Tampa Film Fan

in the spotlight:local filmmaker eric haase

Local filmmaker Eric Haase almost died and lived to tell about it.  “My personal story sometimes still amazes me when I contemplate it.”  While on his way to attend a play one night in February 2004, Haase suffered a rare brain aneurysm that usually severely impairs the 2% of people who even survive.

“I was fortunate in that the emergency brain surgeon I wound up with was one of the best and he removed the damaged area rather than just stopping the bleed. However, aneurysm rates are on the rise, so are any of us safe?”

After months of rehab and recovery, Haase emerged partially blind, heavily in debt and very happy to be alive with his verbal and writing abilities still intact.  Since then, he has written two books, three screenplays and started a new website.

“My film Apocalypse Near (which I just finished writing and am also working to secure the funding for) is the culmination of things I experienced while dead and the way my mind is working now because of that experience. In a way, I prefer the way I am now to the way I was before. I’ve become hyper-sensitive to the glow of life surrounding us.. Nothing is taken for granted anymore…Ironically, I wanted to take my life last year because of the physical pain I live in and the mental pain of seeing humans trash this world in selfishness, nefarious desire and utter greed.

…Then there’s the fact that I was out of my physical body and in my light body, but I was thrown back to this density and I was mad as hell about that.. I mean, why show me heaven and throw me back to Hades? I know this now: I don’t…we don’t get a say in when why and how we leave here. So I’m no longer in danger of killing myself.

My film Apocalypse Near wrote itself in just a few days, beginning at my lowest point. I was ready to pull the blade across my throat when a new door opened and reminded me that I was a filmmaker and that everything I was trying to do on my Conscious Consumers website and with my Viridian REVELution “REFORMance art” website did NOT have to occur in actual reality. I could write a film about it and make it occur, first on movie screens and then in 3-dimensional reality… So that’s where all this came from.”

In addition to his various projects, Haase was one of the cameramen on the local film The Ghosts of Ybor:The End Is Blossoming. “I’m helping a little bit with the final draft of the feature film that will be made from this pilot and will work on the production when it begins.” 

To view a trailer or to learn more about Haase’s film Apocalypse Near, click here.

kicking around with the stars of kickin’ it old skool

In the new film Kickin’ It Old Skool “a freak break dancing accident put Justin Schumacher in a coma in 1986. Now, 20 years later, he (Jamie Kennedy) is waking up to a new world and discovering that the more things change, the more he’s stayed the same. With the girl of his dreams (Maria Menounos) engaged to marry his grade-school nemesis (Michael Rosenbaum), and his parents drowning in the debt of his medical costs, Justin must rally his former squad, bust a move, and win back the girl of his dreams.”  

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to interview Kickin’ stars Jamie Kennedy, Maria Menounos and Jesse “Casper” Brown over the phone.  Kennedy plays Justin “Rocket Shoe” Schumaker, the lead character; Menounos is Jennifer Stone, Schumaker’s dream girl who’s engaged to someone else; and dancer/choreographer Jesse “Casper” Brown makes his acting debut as Cole, the lead dancer of the Ice Cole Krew.

I was expecting the wild and crazy Jamie Kennedy I’ve seen on TV, but the guy I spoke to was the sleep-deprived, tired, jet-lagged Jamie Kennedy who had been doing press interviews in Miami for about five hours straight.  The poor guy had been up since about 4 a.m. that morning and sounded absolutely exhausted.  He still took the time, though, to call me by name and to ask me the name of my blog.

Tampa Film Fan:  What appealed to you about Kickin’ It Old Skool?

Kennedy:  The chance to wear parachute pants.  I couldn’t pass that up!

TFF:  So, was it all fun and games on the set?

Anytime you can talk about the 80s, work with friends and break dance, it’s fun.

TFF:  How much break dancing did you do yourself?  What kind of training or preparation did you do?

I did a fair amount [of dancing].  I did popping and I could already do the worm before the movie.  I went to a break dancing class, which was very difficult.

TFF:  What do you think it is about the 80s that appeals to people so much?

