by Mark W. Gray

It all started with a one sentence idea I jotted down in my Palm Pilot, where it sat, undeveloped, for at least a couple of years. When my film “The Morning Guy” was accepted in the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, they invited the filmmakers to submit ideas for a film that was to be shot in 24 hours during the festival. They wanted something simple, that could be done in one day, in one location. I wrote up “Science!” as a paragraph and sent it in. Based on that, they then asked me and about 3 other filmmakers to generate shooting scripts. I did so, but they ended up choosing another one, I’m not sure which.

Cut to the following summer, 2004. I was running my summer program at Northwestern University. (The National High School Institute’s Film & Video Production Program) We got about 1200 feet of 16mm film donated from Kodak, and the plan was to do a big film shoot with all the students acting as the crew. And, Hey, I’ve got this script all set to go - Why not shoot “Science!”? It took place in an airport departure lounge, but we were able to use the very modern lobby of McCormick Hall right on campus, about 100 yards from the cage where we check out our equipment. With my friend, actress Cheryl Golemo, dressed as a stewardess, the illusion was uncanny. I directed, and my Cinematography instructor, Alicia Robbins served as the DP. The students performed all the crew positions as well as appeared as extras.

We finished the film, showed it at our final screening, and that was it. I hadn’t intended to enter many festivals with it since it can be such a drain on the bank account. Then, in the spring of 2005, I decided to put it into the Short Film Corner, a sort of a Shorts Market at the Cannes Film Festival. I was going to the festival anyway, and it’s always nice to have something to tell people they can come and see. I tightened it up, put on some legal music, and sent it in. I guess it had a lot more potential than I expected - It ended up being one of only 10 films chosen for Silence On Court, a special competition within the Short Film Corner.

The little film we made in a day has taken on a life of its own.