Surfside Films debuts "She and He" & "In the Can"
BY MARLI GUZZETTA INDEPENDENT ARTS EDITOR
This week, Surfside Films is screening its short film, "She and He," at the Starlight Café.

Filmed at Cottage Hospital, "She and He" is the story of a husband and seriously ill wife reliving their entire relationship through one conversation, which consists of one-word replies.

"It's about two people looking back over their relationship and the bumps in that road," synopsized producer Finn Murphy, who cofounded Surfside Films with Greg Bourbeau, the film's director.

Bourbeau adapted the play originally written by Judith Estrin to shoot it as a short film on 35 mm - the filmic equivalent of painting in gold leaf. (One can only afford so much, and what one has cannot be wasted.)

Dan Driscoll edited the hour of film down to 12 minutes. Bourbeau said much of the story emerged in the editing room.

"When I was shooting it, I didn't have a

clear picture of what I wanted to tell, so I wanted

to leave myself more leeway to edit," he said. "In the editing suite, the film became more than I thought it would be."

Nantucketer John Devaney stars as "he," the husband to the hospital-bound "she," played by professional actor Anita Gillette. Caitlin McDonough-Thayer makes an appearance as the doctor.

COURTESY SURFSIDE FILMS Top: Greg Bourbeau films on 35 mm. Below: Stage star Anita Gillette, right, and Caitlin McDonough- Thayer filming "She and He" at Cottage Hospital.

Making a film - with a crew and equipment all flown in from off island - was a first for both men.

"And what Greg and I decided to do two weeks prior to filming, we thought it might be interesting to film the filming of the film," Finn said. "A cinematographer named Runjeev Ignacious was here working at the Wauwinet before going back to film school. We had him dog Greg and me 24/7 with a camera to see what it's like when you have a couple of knuckleheads making their first film."

After compiling 39 hours of raw footage in two weeks, Ignacious turned the footage over to Murphy, Bourbeau and Driscoll, who cut a 25- minute film called "In the Can." It captures everything from the film crew's arrival, to business meetings, to on-set shenanigans, to Gillette's onset frustration. ("There were a lot of tense moments," Murphy said. "Anita was not happy for a good part of the filming.") Like all good "behind-thescenes" footage, it also has an on-set romance.

"I wouldn't say we were knuckleheads. We planned really well, and I think we were miles above normal, first-time filmmakers," said Bourbeau, who added that he welcomed - and even fostered - difficult situations in order to learn more as a director.

"I shot on 35 mm, so I could understand the pitfalls, the ups and downs of 35 … and I shot on Nantucket so we had to plan better, so we made sure everything was here. So we could have as many problems experienced as we could in a short time," said Bourbeau. "And that's what 'In the Can' touches on."

Looking back, Bourbeau concedes there were things he would have liked to have done better or differently. Continuity problems arose, of course, as did tension over the hell-for-leather preparation time.

"I would have liked to have had more rehearsals," Bourbeau admitted. "It got to the point where we were changing things on set, and Anita had so much experience - she's been onset with people like Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon - and she made suggestions at the time that went over my head. Looking back now, I realize what she was saying."

Still, Murphy said he and Bourbeau were "thrilled to death" with the finished product.

"It was an interesting project, and I hope people enjoy it for what it is and for the story I wanted to tell," said Bourbeau, who hopes to produce a feature film sometime in the future.

SURFSIDE FILMS'

DEBUT: "SHE AND HE" &

"IN THE CAN"

When: Wednesday, April 25,

5-7 p.m.

Where: Starlight Cafe Cost: $25 Please RSVP at 228-3399. I