Chapter IV: Atlanta Climax, or At last a cry, Max, in which our hero spends the first half of the day self-loathing and the 2nd being loved by all...
You’ve probably noticed I broke the chain, and apologies are due, my faithful, but this festival->party->barhopping->late night blogjam schedule is killing me. After the events of Friday night (Saturday morning?) I was physically unable to get out of bed before 5 in the afternoon.
Atlonderey Instant Poll!
Which crackhead is more creepy? The one who looks like he just got in a fight, or the one who looks like a Rio de Janeiro street hustler? Vote online now!
Oh I set an alarm, and my phone rang four times, and Ashley (bless her heart) shook, slapped and spanked my hulking snoring frame (she said I would even open my eyes, look right at her, and continue snoring. Creeeepy.) but nothing doing. I missed the screenings I wanted to see, housekeeping (for the third day in a row, btw) was unable to clean the room, and I even stood up an old family friend for our lunch date. Sorry, Carol. I owe you lunch next time you’re in L.A. The Palm, perhaps?
So THAT’s why I’m writing this from the airport the day after the pictures were taken, instead of late at night the day of.
In any case, somehow the four of us managed to pull ourselves together and doll up nice.
Don’t we look pretty? (By the way, from L-R: Lori Meeker, Costume Designer; James Tolentino, Animation/Post-production; Ashley “Smash-Rok” Matsui, 1st Assistant Director/Rock Star; and of course yours (a-little-too) truly, talent.)
The screening/awards ceremony was held at the Rialto Performing Arts Center in byzantine downtown Atlanta, and the fact that Dave Chappelle was performing around the corner certainly didn’t make getting there any easier.
But this made it all worth it:
She’s so sweet.
This is Jake Jacobson, Festival Director and TLD’s Number One Fan. It’s because of him we were accepted by the festival, it’s because of him we had the closing night slot, and it’s because of this guy that we had to stand up and wave at every screening we went to, even though we had nothing to do with the foreign shorts or what have you. He’s that rare breed of successful film industry type who actually loves movies more than making money off of movies. And more specifically, he believes in independent film. He believes, unlike the directors of most of your big-name festivals, that film festivals should be an opportunity for audiences to see stuff they can’t see in the mainstream, as well as an opportunity for filmmakers to be seen by an audience they couldn’t normally draw.
It doesn’t sound that rare, but I lost some innocence on this trip when I realized that most festivals aren’t about all that so much as they’re about niche marketing. Anyways, don’t worry about me, I’ve got plenty of naiveté left to lose.
And then Chris won the acting award!!! Not that surprising, as he is fantastic in the movie, but very exciting. If this works, here is his acceptance speech:
[looks like it's not working. As soon as I figure out how to blog video, it will be added.]
I got to sit next to Laura and Morgan!
Also pictured, Scott Rabin (blink and you miss it cameo in TLD, and confessed MovieTown lurker), Dave Danesh (producer, cinematographer) and lady Margaret.
This is, I know, not some of my best composition, but I just pointed the camera over my shoulder to try to get the crowd. It was quite a big theatre.
[This is where the video of Morgan would go.]
Morgan’s introduction. He finishes his speech by saying that since this is our world premiere, if you enjoy the film you will be the first to do so. So….the festival selection committee, our friends and family, the cast and crew, none of them enjoyed the movie. Somebody get this man a publicist!
The lights dim, the crowd hushes, and the magic begins.
NB: Since we are now world premiered, the DVD copy I acquired in Atlanta is the official final, no-take-backs version of the film. We also have a projector at LoungeFeliz, so should you find yourself at my house, you can see the film as it was intended to be seen. I understand Micah might be putting together a screening in the next week or so. Live the dream!
I know that I have a tendency towards exaggeration, and when I like something I tend to oversell it, but now we’ve shown this movie to many many people who don’t know us or like us or have even heard of us. And the reaction has been 100% positive. (Of course, who’s going to tell you at your premiere that the movie sucked?) Morgan and Laura and everyone involved in this project (myself obviously included) are incredibly good at what they do, and the finished product shows that.
