Reality Skewed...
Project
Short Subject - &Quot;The Writer."

Short Subject - "The Writer."

One of the projects under development at present is an independent short subject. The concept behind the piece is to create an interesting, entertaining and provocative short film using the smallest possible crew and under severe budgetary constraints. This approach requires a great deal of creativity and fortitude to accomplish but, if successful, it can be a very rewarding learning experience for all involved and result in creative highs not easily attainable on fuller productions. To paraphrase Otto Preminger when asked why shoot on location, if you can't move a wall out of the way it forces you to become more creative to find solutions that work within the structure of what you can do.

Project Update - August, 2006

The activity of this project had halted for the most part as most of my time for the last three years was taken up by pursuing a law school degree. Now that that is accomplished, I am able to revisit this subject and consider future possibilities. Currently I have created a five minute trailer for the short and submitted it for consideration for a reality television show produced in association with Mark Burnett and Dreamworks called On The Lot. If selected I would be competing with 15 other directors on a week to week competition to create short films, judged by the audience. The show would air in 2007. Wish me luck.

Project Update - April 7, 2005

I've slowed considerably in the pursuit of festivals for this project, but, I haven't stopped completely. I am in the process of submitting to another festival, this time abroad. Hopefully it will be well received there. I will update this site with any developments in that vein.

Meanwhile I have updated this site with a new section of my work samples section regarding short films. Included with the discussion of my approach to short filmmaking you can see a short clip online of "The Writer.". If you have java enabled you can view it without having to use any specialized software.

Project Update - June 2, 2004

I can't believe it has been a year since my last update of this page. In the meantime I have entered the film in a small number of select film festivals, but, have not been accepted by any of them. It may be that I have been too selective in my choosing of the venues or it may be that the film's motif is too essoteric for their audiences. I fear that the expectation of short films have devolved into in essence mini-features. This project is much more the essence of an idea, delving into a single aspect of what makes up a creative work. It is what I enjoy most about short subjects- they don't have to be bound by the strictures of traditional storytelling. Alas, I haven't found that the festivals reward such movie making, at least not as I envisioned it with this work so far.

It may also be that my attentions have been distracted from giving the film its full due. My time has been taken up with my studies in my first year of law school so I haven't been able to focus on moviemaking as much as I would have liked. I haven't given up and am still submitting "The Writer." to festivals. I will report its future- as well as my own- in future updates.

Project Update - May 27, 2003

The film has been shot and edited and is complete. The whole process went extremely well. The rehearsal was a great opportunity to delve into the characters and the actors brought a wealth of preparation and ideas to the table. After having spent all the prior time without anyone to collaborate or discuss ideas with it was a welcome respite to allow this small crack in the structure of the experiment to hear different interpretations on the material. It heightened my already growing feeling that a creative endeavour like this thrives on the collaborative nature of creation. To do without is like trying to plant a garden in a desert. With planning and a lot of hard work in theory it can be done, but, will it ever reach its potential?

Now that the film is complete the next stage is to enter it into film festival competitions and show it to the public. Only then can the results of the experiment be judged. For myself, I have reached the conclusions about the attempt I felt the inklings of before I started. I would MUCH rather work within a highly collaborative atmosphere than to trudge about alone. I wholly appreciate the value of collaboration now and just how infusive it is in every creative endeavour.

Project Update - April 19, 2003

Progress has recently gone into overdrive with this short subject experiment. The reader's script has reached final draft, the scenes have been storyboarded, actors have been approached and have agreed to join the cast and the shooting date has been set. If all goes well the shooting of "The Writer" will take place May 10th and 11th with a rehearsal day sometime before and a few pick-up days and voice-over recording sessions possible to follow. I hope to have the video edited and ready for festival submission by the first of July.

The experience of trying to bring this whole project in within the spirit of the experiment has lead to some intriguing insights. It is amazing what reliance one has on the collaboration of others when producing a creative work. By denying myself such collaboration I find myself in an unusual state of having to constantly rely on self-evaluation of my work to make sure I am on track with the product. The feedback I have gotten so far has been quite good so it seems I am being at least somewhat honest in my self-critique techniques. I look forward to the time I will spend working with the actors to embody the characters with life. Being the only element where, by necessity, I can allow the collaborative process to seep in I look forward to it with relish.

Project Update - November 3, 2002

Because of other scripting responsibilities and paying client gigs, progress on this short has been slowed. Further development will continue and the pace will increase once a final reader's draft is complete. Stay tuned.

Initial Project Update

The production revolves around a script, currently in early draft, set in a small collection of locations, using only three actors. The screenplay is called, "The Writer" and is a dramatic plot with a surprising twist. By limiting the cast and location needs the budget can be kept dramatically low. The plan at the moment is to shoot the material on DV, again for cost reasons, but to compensate for some of the quality issues of that technical choice by shooting in black and white. That choice will add to the dramatic impact and tone while improving the quality of the finished piece. By choosing to shoot in the 16 X 9 aspect ratio the finished piece will have more of a theatrical feel. Also, a large part of the dialogue will be added as voice over so that location sound requirements will be less critical. All of these choices take the imposed limitations and try to stretch them creatively into the best possible outcomes.

Once the script is finalized in the coming months then the casting and location scouting can begin in earnest. The writing process is taking a bit longer than a typical short script would because of the necessity of keeping the budget as low as possible. With a well architected script the advanced planning and budgeting can be most efficiently executed and unexpected costs during production can be kept to a minimum.

Once the film is shot and edited and all clearances acquired it will eventually be entered into film festivals and competitions. It is not expected to be widely distributed but small distribution possibilities, such as DVD and VHS versions, may evolve. Keeping these potential eventualities in mind will guide the development of ideas and materials during the production process.

Christopher Schiller
(For contact, send an e-mail to: schiller [at] realityskewed.com)