I’ll have a chance this weekend to check out the latest feature film offering from a good buddy of mine, and local Philly Philmmaker, Ben Hickernell. ‘Backwards’, the rowing inspired offering which makes expert aesthetic use of Philly’s own Boathouse Row, stars James Van Der Beek and Writer/Producer Sarah Megan Thomas in the lead roles.
The film, which opened locally last weekend to moderate reviews, offers a glimpse behind the curtain at the world of Women’s Olympic Rowing, and the sweat equity endured by athletes competing for spots on the official US Rowing Team.
While the reviews may be so/so, I’m confident that the rowing scenes themselves will look great. DP Harlan Bosmajian was our Cinematographer on the film, and was assisted by Key Grip Nic Reader, of Expressway Grip fame. The boat rigs, which were custom built for the project, were painstakingly crafted especially for the film by Nic and his Best Boy Zac Rubino…and they allowed for some fantastic camera placement that I look forward to watching on the big screen. And who knows, maybe the ‘Beek himself will make an audience appearance.
With principal photography officially in the can (or, more appropriately, stored efficiently on the hard drives), it’s on to the post-production leg of things for Director Ben Hickernell, Producer Sarah Megan Thomas, and their rowing infused feature “Backwards”. Editor Phillip Bartell (“In Her Shoes”, “Undertow”) has been in Philly since week two of production back in July, and has been working out of ODM in Old City.
The film, lensed on the RED One by DP Harlan Bosmajian, took full advantage of the tapeless format by enlisting the services of NYC-based post house Mega Playground for all digital intermediate duties. With twice-weekly treks up the turnpike, footage runners were dropping off fresh drives for transcoding. As a result, the filmmakers were able to stay on top of the projects aesthetic and coverage benchmarks while viewing dailies from footage only a couple of days old.
Well, it’s seeming pretty official…local Director Ben Hickernell will be helming this summer’s Philly-based indie film “Backwards”, which is set to commence principal photography sometime in mid-July. Written & Produced by Sarah Megan Thomas, and Line Produced by Brian David Cange, “Backwards” is a dramedy focused on an Olympic-hopeful rower who’s faced with a few 30-something life decisions that leave her at an emotional crossroads. Thomas will also play the lead role of Abi Brooks, in addition to producing.
As it stands, I’ll be joining Mr. Hickernell as well this summer in the role of UPM for the film. I’m looking forward to yet another chance to team with Ben, as we’ve developed a long-standing relationship of successful collaborations over the years. It’s good to see another indie select Philly as their backdrop of choice, as the CoBL will be featured pretty heavily in the film.
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