The British Film Director - The Film Directors Treatment.

Over the last few years it has become more and more common place to have a fully fleshed out directors treatment when pitching to direct movies. This will include lots of photographs and a breakdown of how you see the locations looking, framing, lenses, colors, set …

Tags: Movie, Actor, Director, Film, Movie Bloggers

The Screenwriter - Back soon

Just a quick blog to say Happy Labor Day and that I should be back shortly. Between the holiday commitments and some work I have to get done asap – I’m a bit slammed to come with any sort of proper blog.

Also, I wanna keep throwing this out every now and then: if any one has any questions or topics they’d like me to talk about – please let me know.

See you all soon.

Tags: Movie Theatre, Movie, Movie Bloggers, Film Blog, Hollywood

The Web Producer - web = heart and soul

I’ve spent the better half of this week developing a new web series for GoodGame.  I had promised to shoot the pilot in April, but due to the sensitive nature of some of the props, it never materialized. Fates conspired over the summer and once again I’m looking …

Tags: Film, Movie Bloggers, Television, Filmmaking,

The Digital Expert - The Digital Survival Guide: Part 1 of 2

In this blog, we’ll take a look at some of the newest digital motion picture cameras, learn where they’re being used and what’s involved in taking full advantage of their capabilities at a wide variety of budget levels.

For more than 100 years, celluloid has dominated movie making as the …

Tags: Filmmaker, Movie, , Movie, Movie Theatre

The Editor - Labor Day… and Unions

It’s Labor Day in the United States this coming Monday and it seemed a natural time for me to talk about what film unions have done in the scope of my career.

I remember, one day when I was working as an assistant editor on a documentary that was struggling to meet a crazy and imminent deadline, its producer pulled me aside and complained that the overtime pay that I was going to make working that weekend was going to make it difficult for his company to turn a profit on the program. Now, let’s leave aside the reality that he was probably making about 25 times what I was making on the film. And let’s also leave aside the reality that I didn’t create his schedule or his lateness with “locking the picture” (this means finishing the editing so you can hand it over to the sound editing team and the composer).

Nope, what galled me about his attitude was that he felt that he had every right to suck away my weekend so that he could finish his film. Without so much as a thank you.

Late nights, weekend work, and crazed deadlines are (unfortunately) a reality in the film business. There never seems to be enough money to do a film right until there’s not enough time to do it at all. And then all of the stops are pulled out — mixing stages are kept open on Saturday and Sundays, extra visual effects houses are added, and more studio executives tend to show up at all hours to “help solve problems.”

So I’m not complaining about the hours and the overtime. That’s just a part of life.

What I do object to — then and now — is that this producer felt that we should be invested enough in that film to add extra work into the project without any extra compensation whatsoever.  It wasn’t in my original contract discussions with him and it had never occurred to him to mention it until the day before that weekend.

On that film, however, we had a union contract and I was able to tell him — “If you want to take away my weekend, you can. But that’s why the extra overtime pay is called ‘penalty time.’”  On a film without a contract, I wouldn’t have been so lucky.

I’m not blind.  I know that large unions can become as oppressive as large companies. I also have heard the cliché of on-set regulations so restrictive that tables couldn’t be moved because the crew was waiting for a grip to come back from the bathroom.  I’ve heard about those situations, but I’ve never actually been on one like that. But I’m sure they exist — on very rare occasions.

But I know that the constant struggle between those who get paid and those who pay us is often won by the people with the most clout, and that is rarely the workers. Most of us are normal people who are trying to make enough money to support families and take them out to eat once every few weeks or so. (There’s actually a great blog, written by a woman who writes under the pen name Peggy Archer, called Totally Unauthorized, which documents her life  as a set lighting technician, and it’s a great read for everyone who thinks that filmmaking is all about glamour and lush parties.) If we often feel that we could use some help, every now and then, at getting a tiny bit more leverage in that struggle, who can blame us?

So, I’ve always been a fan of unions, even when they get too excessive. There are people on both coasts who feel, for instance, that the Screen Actors Guild has gotten entirely too caught up in its own politics to see the overall industry picture. They feel that SAG would rather bring everyone else in the industry down with them, in order to make their own points. Frankly, I am not one of those people, but that’s not really my point at all. My point is that the excesses of a union are usually a drop in the proverbial bucket compared to the excesses of the studios.

