Afterthought Movie/Interview

Afterthought Movie/Interview

2006-Jul-26 by Laughcalvin

One of the goals of this site is to promote emerging filmmakers and one such filmmaker is Writer/Director Douglas Elford-Argent. Working with his wife, triple-threat Actress/Screenwriter/Editor Wendy Elford-Argent and producer Ted Willett, they have put together a very professional film for very little money. Below is an interview HIT had with Doug by email:

First, congratulations on your feature “AfterThought.” I was fortunate enough to be at the premier at AFI and really enjoyed it.

Thank you

Doug, give us a bit of background on you and your partners involved in the project.

I opened a production company just over a year ago, 30 Something Productions, LLC in order to make AfterThought. This was also mainly to start creating independent films here in LA. I had a company in London, England, but wasn’t too happy with how they were marketing themselves. I met Ted Willett, my producing partner, and we decided to help one another to raise money and start making quality features for under a million dollars.


Can you tell us a little about pre-production and how you approach this part of the filmmaking process?

My wife, Wendy, wrote the screenplay. The whole idea was hers. When we took a trip back to her hometown of Waupaca, WI, we noticed the overwhelming support from the town; Police, Fire, High Schools and Local Businesses opened up their arms to us. The majority of the financing came from Waupaca. Newspapers continue to print updates informing the town of our progress.


I believe the film was shot in Hi-Def? The picture and sound were excellent. Tell us a bit about the decisions you and your DP made in terms of equipment.

A lot of people get HDV mixed up with HDCAM. They are two different cameras. We used HDCAM, a larger camera with higher resolution and contrast. It was the same camera they shot Star Wars Episode I on. You have to understand where your film will end up. Most filmmakers assume it will be picked up at Sundance and be screened in all theaters across America, but we knew from the get-go that AfterThought was a DVD release. If it’s shot right, it’s almost impossible to tell 35mm and HDCAM on a regular TV. It was a lot faster to shoot HD than film. Playback was instant and gave you more of an idea of the finishing look. Film playback is low and you can only watch performances. Many directors are turning to HD as the medium of choice. Superman Returns and Miami Vice were shot on HD.


Many folks were blown away by the sound recording and mix as many lower-budgeted films suffer from bad sound. How did you guys pull it off?

It all counts on the ‘Production Sound.’ Dennis Haggerty did an amazing job. All the actors were clip mic’d and of course we had the boom mic. Our ‘Post Sound Designer,’ Garrard Whatley, was so grateful for Dennis’s clean recordings, but Garrard also recorded all Foley sound for a 5.1 mix, it was important to get the sound right.


I believed you worked with pro and non-pro actors? What were some of the challenges casting and working with the performers?

It’s hard to call certain actors pro or not pro. We were casting for a non-union show, which means no regular Screen Actors Guild actors could be used. Some SAG actors have a different status with the union and were able to do both. Most of the actors were excited and keen to be in a feature regardless. Some actors ended up paying out of their own pockets to be in the film.


How about the logistics while shooting in Wisconsin? You folks shot at several locations.

The town was about 2 miles square so company moves didn’t hurt us too much. We were able to get all our locations for free, which helped our ‘post production’ budget. Everyone gave more than we asked, Wendy and I were married not too far from Waupaca, so we knew exactly who to approach for food and the making-of video.

Tell us a bit about post on the project? I believe it was done here in LA?

Yes all post was done in LA. Wendy cut an off-line edit of the picture alone, then the sound files from this ‘locked picture’ are handed to the sound designer (Garrard Whatley). He decides on what works and what dialogue needs to be replaced via ADR (Audio Dialogue Replacement). The off-line picture, in the meantime, is handed to the ‘On-line’ editor (HD Studios). They color-time the film while the DP (Marc Menet) and I supervise. Finally we were ready to ‘ marry’ the picture to the sound back to the original HDCAM format. The thing I love about LA is that, even as an Indie filmmaker, the big companies are out there to help smaller people like me.


Doug, you are originally from the UK, I believe. Compare making films there to here in Hollywood.

Completely different, it’s like ‘chalk and cheese.’ England has the best technicians in the world, but the mentality in England is so far from Hollywood. Over here there are people willing to take meetings with a no-name director, they listen and are prepared for the most outrageous stories. In England, there is a certain way and style to making films. That is why we have suffered in the past decades. We need a studio system in London, but right now, all we really have is a place for Americans to shoot.


What’s the strategy for getting your feature “AfterThought” out there for people to see? The festival route or going to straight to a distributor or broadcaster?

Since we have unknown actors we need to take it to a few Festival screenings. This announces to the distributor that our work is worth buying, I have currently mailed out about 20 DVDS to festivals, all in America. My film is very commercial, so I am unclear on how it will work at festivals. I can say it was made to be sold, not to be 'different'.

What’s up next for your and your collaborators, Doug?

I am in negotiations with creators for a 22 million dollar film based on the Dr. Seuss Kids, and I am also rewriting and plan to re-shoot a film I did called 25%. This is a road movie to be shot for $400,000 or near to that.

Thanks a bunch for taking the time to answer our questions and HIT wishes the best of luck on “AfterThought.”
Thank you.