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| Guerrilla filmmaking: First-time director Aram Rappaport (l.) spent a week filming his kidnap drama, 'Helix,' in real time
in Chicago with a small crew. Courtesy of Danielle Garnier/Windward Entertainment |
In Chicago's streets, a thriller shot in a single take
A young director and his cast dash through the busy city – catching bystanders unaware – for a film about a kidnapping.
from the April 18, 2008 edition
Page 3 of 3
In several scenes, actors had to improvise to fill time while waiting for a red light to change or for pedestrians to move. "There's a lot of ad-libbing," says Carlo Garcia, who plays one of the kidnappers. "Of course you don't want to say something like, 'So how 'bout them Cubs,' " he adds, laughing.
They hope the end result is a film that feels authentic. "We're really trying to tell a story as raw and as real as it possibly could be," says Vega. "I've been running around Chicago in my socks. It's not about pampering here. It's really just about making a movie for the love of it."
The biggest challenge: distribution
The next step for filmmakers is to find a distributor, but if the writing and talent aren't there, then the one-take gimmick may not work.
"What really separates the good projects from the one-trick ponies is the writing," says Tolchinsky of Northwestern. Alongside the big-budget drive to get more people into theaters is a low-budget, grass-roots phenomenon spurred by the lower cost of moviemaking technology and a YouTube generation that feels empowered to take charge of the camera. This has led to a "democratization" of filmmaking, he says.
"It's easier to get things done," says Tolchinsky. "There's lots of outlets on the Web, and there's editing systems that most people can afford."
Not that these filmmakers will be needing an editor – which will save time and money – though Rappaport is allowing for color correction and sound editing.
Today's take included more improvisation than the others. The actors jumped on a city bus and ran through a convenience store, but there were technical problems with the microphones, and a crew member wound up in a shot. It looks like this day will be scrapped, says Rappaport.
But when asked how other shoots have gone, he replies, "I think Wednesday was a great take. That's the day," he says smiling.
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