The big pitch

Morning on the script - we are making great progress.

Sophie was waylaid all morning as her pal was involved in a car crash.

Afternoon we all pitched our projects to the DPs, Editors and Production Designers. Real range of stories, from sharp idea to verbose delivery.





“She Cried Alive” – DP, Prod Design & Editors

Team Introduction:
Producer – Sophie Watts
Script – Adam Benic
Director – Martin Stitt

Genre:
Drama – a modern ‘day beauty and the beast’ exploring the idea of ‘is beauty internal or external’

I am not going to tell you the whole plot, scene by scene. What I will outline is the essence as that is what we need your three disciplines to understand and help bring alive.

Synopsis:
Abby Hunter (30s) is a lawyer, and a good one. Cool, detached and successful. In a male dominated environment she plays by their rules and wins. But underneath this bravado, she hides a scar, one, which she closes off through her work. That is until one night out, drinking with the guys from the office, she meets Steve a doctor. Like Abby he works hard, but when off duty he doesn’t want to be reminded of work. She is smitten but the scar she bares, hidden from daily view, stop her dead. But Steve doesn’t give up easily.

He finally wins her confidence. In the climax of the film Abby opens up allowing her tough façade to be vulnerable, revealing the scars from the mastectomy. It’s the moment of choice for Steve. He looks on at the scars….they remind him of work and he leaves Abby alone once again.

This is a story, which aims to touch an audience. For the men – would you stay or leave. For the women – could you be so vulnerable or would you hide or get plastic surgery?

Comparable films: 21 Grams, Crash and Lost in Translation

Hooks:
DP & Production Design – Location Shoot. Four key locations: Strip Club, Office, Two Flats (Abby and Steve’s) and one side location, a hospital corridor. Time critical. Real challenge to achieve the stories requirements within the allocated production schedule.

We are looking for a strong DP, who can pre-plan meticulously, this is critical so that when we are on set he or she will be confident, creative and effective within a tight schedule.

We are looking for a Production Design who can sculpt existing locations to enhance the story and support the character’s needs. Multiple locations will proving taxing.

Visual influences are Edward Hopper and Donald Judd.

Framing wise - think symmetry versus asymmetry.

There is colour outside her life but not in it.

Musical influences:

Stone Roses – I want to be adored (start of film)
Beck – Broken Drum (end of film)
Jeff Buckley – Mojo Pin (end of film)

Editing – An emotional narrative. Told through the cut. The script is sparse on dialogue with the core of the story being told through action and looks. We are looking for an editor mature enough to read the emotional flow of a narrative and spot, in a performance, the critical moments and thoughts.

In summary this is an ambitious story, which we feel will stretch individuals who have industry or strong college experience.

Boot camp production.

Morning spent on the script with Adam.

Boot camp introduction - basic production stuff.

Had coffee with Heather who is on the Editor Program. Originall from NY. She was a production co-orinator for David Fincher when he produced the BMW series of films. So she has worked with Wong Kar Wai, John Woo, Tony Scott etc. Fun conversation.




Back to the AFI where I discovered I could not find my key. Two hours of scrabbling around trying to find them. Nightmare! Then one of the staff handed them back to me. The usual - I had left them in my car!

Gill Dennis part 3

An extraordinary morning. Gill had Sara Sugarman go through his process of recounting her saddest, shameful, most terrifying, most angry and most joyful times. Her emotional honesty was overwhelming and what came out were the most moving, exciting and riveting stories. I am so pleased this is the AFIs approach to story - emotional honesty.



Afternoon - script development with Tom Rickman (nominated for an oscar for the 'Coal Miners Daughter'), head of the script writing faculty. Adam's script came in for some heavy critique as we identified key weaknesses: poor POV, tell not show, very verbose dialogue which sounded like 22 year olds and left no insite into character. All for the benefit of the story.

Sat down with Adam in the afternoon and the two of us worked through the script beat by beat. Had a fantastic breakthrough for the male character in the story 'he doesn't want to be reminded of work when he is at home.'

Adam disappeared off to rewrite the first two scenes.



