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| Slamdance Pre-Production: BIG CITY DICK Directors Scott Milam, Ken Harder & Todd Pottinger |
"Sorry, I can't seem to find my ketchup... hello?" |
by Scott Weinberg
THE 'BIG CITY DICK' PITCH: This is a captivating journey into the world of a savant street musician and his lifelong struggle to become a successful recording artist, and to be loved. He is a street trumpeter and part-time guest on a local rock radio station. Richard Peterson fills his world with obsessions, like "Sea Hunt" (and the "Son of Sea Hunt," Jeff Bridges), he "The Golden Age of Television" production music (which inspires four albums/CDs produced with help from the Seattle music scene), stalking local TV celebrities, and a fanatical interest in Johnny Mathis. The unique relationship between Richard and Mathis is the catalyst for one of Richard’s most remarkable compositions, "Love on the Golf Course". Between street gigs and a stint as a piano player in a grunge club, mega-band Stone Temple Pilots discovers Richard’s music. Richard’s moment in the spotlight is short-lived when he is confronted by the human cost of obsessions, revealing the dark family secret he has lived with his entire life.
"The film that everyone must see."
"A fascinating portrait of a unique man."
"More Rain Man than Rain Man."
Will this be your first time at Slamdance? If not, what else have you been to Park City with?
Ken Harder: Yes, I am a Slamdance Virgin Olive ready to be pressed into oil and poured onto Harvey Weinstein's dinner salad.
Scott Milan: This is my first time at Slamdance.
Todd Pottinger: Slamdance Virgin.
When you were 14 years old, if someone asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, what would your answer have been?
KH: David Lee Roth. In fact, at 35, that's still my answer.
SM: Wanted to be a cartoon animator.
TP: A doctor. I only got as far as my teenage girlfriends.
How did you get started in filmmaking?
KH: I smoked a joint. Historically, this simple action has
started a lot. Just ask Paul McCartney or Abraham Lincoln.
SM: When I was 14, I saw a friend making super-8 movies and thought I could do it too. So I no longer wanted to be an animator.
TP: As a child (in the Pre-Video Epoch), my brothers and I made 8mm (film) movies. One notable title, "The Monster That Ate Globsville", starring the family St. Bernard, "Hercules", and a sleeping bag with stop-motion that ate the dog, then barfed it up. As an adult, I became a TV news reporter, and the dream was to always make a significant and meaningful documentary.
How have things changed for you since your film was accepted into the festival?
KH: A sense of accomplishment. That this is actually going
to be seen by real audiences, not just my Mom. Getting attention from various entities like distributors, etc. has been exciting.
SM: First, a sense of accomplishment. Second, meeting and dealing with distributors interested in seeing our film. Basically, everything has moved into high gear and of course, spending more money...that I don`t have!
TP: Raw nerves right after the "yes" call from Slamdance. Then, lots of work, strategizing with my Co-Directors. Realizing that there's at least five more miles in the marathon and trying not to hit the wall. Lots more sleepless nights than before being accepted. The growing realization that we've got a lot on the line, not the least of which is 10 years of hard work.
When you were shooting the film, did you have Slamdance (or film festivals in general) in mind?
KH: Of course. I have always wanted to be part of a cool festival and I think that Slamdance is one of the coolest, if not the coolest.
SM: Sundance, Seattle International Film Festival, and yes of course Slamdance. We are more happy that we are part of Slamdance.
TP: Definitely. It's the path through which something goes from being "basement tapes" to something altogether different, that hopefully people will see and appreciate. We always hoped for a shot, and we've got it, so now it's up to us to deliver.
How did you get your film started? How did you go from script to finished product?
KH: Scott and I saw Richard playing in 1996 at Moe's in Seattle. He made a huge impression. In 2000, after the previously mentioned joint, I called Scott and said 'Dude, we totally need to make a movie about that Richard Peterson guy!' And Scott was up for it. No script, but we did spend a lot of time finding a
unique way to present Richard's story. We wanted Richard's
personality and quirks to be reflected in the narrative and presentation.
SM: Ken Harder called me and suggested we do a doc about this guy (RP) that we saw playing piano at a grunge club in Seattle. I had my own editing equipment, computer and camera gear. So we met Richard and started shooting. Three years later, here we are.
TP: Complete, total, absolute collaboration. I had material that I had shot myself of Richard Peterson from 1993-1999. We pooled that with what Scott and Ken had shot from 2000-2002, and then together we shot more stuff, including Jeff Bridges, Johnny Mathis and some more sequences. Scott Milam edited it as we went along and would come up with ideas that Ken and I would either love or not love, and then that was incorporated into more of Scott's edits, and then that was kicked around and then it all evolved into what the film is today. There were times when we'd think, is this where we want to go, or not. Where do we go from here, where should we be.
So, there was no script, in a traditional sense, but there were ways of accomplishing narrative flow that didn't need to be on paper. While the film does mix up a "traditional" timeline a lot in the beginning, (certainly in non-classic documentary fashion), towards the end of the film we decided to make it flow more historically, because we felt viewers would need that, given all the places we'd taken them, and the very intense nature and vagaries of Richard's character.
What's the one glaring lesson you learned while making this film?
KH: Three directors is two too many. But maybe not - I think
that the three of us have come up with something special and unique. This is the direct result of the three of us working together at the same level as directors.
