In July, my sister Elisa and I participated in the 7-Day Shootout, which is part of the Knoxville Film Festival. The premise of the Shootout is this: you have 7 days to write, film, and produce a 7-minute film. The films are then premiered at the Knoxville Film Festival, which happened to be this past weekend. It's a fun experience that brings together the film community in East Tennessee and usually ends up producing some really great short films, all from just one week's worth of work.
Elisa and I have been doing the 7-Day Shootout since we were in high school. Since I've been in college, I've led a team from my university twice (you can head over here to watch them). This year the festival was scheduled earlier, so my usual college teammates were spread out across the country on summer break.
It was the day before the Shootout kicked off. I had decided not to lead a team. Then I got a text from my good friend and the director of the Knoxville Film Festival asking if I would enter. After a deep breath and several "You're going to regret this Maranda"s, I replied that I would do it.
My goal for this film was to make something lovely and sentimental that gave me an excuse to wear cool vintage outfits. With a tiny cast (myself, Parker, and my grandparents) and an even tinier crew (Elisa and myself) we set out to make a story about a thing called love. We worked with Hazel (you can read about them in this post), who reproduced their original song "Young Bat" to serve as the score for our film.
At the festival last weekend, we were awarded Best Use of Music (thanks to Hazel) and nominated for Best Poster Design. We've gotten so much love and support during the entire process. It's been an overall amazing experience.
So, without further ado, here's our film "Robert & Nancy."
P.S. I don't regret it.