photo by Judy Garlow

“Interview Room 3″ is a police drama that I co-produced that centers on a college student (Morgan) who is brought into a police interview room and finds out that her father was killed.  As the two detectives talk to her, we find out there may be more to the story…

Production-wise, I have to say I was relieved to have only one location.  Not like on Tomboys, where we were driving all over town trying to film all the different scenes.  We had some problems finding an actual interview room, though…  It needed to be a sparse, windowless room.  We tried actual police stations, but none of them were interested in having a cast and crew of 30 people hanging around their station for eight hours, for some reason.  I contacted a local community college to see if we could use one of their classrooms, and no one would return my calls.  Then it occurred to me that my place of employment has conference rooms that are outside the “secure” area, and are used when we want to meet with customers or vendors without having to jump through hoops with security to get them through the security gates.  No one would have a need for the rooms on a weekend, and when I asked the appropriate people if I could use it to shoot a short film, they were surprisingly accepting of it.  So it all worked out very well from a location standpoint.

Another thing that I was very proud of was getting a food sponsor for our shoot.  Drew’s Pastry Place–a local cafe that in my opinion is WONDERFUL–agreed to cater our shoot in exchange for product placement.  So we showed the detectives drinking coffee with Drew’s logo on it.  And in exchange, Drew made us wonderful turkey sandwiches, with chips, his famous homemade cookies, and… chocolate dipped strawberries!   If you live in the Houston area, I’m not kidding you, you need to go there–Drew’s is really, really good.

The film was produced by our organizer Manny Mireles and directed by Jillian Nolan, a local theater director, teacher, actor, and writer.  David Masters was the writer, and Brad Ferrell was our DP (once again).  The actors were wonderful, and so was the crew.  And I think the fact that I was bored for most of the shoot was an indicator that I did my job well too!  No emergencies broke out!  Besides, they say that producers are just glorified PA’s once they get onset.

Our DP Brad shot, edited and narrated it.  I think it turned out pretty good!  I was the clapper, lol.

(click here for more photos; photos by basselal)

After my previous attempt at directing a film for this film group, I was determined to do much better.  By this time, our group had grown, we’d learned a lot of lessons, and we’d improved by leaps and bounds.

Aiming to do a comedy, we looked around for someone to submit a script to us..  Manny told me about a guy named James Shade who had a couple of scripts tucked away.  One that he showed me–and that I took to immediately–was a cute, hilarious story called “Tomboys.”  It is about three tomboys–a jock, a mechanic, and a cowgirl–who lament the fact that they can’t seem to get–or keep–dates, because they are too intimidating.  So they decide they’re going to try to act more girly in order to impress guys.  And of course, zany hijinks ensue.

There were two big challenges (which I had to deal with because not only did I direct, but I co-produced with Manny).  One was that this script had FOUR locations.  And we shoot all our films in a single day.  With the help of another local writer, Chuck Norfolk (James was stuck in jury duty), we did some rewrites that helped quite a bit.  The story then had two scenes in a restaurant, one in a bar, one in a women’s clothing store, one outside, and one at a paintball field.  I know it seems like we just added more locations, but what we ended up doing is finding a women’s clothing store and a restaurant within a block of each other; the restaurant had a bar, and we got permission to film outside behind the women’s clothing store.  If the paintball field wasn’t in the middle of nowhere, we would have consolidated further and tried to cluster ALL our locations within a few blocks of one another, but that’s the best we could do.  We started our shoot on a Sunday at the paintball field (b/c that’s when they were least crowded–when everyone is typically at church), then moved everyone over 10 miles away to the restaurant & clothing store area, and stayed there for the rest of the shoot.

The other challenge was finding three actresses to play the leads who 1) could act and 2) had good chemistry with each other.  Same with the three supporting male actors.  We didn’t get many male actors, but we REALLY lucked out with the ones who did audition.  We had a lot of ladies to choose from, and it was a tough decision, but I was extremely happy with who we picked.  I had two rehearsals with them–one with just the actors and me, doing a table read and fleshing out the characters.  That rehearsal was important, I think, because I got to know the actors a bit and I wanted them to trust me and know that I was there to support them.  Our second audition included a number of other key people, like our DP, and it was at that point that we worked out the (considerable) physical comedy portions of the script.  By the time we got to shooting day, the actors were ON IT.  I am so proud of them, and the quality of this film has a lot to do with their great performances.

Another important aspect of this shoot were the extraordinary efforts of our makeup (Closed Casket Creations again) and wardrobe person (Lacy King).  The actors had to go from dressing up in paintball gear and battle makeup to date clothing (in the women’s cases, very fancy dresses and makeup); and for the final scenes that were shot (which are the first scenes in the movie), the ladies had to get into their stereotypical tomboy outfits (jock, mechanic, cowgirl).   The transformations from one scene to another were astounding, and made the storyline even more effective as a result.

