The Genre Director - Knights of Horror: discoveries on the Film Fest circuit…
April 29, 2010
Last week, I was once again a long distance judge, this time at A NIGHT OF HORROR INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. It wasn’t hard to pick the winners. Best Film was THE REVENANT. Best Australian Film was THE HORSEMAN. Both movies were the feature debut of extraordinarily talented new directors, who, in my opinion, have big careers ahead of them.
First is D. KERRY PRIOR, who wrote, produced, directed and edited THE REVENANT, a smart zombie buddy comedy. Here’s the trailer:
Kerry Prior has extensive special effects credits, having worked on THE LOST BOYS, THE ABYSS, THE BLOB, BUBBA HO-TEP, and two of the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET series, amongst other titles. So you would expect the prosthetic work to be solid, which it was, considering the low budget. But what you might not expect is the attention that Prior paid to character and dialogue, his management of the droll tone of the piece, or his direction of the lead cast, who all have great chemistry together.
While extracting plenty of laughs from the standard problems of a zombie dealing with his condition, and his best buddy dealing with him, Prior also throws in fresh, wry asides, like the African American lady, confronted with the Undead, offering Scientology as the solution.
I love the off the wall ending, a gear change into political satire, and a springboard for sequels. Judging by the reaction of festival audiences so far, THE REVENANT is destined for a long shelf life, and could even become another RE-ANIMATOR.
THE HORSEMAN targets the other end of the horror spectrum, reality based horror. The extreme brutality of the violence gives this examination of revenge a visceral context. Here’s the trailer:
Like Kerry Prior, STEVEN KASTRISSIOS is an auteur, serving as writer, producer, director, editor, and even digital colorist of his film. He has been passionate about cinema from the age of 14, and it shows. He wrote a screenplay, made a 30 minute short from it, then used the awards it won to raise funds for the full length feature. But you can gauge how slender his budget was from the fact that his producing partner Rebecca Dakin did the catering. That’s dedication. But the short dollars don’t show. What shows is insight into the complex issues of revenge, and a skill at manipulating the audience’s loyalties, aided by a masterful performance from Peter Marshall. Kastrissios is undoubtedly the next break-out director from Australia.
If the fights had been either sloppy or stagey, the picture would not have the grip that it does. So it was great to see Chris Anderson, with whom I have worked several times, be credited with the stunt choreography.
I have never seen a tire iron better used. Good on ya, mate, fantastic work.
Fantastic work too from both these new film makers. Hollywood will come a calling. Hopefully Prior and Kastrissios will be allowed to maintain their innovative ideas, and particular sensibilities, on bigger budget films.
Tags: Film Industry, Movie Bloggers, Actor, Television, Movie
The Casting Director - Hot town, summer in the city…
April 27, 2010
A Question from a student: Matthew Lessall-Although the internet was useless in finding the answers to my questions, it did help lead me to your contact information. It’s good to know that sometimes we do have to contact people when we need advice! In saying that, I was wondering if you’d be able to offer me some professional incite on summer acting training programs. Summary: my name is Hailey. I go to college in Kansas City, I’m an actor, blah blah blah. This summer, I’ve decided to broaden my horizons and find an acting intensive that would not only help me grow as an actor, but also would look good on the resume. The two summer programs I’ve been accepted to are South Coast Repertory’s Professional Actor Training program (in Costa Mesa, CA) and American Conservatory Theater’s Summer Training Congress (in San Fran, CA). I’ve weighed the pros and cons… but if I’m going to drop $3,000+ on a summer program, I want to make sure I’m picking the one that is most beneficial in the long term! Do you have any professional incite on either of these programs? What are their reputations like within the industry? What would look better on the ole’ resume? I know you are super busy, and contacting a college student in the Midwest is probably the smallest of your priorities; but if you have the time, I would really appreciate your professional opinion! Look forward to hearing from you.Thank you!Hailey JonesHi Hailey,Thank you for your email. I am sure that there are pros and cons to both programs. If you are still going to be an undergraduate, it is clear from the two websites that A.C.T will give you credit towards your course work in college and that is not clear with South Coast Rep. So if this is important to you, I would get clarity on that issue. Also, it looks like South Coast Rep has a housing option whereas A.C.T can only advise you on places to rent/share/live, etc… So if this is important to you then again, it may be obvious which program you should attend. As neither of the websites is specific about the instructors, I think it may behoove you to call each program and ask them who the instructors are going to be as this may also help you decide which course to go on. In general, both programs seem like they work in similar ways but that South Coast pays additional attention to brining in professionals like Casting Directors to discuss the business of acting. I think that it is great that you are going to get some formal training and I am sure that you will learn a lot over 8 weeks. However, this is just a start, and as a “resume booster”, it is great to see that you did something to learn more about your craft, but ultimately you must expect that what I and many casting directors look for is consistency in your training. I hope this helps.Best, Matthew
Tags: Film Blog, Movie, Film Industry, Actor, Film
The Background Actor - We’re Closed and I’m Open
April 25, 2010
It is an extraordinary experience to work with an experienced crew, the best gear and a sensitive and talented director.
