A Family Affair
Production: Short Film #2
Dear Reader,
Shortly after accepting the quest to write and direct 14 short films in one year, I began planning to visit home for the holidays. My family lives in Connecticut, and I couldn’t help thinking how wonderful it would be to shoot a short film over this vacation. Unfortunately, I didn’t know any actors in Connecticut, so (with a sigh) I let go of the dream of making a short film in my home state.
The next day, my uncle called out of the blue. As we chatted, he asked what I was up to and I told him about my decision to write and direct a number of films over the next year. The other end of the line went silent. Then…
“Well, I don’t even need to say it.”
“You don’t need to say what?” I asked.
“I just — you already know, so I don’t even need to say it,” my uncle said.
I was thoroughly confused. “I’m sorry, you definitely do need to say it.”
“If you ever want me to act for you—”
At this point, I remembered that my uncle has a master’s degree in theater studies from the National University of Ireland, Galway.
“Are you serious?” I demanded.
“Of course!” He interrupted.
What followed was a speedy back and forth of me demanding that he be straight with me, and him asserting that OF COURSE he was in. I think both of us went into shock. After hanging up, I wrote a script titled “The Ghost of Electricity,” inspired by my uncle’s work as a DJ on his Mixcloud station.
Following this conversation, my uncle called at least once a week to discuss wardrobe, music licensing, and props. What a thrill to find a partner as passionate and committed to the process of making art as I am.
The location could have proven difficult but, thankfully, I have connections. I reached out to another uncle and aunt to inquire if their beach home was available for a 2-day film shoot while I was back in Connecticut. To my delight, they said “Yes.”
Unlike the locations of my first short film, which had plenty of light, the majority of this script was set in a dark “DJ Studio.” I knew I would need proper lighting this time, and an assistant. Did I know anyone in Connecticut who had professional lighting and might want to help me with set up, and take behind-the-scenes footage? At this point, I remembered my father has a treasure trove of professional-grade camera equipment, including telephoto lenses and expensive portrait lighting equipment. With a phone call, I received another enthusiastic “Yes.”
Next step: Krafty. It would be a two-day shoot, which required six real meals. Would my mother, who happened to be a professional banquet caterer in a past life, be willing to cook premade meals for us? Another “Yes.”
Making so many short films, I knew I had to come up with an effective way to back up and store all of my raw footage. I am proficient with technology, but admit my focus has been on primarily the humanities side of this industry. Thanks to a friend in post-production, I learned generally what hardware I needed to back up my footage. I then went to my brother — a technology genius who flies all over the country installing software in hospitals — and requested his insights. (“Help me!!!”)
To my extreme relief, he took one look at the $300 drive I was going to buy and said, “Oh, no, you want this one, it’s much faster and more compact, and it has a bigger memory. In fact, you want two. In fact, I have one lying around. I’ll reformat it for you and just give it to you. In fact, do you want me to get you the other one with the bigger memory for Christmas? Yeah, let’s do that, you just go get this $30 case.”
From $300 to $30. He then sat down with me and walked me through the proper file transfer and folder management system, singlehandedly streamlining my footage transfer process for the rest of this mountain-moving project. Thank you God, and thank you to my brother.
I storyboarded the script, designed a shot list, and composed a shooting schedule to make the best use of the daylight and give the director and the actor time to warm into their roles. For myself, that looked like getting B-role footage of the Connecticut landscape and ocean.
We were a crew of three: myself, my father, and my uncle. All of us wore multiple hats as we cleared and then dressed the set: hanging tapestries, plugging in equipment, positioned lighting, and selecting the wardrobe. The excitement in the room was palpable. I stopped and looked up, sensing something very unique was unfolding; each of us worked with energy, passion, and complete focus. All three of us were thrilled — quietly ecstatic to our very core — to be in this space, at this time, doing what we were doing. I swallowed my joy and got back to work.
My uncle, James Shay, has ample experience as an actor, including leading roles, but he has also directed several projects. He shared his experiences in both, reinforcing what I was beginning to gather about the actor-director relationship. Working through my own imposter syndrome, I was so grateful when James explained the importance of “Action!/Cut!” Those directives are not simply for the expediency of the crew; they are a safety harness for the actor. They tell the actors when they are inside the character, when they are working, and when they’re not.
My actor took me deeper into the process of understanding character. He asked me to explain the character I had written and go deeper into his psyche. At the same time, the actor developed his own understanding and backstory for this character. Our collaborative development resulted in a third creation; a richer, more complex, and dynamic presence to receive on screen.
As we worked, my father floated around us documenting the experience. Once again battling my own imposter syndrome, I couldn’t help but feel his enormous telephoto lens was overkill. This was just a little project; weren’t a few iPhone snaps more appropriate? But looking back through these stunning photos silenced me. I couldn’t help thinking, “Oh, my goodness. This might actually be happening.”
Seeing these photos brought a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Dress for success.” Take yourself seriously and the quality of work will follow. My eternal thanks to the head of my Behind-the-Scenes Department. The quality of your work lit a fire inside me to drive for excellence.
We spent roughly a day and a half filming a 3.5-page script, taking our time and simply enjoying the fun of the process. After everything was in the can, I thought back over my shot list. To my surprise, I realized the footage we achieved was precisely what I had imagined months earlier when I sat down to write the script.
As an artist, I am deeply familiar with my inability to depict exactly the image in my head. But not this time. This time, all the images I pre-visualized ended up on the screen, if not even better. Chills.
Would I work with these two again? 100%. We will have to make a feature at this location in the years to come. For now, I will focus on cutting this footage together, adding the music, and sending it to film festivals. Who knows, maybe “The Ghost of Electricity” will even make it to a festival near you!
Adventure Awaits,
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