Saturday, May 29, 2010
Down By Law
Down By Law. Jarmusch is just so darn good sometimes. If this doesn’t make you wish you could be in New Orleans in 1980 then you may be a few cards short of a deck.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
winter + central NY + film
Ben Harper music video shot in Syracuse, NY, in the dead of winter. Documentary/short film style.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Jakob Dylan + T Bone Burnett
The Jakob Dylan / T Bone Burnett short I directed with my friend James Minchin.
Friday, May 07, 2010
back to California
The past five weeks have been busy. We moved back to Los Angeles. I've been shooting a documentary project in the deep south. I'm trying to find an agent. I've been working on getting my website updated. I've been working on getting The Only Band In Town into film festivals. And I'm trying to soak up all the photographs and film I can wrap my head around.
meritocracy
mer·i·toc·ra·cy 1. an elite group of people whose progress is based on ability and talent rather than on class privilege or wealth.
A Life In the Day - by John Mayer
Filmed on May 5, 2010, a mostly first-person chronicle of the day's events leading up to a performance in Wollongong, Australia. Shot on Canon 5D mkII with 50mm 1.2 and 24-70 lenses.
Monday, March 29, 2010
March Across America - Week 1
On and off for the next 6 months I'm walking across America filming a documentary with my friends Brett Brownell, Jacob Marshall, and Andy Mellon about Zach Bonner, a 12 year old philanthropist who is walking from Tampa, Florida to Los Angeles, California to raise awareness of homeless youth.
March Across America
Just because we're out working though doesn't mean we can't have a little fun as well...
March Across America
Just because we're out working though doesn't mean we can't have a little fun as well...
Sunday, March 28, 2010
I Penned The Suckiest Movie Ever - 'Battlefield Earth' writer apologizes
Let me start by apologizing to anyone who went to see "Battlefield Earth."
It wasn't as I intended -- promise. No one sets out to make a train wreck. Actually, comparing it to a train wreck isn't really fair to train wrecks, because people actually want to watch those.
It started, as so many of my choices do, with my Willy Wonker.
It was 1994, and I had read an article in Premiere magazine saying that the Celebrity Center, the Scientology epicenter in Los Angeles, was a great place to meet women.
Willy convinced me to go check it out. Touring the building, I didn't find any eligible women at first, but I did meet Karen Hollander, president of the center, who said she was a fan of "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." We ended up talking for over two hours. She told me why Scientology is so great. I told her that, when it comes to organized religion, anything a person does to reward, threaten and try to control people by using an unknown like the afterlife is dangerous.
Nonetheless, Karen called me a few days later asking if I'd be interested in turning any of L. Ron Hubbard's books into movies. Eventually, I had dinner with John Travolta, his wife Kelly Preston, Karen -- about 10 Scientologists in all. John asked me, "So, J.D., what brought you to Scientology?"
I told him. John smiled and replied, "We have tech that can help you handle that." I don't know if he meant they had technology that would help me get laid or technology that would stop Willy from doing the majority of my thinking.
I researched Scientology before signing on to the movie, to make sure I wasn't making anything that would indoctrinate people. I took a few courses, including the Purification Rundown, or Purif. You go to CC every day, take vitamins and go in and out of a sauna so toxins are released from your body. You're supposed to reach an "End Point." I never did, but I was bored so I told them I had a vision of L. Ron. They said, "What did he say?" "Pull my finger," was my response. They said I was done.
During my Scientology research, I met an employee who I instantly had a crush on. She was kind of a priestess, and had dedicated her life to working for the church by becoming a Sea Org member. She said that she signed a billion-year contract. I said, "What! Really?" She said she got paid a small stipend of $50 a week, to which I said, "Can you get an advance on the billion years, like say, a mere $500,000?" And then she said as a Sea Org member, you can't have sex unless you're married. I asked her if she was married. She said yes. So I said, "Great! That means we can have sex!"
