About the Production
“Saturday” is a collaboration between writer/director
Ben Brammeier and director of photography Justin Hayward. The initially
scope of the film was much smaller. Ben and Justin planned to write
a script that would utilize available resources, but as the script
flourished, it became clear that it deserved more.
Ben was going to be shooting a concert for the Gateway Men’s
Chorus in April of 2002. He decided to schedule the shoot for
the film the same weekend so he could use one of the cameras rented
for the concert. Within two weeks, from the time the script was
completed to the two day shoot, a camera, lighting, and sound
package were rented; locations were scouted and acquired; set
items were purchased; and casting was complete.
The shoot was originally scheduled for one day, but weather forecasts
were poor, so the small crew scrambled to shoot the final exterior
scene of the film on the prep/rehearsal day. The actual shoot
day proved to be a grueling 16 hour ordeal for the cast and crew,
so shooting that scene the previous day ended up allowing the
film to be completed.
Once shooting was completed, Ben and Justin returned to Chicago
and began post-production. Editing took place between paid projects
and in the little free time the two had. For the film’s
score, Ben approached Dave Carlson of Bucktown Pictures/Maestro-Matic
for recommendations and Andy Deitrich came on board. He composed
the original score in his home studio and mixed the sound at Maestro-Matic.
The film was mastered to Mini-DV and BetaSP in April, 2003. Currently
“Saturday” is being submitted to various film festivals
across the country. It will premiere on June 25th, 2003 at the
St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase.
Cinematography
One of the first things people comment on after watching “Saturday”
is it’s visual style. A common question is, “what
was it shot on?” The “film” was shot using a
Cannon XL-1 Mini-DV camera with the standard Cannon lens. Director
of Photography Justin Hayward had a one ton tungsten lighting
package to light the film. The decision to shoot on DV was a monetary
one, but with careful lighting, the XL-1’s “Frame
Mode”, and usage of specific focal lengths, the project
comes close to looking like 16mm. “In and ideal world I
would shoot on whatever medium best suits the story, but I’d
rather shoot on DV than not shoot at all. And for that matter,
I’d rather shoot on DV with a good lighting package then
shoot on 35mm with no lights,” says the director. “I
really think the films strongest point is its visuals. Justin
is entirely responsible for that.”
Minor color correction was done using Adobe Premiere and a Matrox
RT2500. A DVD, which preserves the native DV quality, is available.
Production Design
An often overlooked aspect of filmmaking is Production Design. “Saturday”
required a house that looked as if an old woman had been living
there for 40 years. Old furniture and fixtures and a lifetime’s
worth of collectables were desired. Many locations were scouted
but none offered the desired look and accessibility. The decision
to dress the set was daunting due to the hurried production schedule
and a modest design budget. The filmmakers decided to shoot in Justin’s
parent’s house, which was located across the street from the
exterior location. This was logistically convenient but it needed
to be completely dressed. In a matter of 36 hours, Production Designer
Janie Goldstein completely transformed the living room and kitchen.
“The only items that belong to the house are the piano and
dining room table. Everything else you see, Janie put there…
from the couch and rug, to the pictures on the wall, and the wood
paneling,” says director Ben Brammeier.
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