Shooting a movie in just a few places reduces the hassle of moving crew, actors, and gear. You can save time and money. But the challenge is finding a way to give the movie visual appeal. Ben Stahl’s intense limited location thriller “The Sorting Room” can serve as a mini-textbook for how to keep people watching the screen. Notice the director’s use of close-ups, reverse angles (shooting from behind each actor), image distortion, and dramatic props. For a behind-the-scenes look at the production. check out the interview below. [Note: The movie does include profanity.]

Interview

MMM: How did you  get into moviemaking?

Stahl: While music production and composing has been most of what I do creatively, I have acted in a number of projects with friends over the years. What initially got me interested in filmmaking was my iPhone.

MMM: How did you develop your skills?

Stahl:  I basically taught myself the basics. I’d follow a bunch of great YouTube channels such as Film Riot, “D4Darious, and DSLRGuide.

MMM: Why did you shoot using the iPhone rather than a traditional camera?

Stahl: There are a few reasons. First, the device has always been an inspirational tool for creating music and I wanted to test its video capabilities. Second, Filmic Pro sponsored a contest to promote the use of their app. Third—and most important—I’m developing a YouTube channel geared towards content creation using iOS devices and this film would be an example of that.

MMM: Are there benefits when producing a movie with a phone?

Stahl:  I could use it for everything: shooting,  editing, recording audio, and even designing the poster. I chose to shoot using two phones so I could capture two angles simultaneously to save on editing time.

MMM: Any limitations?

Stahl: Sure. Because of the size of the iPhone camera sensor, it just doesn’t do well in low light so that has to be taken into consideration.

MMM: How did you come up with the concept for “The Sorting Room”?

Stahl: I got the idea a year or so before I wrote the screenplay. I’m a big fan of dystopian stories. I grew up with a dad who enlisted twice in Vietnam, and though I’m super proud of him, I wouldn’t be caught dead doing what he did. That emotional conflict was the seed for the story.

MMM: Could you talk about your cast?

Stahl: I met Wes, the man in the blue shirt and tie, about twenty years ago in high school.  We made short movies together back then. I really respect him as an actor so I couldn’t wait to write something for him. Dave  and I met in college. He played guitar in my band and we remained friends. Recently, he picked my brain about a documentary project. When I asked him to play opposite Wes in my film, he was excited about doing it even though he had minimal acting experience.

MMM: What about the female character?

Stahl: The woman playing Dave’s girl/Wes’ ex is actually Dave’s fiancé. She didn’t have a ton of acting experience, but was eager to participate. My wife, Tyson, provided the voice of the Operator at the end of the film. She is a great actress, and I can’t wait to feature her in the future.

MMM: Can you share your thoughts on directing?

Stahl:  I had directed stage productions when I was a teacher, but this was my first time directing a movie. I looked to my wife for guidance because she has a wealth of experience directing and working with good directors. The process was always about trying to set the scene for the characters and give them the context they would be pulling emotion from.

MMM: What gear did you use?

Stahl: The key pieces were  my RØDE  VideoMicro microphone and my DJI Osmo Mobile Gimbal. Capturing quality sound is vital and using that Rode mic made it super easy. Just plug it into the phone, put it on a stand and you’re all set! I used this mic to capture all the dialogue as well as voice over. I also needed it for ADR (dubbing) to replace some of Dave’s lines in the main scene. The Osmo, which made the hallway shots super smooth,  is—in my opinion—the best smartphone gimbal in my opinion.

MMM: And the apps?

Stahl: I used the phone’s Notes app for initial ideas and basic shot breakdown. Then, I wrote the screenplay using Final Draft Mobile, which is such a great screenwriting app. Then, in order to qualify to enter the FiLMiC Pro contest, I filmed everything using their camera app. But it’s so good, I’d have used it anyway. Then, for editing, I jumped between LumaFusion and Videoleap. Both have tons of high-end features. Each has its own strengths and solid workflow. I did broad stroke edits inside Videoleap followed by fine tuning with LumaFusion, which also provides more export options.

MMM: Where did you shoot the main location? It’s an eerie place.

Stahl: I filmed it in my living room. I only had two white walls to work with so I had to edit the various angles to give the impression of a small white room. I even did some masking and mirroring for the brief shot when they both fall on the table and a wall is seen behind each character.

MMM: Did you encounter any big problems during the production?

Stahl: Thankfully, not many even though this was my first major project and I was doing it as a one- man-band operation. One problem occurred during the first day of filming, Wes and Dave didn’t have enough time with the script to be off book, so that day became more of a rehearsal. I learned  just how important having a rehearsal day is. They returned the following week and we knocked it out and they both did a fantastic job. The other issue was with Dave’s audio. In the main scene I cut to two different angles of Dave during his parts of the dialogue, but I found when I checked those angles the audio wasn’t consistent with Wes’. I needed Dave to come back for another day to record ADR for his lines (dubbing). That was a good experience though cause I’ve never worked with ADR before and it turned out pretty good in the final edit. Went by pretty unnoticed even to filmmaker friends of mine!

MMM: Did the movie come out close to what you envisioned?

Stahl: Overall, yes. There were some concessions that had to be made during production because of time or logistics. I expected that would happen a little. I had plans initially to have Wes be traveling to the sorting facility on a train and the opening scene between Dave and Amanda be it’s on stand alone sequence, but because of the strict 6 minute time constraint and the logistics of shooting on a train, I found it best to reduce and repurpose those shots to make it quicker and easier.

Stahl: I think the most important thing to take away from this is just how level the playing field has gotten when it comes to content creation. I set out to write and shoot a short film just using my iPhone and I did just that. It was a very inspiring and creative endeavor and I look forward to more and more projects like it!

MMM: Tell us about iMakeMobile.

Stahl: iMakeMobile is the name of my production company My long term goal is to develop a YouTube channel for showcasing the creative power of iOS devices through music creation and filmmaking. This will include tutorials, product reviews, BTS videos and short films.

You can keep up with Ben via Twitter.

“The Sorting Room” was chosen as a Mobile Movie of the Week by the editors of MobileMovieMaking Magazine.