Meteoric Film Spotlight
Today’s film spotlight focuses on the short film Meteoric directed by Philip Sedgwick.
What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?
The film we have recently placed in the festival circuit is METEORIC. When one sees the trailer or watches the opening of the film, the inspiration for the film’s title should… how should I say… literally and figuratively, fall from the sky.
Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.
One night in June of 2016 the local news in Tucson, Arizona featured dashcam video of a meteor falling to earth. It was stunning! I personally contributed a heap of views to the YouTube page of that video and thought, “What if two couples with both different and similar agendas for finding the meteorite are different, arrive at the impact location at the same time?” I wrote the script and it sat on my computer for a while.
During the pandemic I funded and directed a short film, ZAP! that I dreamt one night and wrote the very next day. As part of its successful festival run, ZAP! was selected into the Silicon Valley International Film Festival. When I was interviewed by the director of SVIFF, Christina July Kim, the conversation turned to “what’s next?” I had previously decided that following ZAP!, METEORIC topped my list for my next directorial project. Christina asked to see the script, immediately read it and came back with an enthusiastic and favorable response… so much so, she agreed to play one of the four roles (that of IZZIE) and she also agreed to be the EP on the project. The arrangement finalized in January 2022 and we filmed in April. Now, here we are.
In the course of the above efforts, I scoured the Internet to find the guy who captured the meteorite on his dashcam. I found him and he was most cooperative. I used an up-res app (Topaz) to convert the dashcam capture of six years before to 4K and this ensured we could begin the film with opening originally written. I was thrilled.
Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?
For films shot in Arizona, I always liked the campy vibe of EL DIABLO (Peter Markle, dir). As I was chatting up METEORIC as my “what’s next?”, Adam McKay’s DON’T LOOK UP made its stellar run. I loved that film… much like METEORIC, the message is: What’s in the Heavens matters, Chicken Little. Keep looking up and please do so with awe and wonder.
What is the goal of the film for you?
The objective with METEORIC is to declare in 24 fps that as a director I can manage and get from a collection of talent performances that strike the chord of the theme of the film.
As well, given that only last night (6 July) a tax-incentive for film became law in Arizona, I wanted to offer a fine cinematic view of Arizona so that producers and production houses would be struck by our state’s unique beauty. And, oh by the way, the subtext is to engage with and produce of one my feature scripts set in Arizona.
It is also intended as a directorial calling card when reaching out to VC folks and potential investors… and if you want to hire me for screenwriting or directing or rent my lights while filming in southern Arizona…
What has the journey been like getting the film into production?
This all happened very fast. Initial conversations with Christina began in December. We finalized the arrangement in January, filmed in April, edited in May, and began our festival run in June. Whew! Actually, this literally dropped from above. I had always loved this script and had total belief in it. When I began chatting with Christina, there was no idea in my mind at all that the film would come to pass… especially on the fast track it did.
Because of the short time to filming, the pre-pro phase was fast and furious. I spent a heap of time with the shot list, prepping and doing table reads with actors in four locations coast to coast. Pre-pro required diligence and conscientious in coordinating logistics, locations and gear, but with everyone doing their part, it was relatively painless. I had incredible assistance from the director of the film office of the town where we filmed, Marana, AZ.
Now, the first day we filmed was tricky. The wind was constantly above 30 mph. We had the location for one day only. We had twelve pages to shoot. We shot those twelve pages and finished right on the cusp of our light changing to twilight. We filmed on open range… there were cattle… big cattle… on our set (An Easter Egg question: How many cattle can be seen in our film?). It was April, so we maintained vigilance regarding rattlesnakes (saw none). And we pulled cactus needles from three members of cast and crew that I know of.
I would like to give a shout out to our amazing cast. They performed as I had expected… brilliantly! Each is worth looking up on IMDb:
CHRISTINA JULY KIM as IZZIE
KINCAID WALKER as CARINA
SAM WHITTEN as FINN (my third short film with Sam)
JOEL FOSTER as LYMAN (and my third short film with Joel)
I would also like to acknowledge our brilliant composer, ELENA MARO. Not only did she compose a fabulous, evocative score, she worked with me to create musical effects throughout the film that were amazing. She’s superlative!
And since it takes a village, my thanks to all our hard working crew. Please check out the film’s IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18498742/reference/
One thing you learned from this project?
Because we had so much to shoot in so little time, we had two cameras. Always have a monitor lit up for each camera for every shot and never take off your headset during a shot.
Also, value and trust your support system. Without the endless encouragement of my remarkable partner LESLEY LILLYWHITE (and Co-Producer), this film would have been so much more difficult to pull off.
How can folks find you and your film online?
Since we are in our festival run, our film is presently limited to film festival viewing… so stay tuned! When we complete our fest run in 2024, I will post it on one of the festival related streaming platforms.
Meanwhile, the website for the film is: www.meteoricmovie.com
I am available at: philip@philipcsedgwick.com; www.philipcsedgwick.com
Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?
Yep. When prepping, it’s okay to obsess over details (but not meddle or interfere).
Be organized. Your shot list is the schematic – make it the best design you can.
Ensure your talent knows why your characters are the way they are.
Avoid putting lavs under polyester shirts and blouses. It’s hell in post.
When determining your aspect ratio, think end game… things like DCP and where the film is be intended to be seen.
Be as nice as you can be throughout the process, even though on the inside your world feels like it does.
Have fun! Filmmaking and festivals are the funnest things I can think of doing.
Philip C. Sedgwick
Writer/Director
philip@philipcsedgwick.com / 480.213.7958
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