The Full Story
How Lemonseed Was Made
Created as Zaina Tripp's thesis project, Lemonseed was an experience she will never forget. From the early mornings running errands to the late nights spent making final tweaks before the final export, learn a little about the process of making this short film, from start to finish...
Writing
The script was written over two semesters by Zaina Tripp in preparation for her Thesis production courses at NYFA LA. Many a night was spent in the dark, dreaming of the world of Lemonseed, finding the right words to tell the right story. A handful of drafts later, the script was locked and pre-production was given the green light.
Pre-Production
During the hectic time that was thesis season, Zaina worked closely with her team to set plans in motion. With the Director of Photography, Rocket Scott, the visual style and shots of the film were decided upon, and the art department could at last get to work on building props and set pieces that would come to appear on screen. Many trips to Michaels craft store were made, and many glue gun sticks were used.
Rehearsals
Each of the four actors had individual rehearsals with the director to establish unique speech patterns and rhythm to the theatrical script in place. They developed a color-coded system to break down the meaning and tone of each chunk of dialogue, and after many sessions, the actors were left with their materials to bring their own life into the characters.
The Week Before Filming
It's spring of 2023, and L.A.’s weather is going through something dramatic. It seemed this was the spring of endless rain, so all remaining errand runs and fittings and more were done in splashing fashion. We were all trying our best not to get sick and look after each other, but with the crew having a 3-day overnight shoot in the rain just before Lemonseed started shooting, it was definitely hard. Nevertheless, we survived, and we were ready to go.
Shooting The Film
The project was shot at EVS Studios in Glendale (a fantastic place!) which allowed us lots of space for everything we needed to bring-- equipment, people, snacks, and more. Then, 1st AD Cassie Fetto started the clock and we were off!
We had two 12-hour days to get everything done, but our well-oiled machine of a crew worked like a dream, while the actors were excited and ready to be living out this new world. When all was said and done, we celebrated wrapping with slices of delicious lemon cake, but there was still half the movie to make…
Animating The Film
Now with her references in tow, Zaina immediately jumped into animating the frame-story sequence that is featured in the film. She worked on a schedule of animating in Photoshop anywhere between 2 and 6 hours per day, and after a little over a month and a half, Lemonseed officially entered post-production.
Editing
Because of the director's techniques in storyboarding and shot selection, editing the full sequence was pretty straightforward. Picture was edited with Davinci Resolve just as the animation was starting, while sound was worked on in ProTools and Ableton Live once picture was locked. Many late-night sessions and eyedrops later, and the full cut of Lemonseed was complete at last.
The Future...
With a successful screening, Zaina and most of her crew graduated from their BFA program, leaping into new projects, which you can keep up with on Zaina's Instagram (@zainatripp)!
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Watch the seed bloom.
