24-Hour Orlando film festival

February 2, 10:16 AMOrlando Active Seniors Travel ExaminerPete LaMaster

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Mark your calendar that this Sunday, Feb 8, you're going to spend the afternoon watching 24 short films.

The 24-Hour Orlando Film Festival is in full swing.  No.  Not a Festival which is 24 hours long - a Festival of Films which were conceived, written, shot, edited, and submitted - in 24 hours.  The actual showing this Sunday - at the Premier 16 Movie Theatre at the Fashion Square Mall - is scheduled from 1 to 4 PM.  Each movie is a short film and the Festival will choose the best 24 films of the 52 which were submitted yesterday.  OK.  Actually, as reported in the Orlando Sentinel, 52 teams signed up, but only 40 managed to actually get films submitted.  It should be a great 3 hours this coming Sunday - watching the best 24 films.  Short films can be quirky, funny, disturbing, educational, motivational, provocative - almost any emotion - and to see the way that 24 different teams and directors choose to immortalize their ideas - is a great afternoon of fun.

I sure hope that *our* team managed to get our film submitted.  Yes, "our" film.

I suppose it's no surprise that I was on a team.  But it *was* a bit of a surprise that my wife, Kathy, came along for the day - and we ultimately even managed to get "Monroe" - our mini-van - into the movie, so, in a sense, we had *3* family members in the film.

I had worked with Richard Lord on the film "Through a Painting, Darkly" and he hooked up with Lee Thongkham

who lead a team to create "In the Bink of an Eye".  Richard introduced me to Lee and I enthusiastically showed up on Saturday - to be in a movie - which had no script, no genre, no idea - only 2 hours before I showed up.  Lee had gotten our "packet" which assigned him to choose between Comedy and Crime/Police genre for his film - and he and his writers had already written our movie by the time we pulled onto the backlot of Full Sail University - to find out just *what* movie we were to be in.

I will avoid spilling anything which would spoil the plot (just come see the movie on Sunday), but we had a great day.  Lee and his crew seemed very organized and it didn't feel at all that we were rushed or having to sacrifice quality in order to get done in time.

I have said that movie making is a lot of waiting around - followed by short bursts of actual acting.  That was still true, but the waits were much shorter.  The script was handed out and parts were assigned.  I wound up being "Man 1".  I only got 1 line, but it was the very-first line of the movie, so I was "lead-off batter", so to speak.  Our movie centers around a traffic jam, so we had all lined up our vehicles as we came in.  Once we were assigned parts, we were then assigned to vehicles.  I wound up spending the day sitting in a very-nice Mercedes (!!) which actually belonged to the Father of our young star - while a couple of young women spent the day in our mini-van "Monroe".  I had to smile that these two young women would normally never have been caught *dead* in a mini-van, but this is the magic of movie making!

I sat in "my" Mercedes, rehearsing my one line in my head - over and over.  In any normal circumstance, you would think that anybody could remember *one* line - with no trouble.  But this is acting - so you try different ways of delivering the line.  You play with the words a bit.  Richard had quietly come to *every* person on the cast and spent a moment encouraging us and talking about how to deliver the lines and exploring different possibilities.  He encouraged me to ad-lib a bit - and suggested that I throw in an "Aw, for Pete's Sake!" - to get my name into the mix - so I did.  And then the camera crew started their walk-thru's, deciding just where they would be at each point.  And we opened the moon-roof to give me more light.  And a light-reflector was set up to blaze thru the windshield so there was enough light on my face.  And I forgot my line.  What?  ONE line and I couldn't remember it?  Well, like I said, there's a lot going on, and I was trying to remember my emotion - get my face and hands and body to be showing the intense irritation that my character was feeling - and the words just flitted out of my head.  It's tougher than it looks.  Fortunately, I could keep my script laying next to me, so I could keep re-freshing my lines.

"Oh, for PETE's sake!".  "Oh, for pete's SAKE!".  "Aw, for cryin' out loud" (OOops... forgot the line again).

Lee came by a few times to just check on everybody - asking each of us if we had any questions or needed anything.  He was totally collected and calm - which made each of *us* feel confident and ready.