It was a really, really fun time.  The fashion, the music, the excess, the money.  It was the Reagan era!  The 80s made their mark and people like to revisit that time.

TFF:  Your film features cameo appearances by classic 80s icons like David Hasselhoff and Erik Estrada.  Who’s your favorite 80s icon?

Emmanuel Lewis; he’s my favorite.  I was really glad to meet him.  They were all real cool…really nice and down to earth.  They feel they’re just normal and don’t think of themselves as “icons.”

TFF:  Your documentary Heckler sounds very interesting.  Tell me a little about that.

It’s an expose into the ever-critical world we live in.  It starts off…anyone can heckle a comedian or sports player, and then the critics come in.  They’re even harsher and the public just eats it up.  Why do those films that are critically bashed make money?  Now there are bloggers as well as critics.  The bloggers are really getting powerful.  Who are these people?

TFF:  So you read reviews of your work, then?

Of course!  People sometimes go out of their way to be mean, to be negative at first.  Sometimes it’s to create traffic or readership.  [Heckler] is about these people.

TFF:  How do you get your ideas for characters, like on The Jamie Kennedy Experiment?

I see people in the world and think “that’s funny…a good character….I could imitate them.”

TFF:  So what’s next for you?

Just the Kickin’ It Old Skool tour.

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Maria Menounos was an absolute doll: very gracious and sweet.  Towards the end of our conversation, the publicity people around her tried to get her to wrap things up quickly so she could go on to the next interview.   We were on question #4 of my Five Questions game, so she told them to wait a minute until she’d finished answering all of my questions.

Tampa Film Fan:  What attracted you to Kickin’ It Old Skool?

Menounos:  My agent sent me to the audition.  I loved the script — it was funny and sweet — and I really wanted this part.  I kept letting Jamie know that too.  I basically stalked Jamie for this part!

TFF:  What was it like to work with Jamie?

He is sensitive, sweet and fun.  He never lost his cool, even under pressure.  As a producer, I know how stressful things on set can be.  He had a lot on his plate, but he was calm and so chill.

TFF:  I know that you’re younger than Jamie and me.  How familiar were you with 80s music and TV and 80s nostalgia?

I saw alot of the TV shows as reruns in the 90s.  I was a big Knight Rider fan.  I got to drive the KIT car!  I love 80s music.

TFF:  Did you get to do any dancing in the movie?

No.  I was the only one who didn’t…I was left out.

TFF:  Do acting and directing give you a different perspective as a journalist?

It makes me more sympathetic.  Jamie and I had a scene on a hill…we were on a date.  It was freezing and we had to pretend it was warm.  [Actors] go through so much.  Knowing this helps me when reporting about and interviewing actors.

TFF: Did you get to meet some of the 80s icons who have cameos in the film?

I got to meet David [Hasselhoff] and Erik [Estrada]. 

And Rowdy Roddy Piper!  I’m a HUGE wrestling fan…I asked him to punch me in the stomach on camera.  My abs are in really great shape.  I talked him into it.  He hit me!

TFF:  And you got that on film?

Yep!  It was one of my favorite times on any set, anywhere!

TFF:  Are you interested in writing, as well as directing, producing and acting?

My plate’s pretty full right now.  I think I might want to write a book one day, but not a film.

TFF:  Tell me a little bit about your non-profit group Take Action Hollywood!

Sure.  Take Action Hollywood! was formed after I returned from a trip to South Africa, where I was doing a story on the AIDS epidemic there.  I really wanted to do some charity work, something meaningful that I could get really involved in.  [Take Action Hollywood!] uses the medium of entertainment and film and the power of Hollywood to effect social change, not just one cause.  We’re working on a Holocaust documentary called Paper Clips and there’s the CosmoGirl! project…helping young girls get involved [in charity work].  It’s a really small group.  It’s a miracle that we’ve been able to do what we’ve done.  We’re going to do more.  In fact, we just shot a public service announcement for a local…{TFF note: our call was interrupted by someone telling her our time was almost up.  I think she said the PSA was for a local animal shelter.}

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Jesse Brown danced at the 2002 VMAs at the age of 14 and has been dancing, choreographing and writing continually since then.  He makes his acting debut in Kickin’ It Old Skool.  On the phone he was like a kid on Christmas morning, all happy and excited.

