by {{{OZ}}}
Memo Salazar is not the next big thing. He’s possibly not even the next moderately sizable thing. To paraphrase Zaphod Beeblebrox, he’s just this guy, you know? A guy with a bizarre sense of humor, an all too logical (and thus unlikely) outlook on popular culture, a questionably obtained copy of Photoshop, and a video camera. Of course, in this day and age, that makes him every bit the filmmaker Robert Zemeckis is (if not more so), and his new web-based TV series cum feature film, Boy George Michael Jackson Browne (which can be seen at http://www.foolfactory.com), is a great example of where TV, film and video will be going in ten years time – if we’re lucky.
So here’s the skinny. Memo gets some folks together that like making movies, waves a funny script and some home cooking in front of them, and they in turn help him make his movie. TV series. Web… thing. Whatever. If only it were so easy to get a dentist to work for free.
“It's really easy to get free help. First, go get a gun permit, which is a pretty easy thing to do. Then buy a gun and always carry it with you and take it out and in and out of the holster all day. When you ask people to help, imply that you'd be reeeeeally upset if they don't help out. It's amazing how much love and charity pours forth. The other way to go about it is to write a script you really like, and let that excitement show, which gets others excited, and so on. I'm a nice guy, especially compared to Coppolla, and the people in my crew have all worked with me in the past and know that the shoots are challenging but fun, with no egos getting in the way. So crew wasn't too hard to find, despite not paying them a cent - I did feed them well, though. That's essential. That said, I still feel pangs of guilt for asking people to give up their weekends to shoot MY stupid little movie. That's why I want that next step - a budget where I can PAY people, have them commit all their time, not just spare time, and feel like at the very least they're getting paid for this.”
Memo writes the film, he directs it, he shows his head in it a few times, he edits it, and he throws a few Photoshop effects on top before slapping it on the web and trying to sell a few dubs to interested strangers. A road to riches? Hardly. But definitely a way to find an audience. Memo explains why he took his roadshow on the superhighway.
MS: “Well, first of all, film festivals are not the easiest things to deal with. You spend lots of money just to enter, and most of the ‘winners’ get in for various reasons other than merit. There's too much politics involved, and too much money spent on our part waiting for something other than a rejection letter. Don't get me wrong - I love festivals in theory - but all that glitters is not gold, and I thought I could spend my resources more wisely. The web is still-uncharted territory; I have a potential audience of millions. In a medium that's usually considered very much collaborative and run by committee, with commercial considerations, I made something, and whether people hate it or love it, the film is about as ‘me’ as it can get. Had it been made for TV, all the episodes would have had to conform to specific lengths, not to mention the prospect of censorship and other fun things like that. I wanted to do something that showed what I could do with no money, and made my way. These episodes may or may not make a ripple in our gigantic internet universe, but they'll remain up on my site for anyone to watch, anytime. I like that. And I do consider the 2-hour version very much a feature, even if it is told in episodes.”
Salazar’s film, Boy George Michael Jackson Browne (I refuse to call it BGMJB, pay respect to a piece of art, fuckers!), is essentially 24 five minute episodes of a TV show that might be described as the Twilight Zone and UHF taking the Kentucky Fried Movie anally while all ‘hepped up on goofballs’ – it follows no particular structure other than every episode ends on time and is quickly followed by the next one, no matter what’s going on. Within these episodes, Salazar creates characters that, though piss-takes on the world of TV, could quite easily slide in alongside the Bernie Mac’s and South Park’s of American TV and taken their place amongst their own cult audience. From a bespectacled alien who tortures a diner waitress by pointing out the futility of wearing an AIDS ribbon (“wouldn’t they have more money for research if they didn’t have to give you the ribbon?”), to an all too annoying dude known as The Guy That Knows Everything, who can’t seem to say a word without us being subjected to his 20 second ‘Guy That Knows Everything’ TV show theme.
