"Spy" (2015)

It must be pretty cool to be Melissa McCarthy. Chubby but fun. She has deep seeded self-loathing that women who do own a lot of cats must feel. But being inadequate in Hollywood standards also has its heroine. It’s not a bad thing that McCarthy is that person.

She plays a basement dwelling  C.I.A. operative that assist with real spies. In this case, it’s a man she has a crush on. Super spy Bradley Fine (Jude Law). Things go from odd to weird when she is placed into active field duty when he is assassinated. This is where the viewer either plays along or just hates the movie. And it’s going to suck if you hate the movie, because it goes really long from here. I went along with it. Hell, I paid the $3.00 at the cheap theater to see it with a band of chatty Latinas behind me. Fuck them.

Anyway, I did enjoy this movie. Although I hated “Bridesmaids” directed by the same guy Paul Feig. Here he also brings back Rose Byrne. Since she’s so beautiful, why not let her be the villain again? She is the light of the movie actually. Ripping McCarthy apart with her East Euro candor. They just don’t have a filter for rude. She’s the spoiled heiress to a very bad man. Unfortunately, if you stop to think about the twists and turns, you will hurt yourself with how much you hate Feig for how ridiculous it becomes. For instance, though they all work for the C.I.A. (USA) everyone speaks with a British accent. As if the script was written by a child who had no clue as to who the C.I.A. was. If you think this is funny (which I did) then you’ll go along with it. If you think this is infantile, it’ll drive you nuts from this point on.

HOWEVER, the laughs still do come quick. You can tell where they loop lines to fix dead air, or let things run long for the humor to really stick. This may be annoying to a lot of people.

The one thing though…in regards to McCarthy…her schtick is fairly standard for her now. It’s a mix between sarcasm and babbling idiot. She calls it like it is, but what she calls it like is to diffuse the terrible thing for which is about to happen. Or to mask uncomfortable banter. I think a lot of people may find this absolutely shitty for the upcoming “Ghostbusters.” Or it could work. I think Bill Murray has a similar delivery. Speak whatever comes to mind, regardless of who is within earshot. This is silly, no doubt. It was fun for this movie. May fizzle if overdone.

My friend told me one time about something he read where they now include a character in movies that are more in the know of the silliness of the plot. This is simply to address the audiences’ sophistication of movie logic. For instance in “Jurassic World” you have the gen-Xer who was a teen when the first “Jurassic Park” was released. He wears the t-shirt and warns of the imminent danger from the first movie. In McCarthy’s case, she IS that person. And she’s also the lead. Do with that information as you wish.

I do believe Feig is the master now of modern woman empowerment. I like that he doesn’t hammer it into your head. There are small moments that make women not hate each other. This is really wise and nice. Is it honest in the real world? Probably not if all the spy women were in love with the same guy. But, he does a great job in both criticizing women hating on other women, and women working together for a cause. To his credit, he’s pretty much dodged the “feminist” label while still making that type of movie. I enjoyed “Spy” but I doubt it will linger a that long. Which, I felt the same about “The Heat.”

How Did You End Up Here?

A co-worker at work discovered I’d shot a movie with Steven Seagal.

Co-worker: Wait, you shot a movie with Steven Seagal? Like THE Steven Seagal?

Me: Yep.

Co-worker: What’s it called?

Me: “Clementine”

Co-worker: Never heard of it (though thoroughly impressed). So…

Me: It was never suppose to be released in America.

Co-worker: Ah. (I can tell he’s just itching to hit a Google search). So…what happened?

Me: Whaddya’ mean?

Co-worker: How the fuck did you end up here?

That is THE universal question isn’t it? How the fuck we ended up where we ended up. My initial response was “How the fuck did you end up where you are?” (he’s going to Canada to assist dailies on a Lasse Hallstrom movie, I think). But I thought better. What he was really asking was…how did you fuck up such an opportunity as to end up in the trenches with the rest of us?

Great question.

The answer: I fucked up. At mid-20’s you have NO idea what opportunities are. Arrogance, specifically, 20 year old arrogance is that if it happened once, it happens all the time. I remember hearing something similar to actors who’ve fell hard. They get an amazing role and think it’s like that all the time. No one ever believes a well can run dry. Or that you get so drunk you fall into said well. And drown.

I feel fortunate that I am still alive to wonder what could’ve been had I been more mature and savvy about the business. As it were, it was enough to stick it in the face of a Steadicam operator who gave me shit on another production because I was an assistant on stupid kid’s t.v. show. This operator was also a crane operator. Union guy. I’d ask him questions, he’d blow me off. That is until the day he showed up on “Clementine” renting out his Steadicam gear to my Steadicam operator. The look on his face was priceless when I told him I was the director of photography on the  movie. How exactly did I get from being his assistant to the 2^nd in command to a Seagal movie was beyond him. And that’s the bizarre insanity of our business. Which is also why you should be nice.

Well, actually, I suppose the joke would be on me, since now I have a co-worker wondering why I’ve fallen so far off the map. And how I could’ve squandered my supposed talent. You don’t appreciate things you perceive as luck.

You Need An Ego Boost?

Some administrator put me in as a moderator to give thumbs up or thumbs down on images selected for a site. If you ever want to feel more of an ego boost, or inject your confidence a little, be a moderator for something you passionately enjoy doing. I spent the morning killing off 2,000 images...so far.

In this case, it was shocking...yes SHOCKING how bad people are at photography. Don't mean to sound like a complete dick about it, but it's bad. Bad color, bad lighting, bad composition. And absolute disaster. And those are the ones that look like they tried. The ones that got their images by accident...you can tell. What's even more alarming...it's not just Americans. We're talking internationally bad. There's just zero effort put into images we put online these days. Saddest part is that you can tell, the people making these images are proud of them. I'm really not sure they know how bad they are. Why, in God's name, would you submit knowing you're being judged by this and not send your best. My eyes are bugging out from this display.

It's no wonder when you do run into a gem, you really know. I imagine it's the same for script readers.

Buck Up And Smile

For those who just arrived in Los Angeles in hopes of making it in the film industry. I envy your stupidity...er...I mean bravery.

I remember coming out here back in 1993 as an 18 year old kid. I think a lot of us when we were young had this image of Los Angeles as stretches of beaches. And surfing daily. I was obsessed with "Baywatch" so there you have it. But, instead of Erika Eleniak, I saw a LOT of homeless bums with shit-stained pants, and burned out hippies who reeked of patchouli. Where the FUCK was my Erika Eleniak?! (look her up ya' dummies). I ran out of money for college and headed back to Ohio, really pissed off that Los Angeles was so filthy with shitty human beings, and shitty traffic. I needed to get back to wide open spaces.

I run into a LOT of people who love Los Angeles the minute the step foot on its borders. I'm really not sure why. 16 years ago, when I came here, the place did have a mystery to me. I drove on Route 66 with my friend Ed whom we roomed together in Hollywood. The town was smoggy as fuck. And for whatever reason, seemed to have a cloud looming over it. I went to graduate school at the time, so I preoccupied myself with classes. It's weird to think at that time I thought I was old. 25 years old and thinking I knew everything. How naive this was.

Again, I can't talk anyone out of the business here. I'm sure I'm just that sourpuss that struggles harder than most. There are really talented, smart motivated people who work hard and have pushed through. There are also the ones who have all that, don't get ONE single opportunity and wash out. The reality is the latter (from what I've seen). So, I really try not to burst anyone's bubble, but being talented and smart...still has limitations in a business that doesn't completely have any logic. That's why people are batty. And then when you meet them, you're surprised to know how normal they are.

I miss those days of being 25 and in school and not knowing much about the movie business. I probably know less now than I do then, since nothing makes sense. Even if you do your best and try your hardest...you may be asked to go further. But you may not have much more in the tank. That's the ones who do eventually crack it, have no other choice.

A Little About Widescreen

So I was re-watching a restoration of “My Fair Lady.” A BEAUTIFUL painstaking fix on a movie that could’ve disappeared with age. Luckily, they saw the value of a movie and spent a little money fixing it to its greatness.

What makes this movie unique is that it was shot in SuperPanavision 70. This is that they shot with spherical lenses but extracted for a blow up to 70mm projection. If the picture set you back into your chairs, the sound most certainly blew you into the back of the theater. Optical 70mm sound is…ridiculous. Today’s theaters are constantly going more. More speakers. The newest being Dolby Atmos. I’m no expert, but it exceeds surround by adding in many more channels to the theater, immersing you completely into the experience. Seems to only work if say…it is a movie that required it. There’s just so much the brain can retain.

Anyway, back to SuperPanavision 70…it is an expensive format to say the least. I would say a 500 ft. roll equates to a minute of footage.  Did I mention there is also something called UltraPanavision 70? This is a squeeze process. Whereas, in anamorphic 35mm or Cinemascope…it would have an extension piece of glass placed in front of spherical to squeeze the image into the 4 perforated frame, you are now putting a piece of glass to squeeze a widescreen format into a 65mm piece of film. You are extending the side to side into wider than panoramic. Spherical 70mm which I what “My Fair Lady” was shot in, is considered “flat” which is why the corners don’t vignette. You can offset this with diopters in ‘scope. But in the case of “My Fair Lady” is is sharp from edge to edge. It is an amazing achievement, in terms of the look, considering it was a solution to get people to come out of their homes. By the way, it’s weird to consider I was alive when Audrey Hepburn still walked the Earth. She not only walked it, her life was dedicated to UNICEF. She wanted to save humanity. Talk about a real life God amongst us. Well, except for the cancer that consumed her.

It got me thinking about my next dream project. Perhaps if and when I get a budget to do so. But to shoot 15/70 film. This is 15 perforation 70mm film. This is equivalent to how I shoot medium format film. It has a…unreal quality to it. Paul Thomas Anderson used it (partially) in “The Master.” The dept of field is near non-existent. But razor sharp at the edges. And is in a shorter rectangular image than “My Fair Lady.” Since some may not even consider it traditional widescreen. It’s a different feel. Almost like “Gone With The Wind.” Which by the way, isn’t a widescreen movie. It’s actually square. In 1939, they still hadn’t developed a widescreen look. This had been introduced early 50’s, since that’s when television was introduced as well. They had to create a format they couldn’t get at home.

