“Do it because you love it. Not for the fame, or the perks.” Stephen Dorff - @ the Woodstock Film Festival

 This weekend I attended the Woodstock Film Festival. My favorite part of this festival is the Actor Dialogue Panel.

Every year the panel is moderated by Martha Frankel and this year’s panel of actors included Stephen Dorff and Golden Globe winner, Andy Garcia.

Both actors were engaging, funny, and charming. And, oh yeah, handsome too. Both are romance novel hero worthy… in fact… wait a second …  swoon … *THUD*

But seriously, as a writer I think it’s interesting to hear actors talk about their craft. After all they are interpreting the written word.

Garcia and Dorff both look for great writing.

Garcia says, “If you have a great script, you’ll attract great actors.”

Vera Farmiga, Garcia’s co-star of At Middleton, said at the screening. “The writing is everything……  a beautifully crafted script makes it easy.” (also said working with Andy 'is like doing the Argentine Tango')

Dorff said the script to The Motel Life was so wonderful that “he fought for the role.”

These are independent films, folks. They are not breaking the bank by acting in these films yet they will fight to be in it because the writing is powerful.

When fighting for roles both actors would go to the audition ‘in character’. Garcia says, “Assume you are not going to get it. But go all out. Even if you don’t get the part they’ll be ‘Wow’ and put you into their ‘go to file’ for something else.”

Garcia likes directors who encourage you to experiment. He calls it a “Free actors take.” He says, (and I’m paraphrasing here… “Don’t worry about the end result …. Do not judge the work while gathering information…. Can lead to happy accidents.”

This is great writing advice as well. Write the scene in a different way. Have your character do something outlandish. You can always go back or it could change everything.

Garcia said that the “big studio films play to demographics… a film is edited to a focus group…. In independent films no one cares what you’re doing, it’s not about focus groups…  independent films free the creative process.

Garcia’s advice for young actors? “Preparation. Learn your craft.” Sage advice for actors and writers.

Dorff says, “Do it because you love it. Not for the fame, or the perks.”

That’s why I write, because I love it. Maybe there will come a day when one of my books is made into a film. Josh Holloway may have been my inspiration for Russ Rowland in Love By Design but if Stephen Dorff wants the role then who am I to say no...then again...let him fight for it. Oh yeah. 

My day at the 2012 Woodstock FIlm Festival.

Had a lovely day at the Woodstock Film Festival. I missed out on attending film screenings because I was at the NJRWA Conference however I didn’t miss out on the Actors Dialogue Panel.

As a writer I think it’s interesting to hear actors talk about their craft. After all they are interpreting the written word.

Every year the panel is moderated by Martha Frankel and this year’s panel of actors included Golden Globe winner, Sally Kirkland who said she listens for the music of the language.

When asked how to stay focused on a character during breaks in filming or waiting for an audition, Sally recommends (and I’m paraphrasing here) listening to a Walkman with music that relates to your character. Find something that will open your heart. 

I love that advice. Some writers have playlists for different book that they listen to while writing. I listen to classical music to help me stay focused and tune out distractions.

Also, attending were John Pankow of Mad About You fame and Brian Geraghty from Jarhead and The Hurt Locker.

Side Note 1:  My sister and I stopped at Peace, Love, and Cupcakes and purchased the Food Network Winning Cupcake! Yummo!

Side Note 2:  Witnessed firemen playing with their hoses. Really. Several fighters from the Summitville Firehouse were washing fire trucks when – I SWEAR – they started spraying water at each other. Too bad they weren’t shirtless….  

Book or Film? Woodstock Film Festival.

After the Actor’s Dialogue Panel my sister and I hit the stores. Lot’s of nice items to browse but I was good. Then we sat at an outdoor café and enjoyed a lovely lunch. (side note: Why are there no ice cream shops in Woodstock?) We attended the screening of East Fifth Bliss with Michael C Hall and Peter Fonda.
Here is the movie synopsis: Michael C. Hall is Morris Bliss in this coming-of-age tale of a 35-year-old with a wicked case of inertia. Bliss still lives at home with his father, mourns the death of his mother and just can’t seem to find a way out. When he stumbles into an awkward relationship with the sexually precocious, 18-year-old daughter of a former high school classmate, Morris quickly discovers his static life comically unraveling and opening up in ways that are long overdue.
I enjoyed the film – I give it 3 stars.


It was nice to have the director Michael Knowles there at the end to answer questions. And I had one – a big one – you see the movie shows Hall sleeping with all his clothes on at the beginning of the film – the 18 year even mentions it – as the movie moves along – each night Bliss removes one more article of clothing until he is sleeping naked.
So while I get this shows the character opening up - I wanted to know why is he sleeping in his clothes in the first place – so I posed this question to the director.
Me: “Can you talk a little about the symbolism of why he was shedding clothes.”
Director – Michael Knowles (I’m paraphrasing here) he says basically what I thought but adds that in the book when at the age of 14, Bliss’s is woken up to rush to the hospital – his mother his dying – he stops to dress and by the time he gets there his mother has died and he doesn’t get to say good-bye
Yeah – that’s big.
And there lies the problem of book to film.
The director went onto say that they didn’t use the scene because it was too dark and they wanted to keep the feel of the quirky comedy.

And why did he select this book? He was at a cigar bar in the East Village and a DVD of one of his films was being sold there and so was the book East Fifth Bliss by Douglas Light - and the author and filmmaker agreed on a trade! Then they spent the next (I think he said 2 years) writing the screenplay together. Cool story.

"Respect your craft." Vincent D'Onodrio

This was the second year I attended The Woodstock Film Festival. I love being around all these independent creative people!

My sister (the actress) and I (the writer) attended the panel called Actors Dialogue. Vincent D’Onodrio from Law and Order: Criminal Intent was this year’s surprise panelist. He also played Edgar, a giant cockroach-like alien who inhabits the body of a farmer in Men In Black. (How he created that character is a story onto itself.)
What can a writer learn from an actor? Here we go….
Actor: Preparation and commitment. He learned his craft before his big break with director Stanly Kubrick. D’Onofrio said that as a young actor he was amazed at the lack of preparation of some of the actors on set, which led to Kubrick firing them and sending them on their way. D’Onofrio was ready and in Full Metal Jacket he created one of those most shocking moments in film – he did it in 3 takes without direction from Kubrick.
Writing: How prepared are you? Have you studied your craft? Whether it’s an MBA in English, classes at a conference, or breaking down books in your genre – get prepared and keep on learning and growing. Are you committed to your writing?
Actor: He said Kubrick didn’t see the story as a whole or even in scenes but in 35 mm shots.
Writer: Every sentence is important. Look at each line we write and ask how it contributes to the whole.
Actor: Someone from the audience asked him how he prepares for a role and he said the first thing as actor you have to realize is that its all about Story, Story, Story (he karate chopped the table 3x times for emphasis). As an actor he asks himself how does my character help tell that story.
If you are familiar with Criminal Intent it was his decision to do the slight tilt of the head/bend of the character (it came about when he was questioning a suspect and the actor would only look at the table so he did a have bend until he caught the gaze of the other actor). Those famous pauses? – yeah he was told he couldn’t do that because it created dead air but he held his ground because he believed in his vision of the character.
Writing: It’s these little nuances that make a character memorable. What can you do to make your main character memorable? How does your character(s) help tell your story?
Actor: The best piece of advice he received as a young actor? Take it seriously. He was told he was great – that even when he failed – he was still great – but he needed to respect his craft and stop dangling one foot in – put both feet in and commit to your craft.
Writing: I’m going to take this one step further – Do you respect YOURSELF as a writer? If you do then you better log off now and get writing. (that is after you leave me a wonderful comment –lol)

Next time I’ll talk about the movie screening I attended and the problems of book to film and the director's answer to the question I posed.

"No, I said, if Keanu doesn't take off all his stuff neither do I." - Vera Farmiga

LOL. Vera Farmiga joked the above when an audience member asked about the choice made for the love scene (Keanu and Vera are under the sheets and after we see her pull down the sheet and she has a bra on and Keanu a t-shirt).
Keanu wanted to make it clear that they did not ask her to undress (he's so sweet) and that's when she joked the above.
Vera also said "People do do it with clothes on."

On the second day I went to the screening of Henry's Crime staring Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga, and James Caan. I didn't know what to expect so imagine how happy I was to find out that they were going to give a Q&A after the film. Keanu and I in the same room. (I will forgot about the other 300 people in the room and that I was all the way in the back - damn it I could've gotten a front row seat - damn, damn, damn! but I digress)

Here is the synopsis of the film:
Sleepwalking his way through life, Henry (Keanu Reeves) gets an unexpected wake-up call when he becomes an unwitting participant in a bank heist. Rather than give up the names of the real culprits, he takes the fall and discovers his true calling. Having done the time, Henry reasons he may as well do the crime. Discovering a forgotten tunnel connecting the bank to a nearby theater, he recruits his old cellmate Max (James Caan) to aid in the robbery, all the while playing the lead in the theater’s current production where he finds himself falling for his leading lady, Julie (Vera Farmiga).

