almost there...
My First Short Film

Fat Elvis?

One time co-worker and now good friend Joshua Siegel shows me a script he's been toying with about a young man with a peculiar talent for cracking code. He asks me to portray a 30-something hacker with a greed burning deep inside him. Greedy enough to kill. Finally, after 3 months of filming on the weekends and then three agonizing years of editing (more on this later), it is finished: The Cypher.

First Time on Film
It's a very simple process. Memorise your lines. Rehearse the scene. Don't look into the camera. Oh yeah... and give up the use of your home for the next three months as a small film crew sets up shop, rearranges your furniture, which makes you cranky and seemingly indignant... And you swear you will never do this again... But as soon as you see the first cut of the film you are saying to your friends, "So, what is the next project, and when?"

My first time on film has taken three years for me to see it as a finished piece. And seeing myself on film for the first time wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be.

People react differently to seeing themselves on camera. I remember the first time hearing myself on tape. I worked hard to clear up what I thought was an annoying nasality. Watching myself on film has the same effect. I criticise my every choice, my every move, my EVERY NOSTRIL FLAIR. Yes, it's true. I flair my nostrils on camera and it reveals a cavernous hole in the middle of my face. I am still learning how to control this feature. Maybe it doesn't show to others. It could be that I just notice these little things after watching the scene several times and have nothing better to be distracted by... I really hope it isn't that noticeable.

First Day of Filming
I was nervous. My lines were not as solid as I had hoped, but I was busy being nervous. The scenes were relatively easy. Answer the door, welcome my guest in, get him situated at the computer, pour a drink, say "Holy Sh*t on a stick" and make a dumb face. Simple. (ed note: I have learned better acting skills since then!)

I felt like I was a stick puppet. A really bad stick puppet. And oh yeah, I looked into the camera, several times. I felt wooden while moving around. I didn't know how much I was allowed to move, if my movements would be too large for the camera (I am a musical theatre stage actor, after all), and did I mentioned I looked into the camera? Actually I only looked into the camera once, but what a hoot that was on the dailies. We were all watching my "wooden" performance and then BAM! You really notice it. Wow, do you ever.

Actually it wasn't that bad of an experience. After the first hour or two of shooting I became more comfortable. By the second day of shooting I was feeling more confident and I was able to concentrate on what was going on in the scene. By the third day... I wanted people out of my house. I made a horrible host. I had a nasty cold. Exhausted from late night rehearsals for a Dicken's play and my water heater broke during the second week of shooting. Nothing like a cold shower to start a day of shooting... Yuck. Sorry for being a pain in the ass, Joshua.

By The Way... Can You Edit?
About six months after wrapping the project Joshua finds out that he doesn't have someone to edit the film. Our DP (Director of Photographer) got some paying gigs and our agreement between each other has always been "bills come first." So Joshua started searching for another editor. He called me one day to tell me he found someone. Yay! Three months later he called me and said he is now without an editor. Boo!

Joshua is a real trooper. Scrapping together what funds he could manage he purchased a used G4 800MHz Mac with Final Cut Pro 3. He was going to learn how to edit this damn film himself. After a few weeks of frustrating failure he began apprenticing with a film editor, helping the editor on his current project, thus learning FCP in the process. So a few months of work and training Joshua begins the process of putting his short film together. He has great material to work with. Our DP was Tony Donaldson, with whom I have worked with on several occassions since. Joshua also contacted a music composer for an original soundtrack for the film, who was located in New Zealand. Special Effects were provided by another person in England, I believe. Truly an international effort.

Rome Was NOT Built in a Day...
Joshua does a rough cut of the short. Sends the cut to the composer who then supplies him a song-per-scene about every two weeks. So just as Joshua finishes cutting one scene together with the background music another sound file is emailed to him. He then begins on the second scene. About the time he finished that scene... Another sound file. Etc. This goes on for about a year.

I read once that producing a movie, from concept to completion, takes about 7 years. Can you believe that? I sure do. "The Cypher" took about FIVE YEARS to complete. From Joshua's first idea, to several script revisions (he also wrote the screenplay), casting and filming to editing the short film (about 25 minutes running time) took about five years. He even burned his own DVDs with labels and cover art. A very nice piece of work. I am proud to have been a participant.

The Premier... Sort of.
We previewed (premiered?) the film at my Fourth Annual FeBREWary FEST on Feb. 28th, 2004 to a group of 38 slightly drunk audience members/party goers. Joshua was really nervous. He remained outside on the lanai watching through our large bay windows as the crowd watched the film. He paid attention to the crowd as he remarked on their reactions. A very interesting phenomenon. Nervewracking, for sure. It was well received with good comments and the little flaws in sound or editing were glossed over or not acknowledged. A job well done, Joshua!

So now on to the big showing! We are looking for a venue to show "The Cypher" somewhere in Los Angeles. We received an email the other day regarding a short film showcase being hosted by a local theatre complex. They are looking for all types of film to show... Who knows? Maybe I will be on a big screen by the end of this year after all.

Cheers!

Follow the piranha back to his home pool, if you dare...