Cine101-san francisco

CAVITE: Formula For a Successful $7K Film

2006-06-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

This political thriller, made with peanuts, is riding a wave of positive reviews, capacity crowds, and has launched the career of it's makers. Let's call it the holy grail of all film student-video film geek "nobody's" who aspire to be "somebody's" in our domestic cliquish and fickle film industry. Two pinoy buddies (Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana), pack up a video camera, and just "do it".No need to dwell on the background history of these guys, and the story's behind it....you can do your own search...this blog is about the film's textbook EL MARIACHI/RUN LOLA RUN formula (btw--El Mariachi was advertised as being made for $7K too - the reality is that once a distributor picks it up, they go eeeeeechhhh, and pump in another 100K or so to polish up the post work).

So, here it is : HOW TO MAKE A $7K FILM THAT THE FILM INDUSTRY(and CRITICS) WILL NOTICE

1. Tell a story that has never been told before (CAVITE is about an Filipino American Muslim dragged into the underbelly of Manila and the Abu Sayaf underworld - audiences LOVE to "go where no man has gone before"). It helps that it had the classic Hollywood Structure of indentifying the SIMPLE problem for the protagonist, and we follow him as he tries to solve it. I call this kind of film the "premise" film -- it's not a true story, but more of a "situation"(RUN LOLA RUN needed money to save her boyfriend. In CAVITE, it's money to save his mother and sis). Another example of a "premise" film would be Fincher's PANIC ROOM. Note: The simple plot point "tension" thriller element brings in the crowds -- the film's socio-political messages bring in the critics.

2. Include great locations and lots of people - it makes the film look more expensive. (Cavite was clever that way. If two American guys are walking down the street with a video camera in the Philippines, EVERYBODY is gonna stare...but hey, thats no problem, because the one protagonist in this film is paranoid and sticks out like a sore thumb there....so people are gonna stare anyway...so the shots give a POV reference -- clever, eh? - the locations in this film could only have been accomplished video guerilla style with one or two people - try shooting in an airport with a full crew--good luck)

3. Shoot in a foreign country: Exotic Location with exotic characters (El Mariachi did it)

4. If the plot is simple and thin (like RUN LOLA RUN), keep a manic pace, jump cut edits, and clever visuals....do not bore the audience with long takes cuz the plot ain't gonna hold their interest.

5. Here's a clever device they used that could almost be considered "artsy". There were 2 scenes (SPOILER alert!) that there was no way they were gonna shoot because of the money, but were pivotal in the story. The first was a scene inside a bank where the protagonist has discussions with the teller, bank manager, and gets a sack full of money out--what did the boys do? They recorded the conversation inside the bank, and laid this audio on a kid watching our protagonist ENTER the bank, we cut to the kid going buying a burger, and coming back to see him coming OUT of the BANK. Voila! Story telling accomplished! Another similiar tactic was even more audacious--The protagonist sets a bomb inside a church that will go off in 7 minutes and leaves. The story follows him feeling guilty and upset. We know what he did...but there is no explosion, no blown up churches, worshipers dying, etc... it's just simply left out, because the story revolves around the protagonist's mindset. We, the audience, knows what he did, and that's all the filmmakers care about....it worked.

6. Small Crew and minimal amount of Actors (CAVITE really set a record for this - One protagonist we follow throughout, a couple of support actors here and there, a crew of 2, with some of the shots definitely hand held by the actor himself pointing at himself!!!)

Bottom line -- an impressive indy effort.

Playing this week at the LUMIERE

City Hall to Build Soundstage?

2005-12-29T13:23:00.000-08:00

The dirty little secret is out and the Film Commission members are talking about it. First, that S.F. is routinely used for exterior shots, and then the heavy budget TV and film productions sceddadle to places like Vancouver for the more lengthy interior soundstage work. Another “revelation”: this exterior work generates very little for the city compared to the steady interior work.

In January, a report on what the City can do to increase it’s out- of- town film production dollars will hit the commissioners, headed up by Stephanie Coyote.
Laurie Rowley, one of the authors feels that the lack of a proper soundstage is a big problem. What we have on Treasure Island is not a soundstage, and you can hear the bridge construction noise no problemo. We’re talking a 2 million to 100 million price tag.

At the same time Sup Alioto is introducing legislation to change the fee structure for filming, offering incentives to long term productions. Yaaaaaaaay~! Finally those people are doing something.

Reminder to the Commissioners: Add extra incentives for locally produced and locally made small indie productions. These are the seeds for future steady work here. We keep waiting for our own Woody Allen….well, he’s out there somewhere in the avenues writing a script right now……

Distribution:2 Points for the Indie!

2005-12-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

All you Indie filmmakers out there know about Customflix right? The company where you can make and market your own DVD. There's been alot of gripes that well, yeah, you can make the DVD's all right...but wheres the marketing machine behind it? I got an email from Customflix....they were bought by Amazon....my first thought "WOW". My second thought --- cautiosly optimistic. 2 points for the Indie..

From Customflix:
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of DVD Publishing News. Since our last newsletter, we have been busy with an exciting organizational change — CustomFlix Labs, Inc. is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. We are thrilled about this change because it dramatically improves our ability to help independent filmmakers, content providers, educators, and video producers connect their programs to a worldwide audience.

What does this mean for you? You will continue to receive the same great service and high-quality products from the same (and rapidly growing) team here at CustomFlix. As a member and content provider, you can also receive broader distribution and exposure for your films on Amazon.com's Marketplace program.

Finally-New Coppola (Francis) Film in Production

2005-12-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

So the other day I'm in a meeting downtown, and it gets out about 11:30am--right before lunch...and lo and behold i'm in the neighborhood of Coppola's restaraunt in North Beach - Cafe Niebaum Coppola. Never been there, always wanted to.

I walk in, it's a tiny place, the wall crammed with pics - Coppola with Spike, Coppola with Brando, Coppola with Scorcese--you get the idea. I sit down at a small table near the bar, and order a delightful mussel-mixed green salad. The bartender (I'll call him Charlie) is a friendly sort--so I ask him if Francis actually eats in his own restaraunt

"Ohhhhhhhhh yeah. He loves the food...he loves food."
uh huh
"So, is this where he sits?" as I point to a roped off little booth with a huge Tati "Mon Uncle" poster over it.
"Oh yeah, thats were he sits with friends"
"Does he drink martini's" I ask.
"Nooooo, he luvs his wine, though, then after dinner, espresso, brandy, and a cigar...not necessarily in that order"..the bartender spoke with affection for his boss, you can tell. Francis may be a superstar, but he still connects with the regular joe.
"So whats his favorite wine?"
"Ahhhh, Francis likes the Claret, Diamond Collection"
Not missing a beat, I order up a glass.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, smooth as a babies behind. Damn. Part of the Cab family, and oh so oakey.
"mmmmmm nice"
"So I hear Francis makes more money off his wine than he does from film"
Flustered, Charlie corrects me, lest I make a wrong assumption:
"Francis is a filmmaker first, it's in his blood. It's part of him. He's in Romania now shooting YOUTH, small, low budget, with Bruno Ganz"

"Cool - finally"..........

From Variety:

Francis Ford Coppola will finance and direct Youth Without Youth starring Tim Roth (the bartender said Bruno Ganz).

In the movie, a professor's life changes after a cataclysmic incident during the dark years before WWII. Becoming a fugitive, he is pursued through far-flung locations including Romania, Switzerland, Malta and India. Alexandra Maria Lara, Bruno Ganz and Marcel Iures will also star.

The story is based on the novella of the same name by Romanian author and intellectual Mircea Eliade. Coppola also wrote the screenplay and will produce through his American Zoetrope production company. Shooting is in progress in Bucharest.

Although he hasn't directed a movie in the 8 years (since 1997's The Rainmaker starring Matt Damon), in the interim Coppola has produced several movies of note -- and also a lot of wine through his Niebaum-Coppola Winery in Napa Valley, California.

A small Francis Coppola film....Sounds like a special treat, like that Claret...

gripe dept: Dear Mr. Mayor.......

2005-10-24T06:40:00.000-07:00

I am a San Francisco voter, homeowner, and taxpayer.

I recently saw an extraordinary film called QUALITY OF LIFE shot for $30,000 in San Francisco by a San Franciscan. It’s playing at the U.A. Galaxy. It premiered last year the Berlin Intl Film Festival.

The filmmakers were very enthusiastic about the support they received from the Film Commission. I’ve experienced the same thing, and I thank you for all your effort in making this a more pro active department.

Unfortunately, the same level of enthusiasm and encouragement for up and coming San Francisco directors is not shared by the local tax supported non-profit San Francisco Film Society and S.F. International Film Festival. QUALITY OF LIFE, was rejected by our local festival. This is not the first time local unkown feature filmmakers have been snubbed, even though their films were widely regarded as good.

Local films, with local grassroots shoe string financing especially need our support. Making the film is the easy part, but marketing, and promotion is tough. The San Francisco Intl Film Festival is in a position to be an active participant in helping promote local unkown San Francisco feature filmmakers, and introducing them to the international film community.

There is a big difference between wooing Hollywood productions (most of which have no interest in doing post production here), and growing a grass roots, viable San Francisco filmmaker community which lives and works in San Francisco. The S.F. Film Society needs to be an active participant in supporting and promoting unkown San Francisco narrative filmmaking directors.

Anything you can do to encourage this would be appreciated. Local residents want to see local films.

Thanks

Misha Anissimov

QUALITY OF LIFE opens in SF to rave reviews

2005-10-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

Local S.F. feature QUALITY OF LIFE opens this weekend at the U.A. Galaxy on Vanness.
As many of yo know, opening weekend is make or break time with distributors. Deep six all your whining about crummy Hollywood films. If you don't make it out this weekend to see this flick, you may not see it for a long time. Don't sit on your ass like the young Kerry supporters did in the last election-the results could be disastrous. See ya at the movies..........

Lefty Nobel laureate Pinter's Screenplay Masterpiece

2005-10-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

American expat lefty director Joseph Losey (resettled in England after the 1950's commie witchhunts) and recent lefty Nobel prize winner Harold Pinter combined talents in 1963 to make the english masterpiece THE SERVANT. No dought THE cinematic and screenwriting masterpiece to come out of England throughout the 1960's. Pinter's sensitivity to the working class relations with the upper class is uncanny. No left wing working class bleading heart sentimentalism here----all the characters are assholes with agendas- monumental writing. Think "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" meets dysfunctional "Discreet Charm of the Bougouise". 1963 England, B & W, directed by Joseph Losey, written by Harold Pinter.

SECONDS: A.D.D. Film Review #19

2005-10-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

Frankenheimer's 1966 Cold War era midlife crisis nightmare SECONDS is a worthy addition to my ongoing list of that genre of films called "people who's faces are bandaged up". Frankenheimer was famous for the original MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, a surreal cold war era masterpiece, and SECONDS does not dissapoint. Picure this: you're a 51 year old white guy banker in a dead end marriage...and you chuck it all for reconstructive surgery to become an artist and...Rock Hudson! Priceless. And there's even an eye popping group nude grape stomping scene.....a bacchanalian delight. 1966, John Frankenheimer, B & W

ZODIAC movie Mark Ruffalo Sighting.......