Jake congratulates Morgan afterwards, and we all file up for the Q&A:
My view of our crew. (Jake, Tatianna, Chris, Dave, Morgan, Laura, Lori)
Morgan, being all deep and filmmakery. Every time I’ve been to (or now, in!) a Q&A like this someone always asks about the budget and the production schedule. We shot the movie in 8 days in February of 2004. It took two years to edit and do post. We spent…..Well now here’s the thing. Morgan was all coy on stage and wouldn’t give numbers. Shmoozing at the party, he’ll tell anyone. Is this an industry thing? Can someone explain it to me? Why would how much you spent be a secret? Maybe it has to do with trying to sell it. After all, if you only spent x on the movie, why should we give you x times 1000 to distribute it? I don’t know, and I know, you’re saying to yourselves, why not just ask Morgan? Well I would, if we were back here in L.A. chilling out. But Business Morgan has little time and even less patience for Maxnanigans, so I’ll put it to you…
Me and my new hero, Jake. Isn’t he dreamy? (you know, sometimes the red-eye reduction in iPhoto works like a charm, and sometimes, it just doesn’t at all. And it seems to work the best the lighter your skin tone is. Racist bastards.)
We’re so happy. By now you’ve probably got everyone’s names except for who’s that Rasputin-looking fellow on Lori’s shoulder? The Saga of Martin Criss continues to unfold, and I was kept out of most of it (probably because I couldn’t be any help) but he is the Sound Designer, Recorder, Editor, and Composer on the movie and managed to get to the premiere seconds before the lights went down. Whew!
James with Tai (sp?), the festival’s Development Director and our hook-up for the party scene.
Here we are (if you’re wondering why Chris has one red eye and one green, you should take it up with those Cupertino Nazis up at Apple) with Tai and Lynette. Remember Lynette? She’s a sweetie…
Hey how’d that get in here?
The afterparty was held at the Clermont Lounge. (chirp) Way out on Ponce de Leon Avenue there’s a old rat-trap of a boarding house called the Clermont Motor Hotel (We couldn’t find it in any listings because we were spelling it Claremont). Doesn’t look like the hottest spot in Atlanta, does it?
But follow the signs round back, and you’ll find yourself in the dirtiest, skankiest, low-downest titty bar I’ve ever seen or imagined.
The walls are plastered, poorly, with vintage pornographic posters. The dance floor is wall to wall with sweaty bodies, and the dancers? Well, let’s just say if Ed Debevic’s was a strip club…. As one of the locals told me, “The Clermont Lounge is where old strippers go to die.” The 65-year old lapdance I bought Morgan, since it is not pictured here, did not happen.
“And why do we have to read about it, Max? Why are we forced to suffer through your pretentious yet infantile thousand words when a picture would do?”
These signs are EVERYWHERE (the black duct tape is a design motif that continues inside, covering most of the previously naugahyde bars, stools, and booths). You know me, I’m not a big fan of “rules” or “regulations” or even “respect” but I couldn’t take the chance. The blog is what’s important. The blog must live on.
It is for that reason that I include these shots. For five dollars, a large black woman with a long blonde wig (she said she was called Blondie, but we heard that Blondie died many years ago) performed all of this damage using just her middle-aged breasts. You’re imagining it, aren’t you? See, sometimes words ARE better than pictures.
Someday, Laura, someday…
These guys with us are animators. Which should give you some idea of the breadth of the field represented at the festival. One of these two guys made a stop-motion meditation about the nature of Death and Fate, and the other made a Flash cartoon about a bunny that can’t stop cutting the heads of chickens and giggling about it. See if you can guess which is which?
Back to the hotel to regroup, reflect and debrief, then straight to bed for a solid two and a half hours.
