Lindsay Long Meets Catherine Hardwicke – Report from SXSW 2009
Lindsay Long has graciously volunteered to be a Film Gecko field reporter at SXSW 2009, currently the happenin’ place to be in Austin, Texas. That’s Lindsay pictured with "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke. More on that later!
Lindsay attended two panels on Saturday. Read on for her report:
Jeffrey Tambor: "Break the Rules"
The first panel was Jeffrey Tambor’s Acting Workshop. For the first part of the workshop, Jeffrey took two actors, Jess Weixler ("Alexander the Last") and Mark Reeb (John Bryant Productions), and directed them through a scene. The two actors had only memorized their lines and the context of the scene they were doing.
More after the jump…
Using different acting tactics such as placing the actors at different distances, telling them to talk to each other the way they would address a family member, or telling them to break "rules," he was able to pull real emotion and develop a scene in under about 40 minutes. During that time, the audience members - comprised of mostly writers, actors, and directors - watched as Jeffrey, Jess, and Mark kissed, cried, and yelled their way through a variety of different ways the scene could be portrayed.
Every Actor is Nervous
Jeffrey stressed the importance of acknowledging that every actor is nervous, and that it is the director’s job to build them up in a positive way and the actor’s job to do the same for the director. Jeffrey said that when an actor automatically rejects what a director is asking them to do and "draws a line," you can actually see the production go "straight to video."
It was amazing to watch him break apart the scene and see what the actors did with Jeffrey’s direction. He told Jess she needed to stop being a "good girl" and do four bad girl things in the scene. The instant she had an objective to accomplish besides reciting her lines, the scene became much more interesting and she discovered another side to her character.
Jeffrey also talked about how flexibility in a script is a great thing to have. He described a script to making a soup — if it’s too sweet, you change it. You don’t say, "Oh well, that’s the recipe." Some of the best moments the actors had were when they broke from the script and were clearly in the moment. Even Jeffrey pointed it out to the audience, saying that you could see in the actors well after the exercise was over that they were still in the moment they had created earlier.
We’re Watching Shows on the Web
The second panel I went to was Comedy on Television and the Web. This panel was also a part of the interactive portion of SXSW. The panelists included Ricky Van Veen (CollegeHumor.com), B.J. Novak ("The Office""), Keith Richman (Break.com), Avner Ronen (boxee.tv), and Meredith Scardino ("The Colbert Report"). They talked about how the shows/websites that they work for are utilizing the web as a way to not only market their TV shows, but also encourage participation among their fans. Meredith, a writer for "The Colbert Report," talked about how the web content on colbertnation.com gives the audience a direct opportunity to contribute to the show and offer feedback. B.J. Novak, writer and actor (he plays Ryan), talked about webisodes and how they allow audience members to see more of their favorite characters on "The Office."
All the panelist predict that webisodes will in the future become a normal part of how new shows are conceived, and that consumers will be moving toward a more web-based way of watching their favorite shows. They also stated that they are seeing a trend of consumers cancelling their cable subscriptions in favor of watching their TV shows online through such sites as Boxee.tv and Hulu.com, which can average a better viewing count than some traditional TV shows.
"That’s What She Said"
However the best part of the panel was when B.J. was talking about how new technology, such as web based "TV" shows, will work. "No one can shove anything down anyone’s throat … that’s what she said." It was awesome to hear a "that’s what she said" joke from basically the creators and propagators of the ongoing "Office" gag.
"Splinterheads" Breaks Free and Takes Risks
After the panels, I jumped over to the Alamo Draft Hourse to catch the world premiere of "Splinterheads," a coming of age comedy about a guy who is in search of his own "thing." Starring Thomas Middleditch and Rachael Taylor ("Transformers," "Shutter"), the film centers around a guy named Justin (Middleditch) trying to find himself. He meets Galaxy (Taylor) a hot scam artist "splinterhead" from the local carnival, and they bond after a geocaching adventure.
It’s a great little film about breaking free and taking risks. I wouldn’t be surprised if this gets picked up and goes mainstream. Director/Writer Brant Sersen has created a funny, quirky, romantic comedy that has a wide appeal. (See photos from the Q&A with the director and cast of "Splinterheads" at the end of this post.)
Random Notes
It is really hard to watch a movie when the cast and director are in the room. I was so nervous for them! How stressful it must be for them to watch an audience react to their hard work. The film took 25 days to shot, which seems incredible to me. Outside of each theater, there is a mini "red carpet" with a backdrop of the sponsors logos for the actors and directors to have their picture taken.
Last night, I went to the A&E Independent Film Chanel Opening Party for SXSW (celebrating 16 years of film at SXSW). The place was packed with actors and directors and other famous people. The entire cast of "I Love You, Man" was there.
Lindsay Meets Catherine Hardwicke!
What was most awesome for me was seeing Catherine Hardwicke at the table next to me. When she was getting up to leave, I mustered up the courage to ask her to take a photo with me. She obliged, and I wish I had said something intelligent or amazing to her, but I was a bit starstuck and was unable to come up with anything of substance besides, "You’re awesome. Thank you." The party was super cool, but very odd to see actors "out of context," as in, not at the movies or on TV. Craziness!
Photos from the Q&A with the director and cast of "Splinterheads":
Images: Lindsay Long, 2009
Tags: acting workshops, avner ronen, b.j. novak, catherine hardwicke, Film Festivals, i love you man, jeffrey tambor, jess weixler, keith richman, lindsay long, mark reeb, meredith scardino, ricky van veen, splinterheads, SXSW, sxsw 2009, that's what she said, the colbert report, the office, webisodesRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Celebrity Pictures, Comedy, Coming Soon to Theaters, Development, Film, Film Festivals, Film Genres, Film Industry, Film Reviews, Movie Premiere Pictures, Movie Premieres, Movie Stars, Movies, Now Playing, Personalities, Romance, SXSW
2 opinions for Lindsay Long Meets Catherine Hardwicke – Report from SXSW 2009
rachelbirds
Mar 16, 2009 at 5:45 am
Good report! Thanks for the on-site reporting, Lindsay.
SXSW Film 2009 Highlights - VIDEO
Mar 21, 2009 at 9:43 pm
[...] This post comes to us from Maria Diaz, who blogs at Bravo Fan. Maria attended this year’s SXSW festival and graciously agreed to write up a report for Film Gecko. Thank you, Maria! Read on for her inside scoop on the festival, and for more on SXSW, read Lindsay Long’s report here… [...]
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