2005-10-03T07:24:00.000-07:00

Stumbled upon the ZODIAC shoot last Saturday at Irving and 25th in the foggy Sunset (our "third" and smallest Chinatown). A couple blocks were shut down and Fincher was shooting a "news crew rushes to the scene" scene, with 1960's vintage KGO news vans and all. Anyway, they're screamin down Irving, about 10 vehicles, including 1960's vintage motorcycle cops, and screech to a halt in front of the "ex" city leased art space which was converted to a "St Vincent DePaul" and who steps out of the lead vehicle?...a quizzically looking Mark Ruffalo playing a SF reporter. His long hair "do" was nothing less than stellar...I used to have one of those!~
Mark Ruffalo is a likable guy, and that ain't no small feat because the first time I saw him was in that horrendous Indy film XX-XY which screened at SF State (long story). He played a wishy washy charactrer I really wanted to choke, but then I kept telling myself "he's only playing a part, only playing a part". He was excellent in Campion's criminally underrated IN THE CUT.

Technical Observation: the entire scene was shot with no artificial lighting due to our unique daytime FOG, which acts as a natural diffuser.......

Another bit from a PA (from LA) I spoke to on the scene..lets call him "Vincent"...17 days shot here in SF. The shoot is wrapped, and they're off to LA to shoot the remaining 83 days (Fincher hates location shooting...see PANIC ROOM, etc...). Big difference between ZODIAC and something like MATRIX which went on and on. Not to belabor the point, but if more energy was spent developing SF Directors with opportunities (remember the Robin Eickman feature award?)...we can keep ALL the shooting schedule AND post production....now THAT would help out local coffers.........

Going, going.. gone?

2005-09-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hey there, everybody in blogland. I'm on vacation for this month of September. In the interest of making efficient use of cyberspace, as well as my time, feel free to weigh in if this blog is worth continuing when I get back. One idea I had was to contact the local directors you see here in these pages and add them onto the site as contributors...but it all takes time and work, and filmmakers are normally busy as heck. It's been fun, but the local response has been so-so. Best to all.

Alby dreams of Weeki Wachee Mermaids

2005-08-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

From S.F. Director David Munro, comes this first look-see production still from FULL GROWN MEN

out of the eye of the storm : FULL GROWN MEN wraps production

2005-08-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

S.F. Director David Munro (missing Hurricane Katrina by a swizzle stik) wrapped his Florida production of the upcoming 36-year-old-boy/man-coming-of-age comedy FULL GROWN MEN last week. The film stars Alan Cummings, Amy Sedaris, Matt McGrath and the multi talented seductress-rocker Debbie Harry (confession: I, as everyone else in the 70's, had a crush on "Blondie"). Harry plays, of all things, a delusional ex-Weeki Wachee mermaid named Beauty. I remember Debbie Harry in a 1995 film called HEAVY directed by James Mangold. She can act. Other quirky characters include (in no particular order) a retirement home pool man gigolo, an underworld toy trafficking kingpin retiree, a sociopathic Bible-beating motel night manager...you get the idea. Munro is now back in the city and gearing up for editing and post production. Check out his filmmaker's diary, including contributions by producers Xandra Castleton and Brian Benson in SFGate. I think I'll go have a Mai Tai now.

EYES WITHOUT A FACE: A.D.D. Film Review #18

2005-08-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

Continuing my series of that genre of films known as "peoples who's faces are bandaged up", one cannot ignore Director Georges Franju. He's known in France as the master of cinema of the "fantastique". Call it poetic art house horror. It's the story of the love of a doctor father obsessed with finding a face to transplant onto his daughters "face" which really isn't a face, but a batch of damaged muscle tissue due to her fathers car accident. Franju was told by his producer "make a horror film, but with no blood because it will create problems with French censors; no animal killing, because it will create problems with English censors, and no mad doctors because it will create problems with German censors" The result? a horror masterpiece with no cliche in sight. 1959, Georges Franju, France, B & W.

Four out of five empty film cans OOOO

Sexy Revolutionary Flick REVOLUTION SUMMER Wraps Production

2005-08-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

Award winning Director Miles Montalbano is chopping at the bit to start editing

REVOLUTION SUMMER

. With two cameras rolling during the shoot, Montalbano has 50 hours of footage to sort through and edit. The film was shot at various location around Oakland and San Francisco and stars S.F. State alum and hottie Mackenzie Firgens (RENT, GROOVE) who plays Hope, a disillusioned young woman seeking simple truths in a world of consumerism and self destruction.

Commonwealth and Film Financing Events Tonight

2005-08-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday night, no date, you're editor is hung over, what to do? Here are some suggestions from the gang at QUALITY OF LIFE

BENJAMIN MORGAN AT THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB (comment from yours truly: is there anything common about wealth?)
Quality of Life director on panel: "Urban scrawl or artistic freedom?"

Tuesday, August 16
6:30 p.m. (reception follows)
Commonwealth Club office, 595 Market St., 2nd floor, San Francisco

From the Commonwealth Club website:

From its contemporary origins in the late 1960s, graffiti has spread
globally, from the city and boroughs of New York to walls around the
world. Some see the proliferation of graffiti as a veritable modern
plague, an urban blight that clearly diminishes quality of life. Others
would argue that today's graffiti is a historically significant art
form, providing a unique means of creative expression to the disenfranchised
and marginalized. Are the words of the prophets truly written on subway
walls and tenement halls, or is graffiti nothing more than mindless vandalism
that is directly linked to a host of societal ills? You be the judge.

Panelists:
APEX, Street Artist
BEN MORGAN, Director, Quality of Life (Graffiti Film)
JOHN DOFFING, Founder, START SOMA + START MOBILE Art Galleries
MACHAELA M. HOCTOR, Deputy City Attorney, San Francisco City Attorney's
Office
MOHAMMED NURU, Chair, San Francisco's Graffiti Advisory Board
JONATHON KEATS, Art and Culture Critic; Visual Arts Critic, San
Francisco
Magazine - Moderator

The evening's discussion opens with a slide show presentation by Jim
Prigoff, an internationally known historian and documenter of murals
and
spraycan art. Jim's personally photographed documentation is considered
the largest of its kind and it is said that he has seen more street art
than any other individual.

$12 for Members, $20 for Non-members
$7 for Students (with valid I.D.; to reserve student tickets call
415-597-6705)
Details here
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

BRANT SMITH MODERATING FILM FINANCE EVENT
Int'l Institute for Film Financing invites QoL producer back again

Tuesday, August 16
6:30pm (drinks and networking follows)
SAP Labs North America
3410 Hillview Avenue, Building D
Palo Alto, CA 94304

The IIFF is a new nonprofit organization devoted to connecting
independent filmmakers with investors, helping educate both parties on the issues
around indie film financing. It's a sorely needed group and they put on
some fantastic events with amazing speakers (most of their San
Francisco events are standing-room only).

If you're interested in getting your film funded or are a film
investor, you should check it out. Los Angeles and New York chapters
are in the works.

Also, as a bonus at the start of the meeting, Brant offers a few
nuggets of wisdom for indie filmmakers from his ongoing notebook: "Things I
learned while making Quality of Life."
To see the full speaker list, get tickets, directions or other
information

Producer Castleton sees Light at the End of the Tunnel

2005-08-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

Local Producer Xandra Castleton, sends word from Florida in an ongoing filmmakers diary series in the Chron that FULL GROWN MEN is past the half way point. Co producer Brian Benson mentioned the horrendous weather a couple weeks back - hurricanes.... through sleet, through snow, nothing shall keep the indie filmmaker from.....

THE INVISIBLE MAN : A.D.D. Film Review #17

2005-08-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

Director Jame Whale's (based on the sci fi book by H.G. Wells) film THE INVISIBLE MAN falls back into that favorite horror subgenre of mine called "people who's faces are bandaged up". A Universal horror classic from 1933 it is now available (along with three sequels) in one tidy package as part of the Universal Legacy Series DVD collection. Distinctive features of this groundbreaking film are a. the booming over- the- top- voice of lead actor Claud Rains (Whale cast him because fo his voice-can't see him so might as well hear him) b. The revolutionary special effects of the time (the unwrapping of the bandages to reveal..nothing) c. That unique James Whale black humor sensibility... the film is creepy, and funny at the same time. The film is a bit dated, but all told, was a groundbreaking horror classic which triggered countless imitations.......fun film, didn't even miss the blood and gore. directed by James Whale, 1933, B & W

three out of five film cans OOO

A.D. Liano's SEVEN FALLEN OBJECTS nearing completion

2005-08-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

San Francisco filmmaker A.D. Liano's tells me that his surreal, black comedy SEVEN FALLEN OBJECTS is in the sound mix and very near completion. Onto the festival circuit. A collaborative effort between seven directors shooting seven dream sequences - Tim Kerns, Thad Povey, DP wunderkind Frazer Bradshaw, John Szabo, Finnian Murray, Alfonzo Alvarez and director-in-chief A.D. Liano. Score by "Lost in Translation" and "Adaptation" vet Kent Sparling. written by Greg Boyd and A.D. Liano. see my 5/26 post for more details.

COLMA:THE MUSICAL in production

2005-08-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

The title alone conjurs up west side story guys and gals singing and dancing through graveyards! Producer Angel Vasquez sends word that COLMA:THE MUSICAL is in production at
locations in San Francisco, Colma, and Daly City through August 22.

COLMA:THE MUSICAL chronicles a year in the lives of three best friends (an aspiring artist, an actor and a writer) that recently graduated high school, and who must now take on the responsibilities of growing up.

The film stars Jake Moreno, Patric Mendoza, L.A. Renigen, and Segrid
Sutter.

COLMA is an original screenplay written by H.P. Mendoza.

Directed by award-winning cinematographer Rich Wong (Fox Television Network Arrested Development (DIT), Surfacing, As Seen On TV, Year of the Scapegoat).

Producer is Angel Vasquez (A Change of Faith, Cachao: Cuba with Love, Where are you going? Where have you been?, 24 CITY:SF) and Paul Kosanoff (Sin City, Firetrap,Eviction)

One parting thought... I've always liked exclamation marks (!) in musical titles. How about: COLMA "!" THE MUSICAL...it even rhymes with OKLAHOMA "!"

S.F. Director Nick Katsapetse's END OF GRACE in preproduction

2005-08-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

My SFSU cinematography prof, Larry Smith, used to say in class : failure to prepare, is preparing to fail. San Francisco Writer-director Nick Katsapetses didn't go to SFSU (he went to the S.F. Art Institute), but he sure as heck must have heard Larry Smith's quote. He has been writing and rewriting his script for his third feature THE END OF GRACE for three years, and the results show for themselves. The screenplay has won three writing competition awards and attracted Bay Area producer Brian Benson and a "first look" deal with Sony Pictures Classics..once the "package" is together. Illeana Douglas will be starring in the $1.5 million production in this comedy about a dysfunctional family...Katsapetses is spending most of his time in L.A. tweaking the script and garnering star support (Brian Cox and Stockard Channing are looking it over). No stars = no money. What a long way from his first two critically acclaimed $10,000 features JOY OF SMOKING and GET OVER IT. No failure to prepare here, that's for sure.....more later.

