Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Topic #1: 'From Stage to Screen'

Before I begin, I realized in the wake of Cole and Jeremy's introductions that I didn't formally introduce myself. What a travesty!

In brief: my name is John Klein, and I'm the producer and director of photography for Separation Anxiety. I work in Chicago mostly as a freelance cinematographer and all-purpose crew member, and have written a few screenplays here and there as well, namely our flagship effort Glass City, on which I also served as cinematographer under director Cole Simon. I am, in all ways, a nerd, a geek, a lover of film and filmmaking in all its forms. I love the melding of the art and the science of movies, and I am blessed beyond words to have been able to do this for a living for close to three years now. It's better than a real job, and it's better than a hobby. It's my life.


Now, a brief word about what is to follow on our blog. Cole, Jeremy and I are avid bloggers, but Glass City Films' first attempt at a blog for Glass City was a bit of a failure. In its wake, we decided that the reasons were (a) a lack of scheduling and upkeep, and (b) a lack of an overarching goal for the blog. What were we trying to achieve with it?

So, with that said, our goal for this blog is not just to give you an insider's perspective on the process of making Separation Anxiety or to offer the usual newsfeeds and needs of this film production, but to give you the chance to see what makes this production unique and to learn about the craft of filmmaking at all levels from people who are, for all intensive purposes, both very professional about our craft and yet still relatively new to several elements of the process.

And, to facilitate more of a regiment about blogging, we're going to have a different topic each week, which the three of us will tackle on a weekly basis - me as a DP and producer, Jeremy as a writer and director, and Cole as an actor and an artist.

Thus, this entry's title...


"From Stage To Screen"

Separation Anxiety began as a script for the stage. Jeremy will talk a great deal about the experience of watching his work being performed, much as Cole will talk about the joy of acting as Bailey in the theatrical production prior to his work in the film version. My only experience with the play itself is in my initial reading of the script, when Cole first sent me Separation Anxiety and said it might make a good movie, something on our low-budget scale that we could pull off in the wake of Glass City's successful production.

I fell in love with the script instantly. As a play, the three "plotlines" of Jess/Mr. Palmer, Quinn/Lily, and the flashbacks were written to take place on three areas of the stage, the latter being center stage to separate Jess and Mr. Palmer's dialogue in Bailey's house from Quinn and Lily's dialogue in the airport. It's a clever conceit - had I seen it, I'd probably talk more about it - but what drew me in was the endlessly quotable lines and the strong attention to character. And, in spite of its dialogue-heavy format, it felt visually exciting. Shots and scenes formed in my head simply from the play script, and in the transition to a screenplay, my first edict to Jeremy was that he find a way to merge the strengths of the stage with the potential of the screen.

The first draft of the screenplay had its flaws - far too much dialogue and a tendency to veer into inaccessible prose - but the opening six pages became a stellar montage of character development and imagery that hooked me from the get-go. So many ideas emerged in that first draft which Jeremy had already thought out from concept to completion - constantly cutting back to Bailey readying himself (for his death? for something else?) in his room, having Bailey's "ghost" interject into flashbacks now and again, sound bridges and images and cross-cutting - that I was overwhelmed with excitement for the next version.

New drafts are on the way, and I'm already giddy with anticipation. But the challenge of bringing this script to the screen is a monumental one, and I've seen so many terrific plays turned into boring and humdrum movies. For example, The History Boys is a wondrous script marred in the film version by an inability to let close-ups and visuals speak for themselves. I hear similar criticisms about Doubt and Frost/Nixon, both Oscar contenders this year. Even book translations (i.e. the first two Harry Potter films, Atonement, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and countless other adaptations) suffer in the same light: Don't use a paragraph where a sentence will do. In film, visuals sometimes speak volumes where words would have to suffice on the stage. There are greater options for scenery, mise en scene, and even blocking. To wit, the advent of sound in filmmaking made silence all the more effective. Use it.

I've already rambled more than you will probably read for an initial blog entry on any topic, but I look forward to hearing thoughts in the comments below and with Cole and Jeremy's subsequent entries on the subject. Until next week for me, friends!

Regards,
John Klein
Producer/DP, "Separation Anxiety"
www.windycitycamera.com

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Sunday, December 28, 2008

Life Keeps Moving

As 2008 prepares to meet its successor, I am reminded of a quote that I will try to paraphrase and still do it justice:

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and proclaiming, Wow, what a ride!
That would, in essence, give you an idea of how amazing these past couple of weeks have been for me. This year I'm skidding in and loving it. Jeremy Sony here, screenwriter of Separation Anxiety. You've already heard from John (albeit briefly) and met Cole, so let me quickly say hello and sum me up for you. Hi. I'm a writer. Communicator. Artist. Director. Friend. Brother. Effulgent dreamer. I walk. I talk. I shop. I sneeze. I'm gonna be a fireman when the floods roll back.

Now you know all my secrets. So I'll cut to the chase. Separation Anxiety is starting off with a bang. The website, blog, and Facebook group all launched within a week of each other. The Facebook group has over 260 members and that tickles me a bit, I'll confess. Cole just launched the Glass City Films Twitter feed, so if you tweet, then please follow @glasscityfilms.

This blog has already received its first extreme makeover. The point of this space is to keep you in touch with the film and let you, our supporters, experience the thrill of making films right along side us. So let us know if there's anything missing from this blog, or how we can make it better. We'll see what we can do.

Right now we're focused on editing the trailer which we shot just before the holidays.


Here's a behind-the-scenes look of the crew setting up a shot while Zach Sciranka and Jane Mowder (who play Quinn and Lily in the trailer) run lines. The trailer will be posted in January. Until then, check out the stills via the link to the right and watch for more behind-the-scenes photos and video.

One more BIG THING: We're looking for music for the soundtrack. So if you, or someone you know, happens to be a musician, I'd love to hear from you. Send me your stuff, links to your site, or just drop me a line via e-mail.

That's all for my first posting. I'd keep going, but there are so many exciting next steps for the movie, and I have more than one to tackle before tomorrow. -JBS

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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

More specifically

Cole Simon here. Once and always director of "Glass City", "Ohio Sky", and "Rendezvous" but (unbeknownst to many) an actor first. I'll be playing the role of Bailey in "Separation Anxiety". I've got a lot of stage experience but have finally found legitimacy on-screen with the "Glass City" investment trailer and now the crew of "Works Of Darren McGannon" with Reel Buckeye Productions, who are also helping out with the next Glass City Films edition.

I can't begin to describe the excitement. What we have honed are a fantastic group of minds from the director, the actors, the film crew, the DP, the writer (also the director.) The investment trailer (coming to a pair of eyes near you) already mounts that of "Glass City". And "Glass City" was nothing to sneeze at.

Aside from acting, I'm on the search for music talent, as in integral part to the film. The search has only begun, but with any luck we'll be able to recreate the beauty and specificity that was found in our first soundtrack.

Lastly, I have my own blog: cole-examininglifebythethroat.blogspot.com . My own professional discoveries will go there, but all "Sep" related developments will come straight to this sight as well.

So...that's me. More introductions coming soon!

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Monday, December 22, 2008

Welcome!

On behalf of everyone at Glass City Films, welcome to the new blog for the feature-length film Separation Anxiety, written by Jeremy Sony. This journey promises to be an adventure like nothing any of us have experienced, and we're enthusiastic beyond words to share it all with you!

There will be several updates in the days, weeks, and months to come, but for now, here's our first test of our new blog.

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