09:46ZY Cheng · Review
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October 30thThe argument in one line.
Finishing a film in 24 hours is possible if you cut scope early, shoot out of order, and capture extra coverage so the edit can rescue weak takes.
Read if. Skip if.
READ IF YOU ARE…
- A beginner filmmaker who has never finished a short and wants to see what a full write, shoot and edit cycle looks like under a hard deadline.
- A video creator who keeps over-planning and needs proof that a tight deadline forces a finished piece.
- Someone planning a small dialogue and action scene who wants a plain explanation of coverage and shooting out of order.
SKIP IF…
- You want a gear review or a technical camera and lighting breakdown; the video barely covers equipment.
- You already shoot narrative work professionally and know coverage, continuity and scheduling cold.
The full version, fast.
Baker challenges himself to write, shoot and edit a short film in 24 hours, with a corkscrew prop chosen by an Instagram vote. He writes a dark comedy about two coworkers and a promotion, then adds a movie-within-a-movie twist. Shooting out of order saves crew scheduling, and shooting coverage lets him patch flubbed dialogue in the edit. When rehearsal time runs out, he trims the fight scene and shoots the final action as one take. Finishing at 9am, he proves that scope control and a shot list matter more than perfection.
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- A hard 24-hour deadline turns filmmaking into a series of scope decisions, not a search for the perfect idea.
- Letting an audience vote on a required prop adds a creative constraint that makes the story easier to start.
- Each stage of a film tends to take longer than the one before, so writing is fastest and editing is slowest.
- Shooting out of order is common in the industry because it lets you schedule extra crew or actors once instead of at 3am.
- The cost of shooting out of order is continuity, so every later scene has to match what was already filmed.
- Coverage means filming a scene from several angles so you always have something to cut to in the edit.
- With coverage you can merge the good half of one take with another and hide the join with a reaction shot.
- Coverage costs time, which is why it only makes sense when actors are unprepared or the dialogue is heavy.
- Rehearsing stunts all day while barely rehearsing lines was a scheduling mistake that cost hours later.
- When time runs out, cut scenes before you cut sleep; the script should shrink to fit the clock.
- A single continuous take can replace coverage on action beats, but it raises the risk that one mistake ruins the shot.
- Fake wine such as cranberry juice is standard on set because real alcohol is a problem and actors may be underage.
- A shot list lets everyone on set see what is needed and which props each shot requires before the camera rolls.
- A twist that reframes the film as a movie within a movie can turn an on-set accident into part of the story.
Deadlines force scope decisions that finish films
WHAT TO LEARN
A fixed deadline works because it forces you to shrink scope, schedule around people, and build safety nets, instead of waiting for perfect conditions.
- Treat writing, shooting and editing as three stages that each take longer than the last, and budget your time accordingly.
- Add a random constraint, like a required prop, to get past a blank page and force creative decisions early.
- Shoot scenes out of order when people or locations are hard to get later, and accept that continuity will need tracking.
- Capture extra angles when performers are underprepared so the edit can stitch good moments together and hide the joins.
- Cut the script when time runs short instead of cutting sleep or quality; a smaller finished film beats a bigger unfinished one.
- Use a single continuous take on action beats when time is tight, but only where a mistake is cheap to redo.
Terms worth knowing.
- Coverage
- Filming the same scene from multiple angles and takes so the editor has options. It acts as a safety net when a line is flubbed or a shot does not work.
- Shooting out of order
- Filming scenes in a different order than they appear in the finished film, usually to fit the schedule of people, locations or props. It makes continuity harder to maintain.
- Continuity
- Keeping details like props, costumes and actions consistent from shot to shot so the scenes cut together without visible mismatches.
- Shot list
- A list of every shot needed for a shoot, often with references and props for each. It keeps production moving fast.
- One-er
- A scene filmed in a single uninterrupted take with no cuts, which saves time but allows no safety net.
- Pre-production
- The planning stage of a film, mainly writing the script and preparing the shoot, before any footage is captured.
- Post-production
- The editing stage that assembles footage, syncs sound, color grades and adds sound effects after filming ends.
