tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13448623387854949752024-02-19T05:00:11.626-05:00NOW, FORAGERProduction blog for the feature film by Cortlund & HalperinJChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-1941348704890663932012-08-26T18:02:00.001-04:002012-08-26T18:02:11.539-04:00Distribution and beyond...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This production blog has gone kind of quiet since we made the transition into distribution. Most of the action is happening on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Now-Forager/155309861170916" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/NowForager" target="_blank">Twitter</a> accounts these days - plus regular updates to the <a href="http://nowforager.com/screenings/" target="_blank">screenings</a> page of the official <i>Now, Forager</i> website. Those are the best sources to follow the latest news.<br />
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Since the film's World Premier in Rotterdam, we had a fantastic North American premiere at New Directors/New Films back in March with well-attended screenings at both MoMA and Lincoln Center in New York.<br />
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Our worldwide sales agent New Europe Film Sales has sold the film for distribution in several territories, with releases happening this fall and winter. We'll announce these very soon.<br />
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In the US, we've partnered with Argot Pictures for a limited theatrical distribution run starting at IFC Center in New York from October 3-9. After that, we have both Chicago's Gene Siskel Film Center and Los Angeles' Downtown Independent from October 12-18. We're confirming dates in several other cities nationwide. And we'll have filmmakers present for Q&A at openings whenever possible. It's a win-win situation - support your local independent art house theater by seeing the mushroom movie on the big screen. <br />
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We have upcoming dates with several other festivals in the US and Europe, including a competition slot at New Orleans Film Festival. We also have a homecoming of sorts with Poland's American Film Festival in November, where we won a special jury prize last year as a work in progress at US-In-Progress.<br />
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All good stuff to report. I hope you'll pop over to Facebook and give us Like and that we'll see y'all on the road this fall and winter.<br />
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Cheers from Team Fungi!<br />
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JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-76275795709536384962011-12-30T19:50:00.000-05:002011-12-30T19:50:04.393-05:00World Premiere: Rotterdam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That's right. We have a world premiere. <i>Now, Forager</i> has been invited to screen at <a href="http://www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/en" target="_blank"><b>International Film Festival Rotterdam</b></a>. They're saying the official lineup won't be released until January 19th (about a week before the festival starts). In the meantime, though, they sent me this snazzy little piece of artwork to share:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Tigers are very cool animals. And speaking of artwork, we're working finalizing on our official poster design (courtesy of Yen Tan and <a href="http://ottoistheone.com/" target="_blank">OTTO IS THE ONE</a>), revamping our website, and ramping up the publicity machine (including a nice shout-out in the <a href="http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/screens/2011-12-30/film-flam/" target="_blank"><i>Austin Chronicle</i>'s Film Flam column</a> by Kimberley Jones</span>).<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ah, yes. And we're also busily working to finish the film. Sound editor/designer Jeremy Fleishman is in town from Pittsburgh and crashing at Team Fungi HQ, getting us ready for our mix at <a href="http://www.soundcrafter.com/" target="_blank">Soundcrafter</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And producer/co-director Julia Halperin is headed back to Poland next week. Why you ask? Because we've joined forces with <a href="http://www.monternia.pl/" target="_blank">Monternia.pl</a> who have come on-board as a co-producer to help us finish the film. They saw our cut at Gotham-In-Progress last month and wanted to work with us on color correction and mastering at their facilities in Warsaw. The little mushroom movie is now officially an international co-production.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lots more news to come. Lots more work left to do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Obviously, I didn't post anything during our trip to Wroclaw. Our accommodations were absolutely top-notch--including wireless access in our hotel room, so that's not an excuse. We were just kept really busy the whole time we were there for the "Gotham in Progress" European sales and distribution market. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This was the first iteration of GiP, which was a sidebar event at The American Film Festival, which is itself a subsidiary festival of New Horizons. And it's a truly impressive organization. Incredibly well-organized by some genuinely lovely people. They're developing an amazing infrastructure and audience for independent films in Poland.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We arrived a couple days early to get over jetlag and see a bit of the city (and also to celebrate my birthday). It was too late in the year for mushrooms, but we did walk through a lovely botanical garden that was just settling in for a long winter.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8n9wr91OzKNKonwotxEz4ZLxhdoywLVVJY22fJ3gZMTvidNCHDN0mhucCLv7wSpH0mS8yl6r-tdrP87ZfHkPVY0dlnNBY5sqpdnBmRfDAAFD9u9HBmyNaDFYx1AGRaUSHB-N2g5_w3PAU/s1600/IMG_4435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8n9wr91OzKNKonwotxEz4ZLxhdoywLVVJY22fJ3gZMTvidNCHDN0mhucCLv7wSpH0mS8yl6r-tdrP87ZfHkPVY0dlnNBY5sqpdnBmRfDAAFD9u9HBmyNaDFYx1AGRaUSHB-N2g5_w3PAU/s320/IMG_4435.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Our first day we did this <a href="http://www.stopklatka.pl/wywiady/wywiad.asp?wi=82675" target="_blank">print interview</a> (our responses were translated to Polish by the interviewer) with a local film news website, and then this <a href="http://wroclaw.gazeta.pl/wroclaw/10,109523,10656142,O_Gotham_in_Progress_opowiada_Jason_Cortlund_i_Julia.html" target="_blank">video interview</a> with the largest newspaper in Poland. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The market itself was two full days of screenings--seven full-length features and four 30-minute excerpts. The audience was comprised of an assortment of European producers, sales agent reps (including Goldcrest and Wild Bunch), regional distributors, and festival programmers (including Berlinale and Cannes Critic's Week). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There were some really great films shown in the market. Julia and I were particularly taken with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1557596/" target="_blank"><i>Stones in the Sun</i></a> directed by Patricia Benoit and produced by Karin Chien and Ben Howe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Our film was the last feature of the first day--we were nervous that the audience might be exhausted after already watching three previous features and an excerpt. But <i>Now, Forager</i> played very well and people seemed to enjoy it. We had lots of great chats with our fellow filmmakers and different industry reps afterwards--some really smart, passionate, and friendly people. It was a huge relief.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We also met Todd Solondz and had some interesting talks with him. He was there for a retrospective of his work at the American Film Festival. Really engaging guy--and he even told us that he'd heard good things about our film. Who knew that the mushroom buzz would reach that far?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, to make a long story short--we were awarded a prize (Special Jury Recognition) and with that comes $20K in titling and credits from Alvernia Studios in Warsaw. Pretty sweet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We also took meetings with several sales reps, distributors, and producers who liked the film and want to work with us (possibly on our next film, <a href="http://www.lumberjunkies.com/" target="_blank"><i>Lumberjunkies</i></a>). Plus the reps from Cannes and Berlin both liked the movie and want to present it to their programming committees. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Since getting back to Austin, it's been non-stop action. Sending out screeners, answering emails, and trying to understand the nuances of international film business. It's complicated--and very different than how things are done in the US. We're having to learn a whole lot really fast. But these are problems for which we're extremely thankful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And we're especially thankful to Adeline, Ula, and Jan for inviting <i>Now, Forager</i> to "Gotham in Progress" (which will be getting a new name next year) and for being such gracious hosts. We appreciate all your support and kindness and we look forward to coming back to Poland soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And yesterday we received some more very good news, but we have to hold off a bit longer before we can share it. Stay tuned!</span></div>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-70939074784439890942011-11-10T16:45:00.001-05:002011-11-10T17:03:10.596-05:00Countdown!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/project/now_forager" target="_blank">Five days left to donate at United States Artists!</a> </b>We reset our minimum goal to qualify for additional matching funds from Artists 2 Artists. We need to raise at least another $800 to secure funding by November 15th.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And we're just a few days away from our trip to Poland for <b><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/news/production/wroclaws-gotham-in-progress-selects-11-projects/5033649.article" target="_blank">Gotham in Progress</a></b>. We still have a lot to do before we get on that plane, but we're excited to visit Wroclaw and meet the other filmmakers who are coming for both the market and the American Film Festival. Todd Solondz and Joe Swanberg are both supposed to be in attendance for career retrospective screenings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And I just did another interview--this time with <b><a href="http://thedarksideoftheshroom.blogspot.com/2011/11/now-forager.html" target="_blank">The Dark Side of the Shroom</a></b> blog. I was happy to include my recipe for <b>Black & Blue Risotto</b>, made with blewits (<i>Clitocybe nuda</i>) and black trumpets (</span><span class="st" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Craterellus cornucopioides) </i>which figures into one of the scenes in the film.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I'll try to post some update from Poland, before and after our screening. <i>Djiekuje!</i></span></div>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-79566439603703315222011-10-27T21:19:00.001-04:002011-10-27T21:23:10.582-04:00New Video Alert!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We've got a brand spanking new video up on our project page at United States Artists. And we pulled out all the stops--time lapse, dioramas, new footage, and...well, just take a look.</div>
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We're under 20 days remaining in our post-production campaign. Every dollar helps. And we've got some cool thank you gifts--<b>t-shirts </b>and<b> bags </b>featuring our popular woodcut morel logo, <b>DVDs</b> of the finished film, the <b>Audubon mushroom guide for iPhones and iPads</b>, and more.<br />
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Please <a href="http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/project/now_forager"><b>donate</b></a> if you can or help us spread the word. And thanks for your support!</div>
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</div>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-82172843930023126462011-10-24T19:17:00.000-04:002011-10-27T11:28:54.458-04:00Substantial news items abound!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lots happening with Team Fungi these days. For every item we tick off the to-do list, we have to add three more. But lately it's the result of good things happening for <i>Now, Forager</i>. </div>
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We've had a growing number of unsolicited requests for screeners from major festivals distribution/sales companies. We appreciate the interest and we're happy to know that we're starting to generate a little buzz. </div>