So, on this Labor Day weekend, when the Democratic nominee for President makes a speech about working people’s struggles, it’s helpful to remember that film unions are neither pro-film or anti-film. They were formed originally to be pro-people-who-work-in-film.

For all of you who want to be good editors and good filmmakers, we want to ally ourselves with good producers, good studio people and good and healthy business practices. And, sometimes, a little help from our unions is vastly appreciated.

Next week, I’ll get off of my soapbox and back to things that are more about editing as an art.

===>    ADDED NOTE <===

For those of you who don’t live in the Labor Day oriented United States, but live in Europe instead, here’s a tip for you.

What do you get when you combine the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro Users Group (the largest group of FCP users in the world, with really great monthly meetings in Los Angeles, and members around the world) with IBC, the media technology industry’s biggest international marketplace in the Netherlands? You get the First Annual IBC FCPUG SuperMeet.  What is a supermeet? Simply, it is a gathering of FCP fans, who listen to a group of fantastic speakers, and compete for raffle prizes.

There is an annual supermeet at NAB in Las Vegas every year. But this year, organizer Michael Horton is taking the Supermeet on the road to Amsterdam.  On September 14 the inaugral edition of the IBC FCPUG Supermeet will debut. If you’re anywhere in the neighborhood you should, without a doubt, drop in and listen to some great speakers (such as Paul Saccone from Apple and TRAITOR editor Billy Fox) and put your tickets in for a raffle to win a bunch of prizes.

I’ve got no dog in the race. I’m not speaking there and I won’t make a penny from your attendance. But Michael Horton is a great and giving guy and, for anyone interested in editing, this is a great place to spend some time, meet some new friends, and learn learn learn.

Go to the LAFCPUG IBC Supermeet page for more details.

Tags: Film Industry, Television, Filmmaker, Film, Film Blog

The Literary Manager - Back to “Work”

And so we find ourselves in the doldrums of August. People say that this summer is slower than most due to the SAG demi-strike or whatever-the-hell this whole SAG thing is that’s hanging over our heads. (I’m still too strike-weary to inquire further. Besides, actors are not my concern. We …

Tags: Filmmaking, Director, Actor, Movie Theatre, Hollywood

The Casting Director - Actually, it’s “Casting Director”

 

This is from Nikki Finke’s blog, she was discussing the Screen Actors Guild’s warning to “agents, managers, casting agents, and producers regarding restrictions on campaign contributions.” Apparently there must be some concern by SAG that new candidates are getting outside help, which is, according to them, illegal.

Any-who, not really pertaining to the actual blog, my colleague Laura Adler, who does terrific work, made a comment pertaining to the use of the term “casting agent.” She wrote: “Casting agents??? Seriously? We at the CSA have come to expect this gross misuse of terminology from the media, but coming from those within our industry? It is beyond aggravating!

Casting DIRECTORS. We are called Casting DIRECTORS. There is no such thing as a casting agent. There are agents who rep the talent and there are casting DIRECTORS who cast their clients. Period. Why is this so difficult for people to comprehend?

Please people. I don’t need the aggravation. Please try and call us by our correct title, ok? Thanks.”

 

There was a response to Laura’s entry from an anonymous actor (I kept it in it’s original form):

“laura, you need to get a grip. even the term “casting director” is a misnomer. In all fairness, the only thing “casting directors” direct is their assistants to get them another cup of coffee. It’s well known that casting “directors” don’t have the power to say “yes” to anything. Only the power to say “no.” It’s the director and producers who cast the film after the “casting director” has set up the appointments. You may be aggravated about “casting directors” being called “casting agents”, but most actors have been aggravated about “casting directors” being called “casting directors” for YEARS. but they set up appointments really, really well.”