Word for word.
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Movies take forever to make. It's crazy to me that many movies are in development for several years costing hundreds of millions of dollars along the way. But I think filmmaking can be different.
Gear is more affordable than ever and the internet has revealed all the tricks of movie magic. So I believe anyone can make a movie. All it takes is practice.
And that's why, in about 30 minutes from now, when the clock strikes 9am, I'll have plenty more hours to write, shoot, and edit an entire short film. And I won't sleep until I do. I'm going to be doing more of these, practicing as I work my way up to making my very first feature -length film.
But first, I still need to get started on this first one. Starting right now. To make this more interesting, I had people vote on Instagram for what prop needs to be in the film.
Oh my gosh. which I'm seeing for the first time. It's all, it's super close.
Corkscrew is what ended up winning, which is very interesting. So corkscrew must be in the film and play an important role. Well, my first idea goes in to violence.
The corkscrew is established early on and then it's used as a weapon later. So there's that. potential approach.
And lastly, the film needs to be at least two and a half minutes long. So one concern I have, but if it's too long, is that it's five pages long. It's just going to take a lot longer to film.
Most filmmaking can be broken up into three steps. Pre -production, which is mainly writing. That's what I'm doing now.
Production, which is when we actually film it all. This is when things tend to go wrong.
Post -production, which is editing it all together. And of course, the hardest part is staying awake for all 24 hours of it. But there's a solution that some people insist on.
I'm already tired. And we've just started. There's some coffee right there.
Ethan really wants me to drink coffee. I don't like coffee. But I don't like coffee.
And as I kept writing the script, I realized something. We're going to need another actor. Oh yeah, you know, I might actually have a solution for that.
But first, let me tell you what this film is about.
The premise is that two office co -workers, Eli and Glenn, get together for dinner to celebrate Glenn's promotion. Or, as Glenn likes to call himself, the Glennmeister. Anyways, at the end of the conversation, Eli reveals that he was supposed to get the promotion.
And things take a violent turn. With a bottle hit, wine in the eye smashed by a refrigerator door, a cast iron pan thrown across the room, getting sprayed in the sink, and what it's all building to, a stab from a corkscrew. So, to pull this all off, we're gonna need a few things from the store.
Obviously, a corkscrew, but also a bottle of wine, and then some fake wine. Why fake wine? Why fake wine?
Because our actors are not 21. So in movies, they never really use alcohol, because everyone would get drunk. So instead, they use things like cranberry juice.
Oh, and I almost forgot. We have a twist ending. What if they were filming a scene, so to speak?
Oh! And somebody gets actually stabbed with a corkscrew, and cut is called. It turns out that our two characters are actors, and this whole thing is a movie within a movie.
I like that a lot, actually. It's like an accident on set. Yeah, that's the way to do it.
Yeah! So, with our script finished, it was time to bring on the actors. This is Lucky.
I have him playing Eli, who's the guy who didn't get the promotion. And this is Hayden, Ethan's brother. He's playing Glenn.
This film sort of breaks down into two main parts. The dialogue scene and the fight scene. Which means the actors have to memorize lines, but more importantly, they need to memorize choreography.
I'm going to wind up and move into this. A lot of choreography. Okay.
Whoa, you good? You good? We were choreographing for a while, but pretty soon it started getting dark.
So it was time to start phase two. Production. It was 6 .50 p .m.
when we began getting our first shot. Which left 14 hours to shoot and edit the rest of the film.
We were definitely a little behind schedule. Okay, cutting. Perfect.
That's shot number one done. In my experience, each step of the process takes longer than the one that came before, so writing takes the least amount of time, and then editing takes the most. I needed a plan to make up some time, which is where the sponsor of this video, Milanote, comes in.
Milanote is an organizational tool for your creative projects. I always think of it like a digital cork board. For this project though, I'm using it to plan out the story, put together a mood board, and right now, make a shot list.
Which is exactly what it sounds like. A list of all the shots you need to get. This is super helpful for getting through a production fast, and Milanote is kind of the perfect tool for doing things fast.
