Here are 11 lessons I learned while filming my first short film: CIALT: Caught IN A Love Trap

Choose Your Creative Team Wisely

The process is long, and there are thousands of decisions to be made. You have to have a team that thinks and creates well together. That doesn’t mean that it’s easy or that everyone has to agree, but just like any relationship, knowing how to both advocate for your vision and to compromise with the other members of the team is so important. The process of creating and promoting a short film is very long, and egos will kill a project faster than a lack of budget.

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Measure Twice, Cut Once

This is true at every part of the process, pre-production, production, and post-production. Time is always an issue when you have a limited budget or are asking people to collaborate without pay. BUT, you have to balance respecting everyone’s time and effort by doing what you can to get the best performance from each team member. Another 2-hour Zoom rehearsal may be irritating, but it’s better than racing through another take while the whole team is ready to wrap after a long day!

I would argue it’s even more important during post-production, because trying to make a change once the color and sound are done is way more work than most people realise. Make more cuts and get feedback before you lay the final sound and color!

Leave Room For Individual Genius

Give creative freedom to the experts on your team, especially the talent. As directors, we know what we want, but a great actor will surprise you and can open up your story in ways you don’t expect. Likewise, a great editor can give you insight into a part of the story that you were struggling with and open up insights into a character you didn’t see during the shooting. Our producer was one of the best storytelling resources because she was excellent at connecting scenes and solving challenges in storytelling. She could translate script to visual and back, which solved a lot of frustrations and challenges throughout the project.

If you bring great people to your project team…let them cook!

You Can’t Do It All Yourself

It’s easy to have opinions and feel like you can do it all yourself, especially when you have some ability in multiple areas of production and post-production. But there is so much work to be done on a film that even the best will get overwhelmed. Having a team there to support each other, problem-solve together, and to have additional resources to help throughout the project is invaluable. Some of the most valuable insights and connections came from our collective networks and collaborations.

Allow the Film to Mature and Evolve

Each part of the process changes the film. From story to script, the film evolves. From script to acting, the film evolves. From acting to framing, the film evolves again. The edit gives it a whole new life. The sound and soundtrack elevate the emotions, and the final color process is the final touch of seasoning, bringing out the ideas and performances to make unforgettable moments. If you get stunted on an idea or variation at any part, it can be frustrating and exhausting and affect the whole film.

The Edit and Sound Are Their Own Processes

If you have done the process before, this seems like a no-brainer. However, it’s an easy pitfall to miss when starting out. Even if you planned all of your shots, the edit has a life of its own. Sometimes, you shot things you didn’t realize, or you thought you shot something that didn’t pan out as you wanted, so giving the edit its own space and having a talented editor is important. Even if you know how to edit… you’ll be tired, and you will only see your work, not the potential of your work.

Same with sound, both taking the time to capture great sound during production, and having a great composer and sound engineer adds a huge level of polish and emotion to the film.

Trust Yourself

There are a thousand decisions, a thousand options, and hundreds of voices pushing on the project; give your creativity room to flourish and guard your peace and creative energy so that you always feel connected to your vision. If it starts to feel impossible or if something isn’t working, trust yourself and your vision, and you won’t regret it. You never want to walk away from the months of work with regret that you didn’t try something that was meaningful to you.

Expect Delays

Having a great producer will help, but there are so many moving parts that if you get too focused on the timeline, you can’t deviate, it will destroy the project. You have to plan on things not going 100% as you planned. We had actors with last-minute jobs that changed shoot dates, a musician who quit after we wrapped and refused to let us use the footage of their song, a change in editor, and a last-minute invitation to a film festival before our final cut was ready for the DCP, so we worked all weekend trying to finalize it before the deadline. Rain, lol. We can laugh now, but it was challenging at every turn.

The Post Project Depression Is Real!

A short film requires so much, and it’s such an all-in experience that when it’s finally sent to the festivals, it can feel a bit sad and makes the next project feel overwhelming to start. I don’t have any wisdom on this yet, but I will be aware of it on the next one.

Film Festivals Need Their Own Budget and Energy

The reality now is that the launch of a film is a marketing campaign. Plan accordingly. We idealistically think that the work will just speak for itself…and it will, but you also have to push for it. You need time to research festivals, prepare all of the submissions, and pay for all of the entry fees and travel if you are accepted. It’s easily as much of a time commitment as the film itself.

Seeing Your Film On the Big Screen For the First Time Is Magical!

I can only associate it with parenthood, seeing the hours of hard work, frustration, tears, and the faces of all the people that contributed; there is no greater pride than seeing it and hearing laughs, seeing tears, and applause. It’s hard not to be overly critical, for sure, but it’s a wonderfully overwhelming experience.