Evening session. Talk given by:

Producting: Neil Canton ('Back to the Future' 'Witches of Eastwick')

Directing: Jim McBride ('Breathless' 'The Big Easy' 'Great Balls of Fire' 'Six Feet Under')

Cinematography: Steven Lighthill ('Vietnam War Story' 'Nash Bridges')

Production Design: Jospeh Garrity (designed all Christopher Guests Films)

Robert Boyle: born 1909 - was the Production Designer for 'The Birds' 'The Thomas Crown Affair' 'Cape Fear' and 'North by North West' - the man is a legend!!

Robert Boyle, after a few anecdotes re the performances of various species of birds in the Hitchcock Film, incidentally crows are meant to be exellent to work with whilst Seagulls are greedy, he went on to outline the key info Production Designers need to know before they can fully contribute:

1 - Economic - rich, poor, new money or old etc
2 - Attitude towards money - hoarder, spender etc
3 - Social Status
4 - Relationships - family, job, friends etc
5 - Education - school, university, street
6 - Sex - hetero, homo
7 - Physical/Mental Capability
8 - What do they do? - work, hobbies, interests
9 - Ethnic - race, religion, origin
10 - Geographic
11 - What do they do with the environment - do they change the environment or does the environment change them
12 - Politics

Afterwards, spent the evening with Nick Quinn. Another Brit! Oh also bumped into Edd Lukas a Brit cinematographer in the second year. Previously at the LIFS, wasn't impressed with that school but loving the AFI. Nick and I went for a bite to eat then a couple of sherbets at the Dresden in Los Feliz Village. An old 60s looking joint with piano and crooners. Nick originally studied music, playing in a band in Manchester - but it never happened, and his family insisted he found a job. So started off editing at a betting chain. Over the next 10 years went from strength to strength editing a host of UK TV. We put the worlds to right.

Back at 1.30 Received e mail from Adam with the first two scenes rewritten. Smiled. They are very strong.

Gill Dennis part 2

Tuesday morning. Second round of Gil Dennis. This time we looked at the POV of the scene and why it is a particular characters. Also framing came up - a figure is dominant if they are on the LHS of the screen and submissive if on the LHS, as our eyes read left to right.

Script development in afternoon and Adam off to write the second draft.








Evening watching the LA Dodgers versus Washington. Dodgers won 3-2 - exciting game. Spent the evening with Tal Lazar and Israeli DP and Benji Bakash a US DP. So lots of shoot stories. Tal is very interesting with some great travel experience. Benji has worked as an ENG,

Back home at 10.30 Read second draft. Needs work. A lot.

I walk the line......

Morning spent working on the development of our first short. Then in the afternoon the start of a special treat, three sessions on story given by Gill Dennis the co-writer of 'Walk the Line.' An inspiring session, the key point being explore the 'emotion' as sadness and shame lead to terror and terror being the back story to joy.

Spent the evening with the cinematographers. The home and a taste of the UK, funny how out here I end up watching a BBC production of the Cambridge Spies. Very nostalgic.

It rains in the desert

Great news - four people walked out from the screening of 'What Does Your Daddy Do?' in Palm Springs. They found the film too difficult to handle!

Two hours east of Los Angeles - Palm Springs - a surreal green oasis in the desert. The town looks as though its in a 60s time warp, full of modern American architecture, manicured lawns, five lane streets with few cars on them, and the inhabitants primarily in the retirement bracket.





Attended a talk by John Dahl (director of Red Rock West, Rounders etc) He kept harping on about his time at the AFI - very encouraging.



One of the mainstay industries in Palm Springs - for the ever youthful



Sun dies behind the desert mountains which over hangs the town.



My $40 roach motel - amazing how photographs can make a run down place look good.





Andrea Thornton (produced 'Hooded' with Bennett McGhee), Steve (writer/actor of fluffy) and Mal Woolford (Haresh Patel did the sound for his two films). Oh James Woods was also at the party - shame I thought it was Geoffrey Rush! Zoe Ball was also there as she had produced a film in the competition.




God knows where they get their water from - the place is perpetually being sprinkled. The heat and humidity was extraordinary and overpowering.



If I ever get homesick then I can always come to this typical English establishment.




I stopped to photograph these amazing windfarms outside the town. The wind howled down the valley, there were few clouds in teh sky whilst the sun beat down. Then it started to rain, fat globules of warm water. Really weird, like being in a sauna when it rains. But where did it come from?

