Judgement

This was the first project I did where the process was actually grueling for me. When given this project for a college, I only had 4 weeks to go from start to finish. I spent roughly a week hammering out a script from a simple idea that I’ve had for years. Because of the time constraint, I wasn't able to polish up the script to the point I would have wanted to. The first draft essentially became the shooting script except for minor differences.

Characters were cast as they were written, with the exception of a few, such as Cybil, that weren’t filled in until the day of shooting. Some parts never got filled and were either taken out, or in the case of Mile, filled in by myself. By the time shooting was to begin, I had 2 ½ weeks to complete it. After mapping out a shooting schedule, I realized there was no time for reshoots, leaving no room for error.

Shootings became strenuous in a constant race against time to complete a shot that wouldn’t be able to be reshot due to cast schedules or other variables. Filming went on up until the night before the film was due. After finishing the last shoot, it was an all nighter to get the whole thing put together in time for my 8am class.

One thing I did decide to focus on was sound. I wanted to experiment and play with sounds as it’s never been something I’ve focused on before. The ending product is still rough, (again, due to time) but is a step in the right direction for me. Once completed, I was left with a very sour taste with what I had just completed. It was very rough, featuring way too many compromises for times sake, and for me it seemed very commercial.

Though still an experience, I don’t think I’d every want to do something like this again. I’d rather take my time and get a film the way I want it, instead of making it for a deadline. I am in no way unhappy with what I have made. I just wonder what would have been if I wasn’t on such a short timeframe.