Tampa Film Fan:  I understand that all of your dancing skills are self-taught.  Have you been dancing all of your life?

Brown:  My whole family is musical.  My father’s a musician. {TFF note:  Brown’s father is Gordon James Brown.}  I grew up listening to Edwin Starr, James Brown, Dusty Springfield…

TFF:  How did you come to be involved with this film?

I auditioned for it and Jamie liked me.  I got the job because Jamie liked my performance.

TFF:  How does acting compare to dancing, as far as preparation, fun, etc.?

I was a little nervous, because this was my first acting role.  It’s very different from dancing, but I liked it.

TFF:  Are you interested in acting again (in other roles)?

No doubt!  I’m gonna keep on doing it.  This is not the last time you’ll see me.

TFF:  I understand you were born in 1988.  Were you familiar with 80s TV and music and 80s nostalgia?

My sister was brought up in the 80s.  She enjoyed the fashion and music and so on.  We watched TV shows and movies from the 80s together growing up.  I like 80s music…I grew up with all kinds of music in the household, plus my sister’s tastes.

TFF:  What was it like to work with Jamie?

He’s fun and down to earth…a good guy and fun to work with.

TFF:  Is he a good dancer?

Terrible dancer! (laughing)  He’s got two left feet.  Nah, seriously, he did alright.  He had a double for the really complicated stuff.

TFF:  Did you get to meet any of the 80s stars who were in the film?

Nah…I was at home, so I didn’t get to meet Hasselhoff or Estrada.  I wanted to meet them.  I did meet Emmanuel Lewis.  He is the man!

TFF:  What’s next for you?

I’m working on some things, but I don’t want to say anything or take anything away from this movie.  It’s all about Kickin’ It Old Skool right now.  But this is definitely not the last time you’ll see me!

Kickin’ It Old Skool opens today.

in the spotlight:local filmmaker andrew lee

I recently had a chance to interview local filmmaker Andrew Lee via email.  Lee’s latest film Easy Street is an indie documentary about the homeless in St. Pete.

TFF: What is your background?  How did you get into filmmaking?

Lee: I went to USF St. Pete and received a bachelors in Graphic Design.  While going to school I worked at Multimedia Productions with Steve Ashton. Steve and I were hired to produce a series of short documentaries profiling artists for the Gulf Coast Museum of Art.  This was my intro to documentary filmmaking and it really got Steve and I excited about making a feature length documentary in the future.

What led you to make a film on the topic of homelessness?

One day Steve and I started tossing around ideas for the topic of our next film. This was nearly three years ago. I lived downtown and would take jogs along the waterfront after work. Before they started the additions to the Mahaffy Theatre, the waterfront was about the only place the homeless were allowed to sleep without harassment from police.  I was fascinated by the contrast of how people could live with such hardships in such a paradise.  I suggested we start investigating the homeless issue in St. Pete.

Did you do any research before beginning filming?  Did you have specific ideas you wanted to convey beforehand or did the storyline develop as you filmed?

We spent countless hours talking with homeless people and homeless experts, and we eventually met some really dynamic and diverse people with who became the focus of the film.  The film is a very balanced portrayal of how chronically homeless people live in St. Pete.  We don’t claim to be experts, we don’t propose any solutions.  The story is told entirely in the words of the people we interviewed and followed.  What happens to our five main characters over the course of one year is truly amazing!

What is the most surprising or unexpected thing you learned while filming?

In the beginning, I was very surprised to learn of the abundance of organizations in St. Pete that feed the homeless.  Several homeless people we talked to said they have actually gained weight since they’ve been on the street.

How has the local community responded to your film?

