Nothing ever works out exactly as planned, especially not in indie film-making. Low budgets lead to cuts in production design, scheduling, and creative ingenuity, which lead to last minute changes and compromises. The Sentinel was no different from any other film in that aspect, but throughout the process the team was reminded of why they want to be filmmakers.

 

The Sentinel started out as one of three film concepts that director Jay Parikh pitched to a group of writers. Screenwriter Krystyn Decker picked up the concept for the Sentinel. Her initial inputs convinced Jay to shift the concept's focus from the true story of a gang rape to a fictionalized story of a father's revenge. She wanted to explore the story through the father figure to emphasize the idea of having someone in your life who would do anything for you. Through their collaboration, they shaped the idea into a short film.

 

With the first draft completed, Jay and Krystyn planned to make The Sentinel with a $0 budget. They would ask the help of people they knew who were passionate and willing to work hard for some IMDB credit and homemade Indian food.

 

Krystyn brought together Ruth Serrano, Paula Palumbo, and later Alexey Kosorukov -- the wardrobe and makeup designer, assistant camera, and gaffer, respectively -- and volunteered her services as production designer. That was one of the main reasons why The Sentinel was so successful: everyone involved took on multiple roles and worked with as much dedication and effort as if they had multiple years of experience. When Ruth wasn’t working on costumes and makeup, she helped with sound and juggled multiple roles, and Paula kept the energy high and emotions light in addition to being the perfect AC and DP could have. Alexey even volunteered as gaffer although he is a cinematographer. For many people, however, it was the first time they were working as assistant director, as sound recorder, as sound editor.

 

Jay created a collaborative learning environment for the team members, and his expectations kept everyone involved trying everything they could to finish by deadline.

 

Of course there were many limitations, such as losing a location right before shooting and having to sneak filming in a national park without a permit before running out of natural light. This was in addition to an already tight three day schedule. Despite planning and scheduling every shot, there were repeated last minute decisions to make cuts. The film was originally intended to have many inserts and more camera set ups, more action and drama buildup. The changes made however, resulted in a film that moves faster and does not linger too long on any scene.

 

Jay brought Sumit Arora and Etienne Kinsey on board once the first draft of the script was completed. Sumit’s wisdom and maturity helped Jay go forward in the right direction with the indiegogo campaign. Etienne was the youngest member of the team but very committed to the work as executive producer and he was there for Jay from beginning to end, always willing to do more. Together the three created weekly videos to update potential donors on the preproduction process. This helped hold everyone accountable and ensured that the film would be made by the deadline, but it also made the process more real and exciting.

 

Jay did not expect to raise any money because he could not prove that he deserved it or that he would accomplish what he set out to do. The goal was to create a film for everyone's portfolios, to give opportunities to people who did not have them otherwise, and to collaborate on a project that was important. But they did raise almost three thousand dollars courtesy of 69 donors from all around the world. Jay felt connected to the donors, as if they were part of the team because of their continued interest and support.

 

The Sentinel was for much of the crew the first non-student film that they worked on. Despite this, there was a great sense of respect and professionalism on and off set, which allowed for open communication between cast and crew and for everyone to have a voice in the final product.

 

Andrew Abballe, the director of photography, was hired because of one spectacular shot on his reel. Jay believes it was one of the best decisions he made because Andrew knew exactly how to make his vision a reality, and Andrew even offered to do color grading and make the film's poster.

 

The last person hired during preproduction was the assistant director, Christina Krioutchkova. Since getting on board she anticipated and resolved issues and helped move the production forward.

 

Together with Andrew and Christina, Jay created the storyboard in five meetings. The storyboard was essential to keeping the team focused on set in the midst of quick decisions. In the weeks leading up to the shoot, they were continuously putting in the extra hours and effort.

 

The same level of labor was required in post production. As an outside editor with no knowledge of the script, Thomas Rivera Montes made many suggestions and edits that helped shape the final product. He came onto the project by making his own cut version of the film that did not follow the storyboard.

 

Together with Tom Farrell and Jay Parikh, they labored for weeks to ensure the final product was as perfect as it could be.

 

Tom Farrell was initially brought in as a composer but he did more work as a sound engineer to create the final, clean cinematic sound. He put in 20 hours a week on writing the music and sound editing during his free hours after work.

 

In addition to the outstanding and hard working crew, the casting and location scouting went relatively smoothly. Euceph the bar owner and Ping the homeowner were very nice and supportive. Euceph even volunteered to play the role as bar tender, and Ping and her family invited the crew into their home and compromised their usual rate to match the team’s budget. They even shared a meal on the last night of shooting.

 

From the initial screen test the actors knew what they had to do to become the characters and match the feel of the film. Jay immediately saw in them the characters that he and Krystyn envisioned. All of the actors bonded so well that they put in their own creativity to meet the director's expectation for the film.

 

Everyone got out of the experience what they wanted: a project they can add to their portfolios and the experience of overcoming challenges they had not previously.

 

The Sentinel crew members were all drawn to making films because they wanted to create with and for passionate people. They love to collaborate to create entire worlds and they are up for any challenge. Any film project is taken as a learning experience and each film brings with it its own challenges. The Sentinel started out as a zero budget concept and within a few months it became a festival winning film that all of the team members can use towards their reels.

 

No film is perfect, especially in the eyes of the people who worked on it. Anyone can watch a film and suggest improvements and each person examines the film through their contributions and what they could have done differently had they more time and money and after learning more. Rather than focus on how to improve this film, it is more important to reflect on these experiences and to incorporate what was learned in future projects. So stay tuned. The Sentinel was only the beginning.