Ash & I were THRILLED to sit down with Indie Filmmaker Andrew Putschoegl!
Check out this interview to get a behind the scenes perspective on being in independent filmmaker in LA.
Showing posts with label Independent Film. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Independent Film. Show all posts
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Indie Crush Project Forges Ahead
So....
We've kind of neglected "the business" during our creative process. EEK!
NOT ANY MORE :-)
What we want out of "the business" is to get our message out there and create a community of fellow CRUSHERS.
You can check us out on Twitter & Facebook.
We will be posting daily indie film news, interviews, our indie film "picks of the week," and certainly our progress on meeting Lisa Cholodenko on our social media outlets.
Look forward to Indie Film News Tues-Sun.
We will be featuring 1 lucky Indie Filmmaker Interview a week on Thursdays at 3.
Our Indie Film "Pick of the Week" will be announced every Tuesday at Noon.
Huzzah!
We are excited to share and grow with you. We can't have an Indie Crush Project without Crushers! Thanks for crushing with us.
xoxo
With Crushing Hearts,
Ash & Mel
We've kind of neglected "the business" during our creative process. EEK!
NOT ANY MORE :-)
What we want out of "the business" is to get our message out there and create a community of fellow CRUSHERS.
You can check us out on Twitter & Facebook.
We will be posting daily indie film news, interviews, our indie film "picks of the week," and certainly our progress on meeting Lisa Cholodenko on our social media outlets.
Look forward to Indie Film News Tues-Sun.
We will be featuring 1 lucky Indie Filmmaker Interview a week on Thursdays at 3.
Our Indie Film "Pick of the Week" will be announced every Tuesday at Noon.
Huzzah!
We are excited to share and grow with you. We can't have an Indie Crush Project without Crushers! Thanks for crushing with us.
xoxo
With Crushing Hearts,
Ash & Mel
Sunday, March 10, 2013
What did you CRUSH ON when you watched THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT?
WHAT DID YOU CRUSH ON WHEN YOU WATCHED HIGH ART?
Go ahead and comment below OR email us at indiecrushproject@gmail.com :)
What did you CRUSH on when you watched LAUREL CANYON?
WHAT DID YOU CRUSH ON WHEN YOU WATCHED LAUREL CANYON?
Go ahead and comment below OR email us at indiecrushproject@gmail.com :)
Monday, February 25, 2013
What did you CRUSH ON when you watched HIGH ART?
TELL US:
WHAT DID YOU CRUSH ON WHEN YOU WATCHED HIGH ART?
Go ahead and comment below OR email us at indiecrushproject@gmail.com :)
Monday, January 14, 2013
Growing Pains?
Last night I dreamt that Ash & I screened Paper Picnic for the first time. Feelings of anxiety, insecurity, and fear filled the scene. Somehow, during the dream, an audience of excited young film-goers experienced polarizing opinions about the project. What started as a fairly diverse audience ended up all female, as the men somehow didn't have interest in the story. Though I was excited that the women responded favorably in the dream, I was left frustrated by our inability to connect to a broader audience.
Obviously, the fears I experienced in my dream are a magnification of my real life insecurities. What brought upon these concerns, you ask? Viewing the latest edit of Paper Picnic, of course!
Finally the film is coming together, and Ash & I are in the position of having to plan our next move. As I watched the edit of our project, I was surprised at how it felt impossible to bring any semblance of objectivity to the process. Not only was I watching myself on the screen, but I was watching myself acting our writing on the screen. All I could see was the strangeness of my physical form and the strangeness of the text coming out of my mouth. Funny enough, though, I could watch Ash without any judgement. Imagine that.
How, then, am I supposed to assess our project when it feels way too close for comfort? Is the writing good enough? Is my acting good enough? Does the story make sense? Is our message clear? Will people connect to such a short film? Should we follow through with our initial dreams and desires and actually send it to Lisa?
The answer is, "of course!" At some point, we all have to let go of our work even when we are afraid that it might not be our best. We all strive for perfection, which is, of course, impossible to attain. What's the point of creating if we don't share our work for all to see?
Now my job is to trust that our writing, our performances, and our collaboration will blossom from an exchange of ideas into a final project that will somehow resonate with the people who are supposed to see it. If anything, this project will be an opportunity to contribute to a broader conversation about the always-evolving world of independent film. And at the end of the day, I can be proud of that.
Obviously, the fears I experienced in my dream are a magnification of my real life insecurities. What brought upon these concerns, you ask? Viewing the latest edit of Paper Picnic, of course!
