What is Your Story? Part Four

Moving Image Storytelling

Feature projects ultimately are about moving images.  At this level, if you are not planning, creating, working with, or selling, moving images you are wasting money/time you don't have.  You need to be making images, not figuring out the most elegant way of conveying the emotional state of the character without saying too much, and what should she say here, at this moment?  I mean . . .  Forget all that.

Write the minimum you need--you are a feature film producer/director, not a writer.  You will need to work on your story so you know how to record it.  Even if you think you have everything you need, at this level losing locations and just-in-time dialogue writing is common, so know your story.  Map it out.  Map out the territory with whatever plot and character markers you want.

The result is not a screenplay, but a well-structured story via a detailed outline and character rubric.  More on this later.
 
For today, start with what you see right in front of you, right now (beyond the screen you are reading this on--get in the world).  Get present to the present.  Not what would be cool to have, or cool to build, or cool to shoot in.  You have access to none of that.  What can you count on?  I am going to repeat this phrase often:  Maximize what shows up in front of the camera each day.

I knew, for example, that every April in Venice, California moisture builds in the air near the coast.  As June approaches the mists become heavier and eventually we get "June Gloom"--the locals name for a thick marine layer that rolls in almost every afternoon until late July.  So I knew I could shoot April through May and get the same afternoon sun for weeks.  On top of that, the light was diffused by the moisture in the air.  This meant I could shoot outdoors without serious over-exposure issues.  Even when my highlights did flare out, the light was soft and flattering on the actors' faces.  I also used a February storm and the June marine layer for contrasting looks.  All three of these were very predictable, just not certain.

Start with what you see everyday--especially what you see everyday--predictability is the key.  Build your story from there.

Stop reading and turn on your camera.