On Set! A Peek into Film Production
Article by Aspen Wooley | Photos courtesy Tiago Bettencourt
It’s 1 am, dark, cold, and late. As most BYU students sleep in their cozy beds, a few are instead hard at work in the mountains. Food is running out, and there are hours left to go. Suddenly, a large monster approaches! But the students remain calm, not even blinking an eye.
“CUT!” the director yells.
This is not the story of a monster attack, but a team creating a short film. Honors student Tiago Bettencourt, a senior majoring in Media Arts Studies, is working on his Honors Leadership Development Experience (LDE) and has been here since 5 pm, fulfilling his role as art director. The monster is not real, and the students are not in physical danger, but they are getting tired and running low on hands to help. Everyone is stepping up to fill multiple roles in creating a true art piece.
The production team, cast, and other crew members are working all night long to capture the perfect shots. The monster is being hunted down by the protagonist, a photographer, and the crew is struggling to capture it right. The props don’t seem to be in the right spot, but they keep trying as Tiago leads the team through each take.
Tonight, like many nights before, he is leading the art department to get the set dressed and designed to be ready for filming. He keeps everyone on track, fixing each detail so the next shot runs smoothly. Earlier, he was busy driving around town: renting a trailer, transporting barrels and props to set, and staying in touch with the production team. He is working hard to make sure that the film comes together as art, grateful to those he can rely on to do the same.
As he delegates some prop repositioning to a member of the film crew, he thinks back to how far he has come. At one point this kind of project would have been extremely difficult because of his shyness, but this experience proves to him that he can lead a team. The director, Andrew, is a friend of Tiago, originally giving him the role of second assistant camera. Now Andrew has placed trust in Tiago to lead as art director, an expansive experience his Honors classes have prepared him for. Even he is surprised to find himself letting go of some of the workload, asking others to assist so that the movie can keep moving forward.
He doesn’t lead others alone and works closely with the director and the production designer, Anna. She has some changes in mind, and Tiago is ready and able to adapt, realizing that it’s up to him to figure out how to execute her vision. He calls over to Kaylee, the set dresser, asking for her help moving the props around. As they move the props, Anna sighs in relief as her vision is coming together. Communication and flexibility, he realizes, are such important skills, especially on set tonight.
The cameras start rolling once again, as every member of the team holds their breath, hoping this will be the shot. The problems they’ve run into lately play through Tiago’s mind and he can’t help but wonder if the shot will come together. Fewer people than in a regular film crew, late hours, and cold weekends have been challenging, and he thinks “we have been trying our best to stay afloat.” Weekly meetings and film classes can only take him so far when it comes down to the final shots of the day.
While the scene plays out, Tiago realizes that he has played a crucial role in leading others to this point. The set looks just right, and as the final scene of the night ends, there is a collective cheer from the whole crew. They’ve done it! When Andrew asks him why he’s excited for people to watch this film, he says “I love the art of seeing emotion and a story come together so that audiences feel something while they’re watching and feel something together.” This is more than just a film project; it has shaped a leader and brought a vision to life.