In the Lyons Den: Mid-Filming Report
Part Six
Director John C. Lyons called it a mini-meeting. It was a quick chance to show the crew members how far they had come. It was a chance to get them fired up. When Lyons showed the crew, on paper, just how far the production had come, the long weekends and weeknights were put into the proper perspective. They had made it past the halfway mark in filming the independent feature Schism.
Being halfway done with filming is an accomplishment, though the production has faced problems. Some cast members were replaced. Likewise, a few people on the crew didn’t make it to this point of celebration. Lyons admits that January 2007 wasn’t as productive as he would have liked. The mini-meeting, however, got people on track and Lyons said February’s filming schedule is now set to be the most aggressive yet.
“We should be left with 20 odd scenes after February,” said Lyons. Not bad for a production that has 120 total scenes that need shot at night and on weekends.
The problem with the filming now lies in the preparation each scene requires, outside of the lighting mentioned in previous articles. Schism was mostly shot in a linear fashion, meaning that the production, which takes place over a year, now has to more vividly illustrate the main character Neil’s physical deterioration. That means make up.
Even as the preparation is getting more complex, the linear filming schedule allowed Lyons to move ahead with other parts of the project.
For some scenes already filmed, Lyons and company have begun to tackle the score and the sound. In December, Lyons took 10 days off work to produce a 20-minute assembly cut, which he handed over to his sound man Andi Wondersound.
Making it halfway through the filming means more than just getting into editing and sound, though. It also means Lyons is learning more about his production. Idiosyncrasies have been added to match the actors with the characters. Scenes have been extended and deleted as the strengths of the cast have been discovered. Redundancies have been eliminated.
As Schism takes a distinct shape, Lyons is now more than ever able to communicate what he and his filmmaking team are creating.
“You need to really feel for Neil and his relationships,” said Lyons. “Visually you have to feel that.”
So in the next few months, when Edinboro University students work on latex masks for the mysterious “strangers” or when dancers and the band Mambo perform in a music sequence, Lyons is working to dramatically connect Neil with the viewers. He wants to “make them connected to his psyche.”
This article is part six in a series about John C. Lyons upcoming Erie-produced feature Schism. More articles will follow as the production progresses. For more information on Schism visit www.SchismMovie.com.
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