Studio Vox is preparing to launch and I’ve got 24 invites to give away to anyone looking to try out the new service. Use the code STVX-athleticnerd to gain access to the site. I’m currently in the process of setting up my profile.
Check out this intro video for more:
StudioVox Intro from Mazen Hijleh on Vimeo.
About a year ago, I took a step back and really thought about where I want my creative career to go. Am I a screenwriter or a director? At the end of the day I’m neither in the professional sense. I don’t apply for directing gigs and I still struggle to REALLY put my screenplays out there. No, I’m a professional editor. That’s my trade. I work in a fast paced live television environment and I’m still addicted to it after nearly 6 years. At work, I tell stories through highlights, reports and features. I love it.
Still, at home, I’m a passionate screenwriter and an aspiring filmmaker.
Like any job it’s important to have a clear focus and a year ago, I felt like I lost that focus. I was still messing around with the footage we shot for The Climb and promoting Playing Through as much as possible. These two shorts are the focus of this post as they are the only two shorts that I wrote and directed. I love both of those films because they taught me something very important about myself:
I don’t want to be a director anymore. I want to be a screenwriter.
I came to this realization for two very distinct reasons. First, I read the original screenplays for those films. They were so much more visual than the film on the screen. I’ve learned that I’m better describing images than making them a reality on set. Second, during the production of both short films, I desperately wanted to write something else. You can’t do both. You can only focus and I fell behind on my screenwriting goals.
XTRA | Rewriting Your Screenwriting Goals
However, I’d like to take a second to make one thing clear. I do not regret making Playing Through or The Climb. Those films didn’t scare me away from directing. They just made me realize how badly I wanted to write instead. And so those two short films serve as inspiration for me now. I learned so much by getting out there and yelling action and cut. (Even though I felt self conscious doing so.) Directing has given me a unique perspective that has changed the way I write scripts. But that’s a pretty generic statement to make.
So let’s get into specifics.
It’s official. Playing Through will go down as my most successful film. It played in three film festivals and won a few awards along the way. Beyond anything I’m proud of the fact that people laughed and some cried. I saw Playing Through in a packed theater once and it was both terrifying and gratifying all at once. People laughed when I intended them to laugh. I can’t really confirm that they cried but many have told me over the years.
The film won’t reach everyone but I sleep well knowing that it DID reach people. I loved Playing Through. The entire experience with the cast and crew was one I’ll never forget. But looking back, there are still some major lessons learned.
It’s too long. That’s the major criticism I’ve heard since we released the film. When we realized the film was going to be close to 20 minutes long it became a concern. But the way I wrote and directed it left little to cut out without affecting the story. We reordered it a bit and lost a minute or two but the film is still 19 minutes long.
When it comes to writing short screenplays, you have to get the most information across as possible. The script for Playing Through contained one major plot point per scene but I think I could have been more creative and made each page more efficient. It would have been shorter and the pacing would have increased dramatically.
Proof that there are always lessons to take away from a project no matter how happy you are with it.
I wrote The Climb a year before I finished the script for Playing Through. Right off the bat, my biggest mistake was ignoring the screenwriting lessons I learned directing Playing Through. The script was nearly 5 years old by the time we started production in May 2010. I didn’t apply what I had learned…
However, I did rewrite the screenplay with length in mind. The original script was 24 pages long. The script we filmed was 16. There were a lot of great moments in those lost pages but I was so concerned with length that I shredded it mercilessly. When I was cutting, I did so with simplicity in mind. We were shooting the film with basically no budget at all so I eliminated complex locations, merged scenes together so they could be filmed easier and deleted entire characters to avoid casting and scheduling conflicts.
That was a mistake.
It’s fine to edit your screenplays but this was a massive lesson that I’m thankful I learned. When I cut those scenes, I lost sight of the story I wanted to tell. The essence of the story is still in there but it’s a lot clearer on the page. I wish I had gone back and stripped the story down and rewrote it entirely.
I learned the most when I was editing the film. It becomes clear right away which lines work and which lines don’t. I mean that from a screenwriting perspective. I got rid of so many lines that weren’t really needed to advance the story. That’s one of the first things you learn in virtually every screenwriting book ever published. You have to make every line count. EVERY WORD. I feel like I failed in that respect because I caught so many that sounded good on the page but didn’t work on screen. That’s not a knock against my actors. That’s fundamental screenwriting.
Editors will agree that when a line doesn’t work, you really have to get creative to keep things moving. Especially when it comes to continuity. I think that’s why The Climb feels choppy in places. From an editing perspective, I’m happy with the way the film turned out but that’s because I eliminated about 3 minutes of dialogue by the time we released it. That’s a lot of dialogue.
