3:45
Narrative | 9 min | 2002
Writer, director, shooter, editor TRAN QUOC BAO
Producer STEVEN TRIGSTAD
Music by DAMIEN KOEMANS & WILLIAM NORDWALL
Synopsis
While waiting for an afternoon bus, a group of strangers observe some shady dealings with a package, and take advantage of a missed appointment.
Cast
Boyfriend DOUGLAS AUSTIN III
Young Kid JEFF BERMOY
Runner JT JACKSON
Girlfriend RAFEEDAH KEYS
T.W. Guy JOSEPH WILLIAMS
Screenings and Awards
2003 First Annual Seattle Student Film Festival - Winner Best Short
2002 Northwest Asian American Film Festival
2003 Northwest Film Forum Local Sightings
2004 Brainwash Movie Festival
Reviews
"Incredibly admirable...this short reveals an artist obviously attempting to tell a story in a fresh manner. If I had to bet on anyone's career, it would probably be this director's as he demonstrates a grasp of commercial narrative and indie style."
-- Warren Etheredge, jury member for the Seattle Student Film Festival
Director Comments (Mar 2003)
While most people familiar with POV know us through our action films, 3:45 is a much different piece. It has no dialogue and no fighting, instead it plays as a quirky thriller in under 9 minutes. I've always been adamant that the "mission" of POV is to create films with a strong story and interesting characters. It doesn't matter whether it has action or not, whether or not it's difficult to categorize, the story is what leads us in our decision to shoot.
Hitchcock has always been a major influence because, among many things, I love his precise shot selection. The visuals for 3:45 in particular are much more important because of the absence of dialogue. Also, the packages are the MacGuffin, the object that everyone wants but it doesn't particularly matter what it exactly is, hence the lack of explanation by the end of the film. I wanted it to be about the different people fighting over this hot potato.
All of the shooting was done guerrilla-style. We had to coordinate our shots with the bus route so sometimes we'd stop in the middle of a setup to run and get the shot of the bus coming in. If the take wasn't good, it meant waiting another 20 minutes for the next bus before we could get that shot again.
The screenplay actually had a few more scenes which were set inside the bus showing a bit more of the interaction between the characters after the package pickup. We had a day left of shooting to go when the events of 9/11 put a stop to it all. Jon Jackson, the key actor, was actively enlisted in the Navy and shortly after shipped off for the Middle East. I've lost contact with him, but I know he made it out okay because he was recently spotted in "Bacardi and Cola" commercials on TV. I assume he's in Los Angeles now and wish the best for him. Maybe I can ride his coattails soon.
I sat on the raw footage for a few months in hopes that I would be able to reshoot. But then I played around with an edit and saw that something of a story could still be told. Most viewers don't notice the truncation, but it still seems a little underdeveloped for me. It was already asking a lot from the viewer being "silent" and all, but the shortened version asks for a much more careful watching. Many have not been able to make heads or tails of it, but a lot of film lovers have reacted enthusiastically.
Producer STEVEN TRIGSTAD
Music by DAMIEN KOEMANS & WILLIAM NORDWALL
Synopsis
While waiting for an afternoon bus, a group of strangers observe some shady dealings with a package, and take advantage of a missed appointment.
Cast
Boyfriend DOUGLAS AUSTIN III
Young Kid JEFF BERMOY
Runner JT JACKSON
Girlfriend RAFEEDAH KEYS
T.W. Guy JOSEPH WILLIAMS
Screenings and Awards
2003 First Annual Seattle Student Film Festival - Winner Best Short
2002 Northwest Asian American Film Festival
2003 Northwest Film Forum Local Sightings
2004 Brainwash Movie Festival
Reviews
"Incredibly admirable...this short reveals an artist obviously attempting to tell a story in a fresh manner. If I had to bet on anyone's career, it would probably be this director's as he demonstrates a grasp of commercial narrative and indie style."
-- Warren Etheredge, jury member for the Seattle Student Film Festival
Director Comments (Mar 2003)
While most people familiar with POV know us through our action films, 3:45 is a much different piece. It has no dialogue and no fighting, instead it plays as a quirky thriller in under 9 minutes. I've always been adamant that the "mission" of POV is to create films with a strong story and interesting characters. It doesn't matter whether it has action or not, whether or not it's difficult to categorize, the story is what leads us in our decision to shoot.
Hitchcock has always been a major influence because, among many things, I love his precise shot selection. The visuals for 3:45 in particular are much more important because of the absence of dialogue. Also, the packages are the MacGuffin, the object that everyone wants but it doesn't particularly matter what it exactly is, hence the lack of explanation by the end of the film. I wanted it to be about the different people fighting over this hot potato.
All of the shooting was done guerrilla-style. We had to coordinate our shots with the bus route so sometimes we'd stop in the middle of a setup to run and get the shot of the bus coming in. If the take wasn't good, it meant waiting another 20 minutes for the next bus before we could get that shot again.
The screenplay actually had a few more scenes which were set inside the bus showing a bit more of the interaction between the characters after the package pickup. We had a day left of shooting to go when the events of 9/11 put a stop to it all. Jon Jackson, the key actor, was actively enlisted in the Navy and shortly after shipped off for the Middle East. I've lost contact with him, but I know he made it out okay because he was recently spotted in "Bacardi and Cola" commercials on TV. I assume he's in Los Angeles now and wish the best for him. Maybe I can ride his coattails soon.
I sat on the raw footage for a few months in hopes that I would be able to reshoot. But then I played around with an edit and saw that something of a story could still be told. Most viewers don't notice the truncation, but it still seems a little underdeveloped for me. It was already asking a lot from the viewer being "silent" and all, but the shortened version asks for a much more careful watching. Many have not been able to make heads or tails of it, but a lot of film lovers have reacted enthusiastically.