A behind the scenes look at my process and some thoughts on process

Hey Patrons!

Over the years, I've developed a very personal and specific style of filmmaking that I thought would be fun to share. Last week, I uploaded a 15 minute look at how I got about making a short film from concept to completion. Many times, these films are made completely alone. In this time of isolation and quarantine, I figured it would be valuable to show people how much you can accomplish on your own if you get creative.

In filmmaking, it's very important to me that I am honest to myself and my audience. I've been making films for over 15 years, in that time I've learned the things I like and the things I don't like. It is the moments where I betray that understanding that my filmmaking falters. I don't like writing scripts, I don't like elaborate lighting, things like these make filmmaking phony to me and the process an utter bore. 

In general, I find scriptwriting comes from a place of control. We write scripts because we want to enact a level of control that we don't have in our day-to-day lives. We want things to go precisely as we planned them, because too often the things that challenge us in life are the things that don't. Scripts allow us to communicate exactly what we want to communicate, but the problem is we often don't know the things we actually need to communicate. Improv is the answer to this problem. In doing improv, I have let go of that want and from it has emerged more honest work. In the work I create alone, this has allowed me to understand who I am and how I'm doing clearer than ever before. And in the work I create with friends, it allows for a level of collaboration unheard of in scripted work. I credit every film as "a film by everyone involved", because that's the truth. Unlike scriptwriting, where more often than not any role could be filled by someone else and the film would be unchanged, improv insists upon the individual. Change one person in an improv film and the film will be completely different, unrecognizable. True improv films are a beautiful amalgamation of everyone involved's personality, sense of humor and self.

All of this is fairly complex when thinking of my goofy short films, it's much more immediately apparent in my features, but I think the principles remain consistent. If you are honest with yourself and your audience, it'll come across in the film. Being yourself is the most compelling thing you can do because only you can do it. If the audience gets a feel of who you are through your film, you are offering them something no one else can.

With all of this said, thank you for the continued support. 

Love, Joel Haver