I have always wanted to make a music video. When I saw Darren Frazier's short ASL song in his website, I really liked his style.

Three weeks ago, I was showing off my new adaptor 35 mm to him. I told him I REALLY wanted to film music video with him. He agreed and we decided to film at the end of February. One problem, we needed an experienced deaf actress in Pacific Northwest area. I am from Vancouver, BC and Darren lives in Portland, Oregon. We couldn't think of anyone.

Fate stepped in - Darren found out that Megg Rose was coming to Portland to visit her family. We couldn't afford to miss this HUGE opportunity! She accepted the role but she had a limited availability of 8 AM - 2 PM for filming on Sunday.

We picked a duet called, "The Picture" by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow 48 hours prior to the shooting. Megg and Darren translated the lyrics from English to sign language.

I had decided not to use lighting kits, tripod, reflectors, etc. I wanted to follow the rules of Dogme95. One of my favourite films, "Celebration", is a Danish film, directed by Thomas Vinterberg. He is one of the founders of the Dogme95.


What is Dogme95?
1) Shooting must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in (if a particular prop is necessary for the story, a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found).
2) The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. (Music must not be used unless it occurs where the scene is being shot).
3) The camera must be hand-held. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted. (The film must not take place where the camera is standing; shooting must take place where the film takes place).
4) The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable. (If there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera).
5) Optical work and filters are forbidden.
6) The film must not contain superficial action. (Murders, weapons, etc. must not occur.)
7) Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden. (That is to say that the film takes place here and now.)
More information about Dogme95 at dogme95.dk/

We had little time for pre-production. I drove 5 hours and arrived in Portland on Saturday, Feb 2 around 9 PM (I had to work that Saturday daytime). Darren and I reviewed the translations. Oh boy, translating lyrics from English to ASL is not easy. Darren is one of the ASL masters I know (heh). We went ahead and filmed Darren starting at 3 AM until 8 AM in the Pearl District of Portland Oregon. The Pearl District has unique characteristics. Just two of us worked together without crew. The weather was so cold and my toes were frozen - thanks to my stupid summer shoes. Darren was AMAZING to work with!

Megg arrived approximately 8:30AM and she practised her lines with Darren at Starbucks while my feet were thawing.

She is also an excellent actress. She is so sweet and a joy to work with. We finished around 2 PM.

I left Portland for Vancouver around 2:30PM. I hadn't slept since Friday night. Five grueling hours driving back to Canada while Darren watched historic unforgettable Super Bowl game. He kept updating me via text especially during the 4th quarter. It kept me awake and alert while I drove. I arrived home safely and watched some footage. I was satisfied with the footage then went to bed at 11 PM.

That weekend was worth it!

Forrest Smith