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CAUGHT ON FILM

Film Spotlight: Scraps

Kevin Duggin

by Margot C. Lester

Sometimes a seemingly random encounter leads to a creative pursuit. Such was the case when local screenwriter Kate Burgauer, then 16, saw a homeless woman on a city bus.

“She was talking to herself loudly and alienating most of the bus riders,” recalls Burgauer, who now resides in Chapel Hill. “But I found her fascinating because she was carrying a large bag with words written or sewed onto it. I didn’t have a chance to speak with her since she got off the bus at the next stop, but the image never left my mind.”

Charged with writing a short script for a college class, Burgauer recalled the encounter and penned the story that would become Scraps. The screenplay features a woman named Eva who chooses to live on the streets, doing small good deeds. She carries with her a bag – emblazoned with writing and embroidery – full of small items that she gives to others.

Scraps won two awards at the 2011 Carrboro Film Festival: The festival committee recognized the work for its cinematography and festival attendees gave the film one of two Audience Choice Awards.

Behind the camera
Scraps’ award-winning cinematography was created by Kevin Duggin of Columbia, Mo. A graduate of the American Film Institute and the Brooks Institute of Photography, Duggin collaborated with Los Angeles-based director Danny Safady to create the look and feel of the film.

Kevin Duggin creates the award-winning cinematography for Scraps. Photo courtesy of Kevin Duggin.

“Our visual inspiration came from a lot of urban street photography,” Duggin explains. “There was a lot of texture and vibrancy in those photos. We really wanted to incorporate that as much as possible. From the onset Danny and I knew we were going to be using a lot of handheld camera. We also wanted to hint at Eva’s creativity and imagination with the use of a steadicam.”

A steadicam is a setup that allows an operator to mount the camera on a stabilizing rig that absorbs shaking or bumps, producing a smoother, steadier image than a handheld.

On location
The result is a high-budget feel on a low-budget film. To keep production costs low, Scraps was shot at a production studio in Columbia run by a friend of Duggin’s, Randy Sinquefield. The lower-cost location enabled the crew to save a lot of money on certain elements of the production design, including a bus, which the city donated to the project.

Still images from the film Scraps, shot on location in Columbia, Mo. Photos courtesy of Kevin Duggin.

“In Los Angeles, it would have cost us upwards of $8,000 to rent the bus for the day,” Duggin laughs. “That was our entire budget.”
The location shoot had another, unexpected, benefit. On the day they were to film the bus scenes, they still hadn’t cast the role of the driver.

“When the bus arrived, the actual driver caught Danny’s eye,” Duggin remembers. “He scrambled, got our main actress and the driver together and ran through the scenes. The driver was a natural and Danny cast her on the spot!”

Eva, the main character in Scraps, chooses to live on the streets, doing small good deeds and carrying a bag full of small items that she gives to others. Film poster courtesy of Kevin Duggin.

Coming attractions
Scraps is currently on the festival circuit. It will be screened later this month at the Sedona International Film Festival as part of its Wonderful and Weird Shorts program. Burgauer is looking for a director and production company for her feature screenplay, Vinyl, about a sensationalist reporter whose life changes after befriending a washed-up rock star. Duggin’s third feature film, Removal, stars Billy Burke, late of the Twilight movies, and is debuting this month.