The Dark Night of the Soul... or an Early Riser?

I gotta stop this. There's something very "reading someone else's diary" about these statistics. And don't think for a moment I'm not aware of my own narcissism in this whole thing too. This is not about my short-comings. It's about some poor Islander up at 4am Saturday morning with nothing better to do than drop in and read and little "Don't Feed the Writer."

I should totally craigslist-pei this in "missed connections"...

me: self-absorbed blogger with a thing for stats... you: late-to-bedder (or early-to-riser?) looking for something to read... you didn't leave a comment.

in fact...I'm going to post that right now. get the old craigslist-pei going.

But seriously. I'm curious. were you bored? couldn't sleep? stumbling home drunk and wanted to see if I was any funnier when you were loaded? Did you wake up screaming and need to mellow out? Let me know... I'm worried.

The Best Writing Lesson I Ever Got: Part One

It's been a tough couple months for the Yes/No movie reviews. When I started them, it seemed like an ingenious (ie easy) way to pop out some quick content for the website. I would see a film or show, read a book, catch some theatre and I'd just say "Yes" or " No." "Go" or "Don't Go."

What could be easier.

And for awhile it was. United 93 was a fantastic film, (the best film I've seen so far this year). An easy "Yes".

X-men III came out and maybe other people liked it more, but I thought it was a mess: simple "No."

But it got a lot tougher... I took flack from friends and strangers alike about my "Yes" on Nacho Libre. Sure I was disappointed, I knew there was no way the film could live up to the trailer, I heard rumours of bad reviews, my expectations were suitably lowered when I went to the theatre... and I still laughed my butt off. How much is a laugh worth? I'd happily pay a buck for a good solid laugh. I got my money's worth from Nacho and stand by my positive.

But then.... the second wave of summer blockbusters comes.... Superman Returns was Superman: The Movie Redux. I was enjoying it from the opening credits... and I'm going: I get it, just like the first movie, only a little updated... (I should have known then what was in store). Brandon Routh did a great Christopher Reeves imitation. Parker Posey was an interesting Miss Tessmacher... but the movie stopped holding my interest about half way through.

Pirates of the Caribbean: II followed shortly thereafter. It had like five movies stuffed into one there was so much action, so many subplots... trouble was they never got around to finishing any of them... unsatisfying.

And big budget films haven't been the only ones to leave me wanting more. I saw The Notorious Bettie Page this past week at City Cinema. The subject matter was interesting, the presentation fun but about two-thirds the way through... whatever was interesting in the story Mary Harron, et al. were telling was done. It kinda just eventually rolled to a stop.

This is an unfortunate situation. How could I possibly tell my school-age self to give Superman or Pirates a miss because it was "unsatisfying"? There was still a lot to enjoy in both films. Why should people miss Gretchen Mol's terrific performance or the interesting conversations that arise from the issues that surround Betty Page just because the movie peters out... so to speak.

All this to come around to one of the best writing lessons I ever got.

I was having lunch with Mike Clattenburg at Churchill Arms one day. What? Is that too name-drop-y? So how 'bout... I was having lunch with Mike Clattenburg in this pub/restaurant in Charlottetown.... Okay fine, I was having lunch with this guy who directed of what I predict will be the biggest grossing canadian feature film ever) and I was telling him about this feature I was working on and started in on the standard pitch. He stopped me...

"Just tell me the last big scene"

Huh?

"Just tell me what happens the in climax scene, tell me everything that's going on!"

Uhm.

Yeah. It wasn't a show stopper... but it was a pitch stopper. My ending wasn't a bang but a whimper. I stuttered a little bit about "context" and "performance-based"... but I wasn't a fast enough talker to convince myself (or Mike) that the ending was anything but unsatisfying in every way.

But, you know, it makes working on scripts a lot easier now. I just make sure I ask myself: "How does it end?"

Writers, myself included, spend so much time on the first couple scenes of their script... as they should. But on behalf of movie lovers everywhere I beg you, please spend just as much time on the ending!

Speaking of which... Mr. Clattenburg, sir... I'll be watching!

Giving the people what they want...

...which, apparently for people visiting this site is: more Alisen Down!



All right. I confess, I do keep an eye on the statistics about visitors to the site. I get a kick out of seeing where people come from, what's brought them here... how long (or short) they stay. Do I do it obsessively? I don't think so... define "obsessively". Fine, it's obsessive. Moving on.

Okay... so I was talking about the cool things the statistics tell me. And let me tell you, if Alisen Down was a stock... I'd be buying. I've mentioned the lovely Ms. Down a couple times in passing. She's the subject of one of the posts. And I get more hits from Alisen's Official Fan Site, which was sweet enough to link to the post (thank you Alisen's Official Fan Site) than any other site, but even more telling, there is a daily stream of people from all over the world visiting the site after having Googled her.

And it's not just a couple folks in BC specifically, or Canada generally, of which there are many... or the United States, of which there are quite a lot more! There are people from Brazil, Australia, Belgium, the UK, Argentina, Spain... Chile!

I mean, holy smokes!

So, in the interest of giving the people what they want... because all of these Alisen Down fans can't be wrong... here's a Don't Feed the Writer Alisen Down Exclusive-- you will not get this information anywhere else!

1. Alisen Down is taller than you think.... though it might be the heels she sometimes wears.

2. Alisen Down's dad seems like a nice guy. I met him briefly, he told a joke and appeared proud as he could be about his girl.

3. Alisen Down loves aniimals. Especially funny looking dogs.... Okay, I'm making a generalization here, but I'd bet if you had a dog with a bit of character, she'd make a bit of a deal over him.

4. Alisen Down is a good dancer. And not just on screen (where she dances fantastically) but also in real life. I know because I danced with her. That's right suckers! She moved her arms and legs and everything... Okay maybe I didn't dance with her but definitely beside her.

So. There you go Alisen Down fans. That's about all I've got. I just hope Alisen will forgive me for giving out this totally awesome, exclusive, inside stuff.

eTalk Daily consider yourself scooped!

"So when was it on?"

Listen, I know we're all very busy people now-a-days. What with careers, family, DVD box sets and the internet and all. But there's no excuses anymore, people.

It used to be, as a viewer of fine Canadian programming, you had rely on rumour and innuendo, scan the trades, watch the skies, and hope for a sign. When the first season of Robson Arms was aired the scheduling was a little... quirky. There were several email blitzes to family and friends to remind them when the show was on... and which network. Not to mention how many shows are advertised here in the AST provinces at EST hours. Not helpful. The troubles multipled when some episodes were aired a second time last winter.

And like most writers of Canadian Television I am mostly an avid watcher of Canadian Television. But I have to admit that even though I'm a guy with something at stake in the industry I find it hard to keep track of shows. And it's not just one network... Rick Mercer's Monday Report moved to Tuesday. (I know, I know, I'll get over it one day) Alice, I think; is on Fridays on Comedy... but also Sundays on CTV or visa versa. Falcon Beach was on Wednesday and Saturdays on Global... but it was the same episode... and I honestly can't remember when the hell Billable Hours is on. I can see where people could get confused.

Well no longer.

A couple of well-informed bloggers have put together a website about the whens and wheres of Canadian Television Programming. On the site is a list of all canadian shows that are on the air, episode synopses and schedules. You can even sign up to have email alerts of your favourite shows sent to you.

The site is still in it's early days so my long term expectations are being kept in check but I'm sincerely grateful to the people behind it. I hope the industry gets behind this grass roots site... and that it lasts long after the second season of Robson Arms get to air.

Dave's Yes/No Movie Review: Sketch22 Summer 2006

Yes.

Yoink!

I've been pulling my hair out for the last two months over a particular writing assignment and Ms. Jane Espensen shows the way!

Dave's Yes/No Movie Review: Superman Returns

Yes. (but i'm not happy about it)

Opening Shots

Jim Emerson's fine blog is giving away top secret stuff.

In a recent post he offered an Opening Shot Pop Quiz where he highlighted several opening stills from some famous... and not so famous films. He discusses how in many fine films the whole movie is contained in the opening shot.

This is particularly interesting to me because I was discussing this very thing with a couple of writer friends a short time ago for some television scripts we were working on. Except we didn't go so far as shots (it's still considered bad taste for the writer to offer up specific shots); we talked about our opening scenes and how, in whatever way we could, to make that scene somehow contain the whole episode.

Although it's something I try to do in all my film and television writing, it's rare that I have that scene in my first draft. Mostly because I often don't know what the hell the episode is about before I start... I know what it's "about" I just don't know what it's "about about." And if the scene is in there, it's probably really obvious and I'll have to spend time in subsquent drafts trying to make it not so "on the nose." One way I do that is by giving the job to supporting characters in the episode.

I'm trying to remember the first time that I was aware of it being done. I think it was the third or fourth time I watched The Godfather: Part One. It opens in this dark room and there's this man with a thick italian accent making an impassioned speech about being an American. How he's never wanted trouble... but his family has been harmed and he can't get justice from the police... so he turns to Vito Corleone to get justice for his family. It's a magnificent scene, and it contains the movie. This secondary character reflects the journey of the film's protagonist, Michael, from Proud American to reluctant Defender of his Family after the police fail to protect his father.

Hitchcock was also famous for doing this in many of his films. In the opening of Rear Window, for example, we see in a single panning shot who our hero is and the problem he's going to have to solve during the course of the film. (And it's not catching Raymond Burr!)