One of my favorite things about Milanote is that you don't have to start from scratch. They offer templates for any creative, like photographers, graphic designers, and of course, filmmakers. They even have a shot list template right here.
Then it's super easy to add images or videos for reference. You can just use Milanote's web clipper tool, so no need to copy and paste links or take screenshots. Then I can connect those together with arrows and notes to keep track of thoughts and ideas on how to shoot it.
I can also make a list of all the props we're going to need for every shot. That way we can have everything ready and set up right away.
And there, shot list done. And while I'm working on this plan, I can easily share it with everyone on set using the collaboration feature, whether just to view or to edit. That way, everyone knows the plan.
I can also access the shot list and make changes on my phone using the Milanote app, making it super easy to stay on track while in the middle of the shoot. There's a reason why I've been using Milanote for years, long before they even sponsored me. And the best part is that you can sign up for Milanote for free with no time limit.
Just click the link in the description. Okay, with our plan in place, it's time to set up lighting.
Like I said before, the two main things we have to shoot are a dialogue scene and then a fight scene. But then right at the very end of the film, we have our movie within a movie scene. And we're actually going to need to shoot that scene next, because...
It's nine. Basically, for that scene, I need a few extra people to be the filmmaking crew. If we shot that scene last, then I need to get people out here in the middle of the night.
So we're doing it now, which is called shooting out of order. It's pretty common in the industry. And as a reminder, this is when Glenn gets stabbed in the hand and we reveal that it was a film production all along.
There's one last shot we need before we begin filming the dialogue scene, and that's a shot of the wine bottle being opened. But since we only have the one bottle, we only have one take to get this right.
We all decided to take a break and watch it back So now we have our last two big scenes starting with the dialogue scene It's already 1030 so we got to get through this scene fast so that we can get to the harder scene the fight scene Or so I thought.
Remember how we spent most of the day rehearsing stunts instead of lines? That was a mistake, because I accidentally wrote a lot of lines and Hayden and Lucky almost had no time to rehearse them.
So now, with only ten and a half hours left to finish this film, I need to somehow get through two full pages of dialogue with unprepared actors.
There is a solution to this problem, though. We need to shoot as much coverage as we can. Coverage.
That's an important word. Let me explain that. In filmmaking, there are two basic approaches to filming a scene.
You can film it so that each angle covers only what you expect to be looking for in the edit. A good example would be a long take with no cuts. Or you can shoot that scene over and over again from multiple angles.
That way, you always have something to cut to in the edit. Sort of like a safety net. This is referred to as coverage, and it's how most scenes, especially dialogue scenes, are shot.
And it's probably my best bet for filming this scene. Here, let me show you an example. Lucky got this part of his line right.
She was with our manager and she saw something on the screen about the promotion that you got. But then totally flubbed this part. Just before that, we're gonna have to cut.
Yep. But because I shot this angle of Lucky multiple times, I can take the good part of this take, merge it with another take. She said, uh...
You met with him. And hide that cut by cutting to Hayden's reaction shot between them, giving us this. About the promotion.
She said, uh, you met with him. Only downside is coverage takes time. But we were about done with the dialogue scene when this happened.
I am so sorry. At least it wasn't the wine bottle. All right, so I have a lot of plates.
This wasn't a big deal. And since we only have the one bottle, I'm just glad the bottle didn't break. But the reason this moment has any significance is the fact that I barely reacted to it.
I was getting really tired. All right, we did the easy part. Now it's time for the hard part at 1 a .m.
Only eight hours left. Based on timelines and everything and just understanding how long it takes for action, we pictured at least three hours. And I still need time to edit.
My thinking is, at this stage, it's probably best to change things a little bit, mostly just cutting things out. Remember that we still have a ton of action to shoot, so the only solution I had was to cut it down. That's where we're at.
I'll reconvene in ten minutes. At this stage... I'm thinking the most complicated...
So, one of the hardest parts is that, like, we did all of our continuity based on the script as it was. This is the problem with shooting out of order.
So both wine splashes are going to happen still. Because we've kind of set that up. And then the drowning, because...
