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April 21, 2005
Fast Forward Film Festival
for those of you who haven't heard of the fast forward film festival, well, it sounds pretty simple: based on a topic you receive on Friday night, you have to write, cast, shoot, edit, and submit a three minute original film by 5:00 on saturday afternoon.
yeah. totally simple. whatever. Picture Poet Productions took on the challenge, and signed up.
we had three topics: 1) Overall Festival Topic: The Stranger. 2) noun to feature in some way: Cigarettes. 3) Film Team Topic: "Can I Help You?"
lucky for us, we have cigarettes. oh, and Mord (Mord: director, cinematographer, gentlemanfriend) works a mostly-deserted front desk at a dorm. So, with 21 hours to go we had a location, a topic, a prop, and the hope that at least 2 other people would show up to help make a movie.
on the way home, we brainstormed characters, costumes, and conflicts. we called everyone we knew and begged them to show up at the location at 9 am on saturday morning. we plotted the distance from the location to the nearest coffee shops.
I napped, he wrote.
I edited, he smoked.
we napped again, and the next thing we knew, it was 7:30 am and we had a script outline, a checklist of shots (because I'm obsessive-compulsive like that), and a bag full of equipment.
of course, our actors were so late, our donuts were nearly finished and the coffee was freezing cold by the time everyone arrived. and, by everyone, I mean blondie and joe (whose alarm clocks were conveniently and incorrectly set for 9 instead of 8).
no matter, everyone finally got where they needed to be, and between mord's camera-ing expertise and my nagging revised production schedule, and joe and blondie and andrew's incredibly professional improv abilities (so natural! so funny! so awesome!) we managed to get all the footage we needed in 90 minutes. Heck, even Mord had to jump into the fray and I have to say, his sequence is my favorite!
we packed up, gratefully smooched our improv team, and rushed to the editing suite. I was so happy with the performances I was worried we wouldn't be able to choose what to keep and what to take out...
long story short:
mord did an amazing job of piecing everything together into an adorable little romantic comedy - yes, we lost the nude scene and the light saber fight, but it was worth it in the end. for 'art'.
oh, and, since the film was finished at 4:40 and due before 5, I had the awesome experience of hailing a cab, holding it for mord, and begging the driver to drive quickly: "we need to get to Atomix cafe in 20 minutes - drive like the wind!!!" (we JUST made it with not a single second to spare)
the time between the drop off and the screening is a blur, really - a haze of exhaustion and self-congratulation.
It was so great to see all the films on the big screen at Open End Gallery - everyone was so positive and supportive and hilarious and adorable. We didn't place in the top 4 prize-winning spots, but I gotta say, just finishing our short and listening to people's reactions was certainly worth the effort it took to produce the film.
I promise, once it's gone through Mord's perfectionist post-production process, I'll post the full film for everyone to see!
Posted by Heather at 04:00 PM | Comments (3)
April 18, 2005
Again, she writes about me and then IMs to tell me about it...
Blondie loves me so much, she rags on my family birthday party not once, not twice, but three times - in what I have to say is the most hilarious description of the events since . .. well. . . ever. I'm especially proud of the "heather's hand in the chef's crotch" photo.
thanks, blondie!
Posted by Heather at 01:54 PM | Comments (0)
April 13, 2005
What We'll Be Doing This Weekend...
of course, we can't do it alone - e-mail me at heather (at) picturepicture (dot) net if you want to help!
Posted by Heather at 11:12 AM | Comments (3)
April 08, 2005
Director plans 'Pretty In Pink' sequel
Director plans 'Pretty In Pink' sequel
Saturday, April 2 2005, 15:27 BST -- by Daniel Kilkelly
Director John Hughes has announced that classic '80s movie Pretty In Pink is to get a sequel.The teen film followed high school student Andie, who developed a crush on the school's new guy, while her friend Duckie, who secretly loves Andie, is forced to step aside.
The sequel, which is planned for a 2006 release, will show fans what has changed for the characters now that their high school days are over. The movie's original stars - Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy and John Cryer - have all agreed to appear.
I find this exciting and difficult to believe, at the very same time.
but I think I'll enjoy the possibility, for now.
Posted by Heather at 10:26 AM | Comments (6)
April 05, 2005
For all you foot fetishists out there....
just so you all can see JUST HOW ABSURD my birthday nail varnish is, I did a little early-morning painting for y'all.
Posted by Heather at 09:14 AM | Comments (2)
April 04, 2005
birthday blog: a post of drooling appreciation
those of you who have followed along know that I celebrate my birthday for an insane number of days around the actual date...known as "birthday week", my birth celebration lasts from 7 to 10 days, including dinners, lunches, shopping trips, drinks, and, of course, cakes and awesome gifts from awesome friends and family members.
of course, because I am shallow as all hell, I will recount the awesomeness with a list of gifts recieved, in no particular order:
- a sunday outing to the Glessner House, to see an exhibit which would have been disappointingly lame if it weren't for the incredibly huge and intimidating door, the clever and entertaining company, and the awesome book of Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death
- not one, but two exquisitely hideous shades of nailvarnish from the lovely and talented Blondie, who also provided ample amusement at my family birthday party, as well as the entire first season of pure awesome known as Bullshit!
- barbecue, modern furniture, music shopping, and the overwhelming and lovely surprise of the early end of a loan - all on the sunniest of spring days...I love barbecue. any celebration needs sweet vinegary meaty goodnesss to be truly special, don't you think?
- money, gift certificates, Black and the most amazing dinner and cake ever from my family - who were endlessly entertaining, as usual...even when being forced to endure the "hilarity" that is America's Funniest Home Videos" at the birthday barbecue joint.
- dinner, cocktails, and the incredible view at The Signature Room, with the best april fool's gift a girl could ever get...
(yes, this is a beautiful, vintage-circa-1947, sterling silver cigarette case. yes, it's heavy. yes, it's engraved "tokyo, japan". yes, I couldn't stop taking it out of my bag and looking at it)
- Sin City with a glass of cider and a huge bag of perfectly over-buttered popcorn, followed by a long walk on a chilly spring night.
- walking up from the subway into the cold chicago spring morning and seeing a huge flat of yellow daffodils, right smack dab in the middle of all the incredible urban goodness.
yeah. my birthday week has me goofy with the happy. and the grateful. and the goodness. thank you everybody.
Posted by Heather at 10:26 AM | Comments (1)