After making my first two shorts, I wanted to push myself into something different. With Roger back as DP, I decided to write a suspense thriller and return to a single location. I wanted to see how much production value we could squeeze out of one space. My cousin’s place, where we shot part of What Do You Want?!, ended up being perfect for it.

This one was a different kind of challenge. We had four actors in one room, and suddenly I had to figure out coverage in a way I hadn’t really dealt with before. Where do I put the camera? How do I cover four people without making it boring? How do I keep the pacing moving when everyone is stuck in the same space? It made my head spin, but that was the whole point. I needed to learn.

I always approach filmmaking from an editing standpoint. I’ve been editing so long that it’s become apart of the process. I’m usually cutting the scene in my head while we’re shooting, thinking about transitions, rhythm, and how to get in and out of a moment. I’m always looking for the hook in a scene. Sometimes that helps me move fast. Sometimes it probably makes things harder than they need to be. But it’s how I work.

I don’t storyboard, not because I don’t see the value in it, but because the way we shoot doesn’t always allow us to lock everything down. We usually don’t have the time, to rehearse in the actual locations. So I come in with a shot list, a general plan, and then I try to find the scene with the actors on the day. A lot of the blocking comes from camera rehearsal and watching what the actors naturally bring to the space and we work around them.

That process taught me a lot. It forced me to stay flexible, trust the people around me, and make decisions quickly but not to rush. I’m extremely proud of what we pulled off in two days. This short took me places and introduced me to people I never would have met otherwise.

What I learned most from Viral was pacing. And I realized a lot of that starts on the page. I was still loose with structure, and I didn’t fully understand that until I shot the film and saw what I had, and where I could have improved. That was a big lesson but I needed to go through to find that lesson.

Even with all of that, this project gave me the confidence to push myself further. It let me try something new, work with talented actors, and learn by actually doing it. I’d love to take another crack at horror or thriller down the line, now knowing what I know.