Friday, February 26, 2010

Pitching- Hollywood's Pastime

Bannen's done. I'm taking meetings now. And I'm currently preparing to pitch ideas. When I think about what the hell I'm going to say in a pitch meeting my mind wanders to the concept of "pitching" itself.

First off, I hate baseball. It hurts my soul that I have to use this analogy. Regardless, I swallow my pride and recognize the three important proponents to pitching.

a) There’s the pitcher- or the writer/director who’s doing the pitching, ie, me, in this case.

b) There’s the ball, which represents the idea.

c) And then there’s the… hitter in this All-American comparison who symbolizes the producer who’s hopefully gonna knock your idea out of the park.

That’s if you’re a great a pitcher, he’s a great hitter and you throw the ball right down the middle of the plate. To hit a home run, you really gotta have your pitch down, it has to be a great idea, and the producer has to be receptive to your idea and be able to do something with it…

But do you need all three to be able to get a film made? As evidenced by all the shit that’s out there these days, I’m guessing that Hollywood is fine with 2 out of the 3, resulting in a lot of base hits.


My job as the writer/director/pitcher is to be a salesman. I need to talk about my idea- no matter what it is- and nod emphatically as I go, convincing him that my speaking about my brainchild makes me giddy because its just that genius!

But lets say I suck at this…

Lets say I stumble over my logline, I ruin the catch-phrases, and I nervously repeat unimportant details for clarity’s sake. How would I possibly get a film made?

Well, it better be a great-fucking-idea, I’ll tell you that much. It better be able to pitch itself. And if its Spielberg, maybe he’ll know what to do with it.

In our baseball analogy, it’d be the equivalent of having Babe Ruth batting off a T-ball stand. He’s not going to hit it out of the park- especially if I can’t get behind the pitch and execute it to its fullest. But maybe we’ll get a double or triple out of it.


Well, lets say I’m a motherfucker and I got my pitch down pat. I’ve been practicing and I know which parts to emphasize and, based on reactions, I can judge when to skip those unimportant details. I can say it forwards and backwards (however unnecessary it is to say it backwards- but I do it only when requested just to show off how well I got it down). And again, lets assume I’m talking to Spielberg, god willing. I’ve been granted an audience of the highest sort and he’s crouched over the plate, and he aims dramaticaly for the back bleachers…

But lets say, instead of throwing a baseball, I wind up and pitch, say… a piece of shit?

What if my idea sucks? I mean, c’mon, we got Spielberg behind the plate and I managed to wad up that piece of shit into a semi-solid shape and send it right down the middle. Well, he can connect as much as he wants but the shit’s just gonna splatter all over anyone within earshot.

Lets be honest, we’ve all seen big guns executing bad ideas and all that happened was a bunch of shit splattered all over the screen.


But what if the idea is not a piece of shit? No, this is not only a top-of-the-line Rawlings (or whatever brand makes baseballs), but this rubber cement/wool (whatever a baseball is made out of) comes with its own set of wing-gliders that pop out of the sides once its in the air, to ensure that it sails…

lets just say the idea is good…

And lets say I’ve got my pitch down as stated above. I wind up, and wink because I know how good this is going to be; what with the gliders and all, it can practically pitch itself! But in this glorious vision I also send that fucker right down the middle of the plate…

And then lets say the hitter… I dunno… would rather be getting a massage. He’s loosely gripping the bat with one hand, a latte in the other; and he half-heartedly yanks his arm in my general direction, to give the impression he gives a fuck.

In this imaginary scenario this guy is fully capable of hitting it out of the park- he just doesn’t feel like it. There are plenty of producers out there who have the resources but can’t spot a good idea to save their life…

The other possibility is it’s a kid who’s grown up watching baseball, he’s studied everything about the physics of hitting… but he just can’t do it himself…

In both of these cases, maybe you’ll get a bunt- or a foul ball at most, but you won’t be stealing home in this scenario, that’s for sure.


Then there are those rare cases when only one of the three elements is in place. Unfortunately, miraculously, movies get made like this. I’m seeing images of a lone batter lofting a piece of shit in the air, swinging valiantly, and sending spotty brown chunks all over himself; Or the pitcher saying “fuck this non-existent batter, I’m gonna try and toss this piece of shit over the back wall myself.”

Okay, its my analogy that’s gone to shit really.

The point is I know at this stage that my job is to craft and/or acquire the best ideas possible, and then get it down so I can talk about it like its part of my childhood lore, and then make sure I find the right person who can do something with it.