As far as I know, I am the only non-Scientologist to ever be on their cruise ship, the Freewind. I was a bit of an oddity, walking around in a robe, sandals, smoking Cuban cigars and drinking fine scotch (Scientologists are not allowed to drink while taking courses). I also got one of the best massages ever. My friends asked if I got a "happy ending." I said, "Yes, I got off the ship."
But if you're reading this to get the dirt on Scientology, sorry, no one ever tried to force me to do anything.
Even after all the "trouble" I'd gotten into, people at the church liked me, so I read "Battlefield Earth" and agreed to come up with a pitch to take to studios.
I met with Mike Marcus, the president of MGM, and pitched him my take. He loved it, and the next day negotiations went under way. A few days after I finished the script, a very excited Travolta called, told me he "loved it," and wanted to have dinner. At dinner, John said again how much he loved the script and called it "The 'Schindler's List' of sci-fi."
My script was very, VERY different than what ended up on the screen. My screenplay was darker, grittier and had a very compelling story with rich characters. What my screenplay didn't have was slow motion at every turn, Dutch tilts, campy dialogue, aliens in KISS boots, and everyone wearing Bob Marley wigs.
Shortly after that, John officially attached himself to the project. Then several A-list directors expressed interest in making the movie, MGM had a budget of $100 million, and life was grrrrreat! I got studio notes that were typical studio notes. Nothing too crazy. I incorporated the notes I felt worked, blew off the bad ones and did a polish. I sent it to the studio, thinking the next I'd hear is what director is attached.
Then I got another batch of notes. I thought it was a joke. They changed the entire tone. I knew these notes would kill the movie. The notes wanted me to lose key scenes, add ridiculous scenes, take out some of the key characters. I asked Mike where they came from. He said, "From us." But when I pressed him, he said, "From John's camp, but we agree with them."
I refused to incorporate the notes into the script and was fired.
I HAVE no idea why they wanted to go in this new direction, but here's what I heard from someone in John's camp: Out of all the books L. Ron wrote, this was the one the church founder wanted most to become a movie. He wrote extensive notes on how the movie should be made.
Many people called it a Scientology movie. It wasn't when I wrote it, and I don't feel it was in the final product. Yes, writers put their beliefs into a story. Sometimes it's subtle (I guess L. Ron had something against the color purple, I have no idea why), sometimes not so subtle (L. Ron hated psychiatry and psychologists, thus the reason, and I'm just guessing here, that the bad aliens were called "Psychlos").
The only time I saw the movie was at the premiere, which was one too many times.
Once it was decided that I would share a writing credit, I wanted to use my pseudonym, Sir Nick Knack. I was told I couldn't do that, because if a writer gets paid over a certain amount of money, they can't. I could have taken my name completely off the movie, but my agent and attorney talked me out of it. There was a lot of money at stake.
Now, looking back at the movie with fresh eyes, I can't help but be strangely proud of it. Because out of all the sucky movies, mine is the suckiest.
In the end, did Scientology get me laid? What do you think? No way do you get any action by boldly going up to a woman and proclaiming, "I wrote Battlefield Earth!" If anything, I'm trying to figure out a way to bottle it and use it as birth control. I'll make a mint!
It wasn't as I intended -- promise. No one sets out to make a train wreck. Actually, comparing it to a train wreck isn't really fair to train wrecks, because people actually want to watch those.
It started, as so many of my choices do, with my Willy Wonker.
It was 1994, and I had read an article in Premiere magazine saying that the Celebrity Center, the Scientology epicenter in Los Angeles, was a great place to meet women.
Willy convinced me to go check it out. Touring the building, I didn't find any eligible women at first, but I did meet Karen Hollander, president of the center, who said she was a fan of "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." We ended up talking for over two hours. She told me why Scientology is so great. I told her that, when it comes to organized religion, anything a person does to reward, threaten and try to control people by using an unknown like the afterlife is dangerous.
