Short Filming (A POV of working on a short film)
The Intro
To be an actor has got to be one of the most unique experiences. Now, I’m no real actor, but this path I have decided to take was definitely not in my cards going into my sophomore year here at UO. I’ve always been an athlete – a jock, if you will. The first time I ever performed as an actor was in fourth grade. My class was doing a small play for “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” Believe it or not, I was given the role of the Grinch. Iconic, I know. I’m here to break down what shooting a short film is like. Now, I’m no expert on any of the terms of filming, so let’s learn a few key terms together.
The Terms
Call Sheet — This is a form sent to all actors and crew, usually the day before a shoot. It states the location(s), call time of filming, set and description of scenes, and other information, such as crew member information.
Director –– The boss of how things are looking technically. They will usually tell an actor what to do regarding their movements in a scene and advise an actor on how they want the delivery of lines to come out.
Producer — The mother of the production process; helps within the bounds of the script, coordinating writing, directing, editing, etc.
Line Producer –– The mother, in general; is in charge of handling the production budget.
Gaffer –– The prodigal “sun”/ the one in charge of fixing lighting, such as the amount of light being produced and the position of lighting.
Boom Operator –– The powerhouse of audio. These guys are in charge of sound, and it usually looks like a good arm workout.
Dir. of Photography –– The primary reason why things look awesome in film. The ones holding the camera and doing the good deed in capturing a shot.
Cheat –– The slight adjustment an actor makes to face the camera/audience even if it looks awkward and trust me, it feels awkward.
Callback –– The last chance to see the best options of actors for a role.
Blocking –– The director gives directions for the movement of actors and props within a scene.
Extra –– A background character with no lines.
Principal Photography –– The phase in which the majority of scenes are filmed, excluding pre- and post-production.
Key Makeup/Hair –– The queen/king of taking care of costumes, makeup, and hair. The person who advises actors on what to wear and helps in touching up actors before a scene.
The POV
The short film I have been working on this term is Brother Chris, an Art of Production short film about a journalism student seeking revenge for her brother’s death. I play Corrine, the one seeking revenge, and I am indeed seeking revenge on my acting career, as my first role in a short film was very short. The finished product consisted of my singular line being inaudible, so yes, I feel pretty vengeful.
Day 1 of filming consisted of actually getting to meet most of the cast and crew. I didn’t necessarily know what to expect, but we shot our first scene at the Art House, which was my first time being there. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this location, it is a small but cool theatre that hosts venues and has two auditoriums where movies are screened. At first, I felt really nervous meeting my cast members and the crew. But as the day went on, I started feeling more confident in myself and my ability to just be a cool human being to meet. We spent about three hours at this location and then immediately went to our next one. I will admit it feels a little awkward at first, acting in front of strangers. The natural comfort and ease the crew embodied made it easier to be myself. We finished at around 9 pm, which was not what I was expecting, but this was just the beginning of all the work being put in.
Day 2 started “bright” and “early” at the ripe time of 11 am. Our filming location was at a local frat, and we spent, I kid you not, 10 total hours here. Never in my life would I expect to spend this long at a fraternity. But an actor must do what needs to be done, even if it means staying in a controversial and “concerning” environment. The most exciting part of this day was getting to wear the knight costume for my character. I felt both badass and as if I fit the part of absolute revenge. We had some extras come in during some scenes, which was pretty cool solely because we were filming a Halloween party scene. There were some unique costumes there, and I truly appreciate the work of extras, even if it seems lame or boring in theory. Without extras, scenes would be unnatural and even feel like it’s missing something; therefore, filling that space adds another dimension to a film. Things went pretty smoothly, and having fun with a fake party is not a bad time at all.
Day 3 was a short day. We filmed near UO’s College of Education. With many interruptions from student passersby and some poor lighting from the sun, it ended up being our shortest film day.
Day 4 was the grand finale of principal photography where the majority of filming was done at Spencer’s Butte. I have also never been to this location before, but I’ve always heard good things, and it was definitely breathtaking to shoot there. Breathtaking in the sense that I was baking alive in my lovely knight costume for a couple of hours, but also in an aesthetic sense. Showbiz, am I right? It was a pretty hectic and long day along with the boot of my heel breaking. We wrapped once the sunset and headed to our last location. Filming at one of our crew member’s homes was super memorable as it allowed for all of us to connect more and just be regular college students while being “film bros.” My favorite part of shooting this day was the dinner break we had. Our line producer scored a whole lot of Costco pizza and hotdogs. We all sat outside on the grass as it got darker and just ate our food while hanging out. It was just a fun and easy environment to be around. I would have lost my mind so many times if our cast and crew did not exist. To me, at least, the chemistry of this whole production team is just phenomenal, and I wouldn’t have wished for it to be different in any way.
The End
Now, I won’t bore you with any reshoot business except for the fact that some scenes have been changed/added, and the script has slightly been altered. I get to see the crew and cast a couple more times before we all head our separate ways. Some part of me hopes that one day I’ll get to work with all of them again one more time. But if this is the only chance I get, I thank whatever higher being there is that I got to experience such a cool production process, and I hope this is just the beginning of this journey for me.
Check out @brotherchrisproduction on Instagram to learn more about the cast, crew, and production.