Blood. Love. Lust. Murder. Revenge.
Such is the cheery tagline of "Her Infidel," a mafia miniseries produced by the self-described eccentrics of MiniSeries Productions.
Second-year Engineering student Susanna Wong is the director of "Her Infidel" -- but not long ago, she said she had resolved to give up film completely.
"I actually didn't intend to do any film," Wong said, noting the Engineering School's hefty workload. "I wanted to concentrate on engineering."
Wong, a former prize-winner in Hong Kong film festivals, said she couldn't resist for long. She recruited a team of talented individuals and formed MiniSeries Productions.
The MiniSeries Productions crew will produce one installment of "Her Infidel" every semester. Though many have contributed to the miniseries -- Wong said there are over 200 people on the mailing list -- a group of about 10 students make up the core crew.
"We have fancy titles, but everyone just does whatever needs to be done," Unit Production Manager Steve Gottschling said. "There is no hierarchy."
Last fall, the crew held auditions for the first episode of "Infidel," and as it turns out, Wong's engineering background proved to be an asset.
"All the Trigon pledges came out as extras," Wong said.
Although "Infidel" was inspired by the movie "Kill Bill," Wong said it has since evolved in a different direction. Still, they cannot shake the association.
"I think people should stop comparing us to [Quentin] Tarantino," Gottschling said. He noted they had experimented with Tarantino's blood-spurting special effects, but that they "couldn't afford the pumps."
While the first episode was described as a "learning experience," the cast said they were more prepared and professional for the next episode. Too much gravity, however, cannot be expected from the crew that cited "Plan 9 from Outer Space" director Edward D. Wood, Jr. as an inspiration.
"One time we left a bag of props from the movie in our dorm -- fake guns, a syringe and a bloody shirt," first assistant director Anthony Haro said. "Someone in the dorm looked into the bag and called the police."
The crew's other achievements include dousing a half-naked man in corn-syrup blood and collectively smoking cigarettes for 20 minutes to achieve a natural-looking ashtray, only to cut the shot in editing.
"Before, we were really unorganized," Gottschling said. "We've become more cohesive."
The second installment of "Infidel" takes place 10 years after the previous episode and will follow Sofia as she seeks vengeance for the murder of her husband. After its release this weekend at Newcomb Theatre, there will be plenty of work to be done before the series is complete.
The MiniSeries Productions crew members said they were excited for the premier, but are looking ahead.
"Our next project is a shoot up in New York City over spring break," Wong said. "We're trying to think one step ahead, get out of Charlottesville and think professionally about this."
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