It made me realize how many moments I could have saved when I was cutting scenes and characters before we started. If only I had simplified the dialogue. From a story perspective, the film comes across as a first act instead of a tale with a beginning, middle and end. Actually, it’s kind of like a prologue. On the page, I had two great characters with really interesting back stories and as the film evolved, I fell in love with those back stories and that became the focus. A back story is supposed to lead you somewhere. In the script, these characters changed but I don’t think it comes across in the final product.
There was a time when I planned to turn The Climb into a feature screenplay. I wrote a great scene in a cemetery where ‘Cameron’ faces his past and it helps him. I really can’t explain why I didn’t put that in the story.
Having said that, I do enjoy the theme of hope these characters talk about. There is more to their dialogue than simply words that have to advance the plot. There is subtext. This is a lesson that’s truly important when you are shaping your creative style. No matter what you don’t like about your films, your writing, your paintings or your music, do not let these things blind you from the things you do like. Every creative endeavor moves you forward.
Screenwriting aside, I had so much fun working on The Climb. It was stressful on set with weather issues and bitter cold but our cast and crew laughed together and created together. These are experiences I wouldn’t trade for anything.
XTRA | Read about the entire production of The Climb.
The two films I have made are based on screenplays I wrote 6 and 7 years ago respectively. I think that’s why leaving directing behind is so important to me. I never stopped writing but I do not have anything recent that showcases what I can do. Every writer gets better by WRITING. I’m 100% confident that my work has improved but nobody knows that except for me. I write about passion and dedication all the time on this blog but I never really follow through by sending my work into the world. To be honest, I don’t think it’s fair to the people who read this blog regularly. I intend to change that.
Obviously, I’m refocused now and hopefully that will change in the coming year. It’s time for something new. It’s the reason why I put screenwriting aside to finish The Climb and the new website. I wanted to clear my slate. I wanted 2012 to be the year I put the past behind me while bringing the lessons I’ve learned along for the ride.
I’m obsessed with movies, I’m addicted to filmmaking and I’m deeply passionate about screenwriting. Most of all, I want to tell stories.
These are just a few of my favorite quotes and words I live by. But I think one quote in particular describes my personal creative journey:
There are many paths to the top of the mountain but the view is always the same at it’s peak.
At the peak of the mountain is a successful screenwriter. I know it. I just have to find my way up there.
Click here to check out 17west.ca and watch Playing Through, The Climb and more. Have any thoughts on the films? Comment below!
A while back I published a post called: Have You Watched A Short Film Today?
In it you’ll find links to tons of websites that promote indie filmmakers and their work. There are countless shorts out there waiting to be discovered. Here are a couple I enjoyed this morning using the links in that post.
Courtesy of Film School Rejects’ Short Film of the day
Creator Denis Chapon drew 12 images every day for 3 years! That’s an amazing amount of dedication that resulted in a fantastic short.
12 Drawings a Day – 12 Dessins par Jour from Denis Chapon on Vimeo.
It’s a little late for Christmas but this is a wonderfully creepy and extremely stylish thriller that’s less than two minutes. Directed by Andreas Pasvantis.
December from 328 Stories on Vimeo.
Courtesy of Shorts of the Week.
Awesome animated short film.
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.
From director Kevin Dalvi comes a social film that tackles immigration issues in our world today. Here is the synopsis:
“The film is a funny, touching and heart-warming drama with a powerful social message that relates to current events. With immigration as a central theme, the three stories in the film effortlessly intertwine in this gripping tale of love, conflict, and hope. These compelling narratives shed light on some unique immigration challenges and triumphs of the characters as they struggle to keep their families together and pursue their dreams in a place they have come to call home.”
Visit www.promiselandfilm.com for more.
Check out this awesome opening sequence created by Doğan Can Gündoğdu. I first caught this on Collider.com.
The Dark Knight Rises – Opening Credits Project from Doğan Can Gündoğdu on Vimeo.
Click here for more on The Dark Knight Rises
Have an indie project you would like to see promoted on The Athletic Nerd? Email me at jason@17west.ca
“Traveling Through Life is the story of an average American boy, Michael, who soon finds something is not right with his life. His mother is lying to him. She has a dark secret, one that threatens to destroy them both.”
The film is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter and you can check out their pitch below:
Be sure to visit their Kickstarter page for more details and check out their official site www.travelingthroughlife.com.
Empire is running a competition in which filmmakers must remake a feature film in 60 seconds. 20 finalists were recently announced including No Country For Old Men, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and an especially clever take on Amelie.
Amelie in 60 seconds was created by Jason Robbins and I had the opportunity to learn more about the inspiration behind the short film and what it took to pull it off.
What led you to Amelie?