Nonetheless, Karen called me a few days later asking if I'd be interested in turning any of L. Ron Hubbard's books into movies. Eventually, I had dinner with John Travolta, his wife Kelly Preston, Karen -- about 10 Scientologists in all. John asked me, "So, J.D., what brought you to Scientology?"
I told him. John smiled and replied, "We have tech that can help you handle that." I don't know if he meant they had technology that would help me get laid or technology that would stop Willy from doing the majority of my thinking.
I researched Scientology before signing on to the movie, to make sure I wasn't making anything that would indoctrinate people. I took a few courses, including the Purification Rundown, or Purif. You go to CC every day, take vitamins and go in and out of a sauna so toxins are released from your body. You're supposed to reach an "End Point." I never did, but I was bored so I told them I had a vision of L. Ron. They said, "What did he say?" "Pull my finger," was my response. They said I was done.
During my Scientology research, I met an employee who I instantly had a crush on. She was kind of a priestess, and had dedicated her life to working for the church by becoming a Sea Org member. She said that she signed a billion-year contract. I said, "What! Really?" She said she got paid a small stipend of $50 a week, to which I said, "Can you get an advance on the billion years, like say, a mere $500,000?" And then she said as a Sea Org member, you can't have sex unless you're married. I asked her if she was married. She said yes. So I said, "Great! That means we can have sex!"
As far as I know, I am the only non-Scientologist to ever be on their cruise ship, the Freewind. I was a bit of an oddity, walking around in a robe, sandals, smoking Cuban cigars and drinking fine scotch (Scientologists are not allowed to drink while taking courses). I also got one of the best massages ever. My friends asked if I got a "happy ending." I said, "Yes, I got off the ship."
But if you're reading this to get the dirt on Scientology, sorry, no one ever tried to force me to do anything.
Even after all the "trouble" I'd gotten into, people at the church liked me, so I read "Battlefield Earth" and agreed to come up with a pitch to take to studios.
I met with Mike Marcus, the president of MGM, and pitched him my take. He loved it, and the next day negotiations went under way. A few days after I finished the script, a very excited Travolta called, told me he "loved it," and wanted to have dinner. At dinner, John said again how much he loved the script and called it "The 'Schindler's List' of sci-fi."
My script was very, VERY different than what ended up on the screen. My screenplay was darker, grittier and had a very compelling story with rich characters. What my screenplay didn't have was slow motion at every turn, Dutch tilts, campy dialogue, aliens in KISS boots, and everyone wearing Bob Marley wigs.
Shortly after that, John officially attached himself to the project. Then several A-list directors expressed interest in making the movie, MGM had a budget of $100 million, and life was grrrrreat! I got studio notes that were typical studio notes. Nothing too crazy. I incorporated the notes I felt worked, blew off the bad ones and did a polish. I sent it to the studio, thinking the next I'd hear is what director is attached.
Then I got another batch of notes. I thought it was a joke. They changed the entire tone. I knew these notes would kill the movie. The notes wanted me to lose key scenes, add ridiculous scenes, take out some of the key characters. I asked Mike where they came from. He said, "From us." But when I pressed him, he said, "From John's camp, but we agree with them."
I refused to incorporate the notes into the script and was fired.
I HAVE no idea why they wanted to go in this new direction, but here's what I heard from someone in John's camp: Out of all the books L. Ron wrote, this was the one the church founder wanted most to become a movie. He wrote extensive notes on how the movie should be made.
Many people called it a Scientology movie. It wasn't when I wrote it, and I don't feel it was in the final product. Yes, writers put their beliefs into a story. Sometimes it's subtle (I guess L. Ron had something against the color purple, I have no idea why), sometimes not so subtle (L. Ron hated psychiatry and psychologists, thus the reason, and I'm just guessing here, that the bad aliens were called "Psychlos").
The only time I saw the movie was at the premiere, which was one too many times.