I had that experience very late on a Sunday night in December 2009 while working on a short scene for the independent drama, We’re Closed, in a Magnolia Boulevard convenience store …
Tags: Movie Bloggers, Film, , Movie, Filmmaker
The Manager - What My First Visit to Coachella Taught Me
April 22, 2010
Being a Californian native, I can’t believe it has taken me this long to go to Coachella, the annual music festival in Indio, CA. But finally I did. And I learned several lessons that definitely apply to the film and television industry.
Sly Stone or Show Up And Do Your Job
In case you didn’t hear about Sly I’ll get you up to speed. This was his first gig in about 10 years. When we got there, about five minutes into the appointed hour at 7p.m. someone came to the microphone and said this event was postponed until a later time. When Sly finally showed up, at 11p.m., he was rambling, incoherent and stumbled around on stage and could barely sing. In short, he was a mess.
This is the first lesson in showbiz. You have to show up and be a professional. Do the work, do it well, and respect that you are getting paid to entertain people. Make them laugh, or cry, or sing or dance, but you always, always have to show up and act professional.
MGMT or Learn How to Hold Your Audience’s Attention
Now I like MGMT. The band has some great songs and is the perfect band for Coachella. When we got there the ground was pumped - they couldn’t wait to see them. But, man, were we all disappointed. In fact, I have never seen so many people stream out of an area so fast in my life.
One of the fundamental rules of showbiz is you have to learn how to hold your audience’s attention. If the audience is getting bored, change something around and get back the attention.
MGMT’s problem was that there was a lot of talking between songs and, for some reason, the band decided to play new material — which no one in the audience was interested in. Worst part is, after the first two songs of new material, the band knew people were leaving but continued to play the new material instead of switching to the band’s hit singles. In a crowd like Coachella, you have to play your hits and keep the crowds energy going!
Miike White or Sometimes Things Surprise You
Miike White was in my top three shows at Coachella and I wasn’t even expecting to like the band. I had heard one or two songs but had never seen the band in concert and, man, were they good. They had the crowd jumping and knew exactly how to hold the crowd’s attention.
It just goes to show you that you have to be open to new things because sometimes these new things surprise you by how good they are.
Tags: Television, Hollywood, Film Industry, Actor, Movie Blog
The Hollywood Career Coach - Memo to NAB Jobseekers - Micro-Niche Branding and Resumes
April 22, 2010
Hi Film Industry Bloggers Community:
Just got back from a Career Day Event with NAB in Vegas Last week. Here’s letter I wrote to the people I met with there.
There may be something in it for you guys too:
See ya
-db
Hi folks. Hope you all had a productive and informative time at NAB last week.
It was great to meet and speak to so many of you. It was exciting to see and hear your new ideas, enthusiasm and willingness to try new approaches to your career.
It’s obviously been a strange time, both in the entertainment industry and the world, but I do believe there are new and lucrative work opportunities for us all.
The challenge is often about getting a clearer picture of who we are, what we’re good at, what we care about and how it relates to the current market opportunities.
GRADUATES AND MENTORS
I met some of you who are still in college and some of you who’ve been in the workforce for decades.
The broadcast and entertainment industry is different now than it was 2 years ago, let alone 20 years ago.
Your ability to thrive is in direct proportion to your ability and willingness to re-invent yourself in a way that is true to yourself and relevant to the professional world as it exists today.
It used to seem like the best way to stay gainfully employed in the old days was to find a way to mold ourselves to the shape of an existing job. Now the challenge is to figure out what we’re best at, what we care about and what organization needs our help to get where they are going.
MICRO-NICHE: WHAT ARE YOU REALLY BEST AT?
Things are changing and happening so fast that many employers know they need help but don’t know what how to ask for or what who they need.
Companies have been shedding jobs that fit their old view of their process and business model but they’re looking for help in reworking their business model for the future.
Therefore, if you can explain on your resume objective and cover letter what your skills and interests are and how it relates to the current business environment then they will be more likely to bring you in for an interview or meeting.
FRESH OUT OF SCHOOL?
If you’re fresh out of school and looking for a first professional job it’s important to show your special interests, as they relate to the job you want to do.