Local D.P. David Chalker rides Latin New Wave

2005-08-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

About the time the first of the Latin New Wave films, AMORES PERRES hit the screen, Filmmaker and Director of Photography Dave Chalker and I had a conversation about it's intense, gritty style...and the urgent need of waking up a largely passive movie going public. AMORES PERRES was followed by films such as Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, 21 GRAMS, CITY OF GOD, and the newly released SECUESTRO EXPRESS, which Chalker shot. The Latin New Wave is more than just using cinematic shock tactics for entertainment's sake: it's about the use of cinematic intensity to raise political awareness about class struggle, and the socio-political ramifications of the drug trade. Chalker's visually intense, and inventive short film HYPOCRITE won the Golden Gate Award at the S.F. Intl F.F. a number of years ago, and went on to screen at the Palm Springs Intl F.F. That screening led to his assignment to shoot the gritty SECUESTRO EXPRESS in Venezuela, a story of the kidnapping of an upper class Latin couple. The film makes the most of the portability of the DV camera...a perfect case of picking the right media and the right D.P. for the intense story. Check out the sequence with the amputee skateboarder, as well as the climactic sequence of the lead actress at the edge of a cliff with her kidnappers...that's where a tiny camera and a good eye pays off. Playing NOW at the AMC 1000 Vaness.SECUESTRO EXPRESS,directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz, 2004, Venezuela.

Are you a Doctor or Engineer who Wants to Make a Movie?

2005-08-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

Do you stay awake nights thinking about the film you'd like to make? We at Cine 101 can help you make your dream a reality. For starters, we have a director of photography-35mm camera rental package available for $250/day. Kubrick's favorite camera, the Arri BL-1 and a set of pristine prime lenses. Sure, digital video is everywhere, but there's still nothing like the organic, luscious look of celluloid....and all things being equal...distributors love it. It IS possible to get a low budget 35mm feature into the can for $20K. Let's talk. Reply to this post with some details, and I'll get back to you.

Credit Bill Murray for " Final Cut " Club

2005-08-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

I've always liked Bill Murray, ever since his SNL days, but there is something a lot more about him below the surface than his comedy. Bill Murray beleives in directorial creative autership (as long as he has a major say in his character, I'm sure). You can count on one hand the number of Hollywood funded directors that achieve "final cut" editing status. Producers in Hollywood avoid that like the plague, on the other hand, if you managed to nab marketable Murray for a lead role...hmmm. Murray features have been recently made by American auteurs (lets call 'em the "final cut club") Sophia Coppola, Wes Anderson, and now Jim Jarmusch with the Hollywood-funded BROKEN FLOWERS (I'm not counting "final cut" club members like David Lynch who routinely go overseas for no- creative-strings French funding..like for his upcoming INLAND EMPIRE: p.s. the French actually have an auteurship law, that legally gives the writer-director final cut). Word was that Jarmusch stuck to his guns during preproduction negotiations to not only retain final cut, but to not even have execs pass him notes with comments!! I credit Murray's star power, and director support. As long as Murray films make money, things are looking up for American autership.

CRAZY LOVE : A.D.D. Film Review #16

2005-08-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

The latest installment in my genre film review series of “people who’s faces are completely bandaged up” is Belgian director Dominique Deruddere’s 1986 masterpiece CRAZY LOVE. Based on Bukowski’s novel THE COPULATING MERMAID OF VENICE, CA….this is an overlooked must-see from the 1980’s. It was highly praised by Coppola at the time (no wonder, that was roughly the time that Coppola was producing another Bukowski- laced feature: BARFLY).
Warning: this film is not for everybody, and the ending may be too much for some….It’s a tragic tale of unrequited love, and the superb direction really stands out. It’s dialogue- light, and is a textbook in telling a story visually. This is what filmmaking has traditionally been, a visual story telling, that can’t be captured in words alone. Deruddere is no doubt, a student of silent cinema, and I haven’t seen such amazing communication with the face since D.W. Griffith’s 1919 classic BROKEN BLOSSOMS. Directed by Dominique Deruddere, Belgium, 1986, Color. On DVD.

OOOOO five out of five empty film cans

Sadistic, Weird, and R rating does best at Box Office

2005-08-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (commonly referred to in the trades as "sadistic and weird"), and WEDDING CRASHERS (a producer-reluctant "R" for "raunchy" rating until the box office numbers started pouring in) are superstar standouts in an otherwise lackluster box office, and it's baffling pundits everywhere.
Is it really a surprise? After continuously sanitized, neuterized, and blendisized fare, adults want some raunch in WEDDING CRASHERS (we're talking outside our SF bubble folks)....CHARLIE is another animal altogether, it's a 'crossover'. On the one hand it is marketed as a "family" film, which means every family in the US will see it at least once. Parents may be disgusted but kids will love it..... it's too late...the ticket has been bought. The other magnet elements are as follows a. Johnny Depp fans b. Tim Burton fans c. Danny Elfman (music) fans. My 19 year old falls into the Burton-Elfman category. She's a soft-goth hipster (no offense hon!) and she was in line opening night..it was sold out and was SHE depressed! Next day, like clockwork, she was back in line with her boyfriend. That's a dedicated home grown Burton fan, who was captivated as a child with NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Nothing was going to stop her...and so the box office climbs. As my Dad would say: "vive le difference!"

From Hollywood to Digiwood

2005-08-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

Stanford Sociology Professor Albert Bergesen sees the history of dramatizing the human condition in three parts. The first was theatre, the peak of which was in the late 19th century in N.Y. (the focal point of theatre companies and bookings for traveling theatre within the U.S. ). In 1904 there were some 420 theatre companies on tour.
By the early 20th century with the growing popularity of celluloid film, the infrastructure and entertainment industry was shifting to sunny Hollywood. The year round good weather made film production feasible. Now the entertainment industry is undergoing another technological shift. This came about from technological advancements made here in the Bay Area as well as our current Digital infrastructure. Not just Lucasfilm, but Industriat, the Orphanage (S.F.), PDI/Dreamworks (Redwood City), Tippett Studio (Berkeley), Giant Killer Robots (S.F.), and Pixar (Emmeryville).
Bergesen says “with the appearance of every new animated movie, we should increasingly speak of the role of Digiwood, not so much Hollywood, as the center of the latest technological and accompanying geographical shift in American art.”
………..and I’d like to add, it’s still about telling good stories.

35mm is oil, Video is water color, shoot 35mm now!

2005-07-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

ArriBL1
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Video is great for doc's, but when you go narrative, 35mm is luscious. Here's your chance to shoot 35mm. An Arriflex BL-1 sound sync 35mm package (Kubrick's favorite camera) can go hand held, set of primes, (2)400 ft cans, and (2) portable batteries. Camera and an Operator/DP to go with it! $250 bucks a day. Get some Kodak double XX B & W stock, and shoot your own little noir. 415-504-9014 or leave comment here.I'll be in touch. Lets make a Deal!

ALAN SPLET, I can Finally Hear You!

2005-07-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

After all the pissing and moaning about declining box office revenues, and the rise of home theatre viewing……I finally did it. I went to Target and bought a home theatre DVD system. It’s kind of a cheapo, $200 Philips model HTS 3400…but there were some cheaper and some way more expensive. It came with a DVD player (which plays CD’s) and 7 (count ‘em) SEVEN speakers. First thing I thought of was…OK, which sound designer do I want to give up my home theatre virginity to? Only one answer…Alan Splet….and of course, that led me to Splet's first soundscape masterpiece-Lynch’s recently remixed ERASERHEAD. People, I kid you not….. in no time I was beamed to DOLBY heaven…………….. you never know what you’re missing until you get it…. Yes, theatres have a lot to worry about.

THE FACE OF ANOTHER: A.D.D. Film Review #15

2005-07-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Those of you who read my posts, know that I have a thing for the subgenre of film known as "people who’s faces get bandaged up”. See my review of DARK PASSAGE (June 30 post). This 1966 Japanese gem from Hiroshi Teshigahara (WOMAN IN THE DUNES) is sure not to disappoint. The protagonist’s face is mutulated in an industrial accident; he is afflicted with a deteriorating self hatred, and so, goes out and gets a lifelike mask made by a twisted doctor. The protagonist is out to seduce his wife and prove her unfaithful. This is existential horror that transcends the genre. Issues of self worth, identity, trust, are debated, discussed, and examined. Teshigahara was obviously heavily influenced by Chris Marker’s LE JETTE (oodles of cool freeze frames). The interior design of the doctor’s office is amazing : retro-atomic..very cool. This film is psychological and visual eye candy. Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japan, 1966, B & W. available at LeVideo.

Five out of Five empty film cans OOOOO

GROOVE Director gives back to SF

2005-07-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

Got an email from local producer Brant Smith about ex SF director Greg Harrison's (GROOVE) new film NOVEMBER, opening this weekend. Brant and director Benjamin Morgan are busy laying the groundwork for the release of their Graffiti scene film QUALITY OF LIFE. Brant wrote

"Back when Quality of Life was barely a script outline, Greg Harrison took the time to help teach us the ropes and mentor us in what it takes to pull off the production of a San Francisco indie film.Greg knew a thing or two about this challenge: he was the director of another underground San Francisco film, GROOVE, the Sundance hit set in the SF rave scene. Greg believed in us when so many people wouldn't even return our calls and we want to publically thank him and say we literally would not be where we are now without him."

Thanks, Greg, from the whole SF film scene. I remember Greg at numerous FAF functions selflessly sharing information, and helping other filmmakers.

Spy Report: Local Film Productions

2005-07-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

Here's some scuttlebutt of films being shot locally. Most are not
based in SF.

DARWIN AWARDS wrapped a few months ago. Not sure if they shot in SF. I know they shot a lot in the east bay and some in Reno. Prod. Debbie Brubaker, Director Finn Taylor (CHERISH)

SEVENTY FIVE. Some kind of slasher film. Mostly LA union crew Shot in Sacramento.
Produced or co-produced by Wyclef Jean; not sure who directed.

MISTRESS OF SPICES. Bollywood type film shot mainly in London, one week in Oakland and SF. Dir. Paul Mayeda Berges.

ONE WAY TO VALHALLA. Shot entirely in the east bay as far as I know. A few days in Oakland and the rest in Alameda. Dir. Karen Goodman; Prod. Debbie Brubaker.

HER BEST MOVE. In Production. Coming of age story about teen soccer player. Shot mainly in Marin county with a week or two in Berkeley and a day in Golden Gate park at the botanical gardens. Dir. Norm Hunter.