Once it was decided that I would share a writing credit, I wanted to use my pseudonym, Sir Nick Knack. I was told I couldn't do that, because if a writer gets paid over a certain amount of money, they can't. I could have taken my name completely off the movie, but my agent and attorney talked me out of it. There was a lot of money at stake.
Now, looking back at the movie with fresh eyes, I can't help but be strangely proud of it. Because out of all the sucky movies, mine is the suckiest.
In the end, did Scientology get me laid? What do you think? No way do you get any action by boldly going up to a woman and proclaiming, "I wrote Battlefield Earth!" If anything, I'm trying to figure out a way to bottle it and use it as birth control. I'll make a mint!
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Music Voyager, airing in Denver
The TV show that I'm the Director of Photography for is finally airing in Denver.
Tuesday March 22nd at 9PM MST on KBDI Channel 12
Please watch and let me know what you think of the cinematography!
Tuesday March 22nd at 9PM MST on KBDI Channel 12
Please watch and let me know what you think of the cinematography!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Pastimes
Whenever there is a free USA Today lying around at a hotel or in an airport I always take a glance at the 'State By State' section of the paper, hoping that maybe I'll happen across the next great American documentary idea. This clipping from the USA Today made me laugh out loud. I'm pretty sure that this news story combines all three of North Dakota's winter pastimes; snowmobiles, hockey, and drinking.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
From Cajun Country
I've been directing the photography on a PBS show called The Music Voyager. This webisode is from a recent trip to Louisiana.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Films I Wish I Could See At Sundance
Restrepo
In 2008 Sebastian Junger (The Perfect Storm) and Tim Hetherington dug in with the men of Second Platoon for a year. Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, a stronghold of al Qaeda and the Taliban, has proven to be one of the U.S. Army's deadliest challenges. It is here that the platoon lost their comrade, PFC Juan Restrepo, and erected an outpost in his honor. Up close and personal, Junger and Hetherington gain extraordinary insight into the surreal combination of backbreaking labor and deadly firefights that are a way of life at Outpost Restrepo. Ever wonder what it's really like to be in the trenches of war? Look no further. Restrepo may be one of the most experiential and visceral war films you'll ever see. With unprecedented access, the filmmakers reveal the humor and camaraderie of men who come under daily fire, never knowing which of them won't make it home.
http://www.restrepothemovie.com/#/videos
Lucky
Dreaming of winning the lottery is as American as apple pie. Millions of Americans spend billions of dollars each year hoping to come up a winner. But what happens to the lucky few who actually pull a winning ticket? Lucky crisscrosses the country, examining a handful of past lottery winners as they navigate their newly found riches and a couple of extremely determined hopefuls.
Obselidia
Believing he’s the last door-to-door encyclopedia salesman in the world, George decides to write The Obselidia, a compendium of obsolete things. George believes that love, among other things, is obsolete. In his quest to document nearly extinct occupations, he befriends Sophie, a beautiful cinema projectionist who works at a silent movie theatre
http://www.obselidiathemovie.com/
Bass Ackwards
After ending a disastrous affair with a married woman, a man embarks on a lyrical, strange and comedic cross-country journey in a modified VW bus.
http://www.bassackwardsfilm.com/
Skateland
It’s 1983, and Skateland, the roller rink and local hangout of a small town, is becoming a fading memory of an earlier time, when disco and roller-skating were king. The party scene is getting stale, and 19-year-old Ritchie's romantic life is as cloudy as his future. He struggles to make sense of it all, and decisions do not come easily to the carefree young man. When tragedy strikes his friends and family, Ritchie must face the music—and make the biggest decision of his life. Without the benefit of a studio budget or name casting, Anthony Burns and Brandon and Heath Freeman capture the '80s in startling detail. The result: a cinematic scrapbook of a time and place, a visceral visual, and an aural experience that reclaims the decade for those of us lucky enough to have lived through it once. While the atmosphere is time specific, the themes of the joys and pains of growing up are universal.
