The result from the very first time Shannon Shaw picked up a video camera in 2007.
The Youtube PROJECT: DIRECT contest rules were simple: To ensure this was filmed specifically for this contest, we had to incorporate certain items into the story:
1. A character must deal with a situation above his maturity level.
2. An exact line of dialogue: "I demand an explanation for these shenanigans! What do you have to say?"
3. Show a photograph being passed. (In the final version since we missed the contest deadline, I removed the line of dialogue at the 3 minute mark.)
{The red phone was from another Youtube contest we filmed.}
The Making of...
The computer kept crashing for over two days.
An hour before the deadline of 2007 "Project Direct" contest, it finally uploaded the roughest (quickest) render it could spit out before it'd crash again.
Yup, it ended the same way it started.
We were rushed due to taking 3.5 of the 4 weeks available to decide which story to produce.
| Then, there was the casting crisis the hour we were to start filming, which made us re-write over half the story right then and there (and as we were filming).
Unfortunately, these last-minute re-writes and ad-libs, which improved the story 1000x, came at a cost: several lines of dialogue had to be left in that now made no sense in the current context; a few essential shots were leftovers from the longer version of the story; and the first 7 minutes was cut (creating a problem with wardrobe); all caused some errors in CONTINUITY! (I HATE that & so do "nit-pickers".)
I like having EVERYTHING seen & heard during a story to be integral and come full-circle. If it's not important to the story or the characters, I don't need it, regardless of how cool or fun it would be to see it (James Cameron 101).
The fun is in the little, smallest details (Robert Zemeckis 101).
Girls, girls, girls....
Mere moments before we started filming, our female lead didn't want to participate. No girlfriend? REWRITE!! This changed the entire ending and character arcs.. for the better!!
NOW, since our female was uninterested, the ONLY girl available was the SISTER of the actor who played Tyler.
Right then and there, we brainstormed for 10 seconds and came up with a way that Tyler and her were in no way romantic, thus eliminating a MAJOR 'Eeeewww!' factor and avoiding yet another actor from walking away.
THEN, mere minutes later, a car full of girls show up to hang out at the actor's house. This was a blessing on two fronts: one, the actor's SISTER is one of those... hyper, always giggling, can't concentrate type of girly girls. Although she seemed willing, she wasn't thrilled to be in this movie. Secondly, we had another non-blood-related girl who wanted to do the movie.
I decided I liked the whole vibe of the movie much better now, and it would give the entirely new climax more themes of brotherly-love and sacrifice; and it would make both of the brothers more sympathetic. Also, this new revision allowed us to not totally rip off "The Bonnie Situation" from Pulp Fiction (which the first draft blatantly did).
Unfortunately, we had this girl for only an hour. Cemetery scene done (& half improvised due to the story changes we weren't about to change back).
The bedroom scene.....
Oh, boy! We decided to film any coverage of her and her with the guys. Then, later film the other stuff without her. BUT... I FORGOT TO HIT THE RECORD BUTTON!! So 98% of the bedroom content with the girl was lost! (All that remained was her running out of the room and what Calvin sees them together when he walks in. (They just got finished having sex! The next day, I added an insert shot of condoms to drive this point home, since the girl wasn't available!)
The living room shots of her - hiding during the shootout/fighting, then frantically calling 9-1-1, and other reaction shots, ect. were all USELESS because no one noticed that there were people standing around the kitchen in the background (even people that were supposedly shot and dead at that moment in the living room). By the time we got to her two lines ("Calvin wait, let me explain." and "But I love you") it was almost time for her to leave, so we had to rush through those two lines. Two takes each and she was gone. I WOULD have liked five more minutes and her lines would've been a LOT more natural sounding, but I was just happy to have a girl play the part, period. That scene was supposed to end with a WIDE SHOT of all the chaos in the room fading to black).
One bad issue with the rushed actress schedule was the whole bedroom & living room scenes were not lit the way I would prefer. It's now very, VERY bright.
Originally, I wanted Calvin's opening the door and entrance to be very Michael Bayesque. I had a smoke machine, backlit lights, the works! But, I was rushed so much, I just lit it up and filmed. No shadows, silhouettes, back lits, under lits, rim lits, light rays, smoke, nothing.
What did we learn on the show tonight, Craig?
LESSON 1. LISTEN TO SUGGESTIONS FROM EVERYONE AROUND YOU.
Consider even the bad ones all the way through, but enact the good ones (the ones you didn't think about!) The actors and/or people watching the filming might notice something you didn't. Unfortunately, I didn't listen on set: There were at least three suggestions from the actors that would have saved us a LOT of time and effort had I listened to them.
EXAMPLE 1: the gun! In the original script, when the two brother's leave the room, Tyler puts the gun onto the top of the tv as he exits.
An actor asked me, "Why?"
I responded with, "Because the guy that the girl was cheating with needs that gun to start shooting at people later. That's the easiest way for him to get a gun."
Actor: "But why would someone just leave a gun sitting on the tv?"
Another Actor: "Why would they leave it at that house? That's Calvin's gun, or at least their dad's (an earlier cut scene showed the whole process of exactly how Calvin broke into his dad's gun case and stole the gun. But, that slowed the pace to a halt so: scrapped.) They brought it from their house."
I ignored them, then regretted it that very night! While doing a quick edit of the dailies, I realized this chain of events was.. er.. beyond STUPID! And the actor's complaints made 101% sense! So, we had to go back and do a pick-up shot the next day of the brother keeping the gun and stuffing it in his pants AND of the disgruntled boy getting another gun out of the closet. (This WOULD have been a different gun model, but we had already shot all the shooting stuff, so, magically (and confusingly) everyone in this house happens to have the same type of gun.
EXAMPLE 2: THEN, there were a couple other issues an actor questioned. I ignored it, and left as is. Our first live audience mentioned those same two concerns! In fact, they were one of the actor's dad's biggest complaints (about how someone in that situation would act and move - it really took the audience out of the moment). The actors warned me about it, and I didn't listen, and the audience caught it as well!
AND, wardrobe choices can be.. distracting. (Nice WHITE t-shirt with a logo splashed in the middle of it.)
EXAMPLE 3: I also noticed the disgruntled kid dropped the gun to the floor as he heads for the front door.
This is A) possible remorse? and/or B) so Tyler can pick it up and blow some brains all over the front door. But due to reshoots, dropping the gun was unnecessary and stupid.
Unfortunately, we were rushing, it was getting very late at night, and we just filmed the bare essentials, if that. There was no other shot of him at that moment, which was absolutely necessary for the editing. With nothing else to put in, I just left it as is.
LESSON 2. Deadline of filming, editing, and uploading? Who cares!?
ENJOY THE MOMENT and get as good performance and cinematography as you can during what precious time you have (and with the limited availability of some actors)
LESSON 3. Film everything, Even film between shots.
And if something funny is happening that you spot between takes, FILM IT for the out-takes (which is 200% funnier than the movie itself!) I can always take those 10 seconds to re-set the shot.
LESSON 4. Keep the dialogue and actor's movements REAL and believable.
Don't think in terms of what needs to be played out for later; think IN THE MOMENT: what would this character say or do in this situation and does it sound like the natural dialogue a real person would say (minus the profanity) Less is more. (Plus, the less you say, the less of a chance you will be embarrassed, but of course, there are certain lines the audience HAS to hear to know what's happening).
The front cover of the dvd made for the cast
The back cover of the dvd made for the cast
WATCH MY BROTHER'S KEEPER
