Mile Zero Films is a new enterprise founded by myself and Jason Wilson. Having met many years ago while attending West Georgia College (now the State University of West Georgia or possibly West Georgia University), we had known each other a long time and worked on several film, radio and television projects separately, but never on a single project together. We founded this production group to be able to do the kind of work that we love and have that opportunity to work together in doing it. Jason has done a lot of work with digital video, which will be our focus at first, but the hope is to produce work that will help us finance a larger project down the road.
We are currently nearing completion of our first digital short, “The Baldwin Effect”. Shot in Carrollton, Georgia, it features me and Tommy Butler in front of the cameras with Wilson directing and Atlanta actress Nuri Adams working in front of and behind the cameras. The short is a comedy about people adapting to the monotony of life in a small town, and hopefully will be the first in a series to be featured on the dark crazy site. I wrote the script and serve as producer. It has been shot primarily at the Mellow Mushroom in Carrollton. Look for “The Baldwin Effect” to appear on our online screening room very soon.
Sean Gilbert
Telly Award '04 - "Printing the Dream: 75 Years of Atlanta
Daily World" - Director of Photography, Editor
Telly Award '05 - "Anne Frank and the World" segment
from Tikun Olam TV program - Director, Editor
Peabody Nomination '04 for "Printing the Dream" (I'm
not sure if this counts, cause I think my company may have nominated ourselves.
I don't know much about the peabody other than we didn't win.)
Nominee for Best Documentary '04 ("Printing the Dream")
in the National Association of Black Journalists held in Washington D.C. We
placed 2nd....my only opportunity to be appreciated for being a black journalist
YANKED away.
Nominee for Best Documentary '04 ("Printing the Dream")
in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists.
Once named employee of the month at RPS, which basically amounted in me getting
a pretty fly parking spot for a month...and I think I may have gotten a t-shirt
out of the deal. Pretty fly, eh?
Now as far as info on the projects themselves, as you can see it's only 2
projects, one of which got multiple notices...
Printing the Dream: 75 Years of Atlanta Daily World was an
hour long documentary written, researched, produced, shot, and edited within
5 weeks on the first black owned newspaper in America. My employers apparently
had some commitment to do this project, but forgot to inform the 2 people
actually doing the project...myself and the writer/producer until 5 weeks
until it was to air. We did the best we could within that time, but I can't
bear to watch it now. Very sloppy. I'm shocked it won anything....unless you
are awarding me for being able to track almost 100 years of history and make
an hour documentary out of nothing in just over a month's time...well then
i should get a damn Oscar...or a grammy...or something. I got a trip to D.C.
and a stay in a fancy hotel, so I suppose I did get "something"
for my troubles. Anyways, it was edited on an Avid (which, going into the
project, I wasn't terribly familiar with) and shot on a Canon XL-1. No stock
footage to work with...all from scratch. We managed to wrangle some old family
film at the last minute that was sitting in someone's closet from the 20's
and 30's. We also managed to get some WSB footage at the end of the 4th week...MLK's
funeral (which you cant use...did you know it is illegal to use the MLK likeness
on anything without express permission, which is near impossible to get? Makes
doing civil rights pieces a little tough.), KKK rallys, Civil rights marches...good
footage! Did I mention this was shot and edited within 5 weeks? Bring on the
medals. My understanding is this documentary is in the library of the Chicago
High Museum for checkout also...just as an added piece of trivia.
The Anne Frank segment was shot at a satellite campus of Kennesaw State College. A mini-museum of Lit Walls of Nazi take-over and the Frank family along with other holocaust casualties (thats right...for anyone that shoots, the walls were LIT. White walls that had pics on them, lit from behind making a beautiful contrast ratio between the faces of my subjects and what they were standing in front of. This made shooting and lighting pretty tricky). This was a difficult shoot for more than one reason...first it was scheduled to be shot in a 4 hour period...this was a guided (2 person -tv host and a guide) tour of a museum plus interviews with other museum officials. It was also to be a 2 camera shoot. The other camera guy called in sick that day. I had to man this one alone. We scrapped the extra interviews with the museum officials and worked strictly on the tour...me lugging around the camera, lighting (lowell and pepper kits), and other equipment, shooting one section at a time of this museum...with the lit walls. It was shot on a Panasonic 410 (DVCPRO) and edited on Final Cut Pro HD. The accompanying footage of a studio interview was shot as I edited this piece. The lunkhead that directed that segment (who no longer works with us) didn't backlight the black haired guest who was wearing black, against...you guessed it, a background of black. She was a floating face. When it came time for us to submit shows for awards, this one was passed over with little explanation, so I submitted the segment I directed, paying the entry fee myself. I, of course, didn't include the retarded studio segment. The bottomline...My segment won over other shows that we submitted (because I guess someone at our company thought they were better). Ha Ha.