Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. Today I will be taking you through my two days of filming my first short film in January. And with it now being in the edit I thought that this couldn’t have come at a more perfect timing.
Day 1:
Day 1 was a blast. I know that some people couldn’t make it due to illness and other commitments (as one of my actors was still in pantomime, one of my many favourite types of theatre, and the other was under the weather) but we worked with what we got. And I was surprised by how quick we were, as we had 5 minutes to spear on the first scene, and finished earlier than expected. And after seeing the rough cut the other day, it looked amazing.
I was also surprised my myself and how I handled my emotions when things took longer than expected. This was mainly linking to the technical side and setting up, as in the world of filmmaking, that is a given setback. But we all kept our calm, made sure everyone was okay and used this time to really get to know each other. I even mentioned the story of how a director I saw on a podcast fell out of love with his passion, but fell back in love when he did a project that was not paid but for the fun of it. And that’s something I will take with me for the rest of my life. I think for me the most challenging part was the last scene. This was filmed outside and at one point I thought my fingers and toes would fall off lol! But me Leo and Isobel (who play jack and Kacy), all pulled together, huddled like penguins and got the shot we needed. So overall a thrilling day 1.
The Morning After:
The day after the first day, Steve suggested that we do an interview with Leo Long to reflect on our experience. And I’m glad we did, as even though I was tired from my day job, having it there whilst it’s fresh was a moment not to miss. And it also gave me a chance to see the Leo Long off screen, and the fact that he wasn’t phased that I still have a day job whilst I work towards gaining regular employment in the arts was lovely to see. It just goes to show that no matter what level you are in the industry everyone is so supportive. And with the possibility that he may come back for a weekend very soon, something tells me that this could be the start of a wonderful friendship.
The Setback:
As I was ready for the next Sunday (14th January), the news hit me… we had to reschedule.
This was due to a situation beyond the company’s control, and even though it didn’t hit me at first, it wasn’t until later on where it got to me. I know that Steve informed us 2 days before, but because I was prepped for that weekend, it did throw me off. So I made the decision to take myself on a little day trip to Nottingham to watch Jesus Christ Superstar. And whilst it helped me to have a little sing song whilst watching a show I previously did, I was still in a low mood. And with blue Monday coming up that week it did not help at all. I wanted to mention it on here because for those who are neurodiverse like myself, it’s a normal feeling which can leave us mentally exhausted. But it’s all about how we manage it. Even though I did take it out on my family (which I hold my hands up for) I just chilled throughout the weekend and accept that this has happened, we take a time out and we go again the next week. Which we did.
Day 2:
After abit of overwhelm the day before, the second day surprisingly went better than I expected. We only had a small number of extras, but we simply worked with what we had, and that when it comes to the edit, I’m positive that we can make it as though it feels we have more people in. I’ve also learnt about how schedules can change and that in order to save time, we move certain scenes forward to save us the hassle of setting up to a different location and then resetting to the exact place as earlier. And that worked in our favour, as we managed to let the extras and one of the main actors go on time and to overall get finished earlier. And even though we had a few tiny shot missing, looking back now, we’ll just simply work with what we had. And also one shot wasn’t in the script so I don’t think it matters, and when the viewers watch it, I hope they can see that Bernard couldn’t be angry at Ellie after the performance she gave.
Again the most challenging part was the last shot. This was a tiny amount from the beginning, which was filmed outside and it was windy and pouring with rain . Thankfully it’s only a small segment where Ellie enters the venue, so as soon as that was done, in the car I was on the way home. Was it stressful? Yes! Was it tiring? Definitely! Will it all be worth it? 100%!
And that was my first experience of filming. I hope you enjoyed this read and be sure to keep a look out on my acting account on Instagram @theautisticactress and our film account @unmasked_film_uk to keep up to date with all things BTS, our preview date and a film festival near you.
See you soon for another blog... Until next time...
This is The Autistic Actress Signing off :)
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