ONLY Type: Narrative Feature Director: Simon Reynolds and Ingrid Veninger Premise: Daniel lives in a motel, managed by his parents. People come and go, Daniel hardly notices. Until one day a girl arrives and changes his world. Budget: $5,000 Behind the Scenes: After completing over forty drafts of the script, Reynolds and Veninger convinced the owner of the Quality Inn to provide discounts on rooms to rent and full access to shoot in exchange for an Executive Producer credit. They paid the crew of six (including DP Ian Anderson) $100 for the whole shoot, used a digital 24P camera borrowed from a friend and ordered a lean package from PS Production Services (2 x full apple boxes, 3x grip stands, 6x sand bags, 3x25’ AC, 2x50 AC, 2x household dimmers, 2x furniture blankets, 1x4x4 floppy flag, and 1x24x26 black flag.
The crew of Only.
SIDEBAR: SLAMDANCE TIPS
If you’re hoping to get into the 2010 festival (or any other festival), check out the list below of the most overdone, nausea-inducing shots, scenes and beats in festival submissions. Proceed with caution if the film you’re about to spend your hard-earned pennies and time on has any of these elements.
The shot from the ceiling, through the rotating fan blades.
Bolting upright into a seated position from a deep slumber, generally awoken by a nightmare of sorts.
Those long, extended moments where characters stare down their reflection in the mirror and emote like they've never emoted to their own image before.
Stroking the picture of a loved one.
Someone says 'shut the f--k up.'
People walk down a sidewalk with a backdrop of colorful graffiti.
A scene in a convenience store switches to security camera footage.
Someone sits at a bar smoking and drinking shots or martinis while a worldly-wise bartender waits on them. Extra points if the bartender is wiping down the bar with a rag.
Someone points a gun at someone. Preferably while saying 'shut the f--k up.'
Someone takes a leak. Preferably outdoors. Points if urine stream goes astray.
Someone answers a phone only to be hung up on. ('Shut the f--k up.')
Someone tosses a portable phone or cell phone in disgust at the call received. Points for throwing it out the window of a moving car.
A profound quote is displayed on the screen.
Someone takes a shower or brushes teeth. Preferably while someone else uses the toilet. Someone vomits, particularly as a precursor to finding out she is pregnant.
Camera pans up into trees to denote passing of time or space.
Camera pans down to shoes to denote passing of time or space. Preferably shoes are Chuck Taylors.
We realize it was all a dream.
Someone goes to a party only to retreat outside in a funk while everyone else gets completely drunk.
Someone tries on different outfits in front of a mirror while also trying out dance moves for the party to come.
