Son-Father Film Teams
When we at Sunscreen set up a camp for young people in 2009, we had no idea what the outcome would be. We didn't even know if anyone would show up.
What was absolutley inconceiveable at the time is the not-one-but-two son-father filmmaking teams that flowed from the project. Both have generously allowed us to tell their story.
Gustavo and Evan Carnevali
According to dad, Gustavo, Evan has been into making movies for a long time, shooting films around the house with friends.
"I was not interested in film until he got interested," said Gustavo.
When the film passion seemed to be permanent, Gustavo wanted to do what he
could to support his son. He found other film camp situations involving traveling and lots of expense and was glad when he discovered Sunscreen's camp. "Easily, the best that I've found," he said. "I've spent a lot more on less."
could to support his son. He found other film camp situations involving traveling and lots of expense and was glad when he discovered Sunscreen's camp. "Easily, the best that I've found," he said. "I've spent a lot more on less."
Evan went to the first camp in 2009. After the camp filmmaking was a hot topic in the family. Gustavo and Evan decided to volunteer on a working movie crew to see what the process is really like. They signed on with The Lesson, a short feature, and worked on it during the fall.
"It was a big crew," recalled Evan. "We got to see a lot of stuff."
Enough stuff apparently that Dad decided that he wanted to learn more and signed up for Sunscreen's Fundamentals of Film class in the winter of 2010. For that class he wound up directing a film his class team developed called The Heist. It was authentic movie-making in every way, complete with a potentially project-distroying disaster when an entire day's shooting was lost to a techical breakdown in the camera.
For his cinematographer Gustavo was lucky to have Evan. "I was the director, but he knew how to capture the image, how I should shoot it. He applied what he learned at camp."
Evan also edited the film.
I asked Evan if family dynamics made communication on the set awkward or difficult. "Nah. Normally we just talk about what's going on on the set," he said.
Later the pair signed on to shoot the the short film, The Stone House Lounge, where Evan again worked as cinematographer and editor. During the project it became obvious to them that they had developed the skills to put together projects and are looking forward to doing more.
Evan will be a high school senior next year and is anticipating a college with a good film program. Then he's going to decide where to concentrate his efforts, on the set or in the editing room.
Don and Nick Rua
Even though they were living in Citrus County at the time, two hours from the Sunscreen camp in downtown St. Pete, Nick was determined to get some instruction in filmmaking. He'd been shooting movies with friends around the neighborhood and wanted to know more about the process. He made a deal with his dad to pay for half and raised the money mowing lawns and running errands for neighbors. This was 2009 and he was 14.
"I was interested because he was interested, said Don Rua, Nick's Dad, "but that's as far as it went."
That changed during the long rides home from camp each day when Nick's enthusiastic chatter about what he'd learned that day got Don thinking that he'd like to learn more about making movies.
Finally, when camp was over, Nick told his dad, "This is what I want to do for the rest of my life."
Hoping to be supportive and have a better understanding of Nick's un-ending conversation about film, Don took the opportunity to take the Fundamentals of Film class. "Nick encouraged me. He thought that if I took the course, I would better understand what he was trying to do.
"I took to it right away. I felt I had natural proclivity for the process. I saw what needed to be done and said, 'I can do this better than what I'm seeing.'"
Nick worked on both of the films that Don's class produced.
The main project in which the two collaborated originated in Nick's summer at 
camp. He had written a script called, The Artist's Passion, which was not chosen for production. However, Nick liked it and decided to make a dramatic short film from it. His dad worked as producer.
camp. He had written a script called, The Artist's Passion, which was not chosen for production. However, Nick liked it and decided to make a dramatic short film from it. His dad worked as producer.
Nick directed, edited and wrote the score. And not in vain. So far, The Artist's Passion has been selected by five film festivals, including Sunscreen and the Fastnet in Ireland.
Nick and his dad have worked on many other projects together and the collaboration seems to be an effective one. They have several more in the development stage.
They have a productive on-set relationship.
"We butt heads on some things," said Nick, "'I don't think we should do this; we oughta try that.' It can get annoying but we work it out.
"Actually, butting heads with him helps me with my leadership skills."
Might as well get used to it.
"As long as he's around we are going to be working on movies together, even after I move to California."
- harryc's blog
- Login to post comments