And suddenly, I heard "Action" and the camera was literally in my face and I did my best - except that I was supposed to honk the horn and a Mercedes' horn doesn't work unless the ignition is turned on.  Which it wasn't.  OOops!  Just go on and pretend that it wasn't *supposed* to honk.  And they pass me and work their way down the line of cars - finishing the "take".

Then they come back up and do it again.

Next take, I got it all just perfect.  Yeah.  I'm so proud of myself that I delivered ONE line "just right".

But this is movie-making and we do another take.  And another.  And somehow every delivery of ONE line - comes out just a little different. This *is* harder than it looks.  If I really "get into the character", the *emotion* drives the delivery of the line - and it just does come out a bit differently each time.

The shot is finished and we move on through the day - as the cold Orlando morning turns warmer and the sun beats down.

We get to a scene where we need to have a bunch of people RUNNING away - in total panic.  Kathy had said that she really did NOT want to be on camera, but she's a helpful person, so when she's asked to be part of the crowd, she gamely joins in and runs.  I jump out of my Mercedes and sprint away.  Wow.  It is tough to run 50 yards.  Then come back and do it again.  And again.  And again.  We're all puffing a bit by the time the shot has the necessary "takes" and "safety"'s (it is traditional to shoot a given scene a few times - even if you THINK you got it right already: just "for safety"): you never know what you're going to see when you get to final edit - that you didn't catch when you *thought* you got it right.

Lee had a lot of courage - and included 3 children in the cast - including one of the 2 stars.  The kids were *great* - behaving themselves and doing a great job with their parts - as the clock unwound and the day went on.

Our little star - Kennedy Mason - had just turned 7 years old - and she'll melt your heart. 

She was *totally* natural, comfortable, and un-affected - on or off camera.  Just a sweet, normal little girl.  Richard made a point of spending an unhurried *hour* with her when she first arrived, setting up their "relationship" as Father and Daughter.  Kennedy *did* show that she had a little bit of mischief in her: as I watched Lee talk with Kennedy and her parents - making sure that everybody was comfortable with what was to happen, I noticed that Kennedy was making a *point* to playfully step on Lee's toes - pretty-much *standing* on his feet.  Cute.

And the day unwound.  I checked my watch - as shots were finished, one by one - and suddenly it was afternoon.  And then it was *late* afternoon and we had to be careful that our very-long shadows didn't get into a shot where they weren't supposed to.

Again, Lee and his crew did a great job of keeping things moving - and it never seemed like we were getting frantic: it was always under control.  But the day *did* slip away.  And we began to ask ourselves: just which shots yet needed to be done.  If you've read my other entries on acting, you've heard that there are a seemingly-endless series of little shots that nobody would usually think about: yes, we got that part of the script, but we have to shoot it again from another angle.  Or we have to shoot the 2-second transition from "this place" to "that place".  A film-maker has to be VERY careful to be sure to get all of the footage he needs - before he gets to the editing room - and discovers that he is missing something.

The shadows get longer.  And Richard and Kennedy film their very-emotional finale.  Over and over.  Different angles.  Different "takes".  Richard is literally crying between takes - because he is crying *in* takes - and it is *draining* to put your whole being into putting your emotion onto film, then hear "Cut" - and do it again.  And Again.  *I* am crying - watching them.

And, finally, at 5:30PM, we've got it.  Lee and Mica (the wonderful, helpful, sweet Assistant Director) - check the shot list and holler "That's a Wrap!"  Woo Hoo!  7 hours for us and we're DONE.

Richard calls everyone together for a group shot.  EVERYONE - grips, lighting, make-up, actors, extras - all of us squeezing together.  All of these people who have intensely been together for the last 7 hours - who will probably never be together in exactly this way - again.

And we go our separate ways - while Lee and crew run off to madly take the raw footage we have - and turn it into a film to submit by 9AM. 

It's a long night, I'm sure.

And I can't wait to see it - Sunday, February 8, 1-4PM at the Premier 14 at the Fashion Square Mall.

You can get a "sneak peek" via my unofficial Production Stills

Hey.  I'll be there - and I'll even give you an autograph if you want: "Man 1". (smile).