Put Down the Burrito, and have a Cinematic Evening

2005-07-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, a starving filmmaker needs to take a breath, and smell the roses. In honor of Le Video's 25 th year anniversary as being the no. 1 video rental in San Francisco, I want you all to put down your burrito for an evening.
Pull out your Marlene Dietrich CD :Lili Marlene, run out to Trader Joe's for
a bottle of Coppola Rosso, a delightful fruity blend of 49%Zin, 38%Cab and the rest Syrah), and rent an obscure video you can't find anywhere else (REMINDER:not ALL films are on DVD..go to LeVid, where Netflix and GreenCine cannot). Cheers.

Sup Mirakami Proclaims Le Video Day

2005-07-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Le Video celebrated it's 25th birthday with cake, champagne, and popcorn for all. Supervisor Mirakami was on hand with an official San Francisco Board of Sups proclamation naming June 24 LEVIDEO Day. Why? Because, as Mirakami said, in an age of nationwide chains, and Blockbuster Video, one video rental business with a vision is actually making money. Le Video's mantra has always been "to provide a comprehensive film selection that also features esoteric, underseen, underappreciated, and hard-to-find films that deserve to be seen" Take note gang, it's mission was NOT to "provide whatever the customer is willing to pay for". If you've never been there, it's on 9th between Irving and Lincoln, and is guaranteed to blow your mind.

Se7en Director Fincher to Shoot ZODIAC in SF

2005-07-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

According to S.F. Film Commission President Canady, the Hollywood production of ZODIAC is currently in pre-pre-production, but will be shooting in San Francisco. The film is based on the 1969 serial killings by the infamous "Zodiac" killer, known for sending taunting messages to lawyer Belli, Herb Caen, and other officials (another killer publicity hound-sic). David Fincher (FIGHT CLUB, SE7EN, PANIC ROOM) is known for his moody, saturated noirish visuals. I know one thing, next to Tarantino, Fincher is the gaga favorite of SF State film students. Expect a STAMPEDE for those slave wage P.A. jobs (oops, did I say jobs? from an LA production company?...Commissioner Canady..heeeeelp). Mr. Fincher, may I polish your shoes?
SF Serial killer movie to rent: Clint's DIRTY HARRY...also based on the Zodiac killer.

LASOO CEO Popper sees Video-On-Demand Future

2005-07-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

Lasoo C.E.O. Steve Popper is today's David, to New Line-Miramax-Sony, etc.'s Goliath. We have podcasting, so anybody can produce their own radio show. We have DV cameras and Final Cut so anybody can produce their own movie. We have DVD burners, and Customflix so anybody can press thousands of DVD's and sell 'em. The last nut to crack is distribution. The powers to be are fighting tooth and nail to maintain mind control... what we see, when we see it, how we see it, and how much to cough up. Everybody knows that the indie filmmaker who actually MADE the film is at the bottom of the food chain. The holy grail of return on the filmmakers blood, sweat, and tear investment is distribution...getting your movie direct to your audience.
Speaking at the recent Institute for Intl Film Financing meeting, Popper beleives in the future of VOD (video on demand) technology. Popper's analogy goes like this. We have a limited number of theatre screens in the U.S. The amount of films that actually get shown on these screens is limited, as well as being largely designed to a mass audience. Every home has at least one screen.... a television set. That's hundreds of millions of screens.. here's another analogy: you're the ugliest woman on the block, and all the "shallow" men you meet in your hood don't want to date you. If your image goes out to millions of screens, you can be damn sure youre gonna have a fan club in no time. Every film has an audience, the question is how to find it. Imagine you're an indie filmmaker who has a good film, but it didn't get into Sundance. Lasoo's technology is a non-proprietary approach to VOD technology that can work with any television. Imagine organizing a VOD film festival or having a "VOD" release instead of a theatrical release to viewers...anywhere. Finally, Popper says the future for the little guy is to think BRANDING, not TITLES. example: "Johnny Depp" is a brand. "Finding Neverland" is not. Imagine a world when you can actually see your movie on the tube... and be paid for it. It's enough to make me cry.

SF Film Commission Prez Spills Guts

2005-07-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

In an uncharacteristic display of a bureacratic 10-step confessional, S.F. Film Commission President Don Canady spoke last night to the the Institute for Intl Film Financing. about everything thats WRONG with San Francisco as a film production location. There's too much hassle in getting permits, the cops charge too much (NY doesn't charge anything), we have no tax incentives (does Louisiana really give 25%??), neighborhood attitude, and a few things off the record...in short, when LA producers are scouting locales, SF is at the bottom. Canady is determined to turn things around. After the confessional, he spoke passionately about all the things he CAN and WILL do. Red tape for permits is being cut. Legislation for SF City film production tax incentives is "in committee" and should get to the Board of Supervisors before too long. These tax incentives may potentially include production rebates (the current trend), as well as reduction or waving of local sales taxes. During the Q & A, local Cinematographer Svetlana Cvetko said yeah, thats great and all, but LA producers bring up their own crews.....even lowly positions such as P.A.'s....so where's the jobs?
In response, Canady gave credit to the left wing of the Board of Supervisors (included, but not limited to Tom Ammiano) for shoe-horning provisions for required minimum SF local crew levels in order to qualify for the tax breaks. Canady urged anybody and everybody to contact your Supervisor expressing SUPPORT for the legislation.
In all fairness, Canady has an un-enviable job...all the responsibility, with none of the real power to make things happen. At least he knows what stinks, and he's willing to listen to the local film community. You go Don!

MOTHER AND SON: A.D.D. Film Review #14

2005-07-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

Russian director Alexander Sokurov (RUSSIAN ARK) makes uncompromising Art Cinema. He is not popular in Russia, except among cinephiles. No Plot, no action, luscious moody visuals, and pure emotion. Until I saw MOTHER AND SON, I really did not think it would be possible to sustain a feature as one "slice of life", and with one pervasive emotion of regret, sadness..as a Son consoles his Mother in the last moments of her life. Rarely does the act of dying given dignity in cinema.
A note about the visuals: Sokurov was attempting a 2 dimensional painterly quality...the film was shot with panes of glass mounted in front of the lens. Japanese oil paints were painted onto each glass to effect the color in certain parts of the frame. Each shot was, in essence a custom made color filter. With the plates angled in front of the lens, the images have a slightly distorted quality....beautiful. Either you'll hate it, or consider it one of those life changing "filmic" moments. On my "top ten" list for the last 10 years. directed by Alexander Sokurov, Russia, 1998. On DVD.

five out of five empty film cans OOOOO

Robert Bresson speaks.....

2005-07-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

"Cinematography, a military art. Prepare a film like a battle."
quote from NOTES TO THE CINEMATOGRAPHER by Robert Bresson. 1975.

An Observation from Comrade Pudovkin

2005-07-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

"Remember the early days of the cinema, when directors were afraid to cut up the visual movement on the screen, and how Griffith's introduction of the close up was misunderstood and by many labelled an unnatural and consequently inadmissible method. Audiences in those days even cried WHERE ARE THEIR LEGS!!?"

from FILM TECHNIQUE AND FILM ACTING, by V.I. Pudovkin, 1929, Moscow

Film Financing Meeting: Find Your inner Santa

2005-07-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

Investors, Producers, Directors...Dip your toes into the world of business plans, investment plans, and general good-time number crunching. Next Tuesday 6PM, 145 Ninth Street at the FAF facility, meeting for the Institute for Intl Film Financing.

More Gasoline for the Fire...

2005-07-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gough (yes, he is related) wrote a book and made a doc about all the things he hates about fundamentalist Muslims and Allah. That pissed off Mohammed Bouyeri so much that when Theo was riding home on his bicycle, Bouyeri shot him six times and slashed his throat. He got caught, confessed, and is quoted as saying "I acted out of conviction and not out of hate. If I'm ever released, I'd do the same again. Exactly the same." He added that his actions were based on "the law that instructs me to chop off the head of everyone who insults Allah or the prophet." It's always the wackos on BOTH extreme sides of the fence that drag everybody else down (and I put doctor killing anti abortion lamos in this category).

Hal Hartley Packs it in, moving to Europe

2005-07-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

A recent post in cinematech revealed Hal Hartley's dissapointment in not attracting a conventional theatrical distributor for his latest film A GIRL FROM MONDAY. Hartley had to "settle" for a Netflix DVD release (I think it's what horror filmmakers are quite familiar with-it's called straight-to-video). Hal, welcome to the good 'ol US of A where you're only as good as your last film....unless you're Robert Altman making ballet movies.
I saw A GIRL FROM MONDAY and listened to Hartley's Q & A at the Roxie months ago.The irony is that from the start, Hartley said he saw his film as a low budget art film--but then he got bad advice and the budget ballooned (kind of like Bush's "advisors" giving him daily doses of reality), and now he's got pissed off investors on his hands. Frankly, I WAS struck at how "arty" the film was for a Hal Hartley film...and how disconnected the narrative seemed. Hartley is a polished writer. HENRY FOOL was extemely well written and nabbed a screenwriting prize at Cannes. If I was shocked at how inaccesible to the masses this film could be (and I like art films)..well..I'm not surprised at what happened.
Anyway, word is that he's going the way of Kubrick, Jon Jost and others to the European wonderland of endless film grants and subsidies (I AM jealous). Well, with all of Hartley's endless references to Godard, wouldn't be surprised to see him running around wearing a French beret, with a baguette under his arm...

QUALITY OF LIFE Director Beleives in the Redemptive Quality of Graffiti Art

2005-07-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

S.F. writer-director Benjamin Morgan works with at-risk youth by day (filmmaker by night..what else?)..and carries with him a 24 hour a day work ethic as well as a contagious passion that graffiti art can heal. That passion spread to established artists, businesses, and small investors. An art auction with donated works kicked off the fundraising efforts, small investors where attracted with screen credits, Chen design kicked in graphics and office space, and Number 9 contributed a big-budget worthy flash web design. Morgan admits the project would not have happened were it not for these contributors (more about the killer graphics and web design in a later post).
An ill timed job layoff (is there ever a good time?) right before production only caused Morgan to redouble his efforts to make the film happen. He comes from the Rodriguez (EL MARIACHI) school of filmmaking.....just do it. Three weeks and $30,000 later, the super 16mm project is in the can, and on the editing table (well..i mean the computer was on the editing table and the media was in the drive..i'm being retro). Editor Sharon Franklin edited a rough cut in three weeks in time for festival entry.
The film premiered at the 2004 Berlin International Film Festival to rave reviews, and eventually landed distribution (an official announcement and trailer is coming soon). Morgan says he has no intention of dropping the ball. He's still working a day job, but spends his evenings on the S.F. October premier and theatrical launch campaign. More on QUALITY OF LIFE later.

