Thanks to Ashley Zeltzer for painting up her car.
Ned Hastings enjoying his performance as the Skunk Ape.
Showing posts with label Catfight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catfight. Show all posts
Saturday, June 3, 2006
DVD Release party at ABC
The DVD Release Party, held may 26 at the Atlanta Brewing Company, was a great success. Over 275 folks showed up to drink beer, watch the film, drool over the Dames Aflame, and rock out to Catfight!’s final performance. The pictures tell the story. Here’s a bunch of ‘em.
Thanks to Ashley Zeltzer for painting up her car.
Ned Hastings enjoying his performance as the Skunk Ape.
Thanks to Ashley Zeltzer for painting up her car.
Ned Hastings enjoying his performance as the Skunk Ape.
Sunday, January 2, 2005
New Year's Reflections, Travel Day Recap
It’s a new year and I guess it’s time to try to reflect on Stomp! Shout! Scream! Two years ago, there was only the idea that I should make a beach party feature film. One year ago, there was just a script and a business plan. In January, I starting fund raising in earnest, meeting with lawyers, trying to get a contract in place. In February, I started meeting with casting director Amy Barrat and collecting head shots. In March, Rob Gal recorded Catfight!’s original songs for the film. With only 20% of funding in place, we went forward with two (long) days of casting in May. One month later we had a cast in place and I was picking up all the extra editing and producing work I could find. By September, it looked like the film would have it’s $100,000 budget, and I spent a weekend in Florida location scouting. And October 4-16, we shot the damn thing.
For most of the process, it was just me making phone calls, asking for favors, pushing this thing along. Nothing was exactly easy (I talked to 8 different lawyers before I found one who would write the contract I wanted), but every few months, there was an energizing step in the process-- hearing the original songs, seeing actors read the script, finding the perfect motel & beach locations, having band practice with the actresses. It’s hard to put any true perspective on what I’ve accomplished to this point. A whole hell of a lot in some respects, but really nothing if the film doesn't get seen or isn't really that good. This is why I don’t like to look back and reflect. Tying to focus on the big, big picture makes the process too daunting, down right overwhelming. I’d rather just go back to my basement edit suite and make the smallest of decisions one at a time and keep doing that until it’s done. Worrying about weather it’s a great piece of art doesn't do me any good, I have to just keep working and making it the best I can.
Another daily recap.
Monday, October 11
Travel Day
Producer Arma Benoit secured a passenger van to accommodate the cast and crew who didn’t take their own cars on the 8 hour trip from Atlanta to Bradenton, Florida. Cinematographer Evan Lieberman and I take the van so we can work on shot lists for the first several days in Florida. The highlight of the trip is stopping at the most appropriate of all truck stops on I-75.
Once we get to Florida, we have to spend way too much time figuring out who is sleeping where in our triplex beach house. Thankfully, Assistant Director Alex Orr sees our plight and takes over. It’s his job to be the bad guy when necessary and this is a great occasion for him to do just that. A few crew members will have to sleep on couches, but once everyone gets there, it’s a free-for-all and the summer camp attitude takes over.
To escape the chaos of people arriving, Claire Bronson and I jump in someone’s car to find a convenience store for supplies. I dump all my stress on her and immediately feel better. On our way back to the crew beach house/ compound, we pass Art Director Lisa Yieser and her assistant Scott Dupree in the ‘60s station wagon that they’ve driven down from Atlanta with bad breaks. They’re turning around in the middle of the road, lost and frazzled. Just then she calls me on my cell phone and asks where I am. I hop out of the car and tell her that I’m the guy in the road walking toward her car. I get in with them and take them to the compound.
A huge thank you goes to Amanda at Edge Sharff Properties who gave us an incredible deal on our production housing. While I wish I could stay with the majority of the crew, Arma, Evan and I will sleep at another beach house which also serves as our production office while in Florida. Stories of the crew staying up all night, every night, to see the sunrise, make me thankful for the privacy and the precious few hours of sleep I do get.
For most of the process, it was just me making phone calls, asking for favors, pushing this thing along. Nothing was exactly easy (I talked to 8 different lawyers before I found one who would write the contract I wanted), but every few months, there was an energizing step in the process-- hearing the original songs, seeing actors read the script, finding the perfect motel & beach locations, having band practice with the actresses. It’s hard to put any true perspective on what I’ve accomplished to this point. A whole hell of a lot in some respects, but really nothing if the film doesn't get seen or isn't really that good. This is why I don’t like to look back and reflect. Tying to focus on the big, big picture makes the process too daunting, down right overwhelming. I’d rather just go back to my basement edit suite and make the smallest of decisions one at a time and keep doing that until it’s done. Worrying about weather it’s a great piece of art doesn't do me any good, I have to just keep working and making it the best I can.
Another daily recap.
Monday, October 11
Travel Day
Producer Arma Benoit secured a passenger van to accommodate the cast and crew who didn’t take their own cars on the 8 hour trip from Atlanta to Bradenton, Florida. Cinematographer Evan Lieberman and I take the van so we can work on shot lists for the first several days in Florida. The highlight of the trip is stopping at the most appropriate of all truck stops on I-75.
Once we get to Florida, we have to spend way too much time figuring out who is sleeping where in our triplex beach house. Thankfully, Assistant Director Alex Orr sees our plight and takes over. It’s his job to be the bad guy when necessary and this is a great occasion for him to do just that. A few crew members will have to sleep on couches, but once everyone gets there, it’s a free-for-all and the summer camp attitude takes over.
To escape the chaos of people arriving, Claire Bronson and I jump in someone’s car to find a convenience store for supplies. I dump all my stress on her and immediately feel better. On our way back to the crew beach house/ compound, we pass Art Director Lisa Yieser and her assistant Scott Dupree in the ‘60s station wagon that they’ve driven down from Atlanta with bad breaks. They’re turning around in the middle of the road, lost and frazzled. Just then she calls me on my cell phone and asks where I am. I hop out of the car and tell her that I’m the guy in the road walking toward her car. I get in with them and take them to the compound.
A huge thank you goes to Amanda at Edge Sharff Properties who gave us an incredible deal on our production housing. While I wish I could stay with the majority of the crew, Arma, Evan and I will sleep at another beach house which also serves as our production office while in Florida. Stories of the crew staying up all night, every night, to see the sunrise, make me thankful for the privacy and the precious few hours of sleep I do get.
Sunday, September 12, 2004
pre-production 9/12/04
September 12, 2004
In two weeks, I will be on a feature film set, directing real actors, calling the shots to a real 35mm film crew, and making it all up as I go along. I’ve really never been on a film set. I’m an editor who has made a couple of shorts, been to several film festivals, but really, honestly, I’m more comfortable in a dark room with zeros and ones than out in the bright sunlight with grips, gaffers, best boys, AD’s or PA’s. Actual production has always been a necessary evil to get to post production for me. Maybe that’s how I ended up working in animation where it’s all post production (I edit and produce Aqua Teen Hunger Force for Adult Swim in my day job). I’m as ready as I’ll ever be to leap into my first feature film. Here’s how I got exactly here.
In the fall of 2002, I had my first good idea for Stomp! Shout! Scream!. I’d been watching every ‘60s beach party movie I could find, along with trying (unsuccessfully) to start my own garage rock band (we learned "Louie Louie" and played it over and over). In every one of those movies, Annette would get angry at Frankie and walk the beach singing a lonesome lament. My friends in the Atlanta all-girl rock band Catfight! had written a song several years ago about a girl who has a summer romance that leaves her with more than a broken heart. The song was the perfect marriage of 1960s nostalgia and twisted humor. Place that song into a beach party movie and not only did I have a terrific movie moment-- the kind that makes you giggle and snort with the joy of film making-- I also had a great back story for my main character. In January 2003, I started writing early Saturday mornings, fueled by gallons of black tea.
