Jacob Givens comes at filmmaking from the perspectives of acting and writing. Like many filmmakers, he’s developed his skills not in the classroom but in the field. Equally important, in the tradition of Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, and Federico Fellini, Givens has developed the habit of making movies with friends. This valuable method is available to everyone. Givens gives examples in the interview below.

Interview with Jacob Givens

MMM: What  made you decide to become a filmmaker in the first place?

GIVENS: I grew up in a household in Tulsa, Oklahoma that was obsessed with cinema. My family and I have spoken in movie and TV quotes for as long as I can remember. At a young age I began performing in plays and musicals, which eventually led me to pursue a writing and acting career in Los Angeles. Over the years, I watched other directors make my written words come to life on screen, so I just recently decided to take a chance and make films on my own.

MMM:  How did you develop your filmmaking skills?

GIVENS: I’ve never been to film school. After years of wearing multiple hats in the entertainment industry, I helped co-found a comedy production team called Good Cops Entertainment that developed our own short form content for the web and and eventually released a comedy horror feature film called “I Had A Bloody Good Time At House Harker” on Amazon Prime in 2017. During my years with this group, I was the head writer and one of the main actors, but I was constantly exposed to the filmmaking process of lighting, angles, sound, pacing, editing, etc. I just absorbed all that I could along the way and utilized that knowledge on my own projects. Some of my biggest inspirations are directors that often use the same cinematographers: Christopher Nolan/Wally Pfister, Alfonso Cuaron/Emmanuel Lubeski, and I love non-linear storytellers like Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman. 

MMM:  Where did the idea for “Ember” come from?

GIVENS: I had this idea of someone with great power wandering the woods, hidden from the world and alone. Like a Japanese Ronin with no master. At first I considered a hero, but then this idea of a villain… some creature out of mythology or an ancient beast, and what that would mean for civilization to want it to return. Plus I really wanted to play a bad guy! 

MMM: Could you describe your scripting method?

GIVENS: I write a traditional screenplay format in Final Draft, but no storyboards because it’s all in my head. As for a shot list, I do try and map out in what order scenes need to happen for each location and factor in time of day to keep myself on schedule. 

MMM: The locations are very dramatic. Could you say  how you found them?

GIVENS: We filmed near Big Bear, CA, only a few hours outside of Los Angeles. I’ve been up that way many times for weekend getaways and I knew if we timed our filming for November, it would have the perfect autumn look I pictured. The yellow trees, the fallen leaves… perfect for a haunting forest short film! I think the most exciting thing was finding that forest clearing with the rocky ravine nearby… that was pure luck. We walked down this trail and there it was. I knew that was our spot for Ember.

MMM: Was it difficult coordinating the aerial shots?

GIVENS: Dustin Arth from Skybird Studios was an absolute delight to work with during filming. Peter Story (the actor who portrayed Dr. Cole) suggested the option of using Skybird and their high-quality drone footage for Ember, so he put me in touch with Dustin Arth. Dustin was very professional as we would discuss the kind of shots and angles I was hoping to use, and he would pilot the drone and then show me afterward as to what he captured. It really takes the short to the next level.  

MMM: How did you find the actor who plays Dr. Cole?

GIVENS: I have known Peter Story since I was around 13 years old. We have performed in dozens of productions together since we were kids, and I’ve been thankful to have him out in L.A. with me to continue our collaboration. He is a great friend, talented actor, and has always been able to just roll with whatever crazy idea I throw his way.

MMM:  The opening two minutes are pure action, no dialogue. Peter’s performance is compelling as he makes his way to the rendezvous. What kind of direction did you give him?

GIVENS: Before we started filming his opening walking shots, we discussed just how long Dr. Cole had been dedicated to finding the creature. It had obviously been several days on foot, and after months of researching the exact coordinates I wanted to capture his hope running out from moment to moment. That way, when he does in fact see him… it’s like a mirage at first.

MMM: Could you say something about recording dialogue in the open?

GIVENS: We used a Zoom recorder with a boom mic. One of the things we were not prepared for was that our location near Big Bear is in a major flight path for Los Angeles airports. There was a peak time during Saturday that we heard a plane almost every minute. It was incredibly frustrating to capture those long silences. I never needed ADR, but I did have to get creative in grabbing dialogue from alternate takes and laying it in. Then, I captured a lot of ambient sound and laid that in during post which helped lessen the issue of the airplanes.

