I’ve actually seen “Arrangements.” And not just in my head this time.

On Saturday, March 22 a cast and crew screening of the very-nearly-finished short was arranged at the Mill Gallery in Santa Cruz. The screening proper took place in a spacious open mezzanine above the main gallery floor.

And when I say cast and crew screening, I should actually call it a preview. Although the space it was shown in was comfortable and suitably dark, the film was sourced from a standard DVD onto a screen about four feet wide. This set-up had the effect of making the film’s more subtle elements a bit muted. Presentation is important: That is a recurring theme here at Box Office Weekly.

Nonetheless, even with these presentation difficulties factored in it was an astonishing experience. Excellent acting, which means equally excellent directing. Crisp, professional cinematography. And the music– Wow!

There were scenes in the film that exactly matched my mental images when I penned the original manuscript, fourteen months ago. Some of the flashier parts, like a trio of montages I inserted into the story, were not just effective: they were better than I imagined. Chip took the license with these montages and really jammed a lot of imagery into them. They have the right effect: they convey a lot of information visually, and sort of jolt the story, inserting a kick of propulsive energy into the narrative flow.

And there were surprises! Chip shot an intro sequence, some scenes of the main character and his wife in bright, sunny shots. It really sets up the film well, contrasting with the grey, grim first (scripted) scene effectively. There are also some minor changes to line reads throughout the film, a combination of alterations and the actor’s on-set readings.

The ending is also totally different. Chip shot both his new ending and my original ending, but went with his in the final cut. A normal screenwriter ’s response to a changed ending is an exploded head (messy). But I think his version is an improvement. Chip had developed a certain interpretation of the story, one that included the mordant and humorous elements, but also added a certain continuity, a connection with the past before the film’s events and the future after the final fadeout. Me, I didn’t give a rip about these things, but when I saw what Chip’s interpretation did to the depth and tone of the film it seemed to me like a good move.

It was a successful screening. Afterwards, since there was some time left and the film was only fourteen minutes long, some other shorts were screened. Chip’s gangster-movie short “Whatever It Takes” (2004) followed, then Editor Jay Kensinger’s spooky drama “Jenny Is Alone” (2006).

But right after “Arrangements,” Chip screened our first collaboration: “Supernatural Bridges.” This was a CinemaSports entry from 2006 we both wrote and he directed. It’s only four minutes long, and when it screened on Saturday it totally killed! It’s great how well it has held up. If you want to watch this fine little short, it’s right here (the technically polished “Director’s Cut” was screened.)

“Arrangements” is scheduled to officially premiere at the Santa Cruz Film Festival on Sunday, May 11th at the Riverfront Cinema. In the interim, I have taken on the task of getting it conformed to a professional format for the festival. I am also trying to arrange one more pre-festival screening– this time, in glorious High Definition.

–Skot C.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 28th, 2008 at 9:07 am and is filed under Acting, General, Hosts, Motion Pictures. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.