How to make a short film in 24 hours - and miss the deadline by 24 minutes
February 10th 2008 03:28
It sounded like fun. Make a short film in 24 hours from finalizing script, to shooting, to editing. It’s called the Stinkwater 24! short film competition organized by the Coogee Arts Festival, and we had a winning team. Heidi who is gorgeous and organized, got together a crew – including an Italian cameraman with a ponytail, a sound guy, a guy who wrote music, an Italian actor who makes cannelloni for a living, a British actress who is a child carer, a British animator/editor who worked on Happy Feet, a director who works in an investment bank, and two good-looking extras to drive the cars, carry the equipment and do the general dogsbody work. I provided the script which featured a mango. Just for the hell of it.
At 8pm on Friday night we were briefed along with the other 17 teams that entered. We had to include several last minute surprise elements, including a character, an object, a location and a line of dialogue. No problem. Within half an hour we’d worked it into the script. I told you, we were shit-hot.
I awoke at 4.30am Saturday morning (for a 5am start) to the gentle sound of rain pelting down outside. Oh Fuck I mused. By 6am we were filming in the streets of Coogee with zero light and an entourage of umbrella-holders. Poor Heidi. Dressed for a sunny day in a little wisp of a white dress with a whisper of a scarf around her neck, she braved the weather with a fortitude and professionalism that I found frankly heroic.
We worked around the elements. When the rain abated briefly for half an hour, we rushed down to do the beach scene. Apart from the gooseflesh on Heidi’s arms you’d never guess she was freezing her arse off. By 9am both our vehicles carrying our impressive filming and sound equipment had been slapped with $185 parking fines. That will happen when you park in a bus zone. Not to be deterred, we moved to our next location. A busy Coogee café. We occupied two tables for well over an hour while the owner bore our invasion with stoic resignation and finally exhorted us to leave.
Then to my apartment to shoot the indoor scene. Our neighbours generously allowed us to use their balcony to shoot from. Oh the angles we got. Oh the artist fabulousness of it all. Back at his place, Simon our editor got cracking on the tapes (no-one could fault our organization – we had four tapes on rotation). Finally by 2 pm we had finished shooting.
Back at Simon’s we reconvened where we recorded the voice overs. It was somewhat of a feat to get Vincenzo’s Italian tongue around a word I’d put in the script not realizing how much of a challenge ‘lepidopterist’ might pose to an English-as-a-second-language- speaker. But he did it. By golly he did. And then the crew dispersed leaving the director and editor to piece all the bits together. Our completed dvd had to be in by 8pm on Saturday evening. The rules were very clear.
At 8.30pm I called Simon to find out what he thought of the final product. He delivered the shattering news – the dvd had only just left his place. I checked my watch. My heart plummeted like an overripe mango. I called Heidi for confirmation of what was surely, without doubt, not possibly the case. But oh. We had delivered our dvd 24 minutes too late. Disqualified. Out of time. Can’t be considered for the prize. And like that, it was all over.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The intensity of the 24 hours, working so closely with so many committed and dedicated folk was heartening and joyous. I learned a great deal, especially from Simon, about what goes in to making a movie. Never again will I be blasé about a ninety minute feature. It conceals thousands of hours of work by people whose names we never even pause to note as credits are rolling.
So we’re gathering this evening to view our movie-that-didn’t-make-it-in- on-time, to commiserate and celebrate.
I’ve consoled myself with the fact that we’re going to enter our movie in to other movie festivals, so despite the disaster of it all, it cannot be called a waste of time.
Thanks to Heidi, Kris, Lennie, Simon, Enzo, Vincenzo, Anna, Jared, Daniel and Eduardo for such a valiant and artistically inspired effort.
A while ago in my blog I noted how difficult it is to explain ‘irony,’ to an eight year old. Well here’s one to set that straight: our movie was called – wait for it: Manifestation.
www.coogeeartsfestival.com.au
www.joannefedler.com
At 8pm on Friday night we were briefed along with the other 17 teams that entered. We had to include several last minute surprise elements, including a character, an object, a location and a line of dialogue. No problem. Within half an hour we’d worked it into the script. I told you, we were shit-hot.
I awoke at 4.30am Saturday morning (for a 5am start) to the gentle sound of rain pelting down outside. Oh Fuck I mused. By 6am we were filming in the streets of Coogee with zero light and an entourage of umbrella-holders. Poor Heidi. Dressed for a sunny day in a little wisp of a white dress with a whisper of a scarf around her neck, she braved the weather with a fortitude and professionalism that I found frankly heroic.
We worked around the elements. When the rain abated briefly for half an hour, we rushed down to do the beach scene. Apart from the gooseflesh on Heidi’s arms you’d never guess she was freezing her arse off. By 9am both our vehicles carrying our impressive filming and sound equipment had been slapped with $185 parking fines. That will happen when you park in a bus zone. Not to be deterred, we moved to our next location. A busy Coogee café. We occupied two tables for well over an hour while the owner bore our invasion with stoic resignation and finally exhorted us to leave.
