KGB Productions

So I’ve been chewing on my comments about editing for some time, and suddenly I find another post at one of my favorite blogs called Self-Reliant Filmmaking about the long take. Paul Harrill who is the blogs owner has some good points about editing and why some of the movies of late have been in a word not up to snuff. I agree that most of the filmmakers who do seem to cut quickly are first-time directors on modest budgets. Having done my own film in the span of 11 days I do know that time is your worst enemy. No matter how much time you have it isn’t enough. I was always pressured to move on and get to the next shot, yet my movie is not one with quick cuts. In fact it’s been labeled slow. If I had MORE time I would have blocked with the camera and the actors at the locations I was shooting at, but time was against me, and so I couldn’t. I was lucky to have a day before shooting started with the actors, so I’ll count my blessings and chalk it up to experience. My actors had a lot of...

Okay so I've been catching a lot of newer movies that have been either coming out in theaters now, or are finally making their way to cable. The one thing that bothers me of late is the editing of some of these movies. I recently read this article written by Jessica Walter about " The lost art of film editing ", and she has a point. Way back in film school when we edited film we were taught film grammar. Like English film had it's own unique grammar. One can manipulate the image and make the audience feel a certain way by presenting it in different ways. Cinematography was part of it, but editing is where you put it all together. A simple example would be cutting from a long shot of a character to a close-up or extreme close-up of that character. It acts like an explanation point. The suddenness of the cut forces the audience's attention. It happens quick, and fast. Put certain music behind the shot and it becomes something like a jolt. Another example would be a ...

Why do I do it? Why do I always find myself wanting to do another film? I mean it’s time consuming, expensive, and frustrating. Yet just like an addict wanting another fix I revert back to filmmaking. I’ve discussed the whys previously, so why go over old ground. The script I have is almost finished, and I concede that it needs more work, yet I have another idea, and something that is a bit more personal, and maybe more poignant. Should I scrape the first and try the second knowing full well that the idea will not fit in a low-budget format? Maybe I should finish the first, and then take a stab at the second, and then come back to the first after I’ve either finished the second story or explored all it’s options. All this and not a single piece of film has yet to be shot. I itch to get back to production. It’s what I’m good at, and once you line up all that needs to be done all one needs to do is follow through. Maybe that’s the problem my enthusiasm for production overtakes me, and I ...

It's always sad news to hear of another passing, but after hearing that Bruno Kirby passed away on Monday due to complications related to leukemia I just had to write about him. Kirby was to say the least a great character actor. When he was on screen you remembered him. In 1974 he played the young "Pete Clemenza" in the " The Godfather II ". He appeared in several movies & television throughout the years. He played 2nd Lt. Steven Hauk in Robin William's " Good Morning Vietnam ", and he co-starred in " When Harry Met Sally " & " City Slickers " with Billy Crys tal. He also was in " The Freshman " with Marlon Brando , and in 1979 he was in" Donnie Brasco " with Johnny Depp . Recently he played a part in HBO's series " Entourage ". He was an unforgettable actor, and he is going to be profoundly missed.

I had just found out that Candice Rialson had passed away earlier this year in March. It seems many did not know this, and so it comes as a shock to her fans. Ms Rialson was 54. I'm always shocked to hear about another artists death. I was and still remain a big B-movie fan, and one of my favorites is " Hollywood Blvd ." Ms Rialson also starred in Roger Corman's film " Candy Stripe Nurses " a favorite among many teenage boys. These films hold a special place in my heart because it was an introduction to filmmaking, and it was a young boys memory of adolescence. You know the time where those hormones kick in, and things go a little upside down for you. Hey! I'll be the first to confess that it was a young boys lust that really drove his interest in these pictures, but seeing these films today confirms my belief that these films had heart. Sure these films were exploitive, and geared to the drive-in circuit, but they were done in taste. Not like the garba...

So at first you don’t succeed try, try again. That’s how the saying goes I believe, but how do you do it again when filmmaking is such a complex and trying endeavor. I mean it was fun when you were young and you picked up the camera and said to everyone “let’s make a movie”. It isn’t that simple anymore or is it? By making your first professional film do you suddenly throw up your hands and give up on creating another one. As a TRUE independent filmmaker not one that Hollywood labels as an “indie”, but one who is completely outside the system how can I make another film? I mean I don’t see any investors lining up outside my door willing to invest in my next flick. How do I move on, and continue to do what I really LOVE to do? So many questions and yet the answer is always in front of you. As an artist you use what you have on hand. If it’s limited locations, and limited equipment you make due with what you have and tell a story you think is worth telling. There will be a lot of peopl...

I know another review? But since I've been reading a lot about this film, and it seems as though everyone has an opinion I figured I throw in my 2 cents worth. I'll make it brief and to the point. After watching Michael Mann's 2 hour plus opus I had one thought. Interesting story, but sloppy. I know, I know can you do any better? I mean really who the hell am I to say that Michael Mann's film was sloppy? It's just an opinion, and I did go to film school, or at least that's what the diploma says so maybe I know something (just a bit, honest). I was interested in seeing the film because it was shot in HD. Yet Mann did use 35mm, and I know dollars to donuts that I can pick out the shots that are HD, and the ones that were 35mm. (I know freak right). Now I don't have a problem with HD. Collateral looked great, and it had an interesting feel to the film. I also have to applaud Mann for experimenting on a $135 million dollar film. The man has balls and I like...

