Magic Wand

Without revealing too much, I'll repeat my vague description of this short as a comedy about abortion. That alone should serve as a parental warning, and possibly as a convincing pitch.

I had the vague concept for this short a few months ago, but never intended to ever shoot it. But when the theme "magic wand" was given at the previous Group 101 Films meeting, it seemed to fit all too well - the short centers around a home pregnancy kit. And what better name for a home pregnancy kit than "Magic Wand"? (Actually, the theme was broader: "magic", but a short film contest for Atom Films and Intel requires films to utilize the theme "magic wand" - I have no ambitions to enter the contest, but, again, this fit perfectly).

And instead of offering up tons of excuses for whatever flaws exist in the short, I'll go right ahead and say I'm incredibly proud of how this turned out. I think one of my greater talents is casting, although I can only take half credit here. My female lead I saw in a play a few months back and was immediately impressed with her solid ability to act and fit any scene, not to mention great comic delivery and beauty on top. I was surprised when she agreed to work with me, in spite of her not knowing me, having barely two lines of dialogue written in my script draft, and the requirement that she appear in lingerie or implied nudity. Tyler Tanner, meanwhile, I've know for a couple years and have wanted to work with for some time now... however, when casting the male role in this short I never pictured him. When my first choice, confirmed actor completely flaked the night of shooting, Claire suggested Tyler. It sounded like a long shot, but the idea of him in the role immediately made me giggle, and when he said he could be on set in less than an hour I knew that this short was going to be my personal favorite.

And now, here it is - still rough, but I hope entertaining enough...

Magic Wand
.wmv 9.7mb

(Mac friendly version pending - again, if anyone knows the best way to convert to Quicktime without making the video quality blow and the file size manageable - under 10 megs - lemme know).