My first short film project was ... Room Four Memory by Perry Mark Stratychuk

"Room Four Memory" is a short film about a dark road and a travel-weary salesman stopping at an off-road motel, where he comes face to face with his past.

Room Four Memory was my first "real" film, and first film festival entry, which I shot on professional 16mm color movie film back around 1979. I used a hand-winding hand-held Bolex brand camera which I bought in the US, that only loaded small 100' rolls of film. A whopping 2 min. 47 secs. of shooting time per roll!

After editing the picture and sound, I hand cut the film negative myself in a bedroom under a plastic sheet to keep the dust off, before taking it to the film lab for printing! In the "night" shots, you'll see how I used Francois Truffaut's "Day for Night" filter technique; a first for me.

It's also a film that featured my father, Donald Stratychuk in the role of the salesman and my uncle Paul Filewich in the role of the Grim Reaper.

The Room Four Memory includes my first electronic music as background for the soundtrack as well.

Awards

• American International Film Festival 1980 - Bronze Medal

Produced, directed, photographed, edited, and scored by Perry Mark Stratychuk

Copyright 1979-80 All Rights Reserved