Talent Doesn't Need An Excuse

Two very talented people; Bullis and Roso on set discussing their work

     I am in the middle of reading one of the best scripts I have ever read.  It is clear, concise, intelligent and relevant.  The characters are interesting, powerful, weak and in constant conflict.  Choices must be made and bad ones must be endured.
     I love this script.  I wish it were one of my own.  When I began reading it; I had just read seven or eight others and this one jumped off the page like a Frazetta hero in dire straits.  I could not put the script down until I had read it through and then I read it again.
     That's what talented people do, they create work that moves you and makes you want to achieve the same results with your own work.
     Talent doesn't need an excuse, it just exists for it's own sake and then knocks us off our feet.  Kudos to this writer, she deserves all of the rewards and accolades her talent will surely gain for her.
Until next time, Filmmakers First.
D

Why? What For?

Two of my favorite storytellers  Tim Littlefield and Michael Givens

     As I've said before, I write every day.  My lap top sits next to my chair which sits next to my desk which holds my mac and various logs and notebooks.  I got one of those Blackberry Playbooks and I write on that as well.  I'll even jot down ideas on my notepad of my phone if the mood strikes.
     No, there's no big Hollywood deal pending, I'm not writing spec scripts for the possibility that someone next to me in line at Starbucks will ask if I happen to have the next great movie concept.  I write because I write, that's the why and that's what its for.
     Last week one of our AOF Alum gave me a call to talk about his new project.  He and his partner wanted to see if I would be interested in showcasing the work at AOF 2011.  Well, since that's the business I'm in, of course I wanted to see the project and hear about what they had done and why.
     We sat in a nicely appointed booth with a large flat screen and mixer and I must say that I spent a little more time watching their reactions to their film then the film itself.  The film looked great by the way.
     I'm not so much interested in what people make as I am about the motivation behind the process, the 'why' and the 'what for'.  See, every project has a story, drama, problems, antagonists and heroes.    Many times, these problems are too difficult to overcome and we find ourselves in a place where we can't go forward with our art.  Other times; delays and issues make the process better.  What remains after all of that garbage is the 'why'.  Why, will either make you go forward or stop you in your tracks.
      I only have one why and that is, it's because writing and creating stories is what I am compelled to do.  I love story, I love film and I love helping people make their stories come true.  One of the most interesting questions that I'm able to ask at Q&As is, 'Why did you make this film?'  Knowing the answer to that question is more than half the battle in creating something worthwhile.
Until next time, Filmmakers First.
D

Writing A New Script

Actress / Filmmaker Sandy Kellerman hiding from the camera
which loves her more than she knows.

     So, I'm writing a new script.  No big deal, I write every day.  Most people who know me know that I have more scripts, teleplays, plays and treatments laying around than I know what to do with.  Recently a friend asked me why I didn't submit my work to the studios or through agents and agencies.  My answer was pretty simple;  I plan to make all of my movies.
     I'm serious.  I've never written a piece that I didn't plan on producing at some point in my career.  With that said, I have done work for hire on shows like Reality Racing, Feelin' Good, The National Sports Schedule, The AOF Channel, a children's script, a couple of scripts for small production companies and a little clean up work on other people's projects.
     The point is, what I write, I plan to produce.  My stories, my movies, my way.  Anyway, the new script is about a bouncer too old to do the job anymore but finds himself forced to do something even harder and a lot more dangerous to maintain his own integrity.  I can not wait to make this film.  I can not wait to tell this story, I can not wait to see it on screen.
     I was having lunch with AOF Filmmaker Sandy Kellerman and she asked the question, "We've heard all the stories, but did we get all the points of view?"  That statement really made me think about my own writing, originality, passion, ability and purpose.  When we write, are we following someone else's process and telling someone else's story or are we telling stories with our own unique, insightful and introspective point of view?  The only point of view -in my opinion- that really matters.

Sidney Lumet

Weston Reading About Director Lumet

     Last Saturday, Sidney Lumet died in New Your City.  The man who made quite possibly the best drama ever filmed, The Verdict, is gone.  Everyone thinks, at least everyone I've spoken to, that The Verdict was Paul Newman's film, but it wasn't, it belonged to Lumet.  Every frame, every angle, every cut and every lingering wide shot that stayed on the actor's faces -which were dwarfed by the expanse of every element included in each frame- belonged to Lumet.
      Where some directors feel the need to make constant cuts and establish multiple locations and hundreds of angles, Lumet could make the dialogue, the acting and the craft pop with a single well composed shot.  In short, he could tell a story anywhere.  From the courtroom where the church's and the legal system's crimes were going to go unpunished to a jaded and washed up attorney's final meltdown in a hotel bathroom, it didn't take much more than Lumet's keen eye and his ability to tell a story to bring every second of the film to life; and to make that life real and unforgettable.  Lumet is dead.
He will be missed.

