The Nation was released in 2005, after the Red Sox won the World Series. At the time I had been living in Massachusetts for over 20 years. While living many parts of the country, I remained a baseball fan. To this day, I still have never met a fan like a Red Sox fan. During the years prior to the explosive history making event in 2004, I started to understand that things ran a bit different in New England. After many encounters with die-hard fans, learning about their passion, pain and then joy as they lifted the 86 year monkey off their collective backs, I was inspired to make this film about Red Sox fans.
March 10, 2010: My People’s People: Auditions and Locations
I’m knee deep in pre-production for my up coming short film. The auditions went well, I’m calling back twenty per cent for the second audition. The actors gave me their own interpretation of the script first, and then I adjusted them and let each actor go through the bit several times. I gave them an opportunity to loosen up to be comfortable in order to get the most out of them.
I did have a twenty per cent no show rate. I will compensate for that next time by scheduling more actors per hour. We had only scheduled 4 per hour; it was fine this time because in between actors I discussed other logistics with my production staff. In the future I will schedule 6 to 8 per hour.
Simultaneously I have been searching for a location. I am looking for a restaurant that is closed at least once a week so they will not be losing money during the shoot. I will offer them a credit and naming their location: “Filmed on location at Joe’s Generic Restaurant in X-Town MA.” I will also be putting them on the web page as a sponsor. If I could get them to throw in a pre-made lunch it would be a grand slam.
The next step is the callbacks; I will have them read with each other, for two reasons. The first is shear economics; I want to save the time so I can move onto my other tasks. As we know time is a commodity and in some circles viewed as money. Secondly and more importantly I want to see if there is a combination that can gel together and form some chemistry. By having the actors read together it might make my choice clearer.
Since I am spending very little money I have to do it one step at a time, only after I have secured my actors and location I will begin to crew up. If there was more money I could push faster. There is an old axiom in this business; good, fast, cheap, you can only pick two.
March 8, 2010: DVD Pick: Murder By Death
Murder By Death is an over the top murder mystery spoof. It pokes fun at the iconic film and book sleuths like Sam Spade and Charlie Chan played respectively by Peter Falk and Peter Sellers. Falk is great muttering off Bogie diatribes, as is sellers punching out Chinese comedic wisdom; “Conversation like T.V. on honeymoon, unnecessary.”
This movie was a lot of fun when I saw it the theater and is still very funny today. I thoroughly enjoyed the film references throughout as well as the star studded cast which includes David Niven, Alec Guinness, Maggie Smith and Truman Capote as the diabolical host of the evenings murder and mayhem.
The film is a tad on the kooky side and is very light fare. Falk as Bogart as Sam Spade as Sam Diamond just cracked me up. I’m a big Bogie fan and I love a spoof when it’s done well and Falk is just great. If you’ve enjoyed the old murder detectives and have an appreciation for the old movies you’ll enjoy this little whodunit parody.
March 7, 2010: The Sunday Morning Supplement: It’s Oscar Tonight
The biggest night in Hollywood is upon us and there is one question on my mind. Can this awards show get any worse? Last year I hopped back and fourth from the Oscars to a Jackie Chan movie. I usually enjoy the opening monologue and this year offers a ray of hope as Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin doubly host the event, both men could be very funny.
It is the age-old problem of trying to fit two pounds of bologna in a one-pound bag; there is so much to do and not enough time to do it. Years ago there were less limitations and though we usually didn’t find out the best picture until two in the morning east coast time, there was a spontaneity that allowed for humor and fun for the participants. And since Susan Sarandon said something with political agenda all the presenters have been bound to a script. They do try to add some entertainment in between the awards, which has a similar feel to a college football halftime show in the sixties.
This year’s gimmick is ten nominees for best picture. I have often felt it a struggle for them to find five. Is this a way the studios can make more money? Now there are more movies necessary to see by Oscar night. Last year’s gimmick was a This Is Your Life typehomage to all the best actor/actress nominees, that was one serious sedative. Good thing Jackie Chan was bailing me out on my DVD player.
It’s not that I’m against the Oscars, who wouldn’t want to win one. I hear it does wonders for the day rate. The show itself has morphed into one of the dullest spectacles on television. Of course I’ll watch it anyway, and maybe this is the year they figure it out. Maybe this is the year the show is so dynamic and entertaining it will be the benchmark for future award shows everywhere. My realistic hope is that I don’t fall asleep before they hand out the award for Best Picture.
