For Candy, we took to Orlando's Orange Blossom Trail in search of sketchy, run-down buildings. We found the abandoned coin laundry and spent probably two hours shooting, uninterrupted, under Leticia's direction and camera operation. I recorded the character's narration under Justin's direction after the fact. Oh, and the vehicle Mario rolls up in at the end is my beloved 2003 Neon. We never heard back from the festival coordinators after submitting this one.
For Engagement, we filmed at Leticia's house under Justin's direction and camera operation. The shoot probably lasted between three and four hours. Kaci and I, just as we did for the writing process, paired up to edit the piece. Though Kaci's father is an open-minded fellow, we did edit a sex-scene-free version to show him. After submitting this second film, the festival coordinators uploaded it to their website for public viewing and voting.
The films themselves aren't glowing examples of great cinema, nor do they represent pinnacles of my output from my time at Full Sail, but I'll be damned if they weren't the most fun to make. I was a key member of a mutually respectful group of like-minded people, we made what we wanted to make and we had a load of fun doing it. Much of the great pleasure on a film set comes not only from the world you are presenting through the lens, but also the surrogate family you create with your cast and crew. For only being in the thick of production for forty-eight hours, we definitely experienced that great pleasure.
