Over the past few months, I had been working on a short film titled “The Audition”. It’s a roughly 30 page script about a young woman who wants to audition for the role of Hamlet in a college performance of the play. When she realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew, she’s unexpectedly invited to a masterclass with none other than the legendary Sarah Bernhardt.
For those who don’t know, Bernhardt was a French actress from the turn of the 20th century who was credited as the first woman to play the character on stage and screen.
The film has a message of passion and determination. It’s a feminist journey into following your dreams and not backing down from a challenge. It does not matter who you are, if you’re willing to fight for something, it’s attainable.
I was brought on to the film in a script consultant capacity, but I was moved to director of cinematography almost over night. Due to a change up in the crew, the position needed to be filled and after a few camera shot ideas, the director (Kathleen Barth) and producer (Rachel Ledon) reached out to me.
I was honored. This was my first time being cinematographer for a project I didn’t write! I had three cameras to work with. It started out with two at first, but a third was added about halfway through principal photography to film some shots that were originally in the shot list, but later scrapped. It turns out the director wanted them in again, but with a little tweaking.
Things went right. Things went wrong. Things got fixed. Things stayed weird. Tis the timeline of a production…
I was stoked to work with such a talented cast and crew filled with beginners and professionals alike. I feel as though we all learned something and grew as filmmakers along the way. I know I did at least.
Scott Duvall 