Today I wanted to share with you what my creative process looks like. Since I am in the middle of creating a photo series based on the book, “Divergent”. I wanted to give you a sneak peek into how I am going to attempt to do this, and maybe you’ll gather some inspiration on how to tackle a huge project like this.

If you didn’t know any better, you’d probably think that I am trying to re-create the movie by the time you finish reading this blog post. I have actually have been learning a few techniques from watching, and listening to director Gary Ross. I have always been interested in taking a look behind-the-scenes of films, and recently I have been re-watching Gary’s process for creating, “The Hunger Games”. Every bit of his story telling process is so detailed, and amazing from what the characters would wear, how they would feel in these certain situations beyond what is described, etc. That’s the kind of story-telling I want this series to convey, and even continue it on to the next series I already have planned to do.

There is so much planning that needs to be done, props that need to be bought, figuring out wardrobe, how I want to display certain scenes from the book, etc.

The next thing I have to do, which should be the first, is figuring out my budget for this series. Am I going to have enough to buy everything I need? Are there certain scenes I can cut out, and everything will still make sense? Can I borrow props from people I know, or do I absolutely need this?

Figuring out a budget is crucial to knowing if you can complete a project or not. (As you can see below it’s nothing fancy, I don’t even have my spreadsheet yet, but this is just the beginning stages of budgeting for future scenes.)

Then comes the fun part, shooting the scenes. There are certain scenes from the book which do require special types of lighting, going on different locations, etc. That again, all needs to be planned out, and budgeted for. Fortunately though, some of the scenes that need to be shot outside, I have access to in my own backyard, or across the road at another family members house.

Then it’s time for the last stages: Culling, and Post-Processing. For those who aren’t familiar with the term culling, it simply means I will keep the photos that work for the look I’m going for, and I will get rid of the rest. This makes it easier to see if I actually need to re-shoot a sequence again (which I hope not), or if I can go ahead, and start with post-processing.

Post-Processing is where all the fun editing happens. There are a lot of scenes in the book that I wouldn’t be able to re-create in reality, for example, the fear landscapes. The members of Dauntless are injected with serums that reveal their fears, and their fears manifest themselves in ways they wouldn’t in reality. In one session Tris has an encounter with being in a box that is filling with water while the members of her faction just sit, and watch.

This is where the magic of Photoshop comes in handy. I simply compile a series of images together, to re-create this scene in a realistic way. It sounds simple, but it takes careful planning to make everything flow together.

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Gather Inspiration While Making The Series

Keeping momentum up while tackling this big of a project can be tricky. I have already had a mild panic attack, and wondering if I can really do this. The answer is yes, of course I can do this, and you can too.  I decided to go ahead, and release the date for the completion of this project. I know myself, and if I don’t have some sort of accountability then I may never do it.

Here are some things I have been doing to stay inspired, and continue working on this series:

*Watching behind the scenes to see how film-makers complete projects in a timely manner.

–This has been the most helpful for me, because you get to see their process unfold, and how they handle the stress of being on a deadline.

*Listening to soundtrack music.

— Since this book series already has a movie out, I decided to gain some inspiration from the music. I wasn’t a huge fan of the movie to be honest with you, but I loved the music from it. I feel like the music was a better representation of certain sequences. My favorite so far, is the transfer from Abnegation to Dauntless.

*Re-reading Portions of the book

–This helps to put me in the mindset of the character, and recreate the scene the way it’s described.

*Doing Other Projects // Simple Projects

— Doing smaller projects that don’t require too much editing actually helps fuel my fire. It keeps me motivated, and feeling like I can actually do this.

*Taking Breaks

— Taking small breaks, periodically, and focusing on something else helps to ease me. If I get stuck on something, I simply take a break, play a game to clam my mind, read my Bible, etc.

These are just a few of the ways I keep myself motivated to continue a major project like this. It’s not easy to tackle something this big, but it is rewarding to see a creative dream come to pass. It only motivates me to create more after that.

What are your creative dreams, and what steps do you take to tackle major projects that are commissioned, or just a fun series? Share with us in the comments below. I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

Stay beautiful my friends!

Love,