Some time ago, I stumbled across Chris Jones' film blog where he describes how he set out to make an Oscar winning short film “Gone Fishing”. It didn’t win in the end but made it on the long list, which is quite an impressive feat. This enthusiasm and high set goal are definitely something I have embraced for my first short film, consequently making me freak out over what I have started. I might be a little late to fill you in about my filmmaking journey, as it is largely done, but better late than never.
In my previous blog post, I told you about how the mother-daughter conflict in “Death and other Vanities” has seen several reincarnations and it was feedback from the Page awards that encouraged me to progress this short film. So here we are. I met my cinematographer Mike Terry on my last day of my day-job and since then I have been riding the dopamine waves to propel this project forward before relocating back to Germany (I moved in July 2022). Introducing the characters of Death and other Vanities: Belinda: a high performing mother of two who has recently lost her father and is the sole breadwinner. She is at an emotional tipping point in her life, feeling overwhelmed but still soldiering on. The question is how long she’ll be able to keep up with her hectic life before she breaks. Mrs. Shoemaker: a hoarder and undiagnosed ADHDer who tries to hold up time by refusing to let anything change in her life. She has lost her husband and also has to come to terms with it. Pete: Belinda’s husband who has lost his job and is currently paralyzed by the prospect of redefining his purpose in life. Elody and Grace: Belinda’s and Pete’s daughters who are not consciously aware of the troubles of their parents but are picking up the frustrated vibes in the family. Psychiatrist: Belinda sees a psychiatrist to help her get through this difficult time and prevent her from doing something regrettable. Colleague: A nosy colleague of Belinda’s who is not aware of her troubles. Before I approached any talent to fill these roles, I decided to do some location scouting to feel more secure that this project would go ahead. The film required five sets. My own house (Mrs. Shoemaker’s place) as well as a friend’s house (Belinda’s place) were easily sorted, and location release forms signed. Next, I contacted the local council regarding a filming permit for the public car park. it took a while to hear back from them but then they were super helpful and easy going. We weren't going to rock up with a crane and close streets, so nothing would get disrupted. Then I got in touch with the University of New England and was surprised that they were totally fine with us using one of their open-plan offices as a set for Belinda’s work. Again, we would film on a weekend when no one else was using the office, so maybe that was the reason. The last set for the psychiatrist was planned to be at a neighbour’s house, but due to personal circumstances, this set fell through, and we improvised in our basement, which also helped to consolidate the shooting schedule in the end as I didn't have to work around other people and have cast and crew travel multiple times.
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March 2023
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