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Film group goes from talk to action
"Think globally, shoot
locally." That snappy tagline adorns the website of the Filmmaker's Salon,
a Newport-based group founded by Justin Brierley. "The first idea is that
it would be a networking opportunity for people in
The group's mission quickly
morphed, though, as mere discussion of film at their monthly meetings quickly
led to the idea of making one.
The original plan was for
the newfound members of the group to collaborate on a film, but, well, you know
artists. The group decided to produce a film, but to make every step of the
process a competition.
The contest started in
January with a call for a screenplay. Brierley put together a panel of three
judges and gathered seven submissions. The contest rules were tight for the
screenplay- as it had to fit into the salon's operating budget, (no plays set
in the Grand Canyon, please), and it had to be short.
The winner was Andrew Wilner
with a screenplay entitled The Last Sentence. The piece is about an
unsavory rapist/murder whose punishment is to be put to death for two minutes,
in an attempt at rehabilitation, and then brought back to life again.
"I've been interested
in near death for some time," said Wilner, an accomplished neurologist.
"But it's not something I would recommend," he added laughingly.
Wilner is already a
published author, with two books out on epilepsy and numerous pieces in medical
trade publications. He has also written and directed plays, though this
is his first serious foray into screenwriting.
"I've been involved in
creative writing ever since I could hold a pen," he explained.
The next contest was for a
director. Those interested were given a copy of the script, then
made presentations about how they would transform the words into action.
A five-person panel, which
included Wilner, chose Rich Frost on the spot. Frost is the general manager of
Frost said that he read
Brierley's call for a director on a website that had film classified ads, and
sent him an e-mail.
"It was the first time
I had ever heard of the group," he said.
Frost is excited about the
script, calling it "interesting and complex." He said he will be
spending a lot of time talking with Wilner about his characters and trying to
combine their visions of the story.
"The best thing about
this project is what a great collaborative effort it will be," said Frost.
The next step in the
process, said Brierley, is the hunt for a cinematographer. That position has a
submission deadline of July 10, and applicants are expected to submit a demo
reel of their work plus a cover letter or resume. The applicant will also need
to supply their own camera.
The final step will be an
editing competition. Brierley hopes that the cast will be in place and the film
can be shot sometime in October. He expects the shooting to take only a few
days, at which point all of the raw footage will be handed over to interested
editors, who will then each put the whole package, including music, together
and submit the final product to yet another panel. Brierley's goal is to have
the film ready by February, and submitted to next year's Newport International
Film Festival by March.
"One of the goals for
this is to make it an annual event," said Brierley.
Everyone participating in
the event has volunteered their services, and Brierley has just recently
embarked on a campaign to raise funds to shoot the film. He expects that it
will cost around $5,000, but hopes that he can raise a bit more than that to
throw a little cash to the participants.
"People have been
coming out of the woodwork for this," said Brierley. He said people have
volunteered to help with costumes, special effects, costume design, carpentry
... he even had someone volunteer to do the accounting.
People interested in joining
Filmmaker's Salon or submitting their name for consideration in the upcoming
film can visit www.film-salon.org
or contact Justin Brierley at 846-9262.
BY HEIDI EFFINGER