 |
 |
 |
 |
Production JournalUpdated 11.08.06I recently had an email exchange with Devon Delapp, with whom I made several short films and wrote many scripts in college. Devon now works as a production assistant for the hit television show Help Me Help You, and I often think about how if things had worked out a bit differently for me that I too would be in LA trying to make a go of it like he is. Devon: How's the film progressing? I haven't seen an update on your site in a few weeks. Adam: How many times can I write "I'm still editing!" as an update, you know? Maybe you and I should have a back and forth on the film, and I can post the transcript. Doesn't that sound like fun? We can talk about our projects, or whatever (until things dissolve into the usual crap-throwing)... What do you think? Devon: A back and forth via email, later edited to the website? Sure. I'd be happy to do a little cross-promotion. I could even make a little banner for devondelapp.com (1,500 unique visitors/month, and counting!) Bring on the poo! Adam: Our film collaborations go back to our college days. The films we made were memorable, but perhaps even more memorable are the films we didn't end up making. One script that never got off the ground involved the reminisces of an old man on the death of his wife, who of course died when she was hit while wandering across the tracks of a Japanese-style speed train. What is it about our collaborations that brings out the black humor in us? What can you say about The Greatest Action Film Story Ever Told? The thing is, this whole Long Winters Film thing might not have happened without your early involvement, many years ago. Devon: Scripts we didn't end up making... or haven't made *yet*? Can we forever deny the world the cinematic gold of "The bullet train plowed the old woman like a fist through a wet paper sack"? No. "The DA's Office" has a history with the Long Winters. It was early-2003 when we first approached Barsuk with the idea of a making a video for one of their talented bands, ironically not TLW, but former Barsuk band The Prom. After a series of confused meetings, crossed wires, and embarrassing mistakes, we were redirected to John Roderick with the idea of making a video for his band. The timing coincided nicely with the release of When I Pretend to Fall. Though that creative meeting of minds never did end up producing a finished video, it wasn't fruitless. For you and I, that time was a little-insiders window into the fascinating Long Winters world. Plus, I can't count how many wide-eyed hipsters let me into their low-slung, Paul Frank panties after I told them I had Roderick's personal cell. Seriously, the man is an aphrodisiac. You could bottle and sell him. No Cha-Cha bound lad would leave home without it. But why would I, one man, be a reason you would take on a project of this scope? Adam: It's funny to hear you talk about how great it is to have Roderick's cell number, but I think we'd both agree that it's totally worthless because he's too much of a diva to answer his phone or call back. He is, however, good at texting. Whatever it takes to avoid hearing my nasal, whiskey-and-Pall Mall-soaked voice, I guess. And I had nothing to do with your initial involvement with Barsuk, you took the initiative and decided to make a music video "for any shoegazing sweaterpop band that would tolerate you," as I remember. After days of cold-calling all the indie labels in Seattle, Barsuk finally felt sorry enough for you to give you a chance. It was only after you pitched a treatment for the Stupid music video at one of our weekly scriptwriters meetings that I even knew who The Long Winters were. But it IS how our production company, "The DA's Office," got started. Anyways, the first time I met John was when you introduced us after the Spokane show when they opened for Death Cab. You handed him the Stupid treatment, and I told him about the idea I had for It'll Be a Breeze. I figured if we came as a package deal, he'd have a harder time saying no. Unfortunately for John, we weren't 12 year old boys - and we were in Spokane instead of Taiwan. Devon: I remember that Spokane show. I remember my earnest promise to be "totally cool" for driving back, then instead peacefully curling up in the passenger seat while you drove the four hours back to Seattle, red-eyed and lightly hallucinating. How do you remember your first meeting with John? Adam: Not staying awake for the drive back was just one in a string of broken promises, Devon. The first time I met him I remember being intimidated, because he's like Paul Bunyan, or the Brawny Man. But I also remember him being really nice. Almost too nice, in a, "Yeah, whatever kid. Nice script" kind of way. Thing was, I think he actually dug my Breeze treatment, and I think he liked your Stupid treatment even more. Sadly both projects were killed because he said they were going to work on a new album, and that if we wanted to make videos we should do something having to do with that. We couldn't possibly know at the time what was going on behind the scenes, and that it would be years before another album was released, and a few years after THAT that a video would be made, and not by either of us. Good thing we kept our mojo and moved on to other projects. Devon: If by "projects" you mean "lost hundreds at the blackjack table but still refused to learn our lesson", then yes, I'm glad we moved on too. The fact is, after I moved to Los Angeles, it seemed our productions would be relegated to email exchanges. So, when you mentioned an interest in creating Through With Love, I was very excited at the