Wednesday, January 7, 2004
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Wednesday, January 7, 2004 |
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Fayette students at UGA are making movies By MICHAEL BOYLAN Eric Hanson and Alex Crawford attended different schools in different grades in Fayette County, but they are now working together in Athens on a short film called, “Teaching Marlow.” Hanson graduated from McIntosh High School in 1999, while Crawford graduated from Fayette County High School in 2003. Their love of film and making movies has erased any rivalry that was between them. The two met on the set of a local cable access show called “After Hours.” Hanson does some camera work and edits, while Crawford is the host. The show interviews local people on the Athens scene. Hanson had filmed some short sketch-type films with friends but was interested in doing a longer feature. Crawford had just the thing, “Teaching Marlow,” a short film script about two friends who wish to shake up their conservative town. Crawford had written the script as a student at Fayette County but could not find enough help to film it properly. Crawford submitted the script in a national short script contest and it earned an honorable mention. Hanson liked the idea and the two started pre-production in September. “We put up signs all over the campus and the town that read, ‘Wanna Make a Film?’” said Crawford. “About 40 people showed up to the meeting and we got 20 commitments to help that night.” The crew varied from college students with telecommunications experience to a few students from the local high school who had never done anything like this but wanted to learn. The next step was finding actors and this proved to be a bit more difficult. “We found most of the cast, but we had trouble finding someone to play Lex,” said Crawford, who described the character as the real pretentious best friend and the catalyst behind the rebellion against the town. “Alex read the part while auditioning someone else and everyone thought he did a real good job with it,” said Hanson. From that point on, Crawford operated as writer, actor and co-director. Hanson focused on the more technical aspects of filming, while Crawford would work with the actors. It was a system that would help them get through a total of 10 days of shooting. The budget for the film was $1,500 and the money came from the producers, Crawford’s and Hanson’s fathers. The largest portion of the budget was on equipment rentals, with the rest going toward food to keep everyone on the set happy. The movie was shot on a digital video camera and Hanson estimated there are 22 tapes of footage so far, with one day of shooting left to be done after the break. Most of the days they filmed began at 5:30 a.m. and ended, for the actors and crew, at 5 p.m. “If it was light out, we were shooting,” said Crawford. After filming was done for the day, Hanson and Crawford would watch the footage and Hanson would start to do some editing. “Keep in mind, much of the filming was done during exams,” said Hanson, who claimed he did most of his studying for exams the day before. Each day was a learning experience, each deserving of a story itself. For instance, there was the day that Hanson fell off a dolly into a highway in Madison while filming. There was also the day that a dream sequence involving a convenience store robbery was being shot and two real customers thought the robbery was real, despite signs on the entrance telling them differently. The pair also find it interesting that since they established the Web site for their film company, Overexposed Films, mainly as a way to keep a journal of the production and for the crew to find out the latest news, they get phone calls and e-mails from actors, actresses and interns wishing to send them headshots and be involved in their next production. Hanson estimates that the editing of “Teaching Marlow” will take about a month. Both he and Crawford are planning on entering the film in the Atlanta Film Festival, which has an entry deadline of Feb. 2. After a screening for cast and crew and friends and family, the duo are planning on laying low for awhile. Crawford will go back to the keyboard and work on some new stories. There is also talk of doing some really short films before doing another major work over the summer. Their advice to other aspiring filmmakers is to do something that is feasible to shoot. “Teaching Marlow,” they explained, has no special effects or exotic locations. “Don’t shoot beyond your means,” they said. “You can do a lot with everyday situations.” Hanson and Crawford’s excitement about the project is contagious. For those seeking more information about “Teaching Marlow,” or Overexposed Films, visit www.overexposedfilms.com.
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