Wrapping Up Production

We wrapped up shooting this past Sunday. Some of it was a tight fit, and I’m a little nervous about the edit, but deadlines demand that we move on from production.

We spent the last day shooting outside, braving the freezing wind with periodic sprints to the car for lens changes and nutrigrain bars. Just five of us total that day to ensure that we could fit in the vehicle and move about easily. It was the least structured, least planned aspect of the script; which throws me in hot water but actually placed my DP where she felt most comfortable: making intuitive decisions in the moment. She definitely came through in that respect and I was counting on it.

The day before I walked the talent and AD through my annotations for the climactic scene, and not for the first time. We shot it last, and my exhaustion was both evident and necessary. The drive in the camera was being a fool and we did lose a couple of takes, but that’s the only loss of assets we experienced for our very first feature length film, and to be honest, I consider that I victory. I’m tremendously lucky to have worked on this project but it’s too early to celebrate. I have two and a half months to complete an edit, build a press kit and screen it. I’m optimistic that I was able to get this far, and I genuinely believe that anything is possible if it’s destined to happen.

I’m hosting a workshop on characterization this afternoon, and I’m up to my eyes in schoolwork. I couldn’t be more grateful for all the help that’s been offered to me in regards to this project, and to those who are invested in following my progress all along.

Peace,

Ayah

#DeltaPhiFilm

Incremental Success

Great success can be found through incremental efforts. I asked my team to write for twenty minutes a day this week about their experience working on Delta Phi. I’m completely confident that this will give them clarity about the film and about their own goals going forward. I myself have been setting aside half an hour every day this year to write about and research metafiction, and the amount of certainty I felt after just a week has me advocating for this method. One insight a day, even one every two days, gives you real progress in a month. I’ve always written every day, but setting aside focused time dedicated to a particular project or practice is something that I’ve neglected during other productions.

This past Sunday we had one of our longest days yet, and successfully gathered assets for four different scenes, including one reshoot. The holiday break refreshed all of us and made us sharper. We got to shoot in one of our more comfortable locations, and the beautiful weather brought out even more affection and generosity of spirit than usual. I did not move one from a shot until every member of the team was completely satisfied with the last take, and I can hardly believe how much we got through. Footage came out beautiful and strange, like minerals carved out of an imagined cave. Left me feeling in love and excited and a little nervous about sharing this thing.

All that said, it only goes to show how important rest is to making good work, particularly for long term projects. I know that the few of you reading this are likely still neck deep in your own projects. How’s it going? What are you making? Let me know in the comments.

Peace,

Ayah

#DeltaPhiFilm

Mechanical Canon

I spoke a little about the importance of canon for audience engagement the other day in my post about streaming video.. Lately I’m playing around with a bit of canon of my own in Delta Phi. One of the leads is able drain color from the world around her by putting on a plastic crown. I’ve made the transition visually immediate, leaving color out of one frame and plugging it in the next, so that it happens just as soon as the crown touches her head.

I’ve wondered whether to make the transition more gradual. The color could fade in and out softly. This wouldn’t break the canon, and I’ve gotten feedback indicating to me that that’s what people want. Or think they want.

I’m not completely decided, but for now I like the change to be immediate. Most audiences have grown tired with the ethereal softness attached to headspaces and imaginary worlds. It’s the real world that’s mushy and confusing. Monet had it right. I wanted everything about Princess’s headspace in Delta Phi to be real, concrete and tactile. There’s something very mechanical about the way color reacts to her crown, and mechanical is concrete. To make it a fade-in makes it less mechanical. It’s just one of many small decisions one must make while editing.

What are your thoughts on how fantasy worlds are portrayed in films? Let me know in the comments, or share this post with a friend who may want to share their ideas.

Peace,

Ayah

#DeltaPhiFilm