Crew of A Bird’s Nest get personal about film life on set….

It’s been well over a month since some of the Moth To Flame crew went out to Shreveport, La to attend the Louisiana Film Prize, and it seems about the right time we told you about our experiences working on and supporting A Bird’s Nest.

Crew Member – Nick Longoria talks about Composing

I was very lucky to be chosen to score A Bird’s Nest. My music tends to be dark, so after reading the script, I was ecstatic to begin crafting the dark undertones for David’s very dark tale. The foundation of the score is built upon a purgatorial felt piano to mimic the wandering-soul of David. I kept it super simple. From there, violins and violas slither in and out as the celli and basses build to the climax of the story. Aside from the horror moments of the film, I see its core as a tragedy, the story of a broken soul. So that’s what I captured in the music.

After seeing the finished film, I knew we had a good chance of getting into the Louisiana Film Festival top 20. The entire festival weekend was a blast. I met a lot of great filmmakers and saw some amazing films. I must say, the best part of this entire experience has to be hearing my score in a packed theater setting for the first time. YA!

-Nick Longoria

Here’s a track that Nick did for A Bird’s Nest. Check out more at his soundcloud page https://soundcloud.com/nicklongoria

Working on A Bird’s Nest was quite a blur. I ran sound for the most part and also did set photography when I had some downtime. All days started with a quick breakfast, and then we’d get to work filming. The biggest hurdle for me on the first day was the traffic in the neighborhood we filmed in. Based on sound alone you would have thought we were filming next to a busy highway. There was also the trains that stopped filming for a minute or two. One day while we were filming a scene in the backyard, and the next door neighbor was having some woodwork being done in their back yard which we were able to ask them nicely to delay it for a little bit. The inside shots went fine sound wise. Recording went pretty well out at the second location, where it was mostly about the environmental sounds. A good amount of rain falling was recorded during this time. During filming I’d try and keep my camera close, but usually didn’t have enough time between shots to actually take any photos. Most of the pictures that I did take were snapped off when I didn’t have to run the sound.

Going to the LA Film Prize I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. It was the first time I’d really gone to a film festival at all. The way it worked I thought was rather well thought out with having multiple theaters and splitting the films into two blocks. I think the only way I would have enjoyed it more is if I hadn’t worked on a film that was competing. Even with my somewhat skewed view I did manage to enjoy some of the films, and did enjoy the time I spent running around with everyone that came out to support A Bird’s Nest.

-Jason Cates

At the very end of March, I had the privilege of going to Louisiana to work with Moth to Flame productions on a short film called A Birds Nest. I was really excited at the chance to work on it since,

1. 1. I would get to work with all the crew members from the past that I enjoyed working with.
   2.  Makeup wise I would get to do several things that I really enjoy doing. Injuries and blood are always more exciting than a smoky eye.
   3.  I loved the script and all the potential it had.
   4. I Had never had the chance to spend any time in Louisiana.

It was three days of non-stop work, with a crew of five people, and a large chunk of it was filmed in wooded areas that had to be reached by a 4-wheeler. It was literally wake up, start working, stop for food, keep working then straight to sleep and repeat. We all pulled together doing anything and everything to make this film happen. It was exhausting. We were literally living and breathing the film. However, as we watched sections of the footage it was clear that it would all be worth it.

Jump forward several months!

Our film had come together and been accepted into the Louisiana Film Prize! Having only moved into the world of film a year ago, this was my first time going to a film festival yet alone having something I had worked on be a part of it. The festival itself was done so nicely, and all the staff were friendly and so accommodating. I’ve been warned that there is no other film festival as friendly and that I am now essentially spoiled to all other festivals.

Once we got to Shreveport we walked around taking it all in, meeting the creators of the various films, and getting a feel for it. Very quickly we started having people tell us that they had already seen our film and giving us feedback. The more we talked to people the more my anticipation and anxiety built. Were people being nice just because? Would people get what we had done? Was there some huge continuity problem with makeup that I had messed up on? When we finally went and saw our screening, I kept finding myself looking around the theater trying to see people’s reactions to it (while also trying to watch it myself). It was such a surreal experience seeing it all come together on the big screen, and getting to sit and share it in a dark room filled with strangers. The following day all my fears were put to rest when we heard our name announced as one of the top 5 of the festival. (Of course our name was called last and my heart was on the verge of breaking). We had so many people supporting us and rooting us on, and it was so great to have it all not be in vain. I am so happy for the fact that the film will now have a continued life by going to other venues and being able to be seen on various platforms.

Thank you to Moth to Flame for bringing me along for the ride and doing such an amazing job, my parents for their support (and the use of their minivan on our road trips to Louisiana), my husband Casey for pushing me forward and encouraging me to follow my passion, and everyone who was a part of this project.

-Roxanne McDanel