Zeit - Short Film Reflection

Original Concept/Script

"Zeit" is the name of our original concept. The idea consisted of three acquaintances, going on a road trip. Along the way, they have to backtrack and end up getting stuck in a hole: time, or "Zeit". Every time they move forward, time progresses. And the other way around. A complicated concept, nevertheless, but a doable one. Brett wrote the original screenplay, running around 30 pages or so.

Process

Pre-production: Aidan, Emily, and I all worked on the storyboards. Yes, it took that many people to complete. Darby and Brett worked on the shot list, and curated the script. Darby worked to get actors and Brett worked on location scouting. Brett was the director, Emily and Aidan cinematographer, Darby was casting and art direction, and I was the editor. We had a week to shoot. Considering actor conflicts, extra-curriculur stuff, editing time, and the length of the film, we were given another week to create the film. 

Production: We shot around 7 or 8 days, 4 or more hours at a time. A lot of shooting! We traveled a lot of places to shoot, whether 50 minutes across Kansas or next door at Brett's house. Everyone tried to incorporate creative lighting and angles into the film. I worked with lighting gels, specifically, to emphasize the certain emotions in the scene. I also did other necessary jobs ranging from placing props to being a "stuntman". 

Post-production: Holy cow. At least five days of editing can drive a person insane. I worked endless hours piecing together this insanely long piece. I know the film by heart now... is that a good thing? Goes both ways. I worked with the sound and music as well. Brett was the colorist, naturally.

Role

As I explained, I was the editor and Brett was the colorist. I worked endless hours in Premiere Pro, often dealing with crashes. Fun. The fact that this film was the longest piece I've ever edited says something. I also was the on-set sort of "PA", if you will, and also was the gaffer, working with lighting to set the tone, as well as the DP when Emily and Aidan couldn't be there. I learned more about using lighting gels and also learned more with Premiere Pro. So, yes, the hardware and software department are sound.

Five Guarantees

Technical skills: I learned a lot more about camera, as I was the backup guy when Aidan and Emily couldn't be there. I learned about the types of lenses, aperture, fps, etc. On the editing side of things, I developed a new organizational style in Premiere because the film was so long. It needed it. Bins, black video for shots we didn't have yet, etc.

Communication: Our group worked together really well and had good contact on schedule, shot list, etc. We communicated on set great as well. The film flowed together this way.

Leadership: I was a leader in my own role. Everyone is a leader, I believe. I led the editing department and tried to lift everyone up even if we were stressed about time or shots not working out. I helped as far as doing whatever needed to be done on set to ensure success.

Collaboration: Our group collaborated really well together. Everyone knew their position and what was expected of them. We discussed the shots and the angles at which we would shoot from. Everyone threw in ideas of what would and wouldn't work. We also cut a lot.

Project Management: Even though we did not meet the intended deadline of one week, almost every group did not. So we refocused to meet a new deadline... and in that, I feel that we did. Considering the monstrosity of our short film and the amount of effort it took.

Different/Same

Different: Less black space between shots. It gets annoying after a while, but every director has his own style, so I respect that. Also, I would go back and re-do a few shots, as well as help better the audio. The ending scenes I would've liked to capture more of, as we cut a lot.

Same: The coloring and lighting of the shots are one aspect in which I think our group did well. It really added to the emotion of the scene. I also liked the music and would keep the same. The shots were framed well for the most part.

Experiences/Conclusions

I learned a lot from being in a group full of upperclassmen. They knew their stuff. In practically every area. It was an amazing experience to get to know all the types of people in our group and we had some really crazy events take place during filming. But that's what makes film fun, right? I'll take my newfound skills in camerawork and lighting to enhance my next project.

All in all, this project was definitely the biggest film I've ever worked on. But, I feel like this experience will prepare me for future films and in that regard, I feel complete.