The subject line of this entry must sound ominous but do not worry, nobody died and nobody is actually Waiting For The Coroner, that is the just title of the latest film I directed.
"Wait. What? You mean you've gone and directed another project? I haven't even gotten a copy of the last project you directed?" Some of you are thinking this. I assure you, that I have not forgotten or left unfinished my other projects, but films take a long time to make and I think it's always good to have a number of projects in the works lest you get caught with no projects to work on at all.
Waiting for the Coroner was one of 6 films made for this years Columbia College Chicago Practicum program. What is practicum you ask? I'll tell you.
Practicum is a program the film/video department at Columbia puts on. Each year, they take 6 directors and 6 producers out of hundreds who apply and set them up with a team of students, equipment and most importantly, financial backing and we go off and make a film. It was Bruce Sheridan's idea, he is the head of the film department and he will tell you that there is a school of thought that film students, especially undergraduates can't be taught the high level of professional collaborative film making that exists in the real world and that no film school funds student films. But Bruce and Columbia have been doing it for years now and doing it successfully. So I was one of the lucky 6 directors chosen this year to direct.
Now, that is the politically correct definition of practicum, but what is it really? Practicum is 20 angry college faculty members yelling at you about your creative choices for an entire semester. Practicum is taking calls at 3AM about a crew member who isn't doing their job, or needing a permit, or the wallpaper you wanted for the set is to expensive. Practicum is getting 45 emails in your inbox at once. Practicum is not sleeping. Practicum is living, eating, and breathing film and the quality of your script 24 hours a day. Practicum is film making and I would not have it any other way.
I was even more lucky to be teamed up with Austin Bedell as my producer. Nothing would have happened without him. Few producers have I ever worked with have been harder working, more creative, more protective of his director or more understanding of the script (so much so tha he could have directed it if I died). On top of going to school full-time, practicum takes up about 30 to 40 hours of your week. Not only did Austin go to school full time, put in tons of hours on WFC but he also worked pretty much full time as well (I guess we all gotta pay the bills, and Columbia isn't cheap). I am grateful for Austin. He has set the standard for producers to work with.
Our film (which I will now refer to as WFC) is best described this way: After the discovery of his dead mother, a man must confront his estranged son and his own fear of acceptance to what is gone and what still exists.
The film is about 10 minutes long. Cast of 4. Crew of seemingly thousands but in reality it's more like 60. We shot over 4 days. Our location was a white, empty apartment, that we dressed from scratch, from carpet to wallpaper to dishes in the kitchen. We had about 3 months of pre-production. Developed and went through about 9 drafts of the script. The film started as a dark comedy with something like 30 characters. We turned it into a 4 person family drama (which film would have been better? Who knows?). 4 writers are credited in the film. We had more than that work on it. 5 months of post production. We had test screenings, questionnaires, faculty feedback and eventually a lack of faculty feedback and we had to make our own decisions.
Then there was the music. Coroner, in my opinion is a film that works without any music. Another film with no music called White Ribbon was a big inspiration in the film-making process for me and I think Coroner has a similar but smaller aesthetic. However, to most people, the film needs music. In today's world of speedy cuts and loud action sequences, Coroner needs music. But how do you score a film that works without music? You bring on Ramon Reyes. My magical composer who also composed for Seasons. He did a great job of capturing the right emotions and wrote a score for us on a tight deadline. Less then a week and a half.
And all of it was put together and it turned out to be a successful film. A woman approached me after the debut screening and told me the film brought her to tears. That is probably the biggest compliment I can get. My film affected someone. It made someone feel something. And especially with Coroner, where things are left open to interpretation, all I wanted was for the audience to feel something, it didn't really matter what.
The film isn't an audience favorite. It is a heavy film, not a crowd pleaser and I am OK with that. The other 5 films that were made by the other teams alongside of WFC are fun, funny, more cinematic, playful or carry sweeping messages and each shows excellence in a particular genre.
As we were told from the start, it is not about the film you end up with, it is about you learning in great detail the collaborative film making process. I learned a great amount and I came out with some good friends, good professional contacts and a good film. I couldn't be happier.
Now on to the film festivals. I shall keep you all updated!
Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 3:23PM 