Lessons Learned

Let me start by thanking Alex Hatz for his fine work as camera operator, lighting guy, key grip and DOP.  And the very funny performances and dialogue by Sam Ruano and Dave Healey.

It’s important to acknowledge fine work, and they did fine work, so if what ends up on screen at the end of the process is less than fine work, well, then you know who to blame.

So, having directed exactly one (1) play (KtheM, 3 stars from eye, ahem), shot precisely zero (0) films outside of personal travelogues (available at www.daveonacruise.com), this project involved a steep learning curve for me.  For the benefit of anyone else new to the concept of improvised film, here are some of the things I’ve learned.

1. Get experts.  I did, they were great.  I relied very heavily on Alex as well as Sam and Dave (who should really work together a lot…not just because they play together very well, but, come on… Soul Man, Hold On I’m Coming).  There are some fabulous and very funny moments on the metaphorical cutting room floor…well, the trash can of my MacBook.  Some of the shots are really great, and having someone who knows how to frame a shot makes it a lot easier to cut them together later.  Too bad I didn’t have an expert in ….
2. Sound.  I have enlisted some aid in cleaning up what we have, but the expertise Alex brought to the images…well, we didn’t have that with the sound.  Two lav mics plugged directly into the camera have a lot of hiss, and distortion, and pops.  As much as we can clean up we will, but next time (if my wife is willing to let me go through this again) I’ll try and get an expert sound person too.  You begin to see how this film thing gets expensive quickly.
3. Two cameras, not one.  We tried using two, but one was operated by yours truly, and wasn’t nearly as steady as the one operated by Mr. Hatz.  Nor, despite his best advice, was my image as good.  I ended up scrapping all the footage from the second camera, which we stopped using partway through.  As a result…
4. Editing is hard.  Not to give anything away, but the end of the movie wasn’t improvised, so cutting it together was relatively simple (and I hope, effective…I’m new at this).  The beginning segment was short, and didn’t take long, although I was forced, not for the last time, to lose very funny moments simply for the sake of continuity and momentum.

   So the middle becomes the challenge, especially with each actor in over-the-shoulder shots with overlapping dialogue.  It’s a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, with the dimensions being time, comedy and perspective.   How long can I hold on one actor to keep a good bit intact without becoming boring, or what line from another take, even from another topic within another take, can make a response work?

   Now, none of this would be a problem in a scripted film…those are actually much easier to shoot with one camera since we know pretty much when we can cut from one actor to the other.  But here, the movie lives or dies by the editor’s ability, which leads me back to #1…

5. Get experts.  As I said, if what ends up on the screen is less than fine…you know who to blame: the editor (me).

But here’s the great thing about this, as with all improvised work (and all comedy, frankly): if you laugh at it, it worked, and if you don’t…well…lesson learned.

See you on March 24th.