http://www.freemanfilm.com/skateland/
In 2008 Sebastian Junger (The Perfect Storm) and Tim Hetherington dug in with the men of Second Platoon for a year. Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, a stronghold of al Qaeda and the Taliban, has proven to be one of the U.S. Army's deadliest challenges. It is here that the platoon lost their comrade, PFC Juan Restrepo, and erected an outpost in his honor. Up close and personal, Junger and Hetherington gain extraordinary insight into the surreal combination of backbreaking labor and deadly firefights that are a way of life at Outpost Restrepo. Ever wonder what it's really like to be in the trenches of war? Look no further. Restrepo may be one of the most experiential and visceral war films you'll ever see. With unprecedented access, the filmmakers reveal the humor and camaraderie of men who come under daily fire, never knowing which of them won't make it home.
http://www.restrepothemovie.com/#/videos
Lucky
Dreaming of winning the lottery is as American as apple pie. Millions of Americans spend billions of dollars each year hoping to come up a winner. But what happens to the lucky few who actually pull a winning ticket? Lucky crisscrosses the country, examining a handful of past lottery winners as they navigate their newly found riches and a couple of extremely determined hopefuls.
Obselidia
Believing he’s the last door-to-door encyclopedia salesman in the world, George decides to write The Obselidia, a compendium of obsolete things. George believes that love, among other things, is obsolete. In his quest to document nearly extinct occupations, he befriends Sophie, a beautiful cinema projectionist who works at a silent movie theatre
http://www.obselidiathemovie.com/
Bass Ackwards
After ending a disastrous affair with a married woman, a man embarks on a lyrical, strange and comedic cross-country journey in a modified VW bus.
http://www.bassackwardsfilm.com/
Skateland
It’s 1983, and Skateland, the roller rink and local hangout of a small town, is becoming a fading memory of an earlier time, when disco and roller-skating were king. The party scene is getting stale, and 19-year-old Ritchie's romantic life is as cloudy as his future. He struggles to make sense of it all, and decisions do not come easily to the carefree young man. When tragedy strikes his friends and family, Ritchie must face the music—and make the biggest decision of his life. Without the benefit of a studio budget or name casting, Anthony Burns and Brandon and Heath Freeman capture the '80s in startling detail. The result: a cinematic scrapbook of a time and place, a visceral visual, and an aural experience that reclaims the decade for those of us lucky enough to have lived through it once. While the atmosphere is time specific, the themes of the joys and pains of growing up are universal.
http://www.freemanfilm.com/skateland/
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Hello Kavita - 'The Last Time'
Just finished directing a new music video.
Hello Kavita - 'The Last Time' from Rod Blackhurst on Vimeo.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Unless You're Peyton Manning
...you shouldn't be making commercials sports stars. Every time one of these comes on the air here in Denver I laugh out loud.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
John, the Grammy Man
Took a trip to western Colorado yesterday to visit the Grammy Man, John Billings. John has been making the Grammy awards for the past 34 years.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
The Fray: There & Back + Fair Fight
Roughly eleven months ago my first book was published and the first feature length film I shot and directed was released.
The Fray: There & Back
Fair Fight
Hope you all can pick yourselves up a copy of each. I'm rather proud of both projects and would like to share them with the world.
The Fray: There & Back
The Fray: Fair Fight - Director Rod Blackhurst from Rod Blackhurst on Vimeo.
Fair Fight
Hope you all can pick yourselves up a copy of each. I'm rather proud of both projects and would like to share them with the world.
Friday, January 01, 2010
The Music Voyager - Denver & Lafayette
Some photographs from recent shoots for The Music Voyager, the show I'm the Director of Photography on.
