So Djamel, how did the shoot go?
It went really bad. No, really I’m not kidding; at least, in the beginning. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. And we didn’t get really lucky on top of everything else. We shot it with a skeleton crew because of budget barriers, which didn’t help either. Talking about skeleton crew is not even quite close to be the actual truth. We could definitely say that we shot our Web Series with a decomposed crew. I guess like most of the projects I’ve shot so far, we made it with a crew reduced to a strict minimum: I was the director, Kyle Stryker was the DP/camera operator (he did a marvelous work, especially considering the whole range of elements we had against us) and Danton Dabar was the sound mixer. We did have from time to time some extra help for booming, or moving the equipment around or some kind of grip work like that; but not enough to make the shoot very smooth and easy. I had planned on shooting those six episodes (or webisodes) in 7 days.
You gave yourself just seven days of shooting?
Yes, seven days for me was a realistic time frame for an independent Web Series. Actually, I didn’t have a choice anyway; the more days of shooting, the more expensive it would be. And money we didn’t have. I just tried to write the script to be practical to make... But another disruption came up to make it harder on me: the three actresses I had cast for the roles of Beverly, Holly and Monica, happened to be fake (for real!), undisciplined, hard to work with, not motivated and not even nice at all. After one day of shooting with those three ‘we think we're big Hollywood stars’ divas, I knew I would not stand another day like that one. I had to let them go. A nightmare. You add this to a few other technical problems that occurred, I don’t even want to think about that cruel technical chaos, and the first three days of shooting happened to be a disaster. I couldn’t use any of the footage. Three days wasted. And four days left for me to shoot the series. No way I could add seven more days. How could I find more money? And by more money, I mean less than $400! I know, pretty pathetic, huh? But when you want to make a project you believe in, when you can’t help but shooting something, anything, like a drug addict losing it, doing whatever it takes to stay in his addiction, you just go for it without procrastinating or giving up. Obstacles must be overcome. So, yes, even $400 was an amount of money we couldn’t get (we're all broke, what can I say?), but still I wanted to bring our project back in shape. So, as hard as it seems, I talked to Kyle Stryker, and asked him if he thought we could shoot six webisodes equivalent to a script of about 70 pages, in just four days; and knowing that the crew was composed of only three people, and that our equipment list was as anorexic as our crew... But Kyle thought we could make it though, and so did I. Kyle is a machine. He can work at the same pace forever, at least 12 hours in a row, taking just quick breaks before being ready and happy to rock again. He had good ideas, was never complaining or being negative; a true professional. He really made my life easier in a very rough, complicated world. I really thank him because he really was 110%, and it allowed me to complete my project in just four days. And again, with all the elements going wild on us.
So finally, I re-cast very quickly. It took me just a couple of days. I found Kara Chaput to play Beverly and Sherry Romito to play Holly thanks to Owen Williams (Glen). I decided to get rid of Monica’s character because I really wanted to work with Gary Edward with whom I had shot a short film right before called “Seized”. He’s amazingly talented, and trustful. He wouldn’t flake on me and would give me his A game the whole time. So, Monica from Santa Monica being out for now, I wrote a new part; Mr. Adams from West Adams, the project’s boss. The characters are the heart of this Web Series... I therefore needed great actors, and I didn’t want to make mistakes during the casting process, especially after the mess I had had a few days before with the divas, remember? So, I mentioned Kyle Stryker being the driving force behind an easier shoot by working fast and very efficiently, but I want to conclude about the shoot by mentioning that the actors were so dedicated to the craft as well, that it did help the project to be finished on time, and as far as I’m concerned, to be worth watching. Garikayi Mutambirwa, for example, with his energy, experience and professionalism brought a constructive dynamic to the shoot, throwing his positive power all over the sets. Dan Shirey, the lead role, always arrived on set (on time, wonderful, thank you Dan, I love you so much right now) more seriously with (great) ideas, sharing thoughts about his character, having done his homework in detail, creating a back story that would make Sherman’s character more profound, etc. They all knew their lines and even if it seems almost irrelevant to bring this up, it’s definitely not. The divas from the now famous ‘The Great L.A. Pretenders Horror Three Days Of Shooting Show’, barely knew their lines, and had even sometimes the script on their laps, looking at it in the middle of a take, or they would just play their own lines; unacceptable. Thankfully, the ‘final’ cast were professional enough to learn their lines and if they wanted to add a word, a line or something like that, or even improvise a little, they would ask me first, and then would go for it if I accepted. Those last four days of shooting were consequently more pleasant. A few months later, I can just say I’m happy we made it. Because when I think about it, it wasn’t quite in the bag with no trouble; or in the can I may say.
