Welcome to my official first post about my latest Christmas project! I've broken each section of production into 3 blog posts. I hope you enjoy!
Like all things, it all started with an idea. An idea that I always wanted to do but never thought that I had the ability to do it. As soon as I let go of that 'I cant do something like that' mentality, was when things got simpler. I started thinking, why not try? Other people are doing it so why can't I? Of course I was praying about it as well. I was asking God how can I make something that will not be too overwhelming for me but yet showcase my art skills at this moment in time. These are the types of thoughts I was having a couple of months ago.
I took an online workshop called 'How to Develop a Short Film' and it was like a sign from God telling me to just do it already and stop delaying. So, after taking notes from the workshop and learning all that I can from it, I got to work. I developed an idea for Christmas since it was the ending of October. The idea was very simple. In one sentence, it shows two young siblings, brother and sister, decorating a Christmas tree. That's it. A very straightforward idea and it was something I knew I can do within the short period of time. My first ever sketch of this project can be seen below.
I always smile at how my initial sketches look. They are scribbled to show my idea straight from my head to paper. Therefore at this point, I don't care for how pretty it looks. I was developing the story through my sketches. I had three different scenarios for the story but I settled on the siblings decorating a Christmas tree. I resonated with it because there actually is a picture of me and my younger brother standing next to a tiny Christmas tree in 1997. That was a while back, but I knew there was such a picture like that somewhere in my possession. When I found the picture in my baby album, I decided to go with this idea as it captures a very small but nostalgic moment in my life.
That is basically how I came up with the idea and where I got my source of inspiration. In the next blog, I'll show you how I started with planning and preproduction.
Yes my dear family, you are a child of God with many talents. And it’s true, when you follow the prompting of the spirit, you will never go wrong, it will always be right. Keep going forward even one step at a time. Uncle Harold.