In this edition of the DVD Film School, we're taking a look at a DVD that a first-time independent filmmaker can turn to for valuable insight into the production process. This time out, we're looking at RADIUS (which is not a Christian film and contains some coarse language but still has lots of good background production info).
Back in the late 90s, there was this great thing called the Internet that got lots of people excited. They started thinking of new ways to deliver goods and services and a lot of money was lost when many of these ideas turned out to be pretty stupid or unworkable. A few, however, weren't bad, just ahead of their time.
I ran into RADIUS on a Web site in those halcyon days- the production company, an outfit called K2 Films, was trying to make the first professional short film produced for the Web. Their Web site was designed to show each step of the production process to culminate in an online premiere of the finished film. But then the Internet bubble burst and it seemed like K2 was one of the casualties. Their Web site stagnated and then finally disappeared, with the film left never to see the light of day.
But then I saw a blurb on a news site announcing that the film was available at last, reborn as a DVD instead of a Web premiere. It was being offered as a 2-disk Director's Edition that includes a "Guerrilla Film School" on that second DVD. The film itself is only about a half hour long, but it is snappy, well-acted and engaging, featuring a sci-fi story about a crashed spaceship in a war zone with a big bomb on board and only 30 minutes to escape the coming blast.
The real jewel is the film school DVD which provides tons of material for those interested in each step of the production process. From casting (they received 1000 headshots from actors hoping for an unpaid part in the film) to set construction to shooting in Death Valley to editing and promotion. The goal of all this is "aimed at showing aspiring filmmakers how to put together a film of their own, using Radius as the example." It may not tell you everything you need to know, but it's one of the best structured looks at the steps you'd want to follow that I've seen.
The Web site for the film contains lots of info and a taste of what the DVD contains. Recommended viewing.
Radius Site
