{"id":1615,"date":"2010-10-04T23:04:00","date_gmt":"2010-10-05T06:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mikesenese.com\/DOIT\/?p=1615"},"modified":"2026-03-08T21:04:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T04:04:28","slug":"afterdark-short-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mikesenese.com\/DOIT\/2010\/10\/afterdark-short-film\/","title":{"rendered":"Afterdark \u2013\u00a0Short Film Starring Me, and Some Notes On Making Your Own Short Film"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A couple years ago I acted in a short film, one of the few things I’ve done as an “actor” (a term I use reluctantly), rather than as a host or behind-the-scenes. Directed and edited by the talented Camilo Restrepo, Afterdark<\/em> is a post-apocalyptic thriller that blends the lines between right and wrong while playing with time and space.<\/p>\n

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The piece was shot late at night over a couple weekends in early November 2008. Primarily filmed in the basement of a building in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, with one shot taking place in a studio near North Beach. Camilo and his staff had good vision and execution on this film, especially coaxing a decent performance out of me and co-star Clouchard Barbone.<\/p>\n

Some technical notes, for those of you like me who love gadgety stuff:
\nCamera: Sony Z1-U<\/a>
\nAudio: Zoom H4<\/a> and built-in
\nMicrophone: Sennheiser MKH 416<\/a>
\nTripod: Manfrotto 055XProB<\/a>; Homemade platform tripod; Dolly cart
\nLighting: Bare light bulb; Ikea dimmer; Two worklights; High-power Arri lighting kit (final scene)<\/p>\n

Interested in making a short film? eHow has a decent series of videos explaining the general steps and process, to help you organize the pieces needed and get started putting something together. One tip they may have overlooked: always feed the crew and actors. It’s a lot easier to get people to cooperate when they’re not thinking about how hungry they are.<\/p>\n

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A couple years ago I acted in a short film, one of the few things I’ve done as an “actor” (a term I use reluctantly), rather than as a host or behind-the-scenes. 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