It’s a tough business and there’s a lot of people out there who are stepping up to the plate… or the pitcher’s mound… or whatever…

I don't mind pitching, as long as I don't have to be anywhere near an actual baseball stadium.

~ JW

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Anti Anti-Juddering

I’ve been watching The Wire series recently with a buddy of mine- we’ll call him “Amir”… because that’s his name. So Amir and I watched all of Season 1 at my house. When Season 2 came around Amir requests that we watch it at his house this time...

You need to understand that I’m very particular about my TV/movie watching. I like a nice sound level where you can feel the action. I don’t like open windows that cause glare on my screen. And I want a nice size Television set with a high resolution so it looks as good as possible.

Amir assures me that he just got a new Samsung TV that’s top-of-the-line! So I sigh audibly... and then reluctantly agree out of respect to go to his house (since he made the trek to my house so many times before). So... Season 2... The Wire… Amir's house...


We pop in the DVD in his PS3, start the movie… and immediately I noticed something was off…

As the new opening titles rolled, I asked him if his new Samsung TV was on a weird setting. He reassured me that this was a new TV. Top-of-the-line. The guy who installed it set it to the optimal setting.

I sat there confused…

Then I wondered if HD was becoming more prevalent when Season 2 of The Wire was being shot- and they just fucked it up. However, I quickly dismissed that since I heard that all of the show was shot in film so it couldn’t have been that.

The show started and I really analyzed what I felt was wrong with the picture quality. It seemed to me that the actors moved in a peculiar way; I described it as they were moving like vampires. It wasn’t smooth. They kinda... jumped around. It was as if I could see every frame more clearly and it was, ironically, creating a choppy effect.

After watching the first episode I played with his settings and found that his contrast was set at 100%. I, of course, criticized him for boosting his contrast to its max setting. His response,

“Can you really have too much contrast? Have you ever had a piece of chocolate and said ‘Well, this is just too chocolate-y’?” To which I responded

“Well, have you ever had coffee and said “that’s too strong’?” If he didn’t understand my point there then he was never going to get it. I lowered his contrast to 60% and we started the next episode…

Lowering the contrast helped a bit; still, it seemed off somehow. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. After the 2nd episode I found this setting that said Auto Motion Plus 120hz. I switched that fucker off and I skipped to the middle of the episode again…

“Thank God! You must have this on anti-juddering or something.” I tried to explain to him that Spielberg’s Cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski, did this thing in Saving Private Ryan where he adjusted the shutter angle to reduce the natural blur that gives the illusion of motion- so the end result feels choppy; that’s kind of like what anti-juddering achieves in a digital way…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_disc_shutter

His blank stare and half-hearted "uh-huh" suggested to me that he didn’t really know what I was talking about. And I also realized that I didn’t know what I was talking about so I did some research...


Most of us know about the different types of resolutions, anything from 480p (enhanced-Definition TV at 4:3 aspect ratio, 720p (HDTV, with a 16:9 aspect ratio), and then you have your 1080i (interlaced) and your 1080p (progressive). These are considered “full HD” and are similar to 2K digital cinema technology…

Most programming I believe is in 480p. HD programming as well as PS3 and Xbox 360 gaming requires 720p and very little, save for Blu Ray- or the rare video game or show, gets up to 1080p. Anyway, it gets a bit more complicated than this- and beyond my own understanding- but for now this makes my point. 1080 seems to be the best solution for watching films on your television…

Except that these high-end televisions are 60hz which means they refresh their image 60 times a second. This produces a clearer image- ideal for digital films shot in 30 fps (frames per second). However, for traditional films shot at 24fps, they have to do what’s called a 3:2 pulldown which means that for every three frames that are displayed there is a single video frame being displayed twice. This is necessary when converting 24 fps to 30fps (or 29.97fps) but it can cause a jittery effect when a lot of motion is taking place in the film- this was later termed “juddering”.

The manufacturers' answer to this problem is the 120hz televisions. Now you can display digital film shot at 30 or 60fps, and you can also display 24fps, as it divides evenly (120/5=24) as well…

Since the refresh rate has doubled to 120hz, each frame is super sharp. Not only that, but to further eliminate that “nasty blurring” that can be found on a single frame they created something called “anti-juddering”- or motion interpolation technology…

Different manufacturers have their own market-friendly names for them like Sony’s Motion Flow, or Sharp’s TrueD, or Toshiba’s Film Stabilization, or in Amir’s new LCD Samsung: Auto Motion Plus 120hz. However they wanna deem it, the aimed effect is to “smooth” out the image, creating what has been referred to as a “soap-opera effect.”