WILL SMITH shoots for knockout with PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

2005-07-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

Caught a sniff yesterday from SFist...Will Smith (ALI, MEN IN BLACK) is coming to town. Columbia Pictures and Smith have set up shop in the city to shoot PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. Production will start in August. The feel good drama is based on the true life rags to riches story of stockbroker Chris Gardner. While homeless with his son, and living out of BART bathrooms, Gardner struggled at Dean Witter by days learning the stock trade. Today he's a millionaire with his own firm in Chicago. The story eventually came to the attention of Columbia execs from a 20/20 segment about Gardner. They bought the rights. Steve Gardner (THE WEATHERMAN) wrote it, Gabriele Muccino is directing, and Will Smith is producing and playing the lead...not to be a cynic...well maybe...hope Smith and Columbia give us locals REAL crew work, above and beyond making them burritos, feeding their L.A. faces, and being P.A. gofers...

REVOLUTION SUMMER to Start Production

2005-07-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

Local writer-director Miles Montalbano is about to kick off production for his much-anticipated feature film

REVOLUTION SUMMER

. Montalbano's short film LOVE AND THE MONSTER (shot in 8mm with an amazingly crafted sound design) burned up the festival circuit, and was a personal favorite of yours truly when I saw it at a screening at SF State. A highly original short, straddling the line between horror and social commentary, Montalbano relishes creating genre with a message. S.F. State alum and hottie Mackenzie Firgens (RENT, GROOVE) plays Hope, a disillusioned young woman seeking simple truths in a world of consumerism and self destruction. Love, Murder, sexy Revolutionaries...what more can you want?.......Sexy revolutionary movies to rent to hold you over: Godard's LA CHINOISE, Antonioni's ZABRISKIE POINT, Bertolucci's THE DREAMERS (directors cut).

Bird’s Do It, Bee’s Do It, do American Film’s Do It?

2005-07-06T07:46:00.000-07:00

Is blood, gore, shooting, killing, chopped limbs, and oozing guts better family fun for the American film public than tits, ass, pussy, and dick? Does the American public view exposed genitals as porn or a natural part of being a human specimen? Why do we consider KILL BILL great family fun but freak at the microsecond exposure of Janet’s boob? If a man and woman are boinking at random, why is the woman called a slut? Why is it that the porn industry is the biggest in the world right here in the U.S.?
I like the French attitude toward sex in film: sophisticated and adult. French auteur Catherine Breillat (FAT GIRL, SEX IS COMEDY) explores sexuality like….um….an adult. On a whim, I recently rented a film called THIS GIRL’S LIFE, directed by “Ash” (any relation to single name cousins like Madonna, Seal, Prince is purely coincidental). It tells the story of a woman in the porn biz in LA from her point of view. Ultimately it was about all workers who feel like “whores” and what we do to attain self determination. It was an honest empathetic stab at a subject which is routinely portrayed dishonestly. Refreshing. No blood, just some tits and dicks.

EXPERIMENT IN TERROR: A.D.D. Film Review #13

2005-07-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Way before Dennis Hopper creeped us out with his gas induced weezer breathing in BLUE VELVET, director Blake Edwards (MARY POPPINS!!) made asthmatic breathing the signature of his serial killer in EXPERIMENT IN TERROR. The writing device is adrenalin, and not plot based, ala PANIC ROOM, RUN LOLA RUN, etc. . Lee Remick (i mean her character..heheh) is terrorized into robbing a bank while G-man (did I say "G" man?...meant FBI man) Glenn Ford sets up a sting. The suspense builds to a predictable conclusion, but the ride is wild, with a few interesting twists. And seeing a circa 1962 no 38 Geary bus was cool too. Another major plus: The crook dresses up in drag in one scene. Always a visual delight (rivals Norman Bates in PSYCHO). written by the Gordon's, directed by Blake Edwards. score by Henry Mancini. 1962. B & W. SF noir.

Three out of Five empty film cans OOO

PS: Rumor has it Columbia Pictures is working on a remake.

Fellini Lite?

2005-07-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

L.A. producers Michel Shane and Anthony Romano (I, ROBOT) are hustling funds to make Fellini's "lost" project TULUM. The script outline is based on Fellini's 1980 visit to Mexico, where supposedly bizarre and paranormal events happened while researching the magical lore of the Aztecs. Italian Marco Bartoloccioni is attached to direct. Shane says "It'll be completely far-out, but it won't be an art-house ride. I think we'll do it as a homage to Fellini in the Fellini style, but ACCESSIBLY". Fellini? Accessibly? does that mean more fig leafs?.....damn I luv producer speak.

Michael Hilton's otherworldly ARREARS Wraps Production

2005-07-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

San Francisco graphic designer and filmmaker Michael Hilton wrapped principal photgraphy with DP Nick Anthony for his ghost story feature film ARREARS. The metaphysical, otherworldly story line is as follows: In the life before this life a bond was formed between twin siblings, a boy and girl. They were shown what their life would be like on earth and as a result the boy chose not to come--he is now a fallen being, a demon, roaming earth waiting for his sister to be born into the family that would have been his. Years later, the demon is back, and intent on destroying the family and claim his sister as his own.
Hilton claims no influence from the present day crop of Japanese ghost horror films (perhaps M. Night Shyamalan?), but credits a more spiritual approach to the material.

Hilton's film education is a cornucopia of classes taken from local colleges, CCAC, Brigham Young University, and our own local Film Arts Foundation. His previous short film SCARECROW won a coveted spot at the Rotterdam Film Festival several years ago.

ARREARS is in post production.

Required Reading: SHOOTING TO KILL

2005-06-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

There are tons of useless books out there by so called filmmaking "experts". SHOOTING TO KILL is one of those rare exceptions of a book written BY and FOR film producers. Down to earth, sample budgets, distribution strategies....and written by none other than N.Y. Indie producer icon Christine Vachon....... damn funny read too. find it on amazon.

A.D.D. Film Review #12: DARK PASSAGE

2005-06-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

Bogie in Bandages
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

I must admit a certain weakness....not for noir...but for that surreal subgenre of "people who's faces get completely bandaged up". Films like THE INVISIBLE MAN, Frankenheimer's SECONDS , and Georges Franju's THE EYES WITHOUT A FACE tickle me pink, as well as get imprinted into my permanent subconcious.

Imagine my joy in seeing Bogie in bandages. Solid San Francisco noir. Bogie escapes from San Quentin, determined to find his wife's real killer...of course Bogie ends up shacking up with Bacall (they were actually married at the time), finds the killer, and ends up somewhere far far away (no spoiler this time!) Oodles of SF location shooting. Voted best surrealist film by some obscure French Surrealist Society back in 1951...If that isn't reason enuf to check it out, what is?
written and directed by Delmer Daves. B & W. 1947

three out of five empty film cans OOO

Miranda July Quarantines Herself for Discipline and Productivity

2005-06-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

Miranda July in LOVE DIAMOND
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

OK, OK, I guess it's my turn to write something about Miranda July.
Anytime someone gets so much hype for a first feature I get a queezzy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It smacks of corporate bigwigs and publicists hard at work planning on shoving someone or something down my gagging throat. I have not seen her miracle film ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (opens Friday), but I have read a few interesting things about Berkeley-raised July.
First off, she was rejected twice to the Sundance Screenwriting Lab before finally getting in. Sundance lab director Michelle Satter said "Miranda is a fierce artist. Her work ethic is like no one I've ever seen."

After she scored a Rockefeller Grant, she moved from Portland to L.A. Whereas most people would see this as a necessary evil, July is more philosophical : " It's still really exciting to me to live in such a big place. It's sort of like (in Portland) I quarantined myself, to teach myself discipline and a life that's not distracting in any way, and LA is completely distracting." Did she say "quarantined"?

Satter eventually called IFC Film's Holly Becker (VP of production and development) on July's behalf. Turned out Becker was already a fan of July's performance art piece LOVE DIAMOND which she saw in NY six years before. Don't want to make the financing of the film seem like a snap....it wasn't.. but ultimately....

Talent+hard work+a good producer+Sundance connections+luck+quarantining+a sprinkle of name recognition=ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW

Behind Every Successful Director, is .......a Producer

2005-06-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

Xandra Castleton
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

They don't teach you in film school that professional filmmaking is raising endless kibbles and bits of cash....one excrutiatingly fussy, and cynical investor at a time.....for years.
Thanks to the relentless fundraising efforts spearheaded by local S.F. producer-writer Xandra Castleton, the approximately $1.5 million funding is largely in place for the start of production of the indie comedy FULL GROWN MEN...currently being shot in Director David Munro's old stomping grounds, Florida.
No rich uncles, no real estate to cash in, no trust funds.....just endless preparation, fundraising, business plans........By Munro's own admission, sometimes he feels the need for an MBA more than his MFA.

Yoda Moves Into the Presidio

2005-06-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

YodaGetsMacho
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Lucas is an easy target among bitter, unsuccessful Indie filmmakers. I'm just as guilty as anybody at taking the occasional "Lucas-shot". People of power are tempting targets.
But today I'm going to give George Lucas full credit. Lucasfilm officially moved to San Francisco last Saturday...with the selected invitees "grooving" to Boz Scaggs, and entertained by "summer of love" dance moves by Joan Baez...
Lucas did it. Civic pride and his love of San Francisco made it happen. In his own words Lucas said he had a distaste at the thought of a shopping complex there in the Presidio.
Thanks George. You've accomplished a lot. Your facility cost $350 million.

Thats a lot of indie features (Lost in Translation was budgeted at $3.5 million) But then, that's a topic for another editorial.

Steve Zaillian : The Most Famous SF State Cinema Alum Most People Have Never Heard Of..

2005-06-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

Zaillian2004
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

UCLA has Coppola, USF has Lucas, NYU has "too many to list". There's a lot of local blah blah about how great the SF State Cinema Dept is...but why don't we have at least ONE big name director to our credit?...This may very well all change this December 16.

Writer Director Steve Zaillian, Hollywood mover and shaker, (1975, B.A. Cinema, S.F. State :"go team!" ), will release the much anticipated Oscar-bait ALL THE KINGS MEN (currently in post production). A remake of the 1949 best pic Oscar film of the same name, Zaillian's version will include a knockout cast of Sean Penn (as corrupt Louisiana politician Willie Stark), Jude Law (as investigative reporter Jack Burden), with supporting roles by indie favorites Patricia Clarkson, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, Kate Winslet, and on and on.

Zaillian's credits are.....well......stellar. 1993 Oscar Best screenplay for SCHINDLER'S LIST, Screenwriting credits for GANGS OF NEW YORK, HANNIBAL, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER, and a favorite of mine: FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN (starring a young Sean Penn during his Madonna phase). He directed SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER, and A CIVIL ACTION.

And it all started in a shabby SF State classroom undergrad Cinema 355 screenwriting class...

Director-Writers, Start Yer Engines

2005-06-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

2005Contest
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

The American Zoetrope 3rd Annual Screenplay Contest is underway. This year's contest will be
judged by local boy Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World, Bad Santa), who will award the grand prize of $5,000 buckeroos.

