NewEnglandFilm.com

What do you get when you scavenge junkyards for props, shoot on location in and around your neighborhood, cash in favors with friends in the business, and shoot a seven-minute long film with no dialogue? "Brief Encounter," along with entrée into some of New England’s cooler film festivals.

Director Doug Martin wears his filmmaking thriftiness as a badge of honor. Doing things cheaply and efficiently is not only his modus operandi; it is an essential part of his creative process. And it has to be. (Hey, give the guy a break: He lives in Somerville, works a 9 to 5 job, and he just happens to like making movies. He’ll save the big budgets for those who can afford them.)

But the festivals don’t seem to care what his budgets were.

"Brief Encounter," which plays as part of the shorts program at Wood’s Hole and will be shown prior to the feature film "Monkey Business" in Rhode Island, was a labor of love for Martin. Starting the piece while a student at Emerson College four years ago, he took a two-year hiatus before pulling the film off the shelf to resume work on it. The project was inspired, in part, by the success of his micro-budgeted first short, "The Big P," which showed Martin that, for many of these film festivals, it is story that matters over money.

"Brief Encounter" tells the simple tale of a timid man (a "goober," as the director describes him) in a laundromat who is bewitched by a saucily-swaying, uninhibited woman doing her wash next to his. When she leaves a piece of her unmentionables behind, the unthinkable happens as the shy hero goes to her rescue.

NewEnglandFilm.com caught up with Martin, as he wrapped up a hectic couple of weeks working at Rule Broadcast Systems (RBS), a rental house in Watertown, MA.

KM: What was the genesis of "Brief Encounter?"

Martin: "Brief Encounter" began as a project while I was a student at Emerson. I studied film there and graduated with a B.A. in New Media Studies. I had done a few little films and became so disenchanted by the costs. I remember several projects by other students that had budgets of several thousands of dollars and they were screened on campus but then disappeared. For my first "big" project I had a measly $300 budget. I was my own crew, editor, and craft person. That film, "The Big P," went on to win several student awards and got screened at a few film festivals (including Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts).

"Brief Encounter" was my last film project while at Emerson. It was made through one of Emerson’s film production clubs, Frames Per Second. While in pre-production for "Brief," I figured I could stretch my budget (again) if we shot it MOS but on 35mm black and white. I wrote the film with no dialogue. It turned out a little sloppy, but we captured some really sweet moments and slick moves.

The film remained on a shelf. After I graduated I did freelance film production work around Boston for a couple years and eventually decided that it was time for me to work on another project of my own. I eventually came back to "Brief." I cashed in some favors from some freelance friends, including my D.P., Tim Coughlan, re-shot the key sequences, and changed the ending.

Doug Martin directing on the set of "Brief Encounter."
[Click to enlarge]

KM: A local production through and through, where did you shoot the film?

Martin: We shot the whole thing in Somerville, MA, where I live and used my street for the exteriors. We shot for a total of five weekends, with a minimal (but talented) crew. I’ve shot all over the Boston suburbs, and Somerville was one of the nicest communities to infiltrate with a film crew. Some folks brought out hot chocolate on one particularly cold morning.

KM: With a relatively small budget, how did you manage to complete the project?

Martin: Through my job at Rule Broadcast Systems I was able to finish it up using Avid (with a lot of help with the sound design). My biggest problem was finding the right music. Given that the film is "silent" with no dialogue, I knew that the music would really end up driving the piece. I eventually found a great local jazz group called The Sai Ghose Trio. I layered the first song over the film, and it fit perfectly. With all the good fortune needed to finish the film, I consider Sai’s music to be the luckiest find.

KM: How did "Brief" come to be a part of the Wood’s Hole and Rhode Island festivals? Has the film been screened at other festivals?

Martin: I found the RIIFF when I was searching around to submit my film to area film festivals. I read that they were one of the "best kept secret" film festivals in the country. They have a great reputation of taking care of their attending filmmakers. When I saw the list of international films to be screened at RIIFF, I was ecstatic to be a part of it. I can’t wait.

In addition to RIIFF, I screened at The Boston Comedy and Film Festival back in May and will screen at this year’s Wood’s Hole Film Festival (actually that screening takes place one week earlier than the RIIFF screening).

I know how hard it is to put together a festival. Earlier this year I became involved with the Independent Film Society of Boston (www.ifsboston.org), a non-profit corporation that presented the first Independent Film Festival of Boston this past May. We’re presenting a film called "Melvin Goes to Diner" at the Allston Cinema August 29 – September 4. "Melvin" was directed by Bob Odenkirk, one half of the team of "Mr. Show" on HBO. It won the audience award at our festival this year. Our mission is to exhibit artistic independent films made by directors worldwide.

KM: What are your career aspirations at this point? Do you have any other (film) irons in the fire?

Martin: What to do next? That’s a tricky question. I like it here in New England. I grew up in Connecticut. My family is here. I want to stay here and make more films. I hope to get a little mileage out of "Brief Encounter" on the film festival circuit, do some fundraising, and make another short film bigger in scale. From there I’d love to do a feature. Now is a tough time to ask people to give you money on something as risky as a feature.

I was lucky enough to leave freelance film production to work full time at Rule Broadcast Systems (RBS) just before it started to get tough. There was a time when I would see my freelance friends as they came into RBS to pick up equipment and head off to set and I envied them for being able to find such rewarding jobs. Now many of those friends have left for New York or LA to find more work and the ones that stayed in Boston have told me that I’m the lucky one because at least I know where I’ll be working tomorrow. It’s scary out there now.

As far as my next project goes I’ll need to do what I’ve done on all my films: Find a way to do it cheaper. The good news is that technology has improved and made it possible to do.

KM: Do you have a preferred format for shooting your work?

Martin: I’ve shot on every format, film and video. If I can’t get the money to make a piece on film, I’ll shoot on video. I used to be one of those film snobs that scoffed at "films" shot on video. I’ve come to realize that the format is just another tool, another factor in the equation. There are obvious advantages to film but one advantage some video formats have is economical.

I think the current state of our economy will have people searching for different, more affordable tools to get their work seen. Many film festivals accept and screen films shot on video, and I suspect more people will drift towards that. If the story and acting are good enough it will get recognized through the "video look." I’ve been to a lot of area film festivals the past couple years and there are obviously great filmmakers here in New England, and they’ll continue to find ways to get it done. I know I will.