SM: It helps to have funding. We did this out of our own pocket and it was a hard film to do when you are holding down a full-time job. I was editing and shooting all day for a company I was working for and then coming home and editing into the wee hours of the morning. Get funding and dedicate yourself to the film 100%. I eventually did that. The quitting the job part.
TP: It's always going to take a shitload longer than you think, unless you've got some Deep-Pockets bankrolling you until the 12th of Never.
When you were in pre-production, did you find yourself watching other great movies in preparation?
KH: Of course. Crumb, American Movie, Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King.
SM: I watched American Movie, Crumb, as many docs as I could to see what could work and to break rules. I wanted to do something that was differently structured that a traditional doc would be. Like no narration.
TP: The in-your-face shock and awe of Bowling for Columbine, documentary as spectacle, was inspiring. Any film where the character is fascinating or overwhelmingly compelling-- but they're tough to find. Richard is stranger than fiction, to be sure, so the comparisons are difficult in the fictional film realm. I think one of the films I really admired for its production values and what we're trying to come close to (and much of this credit comes down to Co-Director Scott Milam, the Editor) is The Kid Stays in the Picture, with its combination of archival elements told in interesting ways.
If a studio said 'we love this, we love you, you can remake anything in our back catalogue for $40m' - what film, if any, would you remake?
KH: I hate remakes. But I would like to adapt the old BBC
comedy The Young Ones for the big screen.
SM: The Mechanic, starring Charles Bronson
TP: Paint Your Wagon, with Henry Rollins and Black Flag leading stationwagon-driving youths to Burning Man. Or Planet of the Apes with Neocons playing you guessed it. Seriously, I'd like to see The Omega Man dressed up again, I think there's quite a few miles left on that one. 28 Days Later came close, but the whole apocalyptic, one-man-left idea still has some currency, I think.
Two parter - which actor would you cut off an arm to work with, and which relatively unknown actor on your own film do you want the world to start recognizing sooner rather than later?
KH: David Cross - The funniest fucker ever. But, I like my
arms - Could I just rip off a nut instead? I got an extra.
SM: Hmmm, there is no actor worth cutting my arm off for. I got to work with Jeff Bridges, so I`m half way there already! I would love to work with Sean Penn. Tom Cruise.
TP: Clive Owen kicks ass, he's the future.
The festival circuit: what could be improved, and what couldn?t be?
KH: Not sure yet. So far things have been great.
SM: More perks for participating filmmakers. But I don`t see that happening. Too expensive.
TP: I wouldn't have a clue, not qualified to judge. Ask me in a few months.
Have you 'made it' yet? If not, at what point will you be able to say 'yes'?
KH: Almost. When I get paid to do this, I will have made it.
Although, being part a part of Slamdance is huge.
SM: I suppose “making it” is more associated with money or awards. But I would still say yes, I have made it because I finished a film that took three years to make with money out of my own pocket. But more than money was time, commitment to see it to the end.
TP: I think it always changes. I've made what I think is a huge accomplishment so far, but if the flim lives and there's more opportunity, great. I think if I can pay the bills and take a trip a couple times a year, make a decent living in filmmaking, where thousands are literally starving doing it, I will have "made it".
A film is made by many people, as well as the director, but often films will open with a credit that says ?a film by?? ? Did you use that credit in your film? If so, defend yourself! If not, what do you think of those who do?
KH: Yes, we did use that. Because of the history of this whole "a film by" thing, I thought it was funny that we would stick that at the beginning of something we shot off video. Also, I think that the use of word 'film' has changed. 'Film' now means 'Movie' and not just the long flat stuff with the sprocket holes along the edges that old people use in their cameras. But really, it's a film by us three. We three pretty much did everything.
SM: I did use the credit “a film by” because it really is “a film by” myself and my co-producers & co-directors. We did everything. I take sole credit for editing and a few other things but overall it was truly a film by the three of us. We individually brought things to this film to make it what it is. When I see “a film by Steven Speilberg” I groan because I know he didn`t do it by himself. So I think it`s pretentious. But that’s just me.
TP: Yes. There was no one who worked on this film except the three of us, nobody, no investors, no production assistants, no money except what was in our own pockets. 'Nuff said. Obviously, though, "a film by..." is a bit heavy if a film has umpteen people supporting it, with more than a few fingers in (most) pies. I think there's just a few out there (Coppola, Scorsese) that can say that and not appear too chuffed with their own hubris.
Big City Dick: Richard Peterson's First Movie - Directors: Scott Milam, Ken Harder, Todd Pottinger
Writers: Scott Milam, Ken Harder, Todd Pottinger
Producers: Scott Milam, Ken Harder, Todd Pottinger
Editor: Scott Milam
DP: Scott Milam, Ken Harder, Todd Pottinger
Music: Richard Peterson, Johnny Mathis, Jeff Bridges, REM, The Stone Temple Pilots, The Young Fresh Fellows
Interviews With: Richard Peterson, Muriel Peterson, Jeff Bridges, Johnny Mathis, Dean Deleo, Scott McGaughey, The Young Fresh Fellows, REM
Click here for the movie trailer and more info!
link directly to this feature at http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/feature.php?feature=932
originally posted: 01/14/04 14:10:44
last updated: 01/30/04 20:48:23
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