Saturday, August 30th, 2008
at 7:01pm
photo by Jamie Cobb
Yesterday, we met once again to discuss Wanderlust. And we had a very productive meeting that resulted in a very good idea of who these characters (Sam & Will) are and why they need to go on this trip.
Thematically, each character is grappling with their ability and/or willingness to interact with the world around them. Sam has a longing to connect with people on the level that her friends do so effortlessly. Using social networks like Facebook or MySpace is the closest she’s been able to come and she really thrives online. But offline, in the real world, there is a barrier she just cannot push beyond. Will on the other hand is at a crossroads in his life. Socializing and friendships have not been a struggle for him, but recently he finds himself growing increasingly distanced from these people and actively seeks to withdraw from everything and leave town.
The reasons for the emotional place these characters find themselves in, definitely point back to their youth in some small way, but the current state of their life, while becoming clearer, is still to be defined. We know they were childhood friends and that young Sam was an only child. And we know they reconnect in the manner so many of us have rediscovered old friends, through a social network. And finally, we know they share a longing to drive back to their hometown, Sacramento, although for reasons unique to each character.
Today, Kevin and I started outlining Act One of the story, making notations of ideas for the rest of the story and the ending in particular. Next week, we will be meeting with Marion Kerr and John T. Woods individually and possibly paired with another actor to explore their present lives in a rehearsal/improv scenario.
Sunday, August 17th, 2008
at 4:46pm
The genesis of this project recently took hold during the following email exchange…
On Sun, 8/17/08, Zak Forsman wrote:
hey there jw,
i’d very much like to look at Old Joy as a template for our next feature… you, me, marion and jamie. i just found out canon is releasing a new small camera OCT 1ST that records to an INTERNAL 120 gb hard drive. HD slightly better looking than the camera we shot IFHY on and at the highest quality setting, it will hold 11 hours of footage. that means we can shoot for two days before offloading to a laptop if we want to. pretty cool. i’ll get my 35mm adapters fixed so we have a back up and we are good to go! seivers will be a resource for sound gear. we’d need a charted course, a rented SUV for gear, food and luggage and then the “prop car” which will likely be one of our own — maybe jamie’s neon.
i like to draw inspiration from immediate influences because i believe (bare with me) a certain synchronicity exists in life so if we’re looking at Old joy and that damn trapeze swinger song by iron and wine for inspiration, i’d be very happy. and i don’t mean taking specific elements, just letting their melancholy vibe be the soil our new film takes root in. your myspace page says something about liking sad bastard music. well, let’s make a sad bastard motion picture. sad and beautiful, but still hopeful… even if its just a glimmer.
zak
On Aug 17, 2008, at 2:06 AM, John T. Woods wrote:
making the feature with the spirit of old joy and trapeze swinger swimming in our minds, i’m definitely on board, from beginning to end, in all it’s minimalist glory.
On Sun, 8/17/08, Zak Forsman wrote:
awesome. seeing as how this project will likely involve “travel” (seeking and searching in the subtext) and “love” in the (john cassavetes sense of the word). i’m appropriating the title from another story of mine and putting it on this. at least as a working title for now.
“WANDERLUST”
i would like to instill the “mike leigh” approach on this, meaning you marion and I meet regularly to talk character thru conversation and trying some improv to get them on their feet. then i’ll take everything we’ve learned about them and write the screenplay. although i suspect it will not be a conventional screenplay, but a document unique to our needs. we could videotape those improv meetings and make podcasts to build an audience even before we shoot it.
just thinking out loud. would like to do some night time guerrilla shoots.
zak
On Aug 17, 2008, at 11:28 AM, John T. Woods wrote:
sounds like a plan. let’s keep it moving. visual of the poster is great inspiration.
i feel like it would be cool if the relationship of the two characters is be undefined, at least in that we don’t say it out right (ie “look… you’re my wife/girlfriend… and i love you). i feel like it’s expected to be that. a couple going through a rough time. maybe it can be something different. maybe the drama can come from a less conventional place when we are playing thru the story. don’t know, but it’s exciting to think about.
On Sun, 8/17/08, Zak Forsman wrote:
yeah, you know i was thinking just before i fell asleep last night that maybe (we as the filmmakers know the backstory) but the audience is simply presented two characters, almost like blank slates with the most minimal understanding of who they are. and its their interaction thru the story events that define who they are. and still, not by revealing backstory, but by defining them as characters by their emotional, intellectual and spiritual choices. funny how much we’re thinking alike. GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!
zak
On Aug 17, 2008, at 12:31 PM, John T. Woods wrote:
yes, we both agree, we both are in the same mindset, good. awesome.
i guess i like the idea of the audience being presented with these two characters, and half the audience immediately assuming they are romantically linked, but then maybe thinking outside the norms as the film progresses. i mean really, can’t a guy and a girl travel together and not be tied together romantically? i’ve never really seen a relationship like that portrayed authentically on screen, i mean authentically, not when harry met sally, or some action movie where a girl is “part of a badass squad”. just a guy and a girl, whatever their backstory, whatever their relationship. i think the idea of it would cause people to, force people to actually, think outside of social mores and look a little deeper.
sounds good about tonight, lets chat later, i’m headed out.
On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 at 1:04 PM Zak Forsman wrote:
i’ve cc:’d jamie and marion on this. i’m going to open a web site for this, where we can document the making and development of this. do you mind if i re-print excerpts from these emails in an article about the genesis of the project?
see you later.
zak
On Aug 17, 2008, at 2:07 PM, Marion Kerr wrote:
You guys have been busy! And I likes it! I think John’s idea about a male/female relationship that’s not romantic is really interesting. I grew up having a lot of male friends, sometimes more than female friends and I would sometimes get a lot of crap for it. Like, “oh they just like you, so that’s why you guys hang out” and it always used to piss me off that I had to defend a guy and a girl who perhaps are both single as just being friends because…they actually like each other as friends. People have a tough time with that sometimes. Anyway, that’s my two cents.
-Marion
