The origins of the story is kind of two fold. Part of it started in the Green Room of Old Dominion University’s Goode Theatre. I was having a conversation with my good friend Sammy about reincarnation and she told me about this really good story that she loves from an author named Andy Weir. 

Around that time I was in my first semester of film school and was trying to find my place, if you will. My dream was always to work in the film industry, but I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do in it. I figured on trying editing and directing. So, there I was looking for my first project. I had this conversation with Sammy and she sent me a link to the story and when I read it, I just knew. It’s kind of a weird feeling finding a script or story you love enough to turn into a film. I read it and could see the production. 

I told Sammy how I was feeling and she pushed me in the direction of making it. We discussed copyright laws and had several conversations, wondering if we should ask permission. Finally, one of us found Mr. Weir’s email and I went back and forth about whether to email him. We decided that the worst that could happen was he would say no. So I went for it. I told him who I was and that I loved his short story and would love the opportunity to make it into a short film. He wrote back that day, or the next, and told me that I could, as long as I didn’t make any money off of it. Done and done. 

I was a little shocked, but stoked about the opportunity. That day I sat down and wrote the adaptation, sent it to Sammy, and we traded notes until we settled on a script that we liked. I’d say that initial script was a bit different than what we shot. That happens regularly in film. Locations don’t work out, actors don’t pan out, etc. 

So, we had this script, but I needed a cast, crew, and location. Along with Sammy, I met some of the other key players in the Green Room. There was Aliki, who ended up being my producer. She also produced my second project and acted for me in my directing class. I also met R Jay, co-founder of MoART. 

For the main location, I needed a sound stage. I spoke to the person in charge of one at ODU. Initially, she told me no, because I would need to have a key to the sound stage during the summer time. So I asked if I could get a faculty member to sponsor us. It became a possibility, but the sponsor would have to take full responsibility over anything bad that might happen. I agreed. We worked to narrow down the rest of the locations. 

For the cast, I talked to a couple of actors and got them onboard. Neither of them ended up being the ones you see on screen.

I had a planned to shoot in the summer of 2013, but it was sort of failing, but I kept driving forward. As I was putting The Egg together, R Jay was looking for a team to shoot his short film, Verona. I asked what positions he needed, he listed off a bunch, but Assistant Director was the one that stood out. So I signed up for that job and, let me tell you, that was a great decision. 

Nearly everyone who worked on the set of Verona would eventually help make The Egg happen. I mentioned the project a few times on that set. I will admit, I was a little bit jealous that R Jay could use the sound stage for a whole week with no faculty supervisor needed. But I didn’t let that jealousy get in the way. Some people just have different relationships. 

So I helped R Jay in one of the longest weeks in film history. Joking, sort of. We shot Verona, became friends and I joined the MoArt family. If I wasn’t sold on MoArt then, I would soon be. 

Summer came and another piece of the puzzle fell into place. I’m an Army veteran, on the GI Bill, which was great during the school year, however, when summer came the funds ended. I had a bit in savings, but I needed a job. That need for a job led me to meeting the boss of the person who told me I needed a faculty supervisor to shoot my project. 

Turns out working for him, building a green screen, and doing all kinds of stuff that summer opened the doors for unfettered access to the sound stage. I approached R Jay once more about my project, showed him the script, and we were off running. 

Together we built a solid team, but at that point my actors had dropped out and I was in desperate need. I talked it over with R Jay and Aliki, who not only produces, but knows a lot of actors. After telling her what I wanted, she found and organized all 4 actors. The hardest part of that was finding a child. 

I really wanted the first girl to be 8 or 9, but we settled with a 16-year-old, Amelia. That girl will be on Broadway, I’m calling it. Anyway, we found her, found someone to speak Swahili, and someone who could help us with dialect, etc. Aliki found the actors. Sammy helped with the script and story. R Jay helped with crew and after Verona, B-team was back together again. It was time to take the show on set.

On this shoot I met the actors on the way to set, which I do not recommend to anybody. Rehearsal is sacred, working with your talent before getting to set is just as important as doing a shot list or scouting. I didn’t do it on this shoot. I got extremely lucky that I was given outstanding talent. All of them. Ryan, Amelia, Aaliyah, and Marlon. 

We shot on the beach first. I had Ryan and Amelia in my car with Sammy. We talked about their characters and what they were feeling, all that director/talent conversation. It was August of 2013 when we were shooting on a blazing hot day, which we weren’t prepared for. We also had to deal with the sound of the ocean, which over-powered the talent’s voices. The heat made the talent constantly sweat, affecting acting and makeup.

Outside shoots are tricky and we learned the hard way. We had to have lots of water on set, umbrellas for talent and crew, chairs, longer breaks, etc. If you are shooting outdoors in the summer heat, plan extra time.

That said, since Amelia and Ryan were so good at their craft, the outside bits didn’t take too long. We got it shot with minimal disasters. I think another thing to keep in mind would be that a DP (Director of Photography) walking backwards in the sand needs a gimble or something to help stabilize the camera. But Sam was great. We got the best we could. 

So we wrapped day one. Compared to my other shoots, it was a fairly easy day. I kind of felt bad for my cast and crew for melting throughout the day. Day two was a bit easier, but still had fires to be extinguished. We shot in a sound stage that gave off an echo when we were recording audio, which defeats the whole point of calling that place a sound stage, but alas, we moved on. 

When you’re planning a shoot, schedule with talent in mind. On practical level, their time is important, especially if you’re not paying them. The same goes for the crew. DO NOT take advantage of them. On a creative level, it’s always better to shoot the easier stuff first. It gets the talent warmed up to shoot the more complicated, emotional scenes last. 

On a short film, don’t be surprised when you have to cram multiple scenes in a day. An example of this was when I had to plan for the DP and AD to shoot the car accident scene at the beginning of the day. By shooting it first, the rest of the crew were able to set the green screen up before Ryan came in to finish the rest of his scenes. It also gave me more time to talk to Amelia about her character in the scenes we were about to shoot with him.

Speaking of green screens, be very careful about costuming choices when shooting on one. On The Egg, the green screen cast a green shadow on white clothes and blond hair. My editor was confident that he could fix it in post, so we went forward with the shoot.

The hardest part of the sound stage shoot was the Swahili at the end. Marlon was struggling to get the language, even with a tutor to help. I should have had them work on the Swahili before coming on set. We ended up having a production assistant hold cue cards off-camera for Marlon, which sped up the production.

I did ADR for a good portion of the film, especially for the beach scene, but avoid it at all costs, unless you really know what you are doing or have a dedicated sound designer. I was trained in sound design in college and, even for me, it was extremely difficult.

Overall, it was a super fun experience. Directing can be rewarding, especially when you see your vision on the screen. The Egg wasn’t everything I wanted it to be, but it was an amazing project and I am so so so proud and happy with the outcome. Thank you to everyone who helped make this project happen. Alison, Moose, Eugenia, Lauren (RIP) and anyone else I may have missed. 

Never disregard the power networking. It’s absolutely huge in the film world. Knowing the right people will take you a long way. But so will putting yourself in the right position to succeed. People are flaky, so be flexible. Filmmaking is sort of a game, or a puzzle. Maybe a hybrid of the two. Things happen fast and you have to be ready for anything. 

The other big lesson I can offer is that sometimes you have to take a step out there and just be brave and persistent with what you want. The universe will help you once you declare what it is you want to do. I stumbled on hungry filmmakers who were willing to do a lot to get projects out. I found a film family; one I still do projects with and still love years later. 

Watch the film here.