Writer/Director Sam Farmer on location
The first cut is complete. At a lean 70 minutes, there's still quite a bit left in post-production (fine-cutting, 2nd unit shots, a few composites, score, mix, titles, and color), but it's looking like a real movie finally.
Directing a film requires a lot of patience and trust. Patience after 5 years of delays and false-starts; Trust that the talent is fully invested in their respective roles (in front of and behind the camera). With this first cut, I can breathe a sigh of relief. More than that, I can finally be excited!
5 years in the making - makeup FX text with actor Eric Dooley (pictured right) and FX artist Jeh Howell in 2013
My respect and awe for every person involved in this break-neck, 11-day shoot just quadrupled. Ultra low budget filmmaking doesn't allow for generous rehearsal periods, re-shoots, sequential shooting, or even a damn courtesy monitor for yours truly. Thus, it's hard to know how two scenes meant to play side-by-side (but filmed 5 days apart) will cut together. The performances, lighting, sound, camerawork, etc. are all at risk of obvious continuity issues. I'm happy to report that not only do NO such issues exist, but the performances ebb and flow seamlessly.
Make no mistake, this isn't a layered dramatic piece with complicated, overlapping character arcs. This is a simple, western premise re-imagined as a modern home invasion thriller. At the center of the story is the classic, stoic/loner archetype Clint Eastwood, Gary Cooper, or John Wayne played so expertly, so often. Ours is a widow with an ambiguous past. The villains, a trio of entitled men who want her land. In the periphery, a tough-as-nails adult daughter, a corrupt sheriff's deputy, and indifferent townsfolk.
Pre-production storyboard
Genre pictures like this are often cheap to produce and rely on even-cheaper thrills to entertain the gore-hounds thirsty for a bucket of blood and a few clever jump-scares. To that end, we succeeded. Beyond that, our cast and crew gave nuance and depth to the material. Each moment seems to bear the existential weight of everything from gun violence to women's rights, but without heavy-handed editorializing, preaching, or political hackery.
For fans of Camille Keaton, I hope you'll all be pleasantly surprised. Since Camille came out of semi-retirement, she's been offered mostly legacy roles. They're flattering, but limited to cameos with few lines and very little depth (if any). Production quality varies dramatically too -- from professional, to hobbyist digital cinema.
Not only is Camille the lead in this film, she's more than just a wronged woman looking for revenge or a psychologically-damaged killer. Camille's character is not something we're used to seeing in Hollywood: A real 70 year-old woman. She's stoic, vulnerable, sometimes-stubborn, and bad ass!
Having known Camille for the past 6 years, I think this character might be the closest thing to who she is when the cameras aren't rolling (actually, Camille is funnier).
Uncolored Raw image from the NLE - Camille Keaton is the wrong woman to mess with
What can YOU expect?
This isn't a shoot-em-up action film with bullets whizzing-past as our heroine barrel-rolls through the air firing two guns at once. This is a slow-burn of escalating tensions and sudden moments of violence, endured by a woman with a secret, abandoned by her small-town, under-estimated by her own friends and family, and ignored by law enforcement.
Despite the grit and the gore, the cast delivered a few moments of humor. Expect an outtake reel and alternate take reel. Once this cast got loose, the ad-libs got funnier and funnier.
Enough rambling for now. I'm excited to get through post-production and get it released!
Lastly, thank YOU for your interest. Fans of Camille, fans of the genre, and fans of independent cinema make it worth the grind.
Regards,
Sam Farmer - Writer/Director
Love the Blog! I'll follow for updates. Great stuff!
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