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Screen Time
Katherine Nichols
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Elmore ready to finish his first feature
HAWAII FILMMAKER
Gerard Elmore will wrap his first feature-length movie in Hawaii this weekend. "All for Melissa" is about a young man who wants to meet a certain fictitious movie star. But as writer/director/producer Elmore said, it's really a "coming of age story more than anything."
Elmore, whose film "Valtor vs. the Universe" won best short at the Hawaii International Film Festival in 2005, hired local actors, including stars Jane Benney, Milan Tresnak and Kimberly Estrada. Andy Bumatai and Stan Egi also are in the film, much of which was shot outdoors on Oahu.
"We're working hard to make it really good," said the 27-year-old Elmore, who attended Campbell High School and the University of Hawaii, and has been shooting for five weeks with a crew of up to 30. He's still debating whether to risk submission into the Sundance Film Festival, or enter other notable, earlier festivals (which would preclude a Sundance selection).
The veteran of more than 30 shorts says he's been working up to a full-length movie. "It's like you're making 10 short films, and you're doing it back to back over a short time frame," Elmore said.
Ten months as a video correspondent on the Nascar circuit helped Elmore save enough money to finance most of the film himself. He's also relied on the generosity of local sponsors. "The only reason this movie is being made is because so many people are helping me out," he said. "It's like a family."
Steady-cam operator Dean Sensui described "All for Melissa" as an offbeat comedy. "Gerard's got a pretty wild imagination," said Sensui. Check out the movie trailer at www.scottleemason.com/gerard/AllForMelissaTrailer.mov.
SO YOU WEREN'T invited to the Oscars in Los Angeles? Try the next best thing. Join the Hawaii International Film Festival committee at the Halekulani Ballroom at 4 p.m. Feb. 25 and watch an advance telecast of the 79th annual Academy Awards. During commercials you can nibble at your six-course dinner. Cost is $200 ($175 for HIFF members). Tables are $2,000 to $10,000; proceeds will benefit HIFF.
HONOLULU resident Nelson Pires hosts "Last Mondays" at the rRed Elephant, and will shoot an upcoming performance of edgy musicians and poets from all over the world. He plans to submit the edited product to HBO or MTV for consideration. Pires, who speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish and some Japanese, has directed travel documentaries about Japan, Thailand and Hawaii for Olelo Community Television, and recently finished directing his own feature-length film, "Street Wars." The free show in Chinatown starts at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 26.