Incurable Adventurer

More ‘Bullets’ Dodged (in Texas of all places)

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:55:19 +0000

‘Another Bullet Dodged’ is headed to Austin, Texas for this year’s SXSW Festival. Take cover.

‘Bullet’ Slamdance Reviews

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:05:25 +0000

We got our first Slamdance review of ‘Another Bullet Dodged.’ Snippet is found below, but the full article lives here.

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Narrative Shorts

“Among the live action shorts, a real stunner is Landon Zakheim’s Another Bullet Dodged, a messy and raw story of a young woman looking for some emotional support from the baby daddy of her unborn/not-likely-to-be-born baby. Inspired dialogue, crackling performances, and not a trace of sentimentality—feature please!” – Hammer to Nail

Slamdance can’t dodge the ‘Bullet’

admin — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:03:25 +0000

Proud to announce ‘Another Bullet Dodged’ (that I co-wrote with director Landon Zakheim, as well as co-produced with Siobhan Mahoney) is playing Slamdance 2012.

AFI Film Festival hosts World Premiere of ‘Another Bullet Dodged’

admin — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:27:41 +0000

Thanks to AFI Film Festival for programming/screening/hosting the World Premiere of Landon Zakheim’s short film ‘Another Bullet Dodged’ (which I co-wrote/co-produced) as part of your event.

Screening times and tix can be found here (and they’re free).

Second Annual ‘Razorblades in Your Reese’s’ Event

admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:32:13 +0000

Hey there,

I’m hosting another Halloween-themed event at The Downtown Independent. Event is free, and come dressed so you can participate in the costume contest. Co-curated by Landon Zakheim.

Films by:

Emily Carmichael…

Nicholas McCarthy…

Calvin Reeder…

Jerome Sable…

Ryan Spindell…

Max Winston…

Hugo Lilja

& Kelly Sears

See you there!

‘Another Bullet Dodged’

admin — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:00:03 +0000

Last Spring, I co-wrote and produced a short with close friend and creative collaborator Landon Zakheim. ‘Another Bullet Dodged’ is Landon’s followup to his huge festival hit, ‘Delmer Builds a Machine.’ It’s a very different tone for Landon, and I was happy he asked me to be part of it. The film is just now getting some polishing in post, and will hopefully play a few fests starting in 2012. Here are a few stills (click to make bigger)….

I just left my job. Status: Unemployed.

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:09:35 +0000

Five years with an amazing organization, but all good things must come to an end. And they did.

Smart in this economy? I dare say no.

The only way I could realistically make a feature film in the next 12 months? Most likely yes.

The house is now on fire. Nowhere to go but out the front door now….

Short Break: ‘Oil Change’

admin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 23:32:22 +0000

Original article can be found here.

by Jon Korn (The Bay Citizen)

All right everybody, it’s time to talk about that bane of all short filmmakers and the ultimate cliche: the twist ending. Sure, sometimes a nice “Twilight Zone” shocker can be fun, but more often these last minute surprises are clumsy, insulting, or worse. (It was all a dream! Also, they are ghosts! DREAM GHOSTS!) It’s the rare film that uses its characters and plot to build organically to a moment that actually reveals something. And that’s what we have today.

“Oil Change” is Todd Luoto‘s night-in-the-life look at two couples headed in different directions. It’s the sort of film that people either love or hate. The deciding factor is how much you enjoy being made to feel truly uncomfortable. With a savagely effective script and fine performances, Luoto’s film is a tremendously frank look at a side of ourselves that few like to acknowledge, let alone explore.

I’ve been loving the continuing critical discussion about “cultural vegetables” that in the New York Times over the past few weeks. “Oil Change” isn’t mushy peas or sour brussel sprouts that you force down because you have to, it’s the type of story that is essential for a balanced diet of film. Take the time to see why.

(Full disclosure: Todd is a fellow shorts programmer over at the Sundance Film Festival.)

The Bay Citizen: Where did this story come from? Was it informed by personal experience?

Todd Luoto: “Oil Change” was like my written eulogy to my twenties…a culmination of stories, some personal, some I created from friends, strangers, and exes, that was supposed to be my Dear John letter to dating culture now that I had finally “found love.” This, of course, was an oversight (the love was fleeting, who would have seen that coming), and perhaps a remarkably stupid idea when I look back at its original conceit…but I guess at the time I wanted to essentially make a horror story about companionship, and put a spotlight on characters too selfish and too shallow to ever take such a union seriously.The “twist” at the end was NOT informed by personal experience, nor do I know anyone that would so offensive in a real life setting.

