In late summer 2008 I was working on a film crew for the picture Exit 727. It was kinda like an outsiders meets west side story, but without singing and the happy ending.
I learned a lot about how a film is put together and the varying responsibilities of all the parties involved. It made a nice counterpoint to the series I had worked earlier in the summer, ClosingTime.
The trailer is so-so lots of shouting and angry 20-something males. Not a great depth to the characters (at least from what I recall during the shooting) While it lacks the the inspiration of the scene by scene remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark, ya gotta start somewhere. According to the website it is expected to be in theaters during 2009.
There were lots of adventures during shooting. Several times the local police stopped past to check in with us, make sure we had all of the papers in order. Two hurricanes skirted the area causing a slowdown in shooting. The original video editor was fired 2 weeks into the project for being a total moron, lucky for him he had been advanced 1/2 his salary and declined to return it.
I met a few really good people.. but they have since moved out of the St. PEtersburg area, some to upstate New York and others to San Antonio, Texas. I did get a nice introduction to some of the more popular places (think bars) in the area as we used them for several scenes in the film. Lastly, and to the best of my knowledge I have a cameo in Exit 727, all the crew took turns making “drug buys” during a time lapse sequence. mmm powdered sugar.
Would I do it again, yes. I gained insight into another line of work. Kinda makes me wanna turn my novel from the upcoming NaNoWriMo into a screenplay. All I need is a great idea and a camera.
-
- EXIT 727 Logo
-
- Sunset at the beach house location
-
- Sea horse villas, my favorite shooting location
-
- Shooting at Mermaids, the day Sarah Palin became McCain’s running mate
-
- Movie Magic going on
-
- Shooting at one of St. Pete Beach’s local bars
-
- Awesome Aussie
-
- Charlie and I set up all the lights, cameras etc
-
- Impromptu script planning meeting
-
- Ever drive someone else’s car that had a breathalyzer? PITA
-
- Getting the gear for the next few weeks of shooting
More to learn!
Baseball, Payday, and Marriage
The beginning part of the week has slipped a some ...
Artistic Mailboxes of Gulfport
Moving to Gulfport I was amazed at the density of ...- At the Redline
I live here. Not that I am not elsewhere.. but th... 
Closing Time
Nearly a year ago I worked on a production of a se...
Clothing Design and Deconstruction
Not being able to find the quirky and unique style...
About Matthew
A lot of people worked really hard on this project. Eric is a good guy and has a great script/product. I hope it all works out for him. It was a fun, stressful, aggravating, cool, and an interesting project to work on. I hope I have the opportunity to work with this crew again.