Okay no more reflective crap! Back to business. The nuts & bolts of making a sub basement budget film. The above picture is some of the cast clowning around. I think it should be a still from my next film called “Force Four from Philly”. I had heard that it was a good idea to have a still photographer on the set, and make no mistake it is, but since we had limited amount of people I did the next best thing. I made EVERYONE a photographer. My wife and I gave everybody some disposable cameras so when ever the mood hit them or they had some down time the cast and some of the crew could take some pictures. It worked out okay, and hence some interesting and silly moments were captured on film. I’ve used the pictures for the web site, and newsletters that I’d send out to the cast & crew on the progress of the film. It’s not a bad idea, but if you can get a pro photographer so he or she can take some nice publicity photos of the cast & crew I’d say do it. A word about the budget ...

So what do I want to do? I mean isn’t that the fundamental question that we all ask? I mean really is this a hobby or something I want to pursue in a more professional venue? I’ve asked those questions countless times in my life, and I’ve come away with many different answers to them depending on when I asked them. Before making my film it was all I wanted to do, and then during the making of the film I asked why am I doing this, and then when the film was completed and all the war stories were behind me I suddenly realized I wanted nothing more then to do it again. Talk about schizophrenic behavior there seems to be no emotion that you don’t go through when you're making a film. All those doubts get magnified, and you wonder why do you go through this self-abuse. Could I not be happy with sitting back and watching others tell their story. The simple answer is no; the film bug long ago infected me and the addiction I talk about only grows stronger throughout the years. I can chal...

I was going to write about the process of filmmaking, and how hard it is to get motivated and make a good film, or at least a film that YOUR proud of. But I'll save that for another day. I've been reading up on Kevin Smith, and all the shenanigans that go into marketing a movie. I thought some of this would be of interest to some of you. I'm still a fan of Smith's, but when I hear things like this it only makes me think, and wonder. Follow the links and you decide. In Jim Emerson's blog he goes on to describe on how Mr. Smith watches his reviews, and fights his critics In Movie City News Mr. Smith is interviewed, and it's a frank conversation about his film. At the IFC blog there is a article called: " The art of storming art ", which covers the controversy of critic Joel Siegel storming out very publicly from a screening of " Clerks II ". It's all about the marketing of the film I guess. They say there's no good or bad publicity...

Okay so I said I wasn’t going to review films here because there are a lot better sites that do it, BUT since I’m a fan, and I do have admiration for Kevin Smith I’m going to. I can’t help it I like the guy. “ Clerks II ” is a funny film, and if you’re a fan of the first you’ll like this flick. I know Mr. Smith would like you to believe he’s an acerbic young punk who has a potty like mouth, and that he’s just a plain old sarcastic young man, but I beg to differ. After seeing “ Clerks II ” I believe Smith is a powder puff deep inside. Sure the dialogue is fresh, and full of funny pop culture type jokes, but in the end Smith goes for the schmaltz, and weirdly enough it works here. Smith even gets to say “something” here without hitting the viewer upside the head with his message. Why does “ Clerks ” work? Because you love the characters. Maybe you see someone you know in them, or maybe it’s even yourself. Their anti-authoritarian attitude, and their I don’t give a crap attitude is what e...

A couple writings back I wrote that if you thought getting your first feature off the ground is hard try your second. Of all the things I've learned you would think that maybe I wouldn't want to begin another project, but I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. When I finally finished "Deadly Obsessions" I thought okay it's done. For years I've wanted to do my own feature and it drove me, but it wasn't the idea of making a movie that I obsessed on. No it was of being a filmmaker. The landscape has changed in the coming years, and it's gotten easier for someone to pick up a camera and think of shooting his or her own film. Digital video has leveled the playing field, and there are now tools available for everyone to use for the creation of their feature. I always wonder what Cassavetes would have thought of DV. His filmmaking was raw, and visceral. Cassavetes knew the technical side of filmmaking, and he didn't care. He broke all the rules, an...

The shoot went all in all pretty well. What wasn’t expected was our neighbors giving me grief for shooting. I had gotten permission from my landlady about filming, but next door, and across the street the neighbors seemed upset. Now I didn’t need to get permission from these people, but it may have been a good idea to tell people about the movie. I broke no laws, and was well in my rights, but maybe telling others what was going to happen would have probably saved me a lot of grief. It’s just that one neighbor was a retired police officer, and the other was a city court judge. Both seemed to try and use their connections to shut us down, and yet not everyone was against us. Others were interested in what I was doing, but like the old saying goes it only takes a few bad apples to ruin everything. I even got a call from the film office . They wondered what I was doing, and I told them in essence that you guys knew exactly what I was doing because I went through their office as well as t...

