NOTE: "Lost Crossing," which plays at the 2007 Atlanta Film Festival, was originally known as "Until We Part" while the film was in production during this On Set report.

Blue's Not Coming Up Short

Along with feature length films, we here at CinemATL also follow short films quite a bit.  Last month we visited the set of a short film, and this month I'm doing the same.  Like I've mentioned previously, most short films don't get much exposure, even though they provide a wealth of experience and can lead to exposure for some filmmakers. 

Eric Blue checks out the scene on set of 'Until We Part.' (photo courtesy BlueLantern)

Eric Blue of BlueLantern Films is seeking to follow that tradition with his latest short film Until We Part.  The story follows a 15-year-old runaway who's stranded in a small town and cornered by a dangerous situation.  It involves a fellow traveler who guides the runaway to safety and provides a needed lifeline until a disturbing secret catches up with them.  Blue plans for his approximately 30-minute short to be used as act one of a feature. 

Previously Eric had seen his short film, Parked & Empty, screened at the Atlanta Film Festival as well as his feature screenplay, Lost in the Sky, a finalist for the 2005 Southeast Media Award.  Some of his past work can be viewed online at his website: http://www.BlueLanternfilms.com/.

I was able to visit the set of, Until We Part, and witnessed a skilled crew working quietly but focused on a well-designed sound stage.  As they worked I was able to ask Eric about his upcoming project.

CinemATL: How did you decide to take on this project?

Blue: Our production company, BlueLantern Films, has been thinking about shooting a feature film for some time now.  BlueLantern Films is comprised of me, my wife Karen, and our friend David Fletcher.  We also have some other partners within the industry, based in New York and L.A that support us.  We wanted a project that would highlight our talents as filmmakers and could be used to approach potential investors.  We came up with, Until We Part.  It works as a short film but also as the act one of our feature film.  We thought it would be a great tool to show investors to get them excited about the project.  Until We Part, is a drama/thriller based on a true set of events and stars Melissa McBride and Carrie Rose Menocal.  We've wrapped principal photography and are really excited about what we've got.  It's going be an amazing movie. 

CinemATL: What is your background in terms of filmmaking?

Blue: I started making short films in high school.  I love telling stories and was a writer before I was a director.  My interest in film led me to the University of Oregon and Georgia State University's film programs.  However, I've learned more by doing than I ever did in film school.  I'm a big fan of the Robert Rodriguez, ‘get out and just make a movie' philosophy. 

CinemATL: This is a short film, how long did it take you to shoot it?

Blue: We shot Until We Part, over 7 days.  We spent 3 days in Kingston, GA and then 4 days on a set near East Atlanta.  It was a fun shoot and I loved the contrast of being on location and then being in a controlled set environment.  It was a dream come true for me.

CinemATL: Talk about how the crew came together.

Blue: The first crewmember I always start a project with is my wife Karen.  She's an amazing production designer and really helps me with all aspects of my films.  Molly Chase and David Fletcher produced the film and have both been great.  Jim McKinney came on next as our DP.  Jim and I have a great relationship and I have always been blown away by how talented he is.  The rest of the crew fell into place from people I have worked with in the past such as Greg Linton, Matt Melberg, Scott Salamon and Dan McCain.  I also used the Mandy.com, IMAGE and the Georgia Sourcebook websites to post for crew.  We were very lucky in that we got an amazing crew that got along great and really believed in the film.  I was depressed for a week after we wrapped.

Blue (center) talks over the scene with his actors on set. (photo courtesy BlueLatern)

Blue: We put a ton of effort and thought into how we wanted everything in the movie to look.  The look and feel of the movie plays a big part in our themes and mood so we wanted everything just right.  The design elements were headed by my wife Karen.  She's absolutely incredible and I think her extra effort shows in our movie.  David Fletcher, one of our producers, was able to get Jay Womer, a local set builder, on board to help us out. Jay did us some huge favors and I can't thank the guy enough.  He did an amazing job in building an exact replica of an old 1950's motor lodge type motel.  The set really helps establish the tone of the movie and gave us so many options and choices in filming the interior scenes.  After this experience I can't imagine having to deal with the space constraints of a real motel room.  We really got kind of spoiled. 

CinemATL: What is the biggest challenge you faced on the film so far?

Blue: Scheduling, scheduling and scheduling.  Getting 35 crew members and 40 extras to clear their schedules is no small task. 

CinemATL: When are you planning to have the film completed?

Blue: You sound like my producers.  They want to know the same thing.  I hope to have it completed, at least a rough-cut version, by December.  Don't hold me to that though.

CinemATL: What type of Camera did you use?

Blue: We ended up using the Panasonic HVX200 HD camera with the Mini35 Adapter and super speed lenses.  It looks amazing and the workflow on set gave us so many choices.  We were shooting and downloading footage into Final Cut on set.  This gave us the ability to shoot and run dailies almost at the same time.  It was great for checking scenes, continuity and other things that can bite you in the editing room. 

CinemATL: You mentioned that one of the themes of the film is being ‘trapped', how did you underscore that?

Blue: Yeah, the story is about a 15-year-old runaway who gets trapped in a small town and ends up running into some scary people.  The idea of being "trapped" or "confined" is the main theme and really helps build tension in the story.  The small town is in the middle of nowhere, the motel room, and Greyhound bus can all be looked at as confining environments.  The idea was to create a world that this girl couldn't escape from so she had to confront her fears.  I think we pulled it off. 

CinemATL: Do you have other projects planned already?

Blue: Well, we have about 6 projects that we consider "In Development" presently.  Most of them are still on paper but are fully flushed out stories.  David has some amazing connections in the industry and once we have this film completed we plan to start pitching the feature version as well as other projects we hope to produce to some of his contacts.

CinemATL: You were a finalist in the 2005 Southeast Media Award, can you briefly discuss that experience and how that has helped you as a filmmaker?

Blue: The Southeast Media Award gave me an opportunity to meet many of my fellow Georgia film makers that I had never met before.  It is crazy how many talented people there are in Atlanta.  I think IMAGE should be commended for offering this opportunity to us.  I know a lot of people would love to have something like the Southeast Media Award in their town.  I was glad to see that The Last Adam, the winner of the 2005 award, had a great showing at this year's festival. 

Martin Kelley is Editor-in-Chief of CinemATL.com. He's also a local screenwriter and filmmaker who co-founded and became co-president of the Atlanta Screenwriters Group, one of the largest screenwriter organizations in the Southeast.