Have you ever had one of those moments where you dive headfirst into a project, only to find yourself way over your head? Well, that’s exactly what happened when I decided to create a little short film featuring two figurines from my bookcase. Spoiler alert: it was a ridiculous (!) ride, full of unexpected challenges, laugh-out-loud moments, and a hefty dose of learning the hard way. They say the best way to learn is to be thrown in the deep end and make mistakes, right? Well, I certainly did plenty of that!
The Idea
The idea was simple: I’d dress up as a spaceman and Hermione Granger, green screen myself into the scenes, and create a whimsical story about these characters coming to life while I took an afternoon nap. Easy peasy, right? Wrong. I hadn’t considered that green screening two figures both dressed almost entirely in black would be a nightmare. Let’s just say, next time I’ll choose different characters!
The Green Screen Disaster
Ah, the green screen. My old nemesis. It turns out that black costumes and green screens don’t mix well. Who knew? (Apparently, everyone but me!) What started as an exciting creative venture quickly turned into a frustrating tangle of glitches and headaches. The black costumes caused horrible glitches on screen, making my characters flicker and blend into the background in the most unflattering ways. Note to self: plan your costumes better next time!
The Heat Challenge
As if the green screen issues weren’t enough, I was filming the green screen scenes during June here in Portugal in my hot office while the temperatures outside were around 30 degrees. Both outfits were extremely warm—I mean, I was wearing my motorcycle helmet, winter jacket, and boots! It was like filming in a sauna, and I was sweating buckets by the time we wrapped up.
From DaVinci Resolve to iMovie
After doing all the hard work in DaVinci Resolve and facing the relentless green screen challenges, I realised I needed a quick fix to salvage my film. That’s when I turned to iMovie. I knew I could add an old film effect to hide some of the more glaring glitches, and thankfully, it worked like a charm. It felt a bit like putting a plaster on a bullet wound, but hey, it got the job done!
The Fun Parts
Despite the green screen fiasco, I absolutely loved creating the film. Filming the scenes of me sleeping (well, that was easy LOL) and then suspecting something odd with the characters at the end was great fun. I particularly enjoyed the part where I slowly moved towards the bookcase, picked up the figurines, and scrutinised them before laughing at my own imagination. It brought a touch of surrealism to the whole thing.
The Soundtrack
My favourite part of the entire process was putting the sounds together. I love choosing the music and sound effects, and for this project, I used Epidemic Sound. It’s such a fantastic resource for creators, offering a vast library of high-quality tracks and effects. The right music and sounds can elevate a film from good to great, and I had a blast experimenting with different options to find the perfect match. If you use my link, you’ll get a free seven day trial—it’s worth it!
Lessons Learned
This project was a huge learning curve, but it was worth every moment of stress and frustration. Here are a few key takeaways:
- Plan Your Costumes: Avoid black on green screens. Seriously.
- Be Flexible: Sometimes, you need to switch software or change your approach. Adaptability is key.
- Embrace Mistakes: They’re part of the learning process. Each glitch taught me something new.
- Have Fun: Despite the challenges, remember why you’re doing this. Enjoy the process!
In the end, my little film is far from perfect. It’s cringey in places and definitely has that “first project” feel, but I’m incredibly proud of it. It’s a testament to the creative process and the joys (and pains) of learning by doing. I can’t wait to start my next project, armed with all the lessons I’ve learned from this one.
Do you want to see the film? Don’t worry, it’s only four minutes long! Check it out, below or via YouTube.