Ok, well, without bitching (I promised not to bitch to a friend of mine, in my next blog) I will now refer you to an interview I gave to the “movie whore” (love the name) in his blog about what I do and what casting is all about: (http://themoviewhore.com/2008/07/matt-lessall-the-casting-director-is-in/)

I hope that the above link to my interview helps you understand that we are more then just appointment makers. Believe me if that was all I did (which, truthfully, it is a big part of the job) producers would not need our services. When I was recently hired to do “Labor Pains,” the producer had never used a casting director before. Many of the films she worked on had smaller casts. I know, at the end of the day, she was satisfied (she told me so), but also she felt that having a teammate in the trenches of casting, freed her to concentrate on other departments needs. Casting Directors have to be thought of as department heads on a film. Just like you have the 1^st AD, Locations, Wardrobe, Set Design, etc… All of these jobs are vitally important to a successful film. On “Rocket Science,” I was in the trenches, in Baltimore, in the production office and I saw clearly for the first time, how important it was to integrate and communicate between department heads. Casting informs many if not most of the decisions coming down the pipeline; it informs budget, wardrobe sizes, locations, travel time, craft services, drivers, etc… If there is no cast there is no film…period.

So to the actor (I am assuming that the person responding to Laura was an actor) who wrote that we just set up appointments, I hope you read this and think differently of what we do.

First and foremost, Casting Directors love actors. We are their advocates. But in the real world, we work for “the man” our boss; the producer, and we have to bridge the gap between the producers needs, the directors wishes and the actors’ talents. I would call that, in itself, a huge job, one that is learned and nuanced over several year of internships, becoming an assistant, an associate and finally, A CASTING DIRECTOR.

 

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Tags: Television, Filmmaker, , Movie Bloggers, Filmmaking

The Production Designer - Am I really here now? Can anybody hear me?

…I don’t know; I feel like I’m on a space station somewhere east of Mars. I spoke at length, for example, on no less than two occasions to no less than two humanoids at my internet bank, by phone, explaining to them my predicament re. the loss of my debit card. No problem, the first one told me, the card would be replaced after I furnished them with my PIN number which I duly did, which they in turn accepted, no problem. Hmmm, two weeks later I thought I’d better give them a call and see where in the universe the new card might be….No problem, I was told by humanoid number two, it was probably about to arrive as it had been sent out 11 th August so expect it in a couple of days. Four days later..nothing. So, phone them up and guess what…no record of my EVER phoning them about a lost card…I’m sorry? Nope you’ve never reported this lost. OK so what about the 11th August dispatch, me asks? Oh, yes that was 11th August 2005, Sir. OK, says me (by now seriously worried about all that extra-curricular art school stuff I smoked as a lad), how do you explain the ‘four days away’ remark…..? Sorry, but you didn’t speak to anyone…..meltdown……and things have just got worse and worse.Well that was the UK circa two weeks ago and I still have no bank card as I am still not sure if I actually exist. Now, here in LA, I have a whole different set of problems as all my bank accounts from here to Shanghai haemorrage like a badly written script. The move here has just tripled in cost and a sudden expedition to the local emergency room hasn’t exactly helped matters either. Horrendous abdominal pain found me dialling 911 and being blue-lit to a $15,000 hospital bill, thankfully covered by holiday insurance, yet simultaneously providing a stiff kick to the bollocks as a reminder that Health insurance doesn’t come cheap here in California.Add to that a looming house rental in Manhattan Beach (I know, I know there ARE cheaper places to live, but the schools are great and so is the beach….but the restaurants are crap! What’s that about?) plus a new frigging car and the unexpected arrival of all our gear from UK…….whoever expected it to be ON TIME for fucks sake?? Extra storage costs, men to help move it all, trucks and trucks and it seems, more trucks all adds up to more of the same we left behind. Anyway…..life goes on and the kids start there new school tomorrow, I have a couple of preliminary meetings with production companies (commercial) this week but then the missus is off to London for aforementioned work and I take up the role of Dad-at-home, which I am sort of looking forward to but really hoping I don’t have to turn any work away….I hate when that happens. Actually, the worst feeling is the one I have for my wife who is going to be without US for the best part of a month. I know what that feels like but she is a MUM. All this is, I hope, excuse enough for my short or missed (last week) blogs. Personal shit has just swamped everything else for now. Hopefully, I’ll have some FILM related stuff to talk to you about soon. I hope I haven’t bored you too much with my missives so far….who are YOU anyway?? 

