That brings me to the big task. Casting. There are approximately 20 parts in the film, none really major. So far I have six people signed up with one on the fence (my wife). I have two volunteers from out of state, but I don't have the budget for that so they're likely out. So far my approach has been to ask customers who are regulars and friendly and strike me as adventurous enough. That's not going to get me enough people. There are two other approaches to take. One is going to the community theater down the road looking for volunteers. Certainly there will be plenty of people there but I don't have meaty parts to offer them. The other approach is to just put up a sign in the store looking for volunteers. That's the direction I'm leaning right now. Frankly, the casting thing gives me the willies. So far this project is all mine. I'm wearing many hats and calling all of the shots creatively. Asking others into the project means sharing with others, which isn't my strongest trait. And since I can't pay them, it will be tough to make demands of their time to get the shots I need.
Essentially I'm procrastinating on this issue. Which is very typical of me. One of the reasons I started this project was to force me out of my shell. People who know me well will describe me very differently from people who don't. If you don't know me well, you would likely describe me as very quiet. People who do know me would say I'm constantly needling, cracking jokes and throwing out all sorts of weird ideas and comments. In case you haven't figured it out, I can be painfully shy. It irritates me to no end to admit that, but it's true. Part of it is a real inability to make small talk. That makes meeting new people tough. Part of it is a lack of tact. If I don't watch it, I am very good at saying something pretty offensive. But most of it is just plain shyness. Directing a movie is something that has no use for shyness. And so I'm making myself do it, no matter how painful it is at times. I have to be able to draw other people in to my project to make it work. And once they are there I need to tell them exactly what I need and be prepared to badger them to get it. Killing my shyness isn't the main reason I'm making a movie but it is an important side effect. Hopefully I can do it.
As I moved steadily closer to shooting the movie, I can feel the onset of nerves. Generally speaking I don't tend to get very nervous about things but this will be different. I don't really know what I'm doing. Sure, I've done a ton a research and am trying to plan out every little detail, but when it's time to go, I'm in virgin territory with no real idea of where to stick it. That's pretty damn scary. But that is also pretty intoxicating. Life is always best when I'm being creative and this is the biggest such attempt I've made, which is a great thrill. The fear of fucking it up just adds to the fun.
Let's get back to nuts and bolts. Next up on the to do list is to create a shot list. This is basically a new version of the script with most of the dialog and description tossed out in favor of a breakdown of every single shot needed. This is part of being highly prepared. By working all of this out in advance, I don't have to waste time trying to figure out what shots are needed and how they should look. It will also help organize the order of the shoot. I can pile up all of the shots at a particular location for a particular actor and get them all done in quick order before moving to a different setup.
Last week my wide angle lense finally arrived. I've had a fair bit of fun playing with it around the store, collecting test shots. I won't used it constantly but it will definitely make certain shots more manageable and will improve the look of other shots.
Finally, let's talk about the latest book I'm reading. It's called My First Movie, edited by Stephen Lowenstein. This is a great book and should be read by anyone contemplating making a movie. It's a collection of interviews with directors from all over the world about the experience of shooting their first movie. The book doesn't go for the celebrity puff piece style, instead trying to focus on the nuts and bolts of the work. The questions cover how they got to the point of directing a movie, what they learned, what their mistakes were, advice they received and more technical stuff. I love that almost none of these directors planned to be a director, just sort of stumbling into it or taking the plunge out of the blue. Check it out, it's a great read.
- This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it looks forward to someone taking a “behind the scenes” photo of him wearing headphones around his neck and pointing somewhere on set in that great directorial manner. That will be cool.
