FROM THE DIRECTOR – VANESSA LANDIN
What was this story about?
“A Little Film Festival” is about a deal being struck between Joe, a powerful businessman who wants to mix business with pleasure. and Jennifer, a financial investment agent whose goal is to land this 6.8 million dollar deal, a deal Joe truly wants to make guaranteeing that a date will come out of this transaction. While Jennifer wants to land this multimillion dollar deal so she can solidify her position in this male dominated investment firm. It’s a fun scene that feels like a mental chess match.
How did this project come about?
“A Little Film Festival” was a piece that was written by David Usner that piqued my interest in wanting to take the words from the page to the screen. Right at this time was when the pandemic was under way. I was unhappy and unsure about the world at this time and lost my motivation to create it all together. That’s when David and I had a conversation about filming this piece via Zoom. Take the whole process online. Find the actors who would be willing to play along with this experiment.
The action plan to make this run as smoothly as possible even with the challenge of not collaborating in person was to rely on detailed planning and actors who were willing to take on not only acting but also taking responsibility for lighting, filming, and recording themselves. All equipment used for this were as follows: personal mobile device, lapel microphone, and tripod for their mobile phone. All set design and wardrobe used the actors provided with the resources they had at home. Leading up to filming the actors and I met via Zoom multiple times to rehearse. The last day before filming we all met for a tech rehearsal. This is where we went through the shot list and practiced each shot. This way the actors were more familiar with their equipment and the composition I wanted them to achieve.
What were the challenges of this project? And how did you overcome them?
The main challenges with this project were scheduling conflicts. We were able to agree as a group to stick to a deadline no matter how prepared we were for filming.
Another challenge we ran into computer and mobile device issues. Screen recording on one’s mobile device can be taxing on battery life, causing the cell phone to heat up and become non responsive.
We also started to run into technical difficulties with the Zoom app. As to where there would be a lag between each of the actors. We had to push through these issues and hope for the best. Our editor played a big role in correcting this.
What I learned from this experience?
I learned that as the director you have to be grounded in your vision and “plant your flag in the sand” with regards to setting a shooting date and not rescheduling it. Even if things are not perfect or ideal you have to push through and work with what you have as a team to see this vision through otherwise it will never be completed let alone started. Strong communication skills are a must especially when you are not able to work in person.
What advice do you have for others who have a vision they would like to see through with regards to filmmaking?
The biggest advice is just do it. The whole purpose of this project was to create something out of nothing no matter what. Grow-learn-apply-and repeat.
FROM THE ACTOR – ANTONIO FORENZA
Why were you interested in this project?
The director asked me to join the project and I very much enjoy working with Vanessa, that’s why I accepted the offer. I thought it was a good opportunity to keep my instrument as an actor sharp
What challenges did you face performance wise?
It was hard to stay present and be spontaneous in the moment while I had to deal with lights, camera and sound. I developed more appreciation for the complexity of those roles in filmmaking
How did you overcome these challenges?
I did my best preparing for each of those tasks. Then when it came to be present on set right after having to deal light, camera and sound, I would spend a few seconds grounding myself. It didn’t always work, I feel especially at the beginning of the shoot I was a lot in my head
What challenges did you face when dealing with the technical side? (audio and recording)
Sounds was challenging, I had the microphone stuck to my chest and the result was a lot of background noise. I didn’t have a chance to check it after each take. They did miracles in the editing room.
What did you learn from this experience?
I developed more appreciation for different roles in movie making and why is so important to have dedicated people to each of them
FROM THE ACTOR – DANIELLE SCHREINER
Why were you interested in this project?
Dave Usner first approached the Film Collective with a Plan to figure out how to make films through Zoom. During the Pandemic, Filmmakers and Theatermakers were utilizing Zoom to make Work. I’d read through scenes that were written by members of the Film Collective. This was one of the ones that I really liked; that could also be, filmed with actors in different locations. The dialogue was built on moments of short and simple exchanges, but complexity in terms of subtext behind the Words. During a pandemic, this project was an excellent way to stay safe and in shape as an actor, work with others on something creative, build a new character and try something new.
What challenges did you face performance wise? How did you overcome these challenges?
A performance challenge was that I couldn’t see my scene partner during the filming. I really had to focus on listening auditory wise to my scene partner. I feel it also helped that I was used to talking to my scene partner by phone and making actor self tapes through facetime.
What challenges did you face when dealing with the technical side? (audio and recording) How did you overcome these challenges?
Tech challenges were, running out of power for devices and lag time with screen mirroring. This was about a seven hour shoot, where Iphones being used to film. The lapel microphones were plugged into the Iphones so a constant power source wasn’t also able to be plugged in while filming. Even though breaks were taken in between to recharge devices. Some takes were lost due to running low on battery life. Screen mirroring gave us a way to project the framing of each shot onto our computer screens. This allowed for us to visually check the framing and share each take with our director through Zoom. The time of an actor stepping into frame and the camera visually picking the actors image up lagged by about 12 seconds. So, waiting to check the frame was something that more time had to be given to to do.
What did you learn from this experience?
Even during a pandemic, One can still make work with other people.
FROM THE EDITOR – MICHAEL LOCKE
Why were you interested in this project?
I had worked with our director, Vanessa, in another film we both acted in. She was always willing to rehearse our scene, available and prepared. It goes a long way when working for them over several months. I had never edited with a phone as the camera and sound, the limitation was perfect documentary training. Phones shoot the whole world. And I knew the actors, respect them both, and expected I would find performances I could use well. Boy, did I.
What challenges did you face during post production? How did you overcome these challenges?
The script was changed extensively in editing. The story was the same, but what was said when was mostly substituted afterwords from entirely different takes. And yet, it was all there to find in the original footage, enough was shot (by the actors!) to make the cuts work. Serendipity. Also, the music we used originally had copyright issues (not found by the YouTube upload), so we substituted 100% royalty-free music. And edited all the new music differently to the scenes, it just had to be.
What did you learn from this experience?
The unfair advantage of knowing the quality of who you’re working with. The content was just there. It’s the reason so many industry legends work with the same people, most always: results. My skills and methods improved with the project, and communication was open and honest. We all just wanted the best work possible. That’s what you see.
Encounters Films 