Interview roundtable!

Two weeks ago I sat down with several incredibly involved "Trailerpark" crew members. It was a casual group sit-down, with different folks jumping in and leaving throughout our chat. A lot of the factual material said has been peppered throughout the blog, so I would like to simply highlight interesting portions of the interview that haven't been addressed yet.

ART DIRECTION AND TIME PERIOD...

JM: I read that the book "Trailerpark" [upon which the film is based] was written in the early 1980s. Is that the time frame for this movie?

Patrick Muhlberger, co-director: We chose not to depict a specific time period so that it's...timeless (laughs). There's no computers, no cell phones, the TVs are very old-fashioned so that way it feels like it could be anywhere during the last 20 years, any time in the last 20 years...maybe even 30 years, probably.

JM: Is that difficult for art direction, creating a set not defined by a specific time period?

Lauren Malizia, art director: It is and it isn't -- they [the directors] only make my life difficult (laughs). Actually, for me, I have a secret date in my head that I have to work with. If I don't have something go off of, I'm asking way too many questions.

Conor Hogan, coordinating producer: Wait, are you not telling anyone the secret date?!

Lauren Malizia, art director: No, I'm not telling anyone.

Conor Hogan, coordinating producer: Can we have like, a pool of guesses on this date? I'll give whoever comes closest gets a dollar from me at the end of production.

Lauren Malizia, art director: (Laughs). Yes! Anyway, I do have to establish a date for myself so that I have more security when I go out looking for set stuff because I can get drifted very easily into different aspects. I just need to establish a date for myself, but no, there's no set date on the film.

THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PROJECT...

JM: How many students are involved?

Conor Hogan: ...100 in all, easily. Seventy from School of Media Arts and Studies, and at least 100 once our sales team starts working more.

JM: I know you folks have fundraised a lot for this project...What's the budget like now?

Hogan: Originally we were looking at around $30,000, then $45,000, and now we're looking at a couple thousand over that.*

JM: Let's assume this film is going to be absolutely incredible and you folks want to distribute it. Has this been discussed at all, in terms of who is responsible for that?

Muhlberger: It's all in Russell's [Banks, the author of "Trailerpark" book] court, really. He kind of owns the rights to this. If he likes this, then it can go as far as he wants it to. But it's really up to him, so that's why we're trying to make it as good as possible.

Frederick Lewis, MDIA 419 professor: I don't think Russell's expectations are very high because this is a student film. As production has gone on, he's become more and more interested in the project...

ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE THE DESIRED OUTCOME OF "TRAILERPARK"...

Hogan: Eye-opening (to other college video production programs around the country).

Jillian Jacobs, assistant director: Inspiring (...later she changed her mind to thought-provoking).

Muhlberger: Enjoyable (he cooed, smugly, while his fellow crew members laughed).

ONE PERSONAL CINEMATIC INFLUENCE...

Hogan: "Children of Men" (...later he changed his mind to Alan Ball, creator of "Six Feet Under" and writer of "American Beauty," to which Muhlberger asked, "Didn't Alan Ball create that show "Even Stevens"? and uproarious laughter abounded).

Jacobs: Sofia Coppola ("Lost in Translation," "The Virgin Suicide").**

Muhlberger: Steven Spielberg, specifically "Indiana Jones." Lately David Simon, creator of "The Wire."

TIMELINE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR...

Muhlberger: Shooting wraps at the end of April and the Ohio University premiere of "Trailerpark" is June 7.

*If you're interested in the budget increases on the "Trailerpark" set, here is an informative article from the Scripps College of Communication site about the $20,o00 grant the film received from SAC and Vision Ohio.

** Jacobs brought up the lack of women in the film world in general. Many productions feel segregated in terms of gender, she said, though "Trailerpark" is not as male-dominated as some sets she's worked on.

Video killed the....written word?

I would just like to point your attention to a new video from the "Trailerpark" team -- a behind-the-scenes at Lake Snowden video! I like this one the best out of the rest of the team's videos because viewers get a feel for the set at Lake Snowden, which is, after all, where the magic happens.

