‍

PRE-PRODUCTION: I first pulled quotations from the book I figured might fit this character, then arranged them to fit a narrative arc. A couple days before we had planned to shoot, I found the music and storyboarded every moment. This is when I realized we needed another character. I could think of no one more fitting to be the suave victim than Alex in one of his suits. As for the voice in Audrey's head, Emily was the first choice.

PRODUCTION: We shot in two six-hour days. It went incredibly smooth, but such is usually the case with a one-man crew and a patient cast.

Pretty much all lighting was done with two Aputure MCs, save for some practicals. I used the tiny soft box covers or bounced them off walls. I'd quickly shift them for almost every shot, sitting them on some nearby furniture or magnetizing to a door nob, etc. Maybe used a light stand for a few shots.

I became obessed with getting a gorgeous, proper moon shot. Which I realized was only truly possible with a telescope. The weekend rental on a telescope was essentially equivalent to the rest that was spent on the film, but we needed that moon shot.

POST-PRODUCTION: The entire post workflow was done in Davinci Resolve. Cut, color, mixing, and compositing. There were 2 composite shots: filling in the empty primer caps of the fake bullets and pulling back that hammer which was mistakenly down in the last shot.

TAKEAWAY: For lighting, be patient but not precious. Don't underestimate cheap LEDs that allow you a lot of control and quick adjustments.
‍
-Mory