MMM:  Could you say something about the challenge of directing yourself?

GIVENS: As an actor I have always been cast in comedic roles or played more kind hearted characters because I have a demeanor that fits those personalities rather easily. I’ve only had the chance to play more sinister characters in my youth, so I really wanted the chance to play a villain again. But I wanted it to be more nuanced. So when it was my turn on camera, I just had to focus on the character and trust that the camera would capture what I wanted.

MMM:  Why did you decide to shoot the movie using an iPhone rather than a traditional camera?

GIVENS: The iPhone allows me to just focus on the storytelling and performance and not get bogged down on the mechanics. I’m not saying I’m against high-end cameras if you have someone who knows how to use them, but for me I had something in my head that I wanted to film and the iPhone allows me to do that in the most efficient way possible. Disadvantages are sometimes not being able to see the shot clearly on the smaller screen in bright outdoor light and knowing if you are focused or not. Of course there are probably external monitors that can be paired with the iPhone to help with that issue, but without them you are sometimes unsure until you see it on a bigger screen.

MMM: Could you explain why FiLMiC Pro is useful?

GIVENS: FiLMiC Pro is a necessity when wanting your iPhone projects to have a more cinematic feel. You can lock in settings like your aperture, focus, color, and even choose to film flat so you can color correct later. It also enhances the bitrate and I just feel like the tools make each shot easier to control.

MMM: What other gear did you use?

GIVENS: For my first mobile short, ‘Intermission,’ I had the iPhone and a Zhiyun Smooth Q camera gimbal for steady shots. For this one, we drove for several hours to Big Bear and once we arrived I realized I left the Smooth Q plugged in at home. At first I was very concerned that we didn’t have it to use, but then decided that Ember would just have a more handheld feel. There were no other lenses used. For the microphone I borrowed a friend’s Zoom audio recorder, boom pole and mic.

MMM:  How long did the shoot take?

GIVENS: The shoot was filmed over a Saturday and Sunday in November. 2 days total. Our biggest challenge was sound. Anytime you choose to film outside you are always facing the constant issue of planes, cars, nearby voices, etc. We just did our best to capture each scene and hold when we heard noise disturbances. It wasn’t always possible but we stayed focused until we got what we wanted. We had some challenges with the sunlight changing the way the shadows laid and it becoming overcast on the second day. But in the end, you just have to keep going and move forward. I have a story to tell and limited time to do so, so I have to let go of everything needing to be perfect.

MMM: While your film would work without visual effects, those spooky images do add a lot.

GIVENS: The visual effects were provided by my talented friend, Jon Enge. Jon and I have known each other for several years, and he currently resides in Minnesota. I called him before we went out to film, and he walked me through exactly how to frame my shots in order to add effects without any issue. I would send him files through Dropbox and he would send them back once completed. I loved his work in this and the end result was even better than I expected.

MMM: Any details about the software that Jon used?

GIVENS: The compositing software was Adobe After Effects. Jon uses the whole Adobe suite for most things. Photoshop to make clean plates, Illustrator for titles, Mocha for tracking and Elements from Video Copilot.

MMM:  What was your method in working with the composer of the music?

GIVENS: That’s all Jon Walker. Jon is one of my good buddies and was the one filming each shot on the iPhone. Because we worked together on my first short film “Intermission,” Jon knew the tone and feel I was going for from the moment we began. He sent me the opening music he composed only a few days after we returned home, and from the sound of that opening bell chime… I was like… THIS IS IT!

MMM:  What advice would you give someone just starting out as a movie maker?

GIVENS: Don’t focus on your limitations. Focus on what you DO have. Come up with a story that you have to tell and find a way to tell it. If you don’t know a lot of actors, then trim it down to only one or two people in the scene. Utilize your environment to add to the story. With a mobile device, you can now achieve a very cinematic look with little to no effort. If you believe in it… others will too!

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To keep up with Jacob Givens’ work, you can follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Tresmorafilms

The editors of MobileMovieMaking have chosen “Ember” as a Mobile Movie of the Week.