Cordova resident and director of "Slow Down ... You're Dating Too Fast!" David Lee III (center) runs through the script with Jon Sparks (right) and C. Marie Connolly.

Lee's latest: 'Slow Down ... You're Dating Too Fast!'

November 17, 2005

Making movies is what M. David Lee III loves. To him, it's better than making love. Lee first started making films in 1977.

"I remember one summer, my uncle took me to the movies," said Lee. "He told me we were going to see this really neat film. He said it was like a western, but in outer space. ... When the lights came down in the theater and the music and credits started, I was glued to my seat. The film was 'Star Wars,' and from that day on I've known what I wanted to do in life ... make movies."

Hustling around the neighborhood, he saved up $35, and along with help from his mother bought his first Super 8 camera and a light. It was just the beginning.

"I bought this camera from Kmart, I still own it," Lee said. "It was great. The first film I ever made was 'War With the Stars.' Kind of a 'Star Wars' ripoff, I suppose, but we didn't think it was at the time."

Through elementary school, high school and college, Lee continued making films. After graduating in three years from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a triple major in filmmaking, Japanese and advertising, Lee moved to California and went to graduate school at Humboldt State.

"I spent some time at Humboldt State and loved it, but I thought I was ready to go take on Hollywood so I left before finishing my degree," he said. "Unfortunately when I went to L.A., Steven Spielberg wasn't standing there ready to give me money to make a film."

In Los Angeles he spent time working for "Love Connection" and Larry Flynt Publishing. But after two and a half years, Lee moved back to Humboldt County and began working in the television business.

"It was a great experience for me," he said. "I was able to make little films every day, that's the way I approached it. On the side I continued to write."

During his time in California, Lee won two Telly awards and put together a short film. The film went on to win an arts council award and he began his first full-length feature, "Black and White: Make Grey," which is currently in postproduction.

In 1993, Lee moved to San Jose, Calif., and made his second feature, "Jessica Knows," while working as a sports anchor for a local news station.

He won distribution through Golden Art Entertainment for a film called "1-900" in 1995.

During 1999, he created "3 Days ... 3 Hours ... 3 Minutes ... 3 Seconds ...," a black-and-white drama about street life. This film brought actors together with the rest of the crew to help with the screenplay, filled with improvisation.

"We didn't want to make a bad film just because we were shooting over a three-day period," Lee said. "Too many bad films these days have the luxury of fat budgets and long shooting schedules. We just tried to get back to basics."

The film was a hit at film festivals including Toronto, San Antonio, San Jose, Stanford University, Ithaca College and the Indie Memphis Film Festival.

Lee left California in 2002 for Memphis and another job in television.

He saw a film on the Sundance Film Channel and was introduced to Dogme95 filmmaking. A style or movement of film that strips everything bare and goes back to the basics, it caught Lee's attention immediately.

"This was it!," he said. "I loved the idea of how this film was made. ... I wanted to make a Dogme95 film right away."

And that's how "Dog Me: Potluck" was born. Perfecting some of the techniques from "3 Days ...," he brought together another group of actors and crew to shoot the film.

"I've never really done a comedy before, but I might have to do another one soon," Lee said. "This film is truly funny, honest, warm and in my opinion one of the best things I've ever done."

Critics and audiences love "Dog Me: Potluck." The film has screened in nine festivals from Memphis to California.

Now the Cordova resident returns with his latest film, "Slow Down ... You're Dating Too Fast!," the hilarious comedy about five individuals who try to find love "speed dating." After being shot entirely in Memphis, Cordova and Hernando, Miss., the film premiered at the 2005 Indie Memphis Film Festival.

The film was shot using a modified version of Dogme95 principles. The cast and crew are from the Mid-South. It's the sixth feature film for Lee, the second shot in Memphis and the third film to screen in the Indie Memphis Film Festival.

"I'm very proud of this piece because so many worked so hard to make it a special film," Lee said. "We have over 32 speaking roles, which always is difficult to manage, especially on an independent film, but the performances are outstanding. When you set out to create a project, the easiest way to succeed is to surround yourself with great people and I think I did that again. I hope audiences have as much fun with this film as we had making it."

Copyright 2005, commercialappeal.com - Memphis, TN. All Rights Reserved.