Date Completed: January 2010
Running Time: 1:35
Genre: Drama, Gangster
The Game is a snapshot of a gritty underworld of card sharks.
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This was a really fun project! It was Christmas Break and I was itching to film something -- anything! I went through some music files on Soundtrack Pro and found the one used in this short. With inspiration covered, I wrote a script of voice over dialog based on a widespread joke ("I just lost the game..."), and got a couple friends together by asking them if they wanted to hang out for a day looking cool playing cards downtown. Based on the interest I got, I made the story about a mob boss, her bodyguards, and a guy trying to hustle the game.
The shoot took a couple hours and involved us wandering around parts of downtown Austin, having my friends play cards or look intimidating as I took a few shots from various angles. On to the next location, rinse, and repeat. Every film shoot needs a problem, and ours happened when we shot inside a parking garage. It was going to be a quick five minute shoot, but someone who worked at the garage saw us before we could start rolling and asked us not to film (parking garages = private property), but when he found out I was a student and this wasn't for making money off of, he let me finish a couple shots.
Some of the coolest moments of the shoot: 1) driving to the location with the wall by the train tracks just as the train sounded. My actors ran to the wall and got set up in time for us to grab shots with the train rushing by. Perfect timing! 2) The shot with them walking towards the camera under the construction sidewalk cover thing - very intimidating. 3) Hearing my friends try to make up a fictitious card game for them to play during the shoot. I think it started as Go Fish and morphed into who knows what. (Fizbin, I hope).
I edited and color corrected the second day and voila, a fun short film!
Thanks to Patrick, Risa, Matt, Mom, and Dad!
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