Filming student production takes time

Student directors continue quest to perfect film in time for festival

The words "lights, camera, action" could be heard through the walls of juniors Mike Taft and Matt Rondeau's apartment Feb. 8 as filming began for the student film "That's A More," directed by Taft and Rondeau.

The film is being made for the JMU Student Film Festival being held at the end of this semester, and is expected to be completed in time for the festival. The cast arrived at the student directors' apartment in costume. To start the meeting, the directors took photos of the actors. The snapshots will ensure that there is uniformity in the actors' appearance throughout the scenes, Taft said.

Once the photo shoot was complete, Taft and Rondeau suggested that the actors run through their scenes while waiting for a fellow cast member Dean Camp, a sophomore.

Both of the scenes that were scheduled to be filmed that day were shot in the directors' apartment. Therefore, many of the props in the two scenes belonged to the directors, including hats and beverages. The directors did make and buy a few things, but they found the additional props at inexpensive local vendors, according to Taft.

Although the directors captured 10 to 12 takes for each scene and spent a total of four and a half hours filming the two sequences, the scenes were completed by the end of the night, according to Taft.

Producing and directing one's own film is an difficult task, but one that Taft and Rondeau take seriously. Unexpected filming schedule changes are just one of the issues with which the duo is learning to deal.

Filming was supposed to begin with a scene on a Harrisonburg Department of Public Transit bus. However, that scene needed to be postponed to a weeknight at the request of the HDPT. This required the directors to film different scenes that night and notify the cast of the schedule change.

"We were a little thrown off about the bus change, but we dealt with it," Taft said. "It's just difficult to get all of our schedules to coordinate — these people aren't just actors; they are students, too." The cast consists of four main characters and one support character, and the crew consists of the directors and voluneer friends who assist with filming.

The directors also have to learn how to make the best of the small spaces they have to film in, such as the apartment and transit bus. It can be difficult to move the filming equipment around when so many people are involved in the production of the movie. Schedule changes also affect the directors' shots because the variety of camera angles and shots are limited in an enclosed space.

"It is tough shooting in our apartment because it is not very big, and we can't [film from] long distances," Taft said.

Some problems also arose with the actors during the first night of filming. Several actors improvised or made up lines instead of reciting the script. Some improvisation is encouraged because it sounds natural; however, too much ad lib can lead to inconsistencies during the editing process, according to Taft.

"In post production, we have to make the scenes come together," Taft said. "We have to cut from different angles and piece together different takes to make it look like one scene; if the actors [deliver their lines] differently [in] each take, then it isn't consistent."

The directors are not the only ones facing a challenging experience through their involvement in the film; the actors also have a tough job to do. Working in front of the camera proved to be a little different than the stage that some of the actors were used to. "We have to work harder in front of the camera and have the right kind of energy to make sure the audience will get the comedy of the script," junior Anwar Pollydore said.

Senior Connor Fux, a cast member, also noted the difference between his experiences on the stage and the work he has done in front of the camera. "When you do a play each night, it's different. Moments for some nights are good and others not so good," Fux said. "With film, all you have to do is get the moment right one time, and it will always be right."