Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The Illusion of Power

All you aspiring filmmakers who feel slighted by the industry, here's something you can take comfort in...

Where you happen to fall on the invisible Hollywood hierarchy matters less than you think.

Ultimately we're all putting our next projects out there hoping someone with power comes along and helps get them made.

After we finished our short film WOW AND FLUTTER, initial industry reaction was positive. But it soon became obvious that cards were being held close to vests. Nobody went out of their way to help us.

A herd mentality runs rampant through Hollywood. A project is not worthy of attention until someone important endorses it. The first ally in your corner is the most difficult one to get.

Our short eventually played the festival circuit and it opened some doors. And the dvd screeners we made were instrumental throughout the development and production of our feature film.

We've had some deja vu with CALVIN MARSHALL during our initial screenings with industry. It will be fascinating to watch the industry's perception of the film evolve in the months and years ahead as the film finds its audience.

And I'll be curious to see if the next one is any easier to get made.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Three Colors: Red

Dialogue heavy, yet cinematic in the best way, RED is Kieslowski's greatest achievement. Never in danger of being anachronistic, RED tells a simple story of love, fraternity and fate with philosophical underpinings rarely seen in movies.

I revisit the film often and am always stunned by it's power. Irene Jacob gives a gorgeous, complex performance as Valentine -- a young woman too good for this world. Valentine might be the most beautiful character ever filmed. She's so easy on the eyes and her beauty is soulful and authentic. There's a depth to her beauty that drives her choices and holds the narrative together.

Jean-Louis Trintignant gives a stirring performance as the bitter, retired Judge who is transformed by Valentine's goodness. All the characters in RED seem to have an authenticity that stems from Kieslowski's early years shooting documentaries in Poland. It's a staple of all his fiction work -- rich characterizations and performances that are subtle and human.

I can't say enough about Kieslowski's direction in RED. His camera movement and compositions are unforgettable, yet they never draw too much attention to themselves. You could never accuse him of style over substance for they always seem to be in perfect balance. The film is so well made that even Kieslowski said there was nothing left for him to say in cinema after RED.

David Mamet might be right when he says drama can't change people's lives but RED might be the one exception. When you give yourself over to it's powers, you might be inspired and transformed in unexpected ways.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Getting Your Film Made

It's an incredibly difficult process but at least it's a simple one on paper. And, most importantly it's within the grasp of any persistent filmmaker.

1. Write or find a screenplay. Not everyone has to love it but a few have to. It has to be special enough to draw some allies.

2. Build your team. At least one producer, probably two or three. And, a director who's capable of carrying the film into production and through post-production.

3. Find money. It's the most important step and it's ultimately the producer's job to find it. Your budget might come from a production company or a hedge fund. A talent agency could package your project and find money for you. One wealthy individual might come along and put up $$. Perhaps a hundred investors will contribute to the budget. If you do decide to sell shares of your film you'll need an entertainment attorney to set up a private placement in order to be legal in the eyes of the SEC.

4. Set your start date and make your first hires; an ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER, a LINE PRODUCER and a CASTING DIRECTOR -- generally in that order. A lawyer makes the process legal and covers your bases going forward. A line producer does an initial budget so you know you can complete the film with the money you're raising. A casting director will help you find the right leads by interfacing with talent agencies.

5. Hire your initial KEYS; the DP, PRODUCTION DESIGNER, 1st AD and EDITOR are especially important at this stage. Maybe even your COMPOSER. There is so much creative work that needs to happen to make a good film, you must begin collaborating with your KEYS immediately. The work will effect the budget and schedule which must get settled early in the game.

All that's left is to find the locations and hire the rest of your cast and crew before pre-production begins. On a low budget film pre-production is about 6 weeks. If the budget is really low, you will need even more prep.

Keep in mind steps 2, 3, 4 and 5 can happen simultaneously over a LONG period of time. And sometimes the steps will happen out of order. For instance step 4 will often happen before you have all your money -- even though it's critical you act like it's already in the bank.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Titles

Unless you begin with a great title or inspiration strikes late in the 4th quarter, the naming of a screenplay can be a maddening process.

Woody Allen can always fall back on "Woody Allen's Fall Project", but for young producers, the title is an important first impression when going out to the powers that be -- financiers, dealmakers, cast, etc.

I'll be honest and say we've been hot and cold on our title CALVIN MARSHALL.

A long time ago the movie was called MVP, but it just wasn't quite right. And then those Most Valuable Primate movies started being released.

The next version was developed with another company and called POSTGAME. They tried to put their stamp on it with a more conventional structure. The resulting draft was a mess and thankfully was never made. The title POSTGAME always felt a little too generic -- an overused word in sports broadcasting.

When the script ended up at Broken Sky Films, we went back to the original draft and called it HANGING ON A STAR -- which is a Nick Drake song that was supposed to play at the second act curtain. It seemed like the perfect title because it carried Calvin's conflict and story without referring to sports.

But everyone thought this was a cheesy title, like a very broad Disney movie. I thought it could be indie and cool, especially with the tone we were going for, but no one agreed with me.

Most people seem to like the title CALVIN MARSHALL. Names as titles sometimes work well (JERRY MAGUIRE, BILLY ELIOT) so for now that's the title we're going with.

Broken Sky's second film (now in development) was originally called RODEO GIRL. Here's the imdb logline.

"After a brutal knife attack leaves a beautiful small-town rodeo star's face scarred for life, she finds herself in the middle of three violent and surreal tales that culminate one summer night in Southern California."

