When the nice folks at MakingOf.com asked me to introduce this “behind the scenes” short film put together by my friend and Hello Lonesome associate producer Mark Rosenberg I thought I would try something different than the usual indie film stats.*
Behind the development and production of any film is a massive collection of choices. I thought it might be cool if I listed a random sampling of the choices I made making Hello Lonesome and why. In no particular order whatsoever, you know, for entertainment value:
CHOICE: No dollys, cranes, or steadicams, really no grip equipment whatsoever.
WHY: I told myself that it would make the film more intimate and personal, but really, on our budget we couldn’t afford the equipment, or the crew to use it.
CHOICE: Two Bernese Mountain Dogs.
WHY: They came with the Manhattan location. Either I had to hide 300 lbs of dog or I could just have the dogs be a part of the film. They’re amazing! It was an easy decision made the first day of shooting in New York. They are easily my favorite piece of set dressing in the film.
CHOICE: I would be the cinematographer in addition to the writer, producer, and director.
WHY: I made my short film this way and it worked. (While the Widow is Away) I shoot with larger crews and very talented DP’s when I make commercials but I don’t know how to bring that talent into a micro-production scenario. When I make mistakes shooting, and I make a lot of them, I know what I can and cannot live with. With a separate shooter, I’d have to care about what he can live with as well. We just didn’t have that kind of time or resources.
CHOICE: Shoot on HD with a Panasonic HVX200
WHY: In the summer of 2008 when we were shooting, the HVX gave me the most filmic looking HD without jumping into the more crew intensive Red, Viper, Genesis or actual 35mm. I was very familiar with the Panasonic DVX which gave me confidence upgrading to it’s HD counterpart. If I were making the film today, I would have probably used several Canon DSLR’s. (I own the powerful yet affordable Rebel T2i which shoots 1080p) By next summer I’m sure an amazing new indie standard will emerge.
CHOICE: Cast Sabrina Lloyd to play a version of my sister.
WHY: I had a mad crush on her in what I still consider to be Aaron Sorkin’s best TV show, Sports Night. And in a slightly creepy coincidence, Sabrina also looks a little like my sister.
CHOICE: The voice of Captain Morgan’s Rum in his first on screen role will be my leading man.
WHY: The character Bill Soap is a successful voice over artist who works from his home studio, just like Harry Chase. Turns out, Harry is a force of nature and a crazy good actor.
CHOICE: No art director or wardrobe stylist.
WHY: Again, I followed this approach on the short film and it worked. The key for working without art direction is casting locations VERY carefully to need no additional art direction. Because I am also the writer, I would often go back into the script and introduce cool elements I would find at my favorite locations. For example, the trampoline and geisha doll collection were both artifacts I wrote into the script as soon as I settled on the location. With wardrobe, I usually cast actors to play versions of themselves which usually means their closets will also have the most natural look for their character. We did some wardrobe fittings, but that’s about it.
CHOICE: 66’ Ford Thunderbird Coup.
WHY: I originally wanted a Cadillac Eldorado or something similar and boat-like to play off of Lynn because she’s old and tiny. As we got closer to production I had a hard time finding a Caddy that felt right and at the last minute we stumbled into renting this much smaller but very sexy 66 Thunderbird. I would love to own this car. (That’s a hint to any absurdly generous fans out there.)
CHOICE: I will shoot Hello Lonesome in my underwear.
WHY: First of all, it was hot. And second, I didn’t make the entire movie in my underwear, only the scenes that required Harry to be in his underwear. You know, as a sign of solidarity. Also, even though I have an albino quality and Austin Powers-ish chest hair, I’ve always been uncommonly comfortable in my underwear.
*The Stats: 15 day shoot, 50k budget, 1x Panasonic HVX200A, six crew-persons, shot on location in Manhattan, New Jersey and Connecticut. Cut on Avid, finished in the Discreet Smoke and mixed with Pro Tools.
