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entertaining u newspaper: your weekly guide to entertainment
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The Departed (movie review)
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by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
What: Turning
When: Oct. 13th @ midnight & Oct. 15th @ 2pm
Where: San Marco Theater
Admission: $7.50
On a budget of less than a thousand dollars, Scott Abrams, the ex-director of Improv Jacksonville shot a horror themed film called Turning. Says Abrams of his shift from stage to screen: “Personally I think that… [film]the next step from theater…I find telling my own stories is more accessible through film than it is through live performance. I also find that you have a lot more control…You can fix the things that go wrong…you can’t always do that when you’re live on stage…My ultimate goal as an actor has always been to jump from the theater to film, but the deeper I got into filmmaking the more I realized that behind the camera seemed to be not only more satisfying…but I seem to have greater strength for it.”
The film was shot entirely in digital format, using a consumer grade camera because, as Abrams says “we couldn’t afford a professional grade camera.” After only three months of filming and editing, the film is already on DVD and will be shown Friday 13th at the San Marco Theatre at midnight and again on 15th at 2pm. Two opening parties will be held, both at Common Grounds, one at 10 pm prior to the Friday show and after the show on Sunday. Copies of the DVD will be available to purchase, including such extras as a commentary, blooper reel and a “making of” short. The digital video hasn’t been converted into film, something that compromises the quality of the film, especially when shown on a large screen, but makes for a cheap way to have the experience of filmmaking without the huge cost. “We make some mistakes,” says Abrams “but we told the story and the music was amazing.” The soundtrack of the film, written especially for the production, will also be available for purchase as well. “Sherry Chung,” says director Abrams “is my film composer and we have made a pact: any film I make where I have control over who makes the music, it will be her…Her goal…was to become a film composer, she knew this as a child.”
This is Abram’s directorial debut as a filmmaker, although he’s been “involved in films off and on for the past ten years” and has “written numerous scripts…” it’s the first one that he has written, directed and produced himself. The film runs a little over an hour making it a feature length film, rather unusual choice for a first time director. “A lot of people when they start out, they start by making shorts. My goal is to write film and probably do it from L.A. and I know that the film industry as a whole isn’t necessarily interested in shorts.” Abrams wore quite a few hats while making the film, to both cut costs and gain valuable experience in the world of film. “I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker as a whole, to write, direct, produce and shoot the film…To do each one of these things on other people’s project would take forever. So I decided the easiest way to do it would be to make a film of my own and do every piece of it myself. Initially, the idea was would be the only one [on this project]—that became to daunting a task…There’s only three other people both in the cast and the crew. The four of us did every aspect of the film ourselves.” Abrams wrote, directed, shot, produced and starred in Turning.
When asked about his choice in genre, Abrams replied “Horror is, I think, reliable because people are forgiving…Sometimes it’s formulaic, it’s a bag of tricks. Every horror film is kind of the same…and the hope is to add a few tools to piece that you’re working on… As I looked at my scripts, my horror film was the easiest to produce.” The film is purported to be a “a little bit suspenseful, a little social commentary.”
Abrams has brought a commercial grade camera since doing this production and is planning to shoot a number of humorous “how-to” shorts, like “How to Combat Zombies” in order to get used to the equipment before he shoots another feature. He plans to move on to L.A. after he films this next project.
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