I’ve been a movie nut my whole life. I really didn’t stand a chance, since my parents were always eager to share their favorite movies with me in my formative years. Armed with Blockbuster Online, an early but short-lived competitor to Netflix, my parents subjected me to all sorts of movies and TV shows that they grew up with. So it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that Casablanca is my favorite movie of all time, or that John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, and Steven Spielberg are some of my favorite directors. And while these films and directors definitely inspired me to write novels and short stories, I have yet to break into filmmaking.
But others watch their favorite films and become inspired to follow in the footsteps of these great directors. The Frost Brothers are of this sort.
I’ve known Zach and Jeremy Frost for five or six years now, who I met through our mutual friend Jordan Kinard. Ever the movie-buffs and always comparing notes on their picks for this year’s Oscar nominees, the Frost Brothers took their passion for film and got serious, especially in the past three years. Frost Studios has already made several short films with investor backing, and their latest project is the daunting 48 Hour Film Project.
Jeremy and Zach discuss the next scene from the back of the golf cart. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
The 48 Hour Film Project is a competition in which filmmakers are given a prompt on Friday evening at 7 o’clock and have until 7 o’clock Sunday evening to upload a fully finished 4-7 minute long short film. Film crews are given a genre, a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue that they must use in their short films in order to be considered by the judges.
You can imagine how difficult it would be to cobble together a good-looking, good-sounding, coherent short film in so short a period of time.
This is the 3rd year that the Frost Brothers have competed in a 48 Hour competition, and their experience shows. I was lucky enough to join the crew on set at their filming location this year at an enchanting greenhouse located right in the middle of East Nashville. They had already scouted the location prior to receiving the prompt, but when Jordan, their producer, standing at the 48 Hour headquarters, phoned and said their category was “Fantasy” they quickly realized how well-suited it was for their film.
The co-directors scope out the greenhouse for their shot. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
Zach discusses cinematography with his brother. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
Jeremy watches a shot remotely from the monitor. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
Their crew was small, but professional. Zach operated the camera, a serious-looking rig with lots of gizmos I wasn’t well-acquainted with. Jeremy called many of the shots, holding a monitor with a live feed from the camera, which even allowed him to manipulate it remotely. Jonathan was on the sound boom, always just off-camera and sometimes crawling into uncomfortable positions to capture the sound without being seen (up to and including laying on the ground beneath a table, just below the actors). Jordan was their producer, making sure that everything they needed for all their shots was on-hand and ready to go; things like a suit that their main character wore, an aerosol mist for dramatic effect, and water bottles to drink.
The day I was on set there were two actors in character. The main character, Evan, was played by Colin, whom sports fans may recognize as a popular social media personality. The other actor, Ryan, played Evan’s brother, who blows up explosively in one scene depicting a confrontation between the two. Both did a fantastic job performing their roles.
It was fascinating to watch how the two co-directors deftly shot the same scene from different angles, getting the material they needed efficiently and then moving on to the next shot. Skulking around with my old-school Canon AE-1 35mm film camera, I snapped photos whenever I could, trying to be out of the way. The AE-1 has that ideal shutter sound iPhone’s mimic when you hit the shutter button, only louder. So when I snapped a photo during a shot, sound rolling, Zach turned to me and said, “Jesse, I don’t think you can take any more pictures during the shots.”
I felt really bad after that.
The Frost Brothers focused on their take. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
Ryan delivers some explosive dialogue. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
Jordan on standby, ready to recite a line to forgetful actors. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
After shooting the confrontation scene, the crew got a bite to eat. Jordan arranged for sandwiches to be brought to the set for a late lunch (it was 3 o’clock by this point), and everyone gathered around some picnic tables inside the greenhouse for a bite to eat. After some laughs and a little rest for their tired feet, it was back to work.
Lunch on the set. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
It was after lunch, however, that progress began to grind to a crawl as fatigue set in and mental faculties faded. Even Zach and Jeremy, who normally finished each other’s sentences in this creative environment, struggled to make decisions and keep things going. Such is life during the 48 Hour Film Project. While 4-7 minutes of film may not sound like much, it takes a lot of work to put something together that makes any sense, much less put it together in a weekend.
Zach and Jeremey spent the next hour on the golf cart roving around the compound trying to find the best location to shoot the next scene. Meanwhile, Colin, dedicated to his role, was handed an electric trimmer and told to get rid of his beard, cutting it down to a mustache. He didn’t hesitate. Jordan whipped out a suit in Colin’s size and prepped him for a scene depicting a grave-side service.
Jonathan and I kicked back and relaxed for a while, chatting until he was needed to operate the sound boom again.
The crew heads for its next shooting location. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
Zach shoots a grave-side scene amongst old tombstones. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
Colin and Jordan. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
I had it easy the whole time. I had no responsibilities. It was me who asked to be there that Saturday afternoon, not the other way around. I thought it would make a cool blog post, and I think I was right about that. But when all was said and done, I showed up well rested and left when I got tired and hungry. These guys stayed up late for multiple nights and ground out a coherent short film that looked good and sounded good.
Jordan later told me that it was down to the wire, uploading their submission. They had a version of the film with a narration and one without a narration. With minutes left until the deadline, Zach turns to Jeremey and asks, “Which one do we submit?” After a long, thoughtful pause, Jeremey replies, “I don’t know.”
With seven - count them - seven seconds to spare, they uploaded the version without the narration.
Setting up the finale in the greenhouse. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
Afterwards, the crew made sure I was invited to the screening, which took place at the Regal in Opry Mills. There were enough short films submitted to warrant four separate screenings, each with about ten short films. “The Soil of Time”, as their film was called, was in Group C. After having watched all the films in their screening, I can confidently say that Frost Studios really stood out, producing a short film with a professional look and feel that not all the others necessarily had.
But that’s not to knock the other filmmakers. The 48 Hour Film Project is hard. Putting anything together in that short a time is impressive. There were some very interesting films shown that night in Group C’s screening, films with excellent comedic timing, clever uses of space and composition, and some keen editing.
It was a pleasure to witness what goes on in the making of a short film. It was also a pleasure to see friends I’ve known for years in their natural habitat, one I’d never seen them in before. Honestly, I’m not sure if I could hack it, staying up for hours on end. I don’t do well being sleep-deprived. I get accused of being a grandpa regularly as a result. But I’m intrigued by this competition, and wouldn’t mind hanging out on set a little more in the future…so long as I don’t take pictures during the shot.
Jonathan takes a moment’s reprieve while the crew shoots a silent scene. Taken on Canon Rebel T7i.
Watch Frost Studio’s short film “The Soil of Time” here: