tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9158553013642968162008-04-18T09:08:29.157-04:00WebmasterBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-36984096541604250892008-01-18T19:15:00.000-05:002008-01-26T23:53:49.770-05:00

Ten percent more money wouldn’t have made that big a difference, but 10 percent more preproduction time would have helped. Our funding showed up so late in the game that nothing could be nailed down until two weeks before we started shooting. Casting and location scouting was last minute. Luckily my producers and crew were intrepid so we just marched on. Rehearsal with actors was minimal. I

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-89704075728237799012008-01-18T19:10:00.000-05:002008-01-26T12:10:40.118-05:00

After 13 months of shooting in four states, a broken arm, lightning strikes, a once-in-a-generation power failure at our power-plant location (“stay here, you’re slightly more likely to survive if it explodes”), I should want at least 11 percent more money to make the movie, to deal with these contingencies, or else I’d be wise to force myself to write 99 percent less insanity into my script so

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-45292900011197187442008-01-18T18:52:00.000-05:002008-01-25T15:17:34.469-05:00

It’s very tempting to go for the obvious answer and say money, since most of the elements that one would kill to have 10 percent more of could be had with a little more money. Money would be the universal gift card with which one could purchase delicious items like more shooting days or film stock or editing time. I’m still in post so even thinking of a card that could buy me more mix time or

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-221339197368238482008-01-18T18:36:00.000-05:002008-01-24T19:34:24.254-05:00

The question isn’t fair as it relates to my production. I don’t wish I had 10 percent more of anything. I deliberately set out to make a film without expectations. Expectations are what thwarted any creative impulse I’d had in the past. Instead I relied on whatever I found before me. It is no accident that our production company’s name is Found Films. From the get-go we knew we had severe

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-23205057287665820442008-01-18T18:10:00.000-05:002008-01-23T10:02:51.455-05:00

I made a documentary where I tried to interview my ex-girlfriends to find out why they dumped me. I wish 10 percent more of them had agreed to talk to me. In fact I wish 50 percent more had talked to me. But they didn’t. So for a couple of months I wandered ’round, scratched my head and tried to think of ways to persuade them. When I couldn’t persuade them I tried to come up with other things

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-64875701724155977512008-01-18T18:00:00.000-05:002008-01-22T12:37:42.434-05:00

I have been thinking about this question for a couple days now and I’m stumped. I’m really happy with Momma’s Man and I think extra cash, time… a bit extra of anything could have just fucked it up. Whatever limitations there were — and I had an enormous amount of freedom on this one — were helpful as far as I can see. Sorry if this wasn’t the answer you were looking for, but for me it’s the

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-63326226192619587532008-01-18T17:45:00.000-05:002008-01-18T02:42:22.933-05:00

If I could have had 10 percent more of anything it would have been days off! We worked 6 and 7-day weeks on this film ever since production started in May 2006 and haven’t stopped. And believe me, looking for the most wanted man on earth and traveling for months at a time to some of the most dangerous places in the world (all while having a pregnant wife at home), is not the best recipe for a

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-50532203141687855372008-01-18T17:38:00.000-05:002008-01-18T02:41:51.368-05:00

While filming Assassination there were times when the chatter of my thoughts and the cacophony of the set drowned out my instincts’ pleas. When this happened, the result was always the same: The movie and I would suffer. But when I listened, out came the gifts. I acknowledged this, I even wrote “INSTINCT” on my finger so I was reminded every time I typed, framed a shot, or gestured to an actor.

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-64893938385182975352008-01-18T17:34:00.000-05:002008-01-18T02:40:39.083-05:00

At the risk of sounding unoriginal I’m gonna have to go with time. I’m sure everyone wishes they had more time but I had no idea how little time I would have to shoot this movie. The budget was about five times the budget of my previous film, XX/XY, (which isn’t saying much since we made XX for about 37 cents) but on XX I had about 50 percent MORE time. We had more days and on XX the days were

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-44670774178553912492008-01-18T17:28:00.000-05:002008-01-18T02:39:37.876-05:00

A defining moment in the making of American Son was when the financing fell through four weeks before production. Six months of preproduction and planning evaporated with one phone call. That disappointment forced me to dig deeper and commit to making the film by whatever means necessary. In hindsight it was the best thing that could have happened. After digesting the initial disappointment, I

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-72012295951615753302008-01-18T17:26:00.000-05:002008-01-18T02:38:25.520-05:00

It took me a few moments to really find the most specific and significant answer to this idea. In my experience on this particular film, I have to respond by saying that if I had 10 percent more of anything, it would definitely be AVAILABILITY. Since I have the most sincere and genuine respect for all positions regarding the many aspects of filmmaking, it was my duty as a multiple player on

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-31574767323901651092008-01-18T17:22:00.000-05:002008-01-18T02:37:11.885-05:00

How do you make a small film about the American economy, the federal government and where they’re both heading? And more importantly, how do you make it appealing to a general audience? How do you make people care about it? As I write this we are five weeks away from our world premiere at Sundance ‘08, and we’re still asking ourselves these questions. We’re still trying to find the heart of

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-39042030497930494242008-01-18T17:14:00.000-05:002008-01-17T16:29:22.064-05:00

