We’re just gonna lead this entry off with a big ‘ole photo. Have a look at that, will ya? Looks pretty scary, no? Give it a few seconds. OK.
THE VIOLENT KIND is the new film from The Butcher Brothers which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. SFSDF alum Maria Bernal-Silva was chosen to be on the production team. We were recently able to catch up with Maria and hear about her work on the film.
How’d you get involved?
I was referred to this project by the Sound Recordist & the Associate Producer. I received a call that the Butcher Brothers were shooting a horror film in Sonoma County and are were in need of a Script Supervisor.
What did you do?
As the Script Supervisor, aka Scripty, I kept track of and log script notes regarding picture & script continuity as well as taking A & B camera notes. It was a 2-camera shoot, so as one can imagine, that meant double the attention needed to keep track of what each camera was doing & the action within the frames. Thankfully, 2 directors means extra sets of eyes.
The most important thing you learned during filming?
This was an ultra-low-budget SAG, 2-camera, independent feature film, with over-night shoots, in the woods of Somoma County… I read and loved the script. I was also told that this is the coolest group of people to work with and they were right.
The most valuable thing I came away with during filming is the realization of truly loving what I do. Everyone: the actors, the crew, the producers, set photographers, to catering, Everyone was there for the right reasons. What got me there was the script. What kept me going throughout was the general feeling that filmmaker’s are crazy beings and everybody there was there to see it through. Filmmaking is a shared experience.
How was Sundance?
Sundance was very fun…The energy and atmosphere was amazing and it was really nice to have a mini reunion with some of the cast and crew. At Sundance, you can park your car and take the free and frequent shuttles that run the “Theatre Loop” to get to the screenings which are respectively far from each other. A great system which cuts down on street traffic considerably.
Films I saw were: THE VIOLENT KIND (Butcher Brothers), CANE TOADS, THE CONQUEST (shot on Silicon Imaging 3D cameras), LUCKY (from the creators of SPELLBOUND; about the lottery), EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP (a Banksy Film), ENTER THE VOID (Gaspare Noe), MR.OKRA (short film).