When it comes to insecurities though, I do share many similarities with the character of Kole: I’m not a big confidence guy, have a bit of a chip on my shoulder, and am far from a master in both fashion and mechanics. However, Kole is, in many respects, the complete opposite of the shell I would ever prefer to live in, and my intent was for him to realize his odiousness by coming to a breaking point. Unfortunately though, his “liberating” speech—real or not—(it’s supposed to be ambiguous)—leaves him in a far worse situation: a moment to self-reflect on the fact that he has just made himself the biggest pile of poop in the hot tub.

TBC: There are some incredible performances in this film. Was it difficult communicating with the actors, especially given the subject matter?

TL: The actors (Pat Healy, Michelle Lawrence, Devon Ahmed and Corey Brill) were all great to work with, and the film would have been far inferior without their talents. I had Pat and Corey in mind when I wrote the script, and I was lucky to get Michelle and Devon to respond to my casting call and show up on a Saturday to knock it out of the park. Each one seemed to get the script’s mix of humor and drama and clearly understood we weren’t making fun of anyone (and any group) except for the type of self-serving and emotionally malicious characters that would be found at a similar dinner party.The ending was tricky, and one in which Pat and I rehearsed and talked about a lot.

It’s where the humor is supposed to end and there’s a clear shift in tonality to an extremely dark place. No punchline ever comes, leaving the audience to realize the film is actually without any type of real protagonist. My intention was to make the speech ambiguous (did he or didn’t he?), but also let the final moment not really justify his actions either way. A deeply disturbed person would actually do something so horrific in real life, but what about someone who makes that same claim purely for the sake of hurting someone else? At the end of the day, is he—or the dog eat dog culture he represents—really any better?

TBC: How do you think you experience as a shorts programmer informs your filmmaking?

TL: I think programming has given me a better idea of what works—and more importantly, what doesn’t—in terms of storytelling. I’m way more critical of my work now, which I’m not sure is a completely great thing, but it at least keeps me from being lazy with my own writing. Programming has created a positive opportunity to learn, be inspired and be made humble when you see tons of talent and literally thousands of films each year…and I couldn’t have asked for a better education, been moved by greater minds, or worked with smarter people whose opinions and insights I value very much.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/12Ivw)

New York ShortsLab recap

admin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:31:40 +0000

Original article can be found here.

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“Every time you make a short, it will never be in vain. It’s a win-win situation,” said Debra Granik to a full crowd during an early Saturday morning at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. “The short may never come together the way you want it, but look at all the things you just learned.”

With this, there were nods, smiles, and notes taken, proving that these words rang true to many. Many in the audience—mostly New York filmmakers, a temporary transplant or two from LA, a handful of New Englanders, and many in film schools both in and out of Gotham—had been there and done that, and knew exactly what Granik was talking about. With countless projects in their rearview, the crowd zeroed in on the very reason they came to be here today: To be better. And they simply wanted to learn how.

Debra Granik, director of Winter’s Bone, speaking on a panel about story. Photo by Charles Eshelman.

ShortsLab: NYC marked the second of three stops for the traveling symposium and workshop created by Sundance Institute. Approaching its one-year mark, Director of Programming Trevor Groth, who led the day as an emcee of sorts, noted that this was an event that made sense to host in New York due to the great success of many locally-based filmmakers who have been an essential part of the Festival. Granik, who won the Grand Jury Prize with Winter’s Bone in 2010, was one of them. Joining her on a panel about story were Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (Half Nelson), and all three swapped stories, shared insights, and focused on the conception stage of creating short films in a discussion moderated by Scott Macaulay (Filmmaker Magazine).

“I don’t think there are any rules [to writing shorts],” commented Fleck after showing Gowanus, Brooklyn, the shorter, somewhat stiffer, and Ryan Gosling-free version of the Half Nelson story.

“Whatever your intention is with the short will help guide the questions. For us it was always getting Half Nelson made.”

“I feel when you see a short that rings that bell, you feel it,” commented Granik, who spoke of her love for short stories and how that influenced her own desire to work within the parameters (or lack thereof) of the short form. “With shorts, there are seeds created that can germinate and grow roots and branches.”

