Part 3 (of 3) of the NY Film Academy Discussion on Greg Mottola’s ADVENTURELAND is predominately on the script and what we wanted to do with it. Towards the very end I get around to talking about a new micro-budget culture that is emerging and the hopes I have for it.
Tag: Greg Mottola
Pt 2 (of 3) of my NY Film Academy discussion on Adventureland. Mostly about the release, and what it was like about working with the various cast and crew. There is a fair amount on working in the studio system, at least what little I know about it…
I just noticed that a discussion I did on ADVENTURELAND at the NY Film Academy has been put on YouTube.
Part One is on hard it is not to give up hope in yourself when others are still not taking notice.
Okay, this is also about talking these days too, but I didn’t know how to put that into the headline.
I was interviewed on Wednesday by Aaron Aradilis for his BlogTalkRadio show “Back By Midnight” on the occasion of the DVD release of ADVENTURELAND. Martin Starr precedes me so that give you ample reason to tune in, but if you need more Anthony quizzed me on the big questions like why I wanted to make me movies in the first place. We cover Hal Hartley’s early films, and the current state of indie film of course. We go into why it was obvious that Michel Gondry, Todd Field, and Puccini & Berman were obvious artists to back for their first narrative features. We even hit the state of film criticism and the crisis in print media. I guess we go on for awhile.. but of course you get to enjoy my nasal honk for most of it (and a couple good tunes off the Adventureland soundtrack).
Isn’t it nice how sometimes everything seems to go right?
Years back, we were given a script by a director whose work we admired. He was committed to getting it right and luckily we all worked well together. He kept making the script better and better. Yet, times are always tough and a period youth movie is never high on buyers must -have list. Still, we were prepared to make the film at any budget even if you needed more than a little just to license the period songs that punctuated every page of the script. One of his TV buddies then offered him a gig on a flick without any stars, making it seem like a Direct-To-DVD assignment. But it wasn’t — not even close.
By the time Greg Mottola was done with that little film, it was SUPERBAD, and now he wanted to make some more changes to what now felt like our script. Summer was almost over and our project had to shoot when it still looked looked hot & sweaty. With a month or so left in the season, we went out with the script, and found financing partners who believed in our vision and wanted to go right away, happy to cast whom we wanted.
We assembled a great team to make the movie, some old friends, others that became new friends. Everyone was talented. Everyone had a good attitude. Everyone worked really hard and had a good time in the process. The prep was short, the hours longs, but it still was a great time. Kinda like the film we made, but with less drama and less ball taps.
Our partners gave us enough money, encouraged to keep making things better, and when we were done, they worked incredibly hard and with tremendous passion to promote the film to the fullest. Even more, they believed that whomever saw it would dig it just as much, and they’ve been willing to screen it over and over just to get the word out. Fortunately, the reviews do everyone’s efforts proud.
So this Friday night, our good fortune and everyone’s hard work is offered up to you, albeit for the price of a movie ticket.
Check out the website: http://www.adventurelandthefilm.com/
Michael Phillip’s Chicago Trib 4 Star Review
Michael Phillip’s Chicago Trib 4 Star Review
Another great review: http://www.thefilmtalk.com/2009/03/20/adventureland-review/
Hollywood Reporter review.
Hollywood Reporter review.
Oh, and Matt Dentler threw five questions at me about the film, sucky jobs, social networks, and first features. Check it out here.
