High-res versions available. Send email to info@benkadie.com. |
Ben Kadie creates paintings for the film. Some are original. Others are thrift shop finds, remade. |
Ben paints a homemade prop knife. |
In their work clothes, Ben and his mom, Nanci, test a set-piece door. Ben bought the door and Nanci trimmed and supported it. Nanci helps with the three C's: carpentry, costumes, and catering. |
The door, two flats, and a bookshelf create a wall of Mack and Lidia's apartment. The 7'x3' flats first appeared in Murder at the Pharaoh's Grave as tomb walls. Last summer, with the fewer hieroglyphs and more wallpaper, they appeared in Molly and Masked Storm. With the addition of yellow paint, they now make their third film appearance. |
On a location scouting expedition, Ben and his dad, Carl, find a great place to dump a body. For the film, Carl helps with the three B's: batteries, backups, and best boying (assisting with lights and and the dolly). |
Ben casts teen actors he knows from his previous school, his current school, and from film camp. For one last minute change, he puts out an open call and casts James Webster, a student from neighboring school. Based on actor and location available, Ben sets up an ambitious schedule: five shooting days over one week. |
Ben wrote the screenplay in the Spring. In early Summer, with feedback from TheFilmSchool's Prodigy Camp (especially Rick Stevenson), Ben revised it. Starting a couple weeks before shooting, Ben storyboards the film with software from FrameForge 3D. |
Dylan Forbes plays Duncan King, a successful artist. |
Camilla Franklin plays Lidia. Canute Haroldson play Mack, a struggling artist. Ben shoots with a Canon T2i/550D, his first time with full manual controls and interchangeable lenses. |
Dylan leans out over the railing on the balcony set. |
Canute and Camilla look down "six stories". |
Derik Radcliffe plays Bane, Mack's best friend. |
Ben gives himself a small role: a TV interviewer. |
What must the neighbors think? Some days plastic obscures the windows. Other days, two layers of heavy paper blacks out the windows. |
James Webster plays Mr. Duff, the owner of the prestigious Fife Gallery. |
Carl hopes that this film will get his car into the Internet Movie Car Database (IMCDB). |
The third shooting "day" is at night: 7pm for make-up, shooting from 9pm until midnightJessie George starts her age make-up |
Mira Spurgeon starts her age make-up. |
Derik wears Macbeth-brand shoes. Perfect! |
Nanci helps Mira with her make-up. |
Ben helps Jessie with make-up. |
When the hairbrush breaks, the hair is done. |
The Canon T2i/550D camera (with a 50mm f/1.8 lens) allows shooting under streetlights, flashlights, and compact portable LED light. |
Kayla Hammond makes a dramatic nighttime entrance. |
Ben reviews his shot list on the fourth day of shooting. |
The camera dollies up to James. Ben's parents gave him this homemade dolly for his twelfth birthday. (Other birthday presents used in this film include an eBay light kits and nine homemade sandbags.) |
Derik and Camilla as seen from the "hallway" |
Canute holds his brush like a knife. |
Camilla hold a knife like a knife. |
We expect the "Got Milk" people will soon call Derik with a job offer. |
Dylan's "lighting test" photo from the first day should be good for publicity uses, too. |
James portrays a character who is well dressed, but nervous. |
On the fifth and last day of shooting, the production moves to a borrowed room in Crossroads Shopping Center, Bellevue. |
Hope Webster, TJ Orgovan, and Erin Salle join the cast. |
Kayla returns as a reporter interviewing Canute in the art gallery. |
Hope and Erin critique the paintings in the gallery. |
The cast eats lunch in the Crossroads' excellent food court. |
A drop cloth, blanket, and towel ensure that Derik doesn't drip on the floor. Likewise, in other shot, pillows and pads ensure that nothing really hits on the floor. |
The cast walks over to Crossroads Park for the the film's "martini" (last scheduled) shot. |
A week after the main filming, Derik comes in a special night shoot: Jumping backwards into the Lake Washington. |
The day after the main filming, a Saturday, Ben creates the film's first trailer. The next step: creating the whole film. By design, this film has few special effects and Ben expects post-production to go relatively easily. |
Fife Gallery Exterior: Using Cinema 4D to add a shiny (downloaded) 3D truck to a 2D Photoshop matte painting. |