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Austin, TX - Student filmmakers Ted Agee and Tony
Dillard have always considered themselves to be risk takers.
The kind of risk takers that aren't too worried about maxing
out credit cards, borrowing money from their parents and diverting
a check from the government earmarked for textbooks. That
is, if it will help them complete their tyro film "Banana
Sky," due to open at the student union on Friday.
"It's not a really a risk when you're betting on yourself,"
Agee said. "And we --and our investors and parents--are
betting that 'Banana Sky' will take us to the very top."
That is, if they can finish it in time.
Dillard, the film's director, cinematographer, executive
producer, editor, key grip, makeup artist and location scout,
has been burning the candle at both ends for more than 3 weeks
and is excited about the possibilities of moving to Hollywood
and finding a "reputable distributor like Dreamworks
or even Miramax."
"Right now I'm adding the detail stuff--like all kinds
of cool zooms and other special effects. There is nothing
that makes a film look more professional then adding all the
cool fades and wipes --and this one thing I do which makes
the shot look like it's right through a fishbowl. It's a lot
like what Tarantino does."
Agee, the film's screenwriter, lighting director, lead actor,
dialect coach, accountant, animal wrangler and audio mixer
admits he wasn't quite sure at first the fishbowl shot was
necessary since it isn't related to the actual story. But
like all projects of this nature, there are lots of arguments
Agee says, and even more compromise.
"For example, I wanted at least four dream sequences
in this film but Tony said that would look too 'artsy and
contrived.' So we decided to just have three. Also, Tony demanded
that we shoot only when we had a complete script, but I told
him that movies are usually a lot better and much more real
when there's a bunch of improvisation. That's what they did
in 'The Godfather.' I think like 95% of it was just made up
on the spot. "
They both agreed, however, that the shot with the camera
angle from inside a mailbox and another shot where the camera
circles the actors while they play poker, were "unparalleled
strokes of genus."
"Sometimes, the last minute choices you think of right
on the spot are the best choices," Dillard said. "For
example, it didn't even occur to us to have the lead female
character carry a gun and shoot a homeless guy for coughing
on her. It added a whole new element to her character. We
also included a director's cameo at the last minute-- where
I just walked casually past the actors just like Hitchcock
would do in his movies."
The press packet for "Banana Sky"
describes the film as "a brilliant new movie about a
college student who has always wanted to be a great writer
but because he's grappling with an inner conflict, it becomes
very difficult to write. So he goes to Hollywood and has more
inner conflict and struggles and fights off his inner demons,
while he gets entangled in a love affair with a dangerous
woman who is also a FBI agent/vampire."
Tickets go on sale Thursday at the student
union.
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