Ok, so after I followed my first group of people, and sat down doing free writes on the set up, I wrote up a draft.  It was filled with Action!  And Suspense!  And Crazy Plot Twists!

Also, it was terrible. Read the rest of this entry »

I woke up from a light sleep to the sound of kids playing outside my fire escape.  It was probably 10 or 11am, I had no sense of the time, but it felt late.  I looked over at Lisa who was still asleep next to me.  She was naked, save for the sheet that was wrapped indiscriminately around her waist and legs.  A light dew of sweat coated her forehead and had matted down her hair.  In short she looked lovely.

I got up, started to put on a pair of boxers but then thought better of it.  I wanted her to wake up to me naked.  It wasn’t a logical thought, but I figured I would start being physically naked around her and ideally transition that into being emotionally naked too.

When I got up, I went to the kitchen, which was messy, and removed the rags that surrounded my coffee maker.  There were all manner of fabric swatches, paint brushes, and knick knacks in this studio.  Considering how much time I spent here it should have been cleaner, but I’ve never been one for neatness.  I started to brew a pot of coffee.  While I waited, I went back by the window, lit a cigarette, and propped myself up on the ladder by the foot of my bed.  I just stared at Lisa, aware of my good fortune.  Here was a woman, lithe, young, youthful, in my shabby excuse for a home.  She had stayed up late letting me paint her, reading, allowing for bad jokes and smiling.  I was very lucky.

When she started to stir, she immediately smiled at me.  Her cat like yawn emitted the most repulsive morning breathe, but at least for this morning, she was mine.  I crawled back next to her, and wrapped myself around her body, the heat making us stick together.

It was nice.

How do you write a movie?  I’ve written a few¹, and all I can safely say is that each one required a significantly different approach.  Actually, I could say that for most of the stories that I’ve worked on.  There are tons of books on writing movies, some that are very interesting, but I have a guttural reaction against treating writing like a formula.  Plus there is something really exciting about making up the rules for the project at hand.  But to show what a complex and didactic person I am, here is the formula I used to write this movie:

Step 1: Research

One of my favorite writers, Jonathan Ames, has this short story that eventually became the TV show Bored to Death, where the Mr. Ames as himself puts an ad out on craigslist to become a private detective because he’s, well, bored.  He talks about how early in his career he would put himself in awkward situations  as a way of coming up with new ideas.

Now, that’s a great idea, and for me a really inspiring one.  The thing that really struck me in this short story was how you could become a character.  Sort of like what attracts me to Sophie Calles art.  By using research and writing as the hook, you can live inside the work as you make it.

So like Sophie Calle, my first step was to follow people.  Read the rest of this entry »

^{1 ©Weegee: Lovers with 3-D glasses at the Palace Theatre (Infra-red), 1943.}

So, I have been working on a feature film.  An original script, the first that I’ve written alone.²  The project is a small affair for me to direct, and I realized lately, I’m very inspired by people who show a transparency in their work.  I decided that as I start to make this feature, I’d use this space a place to talk about influence, and also to show where I am in the process.^{3 Read the rest of this entry »}

Comedy

by Chioke Nassor (duh.)

The first time I ever did stand up I got punched in the face.

I was about 23 or 24, and I’m not exactly sure what made me decide to go on stage. I do know I really loved, and still love standup. I mean, comedy in general is one of the great loves of my life. I used to tape old episodes of SNL, and Seinfeld, comics on Comedy Central, and just transcribe their jokes. For no reason whatsoever. I never showed it to people, or tried to get laughs by reciting the material. I just wanted to be close to it. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to Channel 101 for making a space where this can get major (and totally deserved) props. And big ups to Brett Weiner and his awesome mom!

When I was in college I remember staying up all night and reading the Robert Rodriguez book Rebel without a Crew, and it was really inspiring. To have the ability to make a movie with little money and be really self reliant was something I could totally get behind. Also, at the time I was in film school being inundated with auteur theory so feeling solely responsible for something had a certain narcissistic charm to it. So much so, that it took me years to realize how much harm I was doing to myself as a creative person.

See when you make something by yourself, there is a tacit thrill of knowing you are the maker of your own destiny.  Which is great!  And it’s fantastic to learn the technical skills to make something all the way through.  But what I also found was that my work was increasingly becoming harder to make.  I was tired a lot.  And began to feel frustrated whenever I had a new project to undertake.  And at the end of the day, when I’d finish something, I’d be so exhausted by the process, making a concerted effort to put it out there seemed both self centered and frankly, too much trouble.  I was having a one on one conversation from me, right back to myself.

A few years after doing this sort of uphill battle, I went on a trip to Mexico and met an expat there.  Somehow we started talking about work and the creative process, and he mentioned that when he graduated from Cooper Union, the keynote speaker (a famous painter who’s name I forget) told them the secret to success as an artist.  So immediately I was hooked.  I said: “what is it?!”  And he replied, “it’s so simple, you probably won’t take it seriously.”  And he was totally right.  But I’ll pass it along anyway: Read the rest of this entry »

A few years ago I worked as an editor on a tour documentary about Sting with Anthony Mathilde, a fantastically talented filmmaker.  We used to have this philosophical split about how to structure the information; Anthony preferred to have tour docs play out chronologically, whereas I am more inclined to let narrative structure the order of the film.  Both have merits, and considering how many tour docs Anthony had made (one for David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, and Genesis respectively) his ideology won out.  Also, he was the director, so you know, there’s that.

Cut to a few year later when I was making my own tour doc about TV on the Radio, I decided to try out the theory that I had.  Recently, we had a preview screening and I was able to show Anthony my doc, and in essence, continue our conversation about how we like to make films.  I don’t necessarily think ours was an argument that can be won¹ but to challenge each other by trying new things was a really exciting revelation.

I recently read a fantastic New York Magazine article about Louis CK, who is one of my favorite comedians, and an inspiration as a filmmaker.  He talked openly about disliking the crazy fast paced style of 30 Rock. And his show reflects his aversion.  He was quick to point out that while he admires the talent of Tina Fey, it’s just not for him, which is democratic but also pretty cool when you get to the root of that statement: Rather than just complain about why something sucks and how it should be a different way, he just made his version different. Now, I like both of those shows, but I LOVE how there is this sort of tacit conversation that comes about simply by making things.   Read the rest of this entry »

Have you guys read the New York Magazine Article Roseanne wrote about the process of making her sitcom? It’s pretty incredible.

Thanks to Sidesplitter for the heads up!