Now that Abandoned Allies is finished, I’ve been thinking of projects to work on next. I’m excited to share some news. I’ve chosen one thing to work on in the immediate future: a narrative short film.
The film is something I wrote because the idea entertained me. It’s simple, but it makes me smile. I hope the finished version makes others happy when they see it, too.
The concept is straightforward — easy to explain in a few minutes and, hopefully, easy to shoot in one or two days. The reason for that? I want to follow the K.I.S.S. rule for this project: keep it simple, stupid. This will allow me to focus my efforts on just producing.
As producer I’m building the budget, finding funding, securing locations, and looking for talent. I’m also thinking through distribution. I want to submit the finished film to festivals, as well as the Second Sunday Film Series (which I mentioned in this blog post earlier this week). Eventually putting the film online for anyone to view would be ideal, too. So I want the final length of this short film to be web-worthy (under five minutes — at most).
I’ve already spoken to a few folks about this project, and they’re buying into it. When I tell them the concept and they laugh, that’s a good sign. I hope that it means (a) the concept is solid and / or (b) I’ve managed to verbalize the idea well. Each person I’ve asked to come on board has given me a very enthusiastic, “Yes!” I feel pretty lucky about that, too.
So, the ultimate goal? Produce a narrative short film. While working on Abandoned Allies, I carried too much of the weight — out of ignorance and lack of resources. This time around, I want to spend more time with people I trust and appreciate. I want to create an opportunity to let them shine. And, of course, I want to create a great piece of cinematic comedy.
Narrative, scripted work is vastly different from shooting a documentary. Abandoned Allies and this short film are total opposites — something I need at this time in my life. So far I’m totally digging it. I want to work on this short film right now! Even though pre-production on a new, really exciting documentary is simultaneously shaping up.
Conclusion? There are some really, really exciting things happening right now. It’s all I can do to keep the lid on ’em. I’ll leak more details once things come together. Stay tuned!