I guess the real point of it is, it needs to be a movie that would warrant going this way. A movie like “Interstellar” makes sense, since it’s space. I have a few ideas in mind that would be great to see if it’s possible. The other logistical issue is that, I don’t have access in post. A few rolls may set me back thousands of dollars. And the transfer would set me back just as much. It would definitely be an effort for which money people may not back. To be more truthful, MOST wouldn’t support. But I can still dream.

Nearing The Locked Picture

A frame here, a frame there. Does it make a difference? It may. A few frames, definitely does. When it is coming to the finish of a picture lock on your movie, it is the decision as to what you can or can't live with for the hours you will spend watching it. I have no idea how people who make features do it. To me, I'd lose every perspective, throw my hands in the air, and just...go hide somewhere (to work on the next thing). It must be paralyzing for people. Especially since the "big dog" movies also have the pain of worrying about whether or not it can make money too. Forget a minor eye blink or a reaction, we're looking for a hit so you CAN make the next one.

Oh, the indecision that comes with finally saying your movie is complete. A lot of time, they aren't. Director's will unlock their picture if they just can't live with themselves about a dumb nagging problem. Much of the time it could be something as insane as a hair out of place (David Fincher digitally removed bangs from Mara Rooney in "The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo...for in insignificant scene...I mean to me it was...anyway you get the idea).

I still watch through movies from my film school days and regret the things I should've/could've done. Does it make it a better movie? Not really. You just have to let it go once it's gone to the sound mixer and composer and everyone else that has nothing to do with you. But...every frame counts. It's down to that now.

I Need An Editor

I need an editor. I mean, I can do it myself, but something that you need to remove yourself from when you were actually at the shoot. What Walter Murch said, looking beyond the borders of the frame. There is a lot of shit that people never see in movies. The grind it takes to shoot. Or the compromises you make to get a scene done. Most of these experiences creep into the editing bay. You fight for shot because it took you a long time to get, or it costs money, or in some cases, you owe the producer’s girlfriend a shot in your movie for political reasons. A movie I shot actually had a random scene written so a random money man’s girlfriend could be in the movie. It was unnecessary, but ended up in the finish movie. This is what happens.

In my case, I extend scenes fairly long. Because each frame that passes meant money that wasn’t spent. You may’ve remembered a blog entry where I mentioned on my graduate thesis project, I rented a crane, and was determined to have that shot in my movie. It costs me a lot. It slowed the movie down, looking back, but it was a cool fucking shot. So it was going in. This is something an editor may convince you isn’t necessary. Other times, there is also a pacing thing. I did this one movie in Connecticut with a director. He was also editing his own movie. Oh…he was also in it. The entire scene took place in a two-shot. The timing on it was wrong. It was a comedy, so I always encourage this to be a two shot, but the banter just didn’t work. We did coverage, shot-reverse-shot and over the shoulders. We shot the shit out of that scene. So at any point it could’ve been edited for a nice pace. He was also a massive Woody Allen fan, and refused to cut from the two shot. It was an odd scene. It may’ve been something as stupid as vanity, but he just didn’t cut away from the two-shot. The result was what it was. It went nowhere. And, for the most part, he had one screening, and no one responded to the movie. I am convinced you need someone you trust with story telling to do this job. BUT…and this is a big one…finding a good one is difficult. Especially if you’ve done this your entire learning curve. It’s hard to let it go and let others kick around your art. They chisel at it with abandon. Not the care you take with it. It’s brutal to watch. And you get punchy over it sometimes.

I remember putting together a rough cut of a movie that has never seen been completed. Just slugged it together willy nilly. Anyone who’s edited knows you get engaged to your movie. Actually, a more accurate description would be enveloped. So, I handed the project over and was re-edited by someone else. Not my project. I shrugged it off. Until I saw what was the locked agreed-upon cut. Boy, was I steamed. They essentially gutted the project (in my opinion). But it wasn’t mine, so it wasn’t mine. Even something like that draws a sense of combative emotion. The thing most should realize is that everyone tells stories differently. My version will be different than someone else’s. Actually a ton of somebody else’s. The sensibility could be VASTLY different from person to person. The only thread holding it together would be the script. What does the script leave you with a feeling of? That is the key to everything. It goes back to that adage that everyone has to make the same movie. This is no different. An editor has to make the same type of movie. The sensibility needs to be the same. In order for it to work, being on the same page (pun intended) is what makes a strong movie.

I’m in the fine cut now, and I’m smoothing a lot of the edits with reaction and what is referred to as “L” cuts. The feedback so far from the rough cut, is that I’ve got the structure set. As it’s a pretty straight forward story. The next move is trim it to a nice clip. Where we forget the movie is edited and you just go along with the characters. I think that is the greatest feeling…is when you don’t see the cuts. I think that’s why it’s so hard to let it go. It is the best part of the magic.