We Made a Movie! + What it Took to Make it Happen

tl;dr — 22 set positions, 12 people, 1 location, 2 bathrooms, 6 meals, ∞ snacks, 30 set hours, 500 GB of footage, $12,935 budget, and the experience of a lifetime. 

Producers Stephanie Hong, Amelia Bartlett, and Kate Szekely after the final scene in the LFF shoot. 

Cinematographer Curren Sheldon and assistant Elliott Childress.

Our team researched, listened to mentors, and mocked up various budgets and scenarios, but none of it could’ve prepared us for the day of reality (full of challenges and surprises) that made the experience that much more rewarding. 

Even short movies are major productions. We were fortunate to work with a Director of Photography (cinematographer, who brought & operated his camera to capture the magic) and his assistant who was additionally skilled in lighting and audio, thanks to their years of documentary production. This saved us a ton of $$$ and sheer bodies on set, which would’ve pushed our location to the brink. 

We were surrounded by a whole crew of enthusiastic set pros who were comfortable helping out across the spectrum of jobs. Our producer, Stephanie Hong, also took on wardrobe, assisted with script supervising and set photography, and ultimately acted as Unit Production Manager, interfacing between all departments and the director. Our other producer, Kate Szekely, starred in the film as Lydia and captivated the entire operation for two solid days, in every single scene. 

Editor/DIT Jon Linzalone sitting with Script Supervisor Jess Gutman. 

HMU Kyla Metzger with Kate Szekely.

PA Harry Perales.

Our “video village” was the home of the second monitor, which could see exactly what the director and cinematographer were seeing in the camera. This monitor was the primary tool of Continuity, the tummy-ache-inducing job that requires a constant focus on things like “the laptop angle has shifted from the last shot” and “make sure those postcards are properly scattered” so all takes are interchangeable and usable.

Continuity included the script supervisor(s), editor (also working DIT, who manages the footage as it moves from camera to computer), and our makeup artist, who attended to the cast before each new shot to make sure their faces weren’t shiny, hair was in the same place (despite the director asking actors to touch and move it, which made her job much harder!), and that the cast looked their best in each new lighting situation. 

There were floating pros like the Assistant Director (AD) and Production Assistants (PA) (who also acted as set photographers and BTS content creators, towel refreshers, craft services, set decoration, and so much more). 

And of course… the Director. Me. 

It took me a whole day to learn to call “action.” 

I’m not exaggerating. At first, I felt so silly. It seemed like a thing they only do in the movies, for the drama of the moment. 

Grayson Yockey as Colin with Kate Szekely and Amelia Bartlett filming a very long single take wide angle scene. 

In fact, lots of people say something very specific before the actors do their work. 

AD, “Last looks.”

In scurries hair & makeup and wardrobe to perfect the actors & the aesthetic. 

Audio, “Speeding.”

Camera, “Rolling.” 

PA with the Slate, “Scene #, Take #, CLAP.”

Camera (again, as he waits for the bounciest floor to stop shaking his camera), “Set.”

I take a deep breath. You could hear a pin drop, but you don’t, because everyone else is holding their breath, waiting for the scene to start. Sometimes I can see the actor(s), sometimes they’re out of sight, ready to walk into frame. I try to tune into their energy — are they ready? Are they waiting? Are they anticipating? Am I ready? 

Director, “Action.”

When we got to the final scene, Kate and I took a moment together. She said to me, “Wow, this is the hardest scene in the whole film.” 

Lead actress and director discussing an impromptu few minutes of improvisition to break up the stuck feeling in the current scene. 

I could already feel it. Something in me was breaking loose and my emotions were so close to the surface. So, I asked her, “Can I give you some advice?” She nodded. 

“Feel everything, show nothing. You don’t owe us anything. This is your moment with Lydia, just experience it.” 

I suspected we were sharing a feeling with our co-producer Stephanie. This film has been our escape hatch, our big bold choice to believe in not just our dreams but our ability to realize them. And for Lydia, only halfway through her story, she’s sitting on a couch having just learned someone she used to know is gone, not fully sure what that means for her. 

I think all of us were realizing that the old versions of ourselves, the ones who were postponing this big leap and thinking it would happen later, some other time, under some other circumstances, were gone. The safe place of procrastinating our futures was no longer home. Here we all were, under the spotlight, everyone holding their breath, waiting for that final call. 

“Action.”  

We laughed, we cried (happy tears), and we danced around the South Knox Airbnb crammed to the gills with people and gear as it sank in: We did it. 

Years of dreaming, months of planning, and three days of sun-up to way past sun-down dedication produced a film that already looks and feels even better than I could’ve imagined. 

For the next project, we’ll get a bigger monitor!