In 1958, he became a Boy Scout and fulfilled a requirement for the photography merit badge by making a nine-minute 8 mm film entitled The Last Gunfight. Years later, Spielberg recalled to a magazine interviewer, "My dad's still-camera was broken, so I asked the scoutmaster if I could tell a story with my father's movie camera. He said yes, and I got an idea to do a Western. I made it and got my merit badge. That was how it all started." At age thirteen, while living in Phoenix, Spielberg won a prize for a 40-minute war film he titled Escape to Nowhere, using a cast composed of other high school friends. That motivated him to make 15 more amateur 8mm films.:548 In 1963, at age sixteen, Spielberg wrote and directed his first independent film, a 140-minute science fiction adventure called Firelight, which would later inspire Close Encounters. The film was made for $500, most of which came from his father, and was shown in a local cinema for one evening, which earned back its cost. COUNT 10
QSN1 What was Spielberg's first indepenent film? ANS1 Firelight QSN2 How long was Spielberg's film "Escape to Nowhere"? ANS2 40-minute QSN3 How much money did Spielberg spend to film Close Encounters? ANS3 $500 QSN4 Who did Spielberg get money from to film Close Encounters? ANS4 his father QSN5 What genre was Spielberg's first film "The Last Gunfight" ANS5 Western QSN6 When did Spielberg join the Boy Scouts? ANS6 1958 QSN7 What film did Spielberg make to earn a merit badge? ANS7 The Last Gunfight QSN8 Why did Spielberg make a movie instead of taking still photos for the photography merit badge? ANS8 dad's still-camera was broken QSN9 At what age did Spielberg make 'Escape to Nowhere'? ANS9 thirteen QSN10 What film led to Close Encounters? ANS10 Firelight