Take the money and run

The whispers of nervous small talk as hung over students registered for their respective courses. Just like being back at Oxford! So - hand over your money, hand in two story treatments, get your photo taken and register for a car pass.

So some of the chracters on the course:



OMAR SAMAD - originally from Pakistand but moved to New York at a young age.





COURTNEY STEPHENS - originally from San Francisco - on the screenwriting course - spent time in India and more importantly Nepal. Pitched a short about giant marrows injected with sperm!



NICK QUINN - Rule Britannia! Brit from Manchester, has been working as a TV editor for the last 10 years. Has even cut "Jim'll fix it!"



MIRIAM GILBERT - producing fellow from Massachusetts.



HARRISON YURKIW - Production design from Canada.



VALENTINA AVAYU - directing fellow from Santiago Chile



Bryan Jeffrey Croes - married with wife in town - from Minnesota - Producing fellow




Introduction to the school



SHEILA SULLIVAN - Vice Dean - opening address. We were told to have 'the courage of our own peculiarities'

So after all the formalities we were quickly split into four groups of 8 Directors, 8 Writers and 8 Producers. We each pitched our two story ideas and then left alone to form groups - nightmare for everyone involved!!

Oh our Directing Mentor for this process was Peter Markham. His CV as posted on the AFI website reads as follows:

Peter Markham - Holds a B.A. in Drama and English from Hull University in the UK with First Class Honors. Markham served as first AD on TRULY MADLY DEEPLY. After graduating from the BBC Director's Course where his final project, THE TABLE, was developed with and written by Anthony Minghella. Markham directed the extensive second unit on THE ENGLISH PATIENT. He directed THE CORMORANT and directed second unit on GANGS OF NEW YORK for Martin Scorsese.

OK so after an awkward time, teams were formed. I am with Sophie Watts and Adam Vincent Benic.



ADAM VINCENT BENIC - his cv from the alumni handbook is:

Adam is a recent graduate of Fordham University with a BA in
Communications & Media Studies. While at Fordham, he studied
film and screenwriting, and minored in Creative Writing, commut-
ing to the university’s Manhattan campus from his native Long
Island. He has worked for the independent film distributor and
production firm, ThinkFilm Company, collaborating closely with
those who brought award-winning films such as HALF NELSON
and SHORTBUS to the screen. He has also written film reviews for
the Brooklyn-based, NYC culture guide, The L Magazine, and was
a contributing writer and Poetry Prize winner for Fordham’s literary
journal, Red Rover.

We have a week to beat our scipt into shape and pitch to the DPs, Production Designers and Editors.

Ended up going for one of my ideas called 'She Cried Alive' A modern day beauty and the beast story.

Welcome Party - AFI

Our welcome party:

Wednesday, August 22nd, 8-10pm
Geisha House (upstairs in the Moon Room)
6633 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
(www.dolcegroup.com/geisha)

Amazingly diverse group of people. Fun evening, overwhelmed by the varied student base. Everywhere in the US seems to represented from Alabama to Hawaii. There are Germans, Israelis, Koreans, Japanes and a good basting of Brits!

DMV - moments of nausea

How can such an insignificant place cause so much pain and anguish? DMV Hollywood. Taking a driving test is a pain in the ass at the best of times. But when they make you queue up in the blazing sun for over an hour with your engine switched off, thus no air con, and you have to stay in your car, well all I can say is I hope your deodorant is effective. Twenty minute trip round Hollywood. It's such a leveller with all the power in the hands of the assesor - thank fully she was having a good day - I passed but not without a warning that I cornered too fast. I don't think I ever went over 30mph as I was so intent on getting through!



Popped into the AFI, a few outstanding issues to complete, mainly selection of a medical insurance package. After free health this really is a conundrum and an expensive one. To date no one has been able to clearly explain the best policy for me. So spoke to Kennedy Taylor in New York yesterday and he pointed me in the direction of his broker. So she has sent me a number of packages to look at and we will go from there. Seems the most appropriate is with Blue Shield.


Lynn Mazzucchi, Registrar at the AFI. She showed me round the college when I came out in April.

Departure time

Julia flew home yesterday from LAX. Life is a little flat. Roll on Thursday.