Under the sweltering heat of the California sun, DAYLIGHT wrapped principal photography after two glorious days of filming this past May in Sun Valley, CA. Thank you to our 20 esteemed crew members and five talented cast members who brought the Daylight creative to life on screen.
A ballet dancer struggles to cope with the realities of her new life after one night goes terribly wrong.
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was a bumpy ride and a miracle marked by two years of writing, 1 year of development and 4 months of pre-production prep.
What started as an idea on a storyboard became a fully vested short film project backed by 129 supporters and $9000 in seed funding. Through the dedication of our community and the commitment of our team, we were able to fully produce DAYLIGHT from end to end.
After a conversation on Clubhouse and a few Zoom calls, I set to work with Associate Producers Shelley Meche'tte and Bree K. Jones to develop the overall production breakdown for activities on set. Production insurance, FilmLA permits, parking, equipment rentals, catering and a stellar team would be needed to secure a successful shoot. And this came at.a high cost.
The budget dictated financial support, so the Daylight Performance Gallery Fundraiser was born, contributing to $2000 in seed funding and the Green Light from Seed & Spark. But there was more to be done. The original 15-page script was too expensive for the $16,000 budget that was afforded. There were too many locations, too many cast members and a B story that didn't contribute to the main purpose of the film. With the advice from colleagues, mentors and friends, DAYLIGHT was rewritten as a 9-page allegory centered around its main character, AMBER.
With enough funds to pay for crew, camera equipment, craft services and the like, we set to principal photography. The Daylight Cast and Crew is a talented bunch of filmmakers committed to collaboration, so the challenge of filming the 31-page shot list in just 2 days was one we readily accepted. We made art with what we had, and with a little creative juice and innovation we developed a film that our entire team, supporters and viewers could feel connected to.
DAYLIGHT was captured on the RED Komodo 6K and Sigma Cine lens set with additional shots captured using the DJI Ronin 2 and Ready Rig Pro Arm GS. Production truck and equipment provided by Hollywood Depot Rentals.
Daylight is now currently in post-production. The short film is near picture-lock and will finish with sound, score and color before releasing in the 2022-2024 film festival circuit. Be a part of our journey and help us secure additional funding for film festival submission costs. Together, we rise.