The winner's and top ten finalists' scripts will be considered for option and development by American Zoetrope, Samuel Goldwyn Films, Sony Pictures Classics, Alphaville, Fortis Films, Shangri-La Entertainment, GreeneStreet Films, FilmColony, The Schiff Company, Pretty Pictures, Hart Sharp Entertainment, This Is That, Phoenix Pictures, Number 9 Films, Matinee Pictures, Michael London Productions, and Bull's Eye Entertainment. Polish your Pitch gang! Those writers will be considered for representation by ICM, UTA, Paradigm, William Morris, The Gersh Agency, CAA, and The Firm.

For complete information and to enter, go to www.zoetrope.com/contests. Registration for the early deadline ($30) must be completed by August 1. The final deadline is September 1 ($40).

A.D.D. Film Review #11: D.O.A.

2005-06-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

Frank and "Bobby Peru-esque"Chester
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

You gotta luv that title. I recently picked up Nathaniel Rich's little paperback "San Francisco Noir", and stumbled upon this low budget noir treat. Edmond O'Brien plays a Notary (of all things), who needs a vacation from his annoying codependent girlfriend. What to do? A week in jivin' Frisco is the ticket. Needless to say, he gets more than he bargained for. In a
"jive" nighclub on the Embarcadero called the Fisherman (insane beatnik scene by the way), our hero is slipped a poison scotch and water (or was it bourbon?). And so it goes...who dunnit? why? The plot is twisted and relentless. I especially enjoyed some of O'Brien's running scenes on the streets of San Francisco...bumping into surprised and unsuspecting passerby's---this was definitely shot on the fly, and these were NOT extras (look and learn kiddies!).Director Rudolph Mate.B & W.1950.Available at LeVid

three out of five empty film cans OOO

35mm is oil, Video is water color, shoot 35mm now!

2005-06-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

ArriBL1
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Hollywood Box Office Suckin' Eggs

2005-06-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

HomeTheatre
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

17 Consecutive weeks of box office decline compared to last year. Overall attendance down 8.57% compared to last year. AP poll announces 73% prefer watching movies at home to going to the theatre. CINDERELLA MAN is tanking at the box office, and some pundits are blaming the shorter DVD release cycle ..."I'll wait till it comes out on video" is becoming a mantra. John "Star Wars" Doe buys a $13,000 theatre home system. Like it or not, the industry is undergoing another radical change. Home theatre doesn't mean just a projector and sound system anymore. We're talkin' Cinema Signage, Cinema Seating, Theatre style popcorn machines...the whole enchalada.
Is this good or bad for the low budget indie? Dunno. A home theatre means a family is gonna watch more movies on DVD, as well as order more stuff on-line. This new family trend of sitting on your ass at home may actually give us indies a boost. I'm for anything that levels the playing field.

Welcome to the Hood

2005-06-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

wayansbrothers
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

This just in. The Wayans Brothers (WHITE CHICKS, no comment) are in discussions with Oakland City officials regarding their plans for the construction of a new film studio (tired of L.A., huh guys?). It'd be located at the old army base, and also feature a "gift shop"? Wayans paraphanelia? Whatever works. I can use a White Chicks Tee and a coffee mug.....
P.S. Spike baby, we misssssss you.

Will You Buy My Screenplay?

2005-06-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

Will You Buy My Screenplay?
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

I know a 50 something y.o. screenwriting mom. She has a hipster son who looks cool, but is otherwise useless. She's sold about 4 screenplays in Hollywood with the most being about $30K. Not bad for maintaining a family life and living in the Bay Area. She wrote a marketable script about a teen in a rock band. A production company in LA loved it, and she was called in for a pitch. She walked into the conference room full of late 20 something -to- early 30 something production execs.Their jaws (and enthusiasm) dropped like a lead balloon at the sight of her grey streaks and creeping wrinkles.
A month later she got another call to pitch the project. This time, she added her hipster rocker son as the co-writer, prepped him, and had him make the pitch. Things worked out a lot better.

Tarr's Producer Commits Suicide

2005-06-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

WERCKMEISTER SFR
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

This is the cautionary tale of French producer Humbert Balsan of Ognon Pictures, his devotion to art cinema, and his tragic suicide.

Among many critics and art film aficianados, Hungarian master auteur Bela Tarr (WERKMEISTER HARMONIES, SATANTAGO) is idolized...as much for his dark, slow, depressing East European aesthetic, as for thumbing his nose at every "good marketing sense" convention the film industry has to offer.

Sometimes I kick myself for it, but I reluctantly fall into this miniscule minority of admirers (maybe it's my Russian background, and Communist paranoia instilled in me from an early age). Tarr's uncompromising approach is legendary (WERKMEISTER took 5 years to make and went through 6 DP's ).

Fast forward to the present.The financing for Tarr's newest production THE MAN FROM LONDON took years and years to cobble together. Budgeted at $9.7 million by way of a Hungarian/French/German/UK coproduction, it was joint financed with European Public Funds (thats tax dollars you yanks). Just to give you a perspective of Tarr's marketability, WERKMEISTER HARMONIES UK theatre gross was $34,000. Even our own David Lynch can't get financing above $6 million without giving up creative control.

The biggest contributor to this co production was French producer and Tarr devotee Humbert Balsan (DIVINE INTERVENTION). Now, here's the rub....Since this is government funds , getting the cash up front for production costs is near impossible because the government wants to see the film completed first...catch 22. I can only guess that bank production financing for a project like this was not in the cards. Three days into the shoot, with 30 minutes of film in the can, $2.5 million already spent, and all of Balsan's financial resources tapped out, he hung himself in his Paris office. Monsier Balsan, rest in peace.
There's gotta be a better way.

When's the Last Time You Saw Actors ACT on a Stage?

2005-06-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

t27978akmet
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

San Francisco has a national reputation of some of the best improv and comedy talents anywhere. Director Brien Burroughs knows this full well and was inspired to tap into this goldmine when directing his features SUCKERFISH (available from Amazon) and SECURITY. His approach is simple: A written set of scenes, but absolutely no scripted dialogue. The results are unpredictable and unique. Improv is a learned craft, not something that you let any actor "try" and see what happens. Check out some live Improv Theatre most weekends from Bay Area Theatre Sports (BATS). They have shows most Saturdays and Sundays at Fort Mason.

A.D.D. Film Review #10: THE JUNIPER TREE

2005-06-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

Bjork
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

I’m always happy as a clam making a new filmic discovery. Writer director Nietzchka Keene’s 1990 first feature is a luscious, moody, SEVENTH SEALesque black and white film starring a 19 year old Bjork playing a good witch . The film was shot in Iceland with grant money meant for some other artistic endeavor altogether! (turns out they were a bit annoyed because Keene decided to use the grant money to shoot the film AFTER she got the bucks in her hot little hands. Nice move-a true filmmaker) Anyway, the story is about two sisters orphaned by a mother who was burned at the stake. The bad witch sis pulls a love spell on an unsuspecting Icelandic stud, and things start to deteriorate. It was based on a Grimm fairly tale. Low budget, minimal actrors, minimal locations, mostly outdoors. Keene credits the long festival life of her film to the moody feel and atmosphere …..then mentions that having Bjork helped a bit too. Can we stay reality- based please? Casting Bjork was a once in a lifetime lucky break.. Writer director Nietzchka Keene, B & W, 1990

Three out of five empty film cans OOO

“Mind Tripping at Denny’s”, or ” We Live in a Bubble”

2005-06-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

surrealism and dennys
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

I live and work in the city. On occasion, mostly reluctantly, I leave the city for a film shoot, hike, visit relatives, whatever. Last weekend I happened to be in Pacifica and stopped in at a Denny’s for an omellete. The place was plastered with MADAGASCAR posters and promotional stuff. People in Denny’s are mostly different from the people I normally see in S.F. The table next to me had a family of five. Dad was a wiry, weather beaten construction worker with a fu-manchu. Mom was a middle aged gal with old tatts. The kids wore black t shirts with rock and video game themes plastered on them. They looked exhausted. They talked about pouring concrete. Do these people give a shit about Tarkovsky or Antonioni? I think they were just out for a bit of escape and entertainment … and happy to spend their hard earned bucks to get it.

(ex)Local Filmmakers Nab Distribution for Lesbian Teen Horror Flick

2005-06-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

wildernesssurvivalforgirls
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

In real estate it's location, location, location. In the world of film distribution it's genre, genre, genre. Local FAF Robin Eichman Screenwriting award recepients Eli Despite's and Kim Robert's WILDERNESS SURVIVAL FOR GIRLS nabbed distribution recently. It was a step by step process from the start. Planning a film with marketable genre elements (Lesbian highschoolers go to remote cabin to party but have run in with local psycho-man)was the first step. An experienced crew to max out production values was next (it was shot DV Cam PAL). Acting nabbed them a prize at the Los Angeles Festival, along with a manager and a producers rep. By the time the Denver Film Festival came around, they had the word of mouth, and representation in place to land a money up-front distribution deal with Content Films. Nothing huge, but enough to pay off some credit cards. Despites says:
"Either they like your film or they don't. Awards don't change their minds."
Roberts and Desperites say distributors prefer films that fit nicely into a genre gift box. This makes marketing easier.
With their careers on their way, and lacking film work in San Francisco, the couple made the move to L.A. Our loss, their gain.

A.D.D. Film Review #9:BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ

2005-06-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

stroudmain
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Burt Lancaster was my kind of enigma. One year he's in Hollywood portraying a con turned renowned ornithologist, and the next year he's a count in a European art film ala Visconti's THE LEOPARD (heheh Visconti had to be dragged kicking and screaming by his producers to use marketable Lancaster).
The film is the story of Stroud's remarkable life behind bars, with a subtext concerned with the age old question about penal systems -- is their function to punish or truly rehabilitate? Karl Malden is at his 1950's "ON THE WATERFRONT" best as the prison warden dedicating his life to breaking Stroud's character. A debate between Lancaster and Malden in the third act, about morality and the prison system is worth the price of a video rental alone. For you scribes out there, the film offers a textbook study of an entire film dedicated to a gradual, realistic character arc. And who can resist the occasional Frankenheimer dutch angle shot? It's strange that the film was called BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ....I guess the title "Birdman of Leavenworth"(that's Kansas-where all of Stroud's bird research took place) would not have been nearly as marketable. Aside from a few shots of the Rock from Fishermans Wharf, and a few interior master shots, the film looked like it was all shot on a sound stage.They're usinnnn' us again. Grrrrrrr. directed by John Frankenheimer, written by Guy Trosper. B&W.1962.

four out of five empty film cans OOOO

A.D.D. Film Review #8:GAMBLING

2005-06-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

Gambling11
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

There's an old saying in the film business that the French make films for adults and that Americans make films for kids. GAMBLING's San Francisco based writer director J.P. Allen must definitely have some French lineage. GAMBLING is about a man who's girlfriend goes missing in Vegas. It's one long evening for this guy and the hotel security team assigned to track her down. The dialogue is top notch, and over time I really started to feel the stress of the protagonist. It's the kind of story that happens every day between couples. If you're in the mood for a film for grown ups, buy it. Very French, very Eric Rohmer. www.gamblingthemovie.com directed by J.P. Allen. 2004. Premiered at Telluride 2004.
Three out of Five empty film cans OOO

Peter Riegert: Actor turned Director turned Salesman

2005-06-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

10053247
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Interesting little article in todays Chronicle. ANIMAL HOUSE actor Peter Riegert (now 58-how time flies!) is in town promoting his labor of love film he made called KING OF THE CORNER (essentialy he's self distributing) . It's a jewish family comedy "dark comedy, slice of life"--uh ohhhh-slice of life-does that mean no 3 act structure? . Some notable quotes from the article:
" I was told distributors liked the film but didn't know how to market it"
Translation: We'll pass, we don't market to the 35 on up demographic.
Another pearl:
on making the film "..It's also been a reminder that no one should sit on their ass waiting for the phone to ring"
Well said.

