Four-Week Feature Interviews
July 5, 2010 at 7:30 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a CommentTags: feature film, speed filmmaking, four-week feature, august, documentary, interview
This has been up on our Kickstarter page for a little while now, but I thought I’d post it here too for those who might have missed it. A few members of the Four-Week Feature team talk about their expectations, hopes, and fears for our fast-approaching August project. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, click here to learn more! And if you’d like to help us out, you can pledge money here.
Posted by Keith
12in12 Montage!
June 23, 2010 at 12:12 pm | Posted in Mike Lavoie | Leave a CommentTags: filmmaking, make out party, montage, sex on wheels
A little taste of what’s going to hit your lips when we serve up the Four Week Feature. Piping hot from the griddle of our minds into the, the um, the mouths of your eyes. And into the digestive tract of your souls. And then into the sewage system of cinematic history!!
Oh yeah. I just wrote that.
Posted by Mike, Poet, knows it.
New Project: Four-Week Feature!
June 20, 2010 at 12:00 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a CommentTags: feature film, speed filmmaking, Utah, Park City, four-week feature
Mike already teased this news last weekend, but now it’s time for the official announcement. We’re back, baby! Only this year, instead of lots of little bitty films, it’s going to be one big film. And instead of the whole summer, it’s August! And instead of Brooklyn, it’s Utah! But other than that, everything is exactly the same!
Our new endeavor is called the Four-Week Feature, and in many ways, it’s a crazier venture than 12in12. The pitch is this: ten of us will gather in Park City, Utah this August, where we will write, shoot, edit, and score a full-length movie in a mere four weeks. To celebrate this exciting new project, we’ve launched a new website, over at FourWeekFeature.com. Check it out! And if you’d really like to get in our good graces, you can head on over to our Kickstarter campaign and pledge money to support the cause. Every dollar helps!
The team members will be familiar to anyone who followed 12in12. It’s:
- me;
- Mike Lavoie;
- James Fauvell (“Sublet,” “Spirits,” “Magic Marker” );
- Michael Redfield (“Captivated,” “Hero by Proxy,” “The Jogger” );
- Brigitte Choura (“The Proposal,” “Hero by Proxy,” “Thirsty Work” );
- Derek Van Gorder (“Spirits,” “Moving Pictures,” “Magic Marker”);
- Clint Byrne (“Script 2,” “The Proposal,” “Hero by Proxy”);
- Sumi Lee (“Old Love,” “Captivated,” “The Jogger”); and
- Chad Sonenberg (“Script 2,” “Moving Pictures,” “Hero by Proxy”).
Now, I know what you’re thinking: isn’t that only nine people? You are very astute; we’re still waiting to hear back from the tenth. Keep watching our new blog for updates. And tell your friends!
Posted by Keith
R.I.P. Richard Isaacs — actor, tango dancer, wonderful man
June 16, 2010 at 12:00 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a CommentTags: death, mourning, obituary, passing, Richard Isaacs, RIP
It is with great sadness that we report that Richard Isaacs, who appeared in our films “Sublet” and “Magic Marker,” passed away on April 30th, 2010, after a two-year battle with leukemia.
Mike and I saw Richard only three times: at the 12in12 audition, and on the two shoots he participated in. Each time he was courteous, sprightly, and a consummate professional. I remember falling behind schedule on the “Sublet” shoot, and feeling more and more guilty about wasting Richard’s time. Finally, I took a moment to step aside and apologize to him. “Are you kidding?” he said. “This is how it is!” And I instantly felt better. There was such a calm assurance about him that it was hard not to be relaxed in his presence.
Here are Mike’s memories of Richard:
The parts Richard had were small, but I don’t think he looked at them that way. A lesser actor would have just have gone through the motions and been on his way, but Richard wanted to get it just right.
At the end of the shoot, he smiled, shook my hand, thanked me and exited stage left. It was a pleasure working with him. He was a true professional.
Richard’s tango-dancing friends are planning to hold a celebration of his life at the end of the summer. If we can get our hands on the details, we’ll post them in this space.
Rest easy, Richard. You will be missed.
Posted by Keith
“Thirsty Work” Film Race Awards!
June 13, 2010 at 12:17 am | Posted in Mike Lavoie | 1 CommentThirsty Work was handed several awards this week by the judges of the 2010 NYC Film Race! So we very proudly congratulate:
- Robb Stey for defending his crown for Best Cinematography. And you say he only hears what he wants to.
- James Bruffee & Christopher Varley for Best Original Music Score.
- Brigitte Choura, James Creque, James Fauvell and me, Mike Lavoie, for Best Acting Ensemble. I’d like to thank God and myself.
We also congratulate The Ghosts of Steely Dan, who swept up with their film As Soon as You Think Her Up, and who did not win Best Use of a Wolf Head Hat Ever, but should have.
That is, if we survive AUGUST!
Posted by Mike
Check Out Our Latest Film — “Thirsty Work”!
May 13, 2010 at 6:18 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a CommentTags: Film Racing, brooklyn, Coney Island, film race, thirst, pier
As promised, here is our entry in the 2010 New York Film Race — written, shot, and edited in 24 hours back in April. We won the second-place audience award for our screening block at the May 1st screening, and we’re hoping for more awards to come!