MS: “When I was writing the script, I thought - man, these guys write themselves! I could make a whole show based on them! What stopped me from actually doing so is that my mind has moved on to other subjects for the time being and, besides, I fucking HATE television and know it'd be a struggle from day one to do something on TV and have it come out right. Part of me would actually love the challenge, to have a TV show that's fighting everything the TV industry is about - obnoxious commercials, dumb ass jokes, etc. etc., and if I had the offer, I'm sure I'd go for it. But since I don't, I'm not sure where I'd start pitching.”
Boy George Michael Jackson Browne is funny, smart, and though it’s a little bit too experimental to keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire 115 minutes, it’s a great showcase of Memo’s ability to twist the shit out of a story and somehow come out of it having made more sense than your average episode of Friends.
MS: “My hope is that A) People will watch and tell their friends, and that B) Some producer with a little vision will see that I've got something here worth investing in, and then maybe I can quit my job and do this full time. I've got lots of things to say, but I'm still not sure if anyone cares. Ah well, what else am I going to do with myself before I bite the dust?”
Well, if you’re like me, see a few films and masturbate occasionally. So with more and more online features such as this coming about, is the big screen on the way out?
MS: “I doubt it... it may get marginalized, it may mutate into something that's not as big as it is currently, but it'll be a while before that tradition goes away. It gets you out of the house, which we all need. It lets you experience something with a group of people - something else we humans crave. And it's big and flashy, so we eat that shit up.”
Does Ed from Saginaw, Michigan need to move to Hollywood to be a filmmaker?
MS: “No, Ed, stay put! The guy that made American Movie lives in freaking Wisconsin or something! Fuck that ‘move to LA’ shit. Go get yourself an imac on Ebay and copy Final Cut Pro from someone, get a DV camera for 30 days and then return it to BEST BUY so that you can get your money back. Make a damn movie, see how it sucks, and then do it again. Eventually you'll either realize you're no good, or you'll realize that you are - in which case build on what you’ve got and become the big fish in your small pond. Make some noise right where you are. DO IT ED, DO IT!!
Is it all about the art? Feel free to sound pretentious here. Most people do.
MS: “That's way too vague! What art? Art Linklater?”
I’m thinking Garfunkel.
MS: “Hell yeah! Honestly, I'll keep making my movies whether or not I ever get noticed, rich, famous, etc., so in that sense, yeah it is. Most of the aspiring filmmakers I've met through the years quit at some point in their life, and I'm still going. If I have to keep doing things on my own, with my own money, then fuck it, I will. So in that sense, yeah, it's all about the ‘art’. Would I like to do more than just sit in my room and edit my stuff? Yeah, I'd like to quit my day job and make movies full time and travel around the world and make some noise and piss off some important famous people and criticize things I'm not supposed to criticize and all that. I'd say I also want to meet many beautiful adoring women in the process, but my girlfriend would kick my ass, so I won't.”
Film school - a colossal waste of money that could otherwise be used on a production budget and a copy of Photoshop? Discuss.
MS: “Yes and no. Blowing 30 grand a year to go to NYU is about as moronic as a thing as a person can do, unless they were born rich and want to be hotshot producers and just need the big name connections to get started. Of course, those people are pretty slimy and deserve to be left on an island somewhere, so if you actually care about films and want to make some of your own, then film school is a total waste unless you find a cheap state college with a decent film department that no one knows about. I was lucky - I found one in Fitchburg, MA and I got to use 16mm cameras, Avid media composers, and lots of other neat toys for peanuts. In that particular case, I actually saved money doing that; it would have cost me a lot more to rent that stuff from a production house myself. It also gave me a chance to fuck up over and over without paying much for the experience. I know people that went through NYU and barely got to touch the Avid while they were there, while I was cutting night and day on my projects. How can I complain? I had a great time, and I ended up with a lot more skills than most kids from big name schools who haven't got the first clue about how to actually operate anything. They're so full of film theory bullshit, they forget to learn how to actually make films. So that's my advice, go for the cheap school, provided the cheap school has usable equipment. Besides, you can get a copy of Photoshop for free anywhere - or so I've heard.”