It’s not just that they make you stand out from the crowd of boring resumes it’s that it shows you’re a person who’s got an eye out on the world and paying attention and ready to be a contributor to the team as well as to the world.
GET SPECIFIC
A specialized resume will generally get you more interviews and more interest than a generic one. If you’re creative and want to be creative, highlight and put the focus on your creative skills.
Creatives understand creatives and generally want to have them around. So don’t hide your creative side.
If you’re an aspiring reporter (and I enjoyed meeting a bunch of you) it’s important to show what part of the world or community excites you and lights you up. Sure, your first job may not be in front of the camera, but people want to hire people who’re passionate about the material whether it’s weather, politics, cooking, technology or movies.
FOR THE SEASONED PRO’S
For those who’ve been working steadily for years and now find themselves entering a different job market the challenge is different, but the approach is similar.
The first step is to be clear and specific about what kind of job you want now and with what sort of company. Give potential job titles: this will help the HR/Recruiting person who might be reviewing resumes and also help your resume show up in the searches on Monster.com, LinkedIn, etc.
And be clear about what type of company you want to work for. You may need to do some research on this point but it’s well worth the time and can help you on your search in many ways.
Whether you realize it or not, now you’re somewhat of an expert in a few things.
In the big picture what are you best at and what do you love to do?
What new companies or industries may need people like you? These may not have existed a few years ago.
That’s ok. But that’s why they need you now.
A STRANGE COMBINATION
Now with so many markets, niches and outlets, it’s important to be a strange combination of extremely individual and extremely flexible.
In other words, narrow your view of what you’re good at and what sort of skills are you best at, and broaden your views of how and where you’ll apply it.
Good luck on your search and please let me know what’s working for you these days.
Tags: Movie Theatre, , Movie Bloggers, Film Industry, Movie
The Independent Filmmaker - The Florida Film Festival Kicks Ass!
April 19, 2010
I just returned to Los Angeles from the Florida Film Festival and I’ve come back its biggest fan. If you love independent film this is the place for you.I saw excellent documentaries (Exit Through the Gift Shop, The Lottery and Cleanflix) and wonderful shorts (Watermelon Man and On The Road to Tel Aviv). Unfortunately I missed the features because I didn’t stay long enough to enjoy everything the fest had to offer but I heard they were great.
This is a film festival run by film lovers and it can be felt everywhere. There’s great food, really fun parties and a very welcoming casual atmosphere. The audiences and other filmmakers were lovely to hang out with. The volunteers are the best! And the guests, speakers and judges are the real deal. I went to panel with Gena Rowlands and hung with Chris Gore, whose excellent books I’ve been using to navigate the festivals since before Withoutabox. So thank you Chris!
The only small downside is that some of the venues are a bit spread out (which cuts back severely on my drunken stumbling but maybe that’s not such and thing) but their quality makes up for the distance.
On top of it all I was very fortunate for my film TOUCH to have won the grand jury award for best short film. And since the Florida Film Festival is an Oscar qualifying fest we’re now one step closer to the very heavy naked gold man. It’s still a long road from here to there but every step counts and this one was especially fun.
I want to particularly recognize Matthew Curtis and Brian Quain who did a wonderful job making me feel welcome. Thank you so much!
Central Florida really has a gem in the Florida Film Festival and I hope to be back again very soon.
Filmmakers, they begin accepting submissions again in October. Put it on your list.
Tags: Movie Blog, , Television, Movie Theatre, Film Industry
The Background Actor - Heroes and Hayden
April 18, 2010
Working on NBC’s HEROES in June 2009 was the kind of experience I love. First of all, it was a big shoot. I mean a BIG SHOOT. About 250 extras on the UCLA campus and 240 of them were portraying students. Along with nine others my age or older, I …
Tags: Actor, Movie, Movie Theatre, Movie Blog, Television
The Genre Director - She flies through the air with the greatest of ease,
April 15, 2010
…That daring young young girl on the flying trapeze… wire work, fight choreography, sword movies, Reign of Assassins - Gifts from Asia.
Did you ever have those flying dreams as a teenager? I still do, occasionally. It’s supposed to mean you want to escape from something. (I guess that’s low budgets in my case.) In my conscious life, I actually have a mild fear of flying ( In aircraft; I suppress it. ) but the one stunt I would love to add to my limited repertoire is wire work, for many years a Hong Kong technique which finally made an impact on western audiences in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. What fun it must be to swoop, soar and glide, under the control of skilled puppet masters. My friend Angeles Woo made her maiden flight on her father’s latest production REIGN OF ASSASSINS, starring Michelle Yeoh. This is Michelle aloft on the blue screen stage.
