To commemorate my start as a filmmaker 15 years ago, I am sharing a retrospective series of write-ups dedicated to my past short film work that includes brief commentary for each short film as well as a few "fun facts" about their creation.
3/16. The Procrastinator (2006)
A college student receives a lengthy paper assignment. Starring David Pritchard.
Made as a self-assigned film school project. I had recently arrived at the University of Central Florida to attend its film school but hadn't yet started the school's limited-access film production track. As such, I was eager to get my feet wet and did so by mimicking the one-minute, non-dialogue short film assignment expected of Directing I students. Not that it mattered but I ended up going over the self-imposed time restriction a tad.
This short film steps away from earlier political themes and aims to portray something a bit more universal. I won't say too much about the film's metaphorical underbelly at the risk of sounding too pretentious but I'll just say that I'll never forget when a good friend of mine put it to me rather uncannily that he thought the piece was really about predetermination.
Fun Facts:
• The opening POV shot and the shot of the shuttle racing down the street were accomplished by me standing up through the sunroof of my roommate's SUV as it barrelled down Orlando's Alafaya Trail.
• For some reason I can't recall, the shot of David's character simply opening the door to his bedroom took upwards of 30 takes.
• The second-to-last shot of the film is a recreation of an Italian Renaissance artist, Andrea Mantenga's painting, Lamentation over the Dead Christ.
