Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Music Playlist for "The Drive In"
So I'm writing a buddy/coming of age picture and it takes place in 1987 and to bring back memories, images, and situations from that time in my life, I've resulted in loading my iPod with music from around that time. It's crazy because with every one of these songs comes a memory of something- A dance, a girl, a location. Music is such a great way to relive your past. It has really helped me write this film.
The Drive In Playlist (Just for Starters)
1... WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN, The Bangles (Columbia) (#1, Dec 1986)
*2... ALONE, Heart (Capitol) (#1, July)
*3... SHAKE YOU DOWN, Gregory Abbott (Columbia) (#1, Jan)
*4... I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (Who Loves Me), Whitney Houston (Arista) (#1, June)
*5... NOTHING'S GONNA STOP US NOW, Starship (Grunt) (#1, April)
6... C'EST LA VIE, Robbie Nevil (EMI-Manhattan) (#2, Jan)
*7... HERE I GO AGAIN, Whitesnake (Geffen) (#1, Oct)
*8... THE WAY IT IS, Bruce Hornsby and the Range (RCA) (#1, Dec 1986)
*9... SHAKEDOWN, Bob Segar (MCA) (#1, Aug)
*10.. LIVIN' ON A PRAYER, .. Bon Jovi (Mercury) (#1, Feb)
*11.. LA BAMBA, Los Lobos (Slash) (#1, Aug)
12.. EVERYBODY HAVE FUN TONIGHT, Wang Chung (Geffen) (#2, Dec 1986)
13.. DON'T DREAM IT'S OVER, Crowded House (Capitol) (#2, April)
*14.. ALWAYS, Atlantic Starr (Warner Brothers) (#1, June)
*15.. WITH OR WITHOUT YOU, U2 (Island) (#1, May)
16.. LOOKING FOR A NEW LOVE, Jody Wately (MCA) (#2, May)
*17.. HEAD TO TOE, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam (Columbia) (#1, June)
*18.. I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW, Tiffany (MCA) (#1, Nov)
*19.. MONY MONY "LIVE", Billy Idol (Chrysalis) (#1, Nov)
*20.. AT THIS MOMENT, Billy Vera and the Beatlers (Rhino) (#1, Jan)
21.. THE LADY IN RED, Chris DeBurgh (A&M) (#3, May)
*22.. DIDN'T WE ALMOST HAVE IT ALL, Whitney Houston (Arista) (#1, Sept)
*23.. I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR, U2 (Island) (#1, Aug)
24.. I WANT YOUR SEX, George Michael (Columbia) (#2, Aug)
25.. NOTORIOUS, Duran Duran (Capitol) (#2, Jan)
26.. ONLY IN MY DREAMS, Debbie Gibson (Atlantic) (#4, Sept)
*27.. (I've Had) THE TIME OF MY LIFE, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (RCA) (#1, Nov)
*28.. THE NEXT TIME I FALL, Peter Cetera with Amy Grant (Warner Brothers) (#1, Dec 1986)
*29.. LEAN ON ME, Club Nouveau (Warner Brothers) (#1, March)
*30.. OPEN YOUR HEART, Madonna (Sire) (#1, Feb)
*31.. LOST IN EMOTION, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam (Columbia) (#1, Oct)
*32.. (I Just) DIED IN YOUR ARMS, The Cutting Crew (Virgin) (#1, May)
33.. HEART AND SOUL, T'Pau (Virgin) (#4, Aug)
*34.. YOU KEEP ME HANGIN' ON, Kim Wilde (MCA) (#1, June)
35 ..KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF, The Georgia Satellites (Elektra) (#2, Feb)
*36.. I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (For Me), Aretha Franklin and George Michael (Arista) (#1, April)
37.. CONTROL, Janet Jackson (A&M) (#5, Jan)
38.. U GOT THE LOOK, Prince (Paisley Park) (#2, Oct)
39.. SOMEWHERE OUT THERE, Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram (MCA) (#2, March)
40.. LAND OF CONFUSION, Genesis (Altantic) (#4, Jan)
*41.. JACOB'S LADDER, Huey Lewis and the News (Chrysalis) (#1, March)
*42.. WHO'S THAT GIRL, Madonna (Sire) (#1, Aug)
43.. YOU GOT IT ALL, The Jets (MCA) (#3, March)
44.. TOUCH ME (I Want Your Body), Samantha Fox (Jive) (#4, Feb)
*45.. I JUST CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU, Michael Jackson (with Siedah Garrett) (#1, Sept)
46.. CAUSING A COMMOTION, Madonna (Sire) (#2, Oct)
47.. IN TOO DEEP, Genesis (Altantic) (#3, June)
48.. LET'S WAIT AWHILE, Janet Jackson (A&M) (#2, March)
49.. HIP TO BE SQUARE, Huey Lewis and the News (Chrysalis) (#3, Dec 1986)
