From September 2021 to January 2022, the writing team worked relentlessly to craft a memorable story and then convert it into a screenplay that the studio felt confident about pulling off. Rohan and I spent the first part of February casting actors; training camera and audio teams; and prepping the call sheets, locations, and equipment for each shoot day.
Our first test as a studio team occurred on February 27th, 2022. We ran through a few scenes that would require coordination and movements every team. My audioteam was trained to use the Zoom H4N Recorders. Since we were working in an echoey dance studio, they soon began asking the talent for sound-checks and calling out for a “Quiet on Set!”
One crucial issue my team encountered was that usinga higher-capacity SIM cards (8GB, 16GB) in the Zoom H4Ns would require longer load times in between takes – sometimes up to two minutes. Not very efficient for doing multiple takes on set. From this point on, we kept numerous 2GB cards on hand, which made the actual shoot days painless and efficient.
The studio in full swing! The production of Storytime required EIGHT official “shooting” days at eleven separate locations (5 outdoor spaces, 2 houses, 2 diners, a gas station, and a brewery. By the time filming wrapped, the whole team could tear down a location in twenty minutes.
From March 5 to April 15, the audio team, the camera team, and the talent learned to operate as one complex muscle, growing stronger each day, figuring out how to best support the needs of the group. The studio became the backbone of Storytime – a bastion of creativity, collaboration, and determination. A crucial moment of production came when two of our shoot days had to be scrapped entirely. But by now, the teams knew how to rally together and, by the afternoon of April 18, the studio had persevered through approximately six weeks of challenging work and obstacles.
When we finally wrapped production, Rohan and I sat down in a booth at Woody's B-B-Q, our final reshoot location.Despite it being the middle of April, snowflakes fell outside, creating an unexpected wintry scene. Embracing the cozy atmosphere, we indulged in a satisfying meal, and just for a second, we felt an overwhelming sense of relief and accomplishment.
We now turned our focus to the rigorous task of post-production.
Post-production was a different beast. Our initial plan was to premiere the film at Juniata College’s annual Liberal Arts Symposium on April 21. However, it became apparent that we needed a new plan with out extended timeline. we partnered with our local Clifton theater, which had agreed to showcase the film, and set a new premiere date for May 4. By doing this, we had bought an extra two weeks for the post-production team.
Next, there was the issue of the post-production workflow. The editing team had made rough edits of each scene after every shoot and, wearing a new hat of composer, I had spent months drafting as many versatile musical ideas as possible with my songwriting professor. Yet, we still hadn’t figured out how to transfer audio files from Logic Pro to Premiere Pro and vice-versa with video edits.
After each new export, the post-team would discover that the audio and video would drift in and out of sync with each other. If the task of editing, scoring, color-grading, and mixing a 30-minute film in 16 days wasn’t already a tall order, now add on top the technical anguish of trying to figure out how to get files from two different incompatible software programs. This was our post-production challenge.
It was at this point on the project that adaptability and inventiveness became the most prized traits.
After numerous meetings, we assessed the situation, determined which team needed what piece of media when and how, prioritized tasks, and developed the following process:
(1) Once the rough cut of a scene was completed, the editing team and I penciled a quick list of notes about pacing, soundtrack, and the required dubbing.
(2) As the editors worked on reaching Picture Lock, I planned ADR days where the talent could re-record dialogue that hadn’t turned out cleanly. Additionally, I compiled a list of remaining foley that the rest of my team needed to capture.
(3) With the audio team busy figuring out how to grab the rest of the SFX, I was able to meet and record with a cellist, a drummer, and a vibraphonist. Together we expanded on my seminal ideas to bring mood and color to the Storytime narrative.
(4) Picture Lock was in on April 28. I dropped it into a blank Logic project and my team lined up their foley in a copy of the project. Then, I got to work cleaning up the dialogue and adding the score.
(5) At this point we had a little under a week to bring everything together, so the director and I had to compromise. With the plan to initially mix the film in 5.1 surround for the Clifton premiere, we weren’t even at a mixing stage. The decision to keep things in stereo was a painful but necessary compromise.
(6) I finally had everything composed and compiled together to morning of May 4. With the premiere at 7pm, I did a quick mix/master through a pair of stereo speakers. The full post-team met to burn the color-graded file and the mastered track onto a BluRay disc so that it could be played in the theater.
We had done it.
May the Fourth! Having worked with the owner of the local Clifton theater the previous year to throw a film night, we were presented with an opportunity to showcase our film to two theaters at once. We threw an afterparty at the local brewery and it was a magical evening :)
