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Plot, camera and action in Basalt
Local duo produces short film for student festival
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Tonight's Rocky Mountain Student Filmfest will show dozens of films from youngsters across Colorado. "Atrocity," a two-minute short by locals Brycen Fauser, left, and Ben Fout will be featured at the Basalt event.
Stina Sieg Post Independent
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By Stina Sieg
May 2, 2008
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GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado - When two laid-back dudes like Brycen Fauser and Ben Fout talk film, it's fun to listen in. Sure, they're vested in what they do, but the 18-year-old filmmakers speak about movies in this low-key, best-buddy sort of way.
"I don't think we have to do it," said Fout. "It's like a pastime."
"I don't know what we'd do without it, though," cut in Fauser.
| Check it out |
What: 9th Annual Rocky Mountain Student Filmfest, featuring 25 shorts from students across Colorado. This year, it received its first out-of-state entries from young filmmakers in Massachusetts, too. Locals Ben Fout and Brycen Fauser's "The Atrocity" will also be featured.
When: 7:30 p.m. tonight
Where: Basalt Middle School, 51 School St.
Cost: $5 at the door
More information: www.studentfilmfest.org
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And they both nodded.
Their joint project, "The Atrocity," is a two-minute piece, shot mostly on tripod in a Glenwood alley. The pair didn't want to ruin the plot but promised a twist lying somewhere in the narrative. Those hankering to find out more may do so tonight at the Rocky Mountain Student Filmfest. There, "Atrocity" will be screened alongside 25 other pieces - including five more by Fout.
As the boys went into all this, they were sitting together at a local coffee shop. They both wore baseball caps covering wild, curly hair. They were completing each other's sentences and talking fast, and almost looked like twins.
As one of them put it, they're "brothas from anotha motha."
Their friendship started in first grade, one said, back when they were both living in New Castle. Later, Fout would move to Glenwood and be homeschooled, but they never lost touch. About four years ago, Fauser got a camera from his parents (the kind with "big ol' tapes," he said). They had super hero suits, too. Why not make movies?
"It just came to us. We've got the stuff. Let's do it," said Fauser.
They both admitted it - their "Super Dudes" episodes were pretty simple. There was a good guy, a bad guy, a fight scene (maybe two) and then the end. But they were still smiling about it all with a bit of embarrassed pride.
After these first movies, they worked apart, each focusing on their own thing. Fauser went into acting, doing countless shows at Rifle High School, while Fout turned to animation. In fact, after taking a media empowerment course from the local MPower group, he ended up teaching the class.
They had been kicking around the idea of making a movie for a while, they said, but after seeing the recent Aspen Shortsfest, something got stirred up in them.
"We had like, hundreds of ideas," said Fout. "Seeing all those shorts inspired us."
So they thought about these ideas on a Tuesday. They then shot the entire thing Wednesday.
Both said there are so many other things they could be doing besides filming movies, besides spending hours slaving over Final Cut Pro. Yet, they looked like they were doing exactly what they wanted.
"It's amazing how just a little bit of time can become something so cool," said Fauser, of their two minutes of fame.
"I think every little thing matters," added Fout. "If some people see it, if it affects people in a good way or a bad way, that's what we're going for."
When asked about the future, the boys' answers were straightforward, not tinted with angst.
Fout will be a director, and Fauser will be an actor, they said. Whoever gets big first will help the other one up in the industry. As Fauser explained, that's just where their hearts are.
"You never know what's going to happen," said Fout. "But you can try to make things happen."
And that's a plan.
Contact Stina Sieg: 384-9111ssieg@postindependent.com
Post Independent Glenwood Springs CO Colorado
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