When the going gets tough, trust your actors.

It's been a couple of weeks since "The Second Meeting" was shot. As far as production goes, things couldn't have been more messy. The night before the shoot, my director of photography had to cancel. The day of, I couldn't get access to the room I reserved to shoot in. The room I used to replace it was taken from us. In our third room, with lower quality equipment than expected, and a new DP, things felt disastrous.

However, this wasn't the case. Since completing an edit of this short following Thanksgiving, I haven't really watched this short. I've been disappointed in myself. That's a difficult thing to say, too, because I feel that the acting in this short is the strongest of anything I've done. I want to work with these people on a consistent basis. They're all amazing, and I'm deeply proud of them. I'm glad to have been able to have worked with them.

Watching "The Second Meeting" moments before writing this, I don't feel so critical. The acting shines. It covers the errors made. The acting is so deeply enthralling that I don't find myself being upset at slightly out out of focus shots. In the end, I can finally say that I'm proud of this short.

I think a lot of people feel that way about the work they make, especially collaborative efforts. If you convince yourself that you're the weak leak, that's a hard thought process to overcome. This short was a long time coming. "The Second Meeting" is another meditation on presenting anxiety through film, something I've been experimenting with since my short 275. It feels like it is a closing of that chapter.

But, let me get back on track. We started on time, but with different equipment from what was planned. The battery started dying on us rather quickly. We had a dolly (thankfully!), and my DP, a close friend, really took the lead, filling in on such short notice. That was a lot of pressure. And, of course, in our hurry to complete this under said pressure, there were mistakes made.

Showing this to a few people, I get mixed comments. Some people feel the out of focus shorts feel organic, and make sense considering the material. There was a discussion of whether or not the wide shots should have the sound that they do.

Compromises were made. This is part of a larger project that will be collected with other shorts into a long form film. The version being submitted to that project has slightly different audio. I believe that's the only adjustment. I felt that the audio in the Wide shots (the static-like sound) gives the audience less comfort in viewing the piece. It adds to the feeling that perhaps this is not something that should be seen. Me and my DP (who also edited this piece with me) disagreed on whether or not it was for the best of the film.

I experimented with how to handle the ensemble cast prior to the shoot. Considering it was about a group of people who do not know each other (and themselves), I decided not to do a table read, but meet with each actor individually. The discussions focused on body language, as I had given all the actors detailed backgrounds as to why each person had chosen to go into therapy. I was surprised to see how all the actors seemed to come to a similar conclusion on how this scene should feel (admittedly, rather different from my mental picture of it). I cannot say enough how fortunate I feel to have worked with them all.

So here's to the feeling of failure. All those negative Nancy's out there, like myself, take note. Give yourself some breathing space. Step back from your work. Realize it doesn't make you who you are. There are room for second chances, second thoughts. I think you'll be surprised with what you find. In my case, I find joy.

I hope you enjoy the new flick!

-Matt