March 6, 2010: Film Review: Terribly Happy
I caught a great screening last night put on by the Boston Independent Film Festival, a fantastic Danish film called Terribly Happy. There’s a new marshall in town. He’s not there to clean it up, just maintain the seemingly nothing that goes on in this semi ghost town in Podonk Denmark. The film has some old west metaphor as the our villain is running around in cowboy garb and as the towns people say “we have our own way of dealing with things.”
The marshall gets settled in and the oddities begin to surface as we watch him try to make sense of his new world. The set up is captivating and soon enters the woman, who along with her huband are at the center of the the town soap opera. She has an immediated attraction to our hero, the plot moves from there taking an interesting twist, more like a hard right as we are caught off guard by the direction of the movie.
Besides a good story director Henrik Genz does a great job using the wide shot. It is almost like still photography, which offers us a considerable amount of information while moving the story along. The acting is good all around and I especially liked the supporting cast that portrayed the town locals. All the charcters were gruff and worn out by life which added to the eccentric atmoshphere of the village not to mention the great barfly scenes.
The only thing that made me my scratch my head was the amount of traffic that flowed through the one horse town, which was a bit of the director’s sense of humor poking through the bleak landscape. There are very few forgien films that manage get theatrical distribution in this country. This is an opportunity to see a great film and one I recommend for the big screen.
March 4, 2010: What I Really Want to Do Is Direct, Part II
Before embarking on your first feature you should make a short. Go through the whole process on a small scale. When you see all the problems you have on your short multiply that by 10 for your feature. Get the bugs out early don’t rush into a movie. It’s better to take the ten thousand dollars you have and put it toward making a good short then trying to stretch your budget and coming up with a bad feature. There are very few El Mariachi’s out there. I know this is a rags to riches biz but, you can’t believe it’s going to happen to you. Make your mistakes on something small. Even if you have access to cash, you don’t want to botch it and ruin your financial connection. You may be able convince someone to back your film once, but without financial success they won’t do it again.
As you make your way to the director’s chair I recommend becoming the director’s assistant for large movies. To be able to trail a director for a whole movie would be invaluable. First you would be able to learn so much from a seasoned pro and you would get to see how the whole machine operates at the top. As the directors assistant you will also constantly be around all the muckety mucks. Not only will you be learning you will be making potential contacts for the future. Find out what movies are coming to your area call the production and apply for that position. It is not easy but, not as hard as you think. What a director is looking for in an assistant is someone who is intelligent, can carry out tasks and someone who listens. You can do that, you just have to convince the director you can do that.
Another approach is to produce. If you become a successful producer you can segue into directing or you can produce your own work right from the beginning. In today’s competitive world you are forced to take some role as a producer to get your movies made. It would only make you a better director to understand the nuts and bolts of what it takes to put a movie together. It’s good to know reality from fantasy. Many people try to make a movie that is bigger than their means. You must learn how to work within your budget and resources.
Directing is more than a job; it is a lifetime commitment to your art.
March 3, 2010: What I Really Want to Do Is Direct, Part I
Upon entering the film business everyone wants to direct, unfortunately there are not that many jobs available compared to the amount of people who want them. If directing is something you think would be fun or cool, you would be right. However, this is not the right approach; it has to be a true calling for you. You really have to want it more than anything else.
You need drive, knowledge and vision. First you have to have the drive to get where you want to go. Anything besides total commitment will not bring success. It is similar to professional athletes, they have a specific focus and the good ones put in the time perfecting their skills. Knowledge, that is obvious, without it you are nothing. One way or another you need to learn the craft thoroughly. This would include reading books and more books, taking classes, workshops and most of all getting hands on set experience. The only way you can cruise in this business if your uncle is an executive at Warner Brothers. If you are not that hooked up you will be forced to work and learn. Vision is the most elusive of the three. You can develop your talent by learning and doing, but you must see the whole movie play out in your head and be able relay that vision to your actors and your key crafts people.
Ok, you know you have drive, you’re soaking knowledge up like a sponge and you have vision, what next? What are you going to make? Can you write your own scripts or do you need a screenwriter? If you can’t write, it is going to be a little harder. You’ll have to find scripts or get a partner to write for you. It’s easier to find a good lover than a good screenwriter. Either way you have to have a good script. It all starts with the script. Without a script you got nothin’.
Read Part II tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel...