Annie screened a scene from Thelma and Louise and I screened a scene from Squid and The Whale. It was very exciting to hear feedback on our work, especially because actually just going out and making your own work is something pretty new to both of us and this whole experience was very telling as to what it takes during pre-production, production and post to make something you're proud of.
Personally I learned a couple important lessons while screening:
1. Always do quality-control before screening. This may seem obvious but when you're finishing up the project it's the last thing on your mind. But lo and behold, neither me or Annie tried the DVD's on the system before screening so in the end they weren't the right kind and had to be screened on the computer. Definitely not the kind of thing you want to happen in any kind of presentational setting; screening, pitch, or whatever else. Technology is great---when it works, when it doesn't it tends to make you look unprepared and dumb.
2. Checkerboarding in post-production. This is a technique in editing where you overlap sound so that speech comes before you cut to the speaker's face, thus quickening the pace and taking some of the unnecessary air out of the scene. It's a lot like in theater when people overlap one another in conversation for comedic timing or for intense drama, just in film, you want to have the actors give each other space in shooting so that in editing you can choose exactly how much they interrupt each other and where. It may seem weird to do during editing, but by the time you're done you'll be glad you did.
3. Finally, don't be afraid to play. Both in production and post, everything is digital, which means you can make a copy of your footage and play around with it. You can add effects, coloring, sounds, tracks, whatever you want. During shooting you can improv, have the scene be done silently, or without scripts, or in a Boston accent. Don't be afraid to screw around a little, because in the end it will actually make the performances come off as more real and full-bodied and will help you discover really cool takes on the scene. And then you edit together all those true moments in a creative way and suddenly you win an Oscar. It's just that simple. We'll have James Cameron verify that soon.
Anyway, the best thing that comes out of this experience is that you can learn and gain so much from just one shoot and that in today's world, shooting is so easy that there is no excuse not to always have some project in the works. Shoot with an iphone/flipcam/anything and download Avid/finalcut/premiere and edit in bed or if you're me edit with a beer outside barefoot. You'll have a movie within 2 weeks.
Here are mine and Annie's videos.
Enjoy!
Excited to see the next screenings for class next week and our 2nd shorts in a few weeks!
--Jesse
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