Alright, let’s talk about this little project I tried, the one I mentally tagged ‘heading south film’. It wasn’t some big Hollywood thing, obviously, just me messing around.
It started a while back. I had this idea, maybe more of a feeling, about capturing the sense of moving, specifically southward. Not necessarily a big physical move, could be just a trip, or even just the idea of escaping the cold, you know? Seemed like a simple enough concept for a short film.
Getting Started – The Gear and Plan (Sort Of)
First thing, equipment. I didn’t have much. Dug out an old camcorder I had lying around, the kind that used tapes? Yeah, that old. Also figured my phone camera could work for some shots. Didn’t really have a script, more like a list of shots I thought would look cool:
- Road signs pointing south.
- Driving shots, looking out the window.
- Maybe some nature stuff, like birds flying south (good luck filming that!).
- Packing a bag, symbolic stuff.
The plan was loose. Just drive around a bit, maybe head down the highway for an hour or two, and grab footage along the way. Simple, right? That’s what I thought.
The Actual Doing – Where it Got Messy
So, I picked a weekend. Packed the camcorder, charged the phone, grabbed some snacks. First hurdle: the weather. It was supposed to be sunny, but turned grey and drizzly the moment I got going. Not exactly the hopeful ‘heading south for sunshine’ vibe I imagined.
Tried filming some road signs. Harder than you think from a moving car, especially with an old camcorder that didn’t stabilize well. Everything looked shaky and kinda depressing because of the grey light.
Then I tried getting some shots at a rest stop. People look at you funny when you’re pointing an old camcorder around. Felt awkward. Didn’t get anything usable there.
The phone footage was actually better quality, ironically. But holding it steady while driving, even for passenger-side shots, wasn’t easy or particularly safe. Plus, the battery drained way faster than I expected.
Hitting a Wall and Shifting Gears
After a few hours of this, feeling damp and a bit stupid, I realized this wasn’t working like I pictured. The footage I had was shaky, poorly lit, and frankly, boring. It didn’t capture any ‘feeling’ other than maybe frustration.
I stopped at a coffee shop to regroup. Looking back at the terrible footage on the tiny camcorder screen, I almost gave up. It felt like the whole project was, well, heading south in a bad way.
But then, sitting there, I started noticing other things. The condensation on the window, the way steam rose from my coffee cup, the lone guy staring out at the rain. It wasn’t the ‘heading south’ I planned, but it was something. A different mood entirely.
What Came Out of It
So, I ditched the original idea halfway through. Started filming small details inside the coffee shop with my phone. The rain outside. Close-ups of hands holding warm mugs. Stuff like that. Much easier to control, less reliant on weather or motion.
Went home and tried editing. Man, getting footage off those old tapes was a nightmare. Needed specific cables, software that barely worked. The phone stuff was easier to transfer, thankfully.
In the end, I didn’t make the ‘heading south film’ I intended. What I cobbled together was a very short, moody piece about… well, being stuck in a coffee shop on a rainy day, basically. It wasn’t great, had zero narrative, but it was something I finished, using the mess I’d created.
The whole practice taught me a few things. Planning helps, even a little. Old gear is cool but often impractical. And sometimes, the project you end up with isn’t the one you started, and that’s okay. It was more about the trying, I guess. Learned more from the failure than if it had gone perfectly.
