A long time ago, my friend Lee Keeler had to take an acting class that all writing majors were required to take. One of the assignments involved acting out The Lorax in different genres each week. Eventually, he did a version of the story that twisted Dr. Seuss’s tale into a grindhouse exploitation flick.
Months later, Lee, Zach Graber, Yotam Dor, and many others were out in the woods, filming this fake trailer based on his idea from class. It was cold and gray around Savannah, GA that day. I, the editor of the trailer, had been called upon to act as well. In the second shot I filmed, I was to have my legs swept out from under me, by Matthew Kreuger, who was playing The Lorax.
Marian Green, a professional stunt coordinator was on hand. She taught me briefly how to fall. And in the actual take, and forgot everything she said. In face in the trailer, if you watch me fall (I’m the fellow wearing the red, plaid, jacket) my head bounces, hard, off the cold, hard dirt.
It’s safe to say I probably had a concussion after that. I went home and chilled the rest of the day, while the production moved on without me, until picture wrap brought me the footage on a hard drive.
The Lorax: He Speaks for the Trees remains to this day one of my favorite projects to have worked on. I’ve always felt weird about saying that since it happened so early on in my career, but sometimes lighting strikes early.
Details
Role: Editor
Format: 16mm Film
Festivals: You Bet
Released: December 13, 2009
