| 8:00 a.m. was a short film, my very first, made while a student at Vassar College back in the spring of 1995. Shot on 16mm with two non-sync magnetic soundtracks, and cut entirely with only a single workprint -- using "cut-and-splice" editing and no post-production mixing -- the film seems primitive compared to today's era of hi-def video and digital editing technology. And I'll be the first to admit that the film ain't perfect. Still, though, I'm proud of it, as it garnered honors with The New Jersey Student Film & Video Showcase (Director's Citation, 1996) and New York's SMPTE/RAVA Short Film Festival (Honorable Mention, 1995). It also has been shown within various film festivals and television stations throughout the country, and I think it once was even screened in Australia! If it could be considered anything of a "success", I really have to thank the performance of actor Alex Ferrari -- who at the time was a 19-year old sophomore, willing to spend four of his weekends shooting the damn thing. My film partner, Seth Granger, also worked his ass off, and put up with my (many) tantrums during filming. And finally, my film professor, Ken Robinson, I have to thank, for his instruction and guidance. (He once told me that I was "the most stubborn sonufa bitch" in the class -- and I still regard it as a really cool compliment.) |
