Archive Nineteen
September 6,
2006 - Squeezing Time & Chasing Illusions
Can
you spare a soul, brother? ...
Ever
wonder what it costs people in our industry to try and get a seat
at the table where the big game is played? I've often
pondered that over the years, especially fighting my way there
myself, and watching others (some who were friends) sell whatever
they had of themselves to get there. Is it worth it?
Why or why not? I wonder
...
Usually
the first (and very important) causalities are our spouses and
children. As much as we all try to sell the illusion, there
is no free lunch in this life. Meaning of course, there is a
price to it all. And usually your family pays big time.
And what is it we filmmakers seek? Fame? Fortune?
Validation? Just someone to actually listen to us? ...
Whatever
the reason, we spent lots of time and energy and blood, sweat and
tears pursuing our dream. Would we really jeopardize our
personal life to achieve all we want, or do we believe we can have
both? Or do we have to give up one to get the other?
Or is the illusion of trying to walk that fine line a part of our
Faustian bargain? ...
What
sacrifices are you willing to make? Do you have to abandon
your dream? I can't answer for others, but for me I began to
see early that something had to give, what having been recently
married and two children to come in the near future. I slept
a lot less, and basically gave up any social life. Whatever
spare time I had I gave to them, even if it required I cut back on
my writing. At times it was difficult traversing this
tightrope, but in reality I have never felt I cheated myself or
them in the bargain ...
I love my
wife and kids, and of course they still do require love and
attention. Losing what I get from that would never be worth
what I could (supposedly) gain from the fame, fortune and
validation. I'd rather get a life and create more from that,
than just have the shadow of an illusion of a life ...
J-Alden
Comments --
The Angry Filmmaker Interview... -- 9/1
The Independent Filmmaker's Alliance just did
an interview with me. It's in their most recent newsletter.
Check it out at
www.ifilmalliance.com/hallewood/. I actually sound like
I know what I am talking about! So please pass this link around
to your friends and colleagues.
I am still in the midst of booking the Fall Tour. I start
in Baltimore, MD on Sunday September 17th, judging the 48 Hour
Film Festival at Creative Alliance. Then it's 7 weeks on the road
ending in San Francisco, CA on November 12th, with a workshop for
Film Arts Foundation. And on Tuesday November 14th I am doing a
guest lecture at San Francisco City College. Then Moses and I get
to come home.
I still have some dates available on the tour. If
you're interested contact me. I will be continuing to post the
tour itinerary on my web site. Check it out and if I am going to
be in your neighborhood please stop by.
Kelley,
www.angryfilmmaker.com
Comments --
Call for Submissions from the JSF -- 9/4
The Journal of Short Film invites you to submit
your short film for consideration in
Volume 6 (Winter 2006).
The deadline is November 8th. The JSF-a DVD quarterly
published since 2005-has an open and free submissions process.
This call for submissions is noteworthy because the JSF will be
joined by a guest editor for this volume. Sam Green will join the
editorial board and make the JSF bicoastal for the first time.
Sam’s film The Weather
Underground was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004.
His most recent short film, Lot
63, Grave C, screened at Sundance this year. Sam lives in
San Francisco and divides his time between teaching, filmmaking,
and helping run the Free History Project.
The Journal continues to be a leading advocate of short film. In
May, the JSF was named on the Best Magazines of 2005 list in The
Library Journal (a leading trade mag for publishers and
libraries). We have already published 40 independent filmmakers
and in October we'll add nine more (in
Vol. 5). The volumes
continue to be excellent and diverse collections that include
narrative, documentary, and experimental films.
For more details,
www.theJSF.org
Comments --
Meet Chistopher Nolan -- 9/5
Dear No Budget Filmmakers, Film Buffs, Friends
& Colleagues:
I wanted to let you know about an exciting new venture I am
launching and ask for your support. As part of a continuing
education initiative of my No Budget Film School, and in an effort
to develop audiences for outstanding no-budget films, I've created
NO BUDGET FILM CLUB. No Budget Film Club is an ongoing
screening series of great no-budget films--some you've heard of,
many you haven't--with the filmmakers in attendance to tell all
the dirty little secrets of how they got the films made. It's
no-budget filmmaking - Off The Record! My
inaugural event is one night you won't want to miss.
We will be screening Chris' debut feature, the dazzling
$12,000 "FOLLOWING." "Following" Executive Producer and
leading film consultant Peter Broderick will be moderating
the discussion with Chris before and after. Hear the amazing
story of how "Following" was made; learn how it helped launch
Chris' career and led to films like "Memento" and "Batman Begins";
and get a preview of Chris' newest film, "The Prestige," which
opens October 20th.
Special guests will be in attendance and there will be a great
opportunity for filmmakers to network with other filmmakers. It is
certain to be an inspiring and entertaining evening!