Continuity a lot of this is gonna be like handheld and close -ups So it should be fairly fast to catch a lot of these shots and then after that we're done. Yeah, awesome So our goal is three The first bit of action we needed to shoot was Hayden getting splashed in the eyes with wine So rather than throw fruit juice in his eyes dang, we turned water into wine it was a little early and after every take we had to clean it all up and go again sorry i totally dug that one down again and again and again and again okay go it took up a lot of time that one was pretty good it's 3 15 and we just we had So we're kind of thinking of just doing this last shot as one shot.
Getting a one -er instead of coverage would save us time.
But so much could go wrong.
We were pretty tired at this point. But we were also having a lot of fun.
It wasn't going to be a perfect film, but I was determined to get it done on time.
Cutting, cutting, cutting. I think we got it. It was before four, right?
Yes. We got the whole thing before four, which gives me... Five hours.
Five hours? Oh, gosh. Five hours is not a lot of time.
I need to import footage, sync sound, cut it together, color grade, and add sound effects. Ethan felt like I needed a little bit of a boost. Hello.
Hello. Is this for me? Yeah, yeah, no, this is, this is, yes.
All right, so, so, like, hear me out, hear me out. You just, you try it, you don't like it, then you don't have to continue. Well, yeah, I'm not going to.
This is terrible. I really thought that this was going to be the hard part of the project. But I was surprised by how much everything just clicked into place.
The sun was coming back up, and I was feeling energized.
And right at 9am, I finished the film.
It is. I'm very happy with this, actually. And here's what we made.
Hey! How's Glenn? How you doing, man?
I'm good. How are you? Perfect.
I hope the weather wasn't too cold out there. No, no, no. I'll take your coat.
Okay, thank you. Don't worry about it. Hey, just go on ahead, alright?
I'll just... So I'm talking with this guy again. Again, right?
And you know, He's yapping and yapping on the phone with me and I cannot do it anymore. And so I interrupt him and I go, you know what?
Go ahead. Make my offer to your manager and just see what happens. You didn't.
Oh, I so did. I was, I'm so done with this guy. Like I cannot deal with him for a second longer.
You know, he hangs up and he's gone for like maybe 10 minutes and he calls me back. And so, you know, I pick up because here we go again. And he's immediately, he's yelling at me through the phone.
You're off or got me fired. I bet you all this is still happening. And you know, I'm sitting there thinking like, yeah, of course I did.
Like, I'm so done with you. I don't want anything to do with you. Of course, I don't say that.
And I'm on the phone and I'm going with this guy. No, no, no, no. It's just fine.
I'm so sorry. I would never mean to do that to you. Did he buy it?
I don't know. He hung up on me. But I don't think it matters, you know, because I showed him.
that you don't mess with the glenn meister and that that's the important thing oh i guess that's how you got your promotion that i will drink too come on you know i i cannot believe that you and i haven't done this before this is You are so much more fun outside of y 'all. Yeah, we really should do this again sometime.
Speaking of that promotion, I was just talking to Cecilia the other day about it. Oh, really? Yeah?
Why don't you tell me, did she get something outspired too?
No, no. She was with our manager and she saw something on the screen about the promotion that you got. Okay.
What's going on? What did you get for me? It was supposed to go to somebody else.
Just before that, she said, uh, you met with him. And lo and behold, you got it. And then my meeting was canceled just ten minutes after yours was.
So, Glenn, what did you tell the boss to get my promotion?
Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. Come here! Oh my God.
Oh my God. Wait. Jesus Christ, you actually stabbed me.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Is it okay?
Are you good? Jesus Christ, you stabbed me. It's not even that bad.
It didn't go through. It didn't go through. Hey, control him.
What's going on? Guys, come on. Jesus Christ, stop filming, please.
Oh, my God. Where'd they find this guy? Well, there it is.
First 24 -hour film of many. Yeah. A whole series.
So, we're going to do it again next week. Conclusion, thoughts? I'm tired.
The Hook
The bait, then the rug-pull.
Movies take years and hundreds of millions of dollars. William H Baker says anyone can make one, so he gives himself 24 hours, no sleep, and a corkscrew chosen by Instagram voters.