We had our first public showing of the film at The Studio at 620 about three weeks ago.  It couldn’t have gone any better.  People stood along the back wall for the entire length of the film and we had to turn away about 50+ people at the door do to over capacity.  Since then, the local community has showed a strong interest in purchasing copies.  USF has purchased a copy to have in the campus library, Eckerd College has done the same, as well as several homeless orgainizations and dozens of individuals.

The description of your film says that St. Petersburg was known as a good place to be if you were homeless.  Why is that?  What’s the current opinion now, given recent events in St. Pete?  To what would you attribute this change of attitude (assuming there is one)?

St. Pete is a great place to be if you’re homeless due to the abundance of services offered to them.  That’s not our opinion, but the actual feeling of many people we talked to on the street.

Was your opinion of the Tampa Bay area affected by filming your documentary?  How so?  What do you think of recent events in St. Pete (police destroying homeless people’s tents, etc.)?

I don’t think my opinion of this area was affected in any way.  The recent events at tent city are more complex than what most people see on the news.  I would urge people to see our film to learn more about the homeless situation as a whole.  Most people who have seen it feel like they can now put together more informed opinions.

Have you entered your film into any film festivals?  What are your distribution/screening plans for the film?

We have recently signed with a distribution company in L.A.  They’re working right now marketing our film in several areas, and we should be on Netflix within the next few weeks.

Do you have any ideas or plans for your next project?

We have a few really good ideas for our next documentary.  Check our website for updates on our next project or to order a copy of Easy Street.

Lee’s website is www.wideyedfilms.com.

(cross-posted at www.sticksoffire.com)

in the spotlight:tampa film network co-creator joe davison

(photo: Joe Davison and Keljean Connelly at the September Tampa Film Network meeting)

“We want to make filmmaking in Tampa easier.”  That’s the goal that local filmmakers Joe Davison (Pop Gun Pictures) and Chris Woods (Icon Film Studios) had in mind when creating the Tampa Film Network (TFN) almost a year ago. The TFN is a group of local filmmakers — lighting techs, directors, makeup artists, writers, stunt people, actors, propmasters, graphic designers and more — who meet every other month to talk about their recent and upcoming projects. Besides touting their latest accomplishments, filmmakers are able to let others know what they need for their next film.  The newly-established TFN website posts these “help wanted” lists, as well as publishing an event calendar and posting pages of local links separated by category (i.e. actors, critics, film studios).

TFN co-creator Joe Davison got the idea for the TFN from his involvement in the Cambridge Film Network during the years he lived in England.  Davison said that the CFN started with about 10 people and had grown to around 200 by the time he moved back to the U.S.  Since its debut in February 2006, the Tampa Film Network has grown to around 100 members and co-creators Davison and Woods have added two people — filmmakers Melissa Webb and Keljean Connelly — to their volunteer management staff. Seeing the TFN grow has relieved Davison’s worry that “people would think this was all about getting me work for my film studio.”

A native Floridian, Davison made his first public speaking appearance at his high school graduation, using a speech written on a restaurant napkin only moments earlier.  From there, Davison moved on to improvisational comedy, acting, writing and filmmaking. Unearthed, a feature-length sci-fi film co-produced and starring Davison (directed by Craig Kovach), has screened in six film festivals, including Shocker Fest, Fantastic Fest and the Toronto After Dark Film Fest. His other recent films include Into the Darkness and Bloodbath.

The Tampa Film Network recently completed its first project, the film The Quiet Place, a suspense thriller written by Chris Woods, directed by Damien Kincannon and starring Joe Davison and Harmony Oswald.  Various TFN members participated in making The Quiet Place, including Shelby McIntyre, Marcus Koch, Paul Guzzo and Chris Passinault.  Davison is very proud of their accomplishment and knows it will be the first of many TFN projects to come.

A new meeting format — having announcements submitted prior to the meeting to be included on a written agenda distributed at the meeting — was unveiled at the September TFN meeting.  Davison lists upcoming goals for the TFN as “more collaboration between local filmmakers and the TFN, solidifying our relationship with (local film commissioner) Krista Soroka and developing the lists of jobs and local talent on the website.” 

