Faith Rewarded
Short Film #5: Echoic
Dear Reader,
I am writing to you a week late because last Saturday was filled with film festival revelry. More on that next month. This month, I want to update you on the filming of short film #5: Echoic. (You can read the short story version of Echoic here).
Echoic is about a man who inherits a mansion with a terrible secret keeping him chained to his past. It’s a psychological thriller with notes of noir light sci-fi. Think Sherlock Holmes meets Russian Doll.
As I was exceedingly proud of this story, I decided to pull out all the stops. I reached out to friends who own a production company and expressed interest in working with me. To might delight, they said yes. I think it might have been the two actors, one-location that sold them. For those unfamiliar with the logistics of production, two seated characters having a conversation for 9 pages is a production dream because it significantly consolidates the shot list we need to gather.
Since the shot list was straightforward, we decided to shoot a 9-page script in one day. The industry standard is 5-8 pages over one 12-hour day. We are nothing if not ambitious, but I make no claims to sanity; after all I moved to LA to make art for a living…
Because we decided to film in one day, the actors had to be ready: they had to know their lines backward and forwards, meaning I needed professionals, not newbies. Thus began the hunt for the right two actors to fill these very specific roles. This was my first real glimpse into the life of a casting director. I had in mind an image of who I really wanted, with frankly no belief that I would find those people. I just wanted people who could really act, and fit the part enough.
Thus we encounter the strangest phenomenon between the artist and the world. This has happened to me before, and I’ve heard from other professional creatives that they have experienced this: you invent something from your own head, and suddenly the world supplies it.
Making art takes a tremendous amount of faith: faith in yourself and your creative vision. Faith in other people to work with you. And faith that you will have exactly what you need at exactly the right time, to make the thing. Within a week or two of entering pre-production of Echoic, I secured precisely the right actors for each part.
We then entered rehearsals, discussing the story, the theme, and who these characters were. The actors pointed out that their relationship was not well established at the top of the script. I realized they were right and went back to the writer (*cough*), who quickly added two more pages to establish their relationship. (Which the production team just loved. “Yaaay….. more pages…”).
Thus commenced the first rehearsal I have ever facilitated. They read through the lines again and again until they had it down, me jumping in and making tweaks, corrections, clarifying mood, intention, tonality, and uncovering deeper meanings in the script. We added props and blocking. I ordered an authentic leather journal from India, which I only figured out after the payment had gone through… (*gulp*)
Meanwhile, pre-production continued as we secured exactly the right location, determined camera angles, and developed a shot list that wouldn’t violate the 180 rule. Keeping all the development materials straight, I used a new production management platform: PRODUCER MAKER MACHINA. I was thoroughly impressed with the capability and comprehensiveness of this software, more than any other management tool I’ve tried. This platform even had a place for me to upload rehearsal recordings to share with the rest of my team. I highly recommend this management platform for anyone looking to keep the complex and artistic workflow of production organized and accessible to all members of the team.
Asking one of my producer friends for any advice he had, he said to focus my attention on the aesthetics; everything visual that comes through the screen. Production value speaks volumes. So I did exactly that, developing “looks” for the character’s costumes, assembling a set-deck with antique books, old cameras, paintings, and industrial-looking lights.
Our set was a Vintage Tudor Mansion in the Hills, and the beauty of that setting did nearly all of the storytelling for us. Every time a crew member or actor arrived on set, they stopped and looked around, taking it all in; “Whoa… how did you find this place?” The location itself became the third character, which, if you’ve read the story, you know is exactly what we hoped for. (If you’re looking for a location to shoot or host an event, I highly recommend this venue in Vista, which we found on Peerspace.)
Shoot day arrived, and I put the final touches on props, set-decking the antique journal with “old drawings” from the main character’s ancestor, as well as authentic journal entries in that character’s voice. Granted, audience members are not going to be able to read that level of detail from the screen, but it will “play,” lending authenticity to the world and the story, which definitely translates to the audience.
11 pages in 12 hours… okay, we might have gone over 12 hours. The crew hustled, cultivating gorgeous lighting and perfect framing and focus. The actors were magnificent, delivering lines as if they were fresh. The house glowed. The story unfolded. There are so many moments from this set that I will carry forward and cherish in my journey of learning to direct, but I will share one with you:
Watching the first couple of takes, the hair rose on the back of my arm. This piece went from an idea- to a script- to lines and wardrobe and props and camera angles to…. something else. It’s its own thing. An art object, in its own right, rising off the screen and telling its own story.
I imagine parents feel this when they see their child developing a personality, a voice, separate from their own. All you can do is watch in awe, and guide it home.
We are now in post-production on this project, to be submitted to festivals in 2025.
A HUGE special thanks to Charthouse Films for catching the vision for this unusual narrative and bringing the dream to life. We’ve only just begun.
To actors David Bello and Jared Hernandez, I am beyond honored to have watched you two work. You are among my favorite actors, and I cannot wait to see where you go in your careers. I trust this will not be the last time we work together.
On to # 6! Stay tuned.
Adventure Awaits,
S. C. Durbois Newsletter
1st Saturday every month: a new original short story.
3rd Saturday every month: a writerly check-in with updates.
4th Saturday every month: a new chapter from “Bohan the Mage,” a dark academic fantasy novel. Subscriber access only.
BTS Photos by Chris Carter. Chris is a professional photographer who currently lives and writes in Los Angeles. You can follow his photography on Instagram @chriscarter_photography and his writing @chriscarterwriting.
Looks exciting
Every pic looks so wonderful 😃😃😃 Give me more. Great work!