Writer-director Nolan Wilson Goff and Nathan Ingalls share how their indie feature Kids on the Run went from early drafts to pre-production and the shoot.
Filmed predominately with a RED One, and, for one scene, several Canon DSLRs.
After I finished early drafts of the screenplay, Kids on the Run began pre-production over Summer 2011. Kids on the Run is the story of everyman Banks, a disillusioned young person looking for a way out of the town that holds him there. Late one night, he is drawn to the open road, and a destination unknown. He hurtles off into the desert hoping to find some sort of solace.
A fantastic crew of students was assembled to produce this screenplay, under the mentorship of professors Dean Yamada and John Schmidt, and production meetings commenced in August. The entire team would play a crucial role in the production of this short film, therefore a tone of professionalism and solid leadership was established early on. If we were to complete a short film in four months, in time for a December 9th premiere, everyone was going to have to be focused.
The Collaborations
As director and cinematographer, our relationship was crucial to the production as a whole. The foundation of this collaboration was preparation. During the summer months, we exchanged many emails and phone conversations, discussing how we should visually represent Banks’ journey for purpose in the unknown. We both wanted to capture feelings of isolation and yearning, while still evoking the beauty of the desert and portraying the solace found in human connection. We each gathered photographs, paintings, commercials, and film clips that provoked us emotionally and exchanged them. From this, Nathan put together a catalog of reference images that we could use during shot listing and production. After meeting regularly to shot list, we brought in production designer Julia Rothenbuhler as an additional collaborator, making sure that all of the visual elements would be united. Nathan met weekly with the gaffer, Cody Maher, and created bird’s eye lighting diagrams. He also had camera operator Tim Richardson experiment by shooting things that inspired him, and 1st AC Jacob Watts also shot footage at various apertures and focal lengths in order to prepare for the shoot. Although we both have different backgrounds and styles, we were able to unite around this story and use this as our bearing for all decisions regarding the visuals.
The Camera
We shot Kids on the Run predominately with a first generation RED One, and, for one scene, several canon DSLRs. As it was the earliest generation RED, we were more limited with our dynamic range and native ISO. However, this did afford us the option of better integrating the DSLR footage with the RED footage. Almost the entire film was shot at an ISO of 320, the original RED’s native ISO, with the exception of two scenes, which we felt comfortable pushing to 500. For our lenses, we shot the first act of the film with Nikon photography primes, and then transitioned to Zeiss Super Speeds. The T1.3 and sharp image that the Super Speeds afford offered us the ability to shoot in some lower light situations using mostly natural light, such as a bonfire at night in the desert. We also made use of several filters for our daylight photography, including a polarizer and several ND filters. The polarizer enhanced the contrast and colors of both the ground and sky, bringing out the desert’s natural beauty. These filters allowed us to keep the image properly exposed generally between a T8 and T11. This allowed for depth of field great enough for the desert to be clearly visible, while maintaining the focus on the two main actors.
In the first act, it was important to create a sensation of isolation. As there is no dialogue in the opening act, we leaned entirely on the visuals to provoke such a feeling. We used older Nikon lenses to roughen the image and as we transitioned to the desert, we chose the clean and fast Zeiss Super Speeds. Along with the lens change, this transition was accompanied by moving from a 1/60 shutter in the beginning to a standard 1/48 (180-degree) shutter. We also decided to stick exclusively with longer lenses (nothing wider than a 50mm) in the opening scenes. Then we transitioned to generally wider lenses throughout the rest of the film (nothing longer than a 50mm).
The Lighting
From the beginning we decided that natural light would be the backbone of the film visually. As we established a threshold crossing with the camera between the first act and second act, we approached the lighting in a similar fashion. We chose for the opening scenes to be artificially lit and filled with light pollution. Our gaffer used the ARRI 1.2K HMI along with several ARRI 1Ks and a three-point ARRI kit. We established a sharp orange and blue color palette, which would later on be reflected in the earth and the sky of the desert. Outside street lights and an interior television motivated our lighting.
The driving scenes were nearly entirely naturally lit, using the sun as a side light and small LED panels for a subtle fill. By doing this, we were able to keep both the actors and the exterior within a decent exposure. To create a subtle contrast between daylight building interiors and the car, we overexposed the windows so that almost all information was completely gone from them. Julia, the production designer, also hung white sheets over windows in some scenes, and these essentially became large silks through which our gaffer would punch as much light as possible wherever we weren’t getting sunlight. All of this was to create the feeling of isolation. The audience isn’t given the opportunity to see the outside world from the inside of buildings; it’s only once the characters are on the road that we see the world around them.
The final act of the film takes place at a dried up lake bed. Our protagonists come upon a large bonfire. Our major source was the bonfire itself, accompanied by strategically placed car head lights and the ARRI 1.2K HMI for fill. The following morning, they discover the cold remains of the party. This scene was lit entirely with available light and we made a change to handheld photography.
The Bonfire
At the bonfire scene, we watch the two main characters grow distant, and while it is a lively scene, there is a melancholic tone to it. We knew that this was a key scene in the film, and we wanted to film it in a unique way from the rest of the movie. We decided the best way to achieve this would be through multiple cameras and different people’s perspectives. Essentially, we chose to document an actual party using Canon DSLRs. After filming shots of our characters with the RED One, Nathan handed out Canon T2is and Canon 7Ds – some to people who knew how to use them and others to people who had no previous experience. They were challenged to film the things that evoked feeling inside of them. Some focused on people, while others focused on feet. Some captured wides, and others were more concerned with inanimate objects. Afterwards we had a diverse array of footage. And you can feel it. Each operator held the camera a different way and had a slightly different style. None of them knew what the scene should look like as a whole. However, all of the footage meant something to each individual. We took this, and paired it with the coverage of the main actors’ performances, allowing these performances to be the framework.
Post and Premiere
After six difficult and wonderful days in the desert and on the road, we returned home with a film in the can. With only one month before the scheduled premiere, post production began immediately. Editors Katie Agarth and Stephen Diaz, along with Assistant Editor Jamie Krumland, worked diligently at my side, spending many late nights, to complete the film on schedule. The picture lock was handed off to colorist Lee Hultman, who further accentuated the visuals we crafted in pre-production and then captured in the desert. The success of this film is purely a reflection of the talented crew involved and the collaboration that occurred. The film successfully premiered to a raucous group of 400 plus college students on December 9th. We are incredibly grateful for the tools we were equipped with to tell this story, and are thrilled to see where digital cinema takes us in the future.
A native of Denton, Texas, Nolan has always dreamed of being a storyteller. He has discovered that life is a story and everyday people are the characters. A senior at Biola University, Nolan is drawn to character driven stories with distinct locations and has an affinity for naturalism in lighting, tone, and locale. In his free time, he enjoys laying on the beach reading American literature, playing every intramural sport, and staring death in the face. Nolan has completed two feature length screenplays. He is also writing a television pilot set in the world of independent music.
Nathan Ingalls was born and raised in Santa Rosa, California. With a passion for cinematography and emotions, he has a love for images and the impact of earnest moments captured on film. Nathan currently studies film at Biola University, where he has had the opportunity to shoot several short films. He is also a big fan of skiing and uncommissioned art.
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