And then there were four.
The Sprite Refreshing Films contest accepted 200 applications from universities across the nation for funding for short films, and Elon University senior Dean Coots’ film is one of the four lucky finalists.
After months of planning, casting, writing, research and, most of all, anticipation, Coots and his crew shot his original short film April 26. With the help of the funding he received as a finalist for the competition, the film, entitled "Street Picasso," features a group of talented dancers who douse themselves in paint and dance across a giant canvas, creating interesting and beautiful artwork.
“Producing this film has required so much from everybody involved,” Coots said. “We sent out a casting call to over a dozen talent agencies. With hundreds of responses we brought in our favorites to audition in person and found some incredible dancers and a beautiful female lead.”
They also hired an artist to paint a mural and a musician to produce a song. Additionally, they scouted out prime locations for filming and launched their own public relations campaign to get the word out about the film.
One of the key factors of winning this competition is measuring how well the public responds to the final product, according to Coots. He said having a large fan base at Elon and getting publicity through their Facebook page will play a key role in the outcome of the competition.
Coots and the producer of the film, junior Michael Tahan, have enjoyed a few perks of being finalists. Sprite paid for them to fly to Las Vegas for CinemaCon and to meet with the Sprite branding team. The Elon duo also had a private meeting with legendary film director Oliver Stone.
Then, they were lucky enough to sit in on a press conference with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman, Harrison Ford, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.
“We really had the time of our lives as film students,” Tahan said.
In the pre-production phase of the process, the team encountered some obstacles along the way. For example, the location they originally chose to shoot the final project, a basketball court in Greensboro, became unavailable within a few weeks of when they were set to shoot the film.
After choosing to bring the film back to Elon, they shot the product at the Danieley Center’s basketball court.
“The original place we wanted had a lot more of an urban look to it, which was a lot more gritty,” Tahan said. “This is the choice that we never even thought of. We’re really confident, and we think it’s a winning location.”
Sprite certainly thought the idea for this short film was a winner. Not only was Coots’ idea selected from 200 applicants, but a lot of other talented writers from Elon entered as well.
“We have Elon’s total support and the administration has been extraordinarily helpful,” Coots said. “Elon has a lot of resources we can use for free and we’re taking advantage of that to save money.”
The overall winner of the competition will receive a $30,000 contract to work on a project with the Coca-Cola Company. Coots said he has high hopes his film will be selected as the winner, but either way, it will be displayed on Sprite’s website as a finalist.