My colleagues in the Army have been pretty interested in the making of this film, and we’ve had many impromptu brainstorming sessions throughout the weeks on scenes and situations we can show in the film.
It’s all very deadpan humor and bordering on the silly. Call us naive, but we’ve shared great laughs thinking of ideas. I’ve kept these ideas into a Word document and left it alone for a few days only to read back at what we have thought of. Some ideas didn’t work at all, though I have a handful that still draw chuckles from me as I re-read it. Hopefully, that’s a good indicator of lasting humor.
One of the common concerns regarding this film is the fact that it’s taking place in our own military setting. My sergeant asked a few questions like, “Will they actually be happy we did this? What would people think? Will we be in deep trouble?”
I’m not quite sure what to think. I’ve decided to, one day, consult the proper authorities on this matter. Then again, there has been many short films and feature films that have our soldiers going around in, sometimes, very awkward and ridiculous situations (e.g. Supernatural).
As we were trying to work on the probability of our idea getting jacked, I realized one thing about our scenes: many of it are taken from real situations that we’ve experienced in our tour of duty. Only that they’re highly exaggerated to the point of ridiculous.
In a way, I feel that there’s a social comment that’s forming throughout the film. And that’s invaluable to ANY film, I feel.
This is a rather big step ahead in progress for TITO. We now have a clearer idea of what the film’s main message is, and we have a point-of-view of the matter. However, it’s a delicate balance for me because I’ve been involved (and headed some) projects that became either too preachy on the high horse or turned into mindless Youtube-ish fun.
It takes skill I’m yet to be familiar with, but I’m still writing anyway.
Slowly, the film is becoming alive.
