As the 2012-2013 school year comes to an end at Southern Oregon University, students are wrapping up their final projects in various classes. The main focus for the Major Film Directors class (taught by Robert Clift) is for students to either write a paper or work on a film for a final project. For the film projects, students are to either work individually or in a group to fashion a short film (approximately three to five minutes) that echoes the style of a certain filmmaker.
Throughout this term, I have been able to talk about other student filmmakers on this blog. It has been both exciting and interesting. For those that know me well, though, they know that I enjoy working on film projects myself. In fact, I am in one of the groups in the Directors class, helping to create a video based in the style of Quentin Tarantino. I will use this blog posting about the student filmmaker community at Southern to briefly discuss the project I am working on.
The Tarantino-like project that I am working on includes two other group members: Ellen Hufft and Rory Owens. I have mentioned Hufft in other entries on here, but not Owens. I have worked on a couple of projects with them before, and the three of us make a good team. Hufft and I more interested in writing and directing, while Owens enjoys sound and cinematography (mostly tracking shots).
Our project for the final is possibly going to be titled Mr. Bubbles. The film revolves around four professional criminals coming together for a meeting with a crime boss. The project has wrapped on photography, but has yet to be edited (I will be the main editor). However, the main structure of the film has already been determined.
The film will open with a man (Owens) running frantically. Sirens will be playing in the background during this. A title will then say, “Two hours earlier.” Then the film will go to a mysterious woman (Hufft) who is never fully shown in the film (with specific shots revolving around this idea). The woman will be making four phone calls to various criminals. She only says a short Latin phrase during each of the calls, which works as a keyword to go to the crime meeting.
Her speaking on the phone will be placed at four different, specific times. Between each call, the four criminals are shown preparing for the meeting. One, played by me, is suited up and eating at Subway. He also has a shotgun in a bag in the trunk of his car. Another, played by Owens, is a creepy fellow that has a bag of knives and masks in his bedroom. Another is a rocker-type character, played by Daniel Martin, who is in his living room playing a guitar. Finally, the last criminal character is an aggravated man (played by Cody Fletcher) who is in his house, accompanied by his cat – Mr. Bubbles. These scenes were mostly shot in Ashland, though there are a few shots from Talent and Medford.
The next part of the film has the four men traveling to the meeting, and will be presented as a montage accompanied by catchy music. The traveling scenes were mostly shot at Southern in various hallways (Britt Hall, Computer Science Building, etc.). After the montage, the four men are shown waiting in a classroom-like setting, with Owens’ character even making a remark about “grade school.” Fletcher’s character starts banging on a desk. Meanwhile, shots of Hufft’s characters, walking down a big hallway, will be shown as well. After a bit, Martin’s character reacts to Fletcher’s annoying actions, causing some tension to fill the air. Hufft’s character then enters the room and says, “Gentleman.” By this point, Fletcher’s character snaps and reaches for a weapon. Owens’ character notices and quickly thrusts a knife toward Fletcher’s character’s throat. Right before the knife is near the neck, the film will cut to black. There will then be a montage of sounds – from screams to shotgun blasts.
Our film project seeks to be like a Tarantino film with our use of certain low-life characters (often in early Tarantino films), offbeat and rude dialogue, high tension leading to violence, and specific visual and sound styles. It was also a lot of fun to shoot, as the others and I all enjoy Tarantino’s films. As mentioned, the film is in post-production, but should be finished in a few days. I feel like it will be a great final project for me to help finish before the term comes to an end.
Here are some images of what will be seen in the final product:
Owens during the “traveling” montage.
Me during the “traveling” montage.
The shotgun in the trunk of the car. Don’t worry, the prop came nowhere near the SOU campus!
One of the masks that Owens’ character has. It’s the “Scarecrow” mask from the newer Batman films.
Owens during the opening scene.
One of the “gentleman” shots.
Martin playing guitar during his preparation scene.
Fletcher petting “Mr. Bubbles.”
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