Creating a Video Version of Your Play in the Time of COVID-19

What do you do when the COVID pandemic threatens to put your playwriting life on hold? When you can’t meet with your actors to rehearse or perform and audiences aren’t allowed to come to the theater to see your play?

Take a little initiative.

Rehearse online with your actors. Buy a green screen and some lights. Use your spare bedroom as a studio. Ask your actors to come to your place on the day of the shoot - make sure everyone wears masks unless they are on camera. Observe social distancing - work around scenes with two or more actors by shooting them separately and stitching them together later in editing. (You’ll definitely need a green screen.) Use your iPhone to shoot the video and record the audio. Visit a few interesting locations to capture some b-roll footage. Watch some YouTube videos to learn how to use a video editing platform. (I used Camtasia.) Create your own YouTube channel...

And before you know it, your play will be ready to share with the world.

This is what I did to create the video version of my play “Pilgrim Girl.” The video is included below.

Lauren Foster brought my Pilgrim Girl to life and Geof Newton furnished the SFX.

I hope you enjoy the show.

(Maybe in another post I will describe in better detail how I pulled this off. Let me know if you are interested.)

“Pilgrim Girl” a short film written, directed, edited, and produced by Jim Dalglish. Starring Lauren Foster. SFX by Geof Newton. The video was broadcast as part of Playwrights, ETC’s 2021 Winter Showcase.