September 27

“Love’s Invitation” – Top Ten, Best Screenplay. Boulder 24 Hour Shoot Out 2009

Love’s Invitation from Ryan Oelke on Vimeo.

This weekend I shot my first short film with an amazing team of talented friends for the Boulder Shoot Out Festival. The film, “Love’s Invitation”, placed in the Top Ten and I won the award for Best Screenplay. I am so very honored and grateful to everyone on the team and everyone who gave feedback on the screenplay. A few quick notes about the film:

It was shot in 24 hours!
There was NO EDITING. You had to do “in-camera” editing, which basically means – shoot a scene, keep it or rewind the tape, shoot it again, move to the next scene!
We had to use 5 out of 11 possible items in our film, which we didn’t find out until the start of the 24 hours.
Had to be 7 minutes or less, including title and credits.
We didn’t do any post on the audio except the music and the voiceover.

Even without mentioning those parameters, I love our film as is. I hope you do too.

Credits:

Written by Ryan Oelke

Directed by Ryan Oelke, Jason Digges

Cinematography by Jason Lange

Starring: Stuart Davis, Hokai Sobol

Cameos by Sharon Rebek, Ryan Oelke, Abby Bader

Music by Stuart Davis

Boom by Charles Gammill
Sound Design by Ryan Oelke
Production Assistants - Lindsey Wilkinson, Seth Harris
Titles and Credits by Abby Bader
Special Thanks to Chelsea Brady

By Ryan Oelke

Comments

Alyssa Myers September 27th

Saw this on Twitter. Congratulations on winning best screenplay. Great film!
Constance Casey September 27th

Wow! Beautiful, wonderful message! I never knew Hokai could act, just lovely. Thanks for sharing this, much metta to Ryan and the whole crew, Constance
Malena Gamboa September 28th

It moved me, Ryan! Talented YOU! I’m feeling peace. Beautiful. Looking forward to your next one
Marco September 28th

Beautiful work
Ryan Oelke September 28th

@Alyssa thank you so much!

@Constance thank you, I’m so honored that it touched you and you found it beautiful. I hoped that others would feel what I felt in writing it. The team was amazing in bringing it to life.
Liz September 28th

Did you also write it in that 24 hours, or did you have to adapt what you wrote to the parameters of the competition?

It’s beautiful. When they are standing outside together…it was palpable, that unspoken grief. Best scene in the film.

And, um…Stu kinda walks funny. Sorry, Stu.
Duff September 28th

Wow, very touching. Beautiful work everyone! I’m amazed that you got those shots in order in the camera without post-production video editing. I only caught one error two (a mysterious shadow at the end of the first tea scene with Hokai and Stu). Otherwise a flawless, beautiful film!
Ryan Oelke September 28th

@Liz No, I wrote that before hand, spent 1-2 weeks on it (can’t remember how long). Adapting it wasn’t too hard. We had to use five things:

-Use the phrase “bon appetite”
-Include a prop from their list (only three to choose from). We used the paint brush.
-Include a location. We used three to make five items – Chief Niwot, girl reading statue, and the quote on the building. The latter fit perfectly. The other two are ok.

I knew that I would easily be able to work things into the middle montage, and the poem if needed, but really didn’t want to touch the poem, and in the end I didn’t have to.

I really thought they did a great job on that outside scene. So much of this screenplay depended on the actors delivering that unspoken emotion.

lol, Stu does walk funny a little;)
Ryan Oelke September 28th

@Duff thanks, bro! Yeah, I knew I was going to challenge us with all of those shots, but we did it! seemed like a miracle:P

Yeah, fucking shadow. Guess who? Pretty sure it was me. lol, lame!

Means a lot that you found it beautiful, Duff.
Ryan Oelke September 28th

@Malena thanks! and I’m very much looking forward to finally reading your script!:)

@Marco thanks!
Dave Oelke September 28th

Great job Ryan! I watched it several times and enjoyed it more each time! Besides being peaceful, moving, touching, and well put together, it’s even more amazing with the limitiations you had to work with! Congrats Mr. Screenwriter!
P.S. Nice cameo! I enjoyed Stu’s music, too.
Ryan Oelke September 28th

thanks, Dave!:) Pass it around the family if they haven’t seen it:)
Vishal October 6th

Man, methink Ryan and Hokai are both moving to Hollywood!

My heartiest congratulations, of course!
Ryan Oelke October 6th

thanks, Vishal! I can’t wait to shoot another film with Hokai in it:) I knew he’d be fantastic.
chelsea blake October 8th

Lovely, Ryan. Thanks. Made my heart feel warm. Congrats!! it seems like great things are really happening for you and I’m happy for you!
Ryan Oelke October 9th

Thanks, Chelsea! glad it made your heart warm:)

hope you’re doing well!
julie ann storr February 20th

Nice one Ryan! Really enjoyed it, you are a great writer!
Ryan Oelke February 20th

Thank you so much, Julie:)