Sunrise: Chasing the Sun

The newest project required that a scene happen as the sun rose in the morning sky.  We had a lot that needed to be shot before the sun could be seen and that meant that we would be getting to work around 4am.  This wasn't the smartest thing I have done when it comes to shooting.

On the first morning we had a crew call at 4am at the location.  The location was out of town in the barren desert away from all prying eyes.  The crew all got there on time and we got all the equipment ready to shoot once the cast arrived.  We joked and yapped as we cautiously watched the sky grow brighter and brighter.  It became increasingly apparent that we were running out of time.  Panicked texts were sent out and received.  Pacing began.  This was not the best way to begin shooting a film.

The cast pulled up and were almost pulled out of the cars and into position without much discussion and filming began immediately.   We managed to rush through two full takes of the needed scenes before the sun poped up over the horizon and we were forced to move on.  After the last shot I discussed the morning with the producers and DP and it was decided that we were going to need to return to the location the next morning earlier and re-shoot.  Everyone was on board with the plan and agreed that the rushed filming wasn't the best we could manage.

For some this could have been a nightmare.  Actors could have said they weren't going to do it all again.  Crew could have said they were busy and couldn't make it.  Not this group.  All of them agreed to return and do it even better without even grumbling about it.  They were all committed to making this film the best it could be.  They weren't going to settle for a half done attempt.

As a director and writer this was awesome to see.  I didn't know some of these folks very well.  We were thrown together to make a film from different walks of life and all of them had made the choice to commit fully to my story and help me tell it correctly.  It was at this point I knew that I had picked the right people to make this movie and I didn't want to let them down.

And that's how we came to be at the location once again the next morning at 4am.

We arrived and knew exactly what shots we needed and how we wanted them to play out.  We fixed what didn't work the morning before and we managed to film some great performances from our actors.  We even had a chance to bring a crane this time around to get some great moving shots we didn't have the ability to get the first time around.  The lesson learned is to not complain or settle.  Put in the extra work and use the opportunity to do better.

The situation was a total blessing in disguise.

Script Supervisor Mackie slates early in the morning.