You asked questions...I'm giving you answers pt. II

On February 26, 2009, Jess Meadows asked:

"I saw some ad somewhere, I believe on MySpace, about something called trailer park? I was wondering if you knew anything about it?"

I asked "Trailerpark" PR director Danny Cox about MySpace promotion for the film. He said that while MySpace promotion is in the future works for "Trailerpark," MySpace Movies has a community named trailer park (where upcoming film trailers can be viewed). I looked into this, and the trailer park forum is commonly advertised throughout MySpace.

You asked questions...I'm giving you answers...

On February 26, 2009, Sara asked:

"Where did they get all the trailers? How much money did they have to raise to get them?"

Again I turned to the trusty coordinating producer behind "Trailerpark," Conor Hogan. His response:

"The trailers cost over 1/5th of our entire budget* - and that, in turn, lead to a lot of commotion when we began the project - so, it was wonderful that Andrew Heaberlin, one of the supervising producers working alongside me, was able to work with Jay Elsea and come up a reasonable way for us to make the film and use his trailers as well!"

So who is this Jay Elsea and why does he have so many trailers, you ask with furrowed brows? OU alum Jay Elsea is the president of Elsea Homes in Circleville, Ohio. He sold the "Trailerpark" team the nine trailers (eight for the set, one for burning) used in the film's production at a discounted rate.

*Please note that the film's original estimated budget was $45,000, according to the press packet found on the "Trailerpark" site.

"Jonny added more nachos," the art director proclaimed...

So naturally, a film about residents of a trailer park would be nothing without, uh, nachos? This is something I realized when I sat in on MDIA 419 (the class behind "Trailerpark") last Thursday, February 26, from 6-8 p.m.

I walked down the first floor hallway in Bentley craning my neck left and right in hot pursuit of room 129. I was late...as usual. I can't say this was the most inconvenient example of being late in my life (my mother likes to say I will be late for my own funeral), but rest assured that I felt sufficiently awkward walking into the PACKED classroom. Whoa, definitely not expecting there to be 70 students filling up every row except for the first several. Just sit in the first seat you spot. Just blend in and try not to be noticed. Yes, because that's possible in a room full of people who spend every weekend shooting a feature film together. I wrote in my official-looking leather reporter's notebook, "I am intimidated beyond belief." (I'm not supposed to admit stuff like this, am I? That's not like, part of the journalism game, is it? We're supposed to be totally confident and informed and never back down when we ask tough questions.)

I realized that as the meeting went on, I was just making myself feel more awkward than necessary. Crew members appeared so comfortable when addressing the sizable group of their peers that it was easy to feel at-home with the "Trailerpark" kids. First to address the group was coordinating producer Conor Hogan. He read portions of a letter sent to him by the crew's Michigan host family-of-sorts, which expressed how impressed the couple was with the group's professionalism the previous weekend during a shoot in Michigan. Prof Lewis seemed pleased but not terribly surprised; he knows what these amateurs are capable of.

Hogan also mentioned that "Trailerpark" will soon be acquiring press in the mobile home trade market. I chuckled, inexplicably. My first thought was, I'm sure mobile home manufacturers will enjoy seeing photos of the film's truly epic trailer-burning (sense the sarcasm, folks -- I know it's oft-lost in translation on the Web). I learned about the "Trailerpark" PR team's lofty press plans later in the meeting, which have more to do with contacting MTVu and every major Ohio newspaper than any trailer trade pub. Such is the nature of these things.

Next up was the post-production team. Editor Benn Draher presented the class with a rough cut of the trailer-burning scene, which starts out with the trailer park residents quibbling over a cigar box filled with money. I got to see the other side of the scenes that were filmed the day I visited set and I must say, I was impressed about how professional it looked even on a rough cut. The trailer-burning looked saturated and luminous, while the fire-light that reflected on the actors' faces reminded me of moonlight reflections on the water. After much excitement from the tight-knit group, Draher decided to show an alternate editor of the scene. This time instead of featuring the quiet guitar strumming of Iron & Wine as the film score, "The Final Countdown" played as the fire blazed. Just as Draher obviously intended, hearty laughs from the crew ensued, right on cue as if it were scripted.

