The Gap
Short Film written & directed by Davi Snively

That's me in the distance, center of photo, back to you. The cameraman is laughing because I'm supposed to be rollerblading ... well. I, as Mom, am coming home with the evening groceries. I travel by rollerblades because in this futuristic short by Davi Snively, Mom is a grunge rollerblader who has simply aged with time. Davi proposes the future of typical Generation X'er.

Fortunately for my ego, the crew
only laughed at my skating skills behind my back.


Bringing home the bag of air for dinner.

In this future, I feed my teenage children heated bags of nutritious air and other assorted natural "foods." The film was shot in one apartment and the quiet street, above, in what I call the Potrero Flats - around 15th and Arkansas Streets. Of course, when we wanted to shoot the rollerblading scene, traffic never stopped, one lone car at a time. This film is supposed to be set in a typical post-apocolyptic, deserted city. It took most of the afternoon to shoot a few minutes of footage uninterrupted by passing cars. I might also add, never having been on rollerblades before this shoot, it took some doing to get me to look like an old pro. Davi gave me the rollerblades, but not the pads, so I was a bit apprehensive and I'm afraid it showed.
Here are Mom's two children. And isn't it always the case that the children rebel against whatever their parents represent. In this case, Generation X. My generation destroyed the planet with our lazy, greedy, conspicuous consumption. Mom's children, like most in this future world, have been recruited into a rigorously stoic religious order that believes in sacrifice. These children are so committed to their asceticism, they not only shave their heads monk fashion and wear drab robes, but they amputate their own limbs as acts of devotion. Kids will be kids.

This next generation has no sense of humor.
Of course, Mom is upset, but she tries to be cheerful through it all. Times are tough, food is scarce, her son cut off his arm and both kids are always complaining about her attitude. Still, she is capable of a few fancy moves in the livingroom on her rollerblades. It's really for the best that it takes so little to keep her going. Did I say it was a real pleasure working with Davi Snively? Shortly after this shoot, she moved to Seattle and is teaching film in some university up there. Wish she'd come back and make more films. They're smart, witty, efficient, and she's a really snappy dresser.

Now, all I have left of the experience are a copy
of the film on tape, these photographs and the rollerblades, which I contemplate (right). Immediately after the shoot, I put them back in their box and stored them in my locker at home.
If anybody needs a pair of men's size 8 roller blades, e-mail me.

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