Finally the film is coming together, and Ash & I are in the position of having to plan our next move. As I watched the edit of our project, I was surprised at how it felt impossible to bring any semblance of objectivity to the process. Not only was I watching myself on the screen, but I was watching myself acting our writing on the screen. All I could see was the strangeness of my physical form and the strangeness of the text coming out of my mouth. Funny enough, though, I could watch Ash without any judgement. Imagine that.
How, then, am I supposed to assess our project when it feels way too close for comfort? Is the writing good enough? Is my acting good enough? Does the story make sense? Is our message clear? Will people connect to such a short film? Should we follow through with our initial dreams and desires and actually send it to Lisa?
The answer is, "of course!" At some point, we all have to let go of our work even when we are afraid that it might not be our best. We all strive for perfection, which is, of course, impossible to attain. What's the point of creating if we don't share our work for all to see?
Now my job is to trust that our writing, our performances, and our collaboration will blossom from an exchange of ideas into a final project that will somehow resonate with the people who are supposed to see it. If anything, this project will be an opportunity to contribute to a broader conversation about the always-evolving world of independent film. And at the end of the day, I can be proud of that.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
It's a Wrap!
On Halloween this year we were absolutely wearing costumes and running around playing characters.
We shot LIFE'S A PAPER PICNIC at the truly stunning El Matador Beach just off the PCH in Malibu.
We (Ash & Melissa) are FINALLY writing a joint blog again together, as in, in the same room! Magic!
Now that we are in the throws of passionate post production, we believe this is an appropriate time to reflect on our process in addition to why we really chose Lisa for our first "Film Crush" to begin with.
Filming on the beach…
What a gift.
Director bare foot kneeling in the sand.
Intimate team of "collabs" that all wanted to be there.
We felt totally pro--an amazing accomplishment considering our genesis was a tweet.
Speaking of that tweet, we really want to tell you what is really so special about Lisa.
Expect part biography, part impression, part reviews, but mostly respect.
Lisa...
LISA CHOLODENKO grew up in the San Fernando Valley in a Jewish family. Though initially Lisa had no ambitions of becoming a filmmaker, she changed her mind by her mid-twenties. After working as an assistant editor on Boyz 'N the Hood (1991) and Used People (1992), Cholodenko enrolled in Columbia University's graduate film program in 1992. Mentored by Milos Forman, Cholodenko made two highly regarded short films, Souvenir and Dinner Party. After earning her M.F.A., Cholodenko served as an assistant editor on Gus Van Sant's To Die For (1995) while working on the screenplay for her first feature, High Art.
Lisa is a prime example of "write what you know," and HIGH ART was born from her firsthand observations of the 1990s New York art world. High Art centers on a reclusive photographer-turned-junkie and the aspiring young art magazine editor who becomes infatuated with her, and it was a major cult success within the LGBT community.
What we found profoundly attractive about HIGH ART was the combination of its intimacy, authenticity, voyeurism, and daring subjects. High Art earned raves for the performances and a Sundance Film Festival prize for Cholodenko's astute, complex screenplay.
Cholodenko's second feature, Laurel Canyon (2002), took years of development, and precipitated her move back to the west coast. LAUREL CANYON was inspired by the Joni Mitchell album "Ladies of the Canyon," and not surprisingly, Joni reappeared again in THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, her third and highly regarded feature. The Kids are Alright won a Golden Globe for Best Picture and was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture. The Kids are Alright was again largely written from experience, as Lisa and her partner (musician/composer) Wendy Melvoin used an anonymous sperm donor to conceive a child. However, whereas High Art and Laurel Canyon were written solely by Lisa, we love the fact that she collaborated with a partner of different strengths, Stuart Blumberg, to create a film that ultimately exposed Lisa's work to an even broader audience.
Prior to filming Laurel Canyon and The Kids are Alright, Lisa found success directing episodes of acclaimed TV series including NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street and HBO's Six Feet Under. Her interested in the darker reaches of character psychology offered her these opportunities and added to her vivd stamp on filmmaking. This character exploration was another huge factor of what drew us to her work.
Additionally, music and scoring play a huge role in Lisa's films by distinctly illuminating Lisa's characters' psychological journeys. Lisa's love for and use of music is another way we seek to pay homage to her work. As we move forward with post-production, we intend Paper Picnic to have an original score.
Lisa's thoughts...
