First (unofficial) Day of Shooting

 Production Day 1: A Rocky Start

The first day of shooting was supposed to be exciting, the moment where everything I had planned would finally come to life. I had scheduled everyone to arrive at the farmhouse by 3:30 PM, making sure we had enough time to set up and capture the golden hour shots I had envisioned. But, as with most film productions, things didn’t go as planned.

By 4:30 PM, my lead actor and a friend were the only ones who had arrived. The camera operator and lighting guy, who were crucial for the shoot, got into a bike accident and couldn’t make it. As much as I was worried about them, I was also panicking because we were rapidly losing daylight. With no time to waste, I decided to take charge myself, I had the camera with me, so I figured I’d shoot the scenes on my own.

I set everything up, adjusted the framing, and was ready to roll. But as soon as I turned the camera on, I realized there was no SD card. My friend had brought the camera to me that day but hadn’t checked if the SD card was inside. This was the final straw. After all the stress of organizing schedules, getting everyone together, and dealing with unexpected setbacks, I couldn’t hold it in anymore and I just broke down and started crying.

My dad, seeing how upset I was, immediately tried to help. He rushed to a nearby shop to buy an SD card, hoping we could still get at least a few shots in before the sun set. But when he got back, we realized it was the wrong SD card, and it didn’t work. At that moment, I knew there was nothing more I could do. With a heavy heart, I packed up and went home.

What did I learn?

The first day of shooting was a complete disaster, but it taught me a lot about preparation. Next time, I’ll double-check all the equipment myself and make sure everything is good to go before heading to the set. Filmmaking comes with challenges, but it’s all part of the process, setbacks happen, and I just have to keep pushing forward.