Scene 1 Take 1

This project is inspired by those two kids in Mississippi who recreated Raiders of the Lost Ark. I originally saw the article on Slashdot, then later heard about it again on NPR News. Basically, back in the 80's, these kids loved the movie and decided to film their own version. It took them six years but they did it.

I have long had an interest in making video. For a short time in college I was part of a small video production company -- my brother, a friend and I. We had an Amiga 2000 and a Video Toaster. We shot a few projects, but mainly I just played with the equipment constantly. I have many embarassing videos that one day I should transfer to digital and upload...

Fast forward to 2003. I finally got myself a digital camcorder. I also switched to the Mac. I've played with Final Cut a little bit (wow have the tools advanced) and I have the bug again.

So when I heard about those kids who recreated Raiders of the Lost Ark, I started thinking... if I wanted to work on my guitar chops I would get together a cover band... and if I wanted to learn how to make a film, maybe these kids were onto something.

For a couple of weeks I was trying to think of a movie to do. Nothing seemed like a good fit. Then I was having supper with my friend Carl and he was interested in the project. The conversation drifted somehow to Columbo (Carl loves Columbo) and it hit me -- that was perfect! It's a little cliché, the effects aren't overwhelming, and it will be hilarious to see the final project.

It's now up to Carl to choose which Columbo to remake. I have to scramble up some sort of lighting and some microphones. This is low-budget, so there might be some cheap mics duct-taped to broomsticks in my future.

And that's where we are. This is going to be a lot of work, but I'm excited!