One of my goals for this production were to be as efficient as possible.  I wanted to move people along, not have people standing around doing nothing, and only keep people there as long as I needed them.  Although, due to intensive pre-production, I believe I did a fair job of doing that, our shoot still lasted 12 hours.  And I still had to cut some non-essential shots and one short, non-essential scene that would have required yet another wardrobe change and re-lighting.  I did storyboard and create a shot list, and I did visit all the locations with Brad, my DP.  But I could have prepared even more.  Brad and I still did some discussing on set, when ideally, everything should be figured out ahead of time.  I didn’t appreciate how long makeup takes (and hair), and I should have gotten more helpers and gotten my actors in the makeup chair sooner at the beginning of the day.  But these are small things.

“Tomboys” is currently in post-production.  Once we get that first edit locked, I’ll be able to work with our composer, Eric Helin, and get a soundtrack laid on top of it.  I dare say, this may be the first film I’ve directed that I’m not at least a little bit embarrassed to show people!

The problem is, though, that I really don’t know enough about film; about the history of film, techniques and genres.  I haven’t watched enough classics, and when people throw around phrases like, “Cinéma vérité” or “Mise en scène,” I have no idea what they are talking about.  Perhaps I should learn French!  In any case, unless I try to understand film better, the best I can hope to do is re-create the wheel in a vastly inferior form.  I need to watch movies, read about film theory, and actually open up the many filmmaking books I’ve purchased over the years.  Here are a few.

• Technique of Film Editing: This book was originally printed in the 1950′s and is often spoken of in terms of, “If you own just ONE filmmaking book, it should be this one….”  and “the single most comprehensive and engaging volume on film editing.”  I have only begin to crack this one open, but it starts out by analyzing the breakthrough editing techniques (for its time) of “The Birth of a Nation,” and explaining in great detail why each editing choice enhances the story.  It’s not so much about the technical details (which would clearly be outdated in our digital age), but about the art and theory behind film editing.
• Film Directing Shot by Shot: This was recommended to me by someone who works at the cable access channel.  I have yet to open it, but I know I need to.  This book goes over how to compose and arrange your shots to effectively tell the story you want to tell.
• The Artist’s Way:  This is not a book about film, specifically.  It’s a self-directed 12-week course that helps you to unlock your creativity.  I have not gotten past week one, honestly, due to my own laziness, but even that much was a revelation.  You start out by waking up every day and writing a stream-of-consciousness journal for three pages.  It’s amazing how powerful that is, if you try it.  You can read the first chapter here.

Our third film, “Halloweed” is almost done being edited, but it won’t be publicly available as we are going to try to submit it to film festivals.  Wish us luck!

Written and co-produced by one of our founders, Tena Lewis (who did a great job on both fronts), “Halloweed” is a comedy that takes place at a college Halloween party.  Two stoners meet these hot chicks dressed as zombies and then try to hit on them.  Problem is… they actually ARE zombies.  This shoot was lots of fun.  For the first time, we had makeup and wardrobe people on board.  We were lucky that the folks at Closed Casket Creations were willing to help us out for free.  We also had a costume person help us out, someone who wants to break into film, and she was amazing, the way she found costumes for our extras.  The look of the film was perfect.

We started at around 5pm on a Saturday night and went all the way through to 6am the next morning.  And let me tell you, it was BRUTAL, but we got it done.  Again, I worked mainly behind the scenes (I basically managed the crew), but I learned so much about the process.  It really helped me to be prepared for our fourth film, “Tomboys” which I directed about a week and a half ago.

The director we had onboard for this one, Shaminder Dulai, works at the local newspaper as a multimedia guy.  He makes short documentaries on the fly for the paper’s website.  In the final product (sorry I can’t show it yet), you can really see how experienced he is, with the creative framing and movement and whatnot.

Another thing we have (we actually had this in the previous film, but I forgot to mention it) is an original score.  I am VERY excited about that.  Our resident musician/composer, Eric Helin, has been great about writing music for us.

Alright.  In the future, I’ll try to post sooner after our shoot dates (this was shot at the end of March) so I can remember more of the details.

I have a lot to say about it, but for now I’ll just say it’s WAY better than the first one for a myriad of reasons. I was not on the creative team for this one (is that the reason? Hehehe!), but I did work heavily behind the scenes.