Atlonderey Instant Poll!
Which crackhead is more creepy? The one who looks like he just got in a fight, or the one who looks like a Rio de Janeiro street hustler? Vote online now!
Oh I set an alarm, and my phone rang four times, and Ashley (bless her heart) shook, slapped and spanked my hulking snoring frame (she said I would even open my eyes, look right at her, and continue snoring. Creeeepy.) but nothing doing. I missed the screenings I wanted to see, housekeeping (for the third day in a row, btw) was unable to clean the room, and I even stood up an old family friend for our lunch date. Sorry, Carol. I owe you lunch next time you’re in L.A. The Palm, perhaps?
So THAT’s why I’m writing this from the airport the day after the pictures were taken, instead of late at night the day of.
In any case, somehow the four of us managed to pull ourselves together and doll up nice.
Don’t we look pretty? (By the way, from L-R: Lori Meeker, Costume Designer; James Tolentino, Animation/Post-production; Ashley “Smash-Rok” Matsui, 1st Assistant Director/Rock Star; and of course yours (a-little-too) truly, talent.)
The screening/awards ceremony was held at the Rialto Performing Arts Center in byzantine downtown Atlanta, and the fact that Dave Chappelle was performing around the corner certainly didn’t make getting there any easier.
But this made it all worth it:
She’s so sweet.
This is Jake Jacobson, Festival Director and TLD’s Number One Fan. It’s because of him we were accepted by the festival, it’s because of him we had the closing night slot, and it’s because of this guy that we had to stand up and wave at every screening we went to, even though we had nothing to do with the foreign shorts or what have you. He’s that rare breed of successful film industry type who actually loves movies more than making money off of movies. And more specifically, he believes in independent film. He believes, unlike the directors of most of your big-name festivals, that film festivals should be an opportunity for audiences to see stuff they can’t see in the mainstream, as well as an opportunity for filmmakers to be seen by an audience they couldn’t normally draw.
It doesn’t sound that rare, but I lost some innocence on this trip when I realized that most festivals aren’t about all that so much as they’re about niche marketing. Anyways, don’t worry about me, I’ve got plenty of naiveté left to lose.
And then Chris won the acting award!!! Not that surprising, as he is fantastic in the movie, but very exciting. If this works, here is his acceptance speech:
[looks like it's not working. As soon as I figure out how to blog video, it will be added.]
I got to sit next to Laura and Morgan!
Also pictured, Scott Rabin (blink and you miss it cameo in TLD, and confessed MovieTown lurker), Dave Danesh (producer, cinematographer) and lady Margaret.
This is, I know, not some of my best composition, but I just pointed the camera over my shoulder to try to get the crowd. It was quite a big theatre.
[This is where the video of Morgan would go.]
Morgan’s introduction. He finishes his speech by saying that since this is our world premiere, if you enjoy the film you will be the first to do so. So….the festival selection committee, our friends and family, the cast and crew, none of them enjoyed the movie. Somebody get this man a publicist!
The lights dim, the crowd hushes, and the magic begins.
NB: Since we are now world premiered, the DVD copy I acquired in Atlanta is the official final, no-take-backs version of the film. We also have a projector at LoungeFeliz, so should you find yourself at my house, you can see the film as it was intended to be seen. I understand Micah might be putting together a screening in the next week or so. Live the dream!
I know that I have a tendency towards exaggeration, and when I like something I tend to oversell it, but now we’ve shown this movie to many many people who don’t know us or like us or have even heard of us. And the reaction has been 100% positive. (Of course, who’s going to tell you at your premiere that the movie sucked?) Morgan and Laura and everyone involved in this project (myself obviously included) are incredibly good at what they do, and the finished product shows that.
