ENDA Episode 29→ The time when the Endless Apprentice learned the importance of Production (Part 1)

I won’t lie, being a producer was the last thing that I imagined I would end up doing during a film shooting. But it happened.

After the experience with the SAMA team, I went with other people that I have previously worked with in other courses and with whom it will be my first time shooting a short film as a group. Counting me there were 6 people.

I knew beforehand that some of the members had a recurring curse of actors canceling at the last minute and on other occasions, there were problems during the shooting that were related to the organization.

So in order to avoid those and the problems I saw with SAMA, I had to start thinking as a producer: foreseeing problems, scheduling locations ahead of time knowing my team’s needs, etc. I wish someone would have taught me that, but this was one of the occasions when I had to learn while doing stuff.

To add more pressure, we were already in the last semester of the third year and we were left with 12 people. This meant one thing: it was our group of 6 competing directly with SAMA and two new members.

It was kind of scary, but at the same time moving because that same competition’s feeling made me want to excel in my new role, but more importantly: creating a work atmosphere that would not been possible in SAMA.

The results?

Our mid-term short film did not have the best script, nor the best acting and the lighting could have been better. However, it was standing on its own, and the most important thing we could shoot it in just a weekend, without needing to use the additional week of shooting that was prepared in case of emergency. So we had more time for editing and postproduction.

Additionally and more importantly: that shooting was a fun one, something that the group shared and made us grow closer.

By the time we had to do the final short film of the semester, we were better prepared: the shooting was done again on a weekend in a single location: a house very far from Downtown. We even had to spend the night there, but the experience was one of the best that I had until today.

The shooting was light and with an atmosphere without tensions. Even if problems would arise, we would solve them on the spot and carry out what we had to. The postproduction was no exception and was very pleasant.

In the end, the only thing our short film was lacking was the acting, but it was the only thing. Not to mention that even for a student short film, the budget was extremely low and was kept that way till the end.

I had achieved my objective the semester after starting as a producer and I thought naively that it was my call. I feel it natural at that moment, but the rest of my career will prove me wrong and the after-effects on my professional path will be almost permanent.

What exactly happened?

Well, that would be for the chapter.