Note from the filmmaker:
As a young creative, I've always wondered what goes on behind the scenes in my favorite films. Sometimes, though, the videos on YouTube just didn't satisfy me.
I didn't want to see just the bloopers, or what the set looks like it's when well-lit and the actors have arrived. I wanted to see how the film started...who had to say yes to propel the film from a simple idea to a living, breathing production? What did the props look like off-camera, and how were they built?
As I moved into production on this project, I began documenting the things I think I would have wondered about. This page is the result-- a collage that starts at the beginning and ends at the end.
pre-Pre-Production
Part 1: The Spark
The initial spark for this film came from a TikTok I watched. In it, a boy shared his feelings with a digital avatar at night due to the pandemic. The idea to make a film about an AI companion became so sticky in my head that I simply had to get it on paper.
A few months later, I wrote a reddit post where I consolidated some of my ideas and asked the users of r/Screenwriting for advice on which (of several) ideas I should pursue. They overwhelmingly selected this one.
In Summer 2021, I saw a posting for a grant funded by the Scout Film Festival. This was the jumpstart I needed to get serious about the project. I began vigorously writing (and rewriting) a proposal for this grant.
As I poured over what I (thought) I wanted this film to be, it was important to talk to the people I knew that might have interesting or relevant perspectives. In this phase, I talked to Dr. Elizabeth Kelso (my high school English teacher and a holder of a doctorate in education) and Tim Needles, a modern technology educator and former film journalist. These people helped focus my vision and get my ideas onto paper.
After that, I finished up a draft of my grant proposal. Completing this early on allowed me to see a complete image of what I wanted to produce- from where I would shoot to how it would be distributed. This broad plan was key to getting stakeholders on board-- which was the next step.
You can view my completed proposal here.
Part 2: Pitching
Pitching to stakeholders was a fundamental part of this process. Early on, I realized that a lot of my eggs were in one basket - the grant I was applying to. If I didn't receive that, there would be no film. I needed to diversify. So, I began pitching my film to organizations that may be interested. I made a list of connections I had, organizations I knew that might be interested and grants I could find. I applied, met with people, and hustled. I came to each of them with a similar pitch: I was making a short film about technology to get young people thinking about the future they would build. My budget was $5,000- and I was looking to direct the entire process from beginning to end. After multiple failed meetings, and polite "no's", I had one meeting with the Neilom Foundation.
Here are some of the things I learned while pitching:
Prepare for the meetings! Research everything you can about who you're meeting with, what their organization does, and find ways that you can provide value to each other.
Have a plan: Stakeholders want to know everything about a project. You need to have a comprehensive plan and to be able to answer specific questions about every step of the process.
Be okay with rejection! In a lot of projects, having someone say "yes" is by far the exception. When something doesn't work out, or "it's not the right fit for us", thank people for their time, and move on quickly.
Part 3: Script
Writing. The most painful part of the process.
My process started with a bullet-point list of events that could happen. Here's the undoctored first draft of that list (written in Notion, a great note-taking app).
There doesn't really seem to be an ending here... but that's often how these projects start. Apparently, it ends with "Pulls off". Who knows what I was thinking? I certainly don't. After this stage, this list changes, morphs, and expands into paragraphs. Eventually, scenes form, and from this list, a first draft of the script emerges.
Lake Artemesia - a lake near College Park, MD, where much of this film's script was written.
Setup in my bedroom at home where many deep script revisions took place.
Pre-Production
This is where things kick into gear. Props have to be designed and built, equipment has to be secured, and schedules have to be finalized. Heres's some photo-documentation of the work that happened in Pre-Production.
VR headset design process in Autodesk Fusion 360
Final Rendering of Model
3d-Print on Sidewinder Artillery/Makerbot
Public Domain Travel Posters from www.pexels.com
Fantastic Posters Designed by our great Art Director Daria Yoder
Production
Post-Production
Editing the film in Final Cut Pro
Designing the Virtual Avatar in Metahuman Creator
Rushing from my dorm room upstairs to the Design, Cultures, and Creativity laboratory in the basement (selfie in the elevator)
On Spring Break, working on the facial movements of CADE in Adobe Character Animator
In the DCC lab, viewing live previews of the footage I was rendering in Unreal Engine. Animating precise movements.
Workspace that I had in the DCC lab - two large monitors connected to a computer designed for this very use- complex 3d or VR applications.
Early test render of our metahuman in the void-like environment.
More to come, including final test screenings, pilot of classroom curriculum, and breakdown of Film Festival Strategy / Submissions
Software:
Final Cut Pro X
Unreal Engine
Metahuman Creator
Autodesk Fusion 360
TinkerCAD
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe XD
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Illustrator
Canva
Cricut Design Space
Logic Pro X
KIT Scenarist
Google Docs/Sheets/Sites
AIVA.ai
Public Domain / Asset Licensing Sites:
Free:
www.pexels.com - Free stock footage and images
www.musopen.org - Public Domain Classical Music
www.freemusicarchive.org - Public Domain Music - General
www.pixabay.com - Free stock images
Paid:
Epic Games Store
UNSOLICITED PRO-TIP !!!
Filmmakers- especially indie ones- often have public instagram accounts and sometimes a rather small following. If you dm them, they might (keyword: might) see your message and respond to your questions! In the course of making this project, I managed to talk to five directors this way: Ricky Staub (Director: Concrete Cowboy), Jim Cummings (Director: Thunder Road, The Beta Test), Colin Levy (Director: Skywatch (short film which is now in-development to become a series at Peacock)), and Elliot/Zander Weaver, directing duo that made Cosmos, a thrilling sci-fi feature. Each of them gave me absolutely fantastic advice and insights on my own project or how they approach their work. I can't recommend this enough. If you want to get in touch with me, shoot me an email at turnstoneproductions@gmail.com
Skywatch - Colin Levy
Concrete Cowboy - Ricky Staub
Thunder Road - Jim Cummings
Cosmos - Elliot/Zander Weaver
(so shoutout to these people who's help gave me the confidence to attack this project in the way I did!)
