Match Director's Blog
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
२००९ Update
Stories from the wild world of commercial production.
Scene 1 - Overheard on walkie talkie:
1ST AD: Can you bring Pete to set?
2ND AD: Which Pete?
1ST AD: Pete to set, please.
2ND AD: Which Pete?
1ST AD: Um, hold on. OK, Pete S.
2ND AD: Which Pete S?
1ST AD: Bob, just bring him.
2ND AD: Bring who? Which one?
1ST AD: How many Pete S's-
2ND AD: There are three!
Scene 2 - Overheard at the craft-services table:
ACTOR: I'm gonna be RICH!
ACTOR 2: No, you're not gonna make shit, because you waived your residuals.
ACTOR: What does that mean?
ACTOR 2: It means you're not gonna make shit.
Scene 3 - Witnessed on set - a narrative
Place: Outdoor corporate plaza in Westchester.
Time: Early morning
The whole shot is this insert shot of a spilled coffee cup on the sidewalk. That's the shot - the spilled coffee, the coffee cup, and a guy's shoes - that's all we're going to see, so we're waiting for the actor to get the right shoes on. Now, the Art Department has spent an hour and a half on the coffee cup and the spilled coffee, but we need the shoes to complete the mise-en-scene, so we're set up, thirty people standing around, waiting for the actor to get out of wardrobe, staring at this coffee cup, and we're all very proud of how good it looks, how artistic, how REAL.
In walks the park janitor. He stops. He takes in the scene. He sees all of us, sees the coffee cup, looks at all of us again, looks back at the coffee cup. He rolls his eyes, and you can almost hear him thinking out loud. 'I mean, I know I'm the janitor, but are you people really that helpless? It's one coffee cup. NONE OF YOU knows what to do? NOT ONE OF YOU is willing to get his hands dirty? Do I have to do EVERYTHING? Fine, I'll clean it up. If y'all are just that BAFFLED, if you're just that HELPLESS, I'll pick up the stupid coffee cup.
The janitor makes his move.
Poor guy didn't stand a chance. Thirty people said, all at once, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa!' and six people instinctively stepped into his path, to block his movement, to physically restrain him if necessary, to prevent him from touching anything.
As they're carrying him off, he's shouting it's his job to keep the plaza clean, and "The coffee's not even HOT any more!"
Funniest thing I saw all day.
But I digress...
Some of you know I'm producing the 48 Hour Film Project in New York this year - it's a great project - I've done it six times as a director/actor etc and it's a great creative experience - really gets the juices flowing. It's a mad, mad weekend, but at that cast party is the most well-deserved beer you will ever drink.
Details below:
Registration is now open for the New York 48HFP, the first and biggest timed film competition in the world
May 29-31, 2009
http://www.48hourfilm.com/newyork
Make A Film in 48 Hours!
The 48 Hour Film Project brings filmmaking teams together to make a movie from scratch. Each completed film is guaranteed a big-screen screening in front of a full audience at NYU's Cantor Film Center.
To be part of the 48HFP, you must register online at:
http://www.48hourfilm.com/newyork/
The winning New York team will compete against other films to represent New York at the 48 Hour Film Project's Filmapalooza – our international screening and awards event. This year Filmapalooza is at the NAB Show in Las Vegas in April, 2010. International winners screen at Cannes.
Entry in the project is first come, first served, and last year we had to turn folks away, so enter today!
http://www.48hourfilm.com/newyork/
Questions? Email New York Producer David Stott at newyork@48hourfilm.com
We look forward to seeing you.
Happy spring,
David
Scene 1 - Overheard on walkie talkie:
1ST AD: Can you bring Pete to set?
2ND AD: Which Pete?
1ST AD: Pete to set, please.
2ND AD: Which Pete?
1ST AD: Um, hold on. OK, Pete S.
2ND AD: Which Pete S?
1ST AD: Bob, just bring him.
2ND AD: Bring who? Which one?
1ST AD: How many Pete S's-
2ND AD: There are three!
Scene 2 - Overheard at the craft-services table:
ACTOR: I'm gonna be RICH!
ACTOR 2: No, you're not gonna make shit, because you waived your residuals.
ACTOR: What does that mean?
ACTOR 2: It means you're not gonna make shit.
Scene 3 - Witnessed on set - a narrative
Place: Outdoor corporate plaza in Westchester.
Time: Early morning
The whole shot is this insert shot of a spilled coffee cup on the sidewalk. That's the shot - the spilled coffee, the coffee cup, and a guy's shoes - that's all we're going to see, so we're waiting for the actor to get the right shoes on. Now, the Art Department has spent an hour and a half on the coffee cup and the spilled coffee, but we need the shoes to complete the mise-en-scene, so we're set up, thirty people standing around, waiting for the actor to get out of wardrobe, staring at this coffee cup, and we're all very proud of how good it looks, how artistic, how REAL.
In walks the park janitor. He stops. He takes in the scene. He sees all of us, sees the coffee cup, looks at all of us again, looks back at the coffee cup. He rolls his eyes, and you can almost hear him thinking out loud. 'I mean, I know I'm the janitor, but are you people really that helpless? It's one coffee cup. NONE OF YOU knows what to do? NOT ONE OF YOU is willing to get his hands dirty? Do I have to do EVERYTHING? Fine, I'll clean it up. If y'all are just that BAFFLED, if you're just that HELPLESS, I'll pick up the stupid coffee cup.
The janitor makes his move.
Poor guy didn't stand a chance. Thirty people said, all at once, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa!' and six people instinctively stepped into his path, to block his movement, to physically restrain him if necessary, to prevent him from touching anything.
As they're carrying him off, he's shouting it's his job to keep the plaza clean, and "The coffee's not even HOT any more!"
Funniest thing I saw all day.
But I digress...
Some of you know I'm producing the 48 Hour Film Project in New York this year - it's a great project - I've done it six times as a director/actor etc and it's a great creative experience - really gets the juices flowing. It's a mad, mad weekend, but at that cast party is the most well-deserved beer you will ever drink.
Details below:
Registration is now open for the New York 48HFP, the first and biggest timed film competition in the world
May 29-31, 2009
http://www.48hourfilm.com/newyork
Make A Film in 48 Hours!
The 48 Hour Film Project brings filmmaking teams together to make a movie from scratch. Each completed film is guaranteed a big-screen screening in front of a full audience at NYU's Cantor Film Center.
To be part of the 48HFP, you must register online at:
http://www.48hourfilm.com/newyork/
The winning New York team will compete against other films to represent New York at the 48 Hour Film Project's Filmapalooza – our international screening and awards event. This year Filmapalooza is at the NAB Show in Las Vegas in April, 2010. International winners screen at Cannes.
Entry in the project is first come, first served, and last year we had to turn folks away, so enter today!
http://www.48hourfilm.com/newyork/
Questions? Email New York Producer David Stott at newyork@48hourfilm.com
We look forward to seeing you.
Happy spring,
David
Labels: नीक न्यू यार्क न्यू यार्क सिटी फ़िल्म फिल्म्माकिंग डेविड stott
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