Belated follow-up.

In a previous blog, I ranted about indie filmmakers not taking the time to craft a good story.  I was that filmmaker.  It was several years ago, my buddy and I had coordinated a shoot based on a short script I had written.

What happened?  We never finished it.  Due in part to shooting on 35mm.  We would have had problems with a reshoot and pick ups.  We bit off a little more than we could chew.

But I'm not passing the blame here.  The lion's share was mine.

We were shooting a script that I had written, not rewritten.  Big distinction.

I was directing the piece and people started asking me story questions that I couldn't answer.  Not being the greatest at BS, I didn't know what to say.  As a result, my direction floundered.  The production did the same.

I was working off a first draft that I hadn't really thought through, that is to say, we were building on a poor foundation.

I could have bulled through it, but what would I have accomplished?  Yeah.  There's the production experience and the learning that comes from that, and maybe having something for a reel, but what about the story?  If my heart wasn't in it, why would I expect an audience to invest in it?

That's my issue.  When I see an indie film, I'm not fooled by the creative camera work or pshychadelic imagery or quirky dialogue.  I see through that stuff.  I'm looking for the heart.  If it's not there...  Well, then, you didn't do the work.  The real work of writing.