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Making of
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In March of 2006, while talking to my mom, Sondra Hauf, over the
phone in Oregon, she told me about a nightmare she had experienced. She is
an avid journaler and having done so, she read it to me. I suggested that
it would make a good short film. She agreed to let me try, typed it up and
emailed it to me. I spent the next couple of days turning her prose into
a screenplay and emailed it back. She fleshed out some of the visuals to
give them more impact and I adjusted the dialog to fit. So, back and forth
it went, for three months, until we had something with which we were happy.
After registering the screenplay with both The Writers Guild of America West and ProtectRite, we were ready for an outsider's input. I gave it to some friends whom I trusted to critique it honestly and found that it was very well received. After making some minor adjustments, I submitted it to American Gem Short Screenplay Competition 2007 and Script-2-Screen Film Festival's Shoot-N-OK Screenplay Competition 2006 under the name, The Nightmare. |
In September we found out that it had been nominated, along with two others, as finalists in the Shoot-N-OK competition. We were invited to do a live reading at the festival in October which was two weeks away! I sent out a frantic query seeking actors to read the parts.
The first person on board was Zane Berlin, our villian. He came with such enthusiasm for the part that I knew immediately that the role was his. The rest of the cast for the reading was assembled (none of these appear in the film) and read-throughs and rehearsals were held.
Finally, the day arrived. October 7th. Of course, I was early (a bad habit sometimes) and bouncing off the walls until all the cast arrived.
As a group, we had decided that rather than sit in chairs and just read the script, we would perform as much as possible. The room for the reading was oblong, with doors at both ends of the room. The audience sat between the two doors. We had rehearsed the evening before in the room, so that we could time “Danny” running through the audience and disappearing out one door and appearing, suddenly, at the other.
When he was outside the room, the audience could hear him yelling “Rachel, come back! I just want to talk.” so when he appeared at the glass door, acting as if it is locked, banging and shaking the door and shouting, the audience jumps with surprise. It was well received.
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We Won!On October 8, 2006 was the award ceremony for the festival. Not expecting the screenplay or the reading to win, I did not dress up. But attended to cheer for the wins of my friends. Much to my surprise, The Nightmare won Runner-up in the Shoot-N-OK category (had it won first prize it would have been filmed and produced by Darkwood Film Company) and first prize in the Live Screenplay category by popular vote! I was shocked! As I walked to the dais to accept, I stopped in the middle of the stage and called my mother on my cell, much to the delight of the audience. I told her “We won!” then held the phone out to the audience and they enthusiastically cheered so she could hear it. As I left the stage, ShIronbutterfly Ray told me “Don't let runner-up stop you from making that film.” and I took her words to heart. However, it would be some time before I would start. |
In August of 2007, we got the word that The Nightmare had cleared the first hurdle at American Gem. Out of over 1200 entries we made the first cut. In September, 2007 we cheered as it made it past the second round eliminations. We were now in the top 50! This was, sadly, as far as it went. But we are honored to have made it that far in such a huge competition.
Now it is 2008People were starting to harass me about when we will make the film. I started making lists of locations needed and possible acquaintances who might let us invade their space. Around this time after various script changes we settled on the new title, The Long Dark Way. I begin recruiting crew from Oklahoma Movie Makers. This group is a good place to start. They come together with varying talents and equipment for the express purpose of aiding in the creation of each member's film without recompense. Talent and enthusiasm abound in this group of disparate people from all over Oklahoma, the U.S. and even the world. It was founded in 2004 as a Yahoo Group created by three guys with a dream to make films and became what it is today, with over 1200 members. From this group came Gregory Raw, lighting and editing; Brian C. Jackson, sound; Sonja Jones, actress and Assistant Director; Jake Richardson, cover/poster art; Erick Wolfe, stunt coordinator; Eddie “Monster” Evans, music; and others stepped up to the plate as needed. |
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I then announced a casting call for the part of “Rachel”, our
heroine, and arranged a place to have it. Agora Coffeehouse, owned by Jeff
Taylor, was more than happy to let us use the space for nothing.
The day came and only two actresses showed for the part! I was devastated. Until Renee Michaels walked in the door. Before she opened her mouth I knew. She is my Rachel. The rest of the cast came together bit by bit and we were ready to begin.