Certain ideas started to come together: Set the film in 1966 and have it revolve around an all-girl garage rock band. Try to get Catfight! to write the songs for the band in the film to perform. Make it a monster movie because 1) that’s what I know and B) the plot and humor of the actual beach party movies are downright awful. Use the legend of the Florida Skunk Ape (the Everglades' version of Bigfoot). Add a scientist, a Latino mechanic love interest and an insecure Sheriff. After 4 months, I had 60 pages. After 9 months and lots of advice from film making and script writing friends, I had close to 90 pages.
I contacted Arma Benoit, a friend who produces commercials and music videos and who had been involved with the making of my monster movie short films, The Monster Trilogy. She committed to the project in the first minute of our phone call. After she read my script, she admitted that she would do the project based on our friendship regardless of the quality of the script. Turns out, she loved the script and said that we could really have something great on our hands. She said the if I can raise $100,000, we could shoot this on film with a professional cast and crew. Arma’s enthusiasm provided a great boost of confidence that was waning after almost a year of work on the script.
I immediately started researching the financing and marketing of indie genre films. I read all I could about creating a business plan and finding investors. Eventually, the plan was to find 20 people who would invest $5,000 each. At Thanksgiving of 2003 with a 30-page business plan in hand, I pitched my immediate and extended family. I received lots of encouragement, but no actual checks. In February of 2004, I had my first investor meeting with friends of my parents and got my first financial commitment for $5,000. My mom, dad and grandmother soon followed with investment commitments. Over the next 6 months, I solicited advice from anyone that would listen, while working overtime on every project available at Cartoon Network, saving as much of my own money as I could for the film. By August, I miraculously had my entire budget in place. Stomp! Shout! Scream! would be produced this fall.
Jennifer Leavey, Catfight!’s singer and songwriter, was also very enthusiastic about the script and being a part of the film. In March 2004, Jennifer, Katy Graves, and Susanne Gibboney recorded 4 amazing garage rock anthems for fictional band ‘The Violas’ to perform in the movie. Rob Gal, at his Snack ‘n’ Shack Studios, added his recording expertise and Farfisa organ playing to the proceedings.
Arma introduced me to Evan Lieberman, indie film director, cinematographer, PhD of Film Studies and lecturer at Emory University. We immediately clicked and a partnership formed from a love of B-movies, garage rock, and a dedication to well-crafted independent films. Evan lead me to Amy Barratt, a film maker who has worked with virtually every theater group in Atlanta. Amy joined our production team as Casting Director and lead us to the casting of an amazing group of local talent. The actresses who have been cast as the band are currently learning their instruments and the Catfight! songs. There was a considerable amount of debate over weather we should start casting before we had our financing in place. The chicken-and-egg question was: Can you get investments without a cast in place or can you get a cast of sought-after theater actors to commit without financing (or a shooting schedule) in place. We chose to cast first and willed ourselves into production no matter what finances I came up with. So far, so good.
Arma, Evan and I just returned from a weekend in Bradenton & St. Petersburg, Florida finding beaches, motels and an old fort to use as locations. More locations around Atlanta are being scouted. Costumes, props, and someone to make our Skunk Ape costume are in the works. Principal Photography starts October 4. I'll keep posting these reports as we go through production and post.
In two weeks, I will be on a feature film set, directing real actors, calling the shots to a real 35mm film crew, and making it all up as I go along. I’ve really never been on a film set. I’m an editor who has made a couple of shorts, been to several film festivals, but really, honestly, I’m more comfortable in a dark room with zeros and ones than out in the bright sunlight with grips, gaffers, best boys, AD’s or PA’s. Actual production has always been a necessary evil to get to post production for me. Maybe that’s how I ended up working in animation where it’s all post production (I edit and produce Aqua Teen Hunger Force for Adult Swim in my day job). I’m as ready as I’ll ever be to leap into my first feature film. Here’s how I got exactly here.
