Children of the Hunt

What better place to enjoy the soup-like humidity of a Carolina summer than d-e-e-p in the jungle of Randolph County? Okay, I could give you a list - but that's where I found myself today, stalking a tribe of independent filmmakers as they attempted cinema amid the chiggers and the ticks. Not that I minded. See, film shoots offer the kind of repetitive action and location control that make for easy television. Take today's feature for instance, a futuristic tale of human pursuit called Children of the Hunt. In the ninety minutes that I was 'on set', a roving patrol of jackbooted thespians staged histrionics under the shade of a few stately Elms. By the time they mastered their plastic weapons and were finally ready to roll, I'd bagged enough shots to flesh out the storyboard forming in my head. Precious visuals on board, I scanned the perimeter for unauthorized sound.

Boy, did I find it. Unlike other film sets I've crashed, the crew behind Children of the Hunt were more than happy to chat. Perhaps that has something to do with the nature of Independent Film, where the leading lady may very well double as second assistant to the make-up chick. Okay that's stretching it, but only a little. Director Matthew Moore, an affable enough chap, even stopped multi-tasking long enough to answer a few not so esoteric questions. As a result, I got what I needed quickly, a good thing considering the shots I was cobbling together were due to air in a hundred and sixty minutes. (Top that, 48 Hour Film Festival!) With that in mind, I bade my new friends adieu and skulked off the mountain. On the way down, I promised myself I'd try to catch Children of the Hunt, just as soon as I checked out Dr. Undead's Frightfest. For now though, all I can do is view my own finished product, a profile in brief I'd give a reluctant one and a half thumbs up.