You gave yourself just seven days of shooting?
Yes, seven days for me was a realistic time frame for an independent Web Series. Actually, I didn’t have a choice anyway; the more days of shooting, the more expensive it would be. And money we didn’t have. I just tried to write the script to be practical to make... But another disruption came up to make it harder on me: the three actresses I had cast for the roles of Beverly, Holly and Monica, happened to be fake (for real!), undisciplined, hard to work with, not motivated and not even nice at all. After one day of shooting with those three ‘we think we're big Hollywood stars’ divas, I knew I would not stand another day like that one. I had to let them go. A nightmare. You add this to a few other technical problems that occurred, I don’t even want to think about that cruel technical chaos, and the first three days of shooting happened to be a disaster. I couldn’t use any of the footage. Three days wasted. And four days left for me to shoot the series. No way I could add seven more days. How could I find more money? And by more money, I mean less than $400! I know, pretty pathetic, huh? But when you want to make a project you believe in, when you can’t help but shooting something, anything, like a drug addict losing it, doing whatever it takes to stay in his addiction, you just go for it without procrastinating or giving up. Obstacles must be overcome. So, yes, even $400 was an amount of money we couldn’t get (we're all broke, what can I say?), but still I wanted to bring our project back in shape. So, as hard as it seems, I talked to Kyle Stryker, and asked him if he thought we could shoot six webisodes equivalent to a script of about 70 pages, in just four days; and knowing that the crew was composed of only three people, and that our equipment list was as anorexic as our crew... But Kyle thought we could make it though, and so did I. Kyle is a machine. He can work at the same pace forever, at least 12 hours in a row, taking just quick breaks before being ready and happy to rock again. He had good ideas, was never complaining or being negative; a true professional. He really made my life easier in a very rough, complicated world. I really thank him because he really was 110%, and it allowed me to complete my project in just four days. And again, with all the elements going wild on us.
So finally, I re-cast very quickly. It took me just a couple of days. I found Kara Chaput to play Beverly and Sherry Romito to play Holly thanks to Owen Williams (Glen). I decided to get rid of Monica’s character because I really wanted to work with Gary Edward with whom I had shot a short film right before called “Seized”. He’s amazingly talented, and trustful. He wouldn’t flake on me and would give me his A game the whole time. So, Monica from Santa Monica being out for now, I wrote a new part; Mr. Adams from West Adams, the project’s boss. The characters are the heart of this Web Series... I therefore needed great actors, and I didn’t want to make mistakes during the casting process, especially after the mess I had had a few days before with the divas, remember? So, I mentioned Kyle Stryker being the driving force behind an easier shoot by working fast and very efficiently, but I want to conclude about the shoot by mentioning that the actors were so dedicated to the craft as well, that it did help the project to be finished on time, and as far as I’m concerned, to be worth watching. Garikayi Mutambirwa, for example, with his energy, experience and professionalism brought a constructive dynamic to the shoot, throwing his positive power all over the sets. Dan Shirey, the lead role, always arrived on set (on time, wonderful, thank you Dan, I love you so much right now) more seriously with (great) ideas, sharing thoughts about his character, having done his homework in detail, creating a back story that would make Sherman’s character more profound, etc. They all knew their lines and even if it seems almost irrelevant to bring this up, it’s definitely not. The divas from the now famous ‘The Great L.A. Pretenders Horror Three Days Of Shooting Show’, barely knew their lines, and had even sometimes the script on their laps, looking at it in the middle of a take, or they would just play their own lines; unacceptable. Thankfully, the ‘final’ cast were professional enough to learn their lines and if they wanted to add a word, a line or something like that, or even improvise a little, they would ask me first, and then would go for it if I accepted. Those last four days of shooting were consequently more pleasant. A few months later, I can just say I’m happy we made it. Because when I think about it, it wasn’t quite in the bag with no trouble; or in the can I may say.
I think perhaps the most significant thing was demonstrating what you can achieve with limited resources. Would you agree?
