As Daisy and Michael prepare to board their holiday flight, Michael realises he left something important behind…
Behind The Scenes
Young Filmmaker’s Academy
The Young Filmmaker’s Academy is a summer course in the London Film Academy, which I attended in 2018. I made a lot of filmmaking friends and together in production groups we explored all the stages of filmmaking from writing to editing. With the guidance of tutors we used industry standard lighting equipment, props and studios to create a number of short films. The short film I was tasked to direct was ‘Break a Leg’.
Break a Leg
Break a Leg is a short comedy about a couple, Michael and Daisy, who are about to board their holiday flight when Michael realises he left his leg on the train platform on the way to the airport. It’s silly, and unrealistic, but it was a lot of fun to film!
During production I ran into a lot of problems with this short film. Minutes before we shot the first scene, a lamp set on fire. It also happened to be the hottest day of the year and around 20 of us were stuck in a small studio room, trying to fit fans into the room was a nightmare, but a necessary one. My lead actress Eysis Clacken was also late to filming. All of these problems were successfully handled and I’m proud that the short was actually completed on time!
This was the first short film I ever directed with access to quality sound, video and lighting equipment and I learned a lot in the process. If I could go back and reshoot this short with the knowledge I have now I would have placed the lights differently, as they shine too harshly on Eysis (Daisy) I also would have edited it differently in an attempt to make it funnier timing-wise. As a first-time director I feel like it was an honourable attempt!