Here’s the thing: a lot of people are digging this effect because they say it looks more real. Sure, if you’re watching football, Planet Earth, or anything originally shot in HD I’m sure its fine, but lets go back to film history for a second here.


The film industry decided decades ago that shooting 24 frames/second was the cheapest and most effective way to recreate real life on the big screen. If you record things in fast-motion and analyze an individual frame you will see a blurred image. This tricks the eye into thinking its really seeing something in motion, when actually you’re looking at 24 individual frames per second…

Now if we were to artificially go into these still frames and “clean them up” by removing that blur so they appear “sharper” what you’ll be sacrificing is that illusion of proper movement. When I was watching The Wire, which again was shot at 24 fps, the characters seemed to strobe- I felt like I was high and highly perceiving each individual frame.


So this is where the debate lies…

Some people swear by this anti-juddering technology that sharpens the image. I, myself, am a purist and I want to watch my films- on my Television- as close to what it would be like to actually project the image onto my television. Most film connoisseurs I know, whether they’re directors, cinematographers, or just fans, prefer it this way as well. And it’s the people who can’t perceive the difference- or don’t care- that are baited into buying these “high-end” TVs.

Why, if people think that soap operas look cheap, would they want to invest in a television that creates a “Soap-Opera Effect”? I don’t get it.

By the way, you can turn off anti-juddering but you cannot prevent your television from displaying at 120hz if its that type of television. I already think its bad enough to have an overly sharpened film, but adding anti-juddering goes too far.

In the end, I get watching sports, or gaming with one of these TVs, but as far as The Wire goes, trust me, if I could project that shit onto my TV in 24fps I totally would. For now, I’m going to wait until technology settles this little mess out and TVs drop in price.

~ JW

Sunday, February 7, 2010

The Death of an Artist

I recently lost a friend of mine. Justin Mentell died in a car accident on a highway in rural Wisconsin on Feb 1st, 2010. As a 27 year old he was an accomplished actor, drummer, painter, and championship speed-skater among many other things.

Let me be clear when I refer to Justin Mentell as a “friend”. Justin was not somebody I regularly got drinks with- not that I would have minded. Nor was he even someone whom I called periodically on the phone to say “What’s up?” To be fair, I should probably call him an acquaintance whom I sincerely wish I knew better.

He's probably most known for his character, Garrett Wells, on Boston Legal. More recently he appeared in G-Force. He received the Golden Reel award for Best Actor in a short, At Still Point.

He was a young actor who was on his way; and he was so much more...


I hadn’t seen Justin in a couple months- since the art show he invited me to. When I first heard what happened I was sort of shocked. I just sat there. A friend of mine gave me a few seconds to process before giving me his condolences. Although, I didn’t think it was fair for me to be sad. There were many more people who were closer to him. I dismissed my friend’s offer of sympathy. I sat there for a bit longer staring at the floor; and then I returned to my social circumstances and went on talking with my friend standing before me.

Then a couple days later I was writing and Justin popped in my head; like he was paying me a visit. It soon preoccupied my mind entirely and I felt compelled to call him; in a perverse gesture to hear his voice one more time…

The number was apparently forwarded to a woman’s machine that I didn’t recognize…

I went to his facebook page and found a Rest in Peace site had been put up. Tons of memories flooded back to me as well as fresh tears. I found myself writing a message to… to anyone… who cared to read the page…

I didn’t feel that was enough so I posted my condolences on my own page. Within an hour I had a dozen comments and messages of other peoples condolences for my loss…

My loss…?

I was confused. I felt very selfish all of a sudden. Why do I get to use this opportunity to gain sympathy from my friends? This isn’t about me. This isn’t about any of us mortals outside of his family and closest friends.

I prioritized who experienced the biggest loss; Justin being first, his family next, soon followed by his closest friends. At best, I was right outside that circle. So why the tears, Jess?

That’s when I realized the impact on humanity when we lose a true artist like Justin Mentell…


I first met Justin in New York at the Tribeca Film Festival. My wife, Autumn Reeser, was in a movie called Palo Alto that was premiering there. I watched this Independent movie that was made by some very young, talented filmmakers. It was a coming-of-age story surrounding four friends on Thanksgiving break from their first year in college, following their individual stories.

