"He Buries My Mistakes"

Here is the final project of my TCF 201 class. I wrote and directed this short film. Douglas Dillingham was my Director of Photography and editor. It was a great project. Its a story of about a father and a son and advice vs. experience.

"Lick The Star" TCF 201 Short Film Review

(Click on part 2 after this finishes)

“Lick The Star”

Short films are an art form that create story out of the simplest details. Short filmmakers must create a world and conflict in just a small amount of time. It has to relate, build up, and ultimately resolve in under a half hour. This week I watched “Lick the Star. ”This awkwardly crafted and exceptionally executed short film by Sofia Coppala gives a clear story telling of the ever-occuring junior high girl drama. This film related well, had good conflict, and resolved appropriately.

I really enjoyed this film. I love black and white and even though there didn’t seem to be a good reason for it in this film, I think it worked well. Punk rock music sets the tone giving off a rebellious feel throughout. The title appears across the face of one of the story’s main characters, Chloe. She is referred to as “Queen Chloe” and starts off the movie wearing a tiara and thick dark lipstick. I also really enjoyed the narrator. She appeared to be a plain down to earth, go with the flow character. She wanted to fit in with Chloe’s posse and soon learns about the girls’ vicious plan. The camera work was great. Everything seemed to flow flawlessly and there never was a boring shot. There is a beautiful shot of one of the girls swimming in the pool at night that turned out very well in black and white.

The story was a little far fetched, but I think it served as a good metaphor for how girls act in Junior High. There is always a group of popular girls who control what is cool. Chloe the Queen comes off as a major bully, when she rudely squirts ketchup all over an innocent student and takes another’s taco at lunch for no reason other than she wanted it. The main character starts as the outsider as she comes back from missing school. She comments on how not much had changed except for the fact that someone else was now the outsider, the person who was ostracized and exiled from popularity. The story dissolves well with the bully getting what she deserves and ultimately being expelled from popularity like others before her, and as she mourns the fall she then becomes the narrator and ultimately the outsider.

The acting over all was quite good. The director must have gotten the best she probably could have out of each girl. At times there were some very faked emotions, but overall everything worked out.

Favorite Quote:

“When sam was out with the flu everyone decided she was a big lesbian and she spent the rest of the month eating lunch in the library”

Literary Allusion: Flowers In the Attic by V.C. Andrews

New Script "Party Games"

Coming up this Summer in the month of June the University of Alabama's Telecommunications & Film Department will be making 30 films in 30 days. I pitched an idea back in the spring for a short comedy sketch called "Party Games." The other day I was alerted that it had been chosen. So I am crazy excited and am now offering the script for download here on my blog if anyone wants to read it. Its a short 6 page script that has maybe 5 characters. Please give it a read if you have the time. I am pretty excited about it, and hopefully the finished product will turn out nicer than my first film The Future Has Difficulties. Oh and the above picture is from Lake Como, Italy. I took that picture this springbreak.

Short Film Script

Hey everybody! I have been working on a script for my very first official short film entitled "Lot". I've been working with this very minimalist idea. One scene with one setting. Hopefully it will all work together into a cohesive film. I have it on here for download if anyone cares to read it. Also Ben Watson and I have been working on the soundtrack. The film has to be 5 min so we'll see how well our songs fit in there. I will put those up soon...

Lot Script

The Hollow Men

Here is my new film project. This is a visual representation of The Hollow Men by T.S. Eliot. It stars Preston Calhoun and Chris Adams. Also one of my eyes makes an appearance.

The Hollow Men from William Mason on Vimeo.

Short Film "The Journal"

This is a short film that i wrote, filmed, directed, and scored.

Cast: Hannah Waid as Female Ben Watson as Male

Further Analysis:
This film is about reading someone else's journal. It was filmed in black and white to give the feeling of reading a page of a written journal. Black pen on white paper. The non linear flow and segmented sections are meant to be abrupt yet descriptive. This is to also signify a journal. If you had found someone else's journal, it wouldn't be explained, and it might sound a little creepy. The orange falling of the table is a metaphor for the following action. The male following the female is meant to represent a love. I descriptive love from a distance. As if the female were being followed as shown in the film. This was completely an art piece that was written from a journal I had been keeping. Please enjoy.