Kristian Knutsen
Shooting (a movie) on Pinckney
Today's image is titled "Shooting (a movie) on Pinckney" and was photographed by Kristian Knutsen.
The sight of a man toting an automatic rifle on the 100 block of South Pinckney Street turned the heads of more than a few passing pedestrians and drivers late Thursday afternoon. Given the presence of a video camera -- and the fact that the man with the (fake) gun was sporting elbow pads, knee pads, and a bright red helmet -- it became clear on second glance that some kind of movie shoot was under way.
This film is Zero Trooper, a short portfolio work being produced by Eric Lim. Handling the camera and boom mike in the middle of the street, he was joined by actors Dave Schlachtenhaufen (in the henshin costume) and Rob O'Brien (driving the car). One idea behind the project, Lim notes, is to "get all my friends together and utilize their talents." The other participants in the production include local filmmakers Niko Pueringer, Andy Schlachtenhaufen and Matt Sloan.
"It's a parody of something like Ultraman," explains Lim after completing his final takes. Ultraman is a tokusatsu superhero who was first introduced in a Tokyo Broadcasting System program in the late '60s, and has since enjoyed a long cultural shelf life as a classic of its genre. Schlachtenhaufen elaborates: "It's a melodrama set in the world of Ultraman."
As for the gun, Lim says that he made sure to inform the Madison police of his plans for the scene, so that no frightened witnesses would mistake it for anything other than a movie shoot. He notes that most of the filming for Zero Trooper is complete, and he'll now be turning to special effects in post-production. Lim hopes to have it completed and ready for screening by late summer.
There is a larger version of the photo in the gallery at right.
This is the latest entry of Madison Snaps: photos of Madison-area events and locations. The Isthmus group photo pool is the primary source for Madison Snaps, which are published here with the permission of individual contributors. If you are interested in having your photo eligible for Madison Snaps, please respond to the posting on the Flickr group page, or send a message. There is no compensation for Madison Snaps photos, which are © to the respective photographers.