I loved it. It started slow but that was because we are in Henry's ordinary world and indeed 'sleepwalking' through his life- before the inciting incident - once that happens it moves fast and is a very funny film. James Caan is hysterical. Vera Famiga has some great lines and Keanu's very funny line comes at the very end.

After the film Keanu and Vera took the stage to take some questions. I didn't take any notes because I wanted to live in the moment and bask in Keanu (lol). Both of them were engaging and appreciative of the audience's response to the film.

Part of the film shows Caan asking Keanu what his dream is - an audience member asked what their dreams were.
Vera said an eye surgeon but then she got benched from soccer and got her heart broken and a friend made her try out for the school play from there she was encouraged to continue in acting - Keanu makes fun of her for the eye surgeon dream - Keanu said he knew at 15 he wanted to be an actor and asked his mom if it was okay (he's so sweet) but before that he said a conductor of an orchestra, race car drive, or a nuclear physicist.

Which made me laugh only because my son Steven wanted to be a nuclear physicist but ended up taking Broadcast Journalism.

After they were done Keanu waited outside signing autographs and letting people have their pictures taken with him. He is so very sweet. And too skinny. The man needs one of my chocolate chip cookies. And boy would have that made my husband jealous.

This is how the conversation would have went if I had:
Husband: "You gave him one of your chocolate chip cookies?"
Me: "It's just a cookie."
Husband: "You don't love me anymore?"
Me: "But it was just a cookie."
Husband: "Couldn't of you just have kissed him?"
Me: "Next time hun, next time."

"Women directors are alphas - they have to be." Jeanne R. Berney

Here is my report from the Woodstock Film Festival.

Since it was my first year attended I only signed up for 1 event on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Amazing Women In Film
Moderator:
Thelma Adams (not in picture)has twice served as the New York Film Critics Circle Chair. She has written for “The New York Times,” “The New York Post,” “O: The Oprah Magazine,” “Marie Claire,” “The Huffington Post,” “Interview,” and “More.” Amy Dotson (in the middle) is the Deputy Director of IFP, the nation’s oldest not-for-profit membership and advocacy organization of independent filmmakers. She provides ongoing support and mentorship to over 350 independent filmmaker alumni each year and serves the independent film industry and community by connecting them with new, ‘off-the-radar’ creative talent.Joslyn Barnes (on the left) co-founder of Louverture Films, is a screenwriter and Emmy-nominated producer. She is the author or co-author of numerous commissioned screenplays for feature fi lms including the upcoming “Toussaint,” “The Cosmic Forest,” and the award-winning “Bàttu.” Jeanne R. Berney (on the right) For the past several years, Jeanne R. Berney has served as Director of Public Relations and Marketing at the Film Society of Lincoln Center

Random Information Discussed

Dotson: Sees increase in women of all ages and outside of the normal NYC/LA mainstream becoming involved in film

Barnes: She feels women involved with film is trending down –citing stats such as
-Only 2% of cinematographers are women
-Women directed only 15% of the top 250 movies.
-Only 30% of reviewers are women

Barnes: Points out that if this were a panel of men their family wouldn’t even come up. There is an inequitable expectation for women versus men.

Dotson: Networking and mentorship is so important
If you are stalled or told no – ‘just find a way to make it happen. You have to decide if you are in it for the money or for the love of it – this will decide the movies you want to make.

Barnes: When women are producing or directing they hire more women.

Adams: Still a large disconnect between women’s fiction – example - Eat, Love, Pray was directed by a man.
- The Runways – the moment (1976) when her high school music teacher tells Joan Jett that girls don’t play electric guitar falls flat – the male director didn’t understand the importance of that moment for women (GREAT POINT)

Dotson and Berney discussed the Dove Campaign

Barnes: Biggest obstacle is the link between financing and distribution. The story could be great but if sales estimates aren’t then the film doesn’t get made

Dotson: Discussed a recent trend of hiring a Audience Builder Producer.

Barnes: Not only are your competing will other films but with other forms of entertainment. Says while video games may give the player a certain feeling of democracy and freedom they are being monitored. (I thought this was an interesting comment)

The floor was opened to questions. There was one woman who said she finished a script. Barnes asked her what is was about but she wouldn’t say because it was autobiographical. Or was she afraid someone was going to steal her idea? I don’t know.

There was more to this panel discussion than I scribbled down here. My thoughts are scrambling around inside my head! It was enlightening discussion and I’m glad I attended. Next year I'll sign up for more panels and films. It’s always fun to be around creative people whatever the form.

It was a great day - even if I can't report a Keanu sighting...sigh