48 hour film project

Pick the thing up and do it. Wow. It is real.

I saw Celebration at the Music Hall some years ago. And Hoop Dreams. People. Camera. Relationships. Power. "Don't just stand there. Move it!" It's apt.

That was the line of dialog we were given. And Max Otterbein, waiter. And sunglasses and a genre: buddy film. And 48 hours to make – script, shoot, edit!! – a film.

Never had much pull for a 48 Hour Project till this year. And meeting Sean Hurley. We talked about collaborating. And then this thing in New Hampshire. Pick a camera up in our back yard. See what happens. Portsmouth has been much ignored filmically (not any more!)

Put down the money to enter.

Crazy week leading up to the Friday with two other films to be shown Thursday night. Hoo boy, didn't even read the rules till Friday and then a quick scan. Hope the guy at the table next to me wasn't lying about the 7 minute max thing.

Sean would bring Rick. I would bring Jay with a second (and preferred XDCam) camera.

Then went to the Fresh Local Truck (convenient camera platform for our opening shot) for lunch Thursday and met Doria. She's a sensation – an instant connection. She's dong a documentary on refugees from Bhutan. "Wanna help make a film this weekend?"

"Going to a wedding on Friday in NY, but I can get back if afternoon's not too late?" Get out! Jump in. What can she do/ want to do? "I can act if you'd like. Except I'm in the Union." Not a problem for me! 'Cept that I HATE paperwork.

So we all jumped in. Played. And believed that we wouldn't waste our time. We got the category we wanted (not that we knew any better). A buddy film. Sit and jabber. Let 'em roll. See what happens.

But we did so much more than just let em roll and get what we get. We started there. Doria said it. And she echoed a line in our climate change documentary project. "You begin where you are, man." We cut the specific line (remember that 7:00 thing??), but the thought permeated.

And Sean... alive from the first moment. He and Rick started improvising at Gill's Indian restaurant next to the Double D Comics (no other filmmakers were hungry?) right after we got our assignment. They started playing with elements.

Sean was alive and awake at – was it 5 or 6 AM as we began to plan the shoot, Rick was in by 6AM (doing the morning show on NHPR gets him going pretty early most days).

And the same on Sunday. Sean and I were up with the sun, cutting away. Could have used those 4 hours of sleep for a sound mix at about 6:41 PM Sunday. But jumped in the car and flew to Manchester Karmic radar detector set for every corner.

Thanks Chris and 48 hour Project folks. You kicked some life into these old guys. Well, Sean & Rick aren't so old.


Somewhat cross posted on our blog
coruway.blogspot.com


these old guys. Well, Sean & Rick aren't so old.





The above photo is why we wanted to use Jay's XDCAm:

Still pretty much as the camera recorded it, lit by two street lights, 7:56 PM (or thereabouts)