Ashes and Snow
Today is the day... not the big day... but the screening day and I can't bring myself to watch any films before our slot - I need to feel human for half a day.
Greg and Di pick me up and we head off to Santa Monica - there is an exhibition on that I have seen plastered over buildings all over L.A. and it looks stunning - 'Ashes and Snow' is the name. All over town there are buildings that have amazing photography on a grand scale of a young tibetan boy in the cradle of an elephant - it is such a striking image. We get there and I know someone is playing tricks on me as I pass the 'Bubba Shrimp' restaurant. Yes - someone has bought the name and is capitlising on a 10 year old movie - its genius... and its packed...
The exhibition is amazing from the outset - around 50 shipping container are stacked together to form a building next to the beach, the interior is all wood, corrugated steel and stone - and all around hang the most amazing photographs. A violin score plays throughout and huge screens display moving pictures of the still shots. The cinematography is breathtaking I am so glad I came.
We all leave with smiles on our faces and marvel at the measly $15 entry fee... "How can they do it so cheaply", we muse as we walk away from the gift store with $250 bills on our credit cards... "How do they do it?"...
I get back to the hotel and have misjudged the timing slightly... shit... I really have to get a move on and chuck together whatever clothes are the least crumpled. I jump into a cab below the hotel with 'Steve', my new regular driver. he feels like my chauffeur I have been using him so much - a slightly odorous, wild haired, mumbling miserable old chauffeur - good old Steve.
At the cinema I have 5 minutes to set up our poster and get the hell into the cinema. We are playing in a really good block and many of the filmmakers that I have made friends with are screening too - this is it... this is where we stand or fall... this is the moment that we either all rejoice in each others work... or smile through gritted teeth and say how 'well-shot' each others films are? As with previous days at this festival, the filmmakers are called up to front stage to introduce themselves before the block starts. Our film has this knack of playing last in very long sets and I know the percentages are going to drop through the screening so I rack my brain with what to say in order to keep them in their seats... what... bugger... shit, what to say.
We are called up and I decide to talk last - the screening is packed, and most of them are here to see the 4th film. We are the 7th film, so we are looking at losing 30% of the audience at the mid-way mark... I am having non of it. I take the microphone and say hi, explain that I am her from oz, by myself and have no support. I then tell them that my film plays last and I would really appreciate it if they would refrain from leaving until they had viewed all films... in fact... I will buy a drink for every person that stays in the theatre til the end... oh - shit, what did I just say?
The crowd erupts in cheers and clap for about 2 minutes as I realise that I just made a potentially huge and very expensive mistake. I then retract and say that I am a filmmaker and... of course I won't be buying any drinks. They laugh and clap again and I realise that I have just embarrassed them all in to staying out. Who the hell is going to leave now - they will be on display... thank god.
The set starts and starts well - there are some really strong films and it feels good to know just that we are selected in the same category. An hour and a half later and our film starts... only 1 person has left...
We get a great reception, all the films get a great reception and I start to realise that this festival really only has a couple of turkeys - the rest is prime rib. Following us is another set which stands up too. A short of a guy that I met yesterday which is fantastic, followed by a feature that is quality too...
At the after party everyone is in genuinely joyous moods as we realise that none of us have to pretend for the rest of the night. The festival directors are getting drunk - the night couldn't have been better for them. We all hang out by the pool and drink martinis as guys smoke cigars and someone exclaims that we are standing in a cliche... they couldn't have been more right - it looks like hugh heffners pool party. Toward the end of the night, and many vodkas to the wind, I am approached by the festival director who lets me know in no uncertain terms that he loved our film... but that he had heard rumblings that the jury had some problems with it...
I head off home in a cloud of anti-climax, paranoia creeping in as to what the problem was - 4 hours of sleep later I am still wondering...
Greg and Di pick me up and we head off to Santa Monica - there is an exhibition on that I have seen plastered over buildings all over L.A. and it looks stunning - 'Ashes and Snow' is the name. All over town there are buildings that have amazing photography on a grand scale of a young tibetan boy in the cradle of an elephant - it is such a striking image. We get there and I know someone is playing tricks on me as I pass the 'Bubba Shrimp' restaurant. Yes - someone has bought the name and is capitlising on a 10 year old movie - its genius... and its packed...
The exhibition is amazing from the outset - around 50 shipping container are stacked together to form a building next to the beach, the interior is all wood, corrugated steel and stone - and all around hang the most amazing photographs. A violin score plays throughout and huge screens display moving pictures of the still shots. The cinematography is breathtaking I am so glad I came.
We all leave with smiles on our faces and marvel at the measly $15 entry fee... "How can they do it so cheaply", we muse as we walk away from the gift store with $250 bills on our credit cards... "How do they do it?"...
I get back to the hotel and have misjudged the timing slightly... shit... I really have to get a move on and chuck together whatever clothes are the least crumpled. I jump into a cab below the hotel with 'Steve', my new regular driver. he feels like my chauffeur I have been using him so much - a slightly odorous, wild haired, mumbling miserable old chauffeur - good old Steve.
At the cinema I have 5 minutes to set up our poster and get the hell into the cinema. We are playing in a really good block and many of the filmmakers that I have made friends with are screening too - this is it... this is where we stand or fall... this is the moment that we either all rejoice in each others work... or smile through gritted teeth and say how 'well-shot' each others films are? As with previous days at this festival, the filmmakers are called up to front stage to introduce themselves before the block starts. Our film has this knack of playing last in very long sets and I know the percentages are going to drop through the screening so I rack my brain with what to say in order to keep them in their seats... what... bugger... shit, what to say.
We are called up and I decide to talk last - the screening is packed, and most of them are here to see the 4th film. We are the 7th film, so we are looking at losing 30% of the audience at the mid-way mark... I am having non of it. I take the microphone and say hi, explain that I am her from oz, by myself and have no support. I then tell them that my film plays last and I would really appreciate it if they would refrain from leaving until they had viewed all films... in fact... I will buy a drink for every person that stays in the theatre til the end... oh - shit, what did I just say?
The crowd erupts in cheers and clap for about 2 minutes as I realise that I just made a potentially huge and very expensive mistake. I then retract and say that I am a filmmaker and... of course I won't be buying any drinks. They laugh and clap again and I realise that I have just embarrassed them all in to staying out. Who the hell is going to leave now - they will be on display... thank god.
The set starts and starts well - there are some really strong films and it feels good to know just that we are selected in the same category. An hour and a half later and our film starts... only 1 person has left...
We get a great reception, all the films get a great reception and I start to realise that this festival really only has a couple of turkeys - the rest is prime rib. Following us is another set which stands up too. A short of a guy that I met yesterday which is fantastic, followed by a feature that is quality too...
At the after party everyone is in genuinely joyous moods as we realise that none of us have to pretend for the rest of the night. The festival directors are getting drunk - the night couldn't have been better for them. We all hang out by the pool and drink martinis as guys smoke cigars and someone exclaims that we are standing in a cliche... they couldn't have been more right - it looks like hugh heffners pool party. Toward the end of the night, and many vodkas to the wind, I am approached by the festival director who lets me know in no uncertain terms that he loved our film... but that he had heard rumblings that the jury had some problems with it...
I head off home in a cloud of anti-climax, paranoia creeping in as to what the problem was - 4 hours of sleep later I am still wondering...
posted by brother | 12:25 PM
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