A few words about my first short feature film
still in post
I’d like to talk a little about my first short feature, Gun Story.
In April of 2019, with two crew and two cast members, we drove down to Knob Creek, Kentucky. The whole feature was structured around a road trip to a gun shoot.
I had dreamt about making this feature for a couple years. One of the initial inspirations was from a news story I read about two friends who were hiking and camping across the United States in support of their Second Amendment rights. During one night in camp one of the hikers accidentally shot the other.
During development, I saw the SXSW keynote delivered by Mark Duplass.
I was inspired by the filmmaking model he presented for making a feature film. Budget your film for $1,000 find actors who are willing to work for a percentage of the profits and make your feature.
I created a beat sheet for the film and during filming, we would refer to the beat sheet to talk through scenes.
Shooting on The Road
We had a productive first weekend. We ran two cameras in the back seat of the car and both actors had lav mics plugged into audio recorders. I would talk through what needed to happen in each scene and my Associate Director would help them craft the performance between takes.
For the first scene we went through five or six takes to dial in the scene. After that, we were able to get the coverage we needed after three or four takes.
That first weekend was very productive. We were on set every day and we were filming scenes from my story.
We had a great time on the road and developing the scenes as a team.
Scheduling Problems
After that first weekend, we ran into scheduling problems. Despite having a small cast, it was very difficult to find a day when everyone had availability. Sometimes one or two months would go by before we could find a date to shoot.
Lessons learned
When you are filming an improv based film, always shoot. Once you get the coverage you need for a scene, keep shooting. Once you get the coverage you need for the day, keep shooting.
Any time there is down time, figure out something you can shoot.
It’s always helpful to have b-roll for your improv based film. The silence and the shots you capture can be a thread between your scenes. I shot some b-roll while we were on the road, but now that I am in the editing room, I feel like I could have used a lot more.
Currently the film is still in post and I hope to have a final cut later this year.
I’m not sure where this project will go, but I’m glad that I made it.
As this project develops I will share more in the future. For now, here’s the teaser trailer.
Call to Action:
Thank you for reading this article. What would you like to learn about producing a feature film?
Check out my previous article:
Do I need a degree to be a screenwriter?
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel:
Check out the Gun Story teaser:
Check out our website:
Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bridgeportfilmclub/
