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One of the various things I do professionally to pay the bills in between writing blogs about writing TV series that aren't in production is manage the social media and internet marketing for a local cultural institution. Yes, I get paid to tweet. Don't be jealous.

We're about to launch an online video contest, so we needed a kick-off video to get the proceedings underway. The original plan was to do a quick-and-dirty Flip cam video, but it morphed into something else, as these things often do, so today I ended up directing a cast of one and crew of two to create this one-minute masterpiece.

The script was written in about twenty minutes. I've never written a script for a commercial or PSA before, and because the initial plan was to do one shot, one take, I didn't even break it down into standard commercial script style (with scene notes) -- it was basically about 250 words of pithy prose, all of which had to be memorized over the weekend by the star of our video, a PR man with more than a little experience in broadcasting.

However, when I got to the location for the shoot, I realized I wanted to do a little more to make this video visually interesting, and I blocked out three shots we could use to be quick-edited in the final product for an edgier effect. After convincing the accommodating crew (one cameraman and one all-purpose grip) and producer to take on the additional shots, it quickly occurred to me I was directing this thing, something that I hadn't considered prior. I gave tips to the talent for line delivery and blocking. I selected the shots, but let the crew make the technical decisions to do what they knew best. I added a last-minute fourth shot to better balance out the overall video. It went quickly, smoothly and hopefully the outcome will be as engaging as I envisioned when I wrote it.

This wasn't my first time directing a script I wrote, as I think I've mentioned here. There was that one-off disaster of a play in college. But this was something completely different -- a much more cohesive, collaborative fruition of a creative vision (even one done in the name of marketing) -- more like writing a song and working with your band to bring it to life. It's your song, still, but it's the input from the collective whole that makes it a reality. And though no one but me and a few people will know I had anything to do with it, people will see it, and its existence will be documented.

And though it should be no surprise coming from a guy who thoroughly enjoys editing publications and leading bands, I think directing is something I'd love to do. Hmm.