Here it is: the number one video of the 24 Hour Video Race’s first decade, as chosen by race organizers, hold the Onion’s “Bob 3:13.” After the jump, we have an interview with team member Randal Scott Williams.
Tonight, the 24 Video Race kicks off tonight at 11:59 p.m. at the Angelika Film Center. We hope our countdown has inspired you to form a team and take shot and making a movie this year. To view all the videos in our countdown, visit here.
FrontRow: Where are you now? Is filmmaker still part of your life?
Randal Scott Williams: I’m back in Dallas. I moved out to Los Angeles for a few years and produced a short and my first feature. Had a couple of kids and now I’m pretty much out of the business except that I am trying to finish up a documentary that’s already been shot.
FR: How did the idea for your movie emerge during the 24 hours you spent making it?
RW: Some one came up with an ending and we pretty much worked backwards to get set the premise and set up.
FR: What was the most frustrating part about filmmaking under the race’s conditions/ What were the most freeing aspects?
RW: Frustrating part was the light. It was cloudy the sunny, then cloudy. That’s one of the reasons we went black and white, which then lead the feel of the film which led to the music, which of course helped make the film what it was. Happy accidents. Freeing part was working with such a great group of people and having a blast.
FR: Why did you originally enter the race – how did you put together your team?
RW: My buddy John and I got on a team the year before as Production Assistants. After being on that disaster of a set, we swore that we could at least do that the next year. So, the next year we entered and then had to get a team around us. We assembled Elise, Robert, and Charles but then had no editor, literally the day before the race. Through a stroke of luck we stumbled on David through Elise the day of the race. We were couriering tapes back and forth to an editor that we didn’t even know. Lightening in a bottle.
The hard part was figuring out who was gonna play “Bob” and get in the cold ass pool in the morning while holding his breath underwater on and off for 3 hours. Erin, Bob, was a friend of my wife’s who had been drinking that night we were writing the story. He volunteered. He later sobered up and I don’t think it was much fun for him. He was a trooper though and fought through it. His future wife saw it and thought it was funny. I guess she saw him as a celebrity.
So Bob did get a wife out of it so he can’t complain. Hahaha. True story.
FR: Looking back at your movie, do you have any reaction to it/thoughts/things you would do differently?
RW: Nothing at all.
FR: Has the race had any lasting impact on how you view movies/moviemaking?
RW: I enjoy the forced creativity of the race. Immediate deadline and you either do it, or you don’t. Just have fun.