———————

Update: (5/4/2010)

So, as you can see, this film was MUCH better than our group’s previous one. Here is a list of things that we did differently that contributed to this:

• Our producer/writer/director Manny got enough helpers this time.  When I directed “Scene,” the group was new and we only had a few people on set.  So even though I was directing, I was also moving furniture, lights, etc..  It was very exhausting.  This time, we had tons of people on set, someone to do everything: a script supervisor, gaffer, clapper person, continuity, behind-the-scenes video, photographer, and a ton of production assistants.  Manny was able to concentrate on directing, and that’s it.
• We had a real Director of Photography.  Brad is a real pro, very experienced and he has his own equipment, which he understands inside and out.  This is probably the biggest reason our production value went up so much.  Previously, I spent a lot of time worrying about how to operate a camera, and sound, and all that stuff.  But really, a director is not a technical position.  I mean, you don’t NEED to have any technical knowledge.  Really, the D.P., sound and light people, and all their helpers are the ones who NEED to understand how that stuff works.  …that’s not to say that it’s not GOOD for a director to know about these things.  I mean… you’d really be cutting yourself off as a director if you didn’t know what tools you have at hand to execute your vision.  But you don’t really need to know these things as in-depth as the aforementioned crew members if all you want to do is direct.
• We also had a really good sound person.  Although we didn’t have on-set sound, we did have voice-over and sound effects.  Sound is so extremely important to get right, and so difficult to get right.  As of this writing, we’ve shot two more films, both of which are in post at the moment, so we’ll see how we’ve done with on-set sound when those come out
• Manny was also very organized.  He had the whole thing storyboarded, and he had a shot list ready.  A shot list is a list of the shots, numbered in order of how they show up in the movie.  They are then re-ordered (with the original numbering) in the order in which they should be shot (for instance, we had a child actor, and we wanted to shoot his scenes first so he could go home.  Same with the couple in bed, even though all three of these actors didn’t show up till the end of the film.)  This way, he was able to go in and start shooting right away without thinking about what he was going to do next.

If I sit and think about it, I can probably think of many other things that contributed to the vast improvement of this film, but these are the main points.  I’ve seen a cut (without sound) of the one following this–Halloweed–and it’s another huge leap in quality.  Not sure if I can post it here when it’s finished because we may submit it to film festivals, but I will at least talk about it and post pictures if that is the case.

I went to a seminar a few months ago about how to direct actors, and the instructor said that 85% of direction is casting the right people. If you just cast your non-actor friends, you’ll need like five rehearsals before you can get them play the part well enough.  And casting the right people isn’t just about finding people who can act—it’s about finding people with a good attitude, who will help and not hinder your production, and who are reliable and professional.

You can tell a lot about an actor by the way they reply to your casting call.  Do they follow directions (“include your headshot and resume”)?  If not, perhaps they can’t follow directions in a film, either.  Are they professional?  I’ve had people ignore my directions in a casting call and just DEMAND that I tell them where the audition is.  Even though it’s by invitation only.  Some people just send a picture of themselves, with no cover letter or resume.  A lot of people don’t say what film they are trying out for—even though I asked them to because we are casting more than one film at a time.  I had one girl apply for a film in which I asked for a 35-40 year old MAN!  She didn’t even READ the casting call, I guess..

There is really only one way to answer a casting call:  by following ALL directions, and including a nice cover letter introducing one’s self and saying what part they would like to try out for.  This says the actor takes the process seriously.

During the audition, the behavior of the actor is just as important as their performance.  Are they on time?  Are they polite?  Were they prepared?  Did they do any research on the character they are trying out for?  When you directed them to do it a slightly different way, did they do it differently, or the same as before?  (if not, then they can’t take direction)

An actor who is flaky, has a bad attitude, or is unprofessional in any way will derail your production, no matter how good of an actor they may be.  Imagine if your lead actor just doesn’t show up.  What are you supposed to do then?  What if they don’t respect you as a director, and don’t do what you ask of them?  You can figure out if an actor will behave this way if you pay attention during the casting process.

So… where do you find actors to begin with?  You post casting calls.  In the Houston area, we have the Houston Film Commission and Short Film Texas.  You can also post on Breakdown Express and Craigslist.  Another way you can find good actors is by contacting acting coaches in the area, and by posting notices around university theater departments.  One thing I just learned from a local professional casting director is that you can ask other actors for referrals.  If you like an actor, find out who they know and respect.  And don’t forget about social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

More tips I’ve learned about casting:

• Have all pertinent info in your casting call
  • Know what types, ages you need
  • Have a logline (brief description of the movie)
  • Know your shooting dates
  • Tell actors what commitment is needed and locations
  • Tell actors what the compensation will be
  • Be up front about any uncomfortable situations in the movie, like nudity
  • Ask for headshots and resumes, and have a casting email account for this
• Post casting call at least 2 weeks before audition
• When people respond, schedule time slots for those you want to see
• Pick a “side”—a scene for actors to audition with and send it ahead of time; find scenes where you can see a fluctuation in performance, where you see them go from one emotion to another.
• When they come in, have a sign-up sheet
• Be professional as a director, because you are also selling yourself to the actors
  • Get up and greet the actor
  • Make them feel as comfortable as possible
  • Look at their resume and make positive comments to put them at ease
• Record the auditions; acting looks different on video than it does in person!   A performance that seems too subtle may be just right on camera.  Something that looks just right in person could be over-the-top when played back.
• Have a “reader” for the actor to respond to/play against.  This person should not PERFORM.  They should just read the lines and let the actor perform.
• Have the actor “slate” in front of the camera so you can identify them later in the video
  • Look into the camera, say their name, and show both profiles
• If the performance is horrible, they may not have understood what is needed; try having them do it a different way—they may surprise you once they better understand what you want from them.
• When they are done, politely thank them and let them know you’ll get back to them.
• Go home and watch the tapes.

