Susan Jennifer Polese

My project is a short film, Under the One-Time Sky, based on my one-act play of the same name. It was received well as a play, but the story kept coming back to me visually. Inspired by fellow artists in my creative community, I challenged myself to turn the story into a film and further explore its themes. I love cinema and with a lot of support I decided to approach filmmaking. The story deals with the effects of childhood trauma, specifically the effects of witnessing abuse and the ways in which this manifests later in life. My drive to create this piece was fueled by character: an exploration of how these two characters react to this past event in the present. My creative drive with the play and the film is to bring to life what is real for many people dealing with trauma. Pain, anguish, guilt and the ways in which we deal with and avoid it. I am a mental health crisis counselor working with sexual assault and domestic violence survivors, so the subject is dear to me. I am also sexual assault survivor. Giving these characters a voice is important to me as well as a privilege.

I set out to create a film that takes place in real time: no flashbacks, no inserts and very little exposition. My goal was to give the audience the ability to flesh out the story through context and discover what it means to them. The story is linear, but the inner journeys of the two characters are not. My goal was to give their inner lives a dynamic visual component and use the natural world as a starting point. The entire film – save for one brief scene – is filmed outside near a garden surrounded by hedges. It’s a sunny day with birds chirping as they face a painful and layered reality. I enjoy the juxtaposition of beauty with an undercurrent of complication.

As the writer, director and co-producer of the film it was essential that communication be open and continuous. I selected my crew carefully and they turned out to be available, insightful and responsive. I met early and often with the cinematographer, Luisa Madrid, to discuss the themes of the film and how it will be approached. She and I shared mood boards and shots from existing films for inspiration. We had many pre-production meetings with the creative team. Our producing team met often and collaborated constantly. We all visited the location prior to shooting. The most important aspect was that we all knew the movie we were making; what it was about. We had to all be making the same film and we were.

Filming outside in July in upwards of 95-degree heat was a challenge for us all. We had excellent organization and efficiency of shots so shooting went smoothly. We also had a fantastic hair & make up person, Meredith Mehegan, who went above and beyond. Thanks to her in the final cut the heat is not apparent. Also, shooting on an outside location, for us, presented challenges with lighting and finishing the day before the sun was too low. We had a great crew who worked with the changing conditions and managed to get all our shots, something that seemed impossible. Sometimes filmmaking just feels like magic!

I took a lot of time in the writing of the screenplay to build tension naturally. There is a moment in the film where this comes to a head, and I feel we get there honestly. The actors each convey so much between the words. I think we ended up with a great deal of emotional vulnerability and I’m proud of that. The film has a cast of two and it’s important that a bond is created and chemistry is cultivated. They got there!

Yes, and yes!  I am used to presenting plays with repeated live performances, each one unique. Of course, in the end a film you have a completed is a finite piece of art. We had limited time so revisiting the location after wrapping was not an option plus we were working with a low budget. So, there are a myriad of decisions a filmmaker makes every moment of the process that affects the final cut. In retrospect I would have more thoroughly storyboarded the film and taken more time for rehearsal on location. That being said I made the best decisions I could in the moment and I’m proud of the outcome. I am a big fan of learning by doing and it is very true with filmmaking.

Under the One-Time Sky is my first film and I’m very proud of it. I have stories written that I intend to turn into films and my experience with Under the One-Time Sky is definitely informing how I move forward.

Trust your intuition. Go forward with your vision and be true to what you want to bring to the screen. Yes, enjoy collaboration, but be clear with what you want to achieve even when (especially when) that evolves. And although filmmaking is stressful, give yourself time to relish the process. There is nothing like it!

With a background in theater, I rehearsed the actors, Danica Lee Clauser and Ted Gibson, off set in a rehearsal space. In this environment they were free to run scenes and take some chances. We had many discussions about the characters, their motivations, and their backstories. I gave them a lot of room and did not interfere with their acting process. I think, in the end, there was a lot of respect and safety created. The subject matter of the story is sensitive, and the actors expected and were given support both on and off the set by me and the crew.

From the outset I had a distinct approach in mind for both the music and sound design. We were lucky to have a wonderful composer, James Sizemore, who wrote an original score for the film that created a rich atmosphere throughout the narrative. He sent us the score and then me and our producers joined him in his studio in a session during which he was very open to feedback. The experience was amazing, and the music became an integral part of the film. We took a similar approach to sound design which was created by Tom Ryan. He created a lush sound design that became part of the story. Honestly, I see the sound design as another character, enriching every moment. We were able to sit with Tom in the studio and go through the film together. Both in music and sound design we looked for a feeling of tension under the surface of what appears normal. This gives the film another audio dimension.

I like film and theater because they are collaborative, so I welcome and need feedback. I was lucky to have an experienced and talented cinematographer who was clear with her opinions. Her and I pieced together shots that worked and discarded those that didn’t. We had some spirited debate, and, in the end, I came out with increased knowledge about filmmaking. I learned so much about the importance of color palette and production design. Every moment, from pre-to-post-production, was honestly a learning experience complete with interaction, disagreements and growth. It was the best! I can’t wait to do it again!