Old Tricks written by Theodore M. Buckwald
It began as an idea
in the shower. A naive robber who falls victim to an old escape artist. This
idea from the shower soon drew itself on paper. More and more adjectives began
appearing in my head as the short story unraveled into script form. Each
Adjective began to develop a voice as the dialogue on the paper was spoken for
the first time around a small coffee table. It wasn’t long before the camera
was rolling on my first short film: “Old Tricks.”
My actors brought
emotions to the characters; emotions that I had never prophesied. Using method
acting techniques, Joe Spano, the actor portraying the old man, used physical
evidence to portray that he was struggling with the harshness of a terminal
illness. Although this was not my
intention for the character’s portrayal, I was soon enamored with the decision
he made, following the collaborative discussion between director and actor.
Every shot felt
like a painting. The room was my canvas and every piece of set decoration was
the paint. The camera was my brush, capturing the emotions and intensity of the
room; transferring it to an electronic medium.
Every day following
production, I added different layers to the story through sound and editing.
Subtle yet powerful imagery and references began to fill the background
dimensions of the story.
With a tap of the
finger, a rough cut of “Old Tricks” was broadcast to a small group of peers in
the backseat of a car. With a click of the mouse, it was being shown to the
entire world.
As
the creative leader of Old Tricks, I found that leading the production from
conceptualization to final touch ups allowed me to collaborate and compromise
certain demands, all while consistently keeping an artistic touch.
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