For the purpose of this assignment, we were tasked with a 4-hour film challenge.
The Rules
- Minimum 8, Maximum 12 shots.
- One line of dialogue “I Knew this would happen”.
- One compulsory prop: An item of confectionary.
- 90 secs maximum finished film.
- Story must have beginning, middle end.
- Story must have distinct genre.
- Only two lights may be used.
- At least one member of each team must appear in film
Chessie, Santiago and I were put into a team and told to come up with an idea and to write, shoot and edit the finished product within 4 hours.
The first hour was spent coming up with a suitable idea, we all pitched our ideas and then decided upon the best one. After some deliberation, it was decided that my “Raiders” idea was worthy and we set about preparing to film. Chessie was one of the actors and also responsible for costume and set design, Santiago doubled as gaffer and the lead character in the story.
Whilst neither Chessie nor Santiago are professional actors, they took my direction well and we had the shots we needed within 2 hours, despite numerous interruptions and distractions (we were filming in the middle of Raindance, with limited control over the set)
We worked on the premise of a master shot technique with 3 main shots, and then a number of cut-ins to add to the pacing and story.
During my pitch, I described this elaborate scene where Santiago triggers a trap and in true “Indiana Jones” style he is swept away to his doom. This was achieved with the help of a table cloth and two strong bodies we managed to co-opt from passers-by who were trying to use the area we were filming in as a meeting space.
Whilst neither Chessie or Santiago could visualise my idea for the “stunt”, they were soon on board and were impressed with the finished result. Using a sheet (and not just pulling Santiago across the floor) was key to making the effect work smoothly and without any injury to the actors.
