Saturated was my entry for the 10x10 Filmmaker's Challenge at the 2005 Sacramento Film Festival. Yes, this year I actually came in under the limit at 9:57 with the immense help of Brian Hamm and Ryan Todd. Man, I need to learn how to slice and dice myself.
We actually shot three films: Ewigkeit, Bri's film, and Loop, Ryan's flick, are all part of the same world and interactions with angels. Not the kind that have white wings or cherubic little faces, but the kind that might be called to exact some form of vengeance, or to wake one up, or to encourage one to keep asking hard questions about reality.
A lot of the filmmakers wrote their pieces beforehand. I almost did, but then I remembered last year, and how I had no concept of what the theme would be, and how God used my enthusiasm for the horror medium to deliver an indictment against stale traditions, mendacity and acedia within the church. So this year I decided to let Him do the talking again...
Well, this time around I was no less surprised. The entire thing is allegory on several different levels that I'm still trying to figure out how God made come out of me, y'know? The theme was End of Days, and I wound up shooting a 10 minute journey of a man so obfuscated by circumstance and technology that it's all he can do not to combust--and how God uses messengers to gently--but firmly--reassure him that he only need wake up to the simplicity of life rather than drown in the complexities of it.
"Everybody's different. Everybody's the same. Everybody needs a wake-up call at some point."
I'm pretty happy with it. Heck, I'm still amazed by it. It's the first time I've ever felt the camera wasn't just a picture frame but an actual character. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind completely opened a new door in my filmmaking style: freedom. There are a few moments I'd tweak that we had to shorten to meet the 10 minute criteria, but they're very small--and if I ever have the time to learn how to edit myself, I will.
Brian started out with his flick, Ryan wrote his and pulled one of Brian's characters into the story, and I pulled two of Ryan's. Ultimately, we were all quite pleased with the results--and happily, they screened back to back, even though they really don't need to be. There's just more of an aesthetic cinematic pleasure watching them in the order we conceived their occurrence...
Saturated was shot on the DVX100 at the Pyramid Alehouse and Brewery, the San Francisco coast, in the pool at Laurie Pederson's house, and in my studio. It starred Jenna Ricks, Ron Randolph, Brian Rife, Michelle Noufer (to break up the 'R' names) and myself.
I will mount this short in entirety as soon as I figure out how. Yeah, I still need to learn the whole compression thing...