This was a little improvised film that my buddy and I put together. I’d like to talk a bit about how we did it, because it worked out great and I plan on doing it again.
Sometimes the NEED for a detailed script can be a roadblock, sometimes it pays to just run with what you’ve got.
My pal mentioned that he wanted to film something at a basketball court so we thought up a couple of ideas for a conflict. He mentioned that he had a basketball in his car and it made us think of Tom Hanks in Castaway befriending the volleyball. We liked this and felt it was enough so it became the driving force.
Grabbing minimal equipment, I attached my boom to the top of my DSLR and called it a day, we were on our way.
The lights at the court were alright but not great so we decided to lean into the grittiness and grain of the picture.
Without ever really talking about the story we just jumped right in. Quickly the bit became never making the shot, which made the ending obvious. Knowing this helped us figure out how to get through the middle.
We had a handful of shots that we wanted to get specifically, but for the most part things were done on the fly.
We had to work quickly as the lights at the court would go out at 9 each night, our first night was cut short, but this helped us make faster decisions. There was no room for putzing about.
We filmed for a total of three-hours over a period of two-days.
Editing took about a month, but not cause we were dragging our heels. There was the challenge of reverse engineering the story, but that wasn’t a pain. It was tough, but it was good work. Not the kind that makes you wanna smash your desk in two.
And that’s what we did. We moved fast, didn’t let ourselves overthink things, and put it together.
This was a great exercise and I really do plan on doing it more. It helps to have actors that are comfortable with improv and that understand time limits, story structure, and how films are edited.
Going forward, here are my plans for future improv shorts:
- Pick a location that’s outside of the house while also not that far away.
- I liked going on location. It made things feel a little more professional than if we’d done it at the apartment.
- It also had the element of being an unfamiliar territory, which I think allowed me to be more curious with my photography.
- Have a time limit for your shooting.
- Only being able to shoot till 9 each night really lit a fire under our butts. We worked quickly and made decisions quickly because of it.
- Maybe schedule shooting a couple of hours before you have to go to work so that you know what the hard deadline is.
- This also helps with not letting the project overstay its welcome. Being an improvised film, it has the potential to never end. Don’t let this happen.
- What kind of conversation is occurring?
- I think this type of project works best in one of two formats.
- A: A conversation between two characters. Very classical. Just have two actors converse on something and have that be the information of the piece.
- B: A conversation done through action. Brickhead does this. The conversation is the action of playing basketball. Sure there is some dialogue, but a lot of information is conveyed through the action.
- Both of these work great, but for a mini, low-budget short film I’d say stick to one.
- It’s a fun thing.
- Go with the punches. If something isn’t working, let it go. If something presents itself, follow it.