I shot Jet twice. This is why and this is what I learned...
A Short Film(s) by
Jordan Daniel Chesney
Why Are There 2 Versions of Jet?
I had an idea for a short film and thought, I should develop it on set with the cast and crew, instead of on paper, as a screenplay. So, I pulled everyone together, grabbed 200 bucks and within a day we filmed, "Jet".
It turned out so well that I thought, this is going to be a great film! So, I saved up $10K and we shot it again. But this time we had a RED One camera, dolly tracks, permits, crew and cast budget, and four days to shoot. Basically, we had everything we needed to make it perfect.
The result was...interesting. Watch and see.
At first, I thought that the $10K version was better, probably because I wanted it to be better. I had spent far more time and money on it so it should be better, right? But eventually I realized that it was the scrappy, rough around the edges, $200 version that I preferred.
So, instead of just releasing one or the other, I thought, why not release both, and give other filmmakers the chance to see that a bigger budget doesn't always make for a better film.
The opinions rolled in! People were very passionate about which one was better and why, and before I knew it, "Jet" had collectively been seen by almost 60 thousand people. Which one do you think is better?
Salute to Jordan Chesney...
... for sharing and for being so transparent about the movie. I agree with Chesney " you can’t make the same film twice, even if you try really hard...." As i had something similar issue in my movie for couple of scenes and i will also be sharing it soon.
... Most of the people are not able to make one movie ( i am still working on my first one ) and you made two....Awesome!!!
- maggi
I Like the First One WAY Better
More edgy. Better cinematography. And the fact that it's less polished serves the story. The first frame/setup on the first one is more edgy, especially as the framing is closer and more intense coupled with the closed dirty window in the background. And what I assume is the augmented lighting in the second makes it seem less organic and more produced.
Thank You Jordan Chesney
... [for] being transparent and putting yourself and your production process for this film(s) out there. I really enjoyed reading, watching and comparing the notes on this project. I'll start by saying, Jordan, both versions of this project are better than the low/no budget shorts I've produced :) So, congrats on a great short film!! As a writer and filmmaker myself, I always enjoy constructive criticism better than friendly compliments. They help me improve far more [then], "It was great, I loved it!"
Better Tension
I also prefer the screenplay version [the $200 Version]. More momentum, better tension, clearer story (though the twist was easy to spot). The lack of clarification in the film version left me with a feeling of incompletion rather than the intended (I assume) ambiguity. Both enjoyable, though, but the energy of the first one lifted it head and shoulders above for me.
"Jet" went on to win awards and encourage countless aspiring filmmakers to simply step out and make their movies. Here's hoping you do the same.
