Wow... what a weekend! In 46.5 hours we managed to crank out not only the best film at the contest, but also something the likes of which the Talenos crew has never done*. I still can't believe I was involved in making something so awesome, even when I've watched the movie many times by now.
*Some people attribute the story shakeup to there finally being a female writer helping to crank out the plot. Of course, I wouldn't know anything about that. ^_^
I brought the movie home on DVD for my parents, brother Tim, and sister-in-law Kilee to view. While I told them about the rules and requirements of the contest, I made sure that they went into the movie completely new to the plot as to test the storytelling power of our silent feature. They all followed the story very easily, which I consider a job well done for our entire crew; to tell a story with no dialogue was a real challenge, one not faced by the other teams in the competition. I actually had some trouble convincing my family that the movie was indeed made entirely over the weekend -- story, shooting, editing, music, et al. They "just couldn't believe that something that professional-looking could be made that quickly!" I ended up leaving my DVD at home in order for my parents to show to some friends who are big film/theatre buffs, so hopefully the website will be getting a few more hits in the next few weeks.
In other news, as soon as the "Talenos" flashed on the screen, my brother and his wife shared a moment of realization: "That's the crazy idiot from Maple Hall who ran around with a camcorder and got in trouble with some drunk girls!" (both Tim and Kilee came to ISU in Fall 2000 and lived in Maple). They were amazed to hear that yes, he was in fact still around, had actually managed to graduate, and was still successfully in school. A triumphant story for the ages! :-P