bumper to bumper

Working on this short film has taught me to be prepared for the unexpected. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the misery I was about to experience on the day of our park shoot. I went out to shoot a scene in a park on a gorgeous day with the sun shining brightly. I had assumed that we would have plenty of time to travel to the destination, but I had not anticipated how awful the traffic may be on this particular day. My heart sank as I realized that we would be significantly delayed as we sat in bumper-to-bumper gridlock. We had an hour and a half to set up, get the actors ready, and shoot the sequence, plus 30 minutes for traffic. We finally made it to the destination after what seemed like a lifetime. Despite the setback, we were still able to resume our plans and complete the shoot on schedule. In fact, the delay gave us the chance to reevaluate some of our images and develop fresh, original concepts that improved the final product. on this day, we shot the end. This is where Jim realizes things are getting better and he'll be okay. Originally, I wanted to have him walk out of his apartment when I remembered I don't have access to an apartment of that sort. Instead, I decided to add a small detail. Often, when people are in recovery, they pick up productive habits or hobbies. I made it so that Jim is a runner, which he picked up as a healthy habit to keep him from gambling. We decided to use a local park and show him starting a run as a way to end. This symbolizes a new beginning. Jim runs away from his negative past and history, drinking. How he ends up is not explicitly stated, but I like that. It allows the viewer to think about what could have come of Jim.