So I had this great experience working on my friend's first feature, "The Joint" taking pictures and behind-the-scenes footage. Met some fantastic people and it became like a tight family. I looked forward to getting up at the crack of dawn and taking the drive to Temple City with director Greg James, so I could hang out with my new family again. It was just a blast and a great distraction from what I'd been going through. I got home one night completely exhausted and then I checked my e-mail and found something from The Action On Film Festival saying,
"Dear Martin,
I'm sending you a warm congratulations on "Salivate" being chosen to showcase at the 2011 Festival!! I'm Nina, and as a part of Del's AOF Family, I will be helping you make the most out of your experience with us this year!" Then she had some questions about the film and I got my first laurel graphic. It was just a nice way to end the night after getting 11 rejections and I had temporarily forgotten about festivals because I was busy.
Then later on my Colorado trip I found out that, "Salivate" had been nominated for "Best Dialogue" Sweet! I'll take it! Then I got my scheduled date and it was like a week and a half away, so I started to freak out a little bit. Luckily, it all came together and I had posters made in time, sent out 200 postcards to the festival, so they could drop them in random director's goodie bags. I also promoted the film in Oldtown Pasadena, where I was mummified in police tape. My friend/ lead actor Turen gave out postards to passerbys and took pictures for me. I sent out a bunch of e-mails, my friends were nice enough to advertise too and I thought cool, we might have a pretty good crowd. Plus my dad and stepmom were coming back from a cruise the day before the festival, so I thought they might drop in and surprise me. Some random friends said they could make it too, which was really nice- just people I haven't heard from in awhile.
I had some questions about Press and stuff, but the attachment that was sent to me wouldn't open and eventually I just figured I would e-mail some local critics, but I never got around to it. I scouted out the festival location and the manager was nice enough to let me leave a bunch of postcards. "You can leave them on the rotating postcard thingy" I must have been the first filmmaker to come by because there were no other movies represented on the postcard racks. They were still stuffed, but only with Action On Film Festival postcards, that would open up with some general info and hype. So I stuck about 50 of my postcards inside those and patted my own back for being so crafty. I made sure to thank the manager before I left. It was a mile and a half walk from my subway stop to the theater, but then I found out later that there was a closer stop- DOH!
Anyway, the first day of the festival and I got there a little early- they were still setting up for the filmmaker check-in. Said it would probably be ready by 3. This guy Dan asked if I was a filmmaker and when I told him yeah, he told me about his "Butterfly" film and gave me his postcard. I thought, Oh, that's cool, he'll support my movie and I'll support his movie- fair enough. Plus he was really friendly and I thought it was a cool way to promote himself- meet people quick and get them interested in your screening early. He was afraid he wouldn't get anyone into his screening. His film is positioned in the 2nd week, so he has plenty of time to promote- good palce to be. My film was scheduled for the second day, so I could only reach the people that were around early on.
I killed some time across the street at a European Bakery and ate a fritata. When I came back I got in line to check in. They gave me my goodie bag and I got my picture taken in a photo booth. The lovely Karen helped me with that and we had a few laughs about the process. You could take as many pictures as you want, but it wouldn't print out until you approved the preview photo. There wasn't anyone in line so I hammed it up and gave myself a few options with some varying levels of smug. I went without the curtain and then got a little self-conscious and went with the curtain for privacy. I showed Karen the final photo and she approved. I told her about my film and she said she'd be around all week- she was doing interviews for the website and stuff.
I inspected my goodie bag and found a bunch of postcards, some mints, Skittles, bottled water, pad and pen (great idea, I wrote down the names of everyone I met w/descriptions) a full length feature from some indie filmmaker and I got my Schedule book later because they were not quite ready.
I took a seat against the wall and talked to my brother on the phone for awhile. This guy Emilio was setting up a giant screen that had his action movie displayed, featuring Michael Madsen and Steven Bauer. He put the thing right in front of me and so it was clear I had to move. You could tell who were the action movie directors with actual budgets, these slick looking dudes wearing sunglasses with an air of douche about them- Emilio was an amazing example of this. Later on I heard his movie was a rough cut and an embarrassment. That made me think, why in the hell would they spend so much money for that giant banner- why don't they finish their fucking movie instead of advertising? Still, they have stars attached, so that meant something here. Maybe they just needed to secure completion funds. Another filmmaker described the experience comparable to The Room with a lot of Tommy Wiseau moments, including a similar, "I've got cancer" moment. Now I really want to see this movie!
