The Groundwork
The first camera started rolling in the spring of 2002. Randy Prywitch, 14 at the time, began work on a short film called Paid Programming with his friend and now producer, Jason Goldstein. It was a crude first effort -- a sloppy satire of late-night infomercials that was destined to die in post-production. But it was something.
So they tried again, and over the next year Randy and Jason created a handful of short films. Some of them worked out great. Some of them didn't, and they never received a wide audience. But these projects gave the filmmakers the experience that shaped their future as the founders and creative leaders of Be The Shoe Productions.
The Beginning
In 2006, Be The Shoe Productions came back —- big. Writer/Director Randy Prywitch, with the assistance of Producer Jason Goldstein, created Bad Day, their first succesful movie. The 26-minute wonder met local acclaim.
One year later, the filmmakers set their sights on a far more ambitious project: American Gothic. This feature-length drama told an edgy, original story about teenage love and loss of innocence. After a lengthy debate about whether the 100-page script could be brought to life, Be The Shoe filmed American Gothic over the course of the summer.
The film premiered at Plaza Frontenac in a sold-out theater. When the credits rolled, the audience turned to the back and gave the creators a standing ovation. Before the night was over, Jason and Randy had plans for distribution and additional screenings.
Rising Stars
In the months that followed, Be The Shoe Productions took off with full force. On November 9, American Gothic made its Columbia debut before an audience of 200 people. They released Tessler Pessler, followed by The Girlfriend Claire, a short film which won Best Comedy at the Silver Screen Film Festival.
By this point, the group was preparing to make second feature film. Their goal: to raise the bar with better cameras, clearer audio, improved lighting, an independent soundtrack, and a strong, well-written script with a compelling storyline and interesting, relatable characters. And so, with new equipment, an expanded cast and crew, and a big stack of HDV tapes, Salad Daze went into production in May of 2008.
The filmmakers completed post-production six months later, and after a long and difficult search for a premiere venue, they settled on a gamble. They booked the Missouri Theatre in Columbia for April 11, Easter weekend, started advertising, and held their breath.
On the day of the show the cast rolled into town, and the producers paced the floor. But as the final hour ticked away, a line formed in front of the box office. When the lights dimmed, and the crew stepped onstage, they looked out upon Salad Daze's first audience: 150 people.
Some of them had seen American Gothic, some of them had no idea what to expect. It didn't matter. Salad Daze blew them away, and when the credits rolled, the room echoed with applause.
Moving Forward
The world was starting to notice these "Shoe" people. The filmmakers found themselves talking to reporters from NBC, NPR, and local newspapers. People the crew had never met before were talking about their movies.
And Be The Shoe showed no sign of slowing down. As Salad Daze won entry into it's first film festival (The St. Louis Filmmaker Showcase), the filmmakers started discussing their next move.
Timing was a problem. Traditionally, Be The Shoe shot its features over the summer, but the core cast and crew was on the verge of graduating college. There were no more summers left. So they settled on something bolder.
After six months of planning, the crew launched into production of their third feature: Loss For Words. The catch? They were shooting the film over winter break, with only 25 days of production. They had new equipment that gave them more visual polish and flexibility, a small, dedicated cast, and a well-crafted script that took advantage of the winter environment. For a next four weeks, the cast and crew worked 12-hour days, often filming in bitter cold, trying new concepts and techniques to raise the bar once more.
Loss For Words wrapped in mid-January and is currently in post-production.
Of course, this is just the beginning...
