ARTS3061 Workshop Exercise: Short Film - The Toilet

For our final in-class production exercise, we filmed a short comedic piece titled The Toilet, which follows the increasingly desperate journey of a character trying to find a restroom in a confusing office building. It’s a light, humorous script that plays on repetition and escalating frustration.

I took on the producer role for this shoot. Since everything was filmed within the school building, my responsibilities were lighter than usual, but I was still involved in the brainstorming process and helped decide which locations around campus could double as different “floors” and office areas. We mapped out a route that made the character’s journey feel believable and helped keep the visuals varied.

One of our strengths was that everyone was clear on their roles, which helped us stay organized despite the time crunch. It was also great to see how we supported each other when things got a little chaotic with the camera setup. Wwhen one of the camera operators struggled to get a steady shot on the stairs, someone quickly stepped in to spot the operator, making sure it was safe and secure during the moving shot.

Areas of Improvement

Looking back, there are definitely a few areas we could improve on. We spent a bit too much time on brainstorming, which meant we had less time to focus on filming. As a result, the shoot felt a little rushed towards the end, and we had to make quick decisions that may have affected the overall quality.

The camera work is one area that could have been stronger. Some shots lacked proper framing, which affected the visual clarity and disrupted the flow between scenes. On top of that, using two cameras added an extra layer of complexity. While it allowed us to capture multiple angles at once, it also made it trickier to maintain consistency and match shots in post-production.

Another area worth noting is sound design. Since The Toilet is a comedic piece, adding sound effects or background music in post could have really elevated the humour. Little touches like exaggerated footsteps, dramatic transitions, or a quirky soundtrack would have enhanced the pacing and make the comedic beats land more effectively. It’s something we overlooked during editing, but would definitely consider if we had more time.

Overall though, The Toilet was a fun and valuable experience, particularly in learning how to manage a two-camera shoot and working under time constraints.