GRTV Shorts - "Shadows"

Up next on GRTV Shorts: Shadows. A new film by Geoffrey Young Haney, shot entirely in one take. Haney is a local filmmaker currently living & working in Grand Rapids. He shared some insight behind the making of it all - the collaboration, the technical challenges of shooting in a single take, & even holding a boom mic himself from the hayloft of a barn.
 

What is Shadows?
Geoffrey Young Haney:   Shadows is a story that, at its core, is about guilt, and the difficulty of finding resolution or closure in the wake of tragedy.
 

How did you get your start? What influences you as a filmmaker?
I have been writing screenplays since high school and in 2012 decided to finally further my education by attending Compass College of Cinematic Arts. There I got a lot of chances to hone my craft and develop a number of stories for the screen. I am inspired by all sorts of artists from a wide range of mediums -- not just film. I tend to gravitate towards stories that are a little strange, a little surreal, and I love speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror, etc.) From a directing standpoint, I'm much more of an "actors" director. I let the other people on set do their jobs with the technical stuff, and I love being able to build a trust with a solid cinematographer (which I feel Craig and I had from minute one; we had never worked together before.) But really, I feel I am there as a director to serve the script and get the most out of the actors, which was part of the reason I was excited to take on a project like this.
 

Where did the idea for this film come from? How did the project start?
I was approached by Joseph Scott Anthony (one of the actors in the piece) to concept an idea for a website called Takeaway Scenes. The idea was to shoot something that relied heavily on performance, meaning you would use natural lighting and not cut the camera. We thought it would be a fun challenge to shoot something with all these restrictions, you know? So Joe brought that proposition to me and he and I -- along with Dustin Wilfert (the other male actor in the piece) tossed some ideas around. I brought forward something I had bouncing around in my mind for a while, about a man who commits suicide yet has to keep reliving that moment in the afterlife, never escaping the pain of it all. We took it in a bit different direction in development, landing on a different, maybe not so obvious perspective on such a situation (embodied by the female role, played beautifully by Kimberly Harsch.)

Who was your team? How was it working with your crew & cast?
So it was myself and the three actors -- Joseph Scott Anthony, Dustin Wilfert, and Kimberly Harsch. Our DP was the magnificent Craig Harmer assisted by Jason Grinde. Since we couldn't do any "post-production", we needed an actual gun to fire on set to get the actual gun sound in real time, and our armorer assisting with that was Dave Weider. Adam VanderStelt ran sound for us the first day, and my lovely wife Michelle helped with crafty and set logistics. It was a really small crew, but I love shooting with skeleton crews. Makes a set feel more intimate to me.
 

What camera did you use?
We shot on a RED from a fantastic local production company, DropDrop Studios. I don't know the specifics of it because I'm not a camera guy, but whatever Craig was comfortable with is what we were going to use.
 

What software/hardware was used to edit?
I'm not sure on that. I believe it was Premiere, but again, there wasn't really an "edit" done. It was syncing up the audio to the track we selected and a minor color grading.
 

How long was the process of making this film?
We shot two early mornings in August. The first morning we basically rehearsed all the blocking a ton, did test shots because the light wasn't quite right that day. The second day nature was on our side and the sun was brilliant. All in all I believe we did about 12 full takes that day, and I think when all was said and done we settled on take 9 as being money.

What was the biggest challenge you & your team had?
Sound was definitely an issue (as it tends to be.) Capturing good, live sound in the wild is tough, and with all the camera movement we were doing and with us never cutting away, you couldn't just really have a guy with a boom mic standing there. So our boom op (Adam this first day, myself the second) actually had to be up in the hayloft of the barn we shot in hanging the mic out over everyone in the scene. I mean, we had lav mics as well, but those things are hit or miss on the best of days. So yea, we knew because of the project that ADR wasn't an option, that sound design wasn't an option. There would be no post sound work. Fortunately, nature cooperated again in that department because I absolutely LOVE the sound of the bugs and birds and things in the background. Adds a very nice ambiance to the piece.


 

What did you learn through the making of this project that you would share as a lesson to another filmmaker?
Just go make something. Get something done. Complete it; share it. It's all so cliched at this point, but it's also true. I am a writer and therefore a bit of a perfectionist, and I always get bogged down in just finishing the script and getting it out there. I take my time and I'm usually somewhat petrified by the production stage (even though I love it.) Because of the dedication of a lot of awesome people, this went from idea to script to production to completed in only a couple months. That was a really, really, really cool feeling.
 

What's next for you?
Well, I am currently spinning a lot of plates (as I tend to do) with films, novels, and serialized fiction. I'm looking forward to the inaugural Tulip City Comics and Toy Fare happening on May 22nd. It's being put on by my friend and longtime collaborator Matthew A. Rodriguez and his company, Ideas From MARs, and my story development house, Book of Matches Media, will have a booth there! We'll be passing out some printed copies of our online superhero serial, Tales From Rapid City, as well as some other goodies. It's gonna be a great time. In the film arena, I recently finished a speculative fiction anthology screenplay called IMPRESSIONS that is out in some contests and things right now, and I'm in development on a short film and a feature screenplay with a really talented director out of Austin named Andy Pollack and that's been going really well. I'm actually writing this from Austin where I'm at for a couple weeks working with Andy and attending some conferences and screenings. So like I said, lots of plates! But all very exciting stuff.

More from Geoffrey Young Haney can be found at:
www.vimeo.com/bookofmatchesmedia
www.bookofmatchesmedia.com
 

GRTV Shorts airs Saturday nights at 12AM midnight, as well as Wednesday nights at 12:30AM. GRTV Public Access 25 on Comcast within Grand Rapids. Check schedules & stay tuned for additional air-times throughout the week. GRTV Shorts is a regular showcase of short-form filmmaking work made in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan. Interested in having your short film featured on the show? Email us at: [email protected]