The Importance of Story

The Author at the Showbiz Expo Listening to a Filmmaker's Story

     In the last few years, the AOF, one of my partners and I have begun placing money with filmmakers and writers so that they can bring their visions to life.  Some of the donations have been small, others much more.  In reviewing the projects, I began to wonder what each of the films we helped out had in common and I was not surprised to discover that of course, it was the story.   Not the story the artist was trying to tell, but the story of the artist him or herself.
     I don't think in any case where we assisted that there was a pitch. It was a simple, 'So, what's going on?' From there, the artist either told us what was happening and we said, 'yes or no' accordingly.  Some times there is a phone call or an e-mail but the process is pretty much the same.
     Which ones get funding?  Well, that depends on the story, but I can tell you which one's don't; it's the ones that don't focus on story, that are either obviously unoriginal, template formatted, or copied from someone else.  For some reason we seem to get those as well.  They are summarily denied.  If 'your' story isn't original, how can the artistic story that you are trying to tell be?
      I'm not saying that you have to have the personality of record executive from the 80's to move ahead but I will tell you that it doesn't hurt to have the ability to sell the interesting things about yourself to your audience, no matter who that audience might be.
     Thanks for reading and to those of you who enjoy film please get to a theater to see the story as it should be seen and for those of you who make film, please, start with the story.

Independent Film: Story is What Matters

Del Weston surrounded by storytellers at the AOF Fest

     Alright, it's time.  I've been waiting to start this blog for quite a while.  It seems that people have the impression that just because they have a camera and a mic, that they can be a filmmaker.  Every year I see literally thousands of films.  Not ten, not twenty, not a few hundred or almost a thousand, but thousands of films: shorts, videos, documentaries, experimental projects and more.  I watch sophisticated films, simple films, films from young filmmakers, old filmmakers, American, European, African and Asian  filmmakers, male and female filmmakers and few who are a little confused about that last designation, as well.

     What's my point?  My point is that filmmaking and writing to me are about story, story, story.  Let's pretend for a moment that a group of us were sitting around a fire, out in the woods, under the moonlight, wrapped up tight and warm in our blankets; holding marshmallows at the end of long sticks.  The group around the fire is very large, fifteen to twenty people.

      Suddenly one of the guests around the fire says, "I have something to say."  She stands up and begins her story.  She creates a mood, a place, a time and she creates her characters: compelling, strong, weak, beautiful, ugly, jealous, vicious and or kind.  The entire group quiets down to listen.  They stop every sound, there is no more nervous movement; coughs and comments are held back.  The speaker allows her audience to settle down as she effortlessly tells her tale.

      We all listen intently.  There is no screen, no HD Camera, no cool glide cam or intricate dolly system.  There is only the story teller, out in the wilderness, surrounded by her audience; telling her story and sharing her dreams.  We listen, without interruption, without doubt and in awe and anticipation of the next word spoken.  In short, we have just gone to church and before us stands our savior.

     That is what filmmaking is to me, it's story, it's character and it's quality.  Film is a religious experience: sometimes when you watch and especially when you make it and your prayers have been heard and your film becomes a reality. The purpose of this blog is to talk about my experiences as a filmmaker, a writer, a producer, a director and the creator of one of the fastest growing film festivals in the world - which has just made the leap to broadcast television.

      I am not against technology but I don't think that just because you spent twenty million dollars instead of twenty thousand dollars that your project is any better or any worse.  I want to talk about story and the process by which we tell our stories on film, digitally or on tape.  For me, how and where you tell your story is not as important as the story itself and I think a lot of us have forgotten about that.

      I hope you enjoy hearing about my experiences and sharing your own.  At present I am exec producing the film SUNNY and RAYRAY, The AOF Channel and The AOF Festival and my short SUICIDE ANNIE is currently on the festival circuit.  If I reach one person or ten million, the messages will still be the same.  Thanks for reading and to those of you who enjoy film please get to a theater to see the story as it should be seen and for those of you who make film, please, start with the story.

D