Angeles plays a rival assassin, and in a preliminary trailer and you’ll see a cloaked and hooded Angeles fly through frame in an early shot.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN5mD2cN0pY
When not working for her father’s company in several capacities, Angeles is an actress, and writer/director of experimental shorts. I look forward to her first feature one day. I know Angeles through fencing. We have fought many a foil and epee bout.
Here she is (on the left) winning the Vango Cup for Women’s Foil in Beijing in 2006, when her father was shooting RED CLIFF. She has now taken up Mixed Martial Arts, where I don’t intend to challenge her. I’ll stick to the blade. Fencing is gymnastic chess, a combat sport I try to practice at least once a week. I do all three weapons to a standard of adequate mediocrity, and did once tie for bronze at the Southern California Veterans in a thin year.
The REIGN OF ASSASSINS promo reflects some of what I love about fencing. Look at the furious - but strategically complex - exchanges of parry and riposte in Michelle Yeoh’s fight scenes. Excellent camera placement maximizes impact.
I became hooked on Asian cinema in the early ’60’s. Initially Japanese, then when King Hu made his breakout hit A TOUCH OF ZEN, I broadened my taste to Hong Kong. Then I discovered Chang Cheh, with his sweepingly choreographed tracking shots propelling the hero through a line of adversaries, who spun their slashed bodies to the camera as it passed.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dkEHr1KIGY
Assistant directors in HK in those days had wider responsibilities than western ADs, and Chang Cheh’s assistant for many years was John Woo. When I met Mr. Woo, I told him HARD BOILED was my favorite of his early work. He felt THE KILLER was his best. They are both great. Here’s that amazing all-in-one-shot section of the HARD BOILED hospital gun battle.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bozxgVQ9m0
I first went to Hong Kong in ‘73 to cover the Bruce Lee phenomenon for my quarterly magazine MOVIE , sold in Australian theaters and drive-ins (also to pitch THE MAN FROM HONG KONG to Raymond Chow of Golden Harvest, but that’s another story ). I came back talking of Hollywood East, but cultural differences prevented many of my colleagues from grasping the sophistication, efficiency and pure audience-pleasing power of Hong Kong film making. So I made a documentary - WORLD OF KUNG FU, and published a 2 issue magazine to co-incide with the telecast across Australia. It rated well, and the magazine sold out. After Bruce Lee’s death I made a follow up - KUNG FU KILLERS : Grant Page, Australia’s most famous stuntman goes to Hong Kong and investigates who will succeed Bruce Lee. ( We were told to ignore Jackie Chan..he was not going to last. Right…) Here’s one of my favorite DRUNKEN MASTER fights.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf45hmO_1ak
I watched Asian cinema develop to its present day level of style and innovative story telling. Now Hollywood remakes Asian hits, not just the other way round. The story of Hong Kong’s film industry and the progressive development of its unique visual style is available in an excellent on-line essay Anamorphic Adventures in Hong Kong by David Bordwell, PhD, a professor of film studies at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and an authority on a wide variety of cinema topics. Go to: www.davidbordwell.net/essays/shaw.php
His website in general is a treasure trove of information for cineastes. This essay is meticulously researched, providing extensive background detail, and illuminating analysis of fight scene aesthetics. More importantly it reflects all the elements I found exciting when watching sword and fist movies in downtown backstreet theaters. So I look forward to REIGN OF ASSASSINS.
An epee bout with Michelle Yeoh would be fun too…
Tags: Director, Film Industry, Television, Filmmaking, Movie
The Independent Filmmaker - Bleary-eyed from the Florida Film Festival
April 15, 2010
I am having a wonderful time at the fantastic Florida Film Festival. If readers are in the Orlando and Maitland, FL areas come down and check out the great films and excellent events.
My film, TOUCH, screens tonight at 9pm at the Regal Winter Park Village Cinema. And tomorrow I speak on a panel with Chris Gore (Film Threat, The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide) at 1:30pm at the same theater.
We’ve also been invited to screen at Cannes at the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase. We’ll screen there on Thursday, May 20th in the shorts program from 4:30pm - 6:30pm at the Roger Ebert Center. We’re very excited about this as only ten American films have been invited!
You can check out the trailer and upcoming screenings on the film website at http://www.touchthefilm.com.
Tags: Filmmaker, Oscars, Hollywood, Movie Theatre, Movie Blog
The Standby Painter - Absolutely Probably!
April 13, 2010
Through the grapevine, or the film vine, or whatever winding, climbing, spreading informational structure filters through the Business up here in this area of the Great Northwest Territory, I have discovered that the movie I am looking forward to working on has more money than was thought, thus making it …
Tags: Movie Blog, Oscars, Film Blog, Movie Theatre, Filmmaker
