My hope has been restored however. Last week I had the opportunity to meet with Bangkok's newest independent filmmaker, Richard Chambers. Buzz was circulating between my friends: this director was shooting a video for the rock band, Deadtown Trash at 3 different shows of theirs. If you wanna be in the video, show up! I missed all 3 shows but got a names and links for this new movie called "The Shadow Sea."
The film trailers looked spectacular! It was film noir. Black and white. Beautiful cinematography. Instantly, I knew "The Shadow Sea" could be a contender. Who knows where? Cannes? Berlin? It was as if the film was speaking to me, drawing me in like every femme fatale. But who was the genius behind this? How much does it cost to make an indie movie these days? How much did you say the budget was again?
Zero.
There was no budget. The Shadow Sea was filmed with borrowed equipment, volunteer actors, on the streets of Bangkok when everyone was free after their day jobs. If nothing else this is sure to be a wakeup call to Hollywood-style big budget productions – better films can be made for less. This could be the new handbook for "Guerilla Filmmaking 101". There is a legion of indie filmmakers waiting for a film like this. Ultimately, it wasn't money that made the film – there wasn't any.
It was determination.
The Shadow Sea is currently in post production and features Louis Ortiz in the lead as “Reeshar” and cameos by Deadtown Trash. Look out for the scene shot in the kitchen of our favorite rock n' roll burger bar, Fatty's Bar & Diner.
The Shadow Sea was written, produced and directed by Richard Chambers. For more information on the film release, the making of the film and video trailers, click here.