Why are Americans so outraged that Robert Altman, a director who made such anti-establishment films as MASH, would dare say a negative word about America and George Bush? What gives lately with freedom of expression?
MS: “I doubt most of America has any clue that Altman made MASH, if they've even seen MASH (wasn't that a TV show with that Alda guy?) The very short answer is obvious; people are sheep, history has proven we fall for the same political bullshit time and time again, etc. Right now it's a little scary out there to think on your own, which is why it's high time for some of us to make some waves and "tell it like it is". The Superbowl was today, and I found myself at a party where it was being seen. All the pseudo-Patriotic "go us" crap that was being flung at TV viewers every five seconds should have been obviously obnoxious and manipulative to Americans, yet most people in the room I was in were cheering and hooting when they saw rock stars waving flags and former US Presidents, all who had proven themselves to be scumbags in their own ways, talk about freedom and who knows what other abstract terms that have no meaning in today's culture. These are guys who have a proven track record of fucking and raping us (and other countries) in their long careers, but superimpose them in front of a waving flag and all of a sudden we love them again. I hate that manipulation. I'm not hearing much in the way of criticism of our country's current politics, and that's scary and sad, because there's so much to criticize, but we were bitten on September 11th and people are scared, since they grew up thinking we were somehow untouchable, and having reality flung in your face will always make you bite back. Right now people do NOT want to be told things aren't black and white - it's too much to have to deal with.
On the bright side, I made a comic dealing with and criticizing this whole current political situation, which I'm offering free on line. So far, I've printed about 1,000 copies and gotten some very encouraging emails from people all over the country - which is nice, since if you listen to CNN, nobody is against what Bush Jr. is doing. EVERYONE wants to bomb the shit out of those Middle Easterners, or so I'm led to believe. How the hell can we have a democracy if we're not hearing all the voices?”
An alien lands in your front yard and demands to be shown the works for the finest five directors Earth has to offer. Who do you rent? WHO DO YOU RENT!”
MS: “That’s tough. Let’s go with Terry Gilliam - a genius and man who bleeds pure cinema, very fun, very serious, and very passionate, all in one! Jim Jarmusch - his slightly off-kilter view on life creates the most beautiful simple movies. See him for doing a lot with very little. Stanley Kubrick - how can you not have this guy in here? HUH? HOW??? Federico Fellini - okay, so he's a bit of a nut at times, but he's also a true original, which most filmmakers aren't. Plus we need an Italian in there. Luis Bunuel - more of the same, genius, genius, genius. Not only are his films creative but they also have that political bite most filmmakers shy away from.”
What’s the last film you paid to see, and did it suck?
MS: “It was MULHOLLAND DRIVE, and no, it didn't suck actually. It was pretty good, but hey, I like that Lynch fellow. A lot of people think he's being weird and artsy and pretentious, and they don't see his sense of humor, and they can't take his stuff at face value - they think he's pretending to be this deep guy and they feel stupid - they feel like they're not getting it, and that's not a nice thing to feel. But Dave's just doing his thing, and MD was a great flick. Two parts Twin Peaks to one part Lost Highway; the only thing I can't figure out is why it's so critically acclaimed. I mean, his last few movies have been trashed and ragged on - Lost Highway, Fire Walk With Me - and yet this one's just as good (or bad) but all of a sudden Dave's hip again? What gives? No hay banda!”
When you’ve become a billionaire director and some gorgeous vapid wench traps you into fertilizing her egg, are you going to go all sappy and make G rated movies like John Hughes did as soon as he got laid?
MS: “If I became that big of a cheese-ball after spreading my seed, I would hope someone would come wring my neck. I love kids, don't get me wrong, but I hope if I ever do go in that kiddie-fare direction, it'll be more like Willy Wonka than Baby's Day Out. You heard it here first.”
Boy George Michael Jackson Browne can be viewed (or purchased) at http://www.foolfactory.com. For an AIDS ribbon, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
link directly to this feature at http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/feature.php?feature=513
originally posted: 02/11/02 19:33:00
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