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SEAN FOY

BRANDON FOY

MAKING QUEST

THE FUTURE

MAKING QUEST FOR THE HOLY ALE

SEARCHING FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE AND HOPING TO FIND A DECENT BEER TO GO ALONG WITH IT

French Fries, pick-up lines, beersicle induced hallucinations, and girls who won’t give you the time of day. Throw in a couple of dancing bar patrons, some men’s room singing, and 132 different beers on tap, and you’ve got yourself a successful roadtrip movie. Hey, you write about what you know, right?

Despite its small stature, Quest for the Holy Ale remains an ambitious debut feature film from Mardi Gras Pictures. With an entire shooting budget less than the cost of a slightly used car, over 60 speaking roles, more than a dozen unique locations, and a cast and crew’s learning curve that makes K2 look like a mild slope, Quest set its standards high above the obstacles that confronted it.

A comedy feature shot on 16mm film, principal photography took place in and around Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Costa Mesa, California over a scant 17 days. Working anywhere up to twenty hours per day, the meager, eight-man crew filmed during both daylight hours and after closing at many of their bar locations. Utilizing cheap equipment, east coast connections, sales-tax exemption, and background actors enticed by free beer (provided by a couple of the film’s sponsors), the crew battled the accompanying broken light stands, mismatched power cords that melted, non-functional power sources, actors who didn’t show up, and even an old family friend who dropped out "due to moral objections." Not to mention that everyone was working for free, having only their meals and lavish "floor-space" accommodations covered by production.

But Quest isn’t just for the drunk, mentally-handicapped co-ed in all of us. On the surface, it is a whimsical, irreverent examination of a friendship. But, to the filmmakers, it represents the independent spirit to which we strive. It is an accomplishment in the face of everyone who talks about making a movie and never does. Of everyone who said "you can’t" or asked, "so, what do you plan to do when that doesn’t pan out?" It is a celebration of life, independence, and determination. But mostly, of course, it is for the drunk, mentally-handicapped co-ed in all of us.

The film’s soundtrack features fifteen indie bands and solo artists from all across the country. Like the filmmakers, these bands are hardworking individuals that truly exemplify the independent spirit.

As an ultra no-budget feature, Quest successfully avoids the common theme followed by many fellow "small" films of writing only a handful of characters interacting in one or two rooms.

After all, to conduct a proper quest, you need to get up off your barstool once in awhile.