The folks at Concentrix occasionally host movie nights at their studio, and this time Fred Story decided to showcase some of the short films they’ve worked on in the past year, calling the night Four Shorts and Seven Beers Ago. We were honored Fred selected Saying Goodbye as one of the films, so we drove up to Charlotte yesterday to be part of last night’s festivities.
In addition to the filmmakers from the featured shorts, Fred also invited other friends and folks involved in the Charlotte movie industry. We were thrilled that our star Rebecca Koon (who lives in Charlotte) was able to attend because it’s always fun to catch up with her. She told us she had just finished filming an episode of Showtime’s new Homeland and an episode of HBO’s Eastbound & Down
In addition to a yummy spread of hors d'oeuvres, Fred provided us with bags of popcorn as we settled in to watch the films. Fred drew the movie names out of the hat for a truly random experience.
First up was Dustin Pegg with his movie Broken, which is a beautifully shot thriller featuring several mysterious violent confrontations. The driving music from Concentrix’s Michael McGinnis really amps up the tension to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
Then came Liberating Jesse from Rebecca Pryce. Rebecca won the production grant through Trident Technical College the same year we won through USC, so it was great to have the chance to see the film from our fellow grantee. It's set in a bleak world where a mysterious virus affects the citizens in unexpected ways; and given the sweeping scope of the film, it’s absolutely amazing what Rebecca was able to accomplish with the funds provided by the grant.
Next up was The Adult Who Cried Wolf from John Schwert and Jason King, which is a hilarious comedy about two co-workers with serious issues. In addition to directing and producing, John and Jason also play the main parts of Monty and George (this is the third short featuring these characters), and their comic timing and deadpan delivery had the room rolling the entire time.
Last up was Saying Goodbye, and it was a complete 180 from the laughter of the previous short to the tears and sniffles of ours.
Thank you to Fred and the rest of the Concentrix crew for inviting us to movie night. We’re looking forward to working with them again on our next movie!