To cleanse my palette of the monstrosity that was Sons Rising, I wanted to whip up something that was narrow in scope, quick, and fun for those involved. ACED was a project that fit the bill. A half-day shoot on a Saturday morning, with two actors & a small crew was all it took.
Okay, there was a little more to it than that, but compared to the last short film I put out, this one was definitely more modest in scope & budget.
Snapshot of the Scope
I knew it only required two actors, but they needed to have specific characteristics. Our main character (who I just call Ace), had to be a legit tennis player, with a solid looking serve. He also needed to be fit, so that the audience buys in on the notion that he’s a serious player, in his prime. And to be frank, I also wanted to cast a minority, if at all possible. Davin checks all those boxes. He played tennis for Ave Maria University in Florida, and still competes in tournaments on a regular basis now, so I was stoked when he agreed to be a part of this absurd little film. The search for Banana Boy was a little more challenging, but I finally connected with Jeremy, who has a theater background & a willingness to actually be the punchline of a joke. I knew that theater actors have a tendency to bring it, and when it was his time, he certainly did.
Milanote board for the project. I used this to record my ideas for the piece, and also to communicate the vision for the project to people I was hoping would get involved.
Securing a location was the most expensive part of this endeavor. I specifically wanted the tennis courts at Stadium High School. This is the same school featured in 10 Things I hate About You. The entire property is exceptional. It’s known for its castle-like construction & the football stadium (AKA Stadium Bowl), but the tennis courts aren’t anything to scoff at either. There were blemishes on the surface that I just had to embrace, but ultimately, the uniqueness of the location was too much to pass up.
Crewing came next. This is where I had to rely on friends. I was lucky to recruit a generous & easy-going group of people who were willing to give up a Saturday morning, basically in exchange for a good time on set & some food, and I’m super grateful for all of them. Paul, the DP on this film, was an especially awesome person to partner with, because of the extent to which he took ownership of it. He dedicated time & energy to this project as if it were his own.
Due to scheduling conflicts with key people, though, we had to reschedule the shoot twice. This was honestly a logistical headache, and lead to what’s ultimately one of my two laments of the film. The morning we ended up shooting was completely overcast, and it didn’t provide the kind of light I was hoping for. There were a handful of ways I was planning to play with that golden-hour light, but I wasn’t able to, and I’ll always be aware of how this piece could have looked.
Nerd Stuff
There were definitely some light visual effects I had to implement in post. A lot of it had to do with removing bird poop.
In another shot, I had to insert the top of the brick building behind the tennis ball as it reached the apex of the toss. The shot just didn’t feel right without the roofline in the background. So I waited for another overcast day, went & captured a shot of the top of that building, put it in with the clip of the ball, masked it, blurred it out a bit, then rotoscoped the ball back over the brick building. If you’re scrutinizing the shot, you might be able to see it, but I doubt even 1/100 people will notice it without being told.
Final Thoughts
I think we managed to cultivate a nice tension in the piece. However, I jumped genres toward the end & it’s ultimately a comedy. The story’s literally the build up to a joke, with a punchline.
Did it work, though? Ehh, by most accounts, it’s not looking like it did. I broke a rule with that twist at the end. People thought they were watching one type of thing, and when it turned out to be another, they were left confused instead of giggling. The punchline (the reveal of our banana character) didn’t seem to land.
Ultimately, though, this project was an excuse to try some new things & exercise some creative muscles. I wanted to try out Milanote as a creative communication tool. I wanted to play with 120p (slow-motion). I wanted to create that title card you see at the end. I wanted to try a new color grading technique. And I wanted to create something that relates to one of my favorite sports.
All said & done, considering everything I threw at it, I’m pretty happy with the outcome. Nice & quick. Hope you enjoyed it!
The End.