Days. It’s always about time in terms of shooting, especially on a smaller budget. I usually move pretty fast when I’m shooting. I like the energy, but I don’t like to be rushed. Being on a set is a fluid environment. Sometimes you will move faster than expected and sometimes (most times) you will move slower. So whenever you have a little safety/time cushion it’s always a good thing. It allows

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-65162900765728174552008-01-17T17:04:00.000-05:002008-01-17T12:32:48.516-05:00

I’d need 10 percent more time, not only in front of the camera, but for my family. Becoming a father of Valter, 15 months, and at the same time being a first-time feature film director is hard. I long for time alone, time with my girlfriend, Anna, time with my son, time to write, time to watch more films, time to sleep and time for exercise. [PREMIERE SCREENING: Friday, Jan. 18, 9:00 pm --

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-65528005714699828502008-01-17T17:03:00.000-05:002008-01-17T12:32:21.517-05:00

My first thought was I wished I had an additional 10 percent of everything! As an independent filmmaker, I don’t think you ever feel like there’s enough time or money or resources. You always feel like you need just a little more. In the end it’s about finding creative ways to make what you do have go that extra 10 percent… and it’s about making choices and compromises that hopefully don’t hurt

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-2774016856649890212008-01-17T17:00:00.000-05:002008-01-17T12:30:44.824-05:00

Well it goes without saying that all first-time filmmakers would like 10 percent more budget, days, film, editing days, money for score, extras, lock up, 2K DI, mixing days… oh, you know, the little things. So for me it came down to 10 percent more time in my real life to hang out with Alan Alda. [PREMIERE SCREENING: Monday, Jan. 21, 6:15 pm -- Eccles Theatre, Park City]

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-84403081760237309382008-01-17T16:57:00.000-05:002008-01-17T12:28:22.770-05:00

There isn’t a filmmaker I know who wouldn’t mind 10 percent more of absolutely anything he or she can get. The one thing we could all do with, probably, is 10 percent more sleep or rest because we seem to get just about none during a shoot. Somehow our bodies keep going until wrap and then we either collapse or go down with all the bugs we have managed to keep at bay for the duration of the

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-46512165860449023872008-01-17T16:40:00.000-05:002008-01-17T12:27:13.780-05:00

CONTINGENCY… that was put away somewhere that no one could touch… stored behind glass that said, “Break in an emergency.” How did we survive without it? We got creative, tried to keep our sense of humor, and enjoyed the kindness of strangers. I do think that some really wonderful moments came out of it… that now, I would never trade for a slower heartbeat. [PREMIERE SCREENING: Friday, Jan.

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-76743607172088449492008-01-17T14:08:00.000-05:002008-01-17T12:46:14.123-05:00

I wish I had 10 percent more of the budget in my own pocket so that when it comes time to retire, I won’t have to work the dark alleys of Marseille. [PREMIERE SCREENING: Thursday, Jan. 24, 5:30 pm -- Prosepector Square Theatre, Park City]

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-72373067183984155222008-01-17T14:05:00.000-05:002008-01-17T12:44:56.022-05:00

I suppose we always could have used 10 percent more daylight since we attempted to shoot as much of the film as possible during “the magic hour.” It seems that regardless of the production’s size, there’s never enough resources, financing, time. In spite of these obstacles our shoot went smoothly and was a really liberating, fun experience. This was in no small part due to our friends and

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-33899479386920854732008-01-17T14:03:00.000-05:002008-01-17T12:44:25.467-05:00

Ten percent more of 100 percent. [PREMIERE SCREENING: Friday, Jan. 18, 8:30 pm -- Holiday Village Cinema II, Park City]

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-65986605280103631812008-01-17T13:51:00.000-05:002008-01-17T12:43:21.039-05:00

The obvious answer to that would be “cash flow.” But I would really like to combine it with organization. Our film Flow took us to many countries like India, South Africa and Bolivia… in the space of five years… I first started with a small crew for the first two trips abroad and before I knew it — and with the exception of the U.S., which I did with Yvette, our co-producer, it was a one-man

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-85413899750790147562008-01-16T13:44:00.000-05:002008-01-16T17:14:56.519-05:00

It may be cliché to mention time as being something we’d all like more of, but it is a major factor once your film is up and running. It is also the one thing that is under relentless assault as you make your film. Every element of the process can benefit from more time, and every element can conspire to eat it up. Knowing this in advance is critical. The only guarantee is that time will go

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-56712607794544927222008-01-16T13:19:00.000-05:002008-01-16T17:13:54.669-05:00

Easy enough: I definitely wished that I had 10 percent more head capacity. Call it intelligence, understanding, analytic ability, lateral thinking, insight into psychology or just mathematics. I felt a deficit. As a first-time feature director I went pretty fucking cockily into the process. I reckoned my vast experience in music videos, commercials and short films had prepared me for anything

Jason Guerrasiotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-915855301364296816.post-35359034993120401692008-01-16T13:16:00.000-05:002008-01-16T17:13:00.104-05:00

After spending a quarter of my life filming Patti Smith: Dream of Life, I can’t imagine what I would need 10 percent more of! [PREMIERE SCREENING: Sunday, Jan. 20, 6:15 pm -- Holiday Village Cinema III, Park City]

Jason Guerrasio