50.. WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME, Chicago (Warner Brothers) (#3, Feb)
51.. LITTLE LIES, Fleetwood Mac (Warner Brothers) (#4, Nov)
52.. LUKA, Suzanne Vega (A&M) (#3, Aug)
53.. I HEARD A RUMOUR, Bananarama (London) (#4, Sept)
54.. DON'T MEAN NOTHING, Richard Marx (EMI-Manhattan) (#3, Aug)
55.. SONGBIRD, Kenny G (Arista) (#4, July)
56.. CARRIE, Europe (Epic) (#3, Oct)
57.. DON'T DISTURB THIS GROOVE, The System (Atlantic) (#4, July)
58.. LA ISLA BONITA, Madonna (Sire) (#4, May)
*59.. BAD, Michael Jackson (Epic) (#1, Oct)
60.. SIGN 'O' THE TIMES, Prince (Paisley Park) (#3, April)
61.. CHANGE OF HEART, Cyndi Lauper (Portrait) (#3, Feb)
62.. COME GO WITH ME, Expose (Arista) (#5, April)
63.. CAN'T WE TRY, Dan Hill with Vonda Shepard (Columbia) (#6, Sept)
64.. TO BE A LOVER, Billy Idol (Chrysalis) (#6, Dec 1986)
65.. MANDOLIN RAIN, Bruce Hornsby and the Range (RCA) (#4, March)
66.. BREAKOUT, Swing Out Sister (Mercury) (#6, Nov)
67.. STAND BY ME, Ben E. King (Atlantic) (#9, Dec 1986) (#4, June 1961)
68.. TONIGHT, TONIGHT, TONIGHT, Genesis (Altantic) (#3, April)
69.. SOMEDAY, Glass Tiger (EMI-Manhattan) (#7, Jan)
70.. WHEN SMOKEY SINGS, ABC (Mercury) (#5, Sept)
71.. CASANOVA, Levert (Atlantic) (#5, Oct)
72.. RHYTHM IS GONNA GET YOU, Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine (Epic) (#5, Aug)
73.. ROCK STEADY, The Whispers (Solar) (#7, Aug)
74.. WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE, Bon Jovi (Mercury) (#7, June)
75.. BIG TIME, Peter Gabriel (Geffen) (#8, March)
76.. THE FINER THINGS, Steve Winwood (Island) (#8, April)
77.. LET ME BE THE ONE, Expose (Arista) (#7, Oct)
78.. IS THIS LOVE, Survivor (Scotti Brothers) (#9, Jan)
79.. DIAMONDS, Herb Alpert (with Janet Jackson and Lisa Keith) (A&M) (#5, June)
80.. POINT OF NO RETURN, Expose (Arista) (#5, July)
81.. BIG LOVE, Fleetwood Mac (Warner Brothers) (#5, May)
82.. MIDNIGHT BLUE, Lou Gramm (Atlantic) (#5, April)
83.. SOMETHING SO STRONG, Crowded House (Capitol) (#7, July)
84.. HEAT OF THE NIGHT, Bryan Adams (A&M) (#6, May)
85.. NOTHING'S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU, Glenn Mederios (Amherst) (#12, June)
86.. BRILLIANT DISGUISE, Bruce Springsteen (Columbia) (#5, Nov)
87.. JUST TO SEE HER, Smokey Robinson (Motown) (#8, July)
88.. WHO WILL YOU RUN TO, Heart (Capitol) (#7, Oct)
89.. RESPECT YOURSELF, Bruce Willis (Motown) (#5, March)
90.. CROSS MY BROKEN HEART, The Jets (MCA) (#7, Aug)
91.. VICTORY, Kool and the Gang (Mercury) (#10, Jan)
92.. DON'T GET ME WRONG, The Pretenders (Sire) (#10, Dec 1986)
93.. DOING IT ALL FOR MY BABY, Huey Lewis and the News (Chrysalis) (#6, Sept)
94.. RIGHT ON TRACK, The Breakfast Club (MCA) (#7, May)
95.. BALLERINA GIRL, Lionel Richie (Motown) (#7, Feb)
96.. MEET ME HALF WAY, Kenny Loggins (Columbia) (#11, June)
97.. I'VE BEEN IN LOVE BEFORE, The Cutting Crew (Virgin) (#9, Nov)
98.. (You Gotta) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT (To Party), The Beastie Boys (Def Jam) (#7, March)
99.. FUNKYTOWN, Pseudo Echo (RCA) (#6, July)
100.. LOVE YOU DOWN, Ready For the World (MCA) (#9, Feb)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Jeopardy Goes To Asheville Film Festival
The aura of the year of my life which was Jeopardy had some of the best and worst of times, of my professional career into it. From the production spats to the scuffles over post-production direction, by the time the film was finally complete at Christmas of 2007, I was over it. If you weighed the amount of time it took to prep and complete to the amount of time it lasted in the "proverbial theater" or should I say, "psyche of the audience and people involved," there would've been making an analogy to boxing, "A TKO in the 1st Round". But nearly five months after forgetting I submitted this film to festivals at the end of April, the film keeps poking me, reminding me of the film that although lacked story and character, became a cinematic gem that not only was the catalyst to me being able to do this sort of thing full time, but also stamped my presence as a filmmaker on the cusp of a wide open career.
