“Phoned,” the first film project of graduating theater arts major Dusty Bodeen, unfolds the story of three young adults struggling with the realities of their close relationships.
Bodeen, who wrote and directed the film, lived on the set – much of the movie was shot in the house he shares with artist Dane Eisenbart.
The easy, collaborative manner in which the tight cast and crew communicates is indicative of the dynamic energy audiences will witness on Sunday evening, when the film premieres on campus in 180 PLC.
The film follows three best friends who are tangled in complex relationships with each other – the kind of complexity that can occur in college when friends and lovers are closely associated. The film follows best friends Clay, played by Patrick O’Driscoll, a triple major in theater arts, digital arts and sociology, and John, played by Nathan Beard, who studies English and theater at Lane Community College. While one is dating Lucy, played by graduating theater arts major Lilli Turner, the other becomes her best friend. Inevitably, the connections between the three graduates become hopelessly entwined.
To begin the project, Bodeen brought the script he started a year ago in June to his uncle, Ken Bodeen. After a read-through and a quick meeting, he became executive producer by funding $15,000 toward the film. With rented lighting equipment from the Portland-based Northwest Film Group, Eisenbart in charge of art direction, and Daniel Alex Wood as editor and director of photography, they started filming.
What they initially thought would take two days of shooting turned into 10. The cast did the grip work, and Eisenbart took digital photos to refer to for continuity while they rearranged the sets to accommodate the camera and lighting.
“For every second of film time, there are hours of work that go into it. There are so many things that play into how the scene is that have nothing to do with the actors,” Turner said.
Bodeen relied on Eisenbart and Wood to bring to life his vision through editing, filming and scene setting, but he also encouraged each to take some creative control.
“It was nice for me not to have to worry about the aesthetic of a shot because I knew Dane would take care of it. I knew he would come up with some sweet colors,” Bodeen said. “I would tell Dan the shot that I wanted, and he would get the lighting right…then I would ask Dane if there was anything about this shot we could change.”
The art (much of it by Eisenbart), cinematography and music all lend themselves to move the film away from total realism, Bodeen explained.
“Phoned” is also a film premiere for the actors. Turner has been acting onstage for more than ten years, so the transition to film acting felt dramatically different.
“With film, there is so much stopping and starting, whereas in a play, you pretty much get to experience the whole ride once you start running the show,” Turner said.
Bodeen knew from the beginning who he wanted as actors. Bodeen, O’Driscoll and Turner have been in theater classes since their freshman year, and their chemistry is obvious.
Keeping the storyboard straight during filming was a challenge because they shot much of it out of sequence, Bodeen explained. To stay on top of the choppy filming regimen, Bodeen’s mind was constantly running to stay on top of the trajectories of each character.
“Can your imagination keep up with what you are doing every day? It is almost like you are creating this own little fantasy and you don’t know if it is actually happening the way you think it is or not,” Bodeen said.
One of the goals of the film is to establish a strong sense of place, said Bodeen. He believes that the environment young people choose to go to college in has an under-recognized impact on their growth. Eugene and the Oregon Coast provide a valuable backdrop to the film and to the characters’ lives.
To confront the challenges they faced as first-time filmmakers on a limited budget, they sought inspiration from Jørgen Leth’s meditation on fantastic filmmaking despite (and sometimes because of), limitations. They found creative solutions for what they did not have a budget for, said O’Driscoll.
“So much beauty and great art is about overcoming those obstructions,” Bodeen said, “instead of just throwing more money at the problem.”