The audio team, led by Jack Martin, was next to present. The next thing I knew I hear guitar lines that seemed quite familiar to my ears -- those of Tim Race of Russenorsk*, one of my favorite local bands. Martin informed the group that the tracks were rough cuts and that more layers will be added.

The art department, headed by Lauren Malizia, proved its randomness next by speaking of hair dye, nacho-making, nut-lovin' characters and cleaning supplies. College students who probably don't even clean their own hours and apartments on a regular basis are making plans to clean trailers this Friday. I feel like it would be easy for most film-viewers to forget about the importance of the art department, but I understand its importance in a film like "Trailerpark," which is focused on central location with a distinctive atmosphere. The team made plans to bring in snow from Bird Arena yet again for another shoot.

We hear briefly from craft services, which I thought was a joke for a hot second. But you know, these young filmmakers gotta eat, too.

Finally, the group heard from its directors. Assistant directors Jillian Jacobs and Nick Knittel were all business with talk of call sheets and schedules, while co-director Patrick Muhlberger got to discuss fun things, such as how many *unique* hits the "Trailerpark" site received so far in the month of February (1,127, as of roughly 6:45 p.m. on February 26, 2009). I mean, Muhlberger talked about serious stuff, too -- don't get me wrong.

And so with that, the class ended. The funny thing was, very few people left the room after it was officially over. All the departments huddled together in separate corners of the room, with producers up front sitting Indian-style with Conor, art department'ers to the middle left and cameramen and directors scattered up front. People filter in and out, and the whole room, to an outsider like myself at least, seems like organized chaos. Everyone seems to know exactly what's going on, where to go, who to talk with. I'm starting to think that this is how film productions are supposed to be, though. A frantic appearance (which I expected, after Conor's continual warnings of the project being crazy and ever-changing) that makes total sense to those in the know. We'll just have to wait until the "Trailerpark" premiere at the end of spring quarter to find out if cinematic magic can be born from chaos.

*Note my shameless self-promotion. It never hurt anyone, as far as I know. Don't quote me on that, though.

More local buzz about "Trailerpark

As I mentioned in my last entry, I met with the "Trailerpark" team on Thursday to observe the MDIA 419 class meeting and sit down for a group chit-chat session (otherwise known in formal journalism circles as an "interview"). To be completely honest, I am still a little overwhelmed by the amount of information I gained from the two-ish hours I spent with the "Trailerpark" folks, and I'm still sifting through the interview tapes. I do know that I will be splitting up the information into more bite-sized posts, so look for that in the coming days.

Meanwhile, I just wanted to point your attention to another local article about "Trailerpark" -- from SpeakeasyMag.com -- that was published today. I am the piece's primary editor and have a reporting byline on it, alongside writer Lindsay Hahn. The writer has been researching the article since week two or three of the quarter, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. She answers several questions that I myself wanted to address in this blog, such as weather-related issues on an outdoor set and the future of MDIA 419. To quote from the piece:

So, what is the future for MDIA 419?
"I will go back to the regular format next year," Lewis said. "It was a good year, a good combination of temperament and talent. The people mesh together and have the skills that are needed. That doesn’t happen every year."

*Lewis refers to Frederick Lewis, "Trailerpark" professor

Additionally, the photos that run alongside the article were taken the same night I visited the "Trailerpark" set and some of them have similar subjects as my photos from the slideshow I posted two entires ago. My roommate, who is Speakeasy's photo editor, joined me on my adventure to set several weeks ago to take the photos. We were not exactly sure where we were going when we started driving to set, but we just went with it and prayed we wouldn't get lost in the wilderness that is Athens County. We actually couldn't see the set when we pulled into the Lake Snowden parking lot, so I called assistant director Nick Knittel. He was a bit confused how we could have missed the set's bright lights and eight trailers in the distance. Feelings of confusion have a way of throwing us off, I suppose.

