The
inspiration for this film had its birth on October 27,
2005 when Tom and I headed out to Asbury Lanes to catch
the Los Straitjackets with Big Sandy show. Tom's
excitement caused us to show up at the venue a little
earlier than was necessary so this provided us with some
free time. We decided to spend it walking down to the
boardwalk. Having not been to Asbury Park for many years
we were both overwhelmed by the near post apocalyptic
scene that surrounded us around every corner. It was
hard to comprehend how this city, that once provided a
plethora of enjoyable experiences, could now lie
abandoned and in ruins. Having gone to film school, Tom
saw the potential that Asbury Park offered as a great
backdrop for a movie. He swore we had to come back and
film something even if it was just me walking his
adorable Bichon Frise, Tiki amidst the destruction.
Winter set in and chilled
the air as well as our desire to head back to Asbury
Park. We continued to bring it up at work every once in
awhile but no concrete ideas arose from our discussions
on what we would exactly do. Or when. The weekend
between Championship Sunday and the Super Bowl is always
a slow time for football fans like ourselves so we
decided that we would go then. A Sears Hardware near
where we worked was closing its doors due to having its
territory invaded by a Home Depot so we went at
lunchtime to checkout the good deals. That was where Tom
got the brilliant idea to film me pushing a wheelbarrow.
After agonizing for almost the entire hour over which
wheelbarrow to purchase he finally bought one. That, of
course, is not the wheelbarrow that he showed up at my
house with the next morning. It ended up that he made
another trip to the store that Friday night to buy a
second wheelbarrow. Who knew that picking a wheelbarrow
could be so tough? It was no easier for him to decide
what I was going to wear but finally he yielded to the
pressure of time and we were on our way. I was just
happy that the weather decided to cooperate with a rare
January warming spell.
Except for a few homeless
people hobbling along we really had the city to
ourselves. Instead of adding a measure of liveliness the
brilliant sunshine seemed to only further emphasize the
devastation. For 4 hours Tom proceeded to film me
pushing the wheelbarrow past every landmark and wrecked
building we could find. For awhile we caught the
interest of the local police but they decided that we
meant no harm and left us to our endeavor. This was my
first experience in filming and it was exhausting having
to do things over and over again just to get them right.
Finally we finished. Tom downloaded the hour and a half
worth of footage we shot on my computer. It was exciting
finally seeing what he was seeing the whole time through
the lens of the camera. He offered that we could each
edit the video and then compare our interpretations.
I had no idea how to make a
story out of a series of random shots of a guy pushing a
wheelbarrow around Asbury Park. Besides I had a Super
Bowl party to get ready for so I didn't do anything with
it. A couple of weeks went by and neither one of us had
anything so I decided I would try to edit it. I picked
the Opening Credits to the Human Stain by Rachel Portman
and Halleluiah by Jeff Buckley for my music and went to
work. Once I started I couldn't stop and spent every
waking hour stitching the shots together to tell the
story than seemed was always there from the beginning.
If I reveal anything here Tom will hunt me down and kill
me so I will let you find your own story in what I
edited. The version below is very close to that first
edit I did back in February 2006. We went back two more
times to clean up shots that Tom wasn't happy with but
they only make up about 30 seconds or so. Then we were
fortunate enough to have a talented friend of Tom's,
Luke Honer, record some original music for us. I hope
you enjoy watching my journey through this once proud
city in the depths of despair.
Phil
