Why did I decide to start a blog about all things filmmaking, including my current and future projects? Because I feel I have something unique to offer and I have a sincere desire to contribute.
Hello, and welcome to the Bad Image Blog. My name is Adam Sergent and I am the founder and president of Bad Image Productions, Inc.
It’s an independent production company committed to producing engaging films that entertain, educate, and inspire.
I started my company for a variety of different reasons, but, I guess, if I’m being honest, I started it because I wanted to have fun and I wanted to be independent.
I’ve learned a great deal throughout this entire journey and I want to share all that I have learned with you.
I’m going to give you some background on myself, my company, our current projects, our future projects, and what I hope to accomplish with this blog.
You’ve Got to Start Somewhere
I started Bad Image Productions, Inc. in 2018 with the sole intention of making feature films.
Several years later, through a lot of hard work, the first feature film was made.
I’m the writer, director, and producer of that feature film that is currently streaming on multiple platforms, called The Devil’s Instrument.
The film is about a wealthy novelist trying to get out of a deal he made with the devil. It’s a psychological thriller with elements of horror and comedy, and it’s set in the present day.
Ultimately, it’s a story about redemption and sacrifice which indisputably proves that success of any kind will never be worth the price of your soul.
I learned a great deal from that project.
I learned from the things that I got right. I learned even more from the things that went wrong.
But, the most important thing that I learned is that, I have what it takes to see a project through all the way to the finish line and beyond.
You’ve Got to Love What You Do
I’ll share with you a story that sheds a little more light on the overall theme of the picture.
Somebody said to me the other day, and they were talking about The Devil’s Instrument, and they said, “The Devil’s Instrument, well, that’s easy. It’s a fiddle, right?”
And I liked that, so, I’m laughing and I said, “In reality, yes, you’re right. It’s definitely a fiddle. But, in the film, The Devil’s Instrument is actually a human being, because the devil will play each and every one of us just like a fiddle if we let him. But the film also shows that all of us have the power within ourselves to overcome.”
And they liked that.
I’m also very excited because in the coming months I’m going to begin principal photography on our next feature film called Darkness Hunting.
It’s definitely going to have a connection with The Devil’s Instrument and I’ll write more about that project in the near future.
I enjoy every aspect of making a feature film. I really do.
I love taking a script all the way through the entire processes of pre-production, production, and post-production.
I truly enjoy taking all of those pieces of the puzzle that are accumulated during production and assembling them into something meaningful.
I love taking that raw footage and making it look the way I want it to look.
I love assembling the entire soundscape of a picture.
I just love that simple and satisfying act of creation. I have to.
You see, to truly understand a real independent film is to understand the story behind it. And, basically, The Devil’s Instrument was shot in a single location with a single camera and with a one-person crew in a mere five days.
Due to extreme budgetary and time constraints I had to do everything for the picture myself except act and create the music. The Devil’s Instrument was also shot during the height of the pandemic.
Actors Cory Spalding, Austin Fletcher, Ally Ledford, Jordan Bryant, and Chris Olds were really great to work with and they were really dedicated to the project.
Will Lawton and Stacy Lawton did a lot of the original music for the picture and they did a truly phenomenal job.
Everybody that was a part of this project did amazing work and that’s why I really wanted to get this film out there.
If you have people that believe in you and that depend on you in one way or another, that will drive you to succeed more than anything else.
You’ve Got to Have Something to Offer
A lot of people watch a movie and wonder how it came to be.
Some people watch a movie and get struck with the desire to make a movie. I fall into that category.
But what do you do if you don’t know how to make a movie?
What do you do if you don’t know anyone in the movie business and you don’t know anyone that can help you?
What do you do if you have very little money and certainly can’t afford film school?
Well, you shouldn’t lose all hope and give up, that’s for sure, because I was in the exact same situation.
The answer itself is quite simple. You learn to do everything yourself and then apply it. That’s what I did.
I’ll give you a brief background on myself.
I do have two Bachelor of Science degrees and a Master of Science of degree, but they don’t have anything to do with filmmaking.
The bottom line is, I had a dream of making a feature film. I did try to make it as a screenwriter for the longest time but it just became readily apparent that if I ever wanted to see anything that I had written in a movie then I was just going to have to make that movie myself.
Kind of a scary thought, I’ll admit, especially initially.
But I read every book that I could. I watched every video that I could. I taught myself how to use all of the equipment that I would need and all of the software that I would have to use, and I applied all of this.
I started a company, made a feature film, and I’m getting ready to do it all again.
I really hope that Bad Image Productions and The Devil’s Instrument can show those groups and individuals out there, who really want to make films and tell their stories, that making a feature film and having it distributed outside of the Hollywood system, is not only possible but can also be extremely rewarding. Ten or fifteen years ago this wouldn’t have been possible, but time and technology have certainly changed.
I believe that people can learn to do anything if the desire and work ethic is strong enough.
Making feature films is no exception.
I’m going to write about every aspect of independent filmmaking as well as some of my current and future projects.
Topics to be covered include:
- Screenwriting
- Pre-production
- Casting for film
- Film production
- Shot selection
- Location sound
- Film lighting
- Post-production
- Video editing
- Graphic design
- Sound design
- Sound mixing
- And more!
Most of the techniques and processes I will write about have been used in some form or another for a long time and I certainly didn’t come up with them.
The techniques and processes I have chosen to use out of the many that are available and the order and sequence in which I implement them are what I have found that works best for me.
And if it works for me, I know it can work for others.
I have learned from many different people and from many different sources. I have taken a piece from here and put it with a chunk from there until I eventually came up with a way of working that would allow me to be efficient and effective.
If someone can take a chunk of my knowledge and add it to their process, then I will know that I have truly accomplished something.
Here’s wishing everyone the best of luck with all of your endeavors, and I hope that you find something of value here.