"...Those (stories) that have juicy kind of complicated emotional characters and really kind of dig into psychological states and shifting psychological states."
"Maybe nobody's had a real angle of a story. I think that just putting lesbians out there and saying look it's a lesbian is not interesting. I think the majority of the issues in the film are really universal and I think that's why this film can break through."
"I don't feel like my films are about gender they are about identity - but a different slant on identity."
"I found it wildly exciting to see a film that was so personal that was expressed so singularly particularly Jane Campion's film SWEETIE. I don't know how Sweetie holds up over time but I know the way she ended that film was so outside the box. She took on an idea that I just couldn't believe someone would be allowed to express and it was really riveting to me and made me want to make films. "
Our take on Lisa's themes...
We noticed some common themes and elements in Lisa's films that we aimed to incorporate in our screenplay/film:
1. Lisa's camera angles are careful to illuminate intimacy in relationships.
2. Filming takes place from the POV of the inner consciousness of the main subject.
3. Substances tend to influence her characters' journeys. Whether Heroin in High Art, Marijuana and Alcohol in Laurel Canyon, or Wine in The Kids are Alright, drugs and alcohol play a role.
4. The city/environment brings out each character's lifestyle and plays a character in her films.
5. Sexuality.
6. Life is messy.
Ultimately, we chose Lisa because her work exemplifies the exact caliber of work we want to be a part of: Bold, Intimate, Sexy, Intelligent, Immediate, Authentic, Classy, Original, Complex, Human. We are honored to call Lisa our #1 Crush!
With Love & Gratitude,
Ash & Melissa
Jonathan Chase, Ruben O'Malley, Melissa Center, Ash Archambeau on location
References:
http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/192700/Lisa_Cholodenko
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Cholodenko
Monday, October 15, 2012
The Pursuit of Truth & Authenticity
I am committed to the pursuit of truth and authenticity in my work. Isn't that what we strive for as artists? I've also been putting a lot of thought into the types of people I want to collaborate with. Isn't it so much better when you share artistic sensibilities and a common vision?
Though it is still early in the process of The Indie Crush Project, I am finding that when you put energy into something that rings true to who you are, those special people inevitably come into your world.
It goes without saying that my writing partner and co-star to be, Ash Archambeau and I, stumbled upon each other because of these commonalities. If you haven't already, you can read about the fortuitous events that led to this collaboration here. Well, in our joint pursuit of truth and authenticity, we have joined forces with another like-minded soul. Again, the connection seemed effortless and inevitable!
In pursuit of a director, I reached out to a network of actors, writers, directors, etc. I'm a part of called Squalor Los Angeles. What Ash & I were seeking was a director who shared our respect for Lisa Cholodenko and understood her sensibilities. I got 2 responses: One from a producer/composer who expressed interest in potentially scoring our film, and one from a filmmaker who primarily works as a D.P., but again, seemed interested. After giving him a little background about our project and sending him to this blog, he was on board! I spoke with him on the phone and we discussed the impetus for the project, our backgrounds, etc. Before reading our script he was already enthusiastic about joining the team and being a part of this project.
"Too good to be true," I asked myself? "What if he thinks our script is shit?" When all three of us met for the first time this afternoon at Commissary in West Hollywood, the answer proved to be "no" it was/isn't too good to be true, and "no" he doesn't think our script is shit. Kind, generous, engaged, & asking all the right questions about the script, the characters, the story we want to tell, and the lasting impact we seek to have on our audience, Ash & I couldn't believe another kindred spirit fell into our laps.
"Who is this mysterious director extraordinaire?" You might be asking...Well, I'll leave you in suspense until the next blog post. In the meanwhile, I can't believe how effortlessly Ash and Mystery Director Man have flowed into my world. I guess there's something to this pursuit of truth & authenticity thing after all...
Though it is still early in the process of The Indie Crush Project, I am finding that when you put energy into something that rings true to who you are, those special people inevitably come into your world.
It goes without saying that my writing partner and co-star to be, Ash Archambeau and I, stumbled upon each other because of these commonalities. If you haven't already, you can read about the fortuitous events that led to this collaboration here. Well, in our joint pursuit of truth and authenticity, we have joined forces with another like-minded soul. Again, the connection seemed effortless and inevitable!
