Friday, March 1, 2013

Arrangement is out...how do I feel about it?

Arrangement from Doug Cannon on Vimeo.

While it would be fun for me to sit back and tear my own film to pieces, I've learned that personal criticisms of my work are best kept inside until I have the next few steps planned and can see where I'm heading. As it stands, I don't have any definite plans for a next short film but it would be silly to assume I'd never make another one. I'd rather think about exploring some other projects in different mediums for the time being. But I want to elaborate on how fortunate I was to have shot this. This film was shot hours before hurricane Sandy made landfall. We were in a limited state of emergency. Did anyone puss out, though? Nope. Everyone drove in to Wilmington to help. And while I was scared shitless that we'd miss this opportunity to shoot or a key part of the team on set wouldn't show, we executed on time and shot a lot in the time we had. For a budget of $1,200, I'd say this movie looks better than what we paid for it. I owe much of the credit to my crew and cast, but I also think that I stepped up in a way that I didn't with The Monument. We had a ton more planning going into this project and instead of just telling someone to get a shot, both my DP and I managed to orchestrate an efficient shot-for-shot playbook that helped us achieve this short within our aforementioned budget. It's very easy, obvious perhaps, to say that the production was better than The Monument. It was a much more efficient management of time and money. The film is another story. I don't think that either one can be compared to the other. While I'd love to say I've surpassed The Monument, they aren't the same sport. The Monument was a fun, interesting film for me to explore, but I'd rather shoot films like Arrangement. Films that aren't swimming in confusion and only offer enough to make the viewer keep watching. And while I was terrified that this short was going to end up a disaster, it thwarted every bit of misfortune along the way. So let's just get one thing clear...this is the second short film I've ever done but the first attempt at a cohesive story. There are obviously flaws...but Arrangement gave me a ton of direction and insight on where I need to improve for the third short. Arrangement was a massive success and I couldn't be happier with it. Thanks to the cast, the crew, the backers, and those that just wanted to add a little something to the project as it neared completion. It wouldn't be the same without you.