'Candy Lady,' 'Table Manners' set for next Regional Filmmakers Spotlight
Written by Alexandyr Kent May, 14 2010 5:06 PM
We're celebrating two locally produced films on May 20: "Candy Lady" and "Table Manners: The Horror Comedy that Sings!" I covered each for two recent episodes of The Big Picture, my weekly series for Red River Radio. Subscribe to the iTunes podcast by clicking here.
The screening will begin at 7:30. "Candy Lady" is up first and will be followed by Q&A with director Travis Dent. At 8:15, we will reseat for "Table Manners," and follow it with another Q&A. (We will separately ticket each screening to make certain we have enough seats. We're expecting a big house, so arrive early!)
Below are the scripts for those radio stories.
SCRIPT FOR THE BIG PICTURE: TRAVIS DENT ON "CANDY LADY" (May 14 episode)
DENT: I grew up in Georgia. A little small town called Lincolnton, Georgia, which is right outside of Augusta, Georgia. ... You know, we had like two stop signs in town, very small place, and I was looking for an area around here that was similar to that, and we found a little neighborhood on Lakeshore Drive that was perfect for this piece.
In both subject matter and location, he hopes “Candy Lady” reflects a slower pace of life with which a local audience might identify. Here’s a clip from the movie, which focuses on an over-the-fence conflict between neighbors.
CLIP FROM "CANDY LADY": Candy Lady: Well, baby, what you want?
Girl: Two Blowpops, and two pack of [not transcribed]. And my daddy says to bring Newports.
Candy Lady: Your daddy says send him some Newports? Tell your daddy if he ain’t got enough breath to walk over here and come get 'em himself, he don’t need to smoke.
Like many filmmakers in the Shreveport community, Dent was fortunate to find actors eager to work on his short – even without pay – just to gain experience in front of the camera.
DENT: You know, we just got a great response. There are a lot of talented people here, who want the opportunity to have lead roles and speaking roles for their demo reels, for bigger projects. It’s not difficult to find the talent and the people with the ambition to complete your short films.
Dent moved to Shreveport three years ago, and the buzzing film industry inspired him to begin producing shorts on a smaller scale. Technological advances, he said, have given him opportunities that he simply didn’t have ten years ago.
DENT: Filmmakers could use the excuse that, well the technology isn’t there, and it doesn’t look good, doesn’t sound good. But in today’s age, with advances in technology, the HD cameras, there is really no excuse. You can make top-quality stuff on a microbudget.
“Candy Lady” contains language and suggests violence. The short will be screened freely May 20 at the Robinson Film Center as part of the Regional Filmmakers Spotlight. Dent is excited see an audience respond to his work.
DENT: I can’t say that I’m nervous. I just hope that it’s something that people will walk away from and think about it later. And that they just won’t see the film, and the next day, they won’t speak about it. I want it to be an ongoing experience for them. I want them to go home to discuss it, and talk about it. If that happens, then I’ve been successful.
For more information about this screening, log on to robinsonfilmcenter.org. I’m Alexandyr Kent for the Big Picture.
SCRIPT FOR THE BIG PICTURE: MINDY BLEDSOE ON "TABLE MANNERS" (APRIL 30 episode)
Good afternoon, and welcome to the Big Picture. I’m Alexandyr Kent from the Robinson Film Center. In the world of independent filmmaking, producing your own idea can be a big gamble. Fortunately for Mindy Bledsoe, she bet on a bloody good one.
BLEDSOE: Table manners the horror comedy that sings is a short about a cannibalistic family that seduces people into marriage and then eats them. But they don’t kill them. They just like to eat them and let their bodies heal. ... It is a horror movie slash comedy slash musical.
It features romance. It features a blood. Guts. Marriage. And lots and lots of dementedly deranged singing by a shiny, happy wedding party that have a rather taboo menu in store. We’ll let the movie speak for itself, here:
CLIP FROM "TABLE MANNERS" (singing): Stop your screaming you’re numbed up real good, it’s not going to hurt like you think it would.
It’s devilish little moments like these that bring a sparkle to Bledsoe’s eyes.
BLEDSOE: I am a huge, huge musical fan. I grew up with musicals. It’s the first thing I remember watching. My mother and I would sing musicals all over the house. It’s a big part of my life. For some reason I also started watching horror movies when I was five. My first one was “Children of the Corn.” So I love horror movies.
Bledsoe produced this 22-minute musical with a big creative team, including corwriter cinematographer and editor Rob Senska, and composer and all-around audio man Kevin Jones. All three hail from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. The movie’s soundtrack was recorded on the campus, but the footage was shot in Shreveport and features a bevy of film and theater talent. Bledsoe appreciates their camaraderie.
BLEDSOE: Yes, they are also sick-minded, and they also love anything that is weird. It’s the youth of today, I reckon. I think they were all a bit worried about the whole singing part because none of our actors are singers. … We had to reassure them that this is B-movie awesome. It's a world where everybody sings. And I think we should always live in that world. So when you don’t have a great singing voice, you still got to let it out.
Perhaps the most miraculous this about "Table Manners" is that is was produced so efficiently: costing just blood, sweat, tears, lunch, and gas money.
BLEDSOE: You always want more money. You always don’t want to have those restrictions because you think you are going to get a better project. At the same time, you always have your back up against the wall. All this creativeness come out of you. When you are forced to do something, and you have promised to get something done, you will be amazed at what comes out of you.
"Table Manners" will be screened May 20 at the Robinson film Center as part of its free Regional Filmmaker Spotlight Series. If you’re interested, be advised: it contains language, fake blood, nasty looking meat, and a cast loving every minute of it. I’m Alexandyr Kent for the Big Picture.
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