You will also want to have callbacks, so you can see which actors have the best chemistry with one another.  Pick your favorite actors, and then have them come back a second time

• Mix and match and see which ones work best together
• See if the actors are reacting to each other naturally
  • Are they listening to one another, or just waiting for their turn to talk?

In conclusion, we are still refining our casting process, but those are the basics that I’ve learned so far.  A reliable, professional actor will be a joy to work with.  And a good actor will make YOU as a director look good.

As of now, we’ve shot three films and are doing pre-production on a fourth and fifth.  Two are completely done, and I’ll post the second one shortly.  You’ll see a huge difference between the first and second film, which shows how fast we are learning and growing.

Here is our first short film, “Scene.”

Here are my some random tidbits of what went on behind the scenes of this particular project:

• For this project, we didn’t have an experienced cinematographer.  The guy that did the cinematography was more of a sound guy, but he knew a guy with a good camera.  The big difference in productions values that can be seen in the second video (which I will post shortly), is due to a lot of things, and this is one of them.
• The actor who originally played the son quit a week before we shot this.  This was our first lesson in making sure we hire reliable people.  In fast, starting with our third film, we started doing casting calls.  I find that experienced actors tend to take acting more seriously and are therefore more reliable.  I was lucky I was able to convince my co-worker Lucas to step in at the last minute.  And he really stepped up, came to rehearsal, and had all his lines memorized on time.
• Unlike anything I’ve done before, we used actual studio lighting here.  I really like how the lighting turned out here.  None of us were lighting experts, but I think we did a pretty decent job.
• We should have gotten a larger crew.   As director, I was moving things around myself, and that was exhausting.  Now that we’re in pre-production on our fourth film, it’s become more of a well-oiled machine.  And it turns out there are always lots of people who want to help out, which is great.
• One thing that made this shoot simple was that the first scenes were supposed to imitate a father and son making a youtube video.  So there were no closeups or a ton of shots that had to be taken from different angles.  The difficult thing was, there were two looooong continuous takes, and it was hard to get even a single take without any mistakes.  I think one of them had like 14 takes.
• We had this great inside joke about the chandelier.  …which doesn’t make a lot of sense if you weren’t there.  The chandelier had these plastic things hanging off of it, and we removed the lower half of them because they were getting in the frame.  So when Kristen ad-libbed about them messing up her “fucking chandelier,” that’s what she meant.  I have a bloopers reel that I’ll post that has a whole “fuckin’ chandelier” segment.  Anyway. It’s not obvious in the final film that there is anything wrong with the chandelier, so it doesn’t make much sense.  Should have left a few of those plastic things dangling on the bottom.
• Getting the fake blood right was quite a task (ask Tena, who is one of our producers, who did all the work).  Later on, we realized we could have just bought fake blood on the cheap.
• We also had to worry about getting blood on the floor and walls of the nice lady who let us film in her home.  In fact, the script has the mom yelling about them getting it on her walls and floor.  But we didn’t want to ACTUALLY destroy her house, so we just had them get it on some sheets on the floor.
• Figuring out how to get the dad and son to wrestle safely was tricky.  Luckily (producer) Manny has some wrestling experience and showed them how to do it without anyone getting hurt.  We had a mattress there for them to fall on.
• Between the wrestling and blood scenes, we disguised the fact that we have a cut (where we let Lucas get up and out of the way, and where we put blood on Omar’s hands), by simulating the camera falling down and getting all static-y.
• We had to get Omar two identical shirts so we could get exactly two takes of the scene with him getting blood on his shirt.  Man… that was nerve-wracking.  If we hadn’t gotten that, I’m not sure what we would have done.
• When my husband watched this, he observed that the actors sounded like they were just waiting for the other person to finish speaking in order to deliver their lines, rather than having a natural conversation.  And he’s right.  And the blame for that is on me.  I’m very proud of the actors in this film–they worked hard, did a great job, and were wonderful to work with.  But I did not direct them well.  After we did this shoot, I attended a seminar on how to direct actors, and I discovered many ways in which I could have directed them better.  Anyway, I am confident that April’s film (directed by me) will be much better in this regard.