Last week FiveSix Productions had the opportunity to work with some of our friends and associates on a short film; reference last weeks’ blog. All joking and silliness aside, here’s what we learned from a very cool and fun experience.

It’s hot as fresh pancakes and sausage here in Vegas during the summer… I mean, c’mon!
c'mon

Don’t let the film Training Day fool you, it’s not that easy to shoot inside of a vehicle, especially when it’s moving. The lighting was one of the trickiest aspects, as our run-n-gun, guerilla style shooting kept us on our toes both during the day, and at night.

Audio inside a vehicle was easier than expected; I posted a video a long time ago in a blog that showed how to do audio in a car, and it was pretty spot on. I was pretty nervous about capturing quality audio early on, but it really wasn’t as tough as I thought. (All due respect to our pro-audio friends.)

C.R.E.A.M.: All hail Wu Tang Clan, those guys are spot on, cash rules everything around me…. When you’re talent is working for free, sometimes they don’t show up. We only had a couple actors who weren’t able to make it; but fortunately we had a lot of very eager, talented folks who came though and did a great job.

Scheduling and shot lists are crucial! Even on a short film, time is so valuable, and it’s very easy to fall behind. Make sure to storyboard! There’s no such thing as over-prepared.

Now, I can’t speak for the director/star of the film, but I’m sure stepping out of his comfort zone to direct a short narrative was a great learning experience, as I’m sure was staring as talent. He’ll basically be the Robert Rodriguez of this film as he’ll also be the editor. All in all, it was a cool experience that took us from hot Vegas streets, to neon lights, and even left some of us pant-less in a dingy motel room on the Strip… So, while we eagerly await the final cut, we’ll proceed on to the next project… With pants on, this time.