prospect of another Adam Pranica project gracing the screen. But our previous shorts were usually weekend projects, with the exception of a feature we crewed on, (Gambling Divinity) which was completed in a matter of months. Beyond the significantly larger amount of time and effort invested, how has production of this documentary differed from previous projects? Adam: Truth be told, I felt no small amount of envy when you left for LA, thinking that not going at the time was just postponing the inevitable. It's still something I feel pangs of, the whole "Well, you can't be a filmmaker if you don't live in LA," feeling. I'm hoping the shockwaves of this film will be felt all the way down there. And by 'down there', I mean Hollywood. The other films we've worked on, the shorts especially were really communal projects in which we shared creative control with other people. For the one feature, we didn't have any creative input at all - and as I remember it was cause for some conflict on more than one occasion. Working with Jace has been great thus far, because when the project began he established boundaries even before I did - limiting his own role due to his own band and work responsibilities, making clear the first "safety word", and so on, so it was great to know right away what to expect so there were no disappointments. Production-wise, it's been difficult working on editing the film in few-hour increments. Devon: What were Jace's responsibilities and contributions to the project? Adam: During a trip to the record store with Jace, we both were pretty struck by how many indie-rock DVDs were available, some by some pretty obscure bands. The conversation we had afterwards went like, "Why is there a stack of DVDs about Bright Eyes and not one about The Long Winters?" and then, "Who is more qualified to make it than us?" So in a way, this whole thing got started from that conversation. But originally, the only ambitions we had were to make a "Hot August Nights"-style concert DVD. It was John himself that said if we do this, we should go all the way. Except he wanted to make it a Mockumentary, reflecting the true sensibilities of the band. But I thought the story was far more interesting than a Mockumentary would allow, so I was less interested in that and more interested in making it a real documentary. Once again, John said if we went this way that it would have to be all the way - warts and all. The next day Jace and I got our inoculations at the free clinic, and not long after we were shooting in the recording studio. Which is all to say that Jace has been there from the start, doing the research in watching lots of rock-docs together, shooting the live shows with me, going on the road trips, deciding on shot-blocking, with his contributions during post-production being tied to the score for the film, which I hope he will perform lots of. Have your experiences in Hollywood jaded you to the degree that indie-film isn't as interesting anymore? How do you think this production would be different if you were up here working on it with us, or if we were shooting it down there? Devon: On the contrary, indie film making is even more interesting to me now. As a low level cog in the "Industry" I have more-or-less zero creative control or input into the projects I dedicate my days to. Indie productions have their drawbacks, but in many ways it's worth it for the control. If I were working on the project, I think there would be more coverage of the live shows, just because of the extra set of hands. Creatively, I'm sure it'd be very similar in tone, except of course my insistence on gratuitous slam-zooms and unnecessary video effect transitions. So, what's the release date? What are your plans for getting the word out? Adam: That's one of the big regrets I've had while working on this project: I feel like I could have used 3 extra cameras at every show. But where do you draw the line? How many is enough? At $200/night per camera, how many are worth renting, and how many is wasteful? And who do you have run them, without being paid, who will also be competent? All have been serious issues on this project, and no decision was easy. Every show that was filmed seemed to have different answers, to varying degrees of success. As far as getting the word out, the band and label have message boards that I post updates to on occasion. We've also gotten a shout-out in Pitchfork, and mentions on KEXP during the band's in-studio performances. The site gets visited every day with some frequency. I hope once the film gets seen there will be greater 'buzz' surrounding it, but for now I don't know what I can do marketing-wise for this film until it's done. I think the best way to get the word out to the fickle indie populous is just to make something really good. They'll find it. Either that, or make sure I get get Ted Danson in there somewhere... Devon: There's always room for Danson. Now that the footage is shot, and you're editing, is there anything you would have done different? Adam: I would have purchased a shotgun mic, because using the lav for the recording studio didn't work as well as expected. And there was that time it was brought into the bathroom... Devon: You didn't! Did you? Adam: Let me just tell you something: there's nothing more epic than a "John Roderick solo". Stay tuned for more email theater between Devon and I as post-production continues, and be sure to check out www.devondelapp.com for dispatches about his life in the Los Angeles film and television industry. < > |
| Home | Showbox DVD | Documentary | Media | Contact | © Dorsia Films | ||
| Hosted by A2 | |||