48 Hour Film Project -
Saturday Afternoon
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My part for the DreamWelder's 48 Hour Film Project was to play
a police Captain. Jay wanted "Sergeant Slaughter", as
he said, and since I have a large voice he really wanted me to punch
it. I hadn't been in a play or video in 20 years. If Jay sets up
a shot, he's going to want several takes, and we had to get essentially
into the same positions every time. The tighter the shot, the more
precision in movement is necessary. I was worried about diction,
presence and the ability to repeat my blocking.
Some of the shots were triple close-ups, with two other heads besides
my enormous melon that had to be in-frame. Piled on top of that
was the need to be able to see past us to a crucial prop or character.
Exactness in movement was critical, and I felt pretty clumsy.
Actors get mocked for their easy life. Acting in front of a locked-down
camera is comparatively easy. However, Jay, Kyle and Nathan
(JKN) have made the fateful decision to not do things the easy way
(How many crews have a dolly track for pity's sake?).
JKN wants this film to rival anything Hollywood can do, and they'll
have none of this high-school video stuff. He wants his lines crisp,
his motion snappy and his close-ups tight. All this is calculated
to keep the audience engaged.
The risk in that decision is huge. 30 people have assembled to
throw themselves into making a movie in 48 hours. They rush, they
hustle, they sweat, they schlep. It's a competition. These men and
women are playing to win, and a movie made in 48 hours and 1 minute
is out of the running for all prizes except for the people's choice
award. JKN's decision to swing for the fence is risking it all "on
one turn of pitch-and-toss." Every minute spent pushing the
envelope is a minute that could stand between making the deadline
and blowing it.
For instance, one scene has four men moving more or less in unison.
We each have a line, and it has to be delivered in a narrow time
frame. To get a shot, we each have to do our thing just right. Moreover,
there is a sound guy, the script supervisor who makes sure that
my collar is unbuttoned and my walkie talkie is in the same hand
as last scene. One of our grips, Tim, had to handle a powerful spotlight
throughout most of the principle shooting. With little to hang onto,
and a several hundred degree lamp inches from his face, he kept
detail destroying shadows off the actors while walking backwards.
Any of us could blow 20 minutes of setup, and you can't do that
too often on an unyielding deadline.
DreamWelder's leadership decide to believe in their cast and crew.
They step up to the plate and call their shot. They point the tip
of their bat at the green monster in deep left field.
Tim McNabb
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