It's something that I watch for all the time now, and when I see it done well, I feel I can settle back and enjoy the show knowing that I am in good hands.

How 'bout you? Can you think of any of your favorite films or shows using this technique?

Casting your Life

My pal Rob, AKA The Annekenstein Monster recently posted a fun little diversion. Here's my variation on his game. Cast your life from specific characters in specific movies, not some idealized dream cast of family and friends... but cast them as closely as possible...including yourself, at this particular moment in your life. Add and subtract people as you see fit. For example, for our hero, the cast of his life might look something like this:

Dave: Paul Giamati in "Sideways"
Mom: Ruth Gordon in "Harold and Maude"
Dad: Darren McGavin in "A Christmas Story"
Sister #1 Emma Thompson in "Sense and Sensibility"
Sister #2 Joan Cusack in "Broadcast News"
Sister #3 Oprah Winfrey in "The Colour Purple"
Brother Nicolas Cage as Donald Kaufman in "Adaptation"
Friend #1 Philip Seymour Hoffman in "State and Main"
Friend #2 Donald Sutherland in "Murder by Decree"
Co-worker: Bonnie Hunt in "The Bonnie Hunt Show"
Co-worker: Topher Grace in "That 70's Show"

I could see where anonymity might be desired... but it kinda takes the fun out too.

Dave's Yes/No Movie Review: The Devil Wears Prada

Yes.

Podcast with James Dunnison and Brian Hamilton

Tonight director James Dunnison and I were interviewed by Robson Arms producer, Brian Hamilton. It was an appropriate way to spend my last night in Vancouver. We were at Taylor Manor as the second unit shot the last couple shots of the season and was the last thing on my To-Do list for Robson Arms Season II.

I hope our geniune appreciation for one another's work doesn't come across as self-congratulations. One wants to be enthusiastic and sincere when speaking about these things but I'd be mortified if it came across as immodest. Every one I know associated with the show is feeling proud about the work we've done, but we're all waiting and hoping... and praying that the audience is going to enjoy it. And it's driving us crazy that we'll not know that for another six months-- or more!

I fly back to Charlottetown tomorrow morning and am now officially out of excuses to keep me from the work piling up on my desk back on the Island.

It's a wrap... Part Two.

No... the show is still wrapped, that hasn't changed. Except... that's not entirely accurate. While it's true the actors are gone and the make-up people have packed up their trowels and brushes, and the directors and (some of the) writers are spending the day trying on dresses, getting their hair done or shopping for souvenirs, there is still, at this very moment, a band of intrepid film makers: a producer, a director, a DOP, a couple of camera, gaffer and grip types who are hard at work shooting pick ups and establishing shots and all the minutiae that somehow fell between the cracks while primary photography was going on.

They are The Second Unit... think of the A-Team... only tougher. Many of this crew were working (in addition to the 12hourday5dayweek (Saturdays and Sundays when the rest of us were in rolling around in bed complaining how tired we were.

It's all the more impressive that they are shooting today after the exciting day we had yesterday.

It began early, at the corner of Burrard and Pender right in the middle of downtown. Peter and Susan, our locations people, managed to get a great office building and plaza to shoot a big musical number that will be prominently featured in the next season. There were lights, choreography, music playback and something like 50 extras. The circus, (the place where all the performers’ trailers and the catering truck are) was about two blocks away so there was a constant flow back and forth between it and the four locations nearby.

Having so many factors to consider there was something bound to go wrong... and it did. But what makes it all the more incredible to me... is that they actually planned for something unforseen to go wrong and we prepared for whatever unexpected thing to go wrong did... what the hell?

In this case we lost an hour or more to this major air conditioning unit from an adjacent building that choose this one scene-- the only scene with synched dialogue in our entire day-- to do whatever it is that air conditioning systems for fifty story office towers do. It made filming in the location impossible.

What did we do? And by we, I mean not me (who stood there holding a box of belts-- another story for another time) but I mean these teams of men and women in tank tops and khaki shorts who literally erased any trace of our presence in that place and set us up inside in a location for which they had planned, in case it rained, or snowed, or the neighbouring office tower decided to start snoring.

So while that was being set up we (and by we I mean not me, but an entirely different team of men and women in tank tops and khaki shorts) set up other shots, originally slated for later in the day. So our last shot of the day was actually second last and our third last shot was actually the last.

When the last shot of the day was done there was much cheering and clapping. There were plenty of hugs both sincere and showbiz in nature, and a couple of tears, which seemed entirely genuine.

I missed the wrap last year, and I'm glad I came back these last few weeks for this one. There’s a real sense of accomplishment and family. And I'm glad to say, even though like any family there are occasional arguments and hurt feelings, it's not a dysfunctional one. It's a family that works very hard together and takes pride in one another's accomplishments.

