Week Two at BDFI
I just wrapped up week two and I’ve already had some amazing revelations. I scratched my first idea for the first project for being superficial and derivative. After speaking to some teachers and peers about it, I realized that I had no idea what I was trying to say. There was no authenticity.
So I decided to write a short dialogue stemming from a larger idea that I have for a feature film. The idea is based on a personal experience of mine. After writing the first draft of the scene I had this feeling that I was about to embark on an incredible adventure. I still feel that way.
Despite all of my expectations, I am thoroughly enjoying screenwriting. It was something I had always struggled with in the past, but now I absolutely love it. It’s still a difficult process, now more than ever because it is coming from a more authentic place, but it really feels great.
This is not so say that every great idea needs to stem from personal experience. Some of my favorite films are made up stories, surreal and dreamlike. I still need to figure out how to balance these two notions.
Another thing I realized is something that I already knew, but only fully grasped once it was put into effect. It is the notion that no one is going to make this film for me. Not much filming is done in the
first couple of weeks because we are still being taught the basics and I was getting pretty antsy. But then I realized that there was an entire room filled with equipment waiting to be used and a class full
of students waiting for something to do. It’s really amazing what the power of motivation can do to people.
We already did a couple of lighting tests for my first assignment. The shoot is going to be in my house, which makes things a lot easier. The first time we went, we only took one light. After testing the lighting, we realized that we would need much more equipment. One of the graduated students looked at my footage from the first test and gave me advice on how to light the scene better. He also showed me how different things work, such as scrims and dimmers, flags and reflectors. The second time I decided to do a test we loaded up a cart with three lights, scrims, gels, a dimmer, a reflector, etc. This time, the lighting looked 10 times better. Still not perfect, but it’s definitely getting there.
I’m starting to feel much better now that things are picking up in pace. I’m planning on holding auditions next weekend, which I think will be very exciting. I can’t wait to see my idea come alive.
My classmates have been really awesome too. I feel like we are all in this together. Everyone puts a lot of effort into advising their peers. Everyone just wants to be busy… we’re all here for the same
reason, which is really awesome. I can’t wait to see what everyone creates.