Jake congratulates Morgan afterwards, and we all file up for the Q&A:
My view of our crew. (Jake, Tatianna, Chris, Dave, Morgan, Laura, Lori)
Morgan, being all deep and filmmakery. Every time I’ve been to (or now, in!) a Q&A like this someone always asks about the budget and the production schedule. We shot the movie in 8 days in February of 2004. It took two years to edit and do post. We spent…..Well now here’s the thing. Morgan was all coy on stage and wouldn’t give numbers. Shmoozing at the party, he’ll tell anyone. Is this an industry thing? Can someone explain it to me? Why would how much you spent be a secret? Maybe it has to do with trying to sell it. After all, if you only spent x on the movie, why should we give you x times 1000 to distribute it? I don’t know, and I know, you’re saying to yourselves, why not just ask Morgan? Well I would, if we were back here in L.A. chilling out. But Business Morgan has little time and even less patience for Maxnanigans, so I’ll put it to you…
Me and my new hero, Jake. Isn’t he dreamy? (you know, sometimes the red-eye reduction in iPhoto works like a charm, and sometimes, it just doesn’t at all. And it seems to work the best the lighter your skin tone is. Racist bastards.)
We’re so happy. By now you’ve probably got everyone’s names except for who’s that Rasputin-looking fellow on Lori’s shoulder? The Saga of Martin Criss continues to unfold, and I was kept out of most of it (probably because I couldn’t be any help) but he is the Sound Designer, Recorder, Editor, and Composer on the movie and managed to get to the premiere seconds before the lights went down. Whew!
James with Tai (sp?), the festival’s Development Director and our hook-up for the party scene.
Here we are (if you’re wondering why Chris has one red eye and one green, you should take it up with those Cupertino Nazis up at Apple) with Tai and Lynette. Remember Lynette? She’s a sweetie…
Hey how’d that get in here?
The afterparty was held at the Clermont Lounge. (chirp) Way out on Ponce de Leon Avenue there’s a old rat-trap of a boarding house called the Clermont Motor Hotel (We couldn’t find it in any listings because we were spelling it Claremont). Doesn’t look like the hottest spot in Atlanta, does it?
But follow the signs round back, and you’ll find yourself in the dirtiest, skankiest, low-downest titty bar I’ve ever seen or imagined.
The walls are plastered, poorly, with vintage pornographic posters. The dance floor is wall to wall with sweaty bodies, and the dancers? Well, let’s just say if Ed Debevic’s was a strip club…. As one of the locals told me, “The Clermont Lounge is where old strippers go to die.” The 65-year old lapdance I bought Morgan, since it is not pictured here, did not happen.
“And why do we have to read about it, Max? Why are we forced to suffer through your pretentious yet infantile thousand words when a picture would do?”
These signs are EVERYWHERE (the black duct tape is a design motif that continues inside, covering most of the previously naugahyde bars, stools, and booths). You know me, I’m not a big fan of “rules” or “regulations” or even “respect” but I couldn’t take the chance. The blog is what’s important. The blog must live on.
It is for that reason that I include these shots. For five dollars, a large black woman with a long blonde wig (she said she was called Blondie, but we heard that Blondie died many years ago) performed all of this damage using just her middle-aged breasts. You’re imagining it, aren’t you? See, sometimes words ARE better than pictures.
Someday, Laura, someday…
These guys with us are animators. Which should give you some idea of the breadth of the field represented at the festival. One of these two guys made a stop-motion meditation about the nature of Death and Fate, and the other made a Flash cartoon about a bunny that can’t stop cutting the heads of chickens and giggling about it. See if you can guess which is which?
Back to the hotel to regroup, reflect and debrief, then straight to bed for a solid two and a half hours.
posted by m@x at 10:49 AM
2 Comments:
Some more photos of the festival can be found at http://www.cinematlmagazine.com/ and we're in them too!
Dude, the crackheads, dude. It's so weird that this was ALL one day. I love Max. No one is more fun to party with, yo. I am cracking up at these recounts dude...I can't wait until I see/read Thursday night's blog! Owwww!
Post a Comment
<< Home