The main thing that stood out to me about the film was the character of Ryan, whom I’d never seen before. I happened to be writing a script at the time, called 11:11, and there was a character named (ironically enough) “Cyan” whom this guy playing “Ryan” in Palo Alto would be perfect for. The role in my script was something I always intended to play myself but whoever this actor was seemed to be the ideal casting for this part. And it kinda pissed me off to be honest. I leaned over to Autumn,

“What’s that actor’s name?”

“Justin Mentell” she whispered back quietly in the theatre.

“He’s really good,” I stated flatly. She nodded enthusiastically. But I thought to myself. ‘No. He’s really good.’

I found myself scanning the cast in the audience to see if I could find him. Then I went back to the screen. His character was dark, brooding but the actor didn’t judge himself. He was living in this character. It was simple but I don’t see enough actors execute this realistic style of acting effectively. And I don’t mean “realistic” in the “naturalistic” just-say-the-lines sense . He made strong choices as well that made him very interesting to watch...

The kind of performance that provides insight into humanity because it seems to really affect that actor on screen.

I assumed when I would meet this "Justin kid" later that night that he must be as much of an asshole as his character…

Boy, was I wrong.

We all went for drinks at the local pub and I ended up chatting with him about screenwriting. He was very enthusiastic about life and his infectious smile removed any doubt of that; later in life I would meet Daniel Day-Lewis who shocked me with his contrasting real-life persona from his characters.

In short, Justin was a real treat to have met that night.


I ended up sending 11:11 to Justin when we got back to LA. He really liked it and I always intended to use him if I could ever get the script off the ground. I ended up getting distracted with The Bannen Way and have since shelved the project.

Crossing paths with Justin again, he heard there was a character named Zeke, Bannen’s techy college sidekick in my new project. I told Justin he was not right for the character but he was really interested in expanding his range of casting. He ended up putting together a concept for the character and sent me some photos of himself as Zeke, complete with headphones and computers in front of him.


As much as I admired his passion I assured him I’d find a better role for him in the future. And he was definitely someone I wanted to find the ideal part for- because I knew he was going to blow up some day. For Justin, it was just a matter of time.


Months later I find out he’s having an art show, and I had no idea he was even a painter. If you know Justin, then he was also the kind of guy who could decide he was… whatever-he-wanted and would become that.

Whether it was painting…

http://tinyurl.com/yadcuep

drumming…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50RXxNaAnbs

or even speed-skating… (sorry, no pic)

He could do anything he set his mind to, letting go of that middle class attitude of “I’m either this or that because society tells me to pick one”. He was accomplished in whatever he did because he was a true artist, capable of instilling himself in anything.

And this is why we all experience loss when someone like Justin Mentell passes too early…


Because when someone like Justin puts himself wholly in anything and everything that he does it reminds us of what humans are capable of- and provides insight into humanity itself.

Especially when the young and talented pass, like in the “27 Club”: Janis Joplin, Kurt Kobain, Jimi Hendrix, and Brian Jones- its sad to think about what these people could have accomplished had they been allowed a traditional lifetime.

I found it fitting to see a picture of James Dean in the top-right corner of this photo Justin sent me a couple years ago.

The Death of an Artist denies the world a chance to learn about themselves through the work. Knowing that, I feel wholly justified in mourning the loss of such a man as Justin. I earn each and every one of my tears because I know its truly my loss now that he's passed.

I’m proud to say I knew such a talented, wonderful person. I regret I never got a chance to direct him. But I’ll always recall his spirit as a source of inspiration.

My condolences to those closer to him than I was...

And to rest of us who could have learned more from his example...

Rest in Peace, Justin Mentell.

~ JW

Monday, February 1, 2010

Some Musical Inspiration

Art is this circular source of inspiration that constantly draws from its diverse cousins- as well as life- to contribute to its own evolution. No single discipline could have developed without the mutual advancement of the others.


A wandering eye at an art gallery can catch a glimpse of a painting and immediately (through no fault of your own) an entire story can be told…

At UCLA, we used to have this class called “Art Alive” where we would take a painting and write a scene around it. At some point in the story the characters would have to incorporate the pose of the painting- demonstrating how a single image can inspire so much more. Granted, the scenes were mostly terrible but it was an interesting experiment nonetheless.

One of the other things we would draw from- as actors- was dance. It was a freeing exercise that informed our bodies the possibilities of movement. Again, I was terrible at dancing but really good at waving my arms around and rolling on the ground to music.

