Year-end reflections

It’s the end of the year, and time to reflect on the year gone by.

2014 goals in review

I entered 2014 with one major filmmaking goal: be a major contributor on six short films.  How did I do?

  • March, “Better Days.”  In March, I was DP for a short film called “Better Days.”  This involved planning and consulting on the story and doing all camera work on the day of production.  As far as I know, “Better Days” has not been finished, but I did my part.
  • May, “Quietus.”  This was Discordian Film’s entry to the DC 48 Hour Film Festival.  I was director and editor.
  • June, “Baltimore 48: Let’s Make a Movie, They Said.  It Will be Easy, They Said.”  This is a documentary in which several of us embedded with cameras into two teams competing in Baltimore’s 48 Hour Film Project.  I was DP and chief editor.  I spent a weekend filming one of the teams and have spent a lot of time since editing.  This has been a much larger project than expected, and should end up around an hour when done (which should be sometime in the next few months).  So this was larger than a short, and my contributions are certainly major.
  • July, “Flowers for Daniel.”  My own entry into Richmond’s 48 Hour Film Project, in which Julie and I did everything.  So yes, a successful short film, and a major contribution.
  • August, “The Critic.”  A short film by Crimes of the Art.  I was producer, director, editor, and writer.  It’s still in the last stages of post, but I’m happy with it and I was a major contributor.
  • October, competition video for Alex Bond.  A one minute video entry for Alex Bond entering a Dr Pepper-sponsored scholarship competition.  I was director, DP, and primary editor.  Kind of a small one, but I’m still going to count it.
  • November, “Bavon by Sky.”  A ten minute short showing Bavon Beach from drone shots.  I did everything.

While some of the films aren’t quite finished yet, I actually was a lead on seven films, not six.  Six felt like a stretch goal; I’m happy with seven.

Other 2014 accomplishments

I also did several other film-related things in 2014.  These were:

  • Throughout, camera work for Arlington Independent Media.  I did shooting for a number of productions of high school sports competitions for Arlington Independent Media (AIM).  These included track, softball, and golf.
  • March, DC Shorts Mentors.  I took a series of seminars hosted by DC Shorts discussing various aspects of making films.  This used up every weekend in March, except for the one weekend I helped shoot “Better Days.”
  • April – May, memorial interstitials for Alabama Public TV.  I was a PA/camera assistant on several 90 second interstitials done by my friend Mark Fastoso for Alabama Public TV.  These aired on Memorial Day throughout Alabama.  They short pieces that showed memorials that included Alabamians, including Gettysburg and the Vietnam Memorial.
  • June – July, Corey Mandell Screenwriting class.  I took a screenwriting class with Corey Mandell.
  • July, Vincent Laforet’s “Directing Motion” seminar.  A seminar on directing camera motion in film.
  • September, this website.  I launched this website in September to serve as a showcase for my film work.
  • September, DC Shorts Screenwriting Competition.  My short script, “Twelve Step,” was a finalist in the DC Shorts Screenwriting Competition.  This involved casting and directing a public table-read of the script.  (I actually wrote “Twelve Step” in 2013.)
  • November, “A True Friend.”  I did sound on “A True Friend,” the entry of Lion Eating Poets in a Stone Den for the DC Shorts Speakeasy film competition.
  • November, “The One.”  I finished a major draft of my first full-lengths screenplay, “The One.”  I entered it into the Black List site and got some fairly favorable feedback (though at least one more draft is in order).

Reflections

All in all, quite a year.  I’m happy with the progress that I’ve made.  Further, I no longer feel like a novice film-maker.  This was the year I wanted it to be.

 

 

 

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