Shoot 35mm now!

2005-06-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

ArriBL1
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Arriflex BL-1, set of primes, 400 ft magazines, and OPERATOR, available for rent...$250/day.Hey, take a class at CCSF and qualify for student processing discounts, Dr. Rawstock in LA for short ends (350 ft at $0.18/ft is not uncommon)--and you're in business. STRANGER THAN PARADISE was shot on the BL-1. Kubrick's favorite camera. Portable, can shoot hand held. A reliable workhorse, now made affordable by yours truly. Leave a comment--I'll get a hold of you.Let's Make a Deal!

A.D.D. Film Review #7: SAW (or when Lions Gate says "jump", Sundance asks "how high?")

2005-06-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

pic1
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

I've seen SEVEN, I knew SEVEN, SEVEN was my friend, and SAW....you're no SEVEN. First, let me apologize for even wasting blog space on this....but maybe we'll all learn something!!!
This film tries so hard to be as scary as TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, as character driven as SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and as visually stunning as SEVEN. The serial killer-horror genre is beloved by Hollywood execs and by most teenagers growing up in the cornfields of the midwest. The genre has produced notable films. This ain't one of 'em.
SAW has bad acting, lame dialogue, and is cliche ridden...it made me more and more pissed as I watched it. Ugh...serial killer wanting to "teach" people (victims) a lesson, so they "appreciate" life ! hahah. Good one.
Aussie director James Wan, and writer-actor Leigh Wannell arrive penniless in LA, trailer in hand. Lions Gate exec sees trailer and sees $$$. SAW gets funded. They shoot for 18 days. Lions Gate gets local Marin-nite Danny Glover to sell his soul (Gawd, I can imagine the pitch...Danny, you'll be like Morgan Freeman in SEVEN!)..Danny, is Marin really that expensive?
Then the coup de grace...Geoffrey Gilmore lets this kaka into Sundance. Have you no morals Geoffrey? Well, I guess when Lions Gate says "jump!", Sundance asks "how high?"...Another coveted "indie" spot in the Sundance line up gone to waste.
The SAW aftertaste was so bad, I had to clear my palate by watching HAXAN.directed by James Wan. 2005

one out of four empty film cans O

A.D.D. Film Review #6:COFFEE AND LANGUAGE

2005-06-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

CANDL
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Unlike Jarmusch's cheeky COFFEE AND CIGARETTES, San Francisco writer-director J.P. Allen's COFFEE AND LANGUAGE is a serious piece of work. One location, 16mm black and white, and a compelling premise. A man reads a woman's novel, and falls in love with her. He meets her in a coffee shop and tries to emote his feelings without looking like a psycho(hey girls! you can relate, huh?). Now, I'm not a big lover of endless dialogue (and this piece was based on a play), but this was so compelling I was like "will she or won't she" the whole time. The film tells volumes about the state of trust and love between the sexes in our jaded world. Like Hitchcock's ROPE, J.P. Allen's COFFEE AND LANGUAGE proves it's possible to shoot a compelling feature in one location--a must see for all no-budget filmmakers. starring Chopper Bernet, Janice De Lucia Allen. directed by J.P. Allen, D.P.- K.C. Smith.2002. available on line from www.gamblingthemove.com

three out of four empty film cans OOO

SFSU Film Finals:My vote for best narrative short-Marisa Stertz's SHADOW OF A POST MODERN DILEMMA (please change the pretentious title)

2005-06-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

and the Cine 101 prize goes to....
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Last night at the Red Vic, I had the opportunity to check out a small part of the SFSU film scene-the FILM FINALS. Not bad, overall. No need to get into all of them here, but for me the narrative stand out was Stertz's "SHADOW.....". Why? because I wanted to see more. Stunning visual style, and great storytelling.The score fed into the mood. A woman bombarded with negative media is afraid to leave her house until a little fairy coax's her into showing some courage to confront and embrace the world.Unique.Not crazy about the title. Since it's silent, I would have liked the editing to hold a little longer on reaction shots. Now for my unsolicited advice!!! To Marisa:
1. Stop dwelling on the successful completion of this short and start on the next project.
2. Shoot a really short video working with dialogue and emotion-you need to beef up those directorial skills. Festivals love no dialogue, money people hate it. I'LL LET YOU BORROW MY CANON GL-1 IF YOU NEED IT!!
3. Immediately write a SHOOTABLE feature script, and start story boarding...
4. Realize that nobody is going to give you money to shoot a feature. Start the journey yourself if you have it in you.
5. Be friendly to everybody.
6. Plan your life assuming you will not get into Sundance.

other notable narrative mentions: Medoway's PLAQUE: wacky Coen Bros type take on a Dental Insurance scam-solid writing and great casting.Natasha V.'s LOVE HURTS about a gay biker Cupid - also great casting.

Dear Colonel Kurtz....

2005-06-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Brando as Kurtz
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Dear Colonel Kurtz,
I'm really nervous. I'm shooting a low budget film (no budget actually), and the only way for it to get noticed would be to make it festival friendly. I need to figure out what people want. Any suggestions?

Want to Make a Living in Film

Dear Want,
It's a tough thing balancing your personal creative process with festival friendly work, and market demands. If you're financing it out of pocket, and you have no contacts, (i.e. you're a nobody), and it's a feature, no distributor will want it anyway. The only thing that you have left is you're creativity and not censoring yourself. Might as well let loose. You have nothing to loose (but have a job backup always!). My feeling is that long term success can only be had when you're true to yourself. Find your voice, no matter how wacky it may be. Even the ugliest girl on the block has an admirer, and so will your film. Hey, I couldn't cut it in the regular army with all those nasty rules, so I just created my own army in the upper jungles of the MeKong. If I can do it, so can you.

Love and kisses, Colonel Kurtz
P.S. Kiddies! Ask Col Kurtz anything in the comments section, and I'll answer you in a future post !"

Zwigoff's ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL on the way

2005-06-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

Zwigoff
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

FAF success story Terry Zwigoff's (Ghost World, Bad Santa, Crumb, Louie Bluie) ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL is due out later this summer. Saw a small clip. Witty, sarcastic, and oozing with social criticism. more later.gotta go install some sheetrock.

Surprise! Cannes actually screens shitty films!

2005-05-31T07:55:00.000-07:00

Partying at Cannes
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Last Saturday I stopped by the Balboa for a Cannes update from SF State Alum and owner of the Balboa Gary Meyer, and Mark Fishkin, founder of the Mill Valley Film Festival.
S.F. Chronicle critic Judy Stone was in the back "Garyyyyyyyyyyy, will you please speak up!" Full of piss and vinegar. She's cool. I've read a lot of Paulene Kael's work, but now that Kael is dearly departed, I'm gonna check out Stone's.

Anyhow, the highlight of the talk was Mark Fishkin's honesty. Aside from talking about the various films, he went a little bit into the innner workings of programming decision making. In other words, the politics of programming. In Mark's words (and I'm paraphrasing) " Yeah, they want one or two films from masters, a couple new things, and they have to show some bad French films". Now, I like Renoir as much as the next guy, but Mark, you rule.
Now, if we can only figure out some way to get our films directly to the people. Maybe Arnold can help....

Narratives can do one thing a Doc can't

2005-05-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

soylent2
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Thumbing through the upcoming Green Screen doc Film Festival brochure, I noticed our very own SF State Cinema Chair Uljaki at the center of things. I remember Uljaki espousing the idea of making a doc as a great way to get started as a filmmaker.
Docs are enjoying unprecendented attention. A medium where low budget video can still make an impact. Hollywood, ever sensitive to market demands, cranks out reality shows. Biopics are being made left and right. "Based on a true story" CINDERELLA MAN is coming soon. AVIATOR, KINSEY...you know what I'm talkin about.

The question is not what's happening but WHY? Is this interest voyeuristic or is reality more entertaining than narrative fiction? If reality is captivating the minds and hearts of the American public, does that say something about the current state of fictional narrative?

I'm not a sociologist, but I know what I like...and one of the things I like best is a narrative with a message about something we all may care about. I remember watching the sci fi flick SOYLENT GREEN as a kid. Another 1970's Hollywood gem. Low brow genre to the max, but it's message was clear. Overpopulation and a lack or resources is gonna happen unless we do something. I like that in a genre pic. Narratives may not be able to compete with the reporting of the present, but with the imagination of the writer- director, they can look into the future. Check out SOYLENT GREEN, starring NRA prez Heston, and Edward G. Robinson in his last performance.

Harvey sez: Problem? There ain't no stinkin problem!

2005-05-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

ThereAintNoProblem
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Waaaaa, I need distribution. Waaaaa, they cut me a shitty deal. Waaaaa, I put in 100K, and got back nothing.

Somethings gotta be done. There are flickers of hope. I don't know much about Customflix except that they packaged the last FAF Festival shorts program in a nifty DVD format. They say they'll package your film, get it out there, and give you a piece of the pie.

What about a collective non-profit in San Francisco who's sole function is to collect, gather, sell, and distribute San Francisco made features within city limits (sell DVD's at every Muni ticket counter). Europeans routinely give grants to feature filmmakers. Maybe the City can help us out on the distribution end. Hey, all those Stem Cell guys are gonna need entertainment... Gavin, you listenin' to me?
Thoughts?

A.D.D. Film Review #5: THE ISLE

2005-05-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

The Isle
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

This film brought art house fame to Korean (that's South Korea, you lay-moes) director Kim Ki Duk. Perfect date movie - gory as heck, ala AUDITION. Beautifully shot, it is a thriller/horror/art house gem. If you hate dialogue, rent this film. Guaranteed to make you quezzy at the sight of live fish and fish hooks. directed by Kim Ki Duk, 2002. Korea. DVD

Mckee coming to give SF screenwriters his pearls of wisdom

2005-05-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

Mckee
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

We all know screenwriting seminars are big business. One of the biggest is Mckee. If you want to know more about him, rent ADAPTATION. He'll be here (Scorcese eyebrows and all) JUNE 9 6:45PM-9:30PM through the Learning Annex (www.learningannex.com)

NYC gay writer director Todd Solondz has balls of steel

2005-05-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

palindromes: alexanderbrickel & sharonwilkins
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

My personal highlight of this year's SF Intl FF was Solondz's (Fear Anxiety and Depression, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness, Storytelling)in depth talk about making his "saddest comedy" PALINDROMES and his writing process. A Solondz film can confront issues of interracial sex, child molestation, abortion and as the writer-director admits, he pays the price. Anxious to start PALINDROMES, and confronting unwilling and skittish investors, he put his own money into the project to get started (by the way, his last three films were profitable).

