Preview
POCKET CHANGE
Starring Todd Kipp and Tony Gate
Directed by Drew Baker
Saturday, May 28
Uptown Screen
Filmmakers always talk about going to L.A. to make movies, but few of them ever do it. However, for a pair of Calgary friends, heading down to California actually resulted in their debut film.
Entitled Pocket Change, the 25-minute short tells the story of two slackers who make their living by kidnapping dogs and holding them for ransom. Writer-producer Todd Kipp cranked out the script in a day in November of 2004 and enlisted the help of his friend Jeremy Pollock to act as the film’s unit manager. Since Kipp had moved to L.A. to pursue his writing career, Pollack headed south in December for seven days of shooting. It didn’t matter to Pollack that he had no experience as unit manager – he studied 3-D animation at the Alberta College of Art and Design – he just dove into the project to help out his pal.
On big-budget films, the role of a unit manager is well defined – they oversee production and facilitate the filmmaking process. Pocket Change, as you might have guessed, was not a big budget film, so Pollock’s role was considerably more hands-on.
"It was such a small crew," he says. "There would be times where one minute I’d be applying makeup and the next I would be moving furniture and the next I’d be holding a boom." In true lead-by-example fashion, Pollack’s commitment to the film inspired others on the crew to do the same.
"I remember one scene we were filming where the lead actress was actually wrangling rope. She was off in the background with all these cables wrapped around her and she was in full wardrobe and makeup. It was a really great thing to see – everyone pitching in 100 per cent on the film."
The experience was so good that Pollock and Kipp have their next project in the works. The followup, Yellow and Blue Make Green, will be directed by Pollock and is already in the storyboarding phases. In the meantime, Pollock looks back on his unit-managing debut as he prepares for the Calgary première of Pocket Change.
"It was long days and you would be tired when you got home," he says, "but it was a dream to work on so I would wake up the next day and be ready to go."
The screening will be preceded by a live musical performance by Simeon Ross, who appears on the soundtrack. |
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