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By Monique Bos For the second year in a row, the Dandy Dwarves -- a student film production group headed by Savannah College of Art and Design seniors Josh Lind and Kevin Phillips -- earned a berth in the Short Film Competition at Midnight Movie Making Madness, a 24-hour event held in New York City, Oct. 9. The students competed against professional production companies from all over the country to create a 10-minute film in one day and night. To qualify, teams of filmmakers are assigned a genre and topic and are required to write, shoot, edit and score a 10-minute movie within two weeks. In both 2003 and 2004, the Dandy Dwarves were the only college group to advance to the final round of the competition. This summer, the group shot their qualifying film in Fargo, N.D., where Matt Charpentier, a founding member of the Dandy Dwarves, works for a production company called Bankshot. “It’s a new scene, a different place to shoot,” Lind said. “It completely took us out of any element of our usual lives -- cleaning rooms, paying bills. And we got to take a huge road trip with our best friends.” Phillips agreed. “It’s very inspirational to be somewhere else,” he said. “We were completely devoted to making this movie in two weeks, and it shows. Fargo is a blast.” Out of approximately 150 submissions, 12 finalists were chosen to travel to New York and complete a 10-minute film in 24 hours. Lind, a film and television major, and Phillips, a film and television and photography major, selected 16 SCAD students and recent graduates from a variety of majors to participate in the project. Team members dealt with various aspects of the film, such as writing, production, editing, acting and music. The group included film and television students Ben Collins, Brandon Kieffer and Jackie Pennetta, as well as alumnus Judge Dylan; illustration students Mark Wetzel, Steve Lomazzo and Britt Spencer -- the fourth founder of the group -- and alumnus Michael Porten; Dan Leu, a graphic design senior; Micah Trivisonno, a senior in computer art; painting senior Martha Allen; Shelli Lane, a junior in the fibers department; Christian Simmons, a senior in broadcast design and industrial design junior Jonathan Assaraf. “[The team] grows as we find other talented people to work with,” Lind said. “We just so happen to have all these great friends who are extraordinarily talented,” Phillips said. “We decided to borrow from the best and we utilize their skills.” The team traveled to New York Oct. 6-11 for the competition. At midnight on Oct. 8, the genre and topic -- a ghost story or monster movie involving a genius -- were announced for the final films, and filmmakers had until midnight Oct. 9 to submit finished work. “Yeah, we thought [the genre and theme were] silly at first, but it really forced us to be creative with it,” Phillips said. “We were focusing on the story elements.” After a series of mishaps, including equipment failures and loss of locations, the group handed in their completed film at 11:45 p.m., 15 minutes before the deadline. Although they didn’t garner one of the top three spots in the competition, Lind and Phillips said the experience was worthwhile. “Every time, we seem to make a really good product and meet really good people to work with,” Lind said. “Everyone has shown so much interest in us,” Phillips said. Both filmmakers emphasized that without the support of SCAD President Paula S, Wallace, their team wouldn’t have been able to travel to New York. SCAD loaned them equipment, supported them financially and allowed the students time off from classes. “Doing this trip is impossible without help from our school,” Lind said. |
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