If you're wondering where I am or what I'm up to these days, the answer will almost always start with an "Al" and end with a "oan." "Alastair Sloan," my current distraction, is essentially a short film about a cowboy who comes back from the sunset... In medieval England. It might sound a little outlandish, but if you've seen any Kurosawa movies, you're going to feel right at home watching this. Starting off where most westerns like to end, "Alastair Sloan" tells the story of a weary, drifting crusader who is forced to take a fresh look at fate after coming face to face with who he was, who he is, and who he will ultimately become. It's a film about ambition, war, destiny, and the enduring power of love.
It will be all those things... when it's finished. It's easy to forget the big picture while you're searching for dartless dresses at thrift stores and spending hours making scabbards out of duct tape and cardboard. Thankfully, production started in earnest last week with the first rehearsal and shooting day, which meant that I finally got a taste of what this thing is actually going to look like. Everybody did a great job, despite a bit of a time crunch we ran into towards the end when the sun decided to be jerk and disappear over the treeline.
Unfortunately, the strange dots you see on the images are not caused by some kind of newfangled, grungy image filter. I just totally forgot to clean the camera lens before we started shooting. Usually it's not that big of a deal, but when you're shooting right into the sun, it's like your toupe just got torn off. With that said, here are a few screen grabs to whet your appetites.
Stay tuned. More updates to come next week.
Look! CarlPeasant (tm)!
Posted by: Robert | October 07, 2008 at 02:49 PM