Recently, I had a deadline to write two short films and direct/produce one of them. So I wanted to pick something, short and transformative. I started writing a voice over (VO) of my own personal experience from when I was a kid, part of my story. After recording the VO a few times, playing with some vocal effects and subsequently shooting myself as the main character, I grappled with a few different ideas to give it some life. I created both a deep man’s voice filter and a high-pitched voice box filter. One version of the piece was to make it about a woman who’s in a wheelchair and lost her voice box. Her small nephew comes to visit her and she gives him some words of wisdom through a story of her childhood fantasy of being Jesus Christ. Great idea. So many things I could juxtapose poetically revealing other layers of the character. But I had less than a week to shoot, no time, no actors (especially no child actors, specifically six-year old girls), no one to shoot it, edit it or score it… except for myself. Oh yeah, and no wheelchair. I could fake one of those mechanical larynx things with part of a microphone I own… but argh!
Then there was the idea of making an on-camera transformation. Where the VO was just this girl getting ready in the morning and putting on makeup. By the end, she’s transgender. I knew I wanted to be able to direct that character. I definitely didn’t want to shoot it and be the lead. So I went to my office mate and writing buddy, Haley. And she willingly obliged. I bought props at Target. Loaded my extremely heavy equipment and headed to Bay Village. When I got there, I was a bit unsure of how this would play out. If you asked Haley, I’m sure she’d attest to me being frazzled. I didn’t bring enough quarters for the meter. The meter ran out anyway at 5pm. Yada yada. But, with some diet coke and a few smokes later for Haley. I found my rhythm. I just cleared my head of doubt and trusted myself. Some ideas I had, flashback cutaways from childhood and adding one of those glue-on hair mustaches at the end, weren’t coming together. The mustache wasn’t right. It wasn’t believable enough. But, as the day flew by those ideas quickly resolved and I was editing already on set. Haley took awesome direction and really jumped in 100%. I couldn’t have asked for more. So I wanted to share some pictures because Haley, who played Josephine (Joe) in Transformation, really looks cool. Check her out.
Joe gets ready in the morning.
Josephine makes a beard.
So what have I learned? Sometimes, you’ve gotta just push through. And that I’m thankful for having adventurous and supportive friends.
No Red Sox attire? Where was that photo taken?
Salt Lake City of all places.