I hope this blog can serve as a resource for ideas to other ambitious filmmakers and as a window to my experience for fellow collaborators. If you have a project that you would like me to be involved in I can be reached at (205) 441-4392.
Jul 25, 2005
Jul 20, 2005
WHAT IS SIDEWALK SCRAMBLE...
About a year ago the folks over at Sidewalk created this event called the SCRAMBLE. It is basically a 48 hour movie making competition. People from all over are welcome to organize a SCRAMBLE team and face the challenge of creating a short movie from writing, shooting and editing within 48 hours. It takes place over the course of a weekend beginning usually around 6pm or 7pm Friday night and finishing 48 hours later that Sunday night. Each SCRAMBLE event has different rules to insure no team has cheated and written a script ahead of time. For example, teams must include certain props and sometimes even lines of dialogue in their picture. Lately there have been genre stipulations (example: musical horror).
WHY I LOVE THE SCRAMBLE
For local filmmakers this event has really stirred the creative juices. Nothing like a little friendly competition to push the envelope. When organizing a team a filmmaker learns a great deal about the nuts and bolts of filmmaking - where are we going to shoot, when are we going to shoot what, what in the heck are we shooting, what MIGHT we be shooting, who are we shooting, who's running sound, what camera are we gonna use, what are we going to eat, will we sleep and when, who's gonna edit this thing, what are they going to edit it on, when will they do that, where will they do that, what lights are we going to use, how many cars do we need, music anyone?, where are we going to come up with costumes, what kinds of tool are we going to need to build that thing...etc..
There's a bunch of stuff I left out but you get the idea. In answering all of these questions relationships are introduced, formed, strengthened and tested. And if there is one key to good filmmaking, and anything for that matter in life, it is good relationships. These relationships happen between the filmmakers, families, business owners and the people on the streets sometimes. I think I'm going to cry....maybe later.
So filmmakers get a chance to work together under certain conditions. Over time teams have mixed company and begun to build upon each others' tactics and strategies. All of this helps to maintain, perpetuate and improve the skills that Birmingham filmmakers have. These skills stay with the filmmakers as they do other non SCRAMBLE projects. Also, all those relationships travel with the filmmakers as well from project to project building and sometimes breaking on themselves.
Not to mention for the general public this event is a nice departure from the norm. To see a gaggle of folks with a camera and a crazed look in their eyes frantically pulling together some sort of diabolical scene on the city streets is...well...refreshing in my opinion. It also turns into an interesting screening event with awards that public seems to enjoy.
The filmmakers can get feedback on there work after the screening.
And, most tangibly, after 1 event Alabama claims sovereignty over a large collection of new short movies. I think the last SCRAMBLE event produced around 40 new shorts.
There's a bunch of stuff I left out but you get the idea. In answering all of these questions relationships are introduced, formed, strengthened and tested. And if there is one key to good filmmaking, and anything for that matter in life, it is good relationships. These relationships happen between the filmmakers, families, business owners and the people on the streets sometimes. I think I'm going to cry....maybe later.
So filmmakers get a chance to work together under certain conditions. Over time teams have mixed company and begun to build upon each others' tactics and strategies. All of this helps to maintain, perpetuate and improve the skills that Birmingham filmmakers have. These skills stay with the filmmakers as they do other non SCRAMBLE projects. Also, all those relationships travel with the filmmakers as well from project to project building and sometimes breaking on themselves.
Not to mention for the general public this event is a nice departure from the norm. To see a gaggle of folks with a camera and a crazed look in their eyes frantically pulling together some sort of diabolical scene on the city streets is...well...refreshing in my opinion. It also turns into an interesting screening event with awards that public seems to enjoy.
The filmmakers can get feedback on there work after the screening.
And, most tangibly, after 1 event Alabama claims sovereignty over a large collection of new short movies. I think the last SCRAMBLE event produced around 40 new shorts.