We’ll let you know when the films are posted for online voting. Till then, please enjoy the movie! We couldn’t be more proud of it.
Posted by Keith
Our Latest Film-Race Entry: “Thirsty Work”!
April 29, 2010 at 7:19 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a CommentTags: boardwalk, champions, Coney Island, Film Racing, race, racing, sleep deprivation, tracking shots, victory
Another Film Race has come and gone, and I’m just now feeling recovered enough to blog about it. Perhaps even more so than “The Queen Bee of Mushroomtown,” this was a surreal and wonderful experience. The hours flew by, the team clicked seamlessly; we became a lean, mean, pizza-fueled filmmaking machine. And you know what? I think we made a really good movie. We call it “Thirsty Work,” and we can’t wait to let it loose upon the world.
Speaking of which, come to this Saturday’s 7:30 screening at NYU’s Cantor Film Center! We’ll be there, and we’d love to see you. Tickets and details are available here.
“Thirsty Work” will be posted in this space sometime next week. Till then, here are some pictures to tide you over! I hope they capture a little piece of the experience. It was a magical time.
(It may be noted that our beloved Clint Byrne doesn’t appear in these photos. That’s because Clint was too busy taking photos to pose for any. Thanks, Clint!)
… and we got the film in with time to spare! We’re getting pretty good at this. Should that worry me?
Posted by Keith
Defending Our Title
April 23, 2010 at 6:46 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a CommentTags: Film Racing, brooklyn, racing, new york city, film race, time trials, defending champions
Last year, before all this 12 Films 12 Weeks nonsense got underway, a crew of future 12in12 accomplices assembled for the 2009 New York City Film Race — and totally dominated it. “The Queen Bee of Mushroomtown,” the bizarre little movie we threw together in 24 hours, took home Best Film, Best Actor, Best Ensemble, Best Cinematography, Best Direction (tie), the Audience Award for its screening block, and the Online Audience Award. For a group of people just about to plunge into a summer-long filmmaking project of dubious feasibility, all that affirmation was deliciously welcome.
Now the Film Racing tour has come around to New York once again, and, like a pack of fools, we’re back for more. We’ve brought together most of the original team — actors Mike Lavoie, James Creque, and James Fauvell, cinematographer Robb Stey, composer James Bruffee, and yours truly in the director’s chair — and we’ve added Brigitte Choura, Clint Byrne, Sumi Lee, and Chad Sonenberg, all tried-and-true 12in12 comrades. Is there any chance we can recapture that “Queen Bee” magic and sweep this year’s awards the way we did last year’s? I don’t know. But when Mike, Robb, and I were out scouting locations yesterday, Robb spotted a very promising sign.
Truly the gods are smiling upon us! Or taunting us. It’s difficult to tell.
We’ll post the film race results in this space when we have them. Good luck to all the teams!
Posted by Keith
Footage from DCTV Panel
April 18, 2010 at 9:38 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a CommentTags: public television, thirteen, panel, discussion, talk, low-budget filmmaking, economy, conversation, scrimping, saving, thrift
Last October, Mike and I participated in a panel discussion called “Low-Cost/No-Cost and the City.” The theme was low-budget filmmaking in New York City — specifically, the challenge of finding an audience for cheaply-made work, and the ways that established media outlets (like public television) might be able to provide a platform for filmmakers whose work is relatively underexposed.
The discussion was held at the Downtown Community Television Center (DCTV), a very cool facility located in a former firehouse (see photo); it was sponsored by the New York Film/Video Council and Channel Thirteen, and Mike and I were brought in through the wonderful Ginger Brown. Dan Allen did an excellent job of capturing the whole conversation on video; the link to his final product is below. Obviously, I’m way, way late in posting this, but I figured it should be up here for posterity’s sake!
Click here to see how it all played out. Mike and I speak up at around the 11-minute mark, and again an hour later, but the whole thing is well worth watching if you’re interested in this stuff.
Posted by Keith
Post-Screening Report
March 27, 2010 at 1:22 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a CommentTags: screening, Stuyvesant Town, ovals
The Stuy-Town screening went off without a hitch. We had a small but appreciative audience, including 12in12 alums Derek Van Gorder and Rick Lattimer, and there was a lively Q&A both between discs and after the program. One woman in the audience noted that all of the male characters in the films seemed to be victims in one way or another. “Uh, yes,” I said. “We totally did that on purpose!” But I don’t think she believed me.
It’s always interesting to see the films with an audience. At this point, I think I have a fair amount of perspective on the whole experience, but it’s still difficult to separate the movies themselves from the process of making them. I watch “Moving Pictures,” and I can still feel the stickiness on my hands from the sparkling cider we used in lieu of champagne; I watch “The Proposal,” and the panic and joy of that hectic shoot come back to me in full force. Being in a room with strangers, hearing and feeling them react as the stories unfold, helps me detach myself from those memories — and to see the films, at last, simply as films.
Thanks again to Stacey Burgay for making it all happen, and to Theresa Lopez for all her help with the technical stuff. And thanks to all who attended! It was a lovely time.
Posted by Keith
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