Then to my apartment to shoot the indoor scene. Our neighbours generously allowed us to use their balcony to shoot from. Oh the angles we got. Oh the artist fabulousness of it all. Back at his place, Simon our editor got cracking on the tapes (no-one could fault our organization – we had four tapes on rotation). Finally by 2 pm we had finished shooting.
Back at Simon’s we reconvened where we recorded the voice overs. It was somewhat of a feat to get Vincenzo’s Italian tongue around a word I’d put in the script not realizing how much of a challenge ‘lepidopterist’ might pose to an English-as-a-second-language- speaker. But he did it. By golly he did. And then the crew dispersed leaving the director and editor to piece all the bits together. Our completed dvd had to be in by 8pm on Saturday evening. The rules were very clear.
At 8.30pm I called Simon to find out what he thought of the final product. He delivered the shattering news – the dvd had only just left his place. I checked my watch. My heart plummeted like an overripe mango. I called Heidi for confirmation of what was surely, without doubt, not possibly the case. But oh. We had delivered our dvd 24 minutes too late. Disqualified. Out of time. Can’t be considered for the prize. And like that, it was all over.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The intensity of the 24 hours, working so closely with so many committed and dedicated folk was heartening and joyous. I learned a great deal, especially from Simon, about what goes in to making a movie. Never again will I be blasé about a ninety minute feature. It conceals thousands of hours of work by people whose names we never even pause to note as credits are rolling.
So we’re gathering this evening to view our movie-that-didn’t-make-it-in- on-time, to commiserate and celebrate.
I’ve consoled myself with the fact that we’re going to enter our movie in to other movie festivals, so despite the disaster of it all, it cannot be called a waste of time.
Thanks to Heidi, Kris, Lennie, Simon, Enzo, Vincenzo, Anna, Jared, Daniel and Eduardo for such a valiant and artistically inspired effort.
A while ago in my blog I noted how difficult it is to explain ‘irony,’ to an eight year old. Well here’s one to set that straight: our movie was called – wait for it: Manifestation.
www.coogeeartsfestival.com.au
www.joannefedler.com
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Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
I worked in the film industry here for years. I remember seeing the crews standing around doing nothing and wondered how they justified it, (I came from a theatre background) until I actually started working in the industry, and you do stand around a lot, but when something needs to be done, fixed, added or struck, you better be doing it at light speed! Time management is everything.
I worked on the last Mad Max, and George Miller had to hire four editing crews and edit the film 24 hours a day, (as filming was behind due to weather) in order to get it to the American screens on time. The distributors told him if he delivered to them late, to come back in two years for another chance to screen it!! It is a tough business on every level.
Good luck with your project, you should add a post script into the credits telling the 24 hour competition story, it might swing voters to your work, in a festival situation...ya never know!
cheers
fog
Comment by Corey Shaw
Jodi and I are sorry you missed your deadline by only a few (or what seems a few) minutes. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors with the film. We love ya lots and are sending good meditation vibes your way.
xoxo Corey
Comment by Anonymous
Thank you all
Vincenzo Riemma
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
Cibb's got a great idea... and you should enter it, into everything. Sorry you missed the heartbeat this time round, perhaps it'll turn into your greatest luck in time to come?
Oh and thanks for the pics of Coogee, it was my first home here in Australia and I just loved that beach (welluntil I discovered Maroubra) *chuckle*
Cheers
Lilla ...
Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
Comment by Joanne Fedler
Corey, thanks for them lovely words of support. I am a total fan of the 'behind-the-scenes' folk of the movie industry.
Michaelie, no idea who you've got in mind, but think it aint the same guy. Our guy Enzo is a photographer.
And you should check out the winners when they're posted up on www.coogeeartsfestival.com.au under Stinkwater 24 - they were really outstanding, in a league of their own if you ask me. I think these competitions should have categories for amateurs and for professionals as it seemed to be the professionals who nabbed the prizes. I have to say, I agreed entirely with the judges' choices. We didn't stand a chance of winning, even if we had gotten ours in on time.
Thanks all
Jo
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
The Enzo that Michaelie is talking about is my husband. He's here on Orble as yoda76. His blog is called The Daily Tube.
He's an editor. He edited Shelly Horton's pilot.
Definitely put the film up.
Well done for pulling it off. I've been involved in a few short films, but none that had to be done in 24 hours.
Love & stuff
Mrs M
Comment by Joanne Fedler
I was on Shelly Horton's pilot! That's so weird...
will check out your hubby's blog.
Jo
Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
It's a small world
Love & stuff
Mrs M
Comment by Joanne Fedler
Indeed it is...
how is motherhood going by the way?
Jo
Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
I always knew it was a mammoth milestone to reach but I didn't quite appreciate exactly what has to happen before a child can speak.
Always learning Jo, always learning.
Love & stuff
Mrs M
P.S. I also have Secret Mother's Business on my bed side table waiting to be read...it's been waiting a while now.....that's how motherhood is going
Other than that....it's fantastic.
Comment by Joanne Fedler
Reading? You only get reading back when THEY START TO READ, so give yourself a break.
And enjoy them while they're still so in awe of us and 'mum' isn't a word synonymous with 'the bitch who says NO when I ask if I can use her credit card for Club Penguin membership...'
Jo