Jeopardy will be playing at The Asheville Film Festival November 12th-November 15th. I am unsure of which night or time as the Program and Schedule have not been published on their site yet. Here is a link to the site. They said all the information was coming soon. Ryan might be making into town for it. Should be fun if he does.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Perfect Format
I've been writing a new film and because I have been spending so much time editing this past two weeks, I can't bring myself to sit behind a cpu monitor those couple hours I get after the kids go to sleep to actually type the screenplay. This film is a little different than my normal high octane, balls to the wall, dark dramas/thrillers, I'm a custom to writing. This one is a buddy picture and really quite simple like films I've grown to love, "Beautiful Girls," "Sling Blade," "Dirty Dancing." So I went to the bottom rack of my CD collection and took every song from the eighties, and as sad as it sounds, it was a lot of them. My story takes place in 1987 at the height of the Iran/Contra affair and is based around a Drive In Theater the week after "Dirty Dancing" opens so I wanted to capture that time in my life by jamming the 80's songs as I wrote. Anyway, so I was reading something on Tarantino where he turned in the first draft of Inglorious Basterds written in a composition book with a Number 2 pencil.... I'm thinking.... Wow, how great would that be. That would make life for the "do it all" filmmaker a whole lot easier. Heck, I probably would write more just knowing that I wouldn't have to translate my chicken scratch in front of a word processing program sooner or later. Maybe when I get the clout Tarantino has, I'll be able to do that.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Tales From The Editing Bay - A Good Scene
It's amazing to me in filmmaking what impresses me. i've shot ALMOST everything you could possibly shoot from one time to another. Some stuff I remember. Some I don't. Some setups took hours to get right. Others minutes-- And you never know from one shoot to the next what is going to turn out and not. In B.A.K, there was two weeks of weariness, lack of resources, harsh sun light and terrible audio. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Some scenes I smiled about when they were done. Others I pissed on. This scene was the LAST scene we shot and by this time I was indifferent to any of my aesthetics. Today in the editing room, I actually looked at this scene for the first time and there was just something about it. I can't tell you what it is. The lighting isn't perfect, the audio is horrendous but there is just something about this scene that I love. Ten minutes into the cut of the film, this is my favorite scene "look wise" so far.
Tales from the Editing Room - Jeopardy Tie In
Until I started cutting B.A.K, I had forgotten that we had incorporated Jeopardy into the film. Sure we had a problem with licensing so we could not use a "real" newspaper, but we thought it would be rather cool to use this newspaper because it's almost like the little city of Metro/Harbor City would live on and while B.A.K like Jeopardy, all happens in real time, it means this woman who is reading this paper is actually reading it the day that paper came out which means during the climax of the kidnap heist Brian, Art, Slow and Hannah (of BAK,) are in the middle of later that night, across town Henry is chasing Dana through the city streets. I find it kind of cool that, that paper ties in two separate stories transpiring the same day in the same city.
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