The Picture

The Picture was the first short film Daniel Lee made back in late 2006. It was accepted into the 10th annual Magnolia Independent Film Festival and the Keokuk Film Festival.
It won "Best Student Film" at Magnolia. People frequently cite this short as their favorite of Daniel Lee's movies. It also screened at the OCHO: Arachnid From Hell premiere.

It was shot in a few evenings and stars Judd Williams and Isaac Hardy


(please note the credits do not display correctly on YouTube.)


"We were using a two-socket handheld Bell & Howell light that came with an ancient 8-mm camera/projector/screen set. I duct taped it to a broken down cymbal stand (that was itself held together with duct tape). I had another socket that probably came out of some old lamp that I duct-taped to a mic stand. I was always playing punk rock shows with bands who had sub-par gear falling apart. There's a DIY mentality to punk that carried over into filmmaking.
"For the shot where Judd lights a match and drops it right onto the camera, I was laying on the ground with the camera under a window pane that was randomly in the closet of my house when i moved in. I think we had like three cheap plastic picture frames. When Judd did the take of throwing the frame, it broke and he kinda freaked out a little (although he was also laughing the whole time) until I assured him I had 'stunt doubles'.
"Isaac had that costume and makeup as a halloween costume and I thought it looked cool enough to put into a movie, so I wrote a little movie that incorporated it.
"As simple as the movie is, there are several themes that recur in later movies. Sometimes the best things are the simplest things.
"I think this is always going to be my favorite movie and even though it has many many shortcomings and limitations, and I've gotten much better at filmmaking since then - I still think in a weird way it's the best thing I've ever done."