Delegation of tasks (or lack thereof)

Most candidates split the workload across group members for their final project. Roles are assigned, calls are made, people show up, and things get done, or at least that’s how the textbook version of “delegation” goes.

I didn’t do that.

I took on the entire film myself. Not out of ego, but necessity, and maybe curiosity. The idea I was working with was deeply personal and, to some, possibly controversial. Sharing it too soon with a group felt like diluting it. Losing creative control wasn’t an option. So I made a different decision: what happens if one person does everything?

Roles I Took On:

Task	Person Responsible
Initial Idea Development (concept brainstorming, mood-boarding, deciding tone, themes, and genre)	Me
Scriptwriting (narrative flow, dialogue, thematic undertones, symbolism, pacing structure)	Me
Logline & Synopsis Creation (defining the film’s hook, compressing the story into a few key sentences)	Me
Casting (selecting actors based on screen presence, availability, chemistry, performance ability)	Me
Storyboarding (visualizing the entire film shot-by-shot, including framing, angles, movement)	Me
Shot Listing (translating boards into a shoot-able plan, timings, lenses, transitions, coverage)	Me
Risk Assessment (forecasting physical, environmental, technical risks + preparing mitigation strategies)	Me
Location Scouting (searching, testing sound/light, securing permissions, measuring setups)	Me
Budgeting (managing costs for travel, props, set design, food, equipment rentals where needed)	Me
Set Design & Dressing (transporting props/furniture, arranging space, adjusting to lighting/movement)	Me
Equipment Checklist (listing + packing camera gear, audio equipment, batteries, cables, tripods)	Me
Equipment & Furniture Transport (physically hauling gear and moving props to and from set)	Me
Lighting Setup (practicals, motivated lighting, ambient control, diffusion/bounce setups)	Me
Camera Operation (manual focus pulling, exposure control, shot variation, framing composition)	Me
Cinematography (visual language building — tone, color, contrast, balance, movement)	Me
Direction (guiding actors through scenes, managing performance consistency, emotional arcs)	Me
Sound Recording (mic placements, ambient noise control, audio levels, boom handling — assisted by friend)	Mostly Me, with the help of a friend
Foley Recording (custom sounds for realism — footsteps, cloth, doors, atmosphere)	Me
Sound Design (layering, EQing, manipulating silence, mood-based scoring choices)	Me
Editing (rhythmic pacing, sound-image synchronization, visual storytelling)	Me
Color Grading (mood sculpting, shot matching, cinematic palettes, DaVinci node work)	Me
3D VFX (designing + tracking one custom shot, masking, blending it into real footage)	Me
Final Output & Exporting (resizing, audio compression, file formatting, backups, sharing copies)	Me
Promotional Material (blog screenshots, thumbnails, BTS curation, poster elements, titles)	Me
Behind-the-Scenes Documentation	Friend (filming on shoot day)

At one point, it honestly felt like I was directing and being the gaffer, while simultaneously calculating how the scene would cut together later, all while crouched in a weird position holding a reflector with my foot.

The Strain of Solo Work

This wasn’t glamorous. It was physically exhausting. I remember coming home from the shoot and passing out immediately, the next morning, I couldn’t walk properly on my right leg. Ironically, that very same day, I got run over by a car and injured my left leg too, so at least things were balanced.

What really made solo work intense wasn’t the physical labour, it was the constant multitasking. I had to think about every shot from every angle: how it would look in the edit, how lighting might affect it, whether the framing felt too tight or too bland, whether an actor’s movement might ruin continuity. There was no one else to ask. I had to be the voice of reason and the voice of panic at the same time.

What I Gained from Doing It All Despite everything, I loved it. There’s something deeply satisfying about struggling through something that feels too big for one person , and still pulling it off. It allowed my perfectionism to flourish. Every detail felt intentional because every detail was intentional.

It also helped me understand each department intimately. From sound design to foley to location logistics, there’s now a certain confidence I’ve built, knowing that I can do it all, even if I don’t always have to.

Would I Do It Again?

Yes. But I’d hire a proper sound recordist. If there’s one thing that proved its difficulty, it was sound, not recording it necessarily, but organizing, syncing, and repairing it in post. That was brutal.

Final Note: It Wasn’t All So Serious

Even with all that weight on my shoulders, there were moments of ridiculousness, like when the actors would randomly burst into laughter mid-take for no reason. It rarely happened, but when it did, it reminded me that even under pressure, there’s room for joy. And that’s something I want to keep, whether I work alone again or with a crew.