Hell Comes in Time
music and lyrics by Michael Whitmore of Some'tet
A few weeks back I was approached by Michael Whitmore about making a video for his newly recorded song Hell Comes in Time. After discussing it, I wrote up a script, and we started shooting the next day, because it’s often best to do short things fast.
I haven’t produced a video in years, other than real estate videos, recording live music with a few basic edits, or live streaming the PoodleSessions, so this was a fun project.
Directing actors is entirely new to me, though I’ve directed people for photos, and it was definitely more nerve wracking, but also not so bad because we weren’t also recording sound which is even more intimidating because it’s its own whole thing. Back in my film school days I was a shooter, never a director, because I’m interested more in how things look/work visually than in a lot of other aspects of video/film production, but maybe I have to face the fact that it all goes together, and that while I love to shoot, the best way to get to do that is by doing a whole lot more than that. At least if I want to shoot what I want to shoot.
I was lucky to find friends willing to act, and to have access to the cutest market and cafe ever, and to have a head full of locations. I started out shooting the bulk of the drone video, as it required zero help or scheduling. My first actor, Aneleya, was available for her beach shots which went well and was fun, and then I moved on to the coffee scene, at the Mermaid Market, where it took quite a while to get the master shot, as I confused one of my actors in rehearsal, by overcomplicating things, as usual. When we got to the big day of shooting (ok, the big HOUR with 5 people, 4 set-ups, a drone and a camera and a car and two fires) I was happy to have a well planned shoot, and a good shot list - And we stayed on schedule, which was a minor miracle.
Each step of the way I learned a lot about what I can do better with actors, and that asking for assistance is extremely important, And I remembered that I’m not all that good at talking when my mind is full, so that is a skill to develop I guess. I also was surprised that so much of my past experience with video and production planning came right back. I mean sure, it’s a 4 minute video, but I haven’t made a 4 minute video by myself (more or less) since I was in college.
Overall, I had a great time, and I loved working with my fabulous actor-friends, they did a great job, and brought far more to their acting than I could have possibly directed them to. Back in my younger days working with actors was so outside of my comfort zone, and I did the typical crew thing of having less respect for the cast than I did for the crew, because I was thinking about it wrong, and because I was comfortable with the crew. So I’m glad to have had this experience and that it opened my mind, reminded me of how fun video is, and that we got this little video produced!
Video produced by World’s Smallest Productions & Not the Nonsense Chair, music and lyrics by Michael Whitmore and Rong Wrong Music, sound engineer/producer Martin Feveyear
Featuring Michael Whitmore, Sophia Cunningham, Theodore Hanna, Harper Hobson, Kristy Hobson, Anelaya Hinden, & Jonathan Kuzma.
©2021 Rong Wrong Music & Shelley Hanna & World’s Smallest Productions