Ww....follow up!

TWO FILMS IN ONE
"Wastewater" is in the Can
June 7, 2009
~mel writes.....
It was at the very end of the 2-day shoot for "Wastewater" that I had a real feeling, and it was this: I have a hard drive full of great stuff.

All through the long hours on set, squinting at monitors and making decision after decision, I would stop and ask myself, How does it feel to be directing your first short movie? I never got a "movie-poster" answer.

The best way to describe it is being "in the flow." As we broke for lunch on the first day, I walked into the office-turned-craft services and there was a table full of food, everyone was chowing down, my sound man's computer played music, and the busy activity of refueling on a cold and windy April morning was in motion. I was on set; it didn't matter that it was my set or our set, it was being in the flow of making a movie.

Those two days went so well—the diamond jewelry came through at the 11th hour, the location permit was in place, the insurance was negotiated and purchased, we were ahead of schedule, and the only accident was when Sarah laughed so hard she fell down and scraped her arm on the boot brush. At the wrap party, we brainstormed merchandising options, (turd-shaped air fresheners, Wastewater theme park), and laughed 'till we cried.

As of this writing, we have an assembly cut and are thick in the editing process. I will keep you posted on festival submissions and future work. Once again, thank you to everyone who volunteered on the crew, to our sponsors and to the Santa Fe Businesses who helped make "Wastewater" come together.

~mel

The cast and crew of "Wastewater:" Melissa J White, Producer, Co-writer, Director; Dusty McGowan, Producer, Co-writer; Ron Strauch, Safety Manager, Assoc Producer; Josh Fritel, 1st AD, Assoc Producer; Joseph West, “Robert”; Jessica Osbourne, “Amanda”; Luce Rains, “Boss”; Liza Bambenek, DP; Matt Vest, Editor; Bil Clement, Sound Engineer; Rosalia Triana, Hair/Makeup/Wardrobe, Script Supervisor; Kathryn Olguin, 2nd AD; Sarah Byrden, Camera Assist; Lenny Sanchez, Sound Assist; Hannah Staiger, Set Photographer, Craft Services; and Colin Strauch, Baker.

Individual Sponsors: Janette and Will Fisher, Gregg Stark, Roberta and Margaret White.

Business Sponsors: Cress Insurance Consultants, the Leonetti Company, the Lodge at Santa Fe, Universal Fine Jewelers, and Woodson Parker.



A funny thing happened on the way to the H2O: Film On Water Festival. Matt and I were sitting in the editing room reviewing the footage from two days of shooting when I realized "Wastewater," the narrative version, was going to be too long. The festival wanted art films between 4 and 8 minutes; we had a 12-minute movie.

What they say is true: as a director, you learn a lot in the editing room. I wish I'd done more takes, I was glad we had a thorough shot list, I was surprised to find the B-roll (secondary) takes of the mixing basin were so hypnotic.

That's when it struck me: we actually had two films, one narrative and one short art film.

After we wrapped on the second day, Ron said to me, "Too bad we have to use water at all" in the waste management process. This statement struck me to the core: I had become so attached to the wastewater treatment plant and the good work being done there, that to think there was another way, spun me into questioning the whole process. I began to ask people: Why do we use drinking water to flush our toilets?

I borrowed Matt's digital recorder and for 10 days asked friends, artists, water systems people, and kids that very question. We then sampled the conversation and put it together with the B-roll shots. Matt played with exposure, timing, and repetition. We added incredibly peaceful electric guitar music by Tim Berger and Ed Radtke.

What resulted was a 4-minute art film called "Mixing: A Dialogue on Wastewater." It was submitted to the H2O: Film on Water Festival in May. They have been inundated with submissions, so the June 1 acceptance date has passed. But you'll be the first to know if "Mixing" gets in!