The next step I needed to do after setting up the company and casting the parts for the movie was to set a date to start filming. At first the start date was in July, but after talking with the actors and crew August was a more realistic date. August 5th was the start date. On August 1st I checked the hotel reservation for cast and crew. Now of course had I an assistant that would have been great, but my assistant had a family emergency, and I was down a person, so that meant more work for me. I enlisted my wife for some of the grunt work, but I had to involve myself in readying the accommodations for cast & crew. Not only did my wife do some extra running around but she also acquired food for snacks and lunches for the first two days. All this while still going to her day job. Now as you can see I would have saved some money had I hired actors within the Philadelphia area , but remember this all started with an ad in Backstage . I received a majority of the actor’s headshots from ...

So as you noticed from the ad in Backstage that I put Non-SAG actors. Why you ask? Well it was drilled into me, and I mean drilled into me that on your first movie avoid SAG . There are rules to working with SAG and the pay scale is too much for a first time producer to afford, so one should avoid working with SAG. In short order too many headaches. So what do I go and do, but use SAG actors. First of all three of my actors are SAG actors , so I had to go the SAG route. Personally I had no problem with dealing with them, and if I had to do it again I do the same. The quality of the actors I got were just amazing, and now since making my film SAG has made it more possible for independent producers to use SAG actors . What I had to do first is give SAG some money to insure that I would actually do the film. I got the money back after the production, and working with the SAG office here in Philadelphia was no problem. I even used a payroll company which they recommended which was great....

It all started with a little advertisement in Backsatge . As you can see the ad says for a short film, and for intended purposes I was going to do a short, but after sitting in on Dov Seimens two day lecture called "Film School Crash Course" I thought differently. I had made shorts in school, and I knew how to make them, but a feature, that was the next step. So I tried my hand at creating a script with few locations, and few actors. This was key to my whole strategy in making a feature film I could realistically afford. I had been interested in crime stories, and thought that there would be some interest in my story. After all I was hoping to sell this film, so I was thinking crime drama. I had also been very interested in film-noir films of the 40's & 50's, and these films usually had few characters, and a lot of dialogue. If your in doubt take a look at "Double Indemnity" that film alone is loaded with dialogue. I tried fashioning a script with thos...

Okay it's been a while, so here goes the first installment of the beginning of the birth of my film Deadly Obsessions . Originally entitled "Broken Promises" the movie was written back in 1997, and finalized in 1998. I had started writing a journal of my progress in making the film back in Feb. '98. Till this day I still keep a journal and the one journal has multiplied to 16 journals. One it was to keep my sanity, and another it was to serve as a reminder of what I needed to do. Since I was extremely low budget I myself was responsible for getting things done. This helped and hurt me through the years of getting to the final print of the film. Before venturing into my feature I saw countless indie films both good and bad, and I made mental notes on how I should proceed. Back in 1998 digital video really didn't exsist. It was only AFTER that I shot my film that I the digital revolution started to happen with a vengeance. Shooting on film was my only choice back th...

Okay, so I've been mulling it over and looking around the net reading other film type blogs. I've come to the conclusion that there are a lot better blogs about films, and film reviews then mine, so why in the hell am I doing it? Maybe because I like to give props to certain films that have influenced me, and that I feel are worth mentioning. I'm not the eloquent reviewer of films that I try to be. My film studies grades way back in college can back me up there. I could never fully express or as I said bullshit my way through a review or a critical analysis of a film. I was young and full of myself, and certainly didn't have the patience back then. After all I was in school because I wanted to MAKE films, NOT review them. Of course I learned later that you can't make a GOOD film without appreciating GOOD cinema, and what better way to do that then write about them. After all the New wave started like that, so what do I want to say here? Well it's been my goal...

Okay, so I had the chance to watch this film again over the Memorial day week-end, and realized that I still like this movie a lot. Saturday Night Fever came out in 1977, and it single handedly gave disco a fad that was really on it's way out a reprieve. John Badham the director of the film was once quoted as saying that "we were making a small film about a fad that was slowly dying out", and he was right. Saturday Night Fever was written by Norman Wexler, but was based on an article written in a magazine entitled: "Tribal Rights of the New Saturday Night". The movie has gained legendary status through Travolta's performance on and off the dance floor. To simple write up Saturday Night Fever as just another dance movie would be doing it a big disservice. There is actually a story here, and it's about Travolta's character Tony Manero. Saturday Night Fever is about a young man and his confusion and frustration about living a life he's not happy wi...

Over at filmmaker magazine's blog they had a news idem of Kevin Smith's "Clerks 2" getting a standing ovation at Canne. This made me kind of nostalgic, and so I reviewed "Clerks" ,Smith's debut film again. Why you ask? Well when Clerks was released, and the legend began I was still formulating on how to get a film done myself. I'm a fan of Kevin Smith , and I've seen most of his films. I've laughed at his characters antics, and have been thoroughly been entertained by what I call the Kevin Smith universe. Back in 1994 when Clerks was released I was taken aback by Clerks , and it's funny and comical look at minimum wage workers. I was even more impressed at Smith since he himself lived that life, and knew full well about that world. I was also impressed on the budget and how Smith filmed his debut film. I eventually saw the film three times. Once with my girlfriend, and then twice more by myself. I studied it, and all three times I enjo...