In the fall of 2002, I had my first good idea for Stomp! Shout! Scream!. I’d been watching every ‘60s beach party movie I could find, along with trying (unsuccessfully) to start my own garage rock band (we learned "Louie Louie" and played it over and over). In every one of those movies, Annette would get angry at Frankie and walk the beach singing a lonesome lament. My friends in the Atlanta all-girl rock band Catfight! had written a song several years ago about a girl who has a summer romance that leaves her with more than a broken heart. The song was the perfect marriage of 1960s nostalgia and twisted humor. Place that song into a beach party movie and not only did I have a terrific movie moment-- the kind that makes you giggle and snort with the joy of film making-- I also had a great back story for my main character. In January 2003, I started writing early Saturday mornings, fueled by gallons of black tea.
Certain ideas started to come together: Set the film in 1966 and have it revolve around an all-girl garage rock band. Try to get Catfight! to write the songs for the band in the film to perform. Make it a monster movie because 1) that’s what I know and B) the plot and humor of the actual beach party movies are downright awful. Use the legend of the Florida Skunk Ape (the Everglades' version of Bigfoot). Add a scientist, a Latino mechanic love interest and an insecure Sheriff. After 4 months, I had 60 pages. After 9 months and lots of advice from film making and script writing friends, I had close to 90 pages.
I contacted Arma Benoit, a friend who produces commercials and music videos and who had been involved with the making of my monster movie short films, The Monster Trilogy. She committed to the project in the first minute of our phone call. After she read my script, she admitted that she would do the project based on our friendship regardless of the quality of the script. Turns out, she loved the script and said that we could really have something great on our hands. She said the if I can raise $100,000, we could shoot this on film with a professional cast and crew. Arma’s enthusiasm provided a great boost of confidence that was waning after almost a year of work on the script.
I immediately started researching the financing and marketing of indie genre films. I read all I could about creating a business plan and finding investors. Eventually, the plan was to find 20 people who would invest $5,000 each. At Thanksgiving of 2003 with a 30-page business plan in hand, I pitched my immediate and extended family. I received lots of encouragement, but no actual checks. In February of 2004, I had my first investor meeting with friends of my parents and got my first financial commitment for $5,000. My mom, dad and grandmother soon followed with investment commitments. Over the next 6 months, I solicited advice from anyone that would listen, while working overtime on every project available at Cartoon Network, saving as much of my own money as I could for the film. By August, I miraculously had my entire budget in place. Stomp! Shout! Scream! would be produced this fall.
Jennifer Leavey, Catfight!’s singer and songwriter, was also very enthusiastic about the script and being a part of the film. In March 2004, Jennifer, Katy Graves, and Susanne Gibboney recorded 4 amazing garage rock anthems for fictional band ‘The Violas’ to perform in the movie. Rob Gal, at his Snack ‘n’ Shack Studios, added his recording expertise and Farfisa organ playing to the proceedings.
Arma introduced me to Evan Lieberman, indie film director, cinematographer, PhD of Film Studies and lecturer at Emory University. We immediately clicked and a partnership formed from a love of B-movies, garage rock, and a dedication to well-crafted independent films. Evan lead me to Amy Barratt, a film maker who has worked with virtually every theater group in Atlanta. Amy joined our production team as Casting Director and lead us to the casting of an amazing group of local talent. The actresses who have been cast as the band are currently learning their instruments and the Catfight! songs. There was a considerable amount of debate over weather we should start casting before we had our financing in place. The chicken-and-egg question was: Can you get investments without a cast in place or can you get a cast of sought-after theater actors to commit without financing (or a shooting schedule) in place. We chose to cast first and willed ourselves into production no matter what finances I came up with. So far, so good.
Arma, Evan and I just returned from a weekend in Bradenton & St. Petersburg, Florida finding beaches, motels and an old fort to use as locations. More locations around Atlanta are being scouted. Costumes, props, and someone to make our Skunk Ape costume are in the works. Principal Photography starts October 4. I'll keep posting these reports as we go through production and post.
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