At least it looks that way from where I sit. I’m feeling very excited about the show this year, and I think our pride isn’t immodest but earned.

I guess we’ll see in six months or so.

It's a wrap.

The last day of shooting today. I left the bed and breakfast at 6:45am and returned at 11:10pm.
A long but good day. Tomorrow will be filled with writing thank you notes, and eventually, the Wrap Party.

Dave's Yes/No Movie Review: Nacho Libre

Si!

Podcasting with Alisen Down

I can't imagine a much gentler introduction to the world of "celebrity interviewing" than interviewing Alisen Down. I got my chance to interview the very sweet and gracious Alisen in her trailer on location last Friday. As some of you may know Alisen is a very sincere lover of all furry beasts, while I have a soft spot for women who are fighting Cylons one minute and neurotic chain-smokers the next, so we got just fine. The theme of the inteview centred around Alisen's character on Robson Arms, Sault.

We talked about the origins of the character in the Robson Arms writer's room in 2003 and how Sault (and Alisen's performance) has evolved over the last two seasons. It was interesting to note how the acting and the writing keep informing each other and pushing the character on to new levels... at least that was my take on it. The talented Ms. Down talked, among other things, about being involved in the series' first chase scene... and its first musical number.

Try as I might I couldn't weasel any information out of her about Season Three of the new BattleStar Galactica.

The podcast will be posted on the Robson Arms site once the second season begins to air. Other podcasts include interviews with producers, directors, actors from the series. Next week, James Dunnison and I will be interviewed about "Daughter of Frankenstein" an episode I wrote and he directed.

Dave's Yes/No Movie Review: A Prairie Home Companion

No.

Location, Location, Location.

Yesterday was a wrap on Taylor Manor. It's a former seniors home and girls' reform school which is now home to the main set of Robson Arms. And, until yesterday, we did the majority of our shooting there.

Today we moved out into the city and began our "location block" of shooting. Over the next week, we'll be like unwelcome guests hopping from one place to another, transforming them to our needs. Today we were on the BCIT campus and created a Fringe Theatre out of a TV studio, a 12 Step Program meeting place out of an empty class room and a Boiler room out of... a Boiler Room. That was actually much harder than it sounds.

Today was the day when you could really feel the end of the shoot approaching. Whenever one of the main characters of the series is finished their scenes for the season they're "wrapped" which involves much hooting, hand-clapping and back-slapping. Today Laura Bertram, AJ MacKenzie, Peter Deluise and John Cassini were all wrapped.

I was able to catch a lift with James Genn and sneak back to my bed and breakfast to get some more writing done for the website before the end of shooting today... but it was still 7:30pm before I got back. I can't help but think of the crew that has been working 12 hour days for the last three months and how pooped they must be.

Tonight, I gotta prepare an interview I'm doing with Alisen Down tomorrow, a podcast for the Robson Arms website.

There are worse ways to spend the day.

I was lucky to get back to Vancouver in time to catch the last couple days on set before production heads out to a week of location shooting. I was even luckier that it was one of my episodes being shot. I enjoyed sitting beside director, Monika Mitchell, who didn't seem to mind me spending the day laughing at my own jokes. Maybe 'cos she's married to a bit of a character.

Thanks all!

First, thanks to the folks from Sketch22 who asked me to lend a hand today. It's always fun to shoot something other than commercials. I think it was our most ambitious Sketch22 short to date. A small part of an entertaining whole.

Also thanks to the many volunteers and passersby of all ages who gave up part of their gorgeous Saturday morning to perform a series of manoevers, each more complicated than the last. Bravo!

The result of your efforts can be seen starting July 6th at the Arts Guild!

Congratulations all.

Great Movies You've (Probably) Never Seen: The In-Laws.

This was a movie that was introduced to me line-by-line by Travis Pratt, a force of nature who lived on PEI during the 1980's.

"Serpentine, Shel, Serpentine!"
"There's no need to shoot at me, I'm only a dentist."

Produced in 1979, The In-laws was directed by canadian Arthur Hiller and written by Andrew Bergman but the heart of the film are the performances by its two leads: Adam Arkin and Peter Falk. To single out one over another would be a mistake. It's the two actors as a team that makes the film transcendent. Falk's son is marrying Arkin's daughter. Arkin is a nervous dentist, Falk is a unstable-seeming import-exporter... or maybe not... Arkin discovers that Falk is behind the robbery of the US Treasury and winds up "becoming inadvertently involved in a plot to defraud the US government out of millions of dollars."

It's hilarious and holds up surprising well. Rent or buy the DVD you won't regret it... Don't make the mistake of getting the 2000 remake with Micheal Douglas.