my partner should be somewhere around Wyoming now I'd guess--
thinking about last time==
we'd wrapped a forgettable Teen Movie that shot almost entirely on location in Manhattan & the surrounding burroughs--mid-budget, with too many extras (actually, any more than one is too many, in my book--but I'm sort of prejudiced in that they bug the hell out of me.) the title of the film ryhmes with "Brown Too Shoe" & it wasn't bad as it was written or filmed, but by the time the Studio got finished running it through the meat grinder just about everything that was the slightest bit original or amusing about it was completely squeezed out. (yes, a meat-grinder that squeezes & often sucks-- that's the Film Industry for you.)
(we worked in a curious sub-species of Crew Work known as Craft Service, which is a good way to get involved in Film that guarantees much interaction with Cast & Crew. it'll just cost you your soul.)
more on this some other time, perhaps. after that we spent a week or so dicking around NYC & day-played on what would eventually become Center Stage (I haven't seen it, but I don't think any of the footage shot while we were working ever made it to screen due to problems with lighting for much of the day &, during the one take when lighting, extras, multi-million dollar gyro-scopic camera dangling from a crane anchored to the street with four napping Teamsters,--when all this came together in one beautiful extended take--of course, OF COURSE, there was a flag--a stretched bit of black cloth to keep off direct glare--RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHOT.
the Line Producer, who'd pretty much treated us like shit for the first chunk of the day became extremely ingratiating, realizing that she'd probably need us for another day, at least. we'd already told her "No, absolutely not! No way in HELL" would we do even the one day at least five times before finally agreeing, & told her that she could use the equipment. be nice to it.
we'd also been hired to work on "Shaft" which was just crewing up at the time, & just decided "fuck it" & headed west.
(we weren't particularly good at what we did, but we were fairly cheap. & I think our constant bickering at least kept the crew entertained.)
(I've tried to explain to friends & family what it is we did, but I think to this day they think we were doing Pornos.)
it crosses my mind from time getting Back into it--a different department, locations, props--or if worse comes to worse, something in the Character Actor vein as I have been gifted with a certain sort of twitchy Steve Buscemi-like charm,piercing eyes & a gorgeous, panty-moistening voice, or so I've been told.)
But, of course, what I really want to do is direct..
at the moment, I'm thinking of an adaption of "Monkeys Jumping on the Bed"--picture Tom Hanks as the Doctor, Meg Ryan (of course) as the Momma, & Jim Carrey as all five little monkeys.
it practically writes itself!
thinking about last time==
we'd wrapped a forgettable Teen Movie that shot almost entirely on location in Manhattan & the surrounding burroughs--mid-budget, with too many extras (actually, any more than one is too many, in my book--but I'm sort of prejudiced in that they bug the hell out of me.) the title of the film ryhmes with "Brown Too Shoe" & it wasn't bad as it was written or filmed, but by the time the Studio got finished running it through the meat grinder just about everything that was the slightest bit original or amusing about it was completely squeezed out. (yes, a meat-grinder that squeezes & often sucks-- that's the Film Industry for you.)
(we worked in a curious sub-species of Crew Work known as Craft Service, which is a good way to get involved in Film that guarantees much interaction with Cast & Crew. it'll just cost you your soul.)
more on this some other time, perhaps. after that we spent a week or so dicking around NYC & day-played on what would eventually become Center Stage (I haven't seen it, but I don't think any of the footage shot while we were working ever made it to screen due to problems with lighting for much of the day &, during the one take when lighting, extras, multi-million dollar gyro-scopic camera dangling from a crane anchored to the street with four napping Teamsters,--when all this came together in one beautiful extended take--of course, OF COURSE, there was a flag--a stretched bit of black cloth to keep off direct glare--RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHOT.
the Line Producer, who'd pretty much treated us like shit for the first chunk of the day became extremely ingratiating, realizing that she'd probably need us for another day, at least. we'd already told her "No, absolutely not! No way in HELL" would we do even the one day at least five times before finally agreeing, & told her that she could use the equipment. be nice to it.
we'd also been hired to work on "Shaft" which was just crewing up at the time, & just decided "fuck it" & headed west.
(we weren't particularly good at what we did, but we were fairly cheap. & I think our constant bickering at least kept the crew entertained.)
(I've tried to explain to friends & family what it is we did, but I think to this day they think we were doing Pornos.)
it crosses my mind from time getting Back into it--a different department, locations, props--or if worse comes to worse, something in the Character Actor vein as I have been gifted with a certain sort of twitchy Steve Buscemi-like charm,piercing eyes & a gorgeous, panty-moistening voice, or so I've been told.)
But, of course, what I really want to do is direct..
at the moment, I'm thinking of an adaption of "Monkeys Jumping on the Bed"--picture Tom Hanks as the Doctor, Meg Ryan (of course) as the Momma, & Jim Carrey as all five little monkeys.
it practically writes itself!
Wyoming......
This summer I was reading Barry Gifford's"Wyoming".
A great little book (or even a little big book).
When I think of it, had I the smallest budget I would attempt to make a movie out of it (indie style, of course).
No irony: your journal makes my mind wander. :-)