Producers Aaron Garfinkel & Dale DeVino reflect on the first & very problematic day of shooting, “The Call.”
Aaron Garfinkel:
It happened at 6:24a.m. I picked up Kutcha, who was playing Agen Gil, on the east side of Manhattan ten minutes before the incident occurred. There was no Cthulu or Cloverfield monster involved although Manhattan was eerily quiet. Kutcha and I crammed his props and costume in the backseat. We were on our way to Jersey. I made a left on 6thAve and got in the middle left lane. The nervousness and excitement hit me; I didn’t want anything to go wrong. I put my left signal on and began to turn toward the Lincoln tunnel. Bam!
The second the truck hit the driver’s side I felt like I wasn’t there. It was impossible that this could happen to me on the day when time mattered most. The windshield was smashed, the left side of the car was almost twisted into a right angle, and the mirror that I should haveused was underneath the car. The truck pulled over fifty feet ahead of me. My eyes got wide. I looked at Kutcha who told me he was fine, but that had to have rattled him, it sure as hell rattled me. Kutcha left the vehicle while I pulled the car over to the corner of 27th. Thank God Kutcha and I were alright. As I looked at the damage, and imagined my parent’s reaction, the truck driver defended his case. He was right and I was green. I’m a very energetic producer, but instead of freaking out I was more rational then I ever was to that date because the situation wasn’t about me, it was about my friends, their time, and getting the film shot.
7:08a.m. After Clarke made the choice to come to the city, the police had already written my ticket. The tow truck was on the way. Clarke swooped by and picked up Kutcha, and all the food. I also learned our Director was in an accident as well, but principal photography carried on. My parent’s Dodge Intrepid was never the same, and to this day I’m always reminded about the couple hours prior to principal photography on October 24, 2008 for Daniel O. Linke’s, “The Call.”
“The Call” is our first short film in which most of the founding members of Killer Goose had graduated. During the making of “The Call” many issues arose: my car accident, Daniel’s car accident, boat location headaches, two cameras or one, and the red wine malfunction. Making “The Call” was a shared experience where we all grew as individuals and became a unit. Through all of the issues shared during making “The Call,” Killer Goose demonstrated that we five filmmaking rookies have the ability to triumph over obstacles, and create a festival worthy film.
Dale DeVino:
I work the graveyard shift and due to my mismanagement of vacation days throughout the year I was unfortunately working on the night/morning of the first day of principle photography. On any normal night I have trouble focusing because I’ve been at my job for 7+ years and I could do it in my sleep. This day was different. We were finally getting ready to roll on, “The Call,” the first production under the Killer Goose Films name. We had worked on it all summer and into the fall and it was finally here. For me, the whole night was a roller coaster of emotions ranging from arrogance and confidence to absolute terror.
As a Producer on the film my brain was turning so fast I felt dizzy. There was this constant rotating checklist of concerns going on behind my eyeballs: Will the actor transportation go off smoothly (if only I knew)? Are all the equipment and props accounted for? Will the largest crew we’ve ever dealt with wake up on time and not get lost on the way to set? Who’s picking up the food? You get the idea. As a producer the hand of responsibility and accountability stretches to all corners of the production and the task is like climbing the Mt. Everest of organizational skills and focus.
Then I got a phone call from Aaron, my co-producer…
Immediately I thought he was joking. I could completely understand getting into a fender bender in NYC during the day but not at 6am. It’s just not that busy. After a minute I realized that this was indeed no joke. We were in a major bind and I couldn’t leave work to attend to this. I was stuck. And I wasn’t even scheduled to be at the morning location. I was to head down the shore to the boat and prep the afternoon location at the marina. It looked as if the day would be lost before it even began. That’s when survival mode kicked in.
When you work so hard to develop the material and guide it through pre-production with the director there isn’t one ounce of you that is willing to let the project fail. And that’s exactly what happened. At the moment when things could’vegotten out of hand a member of the team stepped up. Clarke Mayer woke up from a dead sleep, started his day a few hours early with a trip to the city and ultimately saved the day.
The pitfalls on any production can be numerous and range in the degree to which it could kill your movie. From an actor being difficult, a blown light, a glass of red wine being spilt on a laptop or having a producer & the director involved in car accidents before one second of footage has been captured. The dangers are many and they do not discriminate. The important thing to remember is that you must breathe, don’t freak out and trust the people around you. After all, if you don’t trust them, don’t make a movie with them. This process is collaborative to its core and after working with the guys from Killer Goose I know I’ll go to the mat for them anytime it’s required. I’m not saying we’re perfect but we know we can rely on each other when the time comes and that’s very comforting when you’re taking on such a monumental task such as making a movie.
I think the experience of making “The Call” has made us all better filmmakers, at least more resilient ones. I know it has made me a better producer and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
