Filming My First Intimate Scene

Filming my first intimate scene was an entirely different and refreshing experience for me. For the shoot of Distance, I was a bit nervous about shooting the bed scene where it looks like they had just finished having sex and when they first say, “I love you” to one another. The scene is both physically and emotionally intimate and what worried me most was making sure my actors were comfortable enough to give an intimate heavy performance. 

Of course, the only people present for the scene was myself, the actors, my camera operator, and sound recordist. I had learned before that for shooting these types of scenes, it’s best to have the least amount of people on set for shooting scenes like this because not everyone needs to see the scene played out, and unnecessary crew members can be a distraction for the actors or even worse, make them feel uncomfortable. 

The best thing about shooting this scene was that the environment on set was completely energetic and overall fun. It wasn't too calm and too serious which could have made the scene too placid with no stakes or heightened emotions, nor was it awkward. We were cracking jokes and laughing and I think that laughing overall, really loosens up any tension that may be present. 

Once all the physical aspects were achieved such as, placement of the actors in the bed and wardrobe (or lack there of), all that was left was to ensure that there was conviction in the dialogue. From watching that particular scene, you truly feel that these two people are vulnerable in saying "I love you". However, you also feel that they stand by what they have said and that hearing the other repeat the same words back solidifies that they are in love with each other. Ultimately, everything I was nervous and worried about turned out to run smoothly and my actors gave the two performances I was hoping for, perfectly.

To watch Distance, check it out here.

Shooting On An Unexpected Rainy Day And How It Made The Story Better

Recently I directed a scene from David Auburn's play, Proof. I hadn't anticipated it to rain on the day of the shoot but we did the shoot anyway. In the scene, the two characters, Catherine and Claire, are sisters whose father has just passed. The story is set in Chicago on a porch overlooking a lake and being located in Vegas, this was somewhat of a challenge for my DP, but he was able to pull it off and when you watch the scene, you actually can't tell that it was shot in the middle of the desert. 

Although the rain had my crew and I in a sort of funk, I still feel that going through with it and having shot the scene during a gloomy and rainy day added weight to the context and overall emphasized the dreadful situation that Catherine and Claire find themselves in. The sound of the rain and thunder filling the silence between the two makes their relationship feel heavy and doomed and taking that approach towards the scene, I feel, was inventive on our part. The characters stayed the same, the dialogue stayed the same, but it was an entirely different scene from what it would have been if it were shot on a sunny day with a light breeze.

Despite everyone being cold and wet, we managed to do the whole scene within 4 hours with no breaks. Although my actors had felt a bit off their game due to the funky weather, it certainly did not look like it. Both of them gave me what I was looking for: the sister that cares too much and the sister that doesn’t care enough, and I feel that the dynamic performances they gave are engaging and most importantly, true to the story. 

If you want to watch the scene, check it out here.

How My Short Horror Film Showed Me What Works And What Doesn't

This is a screenshot from White Face, a short film I wrote and directed. Being a lover of horror movies, I was inspired by James Wan’s Insidious and The Conjuring to write and direct my own. My goal was to create tension and dread throughout the scene and although after finishing and realizing that my goal was not actually achieved, I still feel like White Face really showed me as a director and writer, what works and what doesn't.

It was an overnight shoot which started at 8pm and went on until 3am, making it a total 7 hours on set. I was excited but mostly nervous because it was my first time directing an entire cast and crew. It didn't my nerves that my DP took longer than I had anticipated to light the scene which made following the time schedule I had prepared quite difficult. I also was not able to get the special effects makeup I had planned on using for the antagonist so the demon makeup I applied on my actor wasn’t quite the look I had hoped to achieve. There were among many other things that went wrong with the shoot, but there were also some things that went right. The lighting turned out how I had envisioned, which really helped set the tone for the film. Most of all, the experience I got from this shoot helped me find my faults in directing and writing. I learned that directing requires you to carefully prepare in advance what you are set out to achieve. I feel that it helped me progress in my techniques for directing actors and also directing the crew as well as finding elements of the story and how they should be portrayed and what helps move the story forward and what makes it stale.

White Face enlightened me and made my passion for filmmaking extend past writing and editing, and lead me to pursuing a career in filmmaking as a director. 

If you want to watch White Face, check it out here.