I agree. Working more than 10 hours a day for four days in a row was a challenge. But you know we weren’t really surprised about the issues involved and encountered. I mean we knew it was going to be a difficult shoot. When I talk about the reduced equipment list or the skeleton crew, it seems like I’m talking about a student (third grade) short film project. But don’t get me wrong; even though I know I have yet to get more experienced, this isn’t student homework. There is a tremendous sense of ambition in the web series, and in my very modest, humble opinion, I think it’s well realized. We somehow managed to navigate around the huge budget constraints. I’m never satisfied with my work and always think I could have done better. Obviously, I do believe that with more money, more time, more professionals around us, the result would have been more competent. But I don’t want to feel like the work wasn’t accomplished; because it would be wrong and inaccurate. We all worked our asses off for this, and looking back and appreciating every aspect of “The Great L.A. Pretenders”, I can say without blushing, that it paid off. Really. Now, let’s see what we will be able to do when we actually have a budget to work with. And I’m confident it will happen very soon.
Why this Web Series and why now?
Well, I had been willing to make an episodic series (sitcom, drama...) for a long time. Last year, after helping auditioning actors for an upcoming Web Series to be shot in Hollywood, it just made me think about shooting my own. I would not need a huge budget; I would not need to have to sell it to a TV network, with the long process it involves, and I could show it to a lot of people from all around the world. Why now? Well, like I said to Graeme Black when he wrote the article “Pretenders Anonymous”, I truly believe the future of entertainment is not television, as more and more people choose Internet over TV... So, even if “The Great L.A. Pretenders” doesn’t create a big buzz, we wanted to experience this new medium for (TV) shows when we still have a window of getting our stuff out there before the web becomes too saturated with Web Series.
What inspired you to begin writing “The Great L.A. Pretenders” Web Series?
My inspiration was the three years I spent in Los Angeles as a film student, as a wannabe filmmaker and as a human being. So, my own experience of L.A., my interaction with the people, my ups and my downs, my loneliness and my happiness, my will to reach the American Dream to my homesickness, my disappointments, my troubles, my needs, etc.
So you mean that your life, your own experience of Los Angeles is reflected in the series?
Absolutely. You know, Los Angeles is definitely not what I expected. It was a childhood dream to come to and work in Hollywood. And I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but what I didn’t know is how fake, superficial and unbearable people would be. You can’t trust anybody; you can’t rely on nobody but yourself, everything seems to be controlled by stupid rules, even dating. Women of Los Angeles made me love French girls that I found cold and distant. Well, so be it. I’d rather mix with cold people than with hypocritical ones. Oh and by the way American people, French women do shave their armpits... At least, since the 1920's!
I wanted to make fun of some aspects of Los Angeles - the fuckin' L.A. Pretend Game - of its people, its wannabes, its posers in an ambiguous way. In fact, I didn’t want to make a lazy, obvious comedy with for instance cats farting or babies eating flies or dumb teenagers talking about their lame sex lives or experiences - even though that’s definitely what YouTubers (for example) enjoy the most, or I didn’t want to have a character talk directly towards camera to tell a story either (what YouTubers like as well) or to make very short videos from 1 to 3 minute long (what YouTubers love very much indeed). I wanted to make a Web Series as cinematic as I possibly could. I wanted to write witty, sarcastic and ironical scripts. I wanted to use lots of sub-texts and references. But to be completely honest with you, I’ve never been really attracted to comedies. My favorite genre (as a filmmaker and as a viewer) is definitely mystery/thriller/suspense. It’s totally my cup of tea. But comedies are cheap to make because they don’t necessarily require special effects or things like that. Plus, people prefer watching on the Internet funny videos than scary ones.
I wanted to make fun of some aspects of Los Angeles - the fuckin' L.A. Pretend Game - of its people, its wannabes, its posers in an ambiguous way. In fact, I didn’t want to make a lazy, obvious comedy with for instance cats farting or babies eating flies or dumb teenagers talking about their lame sex lives or experiences - even though that’s definitely what YouTubers (for example) enjoy the most, or I didn’t want to have a character talk directly towards camera to tell a story either (what YouTubers like as well) or to make very short videos from 1 to 3 minute long (what YouTubers love very much indeed). I wanted to make a Web Series as cinematic as I possibly could. I wanted to write witty, sarcastic and ironical scripts. I wanted to use lots of sub-texts and references. But to be completely honest with you, I’ve never been really attracted to comedies. My favorite genre (as a filmmaker and as a viewer) is definitely mystery/thriller/suspense. It’s totally my cup of tea. But comedies are cheap to make because they don’t necessarily require special effects or things like that. Plus, people prefer watching on the Internet funny videos than scary ones.
