The Mad Cap Dir. Rob Walker

This marks the third and last part of the original Troublemaker Shorts trilogy. For information on our Troublemaker Shorts click here.

After Monty and Steve had finished their shorts, it was a forgone conclusion that I should create one of my own. It was an interesting prospect seeing as how Monty and Steve had shot both of theirs almost simultaneously without any knowledge of the other-and turned out two different shorts that somehow thematically complimented each other. I had the added advantage/handicap of seeing both of these films in their entirety and felt a (subconscious?) need to follow the "fish-out-of-water" or as Steve puts it: "innocence befuddled" theme. All three have different topics, different styles and different techniques, but they are all connected by the themes mentioned above. Thusly, the three films serves as a loose trilogy and also a turning point for CBP.

One of the main inspiration sbehind this short is the work of magician/filmmaker Georges Méliès. His most famous film, A Trip to the Moon (Le voyage dans la Lune), is an enduring work of art that has been sampled and studied but has never been equaled. It serves as a reminder of the strength and power of film. Originally, I wanted to do a short titled: Professor Peacock's Mechanical Marvel and do it in Méliès' style: Magical and grandiose. However, once I realized the time and effort it would take to pay tribute to Méliès, particularly in a one man short, I chickened out and opted for a simpler homage to that of silent comedies. The imp, though, is still a vestige of my original inspiration borrowed from Méliès' film The Black Imp (Le Diable Noir) . (I will likely try my hand at Peacock, but perhaps in animation)

So, my Troublemaker Short turned out nothing like what I had originally planned. It's not a grandiose homage to a master magician and filmmaker but instead is a short, sweet and hopefully enjoyable little movie in the vein of Keaton, Arbuckle or Lloyd. While this is not a main course, think of it as a sorbet or an after dinner mint-Hopefully enjoyable in its own right.

-Rob Out.

NOTE: With regard to the "Tinting" Early silent films were originally given tints to prevent pirates from stealing film prints and making their own bootlegs. It was later realized that tinting certain scenes of a black and white film (This was before color) could add to the mood or setting. Blue is often used to illustrate "night"-which enabled early filmmakers to shoot night scenes during the day and Amber was used to illustrate candlelight or "indoor/evening". So there you have it.

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