High atop Price Hill, the man in the skunk suit puts on his furry head, the scantily clad woman cradles the albino python and Jean-Robert de Cavel, the former chef of the Maisonette, poses grill-side to deliver his lines.

        “OK, once again everyone,” a director screams. ""Big energy this time.”

        And the digital camera rolls on a scene from Three Barbecues, an independent film being shot and produced in Cincinnati. The cast of 25-plus frolicking characters, including a tattooed man, mime, bearded lady and several militant vegetarians, appear to be the surreal creation of Federico Fellini — or at least wacky Cecil B. Demented director John Waters.

        But this small-budget project is actually the brainchild of script writers Jay T. Metz of Norwood and Rob Gray of Clifton; producer Molly Donnellon (Mr. Gray's wife and Mr. Metz's cousin), and production designer Laura Robinson of Fort Thomas. And as far as they're concerned, the more bizarre the look, the better.

        “We're strictly poking fun at all of society,” says Mr. Metz. “There are no hidden, super-deep meanings.”

        On this Saturday afternoon, Mr. Metz is playing the role of Teddy Flavors, an annoying Robin Leach-like television host who interviews Mr. de Cavel — who plays himself — as part of a grilling competition. Originally, someone else was supposed to play the Flavors character, but the actor never returned phone calls.

        When his friend, Mr. Metz, asked, Mr. de Cavel quickly agreed to appear in the film. But on the day of his acting debut, the Frenchman is wishing he had studied his lines — mostly rants against American “hamburger cuisine” — longer.

        “Can we do one without recording?” the chef pleads between takes.
       

Born with bourbon

        Little surprise here: Alcohol, specifically bourbon, was consumed during the conception of Three Barbecues. It happened the second Saturday in May at a Kentucky Derby party at Ms. Robinson's home. The friends had just watched a home video, The Curse of the Hairy Patt Band, produced by Mr. Metz in 1993. Then, he startled everyone by declaring his next film would be Three Barbecues, the title of a song he had recorded with a high school buddy.

        “I was really only half-serious,” Mr. Metz says.

        But because the friends worked together in television and video production for Procter & Gamble, LensCrafters and other commercial clients, they didn't let the film idea die.

        “Finally, Jay and Rob locked themselves up and came up with a script and a production schedule,” says Ms. Robinson. “And we've stuck pretty much to it.”

        Beginning in July, they began production on weekends — setting up on Friday, shooting Saturday and Sunday and tearing down the sets on Monday. The four partners formed a company and invested more than $10,000 to make the film.

        They've begged and borrowed props, and largely relied on friends, who volunteered their time and efforts behind and in front of the camera. The four principals, meanwhile, have passed up paying production jobs to concentrate on their project.

        “There's really only one way to do this,” says Ms. Donnellon, who has worked on nothing but the film for six months. “And that is to focus on this and do it.”

        Once they began production, it took Mr. Metz a while to realize the film, which began almost as a crazy dare, was coming to life.

        “When I saw real people doing the scenes we had written and how ridiculous they looked, I thought: Wow,” he says. “I never imagined.”
       

Food parties at core

        As far as the plot, the title is basically self-explanatory: The film is about the adventures of an eclectic troupe who attends three home barbecues in one day, a kind of weird progressive dinner party punctuated by singing and dancing and over-the-top stereotypical characters named “Deviled Egg Nut,” “Beef Barklage” and “Emanuel Laggosa.”

        “Somehow, all these characters get along,” says Mr. Gray. “They are part satire, and all part of the ridiculous patio culture.”

        Brightly colored gelatin molds, a “wiener surprise” dish and other food also star in the film, which is where the expertise of the designer, Ms. Robinson, and food stylists come into play.

        “In one scene, there was this parade of side dishes where the women had to dance with the food,” says Ms. Robinson. “So we had to glue the Rice Krispy Treats and cheese balls together.”

        If the food holds together and all the script rewriting is completed, the crew hopes to wrap shooting by the end of October and editing by early next spring. Although commercial success would be nice, the partners mostly hope their film receives critical acceptance.

        “If we get into a film festival and it becomes a minor favorite with some off-the-wall critic, then great,” says the director, Mr. Gray. “But mostly, I want to feel good about this piece.”

        And when their wildest dreams come true, Mr. Metz already has the name for a sequel.

        “Death by the Burger, Burger by the Pound,” he says. “It's from another song I wrote.”

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