A guy sitting next to me started talking to me- Jeremy from Memphis Tennesee. We hit it off right away, swapping stories about our films and he was real self-deprecating and hilarious. He introduced me to his girlfriend, Lindsey, and told me he was pursuing his first feature. He has to lock down one more location and then he's good to go. He said the working title was, "Greedy Motherfuckers" and explained to me,
"I'll probaby have to change it"
His short film, "Vigilante" was among the first block of short films featured and I told him I'd definitely go. He warned me not to expect much and that it was his first film. He said he was the worst actor in the movie and only gave himself lines at the beginning and end. He really wanted me to know that it wasn't an ego trip and I said, "You think you're Mel Gibson, don't you?" He came out to be an actor first, but then jumped into filmmaking. He told me how much he loved trashy B-movies and said I had to check out this movie, "Sanke Eater" which has a couple of sequels- it's only on VHS.
The programs are colorful and pretty cool, I was bummed to see that my nomination wasn't published, but it was because the deadlines didn't match the printing of the book, so they had to leave a few out. There are a TON of movies this year though, 400 plus I would say. Hefty competition.
I got into the theater and just before the lights went down Jeremy says, "Don't make fun of me too much"
1st round of short films opened with, "Diamond Confidential" a well done film noir detective story which featured someone I knew- Danielle Deluca- very cool. The dialogue was good, nice jazzy soundtrack, atmospheric lighting and colorful performances. Just a little soft at times- they could've pumped some more energy into it, but still overall, a great way to start things.
This was followed by Mr. and Mrs. Mini Smith, a cute spoof on the movie. A couple of kids play action movie with their dad, but then they're all decked out with actual guns and artillery- the dad appears around the corner dressed in full SWAT gear. I laughed out loud when they shot their father and he rolled down the stairs- the kids were great. It was just a home video with some digital gunfire effects, but it was still very charming. Of course nobody really died, it was all playtime.
"I Am The Wind" was a hilariously short and ridiculous stand-off in an alley between a woman who's surrounded by horny middle-aged men with "You're not going anywhere" kind of dialogue.
After several close-ups of these leering perverts she utters, "I AM THE WIND" and goes on a killing spree and takes thiese guys out in the most violent ways possible- I wish I could remember the methods of kill, but it was fricken hilarious. Then the credits rolled and I wanted to laugh out loud, it was 2 fucking minutes long!
Jeremy's "Vigilante" started and woke up the audience- awesome opening credits with heavy metal. There were some sound issues here and there, but the movie was angry, political and chalk full of energy. I was expecting crap from the way he warned me, but his movie stuck out for sure- truly disturbing. Maybe he went over the top with some of the stylish transitions, and V-Hold tweaks, but it was his own voice and I dug it. He had some really interesting edits too and I was happy to find out later that his editing was nominated- very cool.
I felt bad for the guys that made, "Tree of Life" because it seemed to have its heart in the right place but it was another unintentionally hilarious failure- plus they didn't get to talk about their movie during the Q&A.
"Act of Betrayal" barely redeemed itself with an unexpected twist ending, but I'm not a huge fan of shorts that set up one thing and then it ends with a, "JUST KIDDING!" punchline. Oh we're clever aren't we- yes we are! It was a solid effort though, maybe I was pissed because I didn't see it coming.
to be continued...
Monday, July 25, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Happy Accident For A Film Geek
went to The New Beverly last night- great spot for double features. It's a place for rabid movie geeks for sure, and they had a doozy of a lineup. Big Trouble In Little China, followed by They Live- two John Carpenter films. I was especially excited because my buddy Alex had never seen They Live, which of course is notorious for the 6 minute fight scene between Roddy Piper and Keith David, also parodied by South Park in the, "Cripple Fight" episode.
We laughed our asses off and really enjoyed Big Trouble in Little China. Fun times. They Live is slower paced, but I love it all the same, and still think it's great movie.
