Movies You Made: “Cinema Roulette”

March is Movies You Made month at Go Into The Story where we feature the work of some independent filmmakers.

Today: Cinema Roulette.

Production notes from writer-director Francisco Infante:

I really wanted the gunshot scene to be all on camera without any computer effects. We tied a plastic tube to an air compressor and filled the tube with homemade fake blood. Our producer (Bryan) laid on the ground, hid behind the actor (Ambrose) and let the compressor rip at the exact moment the gun was triggered.

It took 12 takes to get the gunshot scene right. What made this scene tough was the fact that we were going for a long take without any cuts. Every time we messed up the gunshot, we had to start over. Sometimes the blood wouldn’t spray, some other takes it would just pour out onto the floor or onto Bryan.

We were laughing for the first few takes, but by the last take, we were drenched in sweat and fake blood, praying to the gods that it will finally work. The funny thing is we ended up not keeping it as a long take, opting instead to cut to different shots throughout.

We used a real gun. We bought a fake gun, but on the day of shooting, Ambrose showed up with a real gun. Luckily, the actors were all for it, even Pilar — who had to put the damn thing in her mouth.

Cast

Andrew Johnson — Korby
Julia Letzel — Parr
Ambrose Cappuccio — Stumpy
Pilar Elizabeth — Welles

Crew

Francisco Infante — Writer/Director
Keegan Gogerty — Director of Photography
Andrew Johnson & Francisco Infante — Editors
Bryan Dowell — Producer/Sound
Santiago Vaca — Sound

Here is the 11 minute movie Cinema Roulette:

I asked each of the filmmakers in this month’s series to answer this question: What inspired you about this particular story to make it a movie? Francisco’s answer:

Being in film school is an interesting experience. Everyone is learning and trying to break into an industry that is tough to get into. Internships, grades, competition, everyone telling you whether you can or can’t do it. Life can get pretty stressful and unpredictable.

I always wondered what if my fellow film students and I found out that you could easily die and just hang out? Would we just ditch the real-world pressures or still go for our dreams? Film school or not, I feel like the stresses of following your dreams is a relatable topic, and it would be worth taking a chance on putting that into a movie, but wrapped up with raunchiness and ridiculousness.

You may follow Francisco on Twitter: @frankieinfante.

You may reach him via email here.

Drop by Comments to give some feedback on Cinema Roulette.

Tomorrow: Another Movie You Made.

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