PRODUCTION NOTES “GUNS & ROSES” was shot in October of 1998, during my continuing education studies at NYU Film School. The professor (a film editor by trade) put us in groups of 4 to make a short film each. My team, Group One, consisted of students Wade Devon, Michal Beinisch, Tomoyuki Osaka, Hilton Ruiz and myself. Basically, the idea was shoot, produce, direct and edit the short picture as a group effort. However, once they got a look at my first film, “Once Upon A Time In Jersey,” your truly was tapped to direct (well, that and my advanced knowledge of filmmaking, too!). As with my first project, I secured permission to shoot in my office building on a brisk Saturday morning. We met, discussed the scenes and blocked out camera angles and movement. Wade became the cinematographer because she was into that aspect of filmmaking. We cast Michal, an Israeli student, as “Roses” for 2 reasons: 1) she was tall, attractive and could move well; and 2) she trained as a commando in the Israeli Army! Perfect. Tomo, a Japanese student, was cast as “Guns,” because he had that sort of “Reservoir Dogs”/Tarantino-ish look about him. Again, perfect. Hilton never showed up, but he worked his ass off later in post-production. Everything went well that day., We shot the whole movie in 12 hours. I was commended for my visual sense of grandeur as well as my hard-working directorial style. And…everyone else did a wonderful job, too. Then came the editing process… It took us several days to edit the piece. Again, I was elected Chief Editor because I had cut movies before. To be perfectly honest, I shot “G & R” in such a way that I had to edit it myself (while tipping my hat to Orson Welles). When I took an infrequent break, I gave one of the others editorial directions. Everyone in the group was proud of their accomplishments. The professor liked the film, although he felt that there were too many MTV-style cuts, but we all received an A anyway. I am proud of this film because it showcases how far I’ve come from the last film as far as directing, style and editing. The musical selection, a club favorite in 1998, had the perfect beat to match the action and editing on screen. Now, jump ahead several years: with the advent of digital technology, I had again revisited this labor of love and put it through the editing ringer once more, this time using Apple’s excellent FINAL CUT PRO HD software. This program allowed me to clean up the VHS interpositive and anamorphically-enhance the film at an HDTV-friendly 1.78:1 aspect ratio (after digitally manipulating the 1.37:1 OAR). While it’s not “Lethal Weapon,” it is the indication and inkling of what I can do, given a good budget and a good crew. If I had money, I’d be dangerous! So, please enjoy the film for its spirit, and what it has tried to accomplish. Once again, my thanks to all involved, as the picture would not have come out half as good without their input. Happy Viewing! Youssef Kdiry (2005)