I believe I alluded to this in an earlier post, but the producers thought we were hoodlums breaking on set when they first observed our shadowy figures approaching. All was resolved when they saw that it was just the members of the press they had been expecting. I still had to chuckle, though.

And they're back...but then again, who knew they even left?

I'm posting another behind-the-scenes video from the "Trailerpark" team in celebration of its return from filming on a frozen lake in Michigan this past weekend. The clip is a video blog made by the film's directors, Patrick Muhlberger and Jonny Look, when the crew was location scouting a while back. Another excellent clip, but really, I would be surprised if it weren't, considering these are video production folks.



Now that the crew is back, I have a sit-down scheduled with them on Thursday night. I'm observing one of their meetings beforehand, which coordinating producer Conor Hogan has warned me can get "pretty heated." Should be entertaining, no?

But perhaps you like photos best...

I drove out to Lake Snowden (about 15 minutes away from Athens) last Friday night to visit the "Trailerpark" set and shot the photos featured in the slideshow above. (Hint: Turn on the captions to figure out what's going on in the photos.)

Coordinating producer Conor Hogan was right when he said that moving around on set is challenging when one is trying not to obstruct shots. From the minute I walked onto the set, I felt a bit unsure about where to position myself so that I could catch all the action without being in anyone's way. I stayed in the same position, simply staring at the crew thirty feet in front of me as scenes were set up and tape eventually rolled. No problem at all...until the actors started moving out of my line of vision, behind a massive trailer. I stayed in the same spot, just kind of staring at the spot where the actors had been seconds, then minutes, earlier. It was time to move around, despite my worries of somehow interrupting the serious tone of the set.

Here are twenty-some college kids clad in puffy winter coats, all completely professional about the scenes they must get through on this Friday night. They could be out amongst the belligerently drunk Court St. crowd, but instead they all talk in hushed tones -- as steam escapes from their frozen lips -- about second takes and reflection of lights on trailers. And there I was, afraid to move, while I just watched -- and did not hear a word they said, with the exception of assistant director Jillian Jacobs' voice screaming out, "TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONES...ALL QUIET ON SET!" I couldn't stand the thought of interrupting their "flow" somehow by moving about, though I'm still not sure what exactly a filmmaker's artistic "flow" is (but the term is thrown about a lot, you know? -- must be important).

I eventually moved, making my way toward associate producer Jen Taylor, who set up the scene that was being filmed that night. She said the following in regards to the scene:

"This scene is at the end of the movie; it's really the closing shot, except for the short wrap-up at the very end. What's going on here is that we're faking a fire tonight, and we're actually burning down a trailer tomorrow. We have lights set up to fake the fire and the actors are running around to figure out where all their loved ones are, so it's sort of organized chaos."

The fire trucks that ended up on set that night to film the simulated fire scene were clearly marked Albany Fire Department, but there was confusion over which local fire department would provide the fire truck. "The problem actually wasn't worked out until 5 p.m. today," Taylor said.

Despite the problems, there was much excitement and buzz surrounding the trailer-burning scene. As I picked up the Monday issue of the Athens NEWS this week, the front page photo of a blazing trailer and headline of "It's not arson; it's filmmaking!" hit me like a speeding train. My first thought was, damn, that is cool. More photos of the trailer-burning can be viewed at the behind-the-scenes blog kept by "Trailerpark" set photographers.

If videos are more your cup of tea...

This is a video made by the "Trailerpark" production team, which features interviews with some of the folks I have spoken to and will be speaking to about the project in the upcoming month. It's a relatively short video that captures the essence of the project, so I'd encourage all you folks to give it a look. More behind-the-scenes videos from the "Trailerpark" team can be viewed on its YouTube channel.

Furthermore, I made a trip to the "Trailerpark" set two days ago and really soaked in the atmosphere of the makeshift trailerpark out at Lake Snowden. I'm still in the process of editing my photos from that adventure (some of the producers thought my roommate and I were hooligans breaking onto set when we first walked up!), but I will have a slideshow readied in the next several days.

