Lately I’ve tried setting the bar really low for myself as a filmmaker. Abandoned Allies was a monumental undertaking as a first-time filmmaker, so right now I want to recover by trying to making things easier on myself. You know, try something different, learn new skills, test out my creative interests.
Working on such a huge project like, Abandoned Allies, I learned to appreciate what it feels like to have small victories. Those little victories encouraged me to do bigger things later on. So I’m taking that lesson to heart and setting the bar really low on these new creative efforts in film.
Setting the bar very low is not a revolutionary concept. But it has definitely been an exciting new challenge for me. Here’s how I see it.
Filmmaking is really tough. It’s a huge challenge. It takes a lot of time, money, and energy to shoot a film — not to mention then finish it and share it with an audience. It can be, from time to time, a really complicated thing to do.
So, as an indie filmmaker still learning how to make films, why not make the complex process much simpler? Why not make it easier on everyone involved, for the sake of experimentation? Why not study the process so that improvements are more easily identified? (Again, this is not a revolutionary concept.)
Recently I took this approach with a narrative short film. It has worked out well so far and I can’t wait to try it again. I’ve learned a lot. I’ll tell you more.
First I wrote a screenplay that was about one page long. Because it was so short, I finished writing it within an hour. The screenplay was short, easy to write, and finished quickly. No months spent agonizing over character arcs, voices, or details. Boom. It was finished and ready to share.
The length of the screenplay also dictated that other things would be easier. Because it was so short, it was easier to share and pitch to other people. That meant it was easier for me to find help making the film. It meant it was easier for my friends to ask other people to help, too. Short, simple, straight to the point screenplay = easy to share, plan, and shoot film.
The story itself made other things easier.There were only a handful of main characters, which meant that casting would be a much simpler process. The script contained very little dialogue, so actors had no lines to memorize. They could improvise and say things that felt natural to them. Additionally, many of the details were flexible (time of day, clothing, props, etc.), so that we could adjust as needed the day of the shoot.
Production costs were also simplified. The story was set in one location, so we met there and shot over the course of one day. That meant lower costs across the board: less time away from paying jobs, lower cost of being on set (like driving there and parking), and reduced craft services expenses (one day is way more affordable when you’re feeding 20+ people).
As a result of all these simplified things, I was able to focus more on the indie filmmaking process. It freed me up to take a close, hard look at all of the steps involved as a producer. That allowed me to easily seek areas of improvement. It also meant that the entire project was completed quickly, which means I can repeat the process on another short film faster and more quickly fine-tune my skills as a filmmaker.
This won’t always be my process, mind you. But for the time being, I am in love with setting the bar really low for the sake of experimenting, learning, and seeking improvements. It feels really good to set smaller goals that are more easily achieved so that I can more rapidly improve as a filmmaker.
Now I’m curious about distribution and finding an audience for short films. We have some very fun things in the works for this particular film. I can’t wait to finish it and share it with y’all. Stay tuned.