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  Finding the locations was probably
the most difficult part of the whole adventure. I am not very good and taking
no for an answer. It tends to depress me. But with the help of many of my
friends, but especially Greg Hisaw, we were able to find suitable
places to shoot. Many of these businesses were happy to stay late and with
us while we filmed. My former employer, my chiropractor, Greg Hisaw's housing
association, and an art gallery in Sand Springs, OK for the interior shots
and others for the outdoor scenes. In one case, Sonja, Renee and myself went
to the local mall at the crack of dawn to film the mall scenes. We did not
get permission. We went in commando style, quickly shot the scene and left
before any of the stores were even open.
The second night of shooting, we are filming the scenes outside the bar. When Zane grabs Renee to get her out of the path of a speeding car, she drops her purse. Unexpectedly, when the driver guns his engine and speeds off he annihilates the purse lying in front of his car. This was not intended, but worked out very well. Sometime later, we are at the far end of the alley shooting, when a couple walk past on the sidewalk. The man suddenly shouts “Hey, you got a smoke? I just got out of jail.” at the top of his lungs. Although it disrupted filming, it gave us the idea for the drunk who approaches our actors and Erick W. gamely stepped up to play the part. |
  One
day, in particular, stands out in my mind. The 12-hour day shooting the parking
garage and stairwell at the Liberty Tower condominiums! Most of our shoot
days took no more than half that time and I am still humbled by the fact
that none of the cast or crew grumbled about the long hours that day.
I did the SFX makeup for Zane and Richard (the security guard). Zane was to be shoved down a 5-story stairwell and Richard to be clubbed and then shot by Zane. What fun! This was my first time doing makeup and apparently it turned out well. Zane and Greg H. were in the elevator, returning from a break. A woman got in and couldn't stop staring at Zane, all bloodied and bruised from head to hip. She kept squinting at his “injuries” until Greg explained that we were making a film in the building. She exclaimed, “Really? I was going to say, are you okay? It's so real looking! And I'm a nurse!” Couldn't ask for a better critique. |
 At a later date, Greg R., Brian J., and myself returned to get
the sound FX and other shots of Zane falling.
I came up with the idea of taking my child's extra large teddy bear, tying jeans to his arms and legs and dropping him over the railing, down five stories to the bottom, repeatedly to get the sound of Zane falling. This teddy bear sacrificed his nose to the cause. Greg R. used an action figure tied to fine fishing line to get Zane's shadow on the wall, falling. |
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| “I really was impressed with your short and I wasn't expecting
that! YOU ENGAGED THE AUDIENCE!!! That's always the "key", ALWAYS!!
"Your film, regardless of production value, still "grabbed". Money, fancy filters, explosions, expensive actors etc.. ANYBODY, can eventually get if they know the right people.... it's the story/script, ENGAGEMENT that money can't buy. Plus your work ethic was strong which helps with overcompensating for lack of budget.” “If you have a good script and direct well like you did; get good actors; have camera movement instead of lock downs etc. I think you'll emerge (easily) as a front runner in the amateur stage and on to being marketable. I think if your next short is just as engaging and you beef up the value, you are DONE with this level and should turn and wave goodbye!” |
High praise, in my book.
I'm already writing the next “nightmare” called The Dead
Run, a comedy and will again star Renee Michaels.
The same crew is also signed on to the project and raring to go.
- Susan L. Sybenga
"I am also a Producer, Director, Editor and all around jane-of-all-trades.
I also act when the opportunity arises."
In addition to her NAMMA Ten-Best Prize and several other awards for
script and film making, |
The pictures on this page originated, with Susan's kind permission, from
her "Tall Chick Productions"
FaceBook page.
Most of the sidebars come from her blogs about the
production.
Visit her website:
www.tallchickproductions.com
and under the "Film" tab find links to other sites she writes on.
And don't miss her blog which gives almost daily commentary on the shoot
and other projects:
http://tallchickproductions.blogspot.com
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Hiatus
Finished at last! Of course, this was all timed so we could
enter it in the Script-2-Screen Film Festival 2009 in Tulsa. I wanted to
premiere it where it started, with ShIronbutterfly and Oscar Ray. They have
encouraged me and bolstered my self-esteem for five years (ever since my
first short-short film, Papa's Gone Missing) and I wanted to
share it with them before anyone else.