Four-Week Feature Interviews

July 5, 2010 at 7:30 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a comment
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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.

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New Project: Four-Week Feature!

June 20, 2010 at 12:00 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a comment
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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!

Park City in winter. What's it look like in the summer? We'll soon find out!

The team members will be familiar to anyone who followed 12in12.  It’s:

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!

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R.I.P. Richard Isaacs — actor, tango dancer, wonderful man

June 16, 2010 at 12:00 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | 4 Comments
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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.

Rest in peace.

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Check Out Our Latest Film — “Thirsty Work”!

May 13, 2010 at 6:18 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a comment
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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.

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Our Latest Film-Race Entry: “Thirsty Work”!

April 29, 2010 at 7:19 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a comment
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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!)

Brigitte Choura and James Fauvell croon their hearts out on the pier before dawn

James Creque preaches hellfire while surrounded by it

The sun rises. We keep right on shooting.

Going about our work in the shadow of Coney Island's famed Parachute Jump

Yes, that's water from the Atlantic Ocean. No, Mike's not very happy about it.

Are you intrigued yet?

Done with shooting! One happy crew.

Mike's innovative credits-designing posture

James Creque sleeps the sleep of the recently drenched.

Two cousins enjoy some family editing time.

With a few hours left to turn in the movie, the remaining team enjoys a short break on the roof.

… and we got the film in with time to spare!  We’re getting pretty good at this.  Should that worry me?

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Defending Our Title

April 23, 2010 at 6:46 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a comment
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There's not actually a trophy involved, but I couldn't find a good image for "bragging rights."

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.

Seriously, what are the odds?

Truly the gods are smiling upon us! Or taunting us. It’s difficult to tell.

We are SO HAPPY.

We’ll post the film race results in this space when we have them. Good luck to all the teams!

Okay, fine, this is a pretty good image for "bragging rights."

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Footage from DCTV Panel

April 18, 2010 at 9:38 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a comment
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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.

A fairytale castle? Close; it's a firehouse-turned-television-center! Pretty neat, huh?

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.

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Post-Screening Report

March 27, 2010 at 1:22 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a comment
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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.

Our gracious hostess, Stacey

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.

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Manhattan Screening This Thursday!

March 22, 2010 at 7:37 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | 1 Comment
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We’re pleased to announce that the first New York-based screening of all 12 films will take place this Thursday, March 25th, at 7 PM at Stuyvesant Town’s Oval Film Center.  Our thanks to Stacey Burgay for setting up the screening.  Stacey just happened upon our blog last summer and liked what she saw; since then, she’s been tireless about investigating screening venues for us.  And we’re dang grateful!

The screening is mainly for Stuyvesant Town residents, but if you’d like to attend, please e-mail keith.boing@gmail.com, and I’ll see what I can do!

Aerial view of Stuyvesant Town –- a place of destiny!

Aerial view of Stuyvesant Town –– development of destiny!

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2009 Film Race Results — We’re #9!

January 18, 2010 at 10:59 pm | Posted in Keith Boynton | Leave a comment
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That's right. It's GRAY.

The results of the 2009 Film Racing tour are in, and the good news is, we made the top ten!  Ninth place may not be the rousing endorsement we were secretly hoping for, but hey, we’ll take it.  Our heartiest thanks and congratulations to everyone who worked on (or voted for) “The Queen Bee of Mushroomtown”!  In our hearts and minds — no matter what Minneapolis, Vancouver, or any of the rest of them have to say — it’ll always be #1.

As for the 2010 Film Race: it’s anybody’s game at this point.  But I wouldn’t bet against us …

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