When I was active in the tournament scene, I marveled at the different people that would attend.  A doctor would sit next to a construction foreman, a writer next to a banker.  It fascinated me that so many different people would join together to form a tournament.

Recently I entered the world of acting and film making  and I decided to write a screenplay about the average tournament player and his or her passion for the game.  In the Open is about six friends who get together for a local tournament, improving their lives and their game.  Each character has their own story that intertwines with the others. The friends are all very different in personality and interests, but they have the common love of the game that binds them together.

I took a class taught by Mandy Wildman at Wild Heart Studios, in Clearwater Florida, on low budget film making.   It focused on how to make a movie woth practically no money.  I began to admire the producers who can make a film for little money, who do not rely on expensive special effects to drive their films.  The book Rebel Without a Crew, written by Robert Rodriguez, really opened my eyes to the possibilities.  It chronicles the making of El Mariachi, a movie that is very well respected amongst film makers, for $7000.

For the last few years the Academy Awards have been focusing on the low budget independent films, which is very refreshing to see.  Of course, I enjoy watching the high budget Hollywood films as well, but seeing what an enterprising person can do with a shoestring budget is fascinating.

Mr Rodriguez and other independent film makers inspired me to try my hand in putting together my own movie.  The normal conception of budgets (even low budgets) runs in the millions.  Since I do not have millions, I made do with what I had.  The key is to focus on dialogue and acting, not blowing up the local convenience store.  I also wanted to create something that the chess community would enjoy.  The accuracy and devotion to detail of the game is what makes In the Open a unique film.

After I completed the screenplay, the first step was to find an investor.  Although I found that I could get a number of things for free in exchange for a film credit, I knew I would need some capital to work with.  After all, it is hard to convince everyone that they should give you things for free.

I found my investor and then I began searching for the right actors and crew members.  People from all over Clearwater and the surrounding areas offered to help and be a part of the film-making adventure.  I discovered that there are many people of all walks of life interested in creating films.

To be honest, the idea of producing a full length feature film seemed like an impossible task, especially since I wanted to recreate a typical tournament with at least 40 participants.  The first thing I had to do was to get the word out that I needed lots of extras - people that would be willing to work for the experience and fun of being in a film.  I could not afford to pay them, not with the budget I had.  Surprisingly enough, people started calling me in droves, all eager to participate for no money.

While I started that ball rolling, I began auditioning actors for the key rolls.  I wrote myself a part, but I still had eight major parts to fill and many minor rolls.  I was fortunate to have met many talented actors, but there were some challenges, as some characters needed to have certain looks.  Fortunately various talent agents in the area helped me to find the people I needed.

Now, with a tiny budget, a producer is usually also the director, lighting person, sound engineer, cinematographer, and so on, but I wanted to assemble a crew to help me.  For one thing, I was getting calls from many different people all wanting to help out and I realized that my film could be an opportunity for these people to gain experience and use their artistic skills.  I also feel that a film can be stronger with more people contributing, adding in their own viewpoints.

I ended up with a director, assistant director, lighting expert, sound engineer, cinematographer, set dresser, assistant set dresser, continuity person, production assistants, wardrobe mistress, and scattered other helpers.  This team had never worked together, in fact most of them met for the first time of the set.  After the third day, we were a well-oiled machine, working together in complete harmony.  It was incredible to watch and very rewarding.

Each day was exhausting, but tremendously exciting.  Twelve hour days were normal, but the cast and crew eagerly came back each day for more.  No one quit.  There was a momentum that could not be stopped, despite various problems that surfaced.  As an example, the day I had lined up for the shoot of the full tournament hall, the hotel we were using double-booked us.  I had 50 people arriving that Saturday and I found out two days before that we needed to be out by 2 p.m.!

The devotion of the actors and crew were shown by their willingness to arrive at 5 a.m. in order to get the shots needed, even though some of us had just worked late the night before.  Some drove more than an hour to get there.  Remember the extras were not even being paid; they were just there for the chance to be a part of the film.  We finished just before 2 p.m. and had all the coverage we needed.  I was so excited and proud of my team that I did not fall into bed until 9 p.m.  I was too thrilled to be alive!

I am truly excited to bring this film to all the chess enthusiasts.  There is something magical and beautiful about the game, that inspires devotion amongst all the members of USCF. 

My father, Christopher Becker, taught me the game when I was 11 years old.  He gave me queen odds until I beat him, and then he took me into Hartford to get lessons from a master.  I played in my first tournament that year and won second prize.  Then I broke from the game for a few years, taking it up again when I entered Hamden Hall, my high school.  We had a chess club and I naturally gravitated toward it, struggling my way to the top of the board.

Hamden Hall had a unique program which allowed seniors to take off the last month from school to concentrate on a specialized project.  I proposed chess as my specialized activity.  Needless to say, it was a bit controversial, but in the end I won out.  I played in a few tournaments and studied full time for the month of May and then gave a well-received full presentation to the school.

I then moved to California to attend college and found I had little time for the game, so it was shelved once again.  Upon graduating and earning my degree in civil engineering, I hooked up with the Upland Chess Club and began playing again.  For a few years I traveled around the country, playing in various tournaments.  I also studied under IM Jack Peters and edited Southern California's chess magazine, Rank and File.  

My husband, Dan Sherman, is an active tournament player, whose rating fluctuates around 2000.  He acted as chess consultant for this project, culling games from his own experience to add realism to the movie.  I fully expect viewers to pause the VCR to look at the positions and study them.  The characters analyze games in this film, as they would in a tournament.

I also included an award-winning problem from my father.  He died tragically in a fire four years ago.  Our family dug through the ashes to recover any of his personal possessions that we could.  Fortunately his collection of problems survived and I was able to find one to feature in the film. 

I have dedicated this film to my father.