Without music, they would call that… insanity; they certainly wouldn’t call it dancing. Which makes me ask, “Where would the discipline of dance be without music…?”


Which also made me realize that one of my own greatest sources of inspiration is music. After all, where would film be without the influence of music? So many film element parallels can be drawn from musicality.

When I think about dynamics in music- the highs and lows- it seems like a natural translation to film where the structure takes the viewer on a ride with high beats and low beats, which ultimately leads to the chicken or the egg debate.

It’s undeniable that without the influence of music where would rhythm- of a scene- come from? Or what about using crescendos in film to build tension, whether it’s in the actual music itself or by increased story tension. The same applies to decrescendos to convey a sense of calm.


When writing The Bannen Way, the concept of each character being an instrument in the story’s orchestra was definitely prevalent. Mr B had his own rhythm and tone, dominated by strings; Sonny being a totally different color, bringing almost a percussive element as well as his own form of strings; Madison providing a brighter component that melds into something mysterious, dissonant at times; Neal Bannen being the constant thread- the rockin melody, if you will, that should leave the greatest impression on the audience of what the show is all about.


I know that some people shy away from this but I, personally, like to use music when writing; ambient, classical, film scores, slow core. I never listen to heavy metal, pop, rap, or anything with heavy lyrics. I want music to contribute to my work, not dominate it.

I subscribe to Rhapsody, which gives me every album I could ever want for less than $15/month. I can create an entire playlist of “writing music” and keep finding new albums based on other user’s suggestions or the program’s list of contemporaries or inspirations for any group.

While writing this blog I’m listening to a mixture of three bands: The xx, Broken Social Scene, and Amazing Baby.

The great thing about writing with music is it provides images in my brain whenever I get stuck (which happens a lot). It serves as a provider of random colors that I can add to an, otherwise flat, moment.

If I’m writing a scene that is gentle, romantic, I want music that contributes to that tone; sometimes light classical. If I’m writing a scene that is epic in proportion, like the scene at Inspiration Point in Bannen then I’ll put on the soundtrack to Dark Knight and loop that fucker ‘til I’m feverishly typing the scene out to the swells of the orchestra.


I wish I found more opportunities to use music on set. The couple times we had them for the two Sonny scenes really contributed to the actors’ performances. Especially when we were shooting the moment when Sonny (Ski Carr) is about to kill our hero, and Catalina (Melissa De Sousa) puts on some deep, slow salsa music that she draws her violent, gangster lover over to dance with her. I told the actors the tone I was looking for in that music and they came up with Marc Anthony’s “Que Lio.” They choreographed something with an instructor and came up with their own routine. And that became my favorite moment on set. Anyone who was behind the monitors became so enthralled with that moment that one of the development guys broke into applause.













I wish we could have used that song in the final picture but for obvious reasons we had to come up with an alternative. Sony’s Extreme Music library couldn’t save us in this particular instance, but thank God for my composer, Joseph Trapanese, and music editor, Will Holliday, who used their resources and whipped up something at the last minute that totally works.

Normally composers come in after picture lock but we didn’t have that luxury of time so my music team had to start working while we were shooting…

I went through the script and made notes of every opportunity for music and what it could feel like and handed that to Joseph. He created about 12 “themes” for each of the characters, and situations Bannen might get into. We used those in lieu of temp music as much as we could. And what developed was a dynamic trial-and-error system for honing the music for the piece. Not only was Joe able to see what we were doing and meld the music to the piece but we also were able to- for those rare times when it was needed- edit the film to the music.

It was such a rewarding experience. If it were up to me I wouldn’t do it any other way in the future.


At my request, we use a lot of music in Bannen in the interest of keeping the story moving (I believe 75 minutes worth). It’s typically there to tell the audience how to feel in a particular moment. It’s a great crutch but I’m also interested in the absence of music. Shows like The Wire and Mad Men use almost no scoring whatsoever; and they’re amazingly compelling. The trick is using music to emphasize a moment without it being too obvious and contrived.


Music has the ability to elevate a moving image and provide subtext that even the actors couldn’t convey. It can make the audience shed tears of sadness, pee their pants in laughter, or jump out of their seats in fear. In short, it moves us. If the story is the spine of a picture, then music is the heart.

Without my playlists that I listen to on my computer when I’m doing a writing session, or the music that blasts in my car radio, or the random songs that play when I pass by a department store… without music it would be a heartless world indeed.

Reward yourself with The Bannen Way soundtrack on iTunes. =)

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-bannen-way-soundtrack/id348430676

~ JW