Short Film: We Need More Time

"We need more time..."

Was what I thought when the first cut of the movie came out :)

Journal: June 9th, 2019

It's the final editing day. I think. (Excuse the lack of audio)

It's been a while since I've done something that I'm proud of.

A little backstory: The film was a project that I and a few friends of mine came up with during the early days of summer. We knew we wanted to make a short film, an idea/vision unimpeded by outlying factors like Youtube censorship. We couldn't have cared less about making money off of it: It was just a simple urge to tell a story.

So why a breakup?

That was my idea. A love story is a delicate story, one that might not connect to certain crowds. Love is personal in the same sense that KFC is: enjoyed by many, balked at when finished.

But grief is different.

You can't balk at grief.

I wanted to film this differently from the dime-a-dozen drama-romance shorts of my friends that I see popping up on Youtube and Vimeo everyday. I don't want the film to be stuffed with corny dialogue and melodramatic, suffocatingly predictable plot twists. Film is a language expressed through image first and dialogue second: to fail at the first one is to fail at respecting film.

So this was the checklist that I jotted down whilst writing the story:

1. Minimal-to-no dialogue: I have to make the most of a 'motion picture. Actions speak louder than words.

2. Emotions, not shock value: Most amateur shorts nowadays have to have surprise endings and relevant narratives. Don't. Tell a simple story.

3. Try color palettes. Throw it in the after effects for at least some production value.

It wasn't easy. The cast and crew of 5 were doing it out of love for films. None were getting paid. 7 days of careful planning, location scouting, props making and casting. 1 painfully long day of shooting that was severely handicapped by the rain (albeit later it was smartly utilized in the film). 10 days in the editing room. 2 days of color correcting.

Visualizing the 'closet' scene

My confidence never wavered.

And it was done.

Working with others is hard work. Even if you have a common end goal, nobody's creative drive is the same. Convincing others of following your creative vision, that's even harder.

Working title

But hey, that's what films are for.

You convince the audience to follow your stories. If you succeed in capturing their sympathy and attention, even for just a minute, it's still the most magical thing you'll ever see. It was the kind of jovial excitement a kid would know when he receives his first 10, or the cathartic resonance one feels when they accomplish something they love.

The producer trying her best to sympathise with editing pains

It's been a while since I've felt that. Logging off the editing journal. Last day.

Thank you.

Journal: June 1st, 2019

Shooting day went well.

I am way too tired though. Coming up with the script was hard enough, but actually realizing it on screen is nigh-on impossible.

Directing actors seems to be my forte though. Did it with EP, doing it again, to lesser effects here. Should I just cut out all the dialogue though?

The visualization of the last scene also went differently. They got into great moods, yes, but the camera ended up feeling too handheld.

Top shots are weird. I should take note of that.

It rained during the outdoor shoot too. I had to change shirts constantly due to the sweat and raindrops.

A positive mindset would think that I was getting free showers, but odor doesn't lie.