These open briefs can be really overwhelming and I didn’t know where to start. So I just looked for ways to help keep the project manageable. My wife (Aine) is an actor so that was a starting point, I shortlisted films with female leads which cut down the options to start. Amongst my shortlisted ideas were Black Swan, Amelie, Coco before Chanel, and Contact. All great films to work with. My instinct was to go for Black Swan as I felt the light and dark sides were a great basis to work with and allowed a lot of flexibility. After discussing it with Aine she felt it was likely that quite a few people would be choosing that film and it would be better to try and be a bit different. I then narrowed it down to Contact (I’m a huge fan of this movie) and Amelie, the kicker was that Aine happened to have a very similar haircut to Amelie, so much so that we’d joked about it previously and she’d posed for a photo that ended up being Amelie’s profile picture in the film. So the decision was made.
What inspired your unique approach to the material?
I knew from the start that I didn’t want to just do a straight remake of the material condensed into 60seconds, I felt it wouldn’t bring anything new to the table and for me wouldn’t be worth the trouble of putting it all together. I’d had an idea for Black Swan that the main character had two personalities representing light and the dark sides as different profiles on facebook/twitter. That she’d be posting as the two sides of herself and it would end with the reveal/transformation. After watching Amelie I was mulling over what I could do with it and it struck me I could use the same ‘social network’ framework to allow Amelie to get in touch with everyone from the film, and do her good deeds. It was a perfect fit and very economic on locations, I was ready to start planning it all out.
What challenges did you face with only 60 seconds to work with?
My main goal was to create a short film that worked by itself. I didn’t want it to feel like a barrage of quick cuts serving only to just get through the most amount of material in the time available so some tough decisions needed to be made.
On my second viewing of the film I sat with my notebook and wrote down the themes and how the story was told rather than specific plot points. These would serve as guides my version would need to follow if it was to retain the feel of the movie. The third run through was plot points, noting everything that happens during the film (although I’d already decided to drop the market stall scenes as those characters are easily removable). Glassman, Painting-girl, Box Received, Amelie Alone, Take Gnome, etc.
Then it was a matter of cutting out and combining those plot points into my social network theme. I had initially planned to have an intro and a voice over to start with, that got cut pretty quickly. I worked on things such as Georgette and Joseph’s relationship, instead of showing both the introductions and them getting together, I could just show the introductions via splitscreen and then add a ‘Georgette is in a relationship’ status update into another shot which someone might spot on a repeat viewing or if they’re looking around, this made it more economic and added depth to the film.
Elements such as her relationship with Quincompoix was reduced to a text message about the bandit poster she made and then the Glassman telling her to ‘go get him’, before tying it up with Amelie’s relationship status, which I was really pleased with.
Finally a few credits for the free photos I used in the film. It was a nice finish as opposed to the video just stopping without some kind of signifier to tell you it’s come to a close.
Jason was also able to give an in depth look at the technical aspects of the project.
Amelie was filmed on my Canon 600D(1920×1080 @ 24fps) over two days. I only decided to enter the competition at the start of January and the deadline was the 20th so I didn’t have as much time as I would’ve liked. Fitting it around my day job (animator/3D generalist). I decided to spend 2 weeks planning and refining the idea and a week to put together an animatic and then assemble everything from there.
The location is in my flat. I’ve still got a lot to learn about lighting so I’m not entirely happy with the look. Lamp lighting for the sofa and laptop close up shots and we have no plug sockets downstairs so just had to suffer the ceiling halogens.
I used a bare bulb for the close up shots of the hands which I’m happier with. I used the Tamron 17-50 2.8 for all of it, I’m kicking myself for not using the 50mm 1.8 (what was I thinking!?) mainly on a tripod and a shoulder rig for the final shot outside the door.
Edited in Premiere and graded in After Effects using Colorista II, once again I was short on time but was able to get a general warm hue on the live action shots and a green hue on the computer screens in fitting with the Amelie movie and the color palettes used for her apartment and the outside world. Ended up being so tight on the deadline I didn’t get to do a noise reduction and sharpening pass unfortunately.
I was going to just do the computer shots in after effects and apply a filter to get the screen look but after some tests it actually worked best just filming the monitor so I stuck with that, most of it is just me manipulating layers in photoshop in real time(in the split screen email shot the cursor that appears is the move one if you look closely, couldn’t find a workaround for that
What’s next for you?
I’ll definitely be entering more competitions but I’m looking to step things up and start building a crew, being a one man band tends to spread you a little thin for my liking. One area I’d really like to work on is the lighting, I could go and buy a bunch of equipment and try things out but I’d rather just find someone who has the knowledge and has already spent the money and get them on board, plus it’s great to have people to bounce ideas off and who can bring their own suggestions to the table. Away from competitions I’m also looking at some short film scripts and in discussions to work with an established director on an animated short.
Every time I make a film I learn something new, so I’m just going to keep making them. My long term goal is to make a feature.
Special thanks to Jason Robbins for the interview.
CHECK OUT HIS FILM AND OTHER FINALISTS AT EMPIRE.
