The Standby Painter - On the Set of Twilight:
November 30, 2008
The Long, Strange Road to Working with a Bunch of Vampires on the Set of Twilight
Part II: Of Talking Dolphins and Giant Inflatable Apes: Further Travels Toward Twilight
Long ago, when I was deep into a graduate degree in experimental psychology at the University of California at San Diego, I discovered …
Tags: , Movie, Movie Bloggers, Filmmaking, Movie
The Casting Director - Thanksgiving Casting
November 29, 2008
It’s Tuesday, two days before Thanksgiving. I get the following text at 7pm from my casting assistant in New York, “Urgent! Casting Emergency! Call me!”
Let’s see, what am I doing at 7pm in L.A the day before the day before Thanksgiving? Oh that’s right, my entire family is staying at my home and I have to cook dinner for them, clean the house, go shopping for food, make sure everyone is happy, what possible “casting emergency” could be happening on a film that is supposed to take a break from Thursday to Monday, after all, there is only one more day of shooting before the break and everyone I cast has been confirmed.
The problem: On Wednesday, the shoot requires several old ladies to play ghosts and since they are non-speaking, the roles were going to be cast by the background/extras casting director. Well finding 75-90 year old ladies to work on a night shoot the night before Thanksgiving proved harder then thought. Why did they schedule that scene that evening in the first place? Anyway, they were short a couple of actresses and I was asked to see if any of the old ladies I auditioned for speaking roles that the director liked would come in and do non-speaking roles (but be paid at SAG day rate not at the extra rate) and come in on short notice.
I said I would try, and called my assistant in New York who was totally on top of the situation and to our surprise, many of the actors we phoned on Wednesday morning were more then happy to show up to set that evening and work to 3AM.
So, while it may have felt like a casting emergency, the real emergency in my life at the time was making sure my niece had enough diapers for the week.
Tags: Movie, Director, , Film Industry, Hollywood
The Screenwriting Professor - research ranch
November 28, 2008
So happy to hear that the map exercise was helpful to some. Here’s another sparky spark - get things going - or breathe new life trick. Pick up something you ALMOST finished or start something totally new. Write down subjects you want to know more about - either from your head or from the script that never got closure. You’ll be amazed by how it is EXACTLY the missing link in your script - the point that will lead you to the core of your story. Try it - report back your findings. Make a turkey sandwich and do it now. happy thanksgiving.xtheprof p.s. in your research, pay attention to the full names of things and how finding exact language engages your imagination . Let one site lead you to the next and exhaust all leads. The story will find you - just keep moving.
Tags: Movie Blog, Movie Bloggers, Hollywood, Oscars, Movie
The Showrunner - Showrunners Vs. Creators (Part Two)
November 27, 2008
Showrunners vs. Creators (Part Two)
I have been hired to run six different TV shows created by six different writers of varying degrees of talent and temperament. I don’t keep in touch with any of them. That should tell you something right there. Even Darren Starr, whom I like quite …
Tags: Movie Bloggers, Hollywood, Filmmaker, Movie Blog, Movie Theatre
The Storyboard Artist - RE-SHOOT STORYBOARDS AND VIDEOS
November 25, 2008
The last two weeks I’ve had the pleasure of working with the folks at New Regency films and Fox on the movie, “THEY CAME FROM UPSTAIRS”. The movie was shot a year or so ago , as this is the re-shoot I mentioned in my last blog. Thanks again to my colleague Darrin Denlinger (who can be seen in a meeting with Ed Norton and Gale Ann Hurd the Special Features of THE INCREDIBLE HULK dvd) for hooking me up.
The trailer for THEY CAME can actually be seen on YOU TUBE. You’ll get a good sense of the film. I’ve had a good time learning to draw cute aliens. I can’t discuss my work, as this is an on going project, but I look forward to seeing it in the theaters. Props, to director John Schultz, who is a good guy.
In a correction to something from my last blog, the ABC promo I worked on with my friend, director Maurice Marable was not for “FRINGE”, but for a new Tim Roth show called “LIE TO ME”. Maurice mentioned FRINGE in our conversation and … there you go. Mo and I will be working together soon on a video. Yes!!!! I’ve lost out on a few feature gigs recently so I am quite happy when anything tangible pops up.
What has me (and EVERYONE) worried is the possible SAG strike. Like we need this after the WGA. For those of you with a spouse or especially children to take care of, you know this won’t be pretty.
Nothing against what people have to fight for but the industry hasn’t even recovered from it’s last strike. I sure haven’t.
Lastly, special regards to Marjo and Casey Bernay. We Union (formerly Local 790) storyboard artists miss you both and wish you greater success in the future.
