challenges that any production faces, it is very easy to loose time. We did, in fact, complete our film but due to various unpredictable variables, again, we submitted but will not be judged for prizes.

We’ll be screening Thursday night, June 11th, at 7pm & 9:30pm

Place: Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street @ Valencia (in San Fran)
Tickets: $9.75 (Purchase them here…)
Notes: Purchase tickets online or at the door.

So we got it done. Did we have fun? Hmmm. The stakes get higher any time one repeats any competition. One always wants to surpass one’s previous accomplishments. Walid and I spent some time at the end of our marathon brainstorming ways to make this particular process better and more efficient. The biggest questions on our minds the whole time (not just at the end of our run) boiled down to these three concerns.

What’s the best crew to assemble?
How to maximize such limited time?
What kind of tech is best for these conditions?

For the newbie, the hobbyist, the student, and the novice filmmaker, I offer some my 48HFP thoughts on how to have fun AND get it done. Now, obviously, if you have a big crew of people, lots of money & resources, all the equipment you need, and high budget production experience – beat it.  These suggestions aren’t for you and you know it. And please don’t rub your affluence in the face of the rest of us. Thanks.

Having only participated in two 48HFP’s this is my thinking. As far as crew goes, try to assemble a team of multi-taskers. That may seem obvious. But sometimes it’s not. This includes actors. Get actors who can help with production coordination. This is important before and after their big scenes. Sometimes the morale and energy of the group can drop if half the party leaves and only two or three people are left to see things through to the end.

True. Not everyone can crowd around the laptop to edit but part of what I like about the 48HFP experience is the camaraderie of being in the trenches together.  The more people on the crew with multiple talents, the easier it is to rotate naps. But this ain’t a hard fast rule, son. Now, of course, this crazy contest has to fit within the context of people’s lives. Just offering considerations. Production requires a lot of work and with such time constraints the more the merrier. So all hands on deck at all times.

It helps to have at least one person who’s organized a production before (any production not just the 48HFP). This is the person who will know which corners to cut and how to effectively and efficiently deal with corners that shouldn’t be cut.  During the first phase of the run, the writing of the script, it helps to have the coordination minded person(s) there just to generate lists of the what’s & where’s that are needed and get the ball rolling on it while the script is being finalized. While in production, they can make sure 48HFP paperwork gets done, folks are fed, act as a runner (or better yet, designate a runner and then tell them where to go!), or facilitate the simultaneous workflow from set to post, et cetera … dig?

Also, who’s got a car? Cabs get expensive. Public transit doesn’t go everywhere or operate at all times. This year we had the pleasure of getting ready to head to the Civic Center BART at 6am to be on set in Balboa Park at 7am only to find out last minute the BART doesn’t run until 8:30am on Sundays (sometimes I forget this isn’t New York). We managed to catch one of the actors before she got to set, get a ride, and arrive to set on time. Just an illustration.

Obviously you need techies on the team like the one with camera, lights, and the editing stuff and hopefully they can not only operate the equipment but troubleshoot too. Glitches are guaranteed to occur and not being able to solve them quickly or come up with work-arounds will definitely suck away precious time. Now. Any camera will do. One just needs to capture an image. Last year these dudes, from Santa Barbara, blew into town with their high production value spy film shot with the RedOne and all this fancy equipment. Yes. I was envious. I’m a techie. I love toys. I loved their toys. But they didn’t win Best Picture. The flick with the okay production values but the best-written story won Best Picture. Well, the writer of the film was a professional writer but you get what I’m saying. Invest in the writing because for this contest, really, any camera will do.

If you can’t get your hands on any type of lighting, shoot during the day with windows if your inside. Definitely shoot outdoors. And very importantly – Start at dawn. The nice thing about the SF 48HFP is it’s held in the summer so if you start early you have plenty of light during the day. Overcast? Better for outside actually. Nature’s natural diffusion. Digital cameras have a hard time balancing high contrast situations like a sunny day. Digital will clip in the highlights and deep shadows. So overcast outside is better than full sun. Other lighting ideas – clamp lights, bounce boards (big white cards), or up the exposure on your digital aperture (consult your camera’s manual).

Now for something really important – Sound. People will what bad picture but they will not listen to bad sound. We didn’t have mics last year, so we did ADR. We planned it that way because Western was our genre. We were thinking of the badly dubbed Mexican westerns, plus, since it was a more comedic style western we thought the dubbing of lines would add to the humour. I have no clue why I showed up to set this year and there were no mics and no sound person. Trust me. Get a mic somehow and get someone (with headphones) on it. Ideally, double up the production sound person and the sound design/composer into one individual.

I’m thinking next year (yeah I’m hooked) of trying to get two laptops for editing. Why a laptop? And why two? Well both years we used a desktop station to edit. This year the station was quite a distance from set. First thing I was wishing was that I had a laptop to so I could start capturing and editing on set (again to save time it is necessary to multitask as a team). Second thing I started wishing for was another just to capture footage so I wouldn’t have to stop editing. Of course, one has to be resourceful with what they have. But I’m just thinking (this weekend I was wishing).

Obviously, you have to work with the software that you know and can get your hands on. Just make sure you know it or some one knows it well enough to troubleshoot through the glitches. I repeat. Glitches are inevitable. This year I worked with Premiere because I live in East Bay and only have a tower with Final Cut Pro. Everything for my team was happening in San Francisco so, Clay (our actor, producer, writer), approved me working with his desktop with Premiere. I haven’t used Premiere for years but I find most editing programs to be very similar with minor differences in interfaces and such. Here comes the glitch. Premiere captures footage (in real time, of course) and then takes an hour or two, depending, to rendering and index what was just captured before I can start editing anything. Well, I didn’t know this, and thus, did not calculate for this type of time sink. Live and learn, I guess. Just because of that one difference I am even more a fan of FCP.

Ok. What are some other ways to use your time effectively with only 48 hours to produce a short? Rehearse while “art department” dresses the set (if art can’t get there before everyone else). Camera, lights, & sound setup while folks get into costume and makeup (if actors can’t arrive already in costume). If you have another location that needs the touches of the “art dept” have them skip ahead while folks finish shooting the current scene. As soon as that first tape pops out, digitize it! Start slapping scenes together. Just remember to overlap and multitask. And rotate naps!

From 48HFP 2009

Some 48HFP people considerations.

The 48HFP contest means different things to different filmmakers. We all come from varying experiences and backgrounds. Everyone has something to offer. To the newbie/novice and indie pro I say “It ain’t gonna be perfect.” If you can’t let go of that notion before entering this type of contest, I believe you will be setting yourself up for a world of misery.  Also, you only get 48 hours! Am I saying slack and make crap? No. But I do believe it is important to accept your team for where they are at and make the best of it. In essence, I think that is what is at the heart of this contest.

I’m really inspired by what I gain from deliberately challenging my creativity, resourcefulness, and my ability to collaborate under such conditions. Connecting with one’s passion is very important. That’s what the 48 Hour Film Project has given me. This rekindling of my passion for filmmaking has inspired me to continue to pursue my current indie projects and focus on telling the stories that are meaningful to me. Although, sometimes… my ego still craves prizes. Heh! (^_^)

ps – commentary welcome.