BATTERY ROW©2011 Actor Allen Burns Under Santa Monica Pier
So right now I am about 3/4 of the way through shooting and editing simultaneously a Noir short film called "Battery Row." The reason I began this film was because I was shooting and editing 2 feature films for other people in 2010 and really really needed to fill that creative urge that is only satisfied with actually writing and directing. Maybe some of you know what I'm talking about.
About 18 months ago I shot a commercial in a newborn Hospital set studio called Central City Studios in downtown LA. They are next door to American Apparel. The studio is inside of a large (60,000 sq ft per floor) 6 floor (and a pretty cool basement) factory that was built in 1913. When I shot the commercial I took a break to wander the building. It's age and vastness inspired me to write something that I would shoot there eventually. Fast forward to last January and I shot part of episode 11 of Apocalyptic Playground there in the amazing 11' deep pit of the basement. Eventually I will release the footage of that web series after we're done pitching it to IMAGINE.
Now fast forward to October. I decided I'd had enough of not creating my own stuff and began drafting up a gritty, bloody, noir short to be shot there in the bowels of that wonderful structure. I love noir as a style and realized that they couldn't really push the limits much in the 1940's and 1950's so I wanted to maybe try that combo a bit. I knew when I started writing it that I wanted it to have men and women characters and that they should all be out for themselves. That they should only team up if it served their own personal motivations. I also knew that I wanted the women to be just as gutsy and tough as the men. I do hate to hear the helpless girl in a film scream at the sight of blood. Probably because that was never the type of women I grew up with so I find it silly. I've known some women to be able to pack a solid punch just like any guy. They are actually more dangerous because we (men) are so not expecting it from them. Lesson learned.
I'm not going to go into my story too much at this point. Let's just say I worked on it here in LA and while I stayed up in Utah over thanksgiving. I think I had 5 drafts overall with some minor tweaks just before shoots. I also like to note where I think it's safe for actors to improvise because I love what actors come up with. I used to write songs and play guitar in a band. I would bring a song to the drummer and bassist and then let them play along however they wanted. I like that sort of co cooking every now and then. Apocalyptic Playground began that way. I brought a basic guideline and makeup and location and then the actors were left to make up their characters in reaction to the "Rules."
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