The Hollow Waltz : What it took to get here! pt.1

Euphio have finally begun the production of The Hollow Waltz web series. This Friday will be day 1 of the official production.  I hope over the next few weeks I can share the process and the experiences I went through to get to this point. Perhaps, bestowing a few tips and tricks to help out any indie filmmakers or people starting out.  

Needless to say, this production has been filled with trials and tribulations. This is to be expected on many micro budget or guerrilla style productions. In return, I did not expect to feel like sisyphus. The size of this production was daunting, I knew that. Organizing personnel, not one of my strongest suits. I chose to carry on. 

The original idea for The Hollow Waltz came to me almost a year and a half ago. This would be my first big production separating myself from 1-2 man skits, art films/installations, and backyard productions. All the while, retaining the DIY guerrilla filmmaking process i've always known. It has been a long journey through the many errors a young filmmaker will inevitably make. 

However, I am glad I made every single one of them. They have taught me the resiliency that every filmmaker needs. The first step I took was to write a script. It should be obvious that this is the first step in any production, no matter how vaguely inferential. I set an idea for a heist film. A crime film that i'd love to see. 

From this point, I spent the next few weeks crafting ideas and watching every one of my favorite crime films. I started with the best. Coppola, Scorsese, Tarantino, the classic noir films, etc. I spent quite some time watching British crime TV shows/films studying the way they tell stories and the way their dialogue seems to push the story forward while simultaneously staying ambiguous.  The next few two weeks were filled with all nighters, solitude, and lots of caffeine. The gauntlet I endured yielded a first draft and a spark of inspiration that gave me the confidence to carry onward. 

That was step one. 

- Steve

Immerse yourself, consume, study and write.