After a long, insightful, two-and-a-half hour conversation, and a rather quick lunch to follow, the audience was let back into the theatre to watch the first of three programmer’s picks, led by yours truly. I chose the 2008 film Spider directed by Nash Edgerton—a favorite of mine for its specific construction of characters and plot, and its ability to pull off into something quite fantastic and super fun (don’t believe me? click here).

After the film, we started our Production Block, a series of panels and presentations about one of the more challenging moments of a film’s creation. First, Yancey Strickler (co-founder of Kickstarter and a ShortsLab staple so far) led the crowd in a stellar presentation about crowdfunding. Exploring the do’s, the don’ts, the success stories, and the what ifs about his website, Yancey proved that Kickstarter is a truly fantastic tool for the independent filmmaker. Next, local filmmaker duo Josh And Benny Safdie – who screened their latest short film John’s Gone – shared their amusing stories and struggles of shooting in NYC, and let the crowd know it was better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission. Jonathan Gray (Senior Partner of Gray Kraus, Des Rochers LLP)—who was quite unique in his ability to give both the legal perspective and a less rigid, artist-friendly viewpoint—gave a thorough presentation about entertainment law, and how it ultimately affected (or would affect, if proper precautions had not been taken) someone making movies. Next, Reed Morano (Director of Photography, Frozen River), Alan Oxman (Editor, Storytelling), and Carter Smith (Filmmaker, Bugcrush) spoke to their preferences and pet peeves in regards to the collaboration process. Finally, Michael Sladek from SAGIndie presented just what the SAG union was, how it started, and why it should help rather than hinder the independent filmmaker.

Shorts Programmer Katie Metcalfe presented the second programming pick, The Hunter and The Swan Discuss Their Meeting (watch it here).Metcalfe was quite candid in her retelling that the programmers all thought the 8-minute film was about two minutes too long when we deliberated last November, but it was the ‘magic,’ originality, and humor of the film that ultimately kept it on the board and won over a Park City crowd. She remarked that as programmers we’re looking for something special, not necessarily something that is perfect.

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, co-directors of Half Nelson, at ShortsLab: NYC. Photo by Charles Eshelman.

Next, Bob Moczydlowsky (VP Product & Marketing at Topspin Media) and Matt Dentler (Head of Content for Cinetic Rights Management) had a very friendly and extremely informative face-off about the pros and cons of the decisions filmmakers face regarding distribution or self-distribution opportunities. While Matt focused on more successful ways filmmakers have worked in the digital realm using aggregators, distributors, and more industry muscle, Bob spoke of a new frontier that enabled filmmakers to choose how and to whom their work is distributed. Neither side was really the winner, per se, but together they showed the audience that multiple choices exist for various types of filmmakers.

Programmers Katie Metcalfe, Jake Perlin (BAMcinématek), Sharon Badal (Tribeca Film Festival), and Mark-Elijah Rosenberg (Rooftop Films) were put in the hot seat and ‘forced’ to answer difficult questions generated in advance from the audience. From ‘What short do you regret passing on?’ to ‘Is there even a need for film festivals anymore?,’ the audience demanded nothing short of honesty, and programmers were happy to show filmmakers both their work and thought process when choosing their festival lineup.

Shorts Programmer Lisa Ogdie ended the day showing the 2011 International winner, Deeper Than Yesterday. Ogdie noted that Australian filmmaker Ariel Kleiman created a world in which atmosphere was key to believing in a story where a group of Russian submariners start losing their cool (and their minds).

We ended the day with a three-hour reception at the BAM café where attendees swapped cards, stories, and questions, and helped to expand their own creative network. At the end of the day, ShortsLab: NYC seemed to be as valuable to people as we hoped it would be. We learned a lot, met a ton of great and enthusiastic people, and we hope you did too. Thanks to everyone who came out.

Now, onward to our first Comedy ShortsLab happening August 6 right here in LA. Should be a fun one – can’t wait!

Tudou Film Festival

admin — Thu, 19 May 2011 23:24:10 +0000

Had an amazing experience in Beijing, serving as a juror thanks to the very nice invite by the highly-acclaimed Chinese artist Yi Zhou. My colleague, fellow juror, friend and fashion thief Jon Korn does a nice recap for the Bay Citizen here.