The clock’s not ticking: Islanders premiere 3:21:00 short film at Cineplex

Ryan McCarvill, Dennis Trainor, and Mahdi Selseleh pose for the paparazzi during the premiere of their 13-minute film, 3:21:00, at the Charlottetown Cineplex on Oct. 29. Daniel Brown photo.

By Daniel Brown

Nov. 1, 2018

Cineplex employees carried plastic chairs into the theatre. Every seat was full, but there were still people who wanted to catch the premiere.

Eventually, the lights dimmed and the chatter softened. The 13-minute film was about to start.

The screen came to life. It showed a man waking up suddenly in a white, open room.

Time wasn’t moving. Soon, the man’s stopwatch beeped, displaying the millisecond he was frozen in.

3:21:00.

Filmed in Charlottetown, 3:21:00 premiered at Cineplex on Oct. 29. It’s about a person committing suicide.

Ryan McCarvill, Madhi Selseleh and Dennis Trainor wrote the script. McCarvill and Selseleh co-directed, while Trainor played the lead role.

They met while working together on Wharf Rats, a series filmed in North Rustico last summer. They became friends and started brainstorming story ideas, McCarvill said.

After two months of writing, they ended up with 3:21:00. It went through 20 drafts, until it was simplified into a way they hope connects with people, he said.

“It had more heart than any idea we had come up with before.”

The story’s themes are dark. Trainor found it challenging to deliver his performance, he said.

“You have to get comfortable enough to get into the concept of this show, which is about death.”

He managed to get comfortable thanks to the crew’s help, particularly McCarvill and Selseleh. Working with them was invigorating, he said.

“It felt like the best film shoot I’ve ever been in.”

Corin McFadden had challenges in making the films locations work. He was production manager and assistant director.

While filming at a parkade it started raining. They had to cancel the shoot, putting them a day and a half behind, McFadden said.

“We used that time to regroup, refocus, and attack it with a new set of eyes.”

Selseleh found this hard, but knows it was the right decision, he said.

More than 200 people attended the free premiere. They wanted to tell a story Islanders could enjoy, Selseleh said.

“To show you guys what we can do on P.E.I.”

They plan to enter 3:21:00 in film festivals worldwide, including Europe and the U.S., he said.