My friend Johanna and I went to see the film 305 today as part of the 2008 Indie Spirit Film Festival in (gasp!) Colorado Springs. It contained every element you could possibly imagine in a hero-quest movie, and then turned them upside down and inside out, leaving no facet of the genre unmocked. It was pure brilliant absurdity: a he/she club-dancing oracle, Spartabucks, a lost dog named Zeus, sharpened carrots, reality TVesque commentary, a game of truth or dare, a book club for torturers.My throat still hurts from laughing so hard.
But the beauty of it isn't actually the film, however, it's the story behind the story. In 2007, twin brothers (one of whom came out and answered questions after the film), graduates from Air Academy High School here in Colorado Springs, produced a short 5-minute parody of 300 with some of their friends and posted it on youtube. Called The 305, it was described as "The Office meets 300". Bloggers picked it up. Friends told friends. It circulated far and wide via the Internet highway. Fans of the short film demanded more. Eventually, an investor found them and offered them the dough to turn it into a feature-length film. It's the American Dream writ large on the movie screen.
The whole thing was filmed in three weeks with a green screen, and has been in post-production for nearly nine months. We who were at the Pikes Peak Center this afternoon were served a real treat. I'll be getting me a $50 weekend pass next year.
Even the trailer is funny.
3 comments:
Stories like this deeply inspire me as I struggle forward in my quest to become a true-crime author. I recently learned that the story I've put a month of research into isn't "sexy" enough to sell to publisher, in the eyes of a respected agent with whom I've been consulting.
But I still believe in the story.
So I'm going to have to find a less conventional way to do it. At times, that's a daunting and even depressing thought.
Then a do-it-yourself success story like this comes along. And suddenly I find myself wanting to keep soldiering on.
Thanks, Sue. And thanks, fellaz.
That was a unny trialer, and I;ve never even seen anything but the trailer for 300. I showed it to my boys, they liked it, too. Will that movie actually be released (or more to the point, available on Netflix)?
You can click on the link for "story behind the story", and there is info there about pre-ordering the DVD for when when it is released. I have no idea about being available on Netflix.
Post a Comment