Movies & Film Writing Sample - Kapolei, HI

I have embarked on a madcap adventure. I have written and directed a short film intended for distribution on the still oh-so nascent YouTube. I'm currently editing the film, and should be done in less than a month.

The whole process has been exhilarating, surprising, joyful, and remarkably freeing. Afterall, we the people aren't supposed to be making films - that's always been left up to the sometimes perverse machinations of Hollywood and the odd auteur with mad scientist hair (Alfonso Cuaron, Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam - really, the list goes on). I almost feel like I'm doing something forbidden. Could I really aspire to make something worth watching?

When I started I wasn't quite sure what I was in for - the only film schools I had attended were the local multiplex and the video store. My parents nursed me on a steady stream of classic films and with the advent of the DVD I voraciously consumed commentary tracks and patiently sat through making-of featurettes. Was it enough to prepare me? Was I insane for thinking I could just go out and bring a film into being?

I'm a writer by nature so storytelling isn't alien to me.  Most stories start out as an image in my head or a word or two. Sometimes that's all there is to a story. I'll deposit it on a line in a notebook and that will be the end of it. Other times that image or word will start an avalanche and more images and words will come tumbling out. Writers call these "good days".

The story for my short film started out as a series of images about typewriter ribbons.  This was immediately worrisome. How was I supposed to make a film involving a typewriter? I hadn't even seen one in about a decade.  I mentioned my conundrum to a friend, and it turned out that he owned a typewriter (though it didn't have ribbon). I took this as a sign to go forward with this particular story.

I then decided that I should write the story around what was available to me.  The film began to follow an organic process as it came into being. The script wasn't started until after I had asked the actors to be in it, and I had scouted just one location, a local park with a lot of visual interest. I even designed shots before I wrote the script so that I could make the best use of my time.

This was not how you are supposed to make a film, short or not. You are supposed to have a script finished and polished before it has a hope of being made. There are loglines to be written and pitches to be made. There are rules about these things and there are people in guilds that frown on heretical activity.

When it came time to shoot, I learned a few things about myself. One, I really, really, enjoy bossing people around. There is something universally understood about the camera - it gives the person behind it a tremendous amount of authority. Another thing I learned about directing is that it is very much like herding cats. It's one thing to hold the sceptre of authority, but keeping everyone focused and on time is completely exhausting. Finally, unlike just writing stories, making a film is a collaborative process. I had to surrender my creative control and let the actors add to the story in their own ways. It wasn't "my" film, it was our film. Once I (quickly) figured that out, the story became richer and fuller in ways I hadn't imagined. I'm immensely grateful to the actors.

In keeping with the free-for-all nature of the internet, I'm releasing the film under a creative commons license so that anyone who feels the least bit critical of it can mash it up to their heart's content (and really, who isn't a film critic?) It's generally considered in the film industry (or any artistic industry) that to make a film for money you destroy a piece of your soul. Instead you should create a story you love, and if money follows so be it. That's more than just an abstract metaphysical aphorism,  there is truth in it. You can never expect to make money from a creative endevour so why not use something a little bit revolutionary like the creative commons license?

 The next few decades are going to see an explosion in creative film output. Distribution channels are convulsing violently; the bandwagons may be bucking and pitching but there will be many rewards for those that can hang on - old fashioned studios, networks, theatre chains, and newcomers alike. We all will find new talents that will forge new ways to tell stories. I hope our short film can be a tiny part of that.