Me
Cedric Watson
Show Host Jacob Edgar
Me
Cedric Watson
Show Host Jacob Edgar
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
December - Scenes From A Short - Scene 1
Just starting production on a short film I wrote, and am directing, called 'December'. The story is about a guy named Matt in his early 30's who is a little down and out on life. Caught in the ebb and flow of his existence he spends his days hanging out with his best friend Ryan. As a snow storm rolls into town they drive around in Ryan's beat up car and trade stories and one liners that might just be masked metaphors for life.
The first scene we shot was a scene in a diner with Matt and his girlfriend Rebecca. This breakfast date is a reassuring scene in the film, occurring about 2/3rds of the way through the piece, where she reminds him that she loves him, even when he's feeling like he's really got nothing to offer their relationship right now.
Yours truly on the left with DP Brook Aitken.
Actress Libby Arnold
Actor Jeremy Make + Audio Steve Schwedt
Production Stills
All photographs by Kelly Magelky, AD + Producer Extraordinaire
Technical Specs:
HPX170 - no adapters
2.39:1 Aspect Ratio - cropping in post
24fps
Decided to shoot with the HPX170 for several reasons, namely that I own a full package with all accessories, secondly because we plan on shooting some 60fps snow/winter landscapes, and finally because we needed to be able to cram the camera + DP, sound, and me into the backseat of a car for several scenes. Decided against any sort of adapter in an effort to keep it simple.
The light for this scene was a 1K with a Chimera and a 650 with a Chimera, bounce card when we got in close. There was a large window with daylight coming in from the left hand side of the wide photographs and while we were shooting from 2-4:30PM, the light worked perfectly as the scene was a breakfast scene.
I'll be posting some screen grabs soon....
The first scene we shot was a scene in a diner with Matt and his girlfriend Rebecca. This breakfast date is a reassuring scene in the film, occurring about 2/3rds of the way through the piece, where she reminds him that she loves him, even when he's feeling like he's really got nothing to offer their relationship right now.
Yours truly on the left with DP Brook Aitken.
Actress Libby Arnold
Actor Jeremy Make + Audio Steve Schwedt
Production Stills
All photographs by Kelly Magelky, AD + Producer Extraordinaire
Technical Specs:
HPX170 - no adapters
2.39:1 Aspect Ratio - cropping in post
24fps
Decided to shoot with the HPX170 for several reasons, namely that I own a full package with all accessories, secondly because we plan on shooting some 60fps snow/winter landscapes, and finally because we needed to be able to cram the camera + DP, sound, and me into the backseat of a car for several scenes. Decided against any sort of adapter in an effort to keep it simple.
The light for this scene was a 1K with a Chimera and a 650 with a Chimera, bounce card when we got in close. There was a large window with daylight coming in from the left hand side of the wide photographs and while we were shooting from 2-4:30PM, the light worked perfectly as the scene was a breakfast scene.
I'll be posting some screen grabs soon....
Friday, December 11, 2009
From David Ebletoft
First of all, if you read this blog you should be reading David's blog too.
He wrote an e-mail last night with this story:
'I had a union construction worker tell me a joke while waiting for the freight elevator in Midtown today. He tried to pass off a Family Guy joke as his own. For a few seconds, I thought of confronting him, but that glitter in his eye said, "This shit was so funny while I watched Family Guy reruns on TBS that maybe, just maybe, if I tell it as my own, people will think I'm funny as shit.....please think I'm funny as shit....please."
So I laughed...Merry Christmas you unoriginal bastard.'
It was too good to let it sit in my in-box all alone.
He wrote an e-mail last night with this story:
'I had a union construction worker tell me a joke while waiting for the freight elevator in Midtown today. He tried to pass off a Family Guy joke as his own. For a few seconds, I thought of confronting him, but that glitter in his eye said, "This shit was so funny while I watched Family Guy reruns on TBS that maybe, just maybe, if I tell it as my own, people will think I'm funny as shit.....please think I'm funny as shit....please."
So I laughed...Merry Christmas you unoriginal bastard.'
It was too good to let it sit in my in-box all alone.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)