When asked what one thing Davison wanted people to know about the Tampa Film Network, he smiled and said “That we’re here to help.  Like Ghostbusters.”

(I hope to interview Tampa Film Network co-creator Chris Woods soon.)

in the spotlight:local filmmaker melissa webb

Photographer. Model. Actress. Make-up artist. Writer. Producer. Skydiver. Director. Using all of these words to describe local filmmaker Melissa Webb doesn’t begin to give you a complete picture of this energetic, multi-talented multi-tasker.

A model since the age of 2, Webb grew up participating in city theater and school plays, then transitioned to movie roles while still in high school. Working on these early movies sparked her interest in filmmaking. “That is when I knew that I wanted not just to act, but direct and be involved in everything I could be.” She went to Aveda Institute to study cosmetology and recently served as the make-up artist for the locally-filmed movie Waste of Space.

Webb’s latest film is the seven-minute thriller The Unconscious Disease, a disturbing film about a schizophrenic girl (Alison Hart) living in a mental asylum who has trouble distinguishing reality from fantasy. Webb came up with the idea for her film while at Southern Illinois University.

“I was actually in a photography class…and I wanted to take a picture of a little girl in a graveyard with a zipper over her face, because it can mean so many different things. This came to me after I saw Christina Aguilera with a ribbon holding her mouth shut about voting. So I just wanted to see what it would look like, but I never did. So I was sitting in London and thought of a short film idea for the zipper about a schizophrenic girl who thinks she is living at home but is actually still trapped inside a mental institution.”

Her five-person crew completed filming in three days and finished editing in two days, without any financing or much of a budget. The Unconscious Disease was recently named Best Short Thriller at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival and has screened at the Tampa Film Review, the Sunscreen Film & Video Festival and online at www.horrorchannel.com.

Webb’s goal is “to always work hard and to keep everyone happy on my sets and provide them with great entertainment.” She’s currently writing a screenplay, doing the special effects make-up for the local film Sorority Bloodbath and will soon be doing make-up for a Star Wars fan film.

Visit www.melissawebbfilms.com to learn more about this local filmmaker and to see the trailer for The Unconscious Disease.

in the spotlight:local filmmaker pete bauer

I recently had a chance to learn a little bit about local filmmaker, writer and jack-of-all-trades Pete Bauer. Bauer has written over fourteen screenplays, two of which have won awards. He’s written and directed a number of projects on both film and video, including a short called Justice, which won six awards at the Saints and Sinners Film Festival, and the feature The Box, which screened at the TamBay Film Festival.

A UF graduate who has acted professionally in regional theater, film, television and radio, Bauer has a Real Job as a global IT manager for a local multi-billion dollar company, but his passion has always been filmmaking. A self-described “Hitchcock nut” who finds inspiration in DePalma and Spielberg, he admits to “a guilty pleasure appreciation for Michael Bay’s style over substance approach.”

Bauer had a book published of interviews with ten filmmakers involved in the “microcinema revoluation” when digital filmmaking was starting about five years ago. Originally titled 20 Questions:The Interview Series, his book is at a new publisher and is being re-released as The Microcinema Revolution. He hopes to follow up with more books, depending on the success of the re-release.

His microcinema efforts in the secular realm are produced through his company Local Talent Productions. His faith-based projects are handled at Sonlight Pictures. Bauer thinks that the “Christian film market is very under-utilized, mainly because the products have been low in quality, overly preachy and no one has found the right business model to effectively fill content in that niche market.”

Bauer describes his blog Surviving in Safety Harbor as “a pretty effective overview of my personality…a lot of film, a lot of faith, with a dose of sarcasm layered with my opinion.” Considering himself a writer first and a director second, Bauer started his blog in August to get back to writing and promised himself he’d post a daily entry for at least a year.

Bauer’s current projects include a draft of an action/suspense thriller with Christian themes called Severed and a secular thriller called Mute. He says he is “trying to merge my love of Hitchcock and Spielberg with my faith. Don’t know if the mixture will end up tasting like a fine wine or moonshine, but I’m giving it a shot.”