I wake up at 6:00 in the morning and wait as my coffee, my primary energy source for the morning, brews. An hour passes and I meet my friend and fellow castmate as we hurry to make our 7:30 a.m. cast call. Once we arrive in the hot, dusty depths of Bowling Green State University's Hanna Hall basement, the hustle and bustle of the crew is already in full swing.
As a stage actress, I was used to the rush of the crew and the apprehensive ambiance that clung in the air before a busy day. No minute is wasted and no one is sitting around and doing nothing for more than a few moments. However, there was something about being at the center of a creepy film set that felt different.
Two weeks ago, I got the amazing opportunity to star in my first student-directed, student-run short film at Bowling Green State University. The film was creepy, dramatic, and a bit gory at times, which was far from what I was used to participating in. Moreover, my character was devious, hateful, and cold-blooded, three traits that have never manifested as part of my personality at all. Nonetheless, I was excited to delve into such a character.
That weekend was booked, as each day of shooting lasted roughly 13 hours. Each scene was to be filmed in a specific room and with every change of location came the long process of moving the cameras, lights, and sound equipment into the desired space. This was followed by the even longer process of playing with different camera angles, lighting positions, and colors, as well as briefing actors on where and when to begin/stop. That's not to mention the even smaller details that were attended to such as making sure that an actor’s face wasn’t too dark on camera, testing the heat of an actor’s face, measuring the exact distance from an actor to the camera, making sure that no equipment or crew member was in frame, and ensuring that each actor wasn’t off frame during a scene.
As I watched the crew tackle each detail of a scene, I realized how much hard work goes into every aspect of the film. As I’d mentioned before, no one was useless and everyone had an important job. Naturally, I couldn’t help but compare the film production to a theater production. Much like crew members in a play or musical, each person has a very specific job that is crucial to the efficiency and aesthetic of the production. Even though some of the job titles differ depending on the medium of entertainment that they belong to, each is important and I admired that greatly as I watched the teamwork of the film crew that weekend.
On the other side of the camera, my fellow actors were cooperative and patient with each take. In theater, an actor is taught discipline and patience, as some scenes take a little longer than others to perfect. In the film world, there is a bit more room to make some mistakes given that one can just start over and do another take. However, for the sake of the schedule, many of us actors were forced to perform and bring the scene to life quickly.
That’s not to say that none of us had fun. I’d be lying if I said that everything was serious all of the time. In fact, within those two 13-hour shoots, many actors and crew bonded over lunch breaks and scene takes. Keeping things light-hearted every now and then helped with the long hours that were spent in a musty basement with dusty floors and walls.
At the end of that weekend, I was dirty, my feet ached, and I was dreading the thought of going to class the next day. Despite my aching feet and exhaustion, the experience stayed with me and I feel like I grew as an actress. I thought about the fact that I now have the privilege of saying that I have experience behind a camera and that my creative range is now expanded into the theater and film world. I thought about how defensive I’d get if anyone ever rudely underestimated a crew member’s job. I thought about all of the film lingo and phrases that I’d learned just by listening to those around me.
As an actress, I’d definitely recommend delving into the film world at least one time. An actor is always learning and, as a stage performer, I can say that I definitely learned a lot and have gained experience that will be beneficial in the future. I wouldn’t trade that weekend of shooting for the world and I now have a deep respect for both theater and film.
