My First Film Project

       Greetings everyone!  I hope this post finds you well and in good spirits.
       Many of you have probably been wondering why it was that I posted a CG TARDIS in my feed recently.  Well, here is the reason:  I am working on an independent short film which will be set around a chance encounter with the Doctor.  For some of you, this whole idea may require a little back story.  Let’s start there.
       I have always had a great love of cinema.  Ever since I was young, going to the movies was one of my most loved recreational activities.  To sit there in my seat and be taken to one of many eras of time, to places real or imaginary, and to see all manner of stories brought to life in this amazing way, it only made me love the art form even more.  Had my circumstances been a little different growing up, I could have easily spent my summer regularly visiting my local movie theater.
       By the time I graduated high school, my dream was to be a film director.  However, not all of us get to pursue our profession of choice.  One of the biggest hurdles was money, and film school of any kind isn’t cheap by any standard.  Also, many of the tools used to make films, such as equipment and software were also very expensive at the time, so even freelancing then would have met with some serious road blocks.  So, I put my dream on the shelf, as it were.  I never threw it out, but I realistically went forward with my life and thought to myself, “maybe one day……….”
       Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago.  I had been mulling over whether or not I should even look into the possibilities of attempting this idea again.  True, I had seen technology become cheaper and more powerful, and if you know me well, you also know that I have developed a love for Open Source software.  But I was reluctant at first.  Would this end up being nothing more than a “dangling carrot?”  After some time, I figured the worst that could happen was that I would have to keep my dream on the shelf.  So I looked around and here’s what I found.  Script writing software?  Free and Open Source.  Story boarding software?  Free, and Open Source.  Professional grade film editing and production software?  Free, and Open Source.  Finally, 3D animation software that can create robust, high quality models that can be added to film footage through compositing?  Yep. You guessed it. Free, and Open Source. Add to that the fact that I have come to know and become friends with a guy who is not just awesome in his own right, but has experience in producing film, as well as has the cameras and other equipment, and I decided that maybe I could actually put something together.
       After finding out all these things, I then went on to ask myself what my first project should be.  For some, they may see all these free options and circumstances as an open door to create the three hour epic they have always had churning around in their head.  But, being more realistic, I decided on short film.  An absolute maximum of 30 minutes run time.  Also, I am trying to keep to a very small cast and crew as well as use local places for sets.  All of which will keep things modest, and hopefully smooth running.  After all, the “go big or go home” approach may be too overwhelming and could lead to the thought that I should never try this again, and that’s IF the production gets finished in the first place.
       As things progress, I will be happy to share updates with all of you.  And who knows, when it’s all said and done, I hope to have something that I, and all those working with me, will be able to enjoy over and over again, along with happy memories.