Last weekend we took part in Kazoo 48 for the second time. This time we had more warning, having signed up well in advance. We got the camera gear out early, checked the batteries this time, and were ready to go.

Friday night we got our specifics:

We came up with a script idea and decided to explore the logistics of it. The first step was to take everything out of the living room and cover the window with black plastic. That didn’t take too long. We put together our set with an office chair and desk, an eye massager, and some lighting. Then we tried out the camera angles and looked at the composition.

It wasn’t working.

Deflated, we had to change gears. Rather than push ourselves deep into the night, we put the living room back together and got some sleep.

Saturday we decided on the new direction after considering a few ideas. The idea we went with was the following two-minute short:

Shooting consisted of 1) feeding the cats, and 2) recording foley and voiceover in the closet. Note: Not a walk-in closet like we’ve had in the past. Just a regular closet. It was a little cramped. While we recorded, our cat decided to join us and climb around the bags and coats.

Sunday we finished the edit, arguing with Premiere Pro part of the time, then added titles, credits, and music. Rendering started promptly at 3:55 with the film due at 4:00. Promptly at 4:06 we sent the email off to the organizers giving them the link to the finished product. Yep: We’re late. Again.

A couple things happened to the film between that last edit and the upload to YouTube, including a couple lines getting dropped somewhere along the way. But we think it holds together (mostly) without them.

It was a great exercise to scrub off some of the rust that had built up over 18 months, remember the editor and the process, and put something together that wasn’t there before. And we made ourselves laugh! We hope you did, too.