Two Detectives explores the story of a curious young boy whose father tells him about his first case. The story offers everything from action to themes of family. The film was produced over five months with the help of 27 individuals of Team Foreel, made up of LCC students and other talents, both professional and amateur: Executive Produced by Jefferson Goolsby. Produced by JaShawn Clark, Director of Photography by Collin Gruener, Script Supervision by Hoa Mai Nguyen, Technical Produced by Caleb Lowery. The film was directed, produced, and co-wrote Jacob Adams.
How was it working with an assistant director?
Jacob: “During the production of Two Detectives, I got to work with the really talented Daniel Martinez as both my 1st and 2nd assistant director, and as my Gaffer. Through the production, he knew what needed to be done. He pushed me to concentrate on what was on hand— the story. This was the first project I had worked with an assistant director. I recommend it to anyone who is taking on a project at this size or larger. It prevents you from having to take on too many things at once.”
What camera equipment was “Two Detectives” shot on?
Colin: “For shooting the production of Two Detectives, we used Canon Full-Frame DSLR cameras, the 5D MK 3, and the 6D. We pretty much used only one of two devices to hold the camera: a tripod or a shoulder mount. We shot on a variety of lenses, but mainly on a 24mm and an 85mm. Pretty much all the shots in the short film involved these two camera mounting devices and lenses.”
What was working with professional actors like?
Jacob: “The father and detective, named Jonathan, is played by Mike Schwab, an actor I was connected to through an actor audition held at LCC. Mike had worked as an actor some time down in Las Angeles, before acting here in Eugene. Rebekah plays Clarice, Jonathan’s partner through the case. Rebekah Hirons is an actress from the Student Production Association of Lane Community College. Some of her featured performances are a part of Brian Haimbach’s The Family Treasure. Together, with the help of both of these actors, I found it very easy for the script to be brought to the camera. Much of any film is about getting your ideas across to the camera, much of this is through working with good actors. ”
“This film offered me many firsts including, the first time I had worked with a youth actor. There are many challenges tied to working with actors who are young but it surely paid off in the end.”~ Jacob Adams
What lighting techniques were used?
Daniel: “My goal as a set lighter, was to fill out dark areas of the image for the camera. This helped make the space and the actors stand out from one another, by creating highlights and adding light in some places, and blocking out light in others. We used LED light panels and Arri light kits to add light, with flags, paper towels, and more; to soften and shape the light we had created. Filmmaking is about creating an illusion that the audience can believe for a while, while they stare at a two-dimensional image. Lighting helps make that flat image look more 3D, more interesting, and adds to the tone of the story if we did it right.”
What was prepping for the production of Two Detectives like?
JaShawn: “Prepping for Two Detective was something new for me. This was the first short film that I was lucky to be a part of the crew. It was one of the biggest casts I’ve worked with and there was a lot of work to do. Now prepping wasn’t easy but it definitely was a learning experience. I was always communicating because there was so much information to pass between crew members and actors etc. Communication and setting due dates are huge and everybody should be practicing those techniques. A prepared organization is a smooth one. Also, pre-production is most of your project. We used Google Drive to keep our files together and we had a lot in there. So being the producer, it would seem hard to have to go through and make sure everything is organized and completed. But, it came to be easy with time management.”
“This project had great potential and the rest of the crew members did an amazing job within their roles.” ~ JaShawn Clark
What was it like planning the driving scenes in the film?
Caleb: “The driving scenes in the film were challenging. I wanted to give the audience something special, I wanted them to feel like they were inside the vehicles. I had to work for hand and hand with our DP Colin Gruener to figure out all of the different camera angles. We wanted to make the most exciting, dynamic driving scene we could. I am super pleased with how it turned out.”
How was it doing work during the COVID 19 pandemic?
“At the beginning of the term as all of us were getting used to the remote online experience, I started thinking about our team project. We were halfway through filming and we only had a few more scenes to shoot. I started brainstorming some ideas. I didn’t have a very clear understanding of what would happen. Would we be able to get equipment? If we could get it, how would we meet up with everyone? I felt stuck because I couldn’t move forward or progress without an agreement that would work. I told my instructor that I really needed a meeting with him and the whole team about what to do. When everyone was together for the meeting, each of us shared ideas we had. The instructor talked and listened to our concerns, and we all soon decided we were going to make a two to three-minute trailer with the scenes we shot. The best part about the solution as we all had the clips uploaded at a shared Google folder, was we could all work at our homes without the risk of going out.”
