About "The Line"...
"The Line", is the opening scene of MOSS and was one of the more difficult scenes to produce. The idea was to have an extremely long line full of numerous and various people, none of whom knew what the line was for or where it went. As is shown in the outtakes / behind the scenes sequences at the end of the film, only five actors and the cameraman (namely me) were involved in the scene. We cleared a long path out by Ian's driveway and made sure the camera's extension cords could reach each end. We then collected easily swapped clothing and various miscelaneous props, and lined one side of the path with them. Ian, Kris, Justin, Gabe, and Dustin formed a line segment and I dollied across, telling each person as he was clear of the screen. He'd then run around behind me, switch clothes and/or props, and run to the front of the line just in time to start appearing at the other side of the screen. My scrolling line page gives you an idea of how it looked; the images there represent about half of the line sequence. The other half either wouldn't fit in one screen or I was too lazy to cut around the edges... The sequence was played at double speed and put to the music of the Kinks' "Who'll be the Next in Line" for the final film. To keep the scene interesting, all people waiting in line are chatting to each other or showing off or trying to budge, et cetera. Someone had the brilliant idea to bring a car in, which worked out well but brought with it a little flaw I noticed when editing the film... In the back seat side window of the car, the reflection of a guy walking sideways holding an 8mm camera can be made out, with two people shedding coats running behind. It's only there if one looks for it, but it remains one of my favorite "oops!" moments in MOSS.
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