..."Severance" Production...

Principal Photography

This is the period during which the movie was actually photographed. It began on July 13th, 2002, and continued for six weeks until August 26th. Production took place Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, with some scattered half-days during the remainder of the weeks, for a total approximate shooting schedule of 29 days. The film was shot on location throughout Austin, Texas, on black and white super16mm film.

What is super16mm?

Super16mm is film where the individual cells of the filmstrip are wider than on regular 16mm--"super" indicates that only one side of the filmstrip has been sprocketed (normally both sides are). The sprockets are what the camera uses to pull the filmstrip through the filmgate, where the shutter opens and the film cell is exposed to light, producing the image. With "super" film, by taking away one set of sprockets, the filmstrip is left with more horizontal space on which to expose an image. Whereas the aspect ratio (width to height of a film cell) of regular 16mm is 1.33 to 1, super16mm has an aspect ratio of 1.66 to 1.

Why is this desirable? Because if a distributor wanted to screen the movie theatrically, the film would need to be enlarged to 35mm. 35mm film has an aspect ratio of 1.85 to 1. So, a super16mm film cell (1.66 to 1) enlarged to fit a 35mm film cell would require less enlargement and subsequently less cropping of the image than a regular 16mm cell (1.33 to 1) would to make it fit. In essence, the audience could see more of what the filmmaker intended, without losing as much image quality. Thus, by shooting in super16 over regular 16, "Severance" becomes more of an attractive prospect for theatrical distribution. Other major motion pictures in recent years shot in super16mm and transferred to 35mm for theatrical release include "Leaving Las Vegas", "Ulee's Gold", and "Chasing Amy".

Post-production

This is the period during which the film is edited. This process began in June of 2003, and ended in July of 2005.

Distribution

Ultimately, all filmmakers hope their film gets some kind of distribution, which is the process of getting it seen by various audiences for profit. Sparadigm Cinema hopes to secure a distribution deal by getting the film seen at key U.S. film festivals, as well as getting it into the hands of key individuals at various production/distribution companies with which we have connections. Ideally, we would like to see "Severance" screen theatrically, opening first at arthouse cinemas and then gaining wider release. Secondarily, we would entertain cable/satelite markets, as well as a straight to video/dvd deal.

Key film festivals that have been targeted are Austin Film Festival, U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, New York Underground Film Festival, Sundance, Slamdance, as well as perhaps a dozen others.

Crew

The following is a list of the talented, hard-working individuals who comprised the crew of "Severance". Without them, there would be no movie.

Cast

The following are the very talented comedic actors and extras who brought the story to life, including many members of the Heroes of Comedy improvisational comedy troupe:

Keep checking back for even more info about the production of "Severance", including a list of all vendors, locations, individuals and organizations to whom we are indebted, cast bios, related web links, production journals, storyboards, trivia and more.