MY SHORT FILM-BURN OUT

I finally finished my short film. This was not an easy project. Coming up with an idea was hard, and after obsessing over one idea for 2 weeks, had to scrap it and ran through many ideas until I was burned out, ironically. The original preproduction is a previous blog post which included lore, and my other ideas.

After a deviation from the brief I came up with an idea, and took my chance. My idea was to do a spoof of a spy encounter, based on the time, and resources I had available. All the camera shots where deliberate exaggerations, as well as the sound effects. The background character was also intentional and became a surreal element in comparison to the spy "drama".

I was only able to get actors on one day of the week. We shot this in 2 weeks, however the audio for the second week did not make it, so I had to use a mixture of good quality and bad quality, because of this predicament.

I enjoyed the film shooting process, and editing the titles, as well as the final product. I really like the end reel, however that is more of an inside joke then anything the audience may be able to understand. During the edit I had a lot of difficulty, from dodgy camera quality to problems with the on camera mica and it's tendency to be too loud or quiet to understand. I wish now I would of used a boom mic or something, since the on camera mic was so unpredictable. However this is true on the first day. On the second day, i am sure the audio would of been better,but sadly, the record button was not moved fully so all I got was white noise.

All of my sound effects and music were from royalty free sites and archives. I added generic bird sounds to add to the scene, because ducks are not very dramatic. The music was used to set the tone. The first one was good for the titles, it engaged and was rhythmic. The second was more dramatic and electronic, adding to the modern spy feel. The 3rd track was good for making the tensions rise, and the final track was a good calm ending with the jazz. Using the music I followed at 3 stage story arc, from rising tension to climax to settle and end. I hope it has the desired effect.

Next time I would make sure the audio was good on our second day, which would of saved the film. However because of the low quality film of the first day, it made a unique intro to the film, and it worked moderately well. I also would of had it so I had the script done on time, not weeks late. In the end the filming dictated the script, and the direction of the editing. My favourite part of the film, is the titles at the beginning and the end.