Twenty-two years ago, Paul Gorman was living in north Greenwood and filming a movie at local sights, including Woodland Park Zoo, Green Lake, and his own home. Gorman and a partner shot the film in 10 days using volunteer Seattle actors and just $500. But the unedited footage sat in the can for two decades, until 2008, when he finally decided to finish it.
Now living in Redmond, Gorman’s feature film, “Broken Frame,” will premiere at 6 p.m. September 6 on SCAN TV (channels 23 and 77).
Sure it was faded and grainy and some of the sound had deteriorated, but I was surprised at what we had accomplished, and how good the acting and story was. But, as captivating as “Broken Frame” is, I felt it was part of a larger and more intriguing story as to the reason it took so long to complete and what had happened to everyone since then.
Thus the film evolved and developed into a trilogy. The centerpiece and heart and soul of the movie is “Broken Frame.” “Reconstructing Broken Frame” and “Deconstructing Broken Frame” are the bookends, which tell the story of making the movie and explaining why it took 22 years to finish.
Since it’s been so long since he first shot the movie, he doesn’t even remember the names of some of the actors. He’s got pictures of them on his website, and he’ll give anyone a DVD copy of the movie if you can identify and locate them.
(Photos courtesy of Paul Gorman.)