We've been brainstorming new titles because there's another movie out there called RODEO GIRL that will probably get made.

We're now using the working title RODEO BLOOD, which seems to capture the spirit of the movie better. RODEO GIRL could be a MOW on Lifetime. RODEO BLOOD seems more like the surreal, comic thriller that it is.

Some people say RODEO BLOOD sounds like a horror film but I'm not convinced it's an issue. THERE WILL BE BLOOD feels more like a horror film and it's not.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Pre-Pre-Production

Exactly one year ago, official pre-production began on CALVIN MARSHALL in Ashland, Oregon.

The two months leading up to it was a period of time we like to refer to at Broken Sky as pre-pre production. This is a very important time where our producing team goes on location and wears many different hats, preparing not only for production but for pre-production.

You can never be over-prepared to make a movie. Thousands of decisions need to made in short order and it's in your best interest to begin making them with your team as soon as possible. All of them will directly and indirectly effect the movie. The ripple effect of pre-production decision making is very unforgiving -- especially on a low budget film.

For example -- shooting at that amazing bar 20 miles away will not only effect transportation but it will totally disrupt the shooting schedule. Not to mention, the true cost of shooting at your favorite bar isn't just the $ it costs to shut it down for a night -- it's also the significant cost of adding an extra shooting day to your already budgeted 25 day shoot.

Suddenly, converting the production office into a bar doesn't seem like such a bad idea. And, it's best to know this up front so you don't have to spring the construction news on your art department in the middle of pre-production when they're already overworked and understaffed.

The truth is that scenarios like this are going to happen anyway. The goal is to limit them as much as possible in advance. That way, pre-production will go smooth, you'll earn the respect and trust of your crew and you'll improve your chances of staying on budget and making a good movie.

Another piece of advice for directors and producers: work through a schedule and budget on your own. Know the details and know them well. The schedule and budget will ultimately be perfected by your line producer and 1st AD but it's crucial you can have a conversation with them about each detail and ensure your priorities are in line so you're working with the right schedule and budget early on in pre-production.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Objectivity

How many times have you watched your favorite film?

I've seen The Graduate about 20 times. Three Colours Red, maybe 25 times. I doubt I've had more than 25 viewings of any one film. And keep in mind, those screenings are spread out -- weeks, months, years fall between them.

Over the last 10 months I've watched CALVIN MARSHALL hundreds of times. Maybe even a thousand.

Post-production is grueling. While I'm thrilled to be the editor, I understand now why directors generally don't cut their own films. Its because they need to do everything in their power to preserve objectivity. Another person shouldering the grind of the edit goes a long way towards doing that.

The long trek through the dark tunnel of post-production is taxing. If you have someone driving the bus who works in that tunnel for a living -- you'll have a much better chance of making it to the other side in good shape.

Post production is not a science. It's a collaboration of a few people binding together to somehow extract the best version of the movie from the movie.

Right now we have a great group assembled in the edit room and we see light at the end of the tunnel. And I'm trying to remain objective as we climb towards it.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Eternal Sunshine

I know I'm not alone in saying this is a masterpiece and a gift. It's not just one of the best films in the last twenty years, it's one of the best ever made.

Gondry, Kaufman, Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet -- all at their very best. Supporting cast is spot on with great roles for Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst and Tom Wilkenson. The tone is razor sharp, perfectly walking that tightrope between drama and comedy, never veering too far in either direction. Jon Brion's score is pure bliss.

The in-camera visual effect work probably seemed risky at the time. I'm guessing the dailies made more than one producer nervous. But the raw feeling to the effects is pure genius and meshes seamlessly with the narrative. This -- along with the natural light and handheld camera work ground us in reality so we buy into the outrageousness of what Lacuna Corporation is offering.

Lacuna actually offers people a pretty nice deal. There's more than one person I'd like to erase from my mind. But seeing Joel Barish's sweet and volatile history with Clementine literally crumble around him is almost unbearable to watch.

When Joel and Clementine shamefully listen to the recording of him berating her, it's hard to recall anything more profound in movies.

How could he have said those things and meant them? And will history now repeat itself?

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Dream

It's my hope that this new blog inspires me like teaching once did.

What I miss most about teaching film was that it reconnected me to my dream of making movies. Working with film students each week reminded me that the dream was exhilarating and fun. I saw it in their faces.

I once attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena as an eager twenty-three year-old, devouring film history and studying everything there was to know about making movies.

The thought of NOT making it as a filmmaker never entered my mind. It was only a matter of time before I was directing.

The next 14 years trying to "make it" were more than frustrating. They were demoralizing. From age 24 to 38, I fell on my face countless times. The skill I mastered most during that time was putting positive spin on my "career" conversations with family over the holidays.

Meanwhile the rejections piled up and the idea of directing a real movie was beginning to feel impossible.

In my early-thirties I began teaching courses on screenwriting, directing and cinematography at Santa Barbara City College. The rest of my work week was consumed by the painful DIY struggle to get the feature film CALVIN MARSHALL made.

It was my one last push before giving up and doing something else with my life.

I'm pleased to say that CALVIN MARSHALL is now in post-production. And, our great team at Broken Sky Films is already working hard at getting a second feature film made.

I will try to keep the cynicism here to a minimum.

My only goals are to stay connected to that wellspring of passion that many of us have for movies and to perhaps help someone else out there along the way.