So, anyway, I finally did several sessions with a script writer called Benton Eshoei (we co-wrote a couple of webisodes together) a few weeks before we shot, because I wanted to go through the scripts with somebody who would challenge me in certain thematic areas, and Benton is also one of my friends who ‘introduced’ me to Los Angeles and its ‘values’, its way of life, so that was very helpful and a productive work and experience.
Last but not least, my cooperative work with Renaud Fouilleul was very predominant. As a matter of fact, when we created the series together, establishing its concept and direction, we shared numerous ideas, themes we should tackle, even lines some characters should deliver. We wrote down all our thoughts and feelings about L.A., tore them out, scrapbooked them, packing a lot of rough papers around beers and glasses of milk. A beautiful cocktail for a striking team work!
What projects are you working on at the moment, Djamel?
Right now, I’m finishing up the “The Great L.A. Pretenders” Web Series. Renaud Fouilleul and I are working on its promotion...
Ideally, I would have loved to expand more the concept of this web series, to go deeper into the characters’ background; for instance why would Sherman and Felix as secret agents end up working on a mission involving wannabe actors of Los Angeles? Who really is Mr. Adams? And obviously, I would also have wanted to develop more of the interaction between all the characters: how could Sherman’s extreme dislike toward Beverly evolve to strictly opposed or different sort of feelings? Same thing as far as Fernando is concerned; his attraction to Holly appears to be meant to fail as she seems to be really attracted to Beverly, a coming out that could lead to a weird love triangle. But who knows in L.A.? Majority of the people have an ambiguous sexuality. And what about our Frenchman Felix? Is he going to be able to control Sherman’s bad attitude any longer? Or is he just looking forward to meeting the new pretender Monica... from Santa Monica beach? So, yes I’d love to be able to make more episodes or even to start over again with more developed scripts and back stories (why not making more webisodes but shorter, 5 to 7 minute long) with a bigger budget, or just a budget, please. I’m not interested in making any more projects working without money. It’s really pointless on the long run. But it is indeed a good experience and it usually allows you or forces you to excel yourself - otherwise you might just want to throw away your footage immediately.
Otherwise, my other projects are simple: I’m trying to get involved in as many productions as possible, and I will be working soon on the writing of a feature length film called “L'Ombre Noire” ("The Black Shadow") a psychological thriller/drama. This time, in opposition to how I proceeded for “Pretenders”, I’m going to navigate the major steps involved during pre-production; that is to say going to move heaven and earth to get financing.
Ideally, I would have loved to expand more the concept of this web series, to go deeper into the characters’ background; for instance why would Sherman and Felix as secret agents end up working on a mission involving wannabe actors of Los Angeles? Who really is Mr. Adams? And obviously, I would also have wanted to develop more of the interaction between all the characters: how could Sherman’s extreme dislike toward Beverly evolve to strictly opposed or different sort of feelings? Same thing as far as Fernando is concerned; his attraction to Holly appears to be meant to fail as she seems to be really attracted to Beverly, a coming out that could lead to a weird love triangle. But who knows in L.A.? Majority of the people have an ambiguous sexuality. And what about our Frenchman Felix? Is he going to be able to control Sherman’s bad attitude any longer? Or is he just looking forward to meeting the new pretender Monica... from Santa Monica beach? So, yes I’d love to be able to make more episodes or even to start over again with more developed scripts and back stories (why not making more webisodes but shorter, 5 to 7 minute long) with a bigger budget, or just a budget, please. I’m not interested in making any more projects working without money. It’s really pointless on the long run. But it is indeed a good experience and it usually allows you or forces you to excel yourself - otherwise you might just want to throw away your footage immediately.
Otherwise, my other projects are simple: I’m trying to get involved in as many productions as possible, and I will be working soon on the writing of a feature length film called “L'Ombre Noire” ("The Black Shadow") a psychological thriller/drama. This time, in opposition to how I proceeded for “Pretenders”, I’m going to navigate the major steps involved during pre-production; that is to say going to move heaven and earth to get financing.
Well Djamel Bennecib, it was really cool talking to you. One last word?
Watch 'The Great L.A. Pretenders' at www.thegreatlapretenders.com and let me know your thoughts!
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