Saturday, September 06, 2008 Toronto just wants to have fun... POST A COMMENT "We could say we are living in quite difficult times with wars and economic problems, but I think filmmakers understand that audiences just need a break sometimes from that," said Toronto festival chief Cameron Bailey (via AP)... 'Bucking a trend that started way-back when American Beauty busted out of Toronto to win a (best picture) Oscar; followed closely by other high-brow flix like Crash, Capote, Sideways, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, to name a few... Toronto, quickly became known for its love affair with small artsy pix. Just last year they hosted -- 'the North American launches of several eventual Oscar winners -- Juno, No Country for Old Men, Michael Clayton and Atonement..' This year got a bad-case of amnesia, asking 'Oscar-who?' 'Going instead with (I-kid-you-not) -- Rocknrolla type comedies -- '30 comedies in total, including Zack and Miri Make a Porno starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks, Anne Fontaine's La fille de Monaco, and the Coen brothers' dark comedy Burn After Reading. 'Sometimes it is just about having a good time,' says the NY Times. 'That was the message here on Thursday night, as the Toronto International Film Festival got going with a face-smashing, belly-laughing gangster caper from a director best known as Madonna’s husband...' No, really, Madonna's husband is now a festival darling? -- Is that the best we can come up with? 'Politics is in surprisingly short supply here, given the imminence of a United States election and the festival’s past record.' In fact during a panel discussion, the moderator fished for a political thought in connection with one of the more commercial films. The filmmaker scoffed at the message-driven fare of the past, saying the film is just meant to be enjoyable. “Change happens,” he added, “in very personal, subtle, minor ways more than it does in a big landscape.” Source: NY Times Labels: Art versus Commerce, directing, Film, Film Festivals posted by Henry Cruz at 2:15 PM Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Editing Day One: 'Kitty Talk... POST A COMMENT A few months ago we shot the short film "After Party Babies," with a great INDIE crew, decent actors...but, this week is the first time we actually start cutting. On reflection, making a short movie is a semi-glamorous mix: really long hours, little sleep, and people yelling, that I can only now think of as lots of fun. It took 9 full days, consisting of 14 really long hour days of on-location prep and shoot time... Now, months later, it's finally time for editing...'all for what might end up being 15 minutes of film time. The story for After Party Babies showcases a day in the life of three New Yorkers that all end up at an after hours party. I'll be writing little blurbs here and there on the editing process and eventually (fingers crossed) the various submissions to the film festivals. Yesterday, on day one. We -- (meaning the editing crew that consists of myself, Valery and Stephanie) -- screened a few minutes of foreign film clips to talk with the editors on style and rhythm. I told them "I'm really attracted to the european style of editing. That doesn't always tell you everything thats going on." We then logged footage and set up a blueprint for our editing sessions to come. The big talk on day-1 was our pets, Valery and Stephanie have a six month old Kitty (that sat in the editing studio with us), I myself have a much fatter and older 20 pound-porker. Workwise, it felt good to see, and hear the potential of film on the editing bay. The big line of advice given to me -- (and recited yesterday by me to Stephanie and Valery): "The script is written twice, on the page, and rewritten in the editing room." Labels: After Party Babies, Cruz Editing Diaries, Film, Film Festivals, indie film, screenwriting, Short Film posted by Henry Cruz at 11:36 AM     ARCHIVES October 2005 . November 2005 . December 2005 . August 2007 . September 2007 . October 2007 . November 2007 . December 2007 . March 2008 . April 2008 . May 2008 . June 2008 . July 2008 . August 2008 . September 2008 .