In pursuit of a director, I reached out to a network of actors, writers, directors, etc. I'm a part of called Squalor Los Angeles. What Ash & I were seeking was a director who shared our respect for Lisa Cholodenko and understood her sensibilities. I got 2 responses: One from a producer/composer who expressed interest in potentially scoring our film, and one from a filmmaker who primarily works as a D.P., but again, seemed interested. After giving him a little background about our project and sending him to this blog, he was on board! I spoke with him on the phone and we discussed the impetus for the project, our backgrounds, etc. Before reading our script he was already enthusiastic about joining the team and being a part of this project.
"Too good to be true," I asked myself? "What if he thinks our script is shit?" When all three of us met for the first time this afternoon at Commissary in West Hollywood, the answer proved to be "no" it was/isn't too good to be true, and "no" he doesn't think our script is shit. Kind, generous, engaged, & asking all the right questions about the script, the characters, the story we want to tell, and the lasting impact we seek to have on our audience, Ash & I couldn't believe another kindred spirit fell into our laps.
"Who is this mysterious director extraordinaire?" You might be asking...Well, I'll leave you in suspense until the next blog post. In the meanwhile, I can't believe how effortlessly Ash and Mystery Director Man have flowed into my world. I guess there's something to this pursuit of truth & authenticity thing after all...
Sunday, September 30, 2012
I guess I'm not nearly as optimistic as I thought!
This week, Ash & I got together at her lovely apartment, enjoyed a home cooked gourmet lunch, and pumped out our very first draft of "Life's a Paper Picnic!" It is amazing how enjoyable writing can be when you have a collaborator who shares in taste, is open-minded and agenda-less.
What is interesting about writing with a partner, is that each has her own set of ideas and predispositions. I have actually discovered writing tendencies & points of view that I didn't realize I had until working with Ash! For example, though I consider myself a generally positive person, the story and character concepts I initially brought to the table had elements one might interpret as dark. As we've conceived it together, our story involves two women sharing a deep connection that they don't anticipate. It centers around a bride-to-be and her wedding designer who meet at the beach to make final decisions on the ceremony. The fiancé is nowhere to be found. Without giving too much away, over the course of the story, the bride and designer forge a bond.
What we had yet to decide, is how our story would end. I initially envisioned a backlash from the protagonist, the bride, once her fiancé shows up at the beach. I pictured the bride going back to her typical behavior, and possibly belittling the designer in front of her fiancé in an effort to compensate for the events that take place prior to his arrival. What does that say about how I perceive human nature?!
On the other hand, Ash, ETERNAL OPTIMIST, thought--wouldn't it be nice if the fiancé shows up and the bride takes the reigns, displays her newly found independence, and walks her husband through the details of their upcoming nuptials, as the designer looks on, content? Life wrapped in a bow.
What we decided on together is a more realistic approach. Life is neither wrapped in a bow nor cruel, but rather messy. People can change for the better, but not overnight. Lesson learned? The eternal optimist and self-proclaimed realist must keep each other in check.
I look forward to our next writing session when we get to revisit, revise, and dig deeper into our story. Maybe I'll discover something else about myself or the world through the process and share it with you. Isn't that what creating art is all about?
What is interesting about writing with a partner, is that each has her own set of ideas and predispositions. I have actually discovered writing tendencies & points of view that I didn't realize I had until working with Ash! For example, though I consider myself a generally positive person, the story and character concepts I initially brought to the table had elements one might interpret as dark. As we've conceived it together, our story involves two women sharing a deep connection that they don't anticipate. It centers around a bride-to-be and her wedding designer who meet at the beach to make final decisions on the ceremony. The fiancé is nowhere to be found. Without giving too much away, over the course of the story, the bride and designer forge a bond.
What we had yet to decide, is how our story would end. I initially envisioned a backlash from the protagonist, the bride, once her fiancé shows up at the beach. I pictured the bride going back to her typical behavior, and possibly belittling the designer in front of her fiancé in an effort to compensate for the events that take place prior to his arrival. What does that say about how I perceive human nature?!
On the other hand, Ash, ETERNAL OPTIMIST, thought--wouldn't it be nice if the fiancé shows up and the bride takes the reigns, displays her newly found independence, and walks her husband through the details of their upcoming nuptials, as the designer looks on, content? Life wrapped in a bow.
What we decided on together is a more realistic approach. Life is neither wrapped in a bow nor cruel, but rather messy. People can change for the better, but not overnight. Lesson learned? The eternal optimist and self-proclaimed realist must keep each other in check.
I look forward to our next writing session when we get to revisit, revise, and dig deeper into our story. Maybe I'll discover something else about myself or the world through the process and share it with you. Isn't that what creating art is all about?
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