4 lessons learned from our first four microshorts
Tags: Indie, Filmmaking, Film, Indie Film, Independent Film

Preparing for the next scene on the set of “okay.” / October 31, 2020

As of today, I’m pleased to announce that we’ve officially premiered the first four of our #42SecondShorts.

To mark the occasion, I’ve spent some time reflecting on the last couple of months and have realized four lessons from the experience — lessons that I hope to take with me as we move forward into production for our second series.

1. Everything takes longer than you think it will.

I’ve had a procrastination problem for as long as I can remember. Even when I was in school, I waited until the last minute to do everything. I can’t tell you how many all-nighters I pulled to cram for an exam or how many papers were submitted minutes — if not seconds — before their deadline.

I would tell myself that I worked better that way — that I could accomplish the same quantity and quality of work whether I gave myself seven days or seven hours to complete the assignment, that perhaps the pressure of the deadline actually produced better work. Maybe there’s some truth to that, but I need to get into a better habit of starting things — whether it’s writing scripts, doing script breakdowns, planning production days, editing projects, etc. — sooner, for the sake of my sanity.

In truth, this procrastination isn’t always because I’m too busy or have too many things to do. Sometimes, I think I procrastinate because I’m scared of it, like I’m afraid I won’t be able to fulfill my own vision or don’t have the skills to pull it off. Of course, avoiding the problem doesn’t solve it or make it go away. If anything, it makes the issue even bigger, more of a problem — it’s almost like a twisted, self-fulfilling prophecy.

Maybe it’s a question for a therapist, but why do we sabotage ourselves this way?

2. Your equipment will fail and never at a time that’s convenient.

For our first production day in October, we brought more than the necessary amount of equipment, or so we thought. Spare camera lenses, tripods, microphones, light kits, you name it — we had it. Out of three shotgun microphones, two were testy, and one decided to quit working completely.

Admittedly, this was entirely my fault. Though I had used these mics only a couple of weeks prior to the shoot without issue, I didn’t run them through the standard night-before, last-minute equipment tests and checks. Completely dumb — because that’s how it always goes, isn’t it?

Fortunately, we were able to salvage most of the day’s audio, though I’ll let you in on a little behind-the-scenes secret — the final audio on our third project, “avenue,” was from the crappy, on-camera mic. All of the audio from the shotgun mic — with the exception of the atmospheric, ambient noise — was unusable, unsalvageable trash. I tried to hide it with some careful mixing and well-placed audio transitions in post; but, if you watch the short back with a pair of quality headphones, I’m sure you’ll be able to tell.

3. Double-check (triple-check) your equipment before load in.

If I’m embarrassed about the aforementioned equipment failure, I’m absolutely mortified to admit what I forgot to pack before arriving on set, so I’m going to say it and quickly move on.

AA batteries.

Yep, it was probably the most important thing to bring (besides spare SD cards and extra coffee, that is). I was sure to bring all other kinds of batteries — camera batteries, AAA, hell, even 9V — but I didn’t have a spare AA to my name.

We really lucked out though. We wrapped the day with the audio recorder flashing on one bar.

4. You aren’t going to like everything you do — and that’s okay.

I think this is the hardest and most important lesson of them all. I really struggle with the “done is better than perfect” mentality. It’s kept me back from releasing so many projects over the past several years, and it’s one of the things that I’m most trying to learn with these #42SecondShorts.

I don’t think most people love their art piece before putting it out there for the world. As artists, we’re self-conscious — it’s our sensitivities that make us artists — and we’re naturally critical of our work. What we hate someone else might love. What we believe to be uninspired or incomplete might speak loudly to someone else. If I had waited to start this production studio at the perfect moment, it would have never gotten off of the ground.

Our fourth project, “Somehow,” has been the thorn in my side since the beginning of this process. I know the concept and believe in the message, but I never could find the vision, see how to get there. Everything about that piece — from the story to the visuals and through to post-production — was painful for me. You never want to feel like something you put out there is subpar, but it was important for me to post it anyway.

When it comes to art, I don’t think you always see “it” right away. Sometimes, you find its center along the way. I think that’s what I had hoped for “Somehow;” but, honestly, I don’t know if it ever found its footing the way I wanted it to. Still, I knew I couldn’t just throw it away. It still has a role in this journey and is an important piece in this puzzle. If I spent more time with it, maybe I’d be satisfied — or I might’ve fallen away from it harder.

Done, not perfect.

I hope you enjoyed our first four microshorts — there are many more to come. We’re actively casting for our next series, so please check out ourcasting callsand submit your virtual audition as soon as you can!

Until next time,

- J