We held the first “AK” table read last night.
It’s tough to summarize the awesomeness.
(And, yes. For the record, I know how cheesy that sounds.)
My filmmaking philosophy is that if you get the right people on the bus, you can go anywhere you want together. When you surround yourself with smart, generous, and kind people the most beautiful things can happen. It’s incredible.
Last night, the table read was the first time we got the majority of the group together.
For months now I’ve been having individual conversations about the film, repeatedly working to build the team and share the vision. It was really rewarding to have everyone reading the script aloud. It helps everyone on the same page, moving together in the same direction.
Meetings like last night, I hope, will also make it easier on set. I want folks to feel comfortable, nurtured, and in good company they can trust. Last night there were lots of thoughtful conversations, questions about the film, and plenty of laughter.
SIDE NOTE: I love the collaborative effort of filmmaking.
You take this clue of an idea, put it on paper, and bring others into the fold to make it even better.
It transforms into a bigger, more meaningful thing. The filmmaking process itself becomes a shared experience, a memory of a time spent together. It’s a special bond kind of thing.
This is now my fifth production and the process never gets old. (Although I may get a little weary from lack of resources at times.)
My sincerest hope is that “a Camden Watts film” – whether it’s scripted or non-fiction – becomes known for being an awesome experience. I want people clamoring to be a part of it; not only fun and an excellent finished product, but everyone walks away feeling like their lives are the teeniest bit more joyful. I want that to be true for everyone making it and everyone following along at home. (Don’t misread this as an ego thing; it’s simply how I serve the people the bring these visions to life. I want you all to feel cherished; it’s my love language.)
So, what’s next for our film?
We’re planning to shoot “AK” at the end of this month.
As pre-production wraps and we move into production, it means I can finally start sharing more details about what we’re doing. It also means things are falling into place pretty quickly because time’s running out.
Therefore, we’re hopefully finalizing the choreography between our two lead actors this week. They need enough time to practice it before the shoot so they feel confident and comfortable with the choreography. They’ve already spent a few months working on it so we’re this close to having it finalized. They’re all doing an excellent job transforming this idea into reality. It’s impeccable.
My production team and I are still scouting for one of the key locations: a parking garage. It’s been a little harder than I imagined to find one, and we’re almost out of time. So if you know of a parking garage we can use, please use the comments below to tell me about it.
We’re also finalizing costumes, hair, and make up as soon as possible. Last night we looked at costumes for three of our leads, and talked about make up and hair. We’re pretty close to the final look but we need at least one more meeting on it. For costumes, I’ve been using Pinterest to collect images of what I thought could work to communicate the general idea.
It’s really cool to see everyone take the idea and run with it; plus, make it infinitely better. I overheard some conversations last night, and I totally geeked out about how everyone’s building on these ideas so thoughtfully. They asked the best questions.
Once we get the parking garage location secured, we’ll finalize the production schedule. We’ll build a shot list. We’ll get the camera crew all set up with everything they need. Eventually, we’ll start rehearsing those movements together so we get the timing right.
There’s still a lot of work to do.
There’s still time for you to help us, too. We would love to have your help on the film!
You can support the production and all of these hard-working people by connecting me to local businesses who want to collaborate. Anyone who wants to provide delicious coffee, fruits, or meals would be overwhelmingly helpful. Or you can simply provide any amount of cash that you want to offer; it all goes towards the production.
We’ll be sure to put your name in end credits and online as a thank you. We can also work out a custom value exchange for you or your business. Use the comments below to start the conversation.
Please stay tuned.
More info coming soon.
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