Come down to Hollywood October 2nd, hear from one of
Hollywood's biggest directors, see the film that launched a
career, and meet other like-minded filmmakers. And if you know
someone who would enjoy this kind of thing, please pass the info
on to them. I hope to see you all there!
Best, Mark Stolaroff
Founder,
No Budget Film
www.nobudgetfilmclub.com
Comments --
RE: Squeezing Time & Chasing Illusions -- 9/8
We all have choices to make. When we are
lucky, we get to choose between different things that we love. My
priorities changed many years ago, and my family is my top
priority. Many things that I thought were important when I
was younger, are no longer that important. While money is still
nice, I have put some of my projects on hold to help set up a
non-profit film/video organization in my area to help others in
the industry
ML
September 12,
2006 - Notes on the Journey
Flexing more muscles for taking the helm ...
I'm still
regurgitating all the info from my latest directing workshop,
Writers Becoming Directors, which was held at the Promenade
Playhouse last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Director Mark
Travis (also author of
Directing Feature Films), screenwriter Fred Johntz and actress
Natalia Lazurus put it on, and having someone from these three
disciplines all integrating their expertise into this experience
certainly added to its effectiveness. This is just Part 1 of
two parts, the second to take place at the end of the month ...
The first
day was mostly spent defining the different roles of writer and
director, and the inherent challenges of directing your own
script. It isn't so easy taking off the writer's hat and
putting on the director's one, especially when it's you own
material. Seems not everyone can do it. We were also
introduced to something called the Character Preference Model.
It's a paradigm they use to create characters, and also help you
figure out how you fit into the scheme of things so you can work
more effectively. Hhhmm, I tend to be skeptical of these
types of things, but I'm certainly open to trying it. At
least it's probably something I can put in my tool box, and bring
out if I feel I need it ...
For
homework we had to write a two-page scene based in what we learned
and then have it torn apart in class the next day. On this
day we transitioned from thinking like a writer to thinking like a
director. We also delved deeper into in their paradigm, and
for homework had to prepare the scene to direct. We didn't
actually direct, but did all the prep work to get us ready to
direct. Part of that was each of us had to pitch to the
three of them as if they were producers we were trying to convince
to take on our projects. That involved script analysis
(theme, premise, worlds, core), script breakdown (facts, back
story, beats, arc), visual universe (director's collage, key
images, color pallet, environments), character journey
(objectives, obstacles, actions, emotional graph). Whew,
they kept us busy and on our feet for sure. Can't wait for
the rest in three weeks ...
Haven't
yet heard from my script analyst. Sure it's only been three
weeks, but I usually hear something by now. Not that he's
done, but that he's working on it. Not sure if that's a good
sign or not. I know, I know, I'll quit worrying ...
Heading up
to Mt. Shasta in a couple days for about ten days. Need to
take some more stills for a few locations, and maybe some video
also. I'm going to start doing some preliminary storyboards,
and that will help. A couple people have told me some great
things about this storyboard computer program,
FrameForge 3D Studio.
Anybody out there used it? ...
Well, 9/11
came and went without mishap. Can't believe it's been five
years already. Anybody see the two-part mini-series, and
what about the controversy about that? ...
J-Alden
Comments --
Declare Your Film Independence -- 9/13
Share, Network...Make Films
Our intent is purely to provide a basis and portal for discussion,
education and promotion for Independent Cinema nationally and
internationally. The Co-op members have created an atmosphere
where filmmakers can make contacts, develop relationships,
exchange ideas and take advantage of networking opportunities. Our
goal is to create an organization that truly supports the goals of
its members.
Join Today ...
www.indyfilmco-op.org
September 18,
2006 - Character Preference Model
One
way of looking at it ...
As
mentioned in the previous post, a big part of the directing
workshop I'm taking involves a model based on the synthesis of
several different psychological theories. Part of which is
the left-right brain theory and the front-back brain theory.
In essence, it creates four different types of characters,
highlighted with a color code. A blue person is logical,
critical, analytical, bottom line, likes challenges and is
left-front brain. A yellow person imagines, is curious,
spontaneous, intuitive, perceptive, needs flexibility, breaks
rules, plays, like surprises and is right-front brain. A red
person is emotional, sensitive, expressive, supportive, needs
human connection, creates interpersonal involvement, likes
physical contact and is right-back brain. And finally, a
green person is reliable, persistent, diligent, timely, organized,
has a plan, knows the rules and details, likes efficiency, brings
closure and is left-back brain. Whew ...
For
example, a CEO would probably be a blue person. A writer a
yellow one. An actor a red one, and an accountant a green
one. Now obviously it's not all that neat. We all have
varying degrees of all these traits, or have to use them at one
time or another, but this looks at what our dominant one could be.
