The following guest post was written by James Malcolm who we worked with on his short film Burned.
Stanley Kubrick once said that “directing a film is like trying to write War and Peace in a bumper car in an amusement park.” Well, Stanley should have tried filmmaking when you’ve got an empty wallet and you’re trying to squeeze a shoot around two jobs and a master’s degree. It’s like the bumper car scenario except the amusement park is on fire and you have to use your own blood as ink.
Burned – A short film we worked on with James Malcolm
Now, in four words, I’m going to tell you how to get through that with a great film. You ready? Here it is: get a good crew. Work with smart, hardworking people who love their work as much as you do.
It all began with me screwing up. I’d committed to hand in a short film as part of my master’s degree, but the deadline was looming and in a panic I realised that I had a hilariously tiny amount of time to produce it. I took my script to the guys at the Attic, and had the following conversation:
Me: So, are you interested in making this with me?
PA: Yeah, sure, it looks good.
Me: Right, here’s the catch. I have to make it on a budget of about £100.
PA: No worries.
Me: …and film it in a single day.
PA: You’re insane.
Me: Yeah, it’s probably too much, I’ll cut this bit and…
PA: Woah, back up, that wasn’t a no.
And we did it. About five hours into our crazy one-day shoot, I had a weird realization. We were on time, everyone was happy and productive, and I was getting great footage. For the first time ever I felt confident delegating a lot of my work to the crew. Every shot was exactly what I wanted, or better. I was calm.
I really do believe that films, especially low-budget films, are better when everyone’s happy and relaxed on set. Stress begets mistakes, it slows things down, it makes you miss stuff.
Although I like to plan ahead, part of the fun of filmmaking is catching unexpected stuff on the fly, whether it’s a better line or piece of blocking, a cool lens flair, or suddenly discovering a new angle on a location. Everyone in the crew had their eyes open to these possibilities throughout the day, and that only happens on a happy set. It was an amazing mix of professionalism and creativity.
I think the Attic guys have learned how to work this way through their corporate video work. They’re used to delivering good work quickly and to strict deadlines. They’re a tight team and can adapt to any kind of last minute change or crisis you throw at them.
I’m very proud of what me and the guys managed to produce in a single day’s work. I’ve known these guys since they were in University and it’s been amazing watching them turn into real pros.
Oh, and by the way, I kinda paraphrased that Stanley Kubrick quote. He said that filmmaking is absurdly hard, but…
…when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling.