About half way thru the film, I saw something on screen that made my eyes bug out. I couldn't believe what I was fucking seeing. IT COULDN'T BE.
then I went home to make sure. take a look at this.
I shot the dream sequence, for my first feature film, in the middle of the fucking alley where the FIGHT TOOK PLACE! I know only movie geeks would give a shit about this, but I almost cried. On the day of the shoot, our original alley was blocked off and I didn't think we'd ever find a better location. We were a crew of 5 wandering downtown looking for something- ANYTHING, and we ended up here. More than a year later I find out that I'm shooting on cult film territory and i would've had no idea until I watched that movie again- so I'm extremely happy I went tonight. What a boost. The running time of my film is about 2 hours now and one of the scenes I cut out was the alley dream sequence. Man, this makes me want to put it back even more, it was hard enough a decision!
The location has never been listed online that I know of, so stumbling onto this was just sheer luck- I didn't even remember it being set in LA. Anyway, that made tonight extra special, knowing that we shot on a little piece of cult film history- everyone should watch that fight scene, it really goes on forever.
We laughed our asses off and really enjoyed Big Trouble in Little China. Fun times. They Live is slower paced, but I love it all the same, and still think it's great movie.
About half way thru the film, I saw something on screen that made my eyes bug out. I couldn't believe what I was fucking seeing. IT COULDN'T BE.
then I went home to make sure. take a look at this.
I shot the dream sequence, for my first feature film, in the middle of the fucking alley where the FIGHT TOOK PLACE! I know only movie geeks would give a shit about this, but I almost cried. On the day of the shoot, our original alley was blocked off and I didn't think we'd ever find a better location. We were a crew of 5 wandering downtown looking for something- ANYTHING, and we ended up here. More than a year later I find out that I'm shooting on cult film territory and i would've had no idea until I watched that movie again- so I'm extremely happy I went tonight. What a boost. The running time of my film is about 2 hours now and one of the scenes I cut out was the alley dream sequence. Man, this makes me want to put it back even more, it was hard enough a decision!
The location has never been listed online that I know of, so stumbling onto this was just sheer luck- I didn't even remember it being set in LA. Anyway, that made tonight extra special, knowing that we shot on a little piece of cult film history- everyone should watch that fight scene, it really goes on forever.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Wonderful World Of No Budget Filmmaking: Stealing Shots
Listening to director's commentaries are always hit-and-miss, especially with big name directors who usually just relay what we see on screen, followed by long pauses. Some directors love the format though, and it shows. I'm not especially crazy about Robert Rodriguez movies, but if you can't afford a film school class you might as well buy one of his movies and go through the special features. He breaks it down in a language anyone can understand, and specifically makes 10 minute film school crash courses, which always run a good five minutes overlong. Ridley Scott always has fascinating thing sto say about his movies, along with Werner Herzog, Paul Thomas Anderson, Larry Cohen, and Cronenberg.
I was surprised to find out how many great directors stole shots. It's stupid to get a permit for an outdoor location if you can get away with it. Mike Nichols stole a shot for, "The Graduate" where Dustin Hoffman chases after Katherine Ross, following the strip club scene. They're running down Sunset Blvd on a busy night where the streets are packed with people- he got the shoot from across the street with a zoom lens.
A fantastic example is Larry Cohen directing Fred Williamson in, "Black Caesar" Fred Williamson is clutching his bloody shirt, staggering down a busy sidewalk in New York City- passerbys are looking at him with concern, but not really going to his aid, probably confused by the cameraman. We get an awesome bird's eye view from on top of a building, looking down at Black Caesar as he stumbles into an intersection. Then he gets into a taxi and two men chase after it holding up pistols, haha! Talk about balls- no permission no permits and brandishing weapons in broad daylight. Larry Cohen also had a crew member dress up like a cop, so he could handle crowd control- pretty smart...and stupid.
You've probably seen the wonderful crowd shots Sofia Coppola captured in Tokyo with her little guerrilla crew on "Lost in Translation". Scarlett walking around the city. When there's that much traffic on the street it can work for or against you.
Another insane example is Peter Bogdonovich's, "Targets" where a madman who has just killed his parents, climbs atop some industrial building and starts shooting speeding motorists on a freeway. Bogdonovich shot the whole thing silent and then added all the sound effects later, but the crazy thing is that he kept radio contact with all his stunt drivers, and when they approached the shot, they would jerk the wheel and fly off the road like they'd been shot. Meanwhile LA drivers are whizzing by- very dangerous and stupid. It's a hell of a scene though, the Bobby character is sipping his coke and looking through his sniper scope taking out drivers.
Spike Jonze made a ton of music/skate videos in fantastic locations with no permits. He had his little jerry-rig camera bag that he held by his side, filming the Beastie Boys inside a casino. That dude is fearless though, he just doesn't give a shit.
I couldn't for the life of me secure a photo booth and everyone wanted money. I ended up going to one of my favorite bars downtown and stole the shot. Had the camera in my backpack and the photo booth was conveniently around the corner from the bar, so no one would could catch wise. Still, it's a little nerve wracking to throw some blood in a photo booth and then get my actor to do several takes while the bartender is twenty feet away. Then I quickly cleaned up the blood and it's like we were never there. We did the same thing at The Standard downtown. They have that great red elevator and then a room with psychedelic images projected on a white wall. It's amazing what you can get away with, as long as you don't waste time stalling because you're too chicken. Get the shot before someone starts asking questions- the film gods may take pity on you. They did for me. I had Turen and Yvette yelling at each other on the street during peak club hours. Every time we cut a cop drove by, but when we rolled we some how got away with two two of them screaming. Just another night in Hollywood.
There was that close call during, "Glue Junkies" where we staged an accident and someone called the paramedics. Yeah, that was probably a dumb idea, but we still got away with it. I'm not saying any of this is a good idea..., but it'll save you from a $10,000 permit, or hiring a cop, or dealing with extras. Mic your actors, shoot from a steady surface far away, and then zoom that sucker. Or make like a film ninja. However you do it, be fast and look confident, you're less likely to get caught if you look like you're there for a reason. Besides, everyone shoots in LA, you must have a permit right?
Now go steal some shots.
I was surprised to find out how many great directors stole shots. It's stupid to get a permit for an outdoor location if you can get away with it. Mike Nichols stole a shot for, "The Graduate" where Dustin Hoffman chases after Katherine Ross, following the strip club scene. They're running down Sunset Blvd on a busy night where the streets are packed with people- he got the shoot from across the street with a zoom lens.
A fantastic example is Larry Cohen directing Fred Williamson in, "Black Caesar" Fred Williamson is clutching his bloody shirt, staggering down a busy sidewalk in New York City- passerbys are looking at him with concern, but not really going to his aid, probably confused by the cameraman. We get an awesome bird's eye view from on top of a building, looking down at Black Caesar as he stumbles into an intersection. Then he gets into a taxi and two men chase after it holding up pistols, haha! Talk about balls- no permission no permits and brandishing weapons in broad daylight. Larry Cohen also had a crew member dress up like a cop, so he could handle crowd control- pretty smart...and stupid.
You've probably seen the wonderful crowd shots Sofia Coppola captured in Tokyo with her little guerrilla crew on "Lost in Translation". Scarlett walking around the city. When there's that much traffic on the street it can work for or against you.
Another insane example is Peter Bogdonovich's, "Targets" where a madman who has just killed his parents, climbs atop some industrial building and starts shooting speeding motorists on a freeway. Bogdonovich shot the whole thing silent and then added all the sound effects later, but the crazy thing is that he kept radio contact with all his stunt drivers, and when they approached the shot, they would jerk the wheel and fly off the road like they'd been shot. Meanwhile LA drivers are whizzing by- very dangerous and stupid. It's a hell of a scene though, the Bobby character is sipping his coke and looking through his sniper scope taking out drivers.
Spike Jonze made a ton of music/skate videos in fantastic locations with no permits. He had his little jerry-rig camera bag that he held by his side, filming the Beastie Boys inside a casino. That dude is fearless though, he just doesn't give a shit.
I couldn't for the life of me secure a photo booth and everyone wanted money. I ended up going to one of my favorite bars downtown and stole the shot. Had the camera in my backpack and the photo booth was conveniently around the corner from the bar, so no one would could catch wise. Still, it's a little nerve wracking to throw some blood in a photo booth and then get my actor to do several takes while the bartender is twenty feet away. Then I quickly cleaned up the blood and it's like we were never there. We did the same thing at The Standard downtown. They have that great red elevator and then a room with psychedelic images projected on a white wall. It's amazing what you can get away with, as long as you don't waste time stalling because you're too chicken. Get the shot before someone starts asking questions- the film gods may take pity on you. They did for me. I had Turen and Yvette yelling at each other on the street during peak club hours. Every time we cut a cop drove by, but when we rolled we some how got away with two two of them screaming. Just another night in Hollywood.
There was that close call during, "Glue Junkies" where we staged an accident and someone called the paramedics. Yeah, that was probably a dumb idea, but we still got away with it. I'm not saying any of this is a good idea..., but it'll save you from a $10,000 permit, or hiring a cop, or dealing with extras. Mic your actors, shoot from a steady surface far away, and then zoom that sucker. Or make like a film ninja. However you do it, be fast and look confident, you're less likely to get caught if you look like you're there for a reason. Besides, everyone shoots in LA, you must have a permit right?
Now go steal some shots.
Welcome!
So I thought it was about time I escaped facebook and created another website I could set up, specifically for the movie. I think I blew like 70 bucks on a webhosting site and I couldn't even figure out how to manage it. Never let your friends influence you if you have the slightest doubt. Or if you're an idiot
(raises hand)
I didn't realise how simple it was to manage a blog until I started stumbling onto others. Anyway, I'm not just going to post stuff I put up on facebook, i'll get more into detail here with updates, journal entries, video blogs and the lot. I know there's only a select few that even give a shit about the movie, but I have to be obsessed because I've come this far. So I won't let the fire burn out until it gets distribution. Otherwise, I'll go back to handing out scratched dvds on the street. I thought I'd start out self-deprecating, but I get more positive as I go along I swear. I'd really like to be inspirational too, because that's what got me this far, and I'd like to pass it on to you.
"No thanks Marty, I'm good."
That's good. If you're good I'm good.
There are things that I do that I guess are kind of ridiculous. I fantasize about a talk show interview some day. I record snippets of dvd commentary, and try not to sound pretensious. I post up deleted scenes, which is like showing someone all your weaknesses. I ramble on video blogs because it's theraputic. Trying to come up with the perfect poster design. I give out dvds to my friends because I'm always looking for approval. Constantly craving feedback.
The movie is better now. I've cut it down- it moves faster, I got all my original music from up and coming artists- very exciting. Tweaking the sound, which should take another week or two, but I'm coming very close to getting this thing sent out. I cut out a major scene after regaining some perspective- it's hard to know what works when you see the same thing over and over, but I've stepped away where I could recognize a bump in the road.
Anyway, thanks for dropping by. I'll keep you posted. Or I'll post and feel free to check in. Thanks for all your support!
(raises hand)
I didn't realise how simple it was to manage a blog until I started stumbling onto others. Anyway, I'm not just going to post stuff I put up on facebook, i'll get more into detail here with updates, journal entries, video blogs and the lot. I know there's only a select few that even give a shit about the movie, but I have to be obsessed because I've come this far. So I won't let the fire burn out until it gets distribution. Otherwise, I'll go back to handing out scratched dvds on the street. I thought I'd start out self-deprecating, but I get more positive as I go along I swear. I'd really like to be inspirational too, because that's what got me this far, and I'd like to pass it on to you.
"No thanks Marty, I'm good."
That's good. If you're good I'm good.
There are things that I do that I guess are kind of ridiculous. I fantasize about a talk show interview some day. I record snippets of dvd commentary, and try not to sound pretensious. I post up deleted scenes, which is like showing someone all your weaknesses. I ramble on video blogs because it's theraputic. Trying to come up with the perfect poster design. I give out dvds to my friends because I'm always looking for approval. Constantly craving feedback.
The movie is better now. I've cut it down- it moves faster, I got all my original music from up and coming artists- very exciting. Tweaking the sound, which should take another week or two, but I'm coming very close to getting this thing sent out. I cut out a major scene after regaining some perspective- it's hard to know what works when you see the same thing over and over, but I've stepped away where I could recognize a bump in the road.
Anyway, thanks for dropping by. I'll keep you posted. Or I'll post and feel free to check in. Thanks for all your support!
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