Tags: , Actor, Television, Movie, Oscars

The Personal Assistant - How to Overdose on Puff Paints…

It’s easy, really. Just make 500 invitations for your boss’s “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow” party (celebrating her new hair extensions; yes, ONLY in L.A.!)… BY HAND. You, too, will overdose on bright pink and orange neon puff paint fumes. I know you’re laughing at the thought of such a thing, but it’s true…

So I just finished the invites… and I can barely type this, my hand hurts so much from those blasted puff paints. At times like this, I wish I were ambidextrous.

And you know how I thought each bottle would cover about five invites? I was wrong. Three invites. Tops. Plus, then there was the drying time… And the rushing-back-to-the-store-for-more time. (The first Michael’s ran out of neon, so I had to go to a couple other ones all over town. Fun. But at least I get reimbursed for mileage.)

So did the senior citizens help me out…? You bet they did. They loved it! They said it was a nice change from making “50th Wedding Anniversary” and “75th Birthday” invitations for their friends. And they loooooooooved Chloe’s hair (believe it or not!) and asked me 101 questions about hair extensions. Most of them thought it was pretty frivolous (as did I), yet they were also intrigued: “Why would someone want to extend their hair?” Good question… “That’s an… interesting hair color choice.” That’s one word for it. “Is that hair real?!” Supposedly… They also loved all the neon puff paint colors; I love senior citizens.

For the next several hours, about fifteen women (and one man) and I puff painted our little hearts out. I insisted on paying them with petty cash (I’d make up an excuse to Chloe later; perhaps I’d have to “lose” a grocery receipt, or something), but they insisted on not taking a dime (something sooooo, sooooo rare in L.A.). Instead, I promised to come help them with some crochet and knitting projects sometime soon (though I’ve never picked up a needle). (I also promised myself to drop off some cookies or brownies for them even sooner.)

I got home around midnight and safely stowed the invites away until morning. I went to bed… only to be awakened around 1 a.m. by my cell. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” started playing, full-blast; my ringtone for Chloe. Uh. I pick up…

“Avery?!” she shouted. Fuck, dudette, settle down. “I didn’t get it!” Get what…?! Shit, I couldn’t remember what she was referencing. Oh… the audition. She started crying. I told her I’d be right over…

I arrived at Chloe’s, proudly holding the 500 invites in my hand as I walked up to the house. She opened the door before I could even ring the bell… only, I didn’t recognize her under her tear-stained face and messy hair… Wait… her hair…! “They wanted someone with shorter hair!” she wailed. I then looked at her. Her hair was a mess – and SHORT. Her hair extensions were now IN HER HAND. WTF?! “Cancel the party,” she said, covering her face with her hands and motioning for me to come in. I stared at the invitations in my hand forlornly as I followed her inside.

Did I ever tell you how much I hate this job?

Tags: Director, Film, Movie, Filmmaker, Filmmaking

The Film Journalist - I Got an Opinion for Ya

After many interviews, I’ve noticed an interesting cultural divide. In general (this is the signal that you are about to be fed a whopping generalization - be forewarned), American actors are very hesitant to give opinions. Whereas British actors offer opinions without even needing a question.  

Why is this? 

Both camps are very cautious – and fairly so – about giving any details about their personal lives. If you’ve read any of my previous blog entries, you already know my thoughts on that subject. But when it comes to opinions about how your film will be received, the struggle to get it made, the message, maybe even some kind of analysis of its content…there is a big divide.  

As a writer and admitted cultural studies junkie, I find this fascinating. And I’d be very curious to know what others think. 

British actors get very excited when given the opportunity to give their opinion on politics, class, the pain in the ass elements that made it tough to get their picture financed, the way the director pushed them around to get what s/he wanted. They seem to revel in the chance to have a real conversation.  

American actors are very cautious. And are particularly careful about what they say about anyone involved in the film. It’s like a secret code. Say nothing bad. If you say anything bad, your career will be over and everyone will blacklist you. So be very, very careful where you step little one. 

It’s weird. And makes for some tough (and boring) interviews. But I’m guessing that there must be an unspoken code. Or that managers and agents coach their clients never to say bad things. Until you’re such a big star that everyone is afraid of you and you can say whatever you please.  

Such a shame. The best interviews happen when you talk to an actor who is impassioned about her work and its place in the world. It sucks that people have to tiptoe around what they say for fear of being lambasted or blacklisted. But then, that problem isn’t just limited to interviews.

Tags: Television, Oscars, Film, Movie, Movie Theatre

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