The Covet – Shoot #5

So we went back and shot the alley scene again. The one we were rained on the first time remember? If not here’s that post. It was dry this time and the hotel lights were working as well which was the whole reason we chose this location to shoot. You can see the hotel over his head in this frame.

Later in the film he goes to the hotel and I wanted to show it as a moment of foreshadowing.

We also had to replace our bum from the first shoot. My buddy couldn’t be involved as he was slammed with life stuff at that time. Kevin Edwards, an Uber driver I met through a friend who lives in Orlando played the role. He did a great job so it worked out for the best.

I also had my DP on this shoot as he had a scheduling conflict the first time we shot this scene and I was Director and DP. Not something I would recommend.

We wet down the alley as there was a faucet conveniently located in the alley. Our makeup artist was also there and made our bum look extra bummy and she was a life saver. I had 2 other guys running gaf and odd jobs so it was a pretty small crew.

Since we were there without permission we didn’t have any power so all lights were LED on battery. The 2 key lights were using v-mount batteries and 2/3 through the shoot they went out. So I had to crawl through a gate to reach an outlet which was an act of desperation. I took a video of the event.

Excited stuff and not as glamorous as you might think. Sometimes you have to do what’s necessary to keep the party going so I squeezed through the bars…somehow.

What I realized on this shoot was as a director it’s not easy explaining your vision to those who can’t see inside your head. Blocking in real life from a shot list is also challenging which is why we didn’t get through our first shoot in this very alley.

So I think in editing terms since that’s how I started out, as an editor then transitioned into film maker or cinematographer. When I’m directing I’m editing in my head, trying to figure out what works and what feels more natural. I err on the side of fast movements and cuts which sometimes is confusing. The human brain is amazing as it pieces together abstract representations of an idea. As a filmmaker I just hope they understand it enough to enjoy the story.

Rack focus shots don’t always edit well like the frame above. I ditched the focal rack in post and just showed the flask in the shopping cart, the object of our protagonist desire. Coveting is echoed through the whole piece if you are paying attention.

This shoot turned out well and I learned a lot from it. It was fun but a whole lot of work. Thanks to my team it all worked out perfect and we finished shooting the scene around midnight.