November, 2005
An awesome project
I cannot fathom how I did not write up a report on this one at the time. Some time in late October 2005 I got a call from writer/director Joshua Martin who had worked on Glenn Thomas's LA Film School project The Immigrants, offering me the role of a Mad Scientist in his short film. At the time I thought it was another LA Film School project, unaware that everyone who had worked on The Immigrants had graduated. This was an independent short they were making on their own.
As the location was a barn way to the north, I was retreived and driven up there for the night shoot, at which point I discovered it was its own independent film project, produced by Jacob Geller, with Cezar as DP. The fantasy short starred Immigrants co-star Robert Varga (who was already so far into his special effects make-up by the time I had arrived that I did not realize who he was until I saw the finished short). Also on hand was Simone, who was taking Behind the Scenes footage, as he did for The Immigrants, though in this case he did not retain the footage to edit, and based on results, no Behind the Scenes Making Of bonus featurette was ever created.
My controls and work station were situated in the barn's hay loft; they got to me around 3am, though while relaxing in the warm trailer, I was up in the loft watching part of the boxing sequence being filmed.
I was impressed with the production value being put into this. Giving the project one of its better cinematic looks was the use of a camera crane, which they rise up towards the hay loft in which I stand with my equipment.
Eventually the film acquired its own The Champ website, on which are behind the scene photos, cast and crew list, a trailer for it, et al.
The film screened at numerous film festivals, including but not limited premiering at the LA Shorts Film Festival at the Arclight Theatre.
I received the DVD and hope to work with this solid crew again.