One Indie Film, One Indie Question.
Where an independent filmmaker answers one question about something unique in their filmmaking process
What is it like to make a one man film?
Answered by Sam Reznikov
Director of The Reel Creep
Lonely. Incredibly lonely. That’s what it feels like, putting together a short film completely by yourself.
The idea to make a one-man movie came to me as I was stuck in COVID-19 quarantine. I knew I wouldn’t have a crew to work with. I knew I would have to do everything alone. But there were two main reasons that drove me to tackle the project:
- I really wanted to make another film, and I was going to do it regardless of whether I had a crew or not.
- I thought that if I do well, I could inspire other filmmakers out there. I wanted to show that as difficult as it is, making a solid one-man film was possible.
Brainstorming / Scriptwriting
In trying to come up with an idea for my film, I decided that horror would be the best genre to work with. It allowed for one protagonist, and I intended to avoid revealing the monster.
That’s when I suddenly and randomly (as with all my film ideas) came up with the plot for The Reel Creep. The main character would be a filmmaker who struggles with his creativity block, finds and steals someone else’s creepy footage, and then suffers the inevitable consequences. I loved the idea.
When writing the script, I always had to keep my obvious limitations in mind. That’s why I decided to have a significant chunk of the film take place through the perspective of a computer screen. In addition, all of the monster/TheReelCreep’s films were planned to be shot from his perspective or with a tripod, and to be kept rather simple.
Anyway, after a few hours of writing the script and revising my work, I was set to film!
Filming / Editing
Throughout the entire filming process, I kept muttering under my breath, “I wish I had someone to do this for me…”
Shooting my short movie was the most rigorous part of the project. Here are some of the challenges / interesting moments I faced:
Cinematography
I didn’t want my movie to feel like it was made by one person. The cinematography had to hide this obvious setback. My tripod was a lifesaver, and I got some great stationary shots, but I needed some variety. Some motion.
-I did small things, like editing-in a digital zoom in one scene (where we see TheReelCreep’s figure at the door).
-I filmed parts of TheReelCreep’s videos in a shaky, amateur manner. It not only added to his character and the atmosphere, but also helped mask my lack of crew.
-I had several quick cuts using stationary shots, particularly in the ‘Shovel Scene’. This helped build the illusion that I had someone to film while I struggled to dig a small hole in my backyard.
The Body
One of the scenes shows a dead body at the end of a hallway with flickering lights. The only way I could achieve this was by filling up old clothing with my entire arsenal of wool socks (of which I have far more than necessary), leaving at it at the end of the hall, and hiding behind my tripod so that I could mess with the light switch.
The ‘Street Limping Scene’
At one point in the film, we’re shown footage of a dark figure limping towards the camera on a suburban street at night. I had to set up my tripod at one end of the street, run to the other end, put on my costume, and limp towards my camera like a madman.
The ‘The Window Scene’
After releasing the movie, most of the positive feedback I received was regarding the ‘window scene’. I had the protagonist peer out the window, only to see a tripod filming him from the dark street below.
Later, in the ending scene of the film, we’re shown the camera’s perspective of him peering out and spotting the tripod. This scene helped keep the audience on-edge and tied everything together quite well. It also paid homage to my three-legged friend, without whom I never would have finished the project.
Conclusion
I hope I’ve convinced you that making a short film entirely on your own is possible. Yes, the possibilities are limited, and yes, it is extremely difficult to pull off. However, today, lack of a crew shouldn’t be an excuse to avoid filmmaking. If making movies is what you love, get out there and make a movie!
So that’s the gist of the process I went through! If you have any questions either related or unrelated to this project, please get in touch with me (Sam) via any of these social media links: