So here's my report from the the set of This Side of the Truth, the new Ricky Gervais movie shooting in Lowell (written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matt Robinson, starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Louis C.K., etc. I had a little part in a scene that shot last Friday.).I had 9:00 a.m. call, which was great (6:00 a.m. calls are not fun). I had a few bites of bacon 'n' eggs 'n' home fries before I was called in to hair and makeup. I was done with all that by 10:00, but my on-set call wasn't until 11:3o. So I popped over to my trailer (the "honeywagon") and got settled in.Now, the "rider" on my contract specifies some very extravagant amenities that I require if I am to perform at my best. The most important? Two bottles of Poland Springs water and an extra tiny sink (I like to feel giant in my trailer). And fancy paper towels that I think were made from sandpaper and rusty nails.I also require a very tiny piece of foliage in my trailer. I call it a tree and feel EXTRA giant. (seriously, this was in my trailer. I don't know why.) As I said, my on-set call wasn't until 11:30. They weren't actually ready for me until 12:30. So I hung out in my trailer with some weirdo. (But seriously, I was treated great by the ADs, PAs, wardrobe, and everyone else. Especially craft services...mmm...snacks...)
So, it was time to shoot. This was a short but big scene. Over 200 extras. The other actors in the scene were great. Remember the Seinfeld episode "The Pilot" where they're shooting the TV show? With a TV versions of George, Kramer, and Elaine? One of my cohorts was Elena Wohl, who played "TV Elaine". She was great to work with. Also in the scene were Nathan Corddry (real nice guy), who you might know from "The Daily Show", Roz Ryan (she sings in her trailer), and co-director Matt Robinson had a cameo. And, of course, Ricky Gervais (very funny--check out his blog at www.rickygervais.com/thissideofthetruth.php).
Shooting went well. A bit cold, though. We got most of the shots without any problems. But then the rain came. Back to the trailer for me. And lots of waiting. And drinking coffee. And chatting. And looking for good snacks because lunch wasn't until 4:00 and we were getting hungry. But mostly a lot of sitting in my trailer, hiding from the rain, staring at the wall. Which reminds me. ALWAYS bring a book or newspaper or crossword puzzle with you when you go to a shoot. I, of course, had not planned for this. So I stared at the wall. A lot. And listened to my belly rumble.The rain let up briefly, but Jennifer Garner had just popped by, so they shot a quick scene with her. I was in my trailer at the time, but I hear she did fine without me.
Finally it was lunchtime. At 4:00 (I think they call that dinner in some places). Yummo. And more rain. And more waiting. And then they sent me home without shooting anything else. Sort of anticlimactic, I know. All in all, I had a great time, met some great people, and can't wait to do it again.
After the incredible success of the celebration of the newly revitalized Massachusetts Film Office's first year at a party at the Castle on January 5th, in which over 650 of the most prominant film and media people attended, the MFO is sponsoring a lunch for the Massachusetts film community during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. For years, Massachusetts films were prominant at Sundance - l5 years for feature documentaries in competition - 8 years for narrative features. But with the closing of the MFO, and the dissolution of BFVF and the Mass Media Alliance, Massachusetts had not presence or leadership in the last 6 years. 2008 is different.
There are 8 Massachusetts films playing in Park City between the Sundance and Slamdance film festivals. And, the Massachusetts Film Office is sponsoring a celebratory lunch at Noon on Wednmesday, January 23 at Cafe Terrigo on Main Stret to honor the filmmmakers. It will be hosted by Judy Laster, founder and director of the Woods Hole Film Festival and David Kleiler, founder and director of Local Sightings.
Two films are showing in Documentary Competition in Sundance, SECRECY by Peter Galison and Harvard professor Robb Moss, and TRACES OF THE TRADE by Katrina Browne and Balagan film series co-founder Alla Kovgan. The music score is by Roger Miller of The Alloy Orchestra and Mission of Burma, The remaining films are short films to be shown at Slamdance: Chip Moore's animation SWING, BU's production professor Sam Kauffman's MASSACRE AT MAURAMBI, animator Andy Cahill's SPONTANEOUS GENERATION and EVERYTHING SAID, Benny Safdie's STORY OF CHARLES RIVERBANK, and Nathan Silver's ANECDOTE Also at Sundance will be the world premiere of NEXT STOP WONDERLAND'S director's TRANSIBERIAN with Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer and Ben Kingsley. Both in the past and now today, Massachusetts has a lot to be proud of. It has been a banner year for Massachusetts. Under the direction of MFO's Nick Paleologos, over 250 million dollars have been pumped into the economy. The Park City/Sundance/Slamdance lunch signifies the turnaround for filmmakers in Massachusetts. For information about the lunch,
Here, at the beginning of the Boston Film Renaissance, comes one of its most ambitious projects, "12" a feature film with a cast and crew of hundreds, shot in film with seasoned professionals, all for a budget of under $25,000 (no taking advantage of the tax incentives here
Having worked out of Boston for several years on projects like FEVER PITCH and THE BROTHERHOOD, filmmakers Scott Masterson and Vladimir Manuti realized how much filmmaking talent Boston has - a talent that has largely gone unrecognized. They came up with the idea for "12," and assembled a group of filmmakers to do it.
"12" is a series of twelve 5-7 minute short films, each with a different locally based director.
It is structured around the months of the year. There are twelve directors, twelve separate stories. But the segments are developed after extensive meetings. Each segment must be shot in the designated month. Although the directors have a considerable degree of automony, each segment must have a shot of a certain tree in the Fenway area. And, some of the segments have overlapping characters. Nevertheless, the subjects and style differ widely. Some are dramatic, others comedic. One is a detective musical; another, shot last month, is a documentary about bees. Some of the filmmakers are making shorts that can stand alone while others are making films that might later be developed into feature film projects..Crews ave ranged from 3 to 30, and set locations, always with a view that they are Boston locations, have gone from one to 7.
For the organizers of the project, it has been an incredibile experience As the producers assembled the talent, they went for diversity. Many of the directors have had experience in the slick commercial/industrial field, with others, like Garth Donovan, have worked with low budget, hand held camera, Cassavetes-style film. They have all worked together, and, according to Scott Masteson, have learned from one another. It has been a truly collaborative project.
The hope is that not only will they have made an entertaining feature film, but one which will draw attention to the filmmaking talent that is here. This comes at a time when many of the creators of "12" are working on the crews of the big budgeted films that are being shot here, like the remake of THE WOMEN on which 12's Executive Producer Angela Manuti is working
The project has been an exhilerating one for the participantsl They have worked on one other's projects - one time a director, the next time a DP. All the directors and producers have been involved in the development of the project. In terms of both crew and cast, over 200 people have been involved. As Vladimir Manuti puts it, "it has been one of the greatest professional experiences of my life."
To read more of David Kleiler's thoughts, go to www.local sightings.com Local Sightings helps independent films get made, sold and seen.
Do not Hate me because I am from The "City of lost Angels".
For I am but an angel with a broken wing whom has lost his way.
An Angel, seeking a small, flickering light, that will help guide me back to reality, from the rocky, treacherous, slippery, shores of damnation & the brink of madness.
I have stood at the edge of the abyss for far too long.
I am weak, battle worn & in need of shelter from friendly mortals.
It is time for me to jump into the abyss.
To experience the madness from inside the lions mouth.
To leave the mortal world behind & go where only Fools, Madmen & Gods dare tread.
When you have been kicked out of Heaven & thrown back into hell & done your dozen years in Hollywood & you've Paid the Piper His Dues, you've given the ferryman his coin, & you've ridden on the dragons tail, then, & only then, might you begin to understand what it is that I am talking about.
For I am not Mad.... I am but a child in the storm, seeking shelter from the winds of Hate.
TO ALL THE TRULY KIND & DECENT PEOPLE OUT THERE:
....................................... May you Live Long & Prosper.
Last week, there was a front-page article in the Boston Globe about Emerson College's expansion of its Hollywood program.
That's good for Emerson, but the expansion of the program is based as much on fantasy than reality, and it comes at as time when film production activity, both from within and without the State is increasing.
It is true that Emerson's program has increased and improved over the last twenty years (I taught there at the beginning of the expansion) and a lot of Emerson alum have moved there. Many are happy (although they miss the New England seasons), but others find themselves at entry level, menial jobs that are abundant out there, but are not professionally fulfilling.
Hollywood hasn't changed much since Nathanial West wrote his devastating critique of Hollywood in DAY OF THE LOCUST. But then, in l939, Hollywood was at least centralized and working locally. Now, there is very little activity there. Last Thanksgiving, when I last visited, there was an op-ed piece by LA's mayor pleading with film people to stay. Hollywood has become increasingly decentralized, what with film production being done every place but in Hollywood.
Why go? Maybe to see for oneself, only to return in four or five years. But, although I think it might be a bit premature for Beanywood to announce the Boston has become the intersection between Beantown and Hollywood, the area offers promise. With at least four major Hollywood productions being shot in the state before the end of the year, and no fewer than a dozen local productions (what with the new tax incentives which now begin for local indie productions starting at $50,000). Beanywood and the group making "12" (see an earlier blog) are actually projects to promote filmmaking in Massachusetts. On top of that, there is Paul Sherman's book on the history of filmmaking in Massachusetts.And there is Nick Paleologos, the new head of the State Film Office, a man with perspective, experience and contacts, to oversee the Renaissance.
In short, just like thirty years ago, when it was great to be a filmgoer in Boston (what with the Orson Welles, Off the Wall and the Central Square) the end of the first decade of the 21st century will mark a period where it will be great to be a filmmaker in Boston.
So before you glassy-eyed Emerson grads head west, take a closer look at what's going on around you. No matter what, Hollywood has become largely decentralized, and Boston is on the way back.
For more of David Kleiler's Independent Thoughts head over to Local Sightings where you will find an abundant blog archive http://www.localsightings.com/thoughts.html
Over the last l5 years, the definition of "independent film" has become as vague as that of "producer" At one time, independent films were defined by the fact that the fim challenged the viewer either in form and/or content- films like Darren Aronofskys PI orSoderberg's SEX LIES AND VIDEOTAPE. Now, the term applies to any film financed outside the studio system, no matter how conventional the film is either in the treatment of the subject matter or in the filmmaking itself. Starting in the mid-90's with Ed Burns' BROTHERS MCMULLIN, such films are often only calling cards to make Holywood-style films for theatres or television, and Ed Burns career shows the most banal of sensibilities, while his contemporary, Kevin Smith, at least makes interesting films.
In New England, independent films range from the acting powerhouse of IN THE BEDROOM, and the mostly European sensibility of NEXT STOP WONDERLAND, to the straight to DVD senibilities of PONY TROUBLE and DIVINE INTERVENTION.
Into this mix come two earnest, heartfelt and fairly well produced films, Steve Croke's THE BUSKER and Dave McLaughlin's ON BROADWAY. Both films work with recognizable Boston area neighborhoods, Lowell and South Boston, respectively,. and both have an Irish-American motif. And, both are what I call "tweeners", films that could appeal to a megaplex audience, but whose production values are so low that no large distributor would take them. On the other hand, neither film is edgy either in form or in content, so that they would be shunned by patrons of theatres like the Kendall Square or the Coolidge.
In a way, both films stand in comparison to the current art house feel good hit ONCE. Like ON BROADWAY, ONCE has the Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland motif of "Ok, boys and girls, let's put on a play," while THE BUSKER also deals with undiscovered street musicians. ONCE's stated $l50,000 budget is somewhere between THE BUSKERs and ON BROADWAY.
But there is a difference. In ONCE, the music soars and the leads have chemistry. And, in ONCE, the film breaks boundaries in terms of storytelling and in the way the way music is used redefines what we think a film musical is. ON BROADWAY and THE BUSKER, alas, hove no such ambitions.
Not to say these two local films are not without merit, and, if they could find the right audience, that audience would enjoy themseves. At a recent screening of THE BUSKER at the Museum of Fine Arts, where that great and generous programmer, Bo Smith, gave the film a three-day run, Bo commented to me that he was happy to see so many unfamiliar faces at the screening.
That means THE BUSKER did not attract the more cinema-savvy filmgoing crowd. At the premiewre screening of ON BROADWAY at the IFFB at the sold out 900 seat Somervile Theatre, I was surrounded by people some of whom hadn't been in a movie theatre since JAWS. Clearly the audience was dominated by friends and family, and they loved it. At a screening of THE BUSKER I told the filmmaker that he could expect a warm response, and that during the question and answer period, he would get a question like, "I really loved your movie, why don't they make movies like this any more?" They do, but they don't get into movie theatres or else they become high budget, earnest tear-jerkers like EVENING or A MIGHTY HEART.
Both films are likable. ON BROADWAY has the marquee value of Eliza Dushku, who gives an annoyingly twitchy performance, but at least has name recognition for overseas sales. But the audience that comes to see the home grown play that is the film's subject matter, is the kind of audience that never goes to plays. In the film, where the play is staged in a bar in South Boston, the audience loves it. There is also the predictable father-son reconciliation scene. So, too, the audience at the Somerville. As much as they enjoyed that film, I would bet no one would increase their movie-going habit one bit. As for THE BUSKER, it certainly has a much less predictable plot line than ON BROADWAY, and it has a truly good performance from a teenage black actress. It also dares to portray a teenage black/white romance.
Shot in Lowell, it makes Lowell look great.
But it, too, is a Tweener
For more of David Kleiler's Independent Thoughts head over to Local Sightings where you will find an abundant blog archive http://www.localsightings.com/thoughts.html
with a broken wing whom has lost his way.
An Angel, seeking a small, flickering light, that will help guide me back to reality, from the rocky, treacherous, slippery, shores of damnation & the brink of madness.
It is time for me to jump into the abyss.
To experience the madness from inside the lions mouth.
To leave the mortal world behind & go where only Fools, Madmen & Gods dare tread.
When you have been kicked out of Heaven & thrown back into hell & done your dozen years in Hollywood & you've Paid the Piper His Dues, you've given the ferryman his coin, & you've ridden on the dragons tail, then, & only then, might you begin to understand what it is that I am talking about.
I am but a child in the storm, seeking shelter from the winds of Hate.
