The day I became a Director

Did I tell you about the time I became a big shot director? Oh what fun it was!

The fabulous Boyfriend came to me one evening mid week and proposed I help him create a short movie for application purposes. I was on board as usual although didn’t really think much about it, I mean I’m just holding a camera still right?

We pencilled in some time and spent a whole weekend from dusk till dawn filming lots of difference scenes in different locations. We even got the ginger kitty involved.

I was quite excited once he ran through the plan and scripts with me but I couldn’t see how I’d be much help as I have absaloutely no background in film apart from appreciating a decent made one. However, once we starting filming (oh I sound so pro) I was quite surprised at just how much I became involved and sort of er.. took over.

Me being a bit of a Boss!

Being a director is mad! I don’t think I’ll ever view another film the same way. It wasn’t so much about just filming a shot but making sure that the lighting was just perfect, that little bits of dodgy skyline didn’t come in shot, re-structuring scripts last min to allow more time/less time. Chaos.

Now of course in real life a director won’t be shooting etc, but having studied briefly the PFD contracts on the LPC I didn’t quite appreciate until I became one for a weekend just how “on form” they have to be. They are like the nice version of the eye of Sauron (LOTR fans I got you) overseeing absolutely everything, it’s all on them legality wise at the end of the day. Then comes the passion, forget someone suing your ass once the camera starts rolling you forget everything you become captivated with the actors, you go into terminator mode eyeing out all the discrepancies with precision its an incredible feeling!

I love getting creative and being organised and this weekend allowed me to do both. I got a bit carried away knighting myself Stephen Scorsese Smalls, a mix between Stephen Spielberg and Steven Scorsese. Here’s my directors chair..

I may sound a bit obnoxious here but thinking back I really can’t find anything in particular that I disliked. One night we were up till about 2.30am which was straining and it can get a bit stiff repeating a take over and over again to get it perfect. But if you enjoy something I’m sure you’ll agree that there’s less of that frustration if it doesn’t go right first time and more of a hunger to keep working at it.

The Boyfriend was a faboulous actor to work with, not a diva in the slightest though I have a few bloopers of him staring me down as if he wanted to strangle me when I’m getting a bit picky after 6 hours of filming and commanding him to re-shoot a take for the 55^th time because a bird flew past behind him..

On the other hand the unexpected diva turned out to be shai! Oh my lord we had one scene with him, it was supposed to be the easiest but he became such a Madonna! While we were setting up lights and angles he was helping out climbing into prop baskets and sniffing everything then when we looked at him like “let’s do this” he looked back with a “Nope, I’ve changed my mind I want some low fat cream first” and ran outside. Gone. Just like that he was out the cat flap prouncing about in the garden.

So we made a cup of hot chocolate and waited 30 mins for Mr Diva to return after which we had to chase him around the house as he decided he wanted to plat cat and mouse first. When we finally got him in the shot he did wonderfully, although a few times he made me burst out laughing while filming as he turned to The Boyfriend giving him the dirtiest looks a cat can give. I loved it! My little superstar!

Working with Shai also made me appreciate just how stressed out animals can get and how it is so important that film productions take good care (don’t get me started on the horrific events during the filming of the Hobbit. Shame on you Peter Jackson) of the animals on set. Just as the takes were taking a toll on us they were too on little Shai. He had memorised the script and knew exactly when The Boyfriend was coming to an end and would run around for a stroll before he’s even got there. It was great and I ended up learning more about his superstar qualities while treating him to a rare bit of cream as a treat after!

The best bit about filming is watching all the bloopers after. The Boyfriend has promised me a tape of bloopers as a little souvenir. It was really great experience perhaps more so because I got to be a glorified boss for the day!

Some good tools and imagination is all you need!

If you’ve got a love for movies and the sort I’d encourage you to gather some friends, family, lovers and get involved with your own movie making and no.. dirty ones don’t count!