Grief Alchemy Project: December Update
The art of the pivot and some ideas on visual style.
Yesterday was supposed to be the second shoot day of my NonDē1 doc, Grief Alchemy Project,2 but, because of circumstances beyond my control, it couldn’t happen as planned.
So instead of telling you about the shoot, let’s talk about the importance of being flexible as a filmmaker.
There are so many moving parts involved in making a film, it’s inevitable that at some point, something is going to go awry. Especially in the world of NonDē, where budgets are non-existent and schedules are tight and you can’t just throw money at a problem to make it go away. You need to have a contingency plan for the contingency plan for the contingency plan, and even then you’ll probably find yourself in a situation where the shit hits the fan and you just have to make it work.
If you’re scheduled to shoot exteriors and you were expecting a sunny day but you get a rainy one, find a way to work the rain into the story or grab an interior if you can. Your crew’s on set and ready to go but your lead actor gets sick and can’t work? Shoot b roll or reimagine the scene so it can work without them. Whatever you do, just shoot something so you don’t lose money. (I say this now, but that’s not what I ended up doing — more on this later.)
The difference between a shoot devolving into a complete shitshow and walking away with a movie instead of a mess comes down to your attitude. So much of producing and directing is problem solving. If you can roll with the punches and think on your feet, the thing you thought was a disaster might actually turn out to be better than your original plan.
A classic example is Jaws — the animatronic shark didn’t work properly, so Spielberg had to shoot around it, which actually created those iconic suspenseful sequences in open water. Turns out it’s much scarier to imagine something terrifying lurking beneath the surface of the ocean than it would be to actually see the thing.
Which brings us to my second shoot.
When I found out yesterday morning that a huge wrench had been thrown into my shooting plan, I had two choices: freak out or figure it out.
The latter is always the way to go.
After considering my options, I realized that the tiny size of my film was actually a benefit. With a crew of two (including me) and a location that I’m staying in and also now own, it seemed like pushing the shoot was the smartest option. A few phone calls and emails later and I was able to reschedule for next week and even get a refund on my insurance premium.
Money lost was zero.
The delay has also given me more time to consider certain ideas I’ve been kicking around — I want the film to have a very specific visual language, and I’m still working out what that will be.
I’ll share some of these ideas with you.
From my notes:
Mirrors & reflections as motif
Scenes where I interact with others are more visually grounded and immediate (handheld, verité)
Scenes where I’m alone more abstract and ethereal (static, action playing out in reflections, impeccably composed frames that look like paintings, disorienting frames, divided frames, action playing out half off camera)
still from In the Mood for Love I have a shot in my mind – a slow zoom in from outside the house at night looking in through the kitchen window. I’m sitting at the kitchen table, framed in one window. Sitting across the table from me and framed in the other window, is the ghost of one of my parents
Gimbal shots floating down hallways and through rooms like the POV of a ghost
Maybe the house can also have a POV. What would that look like? Where would it be centered? The top of the stairwell? Above the ceiling lamp in the hallway?
Anthropomorphize the house in exterior shots – windows that feel like eyes, etc.
One last thing — the one day that worked for the reschedule was December 8, which also happens to be my mom’s birthday.
Does it mean something? I guess we’ll see.
Until next time,
Tara
Ted Hope, who coined the term NonDē, defines it as films that are non-dependent on (as opposed to independent from) the studio system. Read more about Ted’s perspective on creating a new cinema ecosystem:
Which I am making in conjunction with Courtney Romano’s brilliant idea of organizing 50 NonDē films for 2026:
