tabula rasa

One of the actors in this afternoon's slate of short films expressed surprise that I was there. I wasn't in any of the films, I had no role of any kind with any of the films, and, as far as I had known when I arrived, I did not even know anyone who had made or acted in any of the sixteen films.
So, why was I there?
Good question.
And, right off the top of my head, I had replied, "I enjoy going to films and I especially enjoy going to new films that no one yet knows. I try not to read reviews, because they can give you a predisposition toward a film. If I don't know anything about it, I can let the film lead me where it will and then make up my mind as to whether I liked it or not."
The young man was a bit surprised by my answer.
Truth to tell, I was, too.
But I wasn't too surprised.
After all, I once wrote film reviews for a local entertainment paper, until they wanted me to rate the movies. Like my opinion should carry that much weight - how preposterous!
And, yet - many people won't go to a movie if its star rating is too low.
Or if a cetain website threw decaying fruit at it.
Really.
It's very disappointing to me that so many would allow the opinions of a few to dictate their tastes.
Not just in movies, but in stagecraft or music or books or clothing... I realize that in today's world of instant gratification, using shortcuts is commonplace. However... why put trust into a stranger's opinion over one's own?
Yeah, I realize I've strayed a bit off topic.
You see, I came here to talk about the films I saw at Muse Arts on a stormy Sunday afternoon.
The sixteen films were made last month for submission to the 48 Hour Film Project, Savannah division. The judges were well-known folk, not locals, but people in the business with lots of experience and awards to go along with their names.
Each film had three criteria to meet. First, a towel must be used as one of the props. Second, one of the characters had to be an author named Woodrow or Wendy Willamer. Third, a character must utter the line, "I guess that's okay."
As for film genre, those were selected at the meeting in July. Each group was then tasked with staying within that type of fillm.
This project has been active in Savannah for about ten years, I think.
I try to make it a point to attend. New material, never before seen, featuring a cast which may also be new to the world of acting?
You bet I'll be there!
(The same is true of the 24 Hour Play Festival, held twice yearly since 2011. Why do I attend? See my above rant.) {smile}
The photographs below are of my (unmarked) voting ballot.
Yes, I did make my three choices and submit them for the Audience Choice Award.
No, I will not tell you what I those choices were!
You can look up the videos on youtube. Hopefully, they will soon be there.
I will provide a basic synopsis or general background information, much as I did in the movie reviews I once wrote.
Oh! One more thing!
The group that won Best Overall, as well as two (or was it three?) other awards, was a family. That's right. Dad, Mom, kids, Grandma - they were all involved, either in front or behind the camera. This was their second year of being in the 48HFP: Savannah. Their video, "Say Yes" should be pretty easy to spot: it's probably had 100,000 views by now.
Oh! Just one more thing! I promise!
The group that came in Second for Best Film, as well as First in two other awards (!) were complete novices. That's right, starting with just a couple of drinking buddies who roped in some support along the two-day process last month.
Amazing! I don't think anyone was more surprised than they were.
Look up "Write of Passage" while you're clicking youtube channels...

The first is a new twist on the classic Grimms' tale about Hansel and Gretel. Keep in mind that witches have families, too!
The second brings to mind a sweet song by George Strait. Perhaps you know it?
The next cautioned against letting a teenaged boy babysit your young'n's. The stunning thing about this one? It was completely filmed and edited using a CELLPHONE, by a group of kids UNDER THE AGE OF 15. I'll be looking forward to their next one! I didn't see the trailer until now, so I completely missed the towel creation, Ed The Donkey. My guess is the judges missed it, too.
"Fatal" was about a damsel most decidedly not in distress.
Then we had a musical! Most impressive, too, considering the script incorporated at least four songs composed specifically for the film. All in less than two days, y'all! Yes, I must admit, this was my favorite! It didn't hurt that it was Part 2 of the many tales of a rockstar gone old called Slick Sneed. (This homage was brought by the folks who gave us "The Long Vacation" last year.)
Towel Convention, anyone? LOL! (I hope to have a link for this soon. They don't seem to have it up just yet.)
Then there was this poor fellow who kept trying to warn the world, but his time machine was setting him down in all the wrong places. Yikes! Perhaps it set the video link into an old locale as well!
And you just gotta love a superhero who hangs out at the beach!!! Oh, yes, you do! Especially if he is dorky sweet and brings to mind simple childhood dreams...
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Intermission!
Get up and stretch your legs!
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And we're back...

This first one was by that bunch of drinking buddies I told you about. The towel was the real star of the film: it was a Three Dog towel! All it really needed was a blacklight and some poker cards to make it perfect. The story line featured a Write-Off for best description of the towel. Quite funny, and be sure to watch the credits for out-takes!
"Book Deadline" was, of all things, a silent film! The action was moved along with the aid of a couple of text messages on the author's cellphone. Just a few was all it took, as the young man starring was quite expressive! So much so, in fact, that he took the award for Best Actor for this year's films! Bravo, T.J.!
This next one featured both characters, Wendy and Woodrow, and was the only one to do so. Thank God this horror film was short! Here's a word of caution: be careful cleaning out the home of a dead relative - you never know what secrets they might have had hidden away!
Then we have the case of the author who's character, brought to life in his previous book, insists that she be given a larger universe! Very convincing she was, too, winning the Best Actress award for her efforts. Brava!
Film noir! Yeah!!! Now, change up the scene with a female lead, add a couple of twists, and stir: "Case Closed"! (No film clip yet, but stay tuned.)
"You Got A Pen?" is an "on the road" pic with two definitely nonbuddy guys. Their deadpan interactions are a hoot as they seek to fulfill their delivery quest. Check it out!
Like something Robbin Graves might have dug up for the late-night, Saturday-night "B" movies of my youth, "Night of the Mossman" is a creature feature designed to thrill and chill! I especially enjoyed the last line - most excellent!
Now, I'm sure you're thinking this: "hey! She skipped one!"
Well, I'm keeping my discourse in the same order in which the films were actually shown. You see, there was some kind of issue with a missing five seconds of sound, so they shifted "Back to One" to the back of the line so they could insert the corrected version.
As the gypsy says, "Second chances ... it's a shame to waste 'em." Foretelling the future, was she? Perhaps! But fear not, gentle reader, they most certainly did not waste their do-overs, whether literal or figurative. Killer Fish Productions ran with the concept, garnering some awards along the way! Woohoo, y'all! Where can I get one of those shirts?
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I'm already making a note to reserve the first part of August for next year's films. I hope you can join me!