In Beaufort, S.C., a spirit named Gauche leaves bloody handprints on The Castle at 411 Craven St. Why leave handprints, and why leave them in blood? Is this a message? And, if so, what might it be trying to tell us?
This Beaufort haunting serves as the inspiration to “Dreadful Sorry,” the fourth film to receive the 2010 South Carolina Film Commission grant. Directed by USC theatre professor Robert Richmond, written by Dionne O’Dell and featuring production contributions from nearly 120 students, the 15-minute short isn’t just about South Carolina legend — it’s a rare chance for students to gain professional experience.
Richmond, who said making a film has always been on his bucket list, received the Film Commission grant last year. The grant, which is part of the state’s film industry incentives, stipulated that his film had to be about South Carolina in some way.
The daunting task for Richmond, who traditionally works in theatre, was to find out how to be successful in an “industry I know nothing about.”
Help came in the form of several established industry professionals, including USC alumnus Dan Kneece. As a cameraman, Kneece has made a name for himself as a Steadicam operator for major films like “Mulholland Dr.,” “Jackie Brown” and “Scream.”
Richmond said Kneece’s eye is “unbelievable. He was the perfect choice,” partly because Kneece’s experience with directors like David Lynch give him the ability to make something normal suddenly appear surreal.
Producers Worth Keeter and Phil Smoot, as well as art director Andy Mills, were some of the major professionals working on the project.
“It was great to have someone that could marshal the set,” Richmond said.
Most importantly, Richmond felt like the student involvement made the biggest difference during every stage of pre-production and principal photography.
“I know every student who worked on it loved it and worked 1,000 times harder than they ever worked before,” Richmond said.
Students were placed in various production departments based on their interest and experience, where seasoned professionals acted as department keys.
“It really is like a first-hand experience of the industry, and they should have a really good project on their portfolio,” Richmond said.
“Dreadful Sorry” was filmed for five days over USC’s spring break. Richmond was “very fortunate” to spend three of those days shooting interior and exterior shots at Columbia’s historic Robert Mills House. And despite a horrific rainstorm on the day they shot at Arcadia Lake, Richmond said the entire shoot was “fabulous” if “extremely hard.”
But now that filming has wrapped, Richmond turns his attention towards finishing the editing and figuring out how to best exhibit his film.
“Over the course of the summer I’ll be bringing it up to speed. I would hope that very early in the next semester we would have some kind of showing, even if that’s an early showing to get feedback,” Richmond said.
Where will the film ultimately end up?
“We’re hoping for film festivals and all those good things,” he said.
Now, the most daunting thing for Richmond is realizing that he’s getting closer and closer to finishing something he’s lived with for so long.
“It’s so big in scope, it’s so exhausting, really,” Richmond said.
More than anything though, Richmond called “Dreadful Sorry” a “rite of passage” — a chance for him to do something he always wanted to do. For the students, it became an opportunity to take a crucial step towards getting experience for jobs in the film industry after graduation.
To keep up with the production of “Dreadful Sorry,” follow the film on Facebook (Dreadful Sorry the Movie) or Twitter @dreadfulsorry.