Solondz writes out of his bedroom office in a small apt in NYC. In PALINDROMES he writes about a young girl who desperately wants to become a mom, and the adult abortion related issues surrounding her. When asked about his influences he says:

"I don't watch many movies, I like to read"

When asked about a classic three act structure and expected protagonist character arc (his lead character wants to be a mommy in all 3 acts), Solondz muses in his wheezy voice:

" I'm not really interested in the character arc of the protagonist as much as the character arc of the audience". Bullseye.

Solondz routinely goes where no man has gone before. I'm straight, and I love that guy.

A.D. Liano takes a walk on the wild side : SEVEN FALLEN OBJECTS

2005-05-26T15:51:00.000-07:00

georgeflower_web
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

It says something about a filmmaker who's favorite director is Fellini. Judging from San Francisco filmmaker A.D. Liano's surreal, black comedic short "Three Cornered Hat", and the trailer for this surreal little nugget, I am not at all surprised. Casting Al Liner as the recently departed George was a Felliniesque stroke of mad genius. I worked as a boom operator on a feature years ago, and saw actor Al Liner operate firsthand...wow. A collaborative effort between seven directors shooting seven dream sequences - Tim Kerns, Thad Povey, DP wunderkind Frazer Bradshaw, John Szabo, Finnian Murray, Alfonzo Alvarez and master of ceremonies A.D. Liano. Score by "Lost in Translation" and "Adaptation" vet Kent Sparling. written by Greg Boyd and A.D. Liano. If you need a fix before this one gets screened, go rent Armacord.

Seven Fallen Objects : in post production

A.D.D. Film Review #4: I AM A SEX ADDICT (SF Premier at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts June 3-5)

2005-05-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

CavehNegotiatingaB.J.
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Late last year, I finnagled an invite to a group screening of Godard worshipper and film theory guru Caveh Zahedi's newest feature "I Am A Sex Addict" at his flat in the Inner Richmond (free food and free wine was an added incentive). I've heard a lot about Caveh's eccentric nature through the grapevine, and had already seen his other films (Bathtub of the World, I Don't Hate Las Vegas Anymore). For you all who know Caveh...Caveh is interested in one subject = Caveh. That's boring. I mean, how many of you want to know about anybody else's life (except if it's a porn star or celeb)???
Regardless, the subject matter intrigued me. After all, our Christian nation is also a nation of Sex Addicts. In a nutshell, this film is bloody marvelous. Funny, snappy editing, great writing, entertaining. Being a "re-enactement" (as opposed to straight doc) of his early struggle with prostitute administered blow jobs gave the film a fictional narrative flourish the equivalent of sprinkling some sugar on your broccoli. Caveh, have you been reading Henry Miller lately? 2005.written and directed by Caveh Zahedi. Premiered at the 2005 Rotterdam Film Festival. COMING TO THE YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS JUNE 3-5

four out of five empty film cans OOOO

Generous George sez see the SFSU Film Finals

2005-05-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

GenerousGeorge
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

For those of you who didn't make it to the official SFSU Film Final shmoozefest, it's coming to the RED VIC, June 2. Last Chance to see the SFSU Film Shorts voted the best by fellow students, or picked by the profs? (never did find out exactly how they're chosen)..AHUM!! George!! If you're listening. We know you wanna make art films now. One of these SFSU grads may be able to give you just the help you need. Filmmaking is a team effort yaknow.

S.F. State Alum Eats Tuna to Make Movie

2005-05-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

Full Grown Men
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

I met S.F. State Cinema Alum David Munro about 6 months ago. He was living off of cans of tuna, scraping together funding for his soon to be produced feature "Full Grown Men"(to be shot in Florida). We talked about Tarkovsky, bemoaned the lack of emphasis on screenwriting among S.F. State film students, and talked money. The "M" word. David's visually creative short "Bullethead" made it into Sundance. The difference is, David leveraged that break into where he is today. But maybe the smartest thing he did, was marry his producer. Smart guy. More later.

Full Grown Men : in preproduction

A.D.D. Film Review #3: THE NAVIGATORS

2005-05-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

A.D.D. Film Review #3: THE NAVIGATORS
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Hollywood used to make films like this in the '30's (King Vidor-The Crowd), and in the '70's (Network). The human toll of a capitalist society - everybody wants safety first, but what happens when youre an unemployed rail worker, and you're forced to cut corners to keep your job? Shit Happens! The acting is top notch - naturalistic, ala Altman. directed by Ken Loach, written by Rob Dawber, 2002, England, on DVD
4 out 5 empty film cans 0000

Wannabe Tarantino at S.F. State

2005-05-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

Brando as Kurtz
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Dear Colonel Kurtz,
I wanna be a director when I grow up, but my problem is not talent (I'm the greatest). It's just that I have no money - I insist on only shooting on film. Can you tell me what to do?
---Wannabe Tarantino at S.F. State

Dear Wannabe,
You have a disease, and every film school, "how to" film book, and film seminar knows it. Here's what you do:
a. rent "Tarnation" for inspiration -the feature was made for $300
b. Write a 90 page script in your screenwriting class - not just the 1st act the prof expects. I don't care if it's crap. Just write 90 pages of stuff you can shoot, and DON'T censor yourself. Nobody's gonna want it anyway, you may as well have fun.
c. Get some actors, a video camera (just attach a decent mic to the thing), a couple crew members and shoot the damn thing with natural light. Keep it simple.
d. Design a nice DVD cover and sell it through Customflix.

You will have finished a feature, which is more than 99% of other Tarantino wannabe's would have done.

e. Bask in your glory, and the knowledge you've gained.

Yours, Col. Kurtz

Those Nollywood Rascals

2005-05-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

pgimage[1]
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Something shocking is happening in Nigeria. Those upstarts are cranking out 20 feature films per week. Here's how it works. Lets say you're an investor (ahum..i mean producer). You give $8K to $10K to a director. 2 weeks later he delivers you a video feature. You have complete rights to it. You run down to the local neighborhood mass video duplication shop and get a shitload of VCD (video compact disk-the format of choice in third world countries) copies made at $1.50 each.You sell 'em like hot cakes all over the markets of Nigeria for $3 a pop. The nerve of these people.

San Francisco Feature Narrative Filmmakers- those scrappy bastards

2005-05-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

Vertigo-Lobby-Card-7[1]
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

I have to admit - when push comes to shove, I'll pick a narrative feature over a doc any time (hmmmmm, forgot about "Tarnation")...Where are the San Francisco narrative feature filmmakers? They're out there ... struggling. There's improv veteran Brien Burroughs (Security, Suckerfish). There's Sundance darlings Mark Decena (Dopamine) and David Munro (the soon to be made Full Grown Men), there's quirky "bare it all, zits and all" filmmaker Caveh Zahedi (with his brilliant new film I am a "Sex Addict"), there's "I ain't gonna give up no matter what" Shireen Daryadelle shooting her first ever film - a 35mm out of pocket financed feature. One thing all these SF filmmakers have in common -- they're scrappy bastards.

Cannes-Jarmusch Alert

2005-05-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

brokenflowers[1]
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

Jarmusch just got the Cannes Grand Prix runner up prize for his new film BROKEN FLOWERS (yeah-I know-prizes don't matter)--but hey-- it stars Bill Murray (pictured here in bed with Sharon Stone!). He gets a letter from a 19 y.o. who claims to be his son, and goes on a road trip to find him. Critics are dissing him for taking a "conventional" approach to this film, and are predicting a mainstream breakthrough.whatever--ever since I heard Bill Murray lecture Wes Anderson on the merits of Red Beard -- he rules! released in theatres in August.

A.D.D. Film Review #2: PITFALL

2005-05-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

dunes[1]
Originally uploaded by moalboalmango.

First feature by Japanese classic "Woman in the Dunes" director Hiroshi Teshigahara. An unemployed miner gets killed, in the midst of a miner union conflict. Part social realism (hey-it's post war Japan), part ghost story (think an edgier Wings of Desire), and part Antonioni-esque alienation-depression saga. Beautifully shot, a bizarrely interesting Shoenenberg-esque score by Toru Takemitsu (think Red Desert), but it does drag a bit, and lacks the emotional intensity of his masterful Woman in the Dunes. Worth a look.Le Video new release.B&W, Japan, 1962

A.D.D. Film Review #1:Best of Youth

2005-05-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

Playing at the Balboa. Two (2) 3 hour parts that go fast. An epic family drama. Great characters. Terrorists, free love, the 60's, birth, death--it's got it all. The best part - the acting. Be warned-part 2 is a tear jerker. directed by Marco Giordanna, Italy

Stop Bitching about Hollywood!

2005-05-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Are you as tired as I am about people bitching about "how bad Hollywood films are and how come they can't make anything worth watching" ?? People, please drink your coffee !! GOOD FILMS ARE OUT THERE. No, don't go to Blockbuster...or Netflix...

You wanna sit on your ass, and order on-line? Go to http://greencine.com/main, and no I'm not on their payroll. If you're
in San Francisco, you're in luck -- LeVideo on 9th and Lincoln is a cinemaparadisimo I love that place.

And if you still dont't know what to rent (Please!! don't judge a movie by it's cover - that is so lame!), then rent Casablanca, Ikiru, Stalker, The Mirror, Mother and Son, Northfork, Blue Velvet, Red Beard, The Grand Illusion, Book of Life, Tokyo Story, Wicker Man, Contempt, Breathless, Suckerfish, Le Trou, Last Life in the Universe, Breathless, Farenheit 411 (not 911), Werckmeister Harmonies, Satantango, Il Vittelioni, L'Avventura, Red Desert, Eraserhead, The Trial, Tarnation, and Straw Dogs. By the way, did I mention Breathless?

Nuf Said.

So You Wanna be a Filmmaker eh?

2005-05-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

Going to film school is a rush. Everybody is caught up in the "I'm the next Tarantino" thing. Even me. It's a creative process, and with most creative processes, it's addictive, you lose track of time........... and reality. You wanna be that thing (filmmaker, director, artist.......)--soooooooo bad. Then you graduate. You're "resume" film is ok. There's thousands of grads but no jobs. You work for free, hoping for a break. You don't want to move to L.A., cuz that's Hollywood (that's the first place you have to go--sorry).

Film Schools, Film Seminars -- that is the real industry it seems. It thrives on dreams, fantasy, instant success, and it doesn't pay the bills.

My advice? Get a degree in accounting, engineering, something technical.......work your film nights and weekends. Take leaves of absence. Work your script in your corporate cube for all I care. It'll get done, and you'll have a nice bottle of Coppola vino waiting for you at home to boot.

2005-05-23T14:22:00.000-07:00