SAGIndie

–says John August as he moderates part 3 of the FIND Directors Series, a series of discussions between filmmakers, sound editors, actors, producers and more, hosted by Film Independent. I attended two of these events over the last few weeks. Each session had a focus; the first one’s topic was “working with actors” and the second focused on “sound in filmmaking.”

Panel One had crew members from The Blind Side, including Director John Lee Hancock and actress Kim Dickens, along with 2004’s the Alamo actor Jason Patric. What I remember most about that panel is Hancock’s admission that any good director isn’t afraid to say he doesn’t know the answer to a problem. He, Dickens and Hancock discussed problem days when certain scenes just wouldn’t work and how they problem-solved their issues. He suggested time, if you have it, to stop and go back to a particular scene. He also suggested opening a dialogue with the actor instead of trying to diagnose an issue and pick out problems when you don’t really know why something isn’t working. Basically, he believes that honesty can be the best policy when trying to get the right performances from actors.

The second panel I went to had Jeffrey Friedman, one of the two directors of HOWL, a Sundance 2010 film festival opener, and Lora Hirschberg from Skywalker Sound who was the sound editor for the film. Focusing on sound was refreshing since it seems to be one of the lesser discussed topics in filmmaking. One point that I wholeheartedly agreed with was stated by Hirschberg. She said that you should always try to get the cleanest takes while you’re on set. If sound tells you they need one more, you should get one more. The extra five minutes will pay off in the end when you aren’t stuck in a black box with your actors trying to record ADR and recapture that amazing moment that you saw materialize on set, five months later.

But my favorite quote was spoken by moderator John August, whose screenwriting credits include Go and Big Fish. It is also the title of this blog. He reminded me that making a film is a huge feat, but also, that having multiple project ideas in different genres is a good thing. Keep your options open and don’t be afraid to try a genre that you normally wouldn’t. The point is simple: get your work out there and get something made.

You can watch the videos by clicking here or by visiting Film Independent’s website.

Spend the weekend with an unprecedented gathering of over 100 A-List Producers at the PRODUCED BY CONFERENCE, hosted by the Producers Guild. SAG Members and friends of SAGIndie can take advantage of a discounted industry professional rate by choosing package “C” when registering.

Visit the Produced By Conference website or check out the one-sheet below for more details.

All the best,

SAGIndie

Despite my repeated insistance that I would not be seeing Borat this weekend, come Saturday night (back row center at the Vista) there I was. I hadn’t planned on seeing it, at least not before the death rattle could be heard, but the people who invited me are always very fun. Verdict? It was quite funny and entertaining, but not the sort of life-changing funny that people have been preaching on high. And it’s not that I dislike SBC, I loved his show and at one point I was eagerly anticipating the release of this film like everyone else, it’s just that I’m getting increasingly irritated with people that like him too much. It happens every time a character or plot so pathetic and awkward comes around, that we, as a nation, tend to start foaming at the mouth and hug it so hard we kill it. An in the tech-savvy age we live in, it’s become impossible not to be bombarded with hype.

Perhaps it’s not the media hype that I find so grating - perhaps it’s all because everyone thinks it is the most hilarous thing to incorporate Borat’s accent and mannerisms into their conversations. You can’t go anywhere without having to overhear some misguided and painfully unfunny soul botching an impression. Or someone talking about how Borat duped them. Or those wacky radio guys with their wacky morning radio show doing a wacky Borat bit every ten minutes. It’s a possibility that you’re wondering why I am so cranky. I’ve been thinking about that too, and I have come to the conclusion that my sense of humor has evolved into something much greater than anything I have access to, and until people catch up to me, I will have to remain irritated by middle America ruining everything.

(Or maybe I’m just jealous of the fact that my friend Chris H. and I were doing this years ago in college, and never capitalized on it. If you ever run into a guy named Jafky, just play along. I’ll just be over here binge drinking, dreaming about how much money/fame/exotic animals I could totally have by now.)

I know it’s been a while since the indieBlog has been updated. We’ve just been so busy here…there’s always something, you know? It’s so exhausting! But here I am, with the hotly anticipated return of the blog. That’s dedication.

ANYWAY, I bet all seven of you that read this are really excited to know that last night DMG and I had our third date. (And you know what that means!) We went to Filmmaker’s Alliance VisionFest 2006. They celebrated their ninth year last night with a special award for Werner Herzog (!!!) presented by the hilarious Zak Penn. Were I to have a disposable income, I’d hire him to introduce me before I entered a room. Actually, everyone who gave a speech last night did a great job - concise, entertaining and inspiring. After the speeches and the quick awards ceremony, the shorts program began.

I love shorts programs! It’s, like, the ideal cinematic situation for committment-phobes. Worried about liking a movie? Already decided that you don’t like the movie? Never fear! It’s over in 3 minutes! It’s like speed dating minus that weird desperation! Sometimes I think I might like shorts better than features, which is why I am super excited about The Palm Springs Film Festival next week.

When we left the theater, we were greeted by an incredible sight: tables upon tables of glorious food. You guys, this never gets old. You put your game face on, and it’s every person for themselves. As I sampled inhaled (let’s just be honest here) the food, I had to be grateful that no one at any of these functions knows or cares who I am (yet!), therefore making it safe(r) for me to eat like I do when no one is watching. Despite relishing (oooh, relish…) my anonymity, I’ll extend an invitation: the next time you’re out and you recognize me, standing in a corner, cramming sushi in my mouth with one hand, a whole wedge of brie with the second and guzzling my vodka/cranberry with the third, come say hi (instead of pointing and laughing). I’m actually somewhat nice and only moderately condescending. And I promise I won’t bite…unless you have food in your hands.

Dropped by Fangoria’s Weekend of Horror over the weekend. Saw Steve Railsback and most of the cast of The Devil’s Rejects. Ogled the Ladies of The Evil Dead.

High Tension looks good.

The Janitor? Well, they tried.

Didn’t they?

Lion’s Gate had a big presence, pushing Rejects and Tension, as well as Saw 2. They trotted out a Cecile de France sorta-look-a-like, a tall blonde in a bloody t-shirt who waved a barb-wire-topped stick at bemused fanboys. Every hour or so they tossed out t-shirts emblazoned with the logo of Rob Zombie’s latest opus: sadly, all I scored was a Saw 2 postcard and a High Tension pin.

Watched Kelly Stables (The Ring, and The Ring 2) charm a surly crowd of black-clad slasher fans with a little bit of aw-shucks, a whole lot of charisma, and a impromptu version of "Happy Birthday", delivered with style to Tim from the Inland Empire.

Got a sneak peek at the trailer for the hotly anticipated Neo-Drive In flick 2001 Maniacs (shameless plug: shot under the Low Budget Agreement). It stars Robert Englund and some girls with prodigious lungs. The gathered horror aficianados loudly cheered at the imaginative variety of murders portrayed in the trailer, not to mention the cheerfully gratuitous nudity.

No distributor yet, but-

Hey, wait a minute! Lion’s Gate meet 2001 Maniacs, Maniacs meet Lion’s Gate.

Now, about my finder’s fee…

Proving that sometimes rumors actually are true, IFP/LA has renamed itself FIND, completing a much whispered about split from the five remaining IFP chapters (to read Dawn Hudson’s statement on the move, click here). Though unsurprising, this move is sure to make waves in the independent film world.