Tags: Filmmaking, Movie Blog, Movie, Movie Theatre, Filmmaker
The Indie Film Producer - Anthony Bregman Answers My Stupid Questions
November 25, 2008
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone, make that anyone, in the film industry who would say a bad word about producer Anthony Bregman. Not only is he great at his job, but he’s also a gem of a guy. (How many producers can you say that about?) Eternal Sunshine of …
Tags: Actor, Film, Movie Blog, Movie, Filmmaking
The Script Reader - Thanksgiving (if you live in a movie script)
November 25, 2008
1.) Playing touch football more happily and with more shenanigans and stripey sweaters and scarves than you’ve ever played touch football before.
2.) Sleeping with the mysterious, movie-star attractive, single, same-age-as-you guest your brother/sister brought home, whom they’ve never mentioned to you even though they’re best friends.
3.) Announcing your engagement/pregnancy/terminal illnes …
Tags: Actor, Movie, Filmmaking, Movie, Television
The Production Assistant - Ace Ventura Jr. Just Pearl Harbored My Soul
November 24, 2008
Another dark day in America’s history. I wish I had seen this one coming so I could run for the hills.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN5GfY-UEAk
I feel numb. Really? REALLY?! Was this necessary?! Look. I get remakes and I get shitty sequels… but to make something that actively looks like it’s trying to be garbage… Jesus. I’ve known this was coming for a while, but I didn’t think it would be this bad. Are you kidding me?! Why does the kid have to be fat?! That wig is atrocious!!
You’re not even giving him new catchphrases, you’re rehashing old ones!! You know how annoying it was 2 years ago when everyone was quoting Dave Chapelle’s Lil’ Jon impression, “What? Yeahhhh! Ok!”. This is someone making a tubby Andy Melonakis rip-off do that for 2 hours straight and then TRYING TO SELL IT TO YOU!! Because even Andy Milonakis would turn this down, THAT’S how horrible this movie looks.
AHHHHH!! I want to commit VIOLENCE after watching that trailer!! To quote Patton Oswalt, “I wish my fingers emitted mace!”. Because seriously. Look in that kid’s eyes and tell me he isn’t going to use his Pet Detective blood money on coke and whores. My words are failing me… I’ve reverted to guttural animal noises. Maybe with any luck I can get a job as a Panda on the eminent sequel to this crap-fest and go on a killing spree before they can make Ace Ventura Jr: The Washed Up, Bitter Pet Detective with ED.
I have a strong suspicion I might get a medal of valor.
Tags: Actor, Movie Bloggers, Movie, Movie, Director
The Genre Director - Till next time…
November 24, 2008
I am going to be off the air - in any substantive form at least - for a few weeks, because I start shooting a sequel to PORKY’S on December 2nd. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it… You might get a couple of breathless dispatches from the front, but that’s it for the time being.
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I will leave you with an example of one of the small joys of this business. When you direct a movie, you share for a short period a special experience with cast, crew and producers. You are all members of a unique club, that admits no new members, with memories of both calamity and triumph that are privy only to yourselves. Then you go your separate ways to other movies, other exclusive clubs with different triumphs and calamities. Then umpteen years later you meet again, clink glasses, and reminisce about your mutual adventure, often with quite different recall of the same events.
So it was after the AFI Film Festival screening of NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD, which I guarantee you will enjoy. I say that not because the film is kind to me, but because Mark Hartley, whose labor of love this film was, did such a fine job creating the energy and the spirit of those times at the start of the 70’s Australian film industry renaissance. Mark distilled a mountain of research, then laid out his thesis in cinematic syntax and grammar that today’s movie audience understands 6000 cuts in 100 minutes. Now that’s a Rockumentary!
Among the many films NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD (TRAILER) features is my notorious, high camp splatter movie TURKEY SHOOT, critically reviled when it came out, but now a cult favorite. The producer, the director, and the star all saw the movie differently. So, at the After Party to the NQH screening, those three people came together who had not collectively been in each other’s company for 27 years, who had no idea all those years ago that the film’s popularity would increase rather than diminish with time. War stories were exchanged; suffice to say, we had a great time catching up.
On the left is Mark Hartley, writer/director of NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD, without which this get together would never have happened. Then Steve Railsback, star of TURKEY SHOOT, and a fine actor. (Also the first actor to play Charles Manson, in an eternally frightening performance.)
On the right is Anthony I. Ginnane, Australia’s most prolific producer, including two of mine. Tony arranged financing for over 40 movies in the heyday of Australian production, providing training and experience for countless actors and technical craftsmen, thereby helping to build a permanent infrastructure for the industry. Then there’s me in the middle, with a T shirt that almost seems to glow.
In 1981, as we worked our asses off in the jungle making this crazy movie about a corporate fascist government’s ultimate solution to political dissent, we would have had trouble believing that an African American could possibly be elected President of the United States in a landslide only 27 years later.
Ain’t life grand!
Tags: , Movie, Hollywood, Filmmaker, Television
The British Film Director - What the Hell is wrong with UK films????
November 24, 2008
I think the main problem is that we speak English. As far as I am aware the likes of Australia and New Zealand have the same problem - our product tends not to have a real unique separator from American product that controls much of the distribution. In France there …
Tags: Movie, Movie, , Movie Blog, Actor
