“In the last year at SFSDF, I've become well versed in the art of the visual metaphor, and when I hear "school," I think back to big yellow buses taking children to class in the morning. It's a bit ironic that as I leave school, my final project focuses on a bus.
You might call it my last big joke; my tweedy version of spray painting our graduating year on the water tower; my "Seniors ROCK!" exclamation, but it is my hope that "Divergent Roads" will not only begin to define my filmmaking style, but also help propel the success of my peers and the school. It's a lofty dream, it is also an attainable one.
"Divergent Roads" started with a desire to show the bus the way I'd come to see it. I wanted to portray its intimacy. I wanted to capture the very urban experience of having "a bus story" because everyone in this city has one -- an odd, different, or crazy experience that won't soon be forgotten.
I spent three months pre-production writing the story, arranging for the bus, assembling the largest cast I'd worked with and planning all the elements for the only multi-day shoot I've directed. It was an incredible learning process, and while it turned out better than I'd hoped, it did hammer home one very important lesson.
I enjoy the quote that tells us, "you start out wanting to make the greatest movie ever made, and you end up just wanting to live through it." I can't remember who said it, but it's humor stayed with me. I now understand it's truth. I would have never gotten it had I not took on a self-funded project of this scope. I've always loved my projects, but I've never felt that one might bankrupt, harm, or destroy me if I didn't give it my all. This project did. The quote means that movies are entities -- almost living, breathing beings – and just as no child succeeds without love and encouragement, and each movie you make requires your full attention and priority.
With production behind me, and post-production wrapping up, I'm beginning to form a plan for action. This film will be my first foray into the festival world where I will try to beg, borrow, or steal enough resources to springboard my next project. I think it has a good chance at winning some awards, but I'm also well aware that no father can see if his child is ugly.
Should the project ultimately only be a learning experience for me, I would like to share the things I learned with those who might benefit from it. Therefore, I'll be writing a series of articles which I will post on the movie's website ( www.divergentroads.com
Tyler Willis
1-Yr Digital Filmmaking Program
Fall 2006 – Fall 2007
