I'm an indy filmmaker with a handful of small films to my credit. There was an interesting moment when working on my latest film Dirty Dealing. We were in the third week of shooting and C. Thomas Howell had been with us for a few days. I admit that when I cast him, I considered the work he had done much earlier in his career as I hadn’t seen many (any?) of the smaller films that he’d been working on over the past decade or so. In my youth, I was a fan of films like Red Dawn, The Outsiders, Grandview U.S.A. (just kidding), The Hitcher and Soul Man (yes, I thought it was quite funny in the pre-P.C. 80's). I was also a fan of the 90’s vampire series Kindred: The Embraced though it certainly hasn't aged well. Despite liking many of the projects Tommy had appeared in, I didn’t consider him a great actor. I cast him because he was a well known name, had a good look for the part and, I believed, was a competent performer. Also, of no small account, I could afford him on our budget.
Consequently, I was pleasantly surprised his first day on set when he began working and I realized in the interim since he’d been performing as a young actor, his skills had grown considerably. There is no greater joy as a director than having talent put in an even better performance than you’re expecting. This is a rare occurrence. So I ended up being more enthusiastic with having Tommy in the film than I thought I would as his performance proved so solid.
A few days later, when Michael Madsen arrived, we had two notable actors on set for the first time. Now, that’s not to say I haven’t worked with good actors prior to this. But the truth is, working on small films, especially non-union films, it’s often tough to find talent that checks all the columns. For Dirty Dealing, the rest of our cast was all young, attractive women. So, I had to cast more than a dozen talented actresses who were also beautiful, prepared to work cheap and willing to get fully nude. This isn’t just difficult, it’s very difficult. The reality is, in this situation, something has got to give. In the case of indy films like this, it’s the poster and the trailer that sells them. When you have five people on your poster that no one has ever heard of, them being great actors isn’t going to sell it. If they’re attractive, you’ve got something to sell. So, from a pragmatic standpoint, there are times when talent as an actor isn’t the most important attribute when casting. Because of this, all the performers in Dirty Dealing were not great actors. But you do the best you can. So when Michael Madsen arrived, we had another skilled actor joining the ranks. And like Tommy, his ability brought up the overall talent level for the project.
I recall the night we shot the first scene with Tommy and Madsen. The scene itself was nothing particularly notable in and of itself. If you’ve seen (or at some point watch) the film, it takes place in the office of Madsen’s character when Tommy confronts his boss. Madsen’s character, who owns the casino, after having promised his female dealers they could do a fundraiser, rescinds the offer after seeing the calendars they’ve created contain nudity (which Tommy argues was made obvious in advance). So Tommy is arguing their case to Madsen who wants none of it and doesn’t seem to care about the predicament he’s putting the ladies in. The debate gets a little heated, but as the subordinate, Tommy is forced to defer to his boss. It’s a fine scene, well performed. Nothing amazing.
But, this was the first time in my career that I had two actors of that caliber working a scene with some meat on it with no distractions. It was a scene about acting. And I loved it. I loved watching these two professionals do their thing and giving the lines more life than I planned or was expecting. For me, it was a magical moment. It kept me on a high for the whole evening (despite some unfortunate incidents that cropped up later that night, including The Michael Madsen Method - see earlier Steem post). I remember thinking, “Wow, is this what it feels like to be working on a big film with A-list talent? Is every scene this satisfying?” I love making films despite the seemingly endless headaches and disappointments. The prospect that the whole process could be that much more satisfying makes the dream that much more appealing. I hope someday I get to find out. If you're an aspiring filmmaker, I wish the same for you, grasshoppers!
NOTE: Dirty Dealing will be available as an Amazon Prime exclusive June or July 2018. Follow me here on Steem for a reminder when the big day arrives!!
EPILOGUE: I've just finished a book on independent filmmaking which includes a number of interesting vignettes like the one above. "Film Schooling" will be out later this year. Please follow my Steemit account for updates on the release date!!
Another (hopefully) interesting article about my adventures as a filmmaker!
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Thanks so much for the support, fellow Steemers!!
Wow, you are doing some great job film making. It is one of the ambitions i held as a child, but life...well, sometimes we are only passengers on the spin of time. I went another path!
btw, it is not smart to call out people's names like you have here!
Working with seasoned pros on set is an enlightening experience.
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