Welcome to the "Trailerpark"

It is my distinct pleasure to introduce this new blog endeavor, which will track the production of the Ohio University student film project "Trailerpark" throughout winter quarter 2009.

This blog is being produced in conjunction with a class called Online Journalism Fundamentals (JOUR 314), which seems fitting given that "Trailerpark" is being produced as a part of a class in the School of Media Arts and Studies called Advanced Video Projects (MDIA 419). I know a lot of people rag on students because of their amateur rank, but I believe that students -- motivated students, at least -- have a sense of fresh energy that their adult peers might not possess. Under the direction of knowledgeable adults, students are quite capable of professional results. I've noticed that there is a sense of infectious energy among many of the students involved in "Trailerpark," and with as extensive as this project is, it is certain that there are adults -- such as MDIA 419 professor Frederick Lewis -- advising the filmmakers. Surprisingly, "Trailerpark" will be ready to view by the end of spring quarter 2009.

Enough with the mushy stuff, though -- this is journalism, for crying outloud! I'd like to tell you a bit about the project's background. "Trailerpark" in its literary form is a 1981 book of interrelated short stories by Russell Banks, the author of 19 books (as well as the official author of New York State from 2004-2008, according to his biography on his publisher's Web site -- who knew states had official authors?!). I'm told by crew members that Banks' book was optioned to HBO for a mini-series before he offered it up to OU for the MDIA 419 project. The curious little description of the book on the Harper Collins (its publisher) site reads as follows:

"Get to know the colorful cast of characters at the Granite State Trailerpark, where Flora in number 11 keeps more than a hundred guinea pigs andscreams at people to stay away from her babies, Claudel in number 5 thinks he is lucky until his wife burns down their trailer and runs off with Howie Leeke, and Noni in number 7 has telephone conversations with Jesus and tells the police about them. In this series of related short stories, Russell Banks offers gripping, realistic portrayals of individual Americans and paints a portrait of New England life that is at once dark, witty, and revealing."

So how exactly did this book of short stories about a New England trailerpark turn itself into a script? Students, of course. A small writing team -- comprised of several of the film's directors and producers -- gathered last spring quarter (EDIT: as far as winter break 2007 a script was in progress, co-director Patrick Muhlberger later told me) to adapt Banks' book into the script that is currently being used by the production, according to one of the film's assistant directors, Nick Knittel. Just for comparison's sake, let's take a gander at the film's plot description from the "Trailerpark" site:

"Trailerpark is a film centered around the lives of rural Ohioans who reside in a rundown trailer park. There is Flora Pease, the newest resident, who has a fondness for erratic behavior and small creatures; Merle Ring, the oldest resident, with a strange streak of luck and an even stranger sense of humor; Bruce Severance, the town hippie, who has a dangerous plan up his sleeve; and Terry Constant, the single black resident, who finds himself constantly out of place. There are other residents, each unique and interesting, and all living under the motherly eye of Marcelle, the owner of the park. Throughout the year the residents face conflicts with drug dealers, lottery winners, and guinea pigs, but, most of all they have to learn to live with and support each other."

Fall quarter was spent raising funds for the production, both through the encouragement of private donations and through organized crew fundraising efforts at locations including Cedar Point and King's Island, Knittel said. The crew also spent the quarter preparing for the film's production by casting actors and readying sets, most of which are located in Athens County near Lake Snowden. Additional scenes are being filmed in the snowy tundra of Michigan, near a frozen lake.

The first day of the film's production was several weeks ago, January 24 to be exact. According to the "Trailerpark" production blog, snow was brought in by the film's art department from Bird Arena. Between now and then, it has snowed and melted twice over, so it should be interesting to see how the set looks when I head to the "Trailerpark" set tomorrow to see the cast and crew hard at work, filming part of its climax fire scene. The film's coordinating producer, Conor Hogan, has warned me, though, about being "uber quiet" on set and "finding a producer before walking anywhere" so that I am not accidentally in a shot. This should be an adventure indeed!