A short Film by Jen
My passion for filmmaking really started to take off in 2006. I took a summer course at a local community college on basic filmmaking and made my first short film. I was hooked after that. From 2006 until 2010, I was cranking out all kinds of films. I wrote some, directed others, worked on two feature films, it was great. But not every project I started ever got finished. This happens all the time in filmmaking. One project I started never finished because I couldn’t find a location to shoot the last few scenes. Others were shot and abandoned in post-production for technical or time consumption reasons.
In 2011, I wrote a short film called Geocache. I had left filmmaking and moved out of state in 2010 but was coming home for an extended visit and wanted to get “the band” back together for a project. The film was written such that it would only take one day to shoot. Everyone made the time for me, and I secured a location in Sedro-Woolley for the project.
Because this was more than ten years ago, I don’t recall a lot of the details, but I do remember it was a fun day of production. The weather was spectacular, and we were shooting in a relatively isolated location, so we didn’t have random people passing us as we worked.
I went back to the Midwest with the film and began the post-production process. Without any incentive to finish the film, the process wasn’t rushed. Eventually, I started a new full-time job completely unrelated to filmmaking and let the project slide.
I finished cutting the film sometime in 2013 which happened to coincide with our move back home to the Pacific Northwest. Life took a turn, as it often does, and I slipped away from filmmaking for another seven years. I think I sort of forgot that I never actually published the film.
“Some things should stay buried…”
With the launch of Ceres Films, I’ve been going back over my work from years ago, looking for usable content and discovered Geocache. With more post-production tools available to me, I took a fresh look at the film and made some changes. I added some sound design elements and music as well as a new title sequence.
Rewatching the film touch my heart, not because it was a masterpiece in storytelling (it isn’t), but because of the connection I had with all those involved in the film. After years of working together and me moving away, they’d all come back for another project. Keep in mind, none of my projects were ever funded back then. All I could do for these people was feed them on set! They came because it was fun, and they loved working with me and each other.
The reasons I left the industry were valid and personal but I’m sad I stayed away so long. Returning to the work of visual storytelling has been a great comfort during this pandemic and I’m excited to see where my next project will take me. For now, please enjoy Geocache.
-Jen
End Transmission
