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Need help developing a one actor short film

P

Puritania

Hello,

I am trying to make a short film with only one actor

Please post some examples of films with only one actor, or post some idea scraps just to give me some inspiration fuel to jump off of.


Other preferences (you don't have to follow these, but I'd appreciate if you did)

- The one-man short uses Visual FX in a good way
- It still has some substance in terms of plot and narrative

See below for a way these "other preferences" are satisfied


==================


I have scoured the internet and have found that the film below, The Black Hole, is the ideal example of a how a 1-man short should be.

1) One actor; minimalistic

2) Uses Visual FX to propel the story

3) Despite it's compact size and production scale, it still manages to tell a good story about greed and the abuse of power

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk
 
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I made one. It does not include visual fx and I'm not sure it has any
substance in terms of plot and narrative. It's just a fun story about a
in a closet and there's something out there.

I've seen many one actor shorts but I can't think of any that meet
your criteria.
 
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Try this thread:
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread....highlight=moon
There are also several more like it.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Will view.

I made one. It does not include visual fx and I'm not sure it has any
substance in terms of plot and narrative. It's just a fun story about a
in a closet and there's something out there.
Click to expand...

Send it over. I'll watch it.

I've seen many one actor shorts but I can't think of any that meet
your criteria.
Click to expand...

Don't worry about those criteria. They were optional. Hell, I'm looking for anything that can help me get my brain rolling on creating this short. Those points that I posted were merely bonuses.

I'm actually mid production on a short that kinda meets what you describe.
Click to expand...

I'll gladly be your first viewer. Let me know when it's done.

=========================================================

Freddie has done something like what I'm looking for. One actor, and VFX...but not much of a story for those who aren't familiar with the source material.

Oh well. More exemplars can't hurt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_qaSrikATk
 
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I did something almost exactly like this about a year ago. It was a weekend project I made almost entirely by myself, so excuse the lack of quality--but you might get some ideas from it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YNMpl8F8c4
 
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I am writing a one actor short. The flick will be supposedly from the perspective of a laptop web cam. I will be using a display screen for a practical light (the screen will not be the only light) and I will use a DSLR to shoot it. It will be shot in my photo studio using some of the great sound treatment tricks I learned from another thread. I will dress one wall of the studio as the entry wall of a home office. Using the web cam gimmick allows me to minimize the set and keeps the actor movement to a minimum, simplifying the lighting and framing.
 
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KnightsFan said:
I did something almost exactly like this about a year ago. It was a weekend project I made almost entirely by myself, so excuse the lack of quality--but you might get some ideas from it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YNMpl8F8c4
Click to expand...


Thanks for sharing. Good film. It hits every mark I was going for: one actor, uses VFX, and has a story to drive it. I like how you incorporated action and guns, two of my favourite things in the world.

It would have been nice if the aliens were composited a bit better, but like you said it's a rushed weekend project so that's entirely excusable; relatively, I think the aliens look top-notch when you consider the timeframe.

I don't know if I should go with a post-apocalyptic theme, because that's been done to the death. I guess I could go with that genre, but I'd have to really innovate it so it doesn't blend into the 1,000 post-apocalyptic shorts out there.


Thanks to everyone who has replied thus far. Keep the posts coming, folks.
 
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Lucky Hardwood said:
I am writing a one actor short. The flick will be supposedly from the perspective of a laptop web cam. I will be using a display screen for a practical light (the screen will not be the only light) and I will use a DSLR to shoot it. It will be shot in my photo studio using some of the great sound treatment tricks I learned from another thread. I will dress one wall of the studio as the entry wall of a home office. Using the web cam gimmick allows me to minimize the set and keeps the actor movement to a minimum, simplifying the lighting and framing.
Click to expand...

Very interesting. Do let me know when it's finished.

Can you perhaps shed some details on the plot/story? How did you go about writing a story with only one character? What is your film about?
 
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@Puritania:
Fixed your movie embeds. You don't put the full youtube URL there, just the value of the v param.

For clarity...
Code: 
Not this...
[ YT ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk[ /YT ]

This...
[ YT ]P5_Msrdq3Hk[ /YT ]

(without spaced between brackets and YT /YT)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_qaSrikATk
 
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Thank you Will Vincent!

-Birdman

P.S. "Black Hole" was great. Brought back fond memories of Roadrunner cartoons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFNx7YFwFfI
 
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Puritania said:
Very interesting. Do let me know when it's finished.

Can you perhaps shed some details on the plot/story? How did you go about writing a story with only one character? What is your film about?
Click to expand...

Although it isn't horror, it has a Blair Witch type of thing going, which is that the less you know before you see it, the better the suspension of disbelief. I will make a BTS "making of" short to be revealed afterward.
 
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