49 teams battled it out last month to secure top spot at the second edition of the 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP) in Dubai. In an exclusive interview with Shamika Andrade, director George Max Trummler talks about the making of the winning entry The Pillow Case 48 hours! 49 teams! One winner! ThatÂ’s what the […]
49 teams battled it out last month to secure top spot at the second edition of the 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP) in Dubai. In an exclusive interview with Shamika Andrade, director George Max Trummler talks about the making of the winning entry The Pillow Case
48 hours! 49 teams! One winner! ThatÂ’s what the second edition of the 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP) in Dubai saw this year. 48 hours to create a story, choose the cast, finalise the location, shoot the film, edit it and add the music is no easy task but itÂ’s ideal for those who want to get away from the routine for a weekend and have a blast while making a short film in the process.
48HFP comes with a mandate that changes every year. Every participating team picks the genre that they must shoot from a hat. Besides that, those participating in 48HFP in Dubai 2012 had to include a character named Nutritionist Hani or Hind Khalaf, a pillow as a prop and the line ‘I can’t believe you bought that one’.
This is a key element of the project and sadly, the team that was initially declared the winner was later disqualified for not using the line in their film Attached.
The runner up entry, The Pillow Case by Guerrilla Film Crew, a loosely-knit group of freelance filmmakers with varied skills in directing, lighting, filming, makeup and so on, was later declared the winner of the project in Dubai. The film will now represent Dubai at Filmapalooza in Hollywood, where it will compete with 120 other global entries for the Best of 48HFP in the world. It also has the potential to enter the Cannes short film category.
Recreating the chaos behind the making of The Pillow Case, George Max Trummler, the frontman of Guerrilla Film Crew and director of the project, says: “The theme we received was family/PG. It must have been around at 7 p.m. I quickly got the actors, the writers, the Art Director, and the DOP together to brainstorm. I took on the role of Director. After many crumpled papers, we landed the basic concept for The Pillow Case. From there, it was just a creative thought process to outline the scenes and the dialogue.”
The team was on location at 6 a.m.
“We were shooting at a friend’s place in Jumeirah,” explains Trummler.
“The camera was rolling at 7.15 a.m. We did take a one-hour lunch break. That night, we completed filming at about 11 p.m. The next day I was at my editor’s home at 8 a.m. Despite the tight schedule, all of us had a good night’s rest,” he adds.
The team shot with an ARRI Alexa camera and with other equipment provided by Filmquip Media.
“One of our team members was continuously editing on the DaVinci Resolve while we were shooting. As a result, the editing was sort of done by the time we wrapped up the shoot. We had the edited takes of what we were using. And of course, it was a pleasure to work with the Alexa. It went hand in hand with the Fisher Dolly.”
ItÂ’s no wonder then that the Guerrilla Film Crew delivered their film to the organisers 20 minutes before the deadline.
In total, there were 20 team members including four actors.
Trummler who has worked with each member of the team in the past on some film or TV commercial says the project was a big gamble.
“It was a gamble for us as some of our team members could get booked on a paid job. Luckily, we were all available and a few of us actually turned down work to do this project.”
The team at Guerrilla Film Crew, is ecstatic with the win.
As for Trummler, this is his first job as a Director although he works as assistant director wirh Guerilla Film.
“I started in still photography after High School and have since, focused on fashion and advertising. I later worked in film as a Personal Assistant and have had the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles, New York, London and Germany. Since coming to Dubai, I have been working in the film industry but this has been my first opportunity to direct my own movie. This is just the beginning,” says Trummler.
Speaking about Guerrilla Film Crew’s immediate plans, he says: “After this team effort with the 48-hour film project, we want to keep the buzz going and do another short film before Jan 2013. We are presently reviewing scripts. But for now, it’s business as usual as we are working on various commercials. Perhaps some day, I will direct a feature film too.”