Then we try to determine what our secondary one is. What
does all this have to do with anything? Or anything with
filmmaking? Well, it has a number of applications.
First, as a writer, it could help you in character development.
The writing homework we had (to write a 2-page scene) was just
such an exercise. We had to make one character what we
thought our color was, and the other character the opposite color.
I have to admit that it made the scene fairly easy to write
quickly, setting up a conflict right off ...
Second of
all, for the director who has to wrangle in all sorts of people on
the production, it helps him (or anyone) understand how to deal
with these different types. In addition, he has to be able
to operate in all four of these areas himself in prepping,
shooting and posting the film. It can become an important
tool in sorting all his multi-tasking out. Our other
assignment in preparing how we would shoot our scene involved each
of us in using all these four parts of our brain in presenting how
we would shoot it. Thus, the director has to approach the
film in a type of holistic sense, if he wants to accomplish all
the tasks at hand. Also, knowing where your weaknesses lie
helps you hire people close to you who have those strengths,
helping you to shore your team into a functional unit ...
So I was
wondering, where do I fall into this paradigm? I hate being
categorized (which might be an indication of where I fall) and
actually have had to use all these areas in different jobs I've
had over the years. But the point is your preference.
For me, my primary is yellow and my secondary is blue. I
think the people who put this paradigm together are probably
green, being so detailed and organized. What about you? ...
Not an end
in itself, this paradigm could be another handy tool in the
director's toolbox. Use it as needed, but not necessarily as
the only way to go ...
J-Alden
September 24,
2006 - Word
-->
Image
An
evolution of many into one ...
I believe
we all know that creating a film is a very complex enterprise.
It is the only creative endeavor that encompasses most if not all
the arts; acting, architecture, dance, music, painting,
photography, sculpture, writing. Taking on any one of those
art forms and being successful is challenging enough, but to
encompass them all into one form? Get out of here.
Sounds daunting, if not impossible. Figures why so many
films fail artistically, even those that may have moderate box
office success ...
I've been
spending the last few days trying to put together a collage of
images that will hopefully facilitate me to visually communicate
what my film is (will be?) all about. For sure this will be
a continual ongoing process, probably right up to production.
Because in the end, it seems taking the project from static text
to moving visuals is where the rubber really meets the road ...
Photos and
storyboards. I've also been trying my hand at creating
storyboards. I'm not much of an artist, but I try. I'm
using photos I've taken of locations I already know we'll be
using. So that certainly helps. I'll be traipsing
around the mountain some more this week to take more photos, even
though it's starting to cool off up here. I'm hoping the
cold weather will hold off for another month, because once the
snow blows in I probably won't have much access until about May.
And by then I'll be into preproduction (I hope) ...
FYI, if
you want to check out a couple good books for helping you
visualize your text, try
From Word to Image and
The Filmmaker's Guide to Production Design. Check them
out. They've both been very helpful to me ...
J-Alden
September 30,
2006 - Writer
-->
Director --> ?
Can
hyphenates really do all their jobs with competence? ...
Whew,
finishing up the
Writers
Becoming Directors workshop this weekend, which is going six
days in all. It's been a real doozy, and got me wondering
about how wise it is wearing so many hats on a film project.
Or maybe I'm just a little tired and/or feeling a bit insecure,
and that will probably wear off in the morning ...
The
previous weekend we dealt mostly with prep work the director needs
to do by himself before shooting. This weekend we're dealing
mostly with actors; casting, rehearsals and the shoot. Also
with doing floor plans, storyboards and shot lists, as well as
hiring the DP, Production Designer, Editor and 1st AD, your four
key positions. Of course, a lot of this is common sense, but
it's always a real treat to see how other people do it and how you
can learn from their mistakes as well as your own. And
believe you me I've made my fair share. I always say I don't
mind being made a fool of, as long as I learn from it ...
Got a busy
three weeks ahead of me. I'm heading back up to Mt. Shasta
later this week to finish up with location stuff, plus a
laundry list of other details. Also, the
Mt. Shasta Film Festival
starts on Oct. 13 and I'll stay past that, then come back down
into town to go to the
Screenwriting Expo on Friday and Saturday, then on Sunday to
the No Budget
Film School (Course 201 - The Science of No Budget Filmmaking)
...
Finally
emailed my script analyst a couple days ago to see what was up, as
it's been more than a month now since I sent my latest script
draft to him. He quickly emailed me back and informed me he
hadn't even started it and will get to it in a few days.
Damn it. Guess he's been finishing up a studio project of
his own, but also has another script to critique in front of mine.
Getting somewhat impatient. And why shouldn't I? Need
to scratch that itch, but my hands are tied. On to other
duties now ...
J-Alden
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