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But the first substantial news item is that we're going to Poland! <i>Now, Forager</i> was one of seven features selected for the inaugural <a href="http://www.blackrabbitfilm.com/gotham-in-progress/2011-selection/"><b>Gotham in Progress</b></a> European sales market in Wroclaw, Poland next month. We are honored to be included. You you can read a little more about it from one of the jury members <a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/sydneylevine/archives/american_film_festivals_films_in_progress/#"><b>here</b></a>. </div>
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The second substantial news item is that I, your humble blogger and writer/co-director, have been named a finalist for a <a href="http://www.sffs.org/content.aspx?catid=22,37&pageid=2562"><b>San Francisco Film Society Hearst Screenwriting Award</b></a> for my script <b><i><a href="http://www.lumberjunkies.com/">Lumberjunkies</a></i></b>, which Julia and I are developing as our next project. </div>
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The third substantial news item is that we have far surpassed our minimum fundraising goal at <b><a href="http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/project/now_forager">United States Artists</a></b>. Thanks to a generous donation from an anonymous donor, our funding is now guaranteed. We're continuing to raise money for post-production through November 15th and we'll have a brand new video up on the site very soon. I'll post the link as soon as it goes live. Thanks so much again to all our donors.<br />
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And as an added bonus, another great press write-up, this one courtesy of <b><a href="http://mycorant.com/now-forager-film-in-final-production/">MycoRant</a></b>. </div>
</div>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-14271243204886371452011-10-05T14:35:00.000-04:002011-10-05T14:35:13.082-04:00Interview with writer/co-director Jason Cortlund<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Mushroompalace.com</b> just posted the <b><a href="http://mushroompalace.com/mr-fun-guy-of-october-2011-jason-cortlund">interview I did with "Mr. Fun Guy"</a></b>. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Many thanks to Toon and all your readers at Mushroom Palace for the support. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Be sure to explore the whole website--it's really a cool and comprehensive look at all the different cultural intersections of fungi. From recipes, to foraging, to cultivation, to psychoactive properties. Good stuff!</span></div>
JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-32766329234534339772011-09-29T16:31:00.003-04:002011-09-30T17:25:02.266-04:00Vote for Now, Forager as indieWIRE's "Project of the Week"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On the heels of our <a href="http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2011/09/there_will_be_m.php">Village Voice</a> article and an upcoming interview that I did for MushroomPalace.com, we are honored to be <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_978290254">indieWIRE's </a><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/iws_project_of_the_day_in_now_forager_couple_makes_money_by_hunting_mushroo/">"Project of the Day"</a>. </div>
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But that means we're also eligible for indieWIRE's "Project of Week". The winner gets a consultation with online distributor SnagFilms and consideration for "Project of the Month". </div>
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Help us out: <b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20http://apps.facebook.com/my-polls/h9kpi15q">CAST YOUR VOTE FOR NOW, FORAGER HERE!</a></b></div>
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Thanks for your support and thanks to indieWIRE!</div>
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JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-23312625423513034492011-09-26T15:39:00.002-04:002011-09-29T16:33:45.698-04:00A week's worth of firsts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We had a great, Romesco sauce-fueled test screening at <b>Austin Film Society </b>last week as part of their esteemed <a href="https://www.austinfilm.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=1521">Narratives-in-Progress</a> series (our deep thanks to AFS for inviting us and to Bryan Poyser for moderating).</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We also sent off our fine cut for our first festival submission on Saturday. You're savvy--you know which festival I'm talking about. We don't need to get into all that. Suffice to say, we're doing our best to get good festival premieres--both at home and abroad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But my favorite news of the day is a great (surprise) write-up in the <b><a href="http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2011/09/there_will_be_m.php">Village Voice</a></b></span>.<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> I think "...Alice Waters meets Kelly Reichardt" is a pretty good summary.</span></div>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-41899331593582000802011-09-14T15:47:00.003-04:002011-10-27T21:26:27.631-04:00New Trailer and United States Artists Campaign<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A flurry of activity here at <i>Now, Forager</i> headquarters. First, we've launched a new fundraiser campaign to help us get to the finish line--mixing, mastering, color correcting etc. <a href="http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/project/now_forager">Check out our project page and get a look at our brand new trailer</a>. <i>(Props to Kevin Hoetger and Kyle Crusha<span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;">m for their original trailer score.) </span></i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Please donate if you can and help us spread the word.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Austin Film Society will also be hosting Julia and I to show our current cut as part of their <a href="https://www.austinfilm.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=1521">Narratives-In-Progress</a> series. Open to all AFS members, but since space is limited they want folks to register in advance on their website.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I've posted a series of production stills on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Now-Forager/155309861170916">Facebook</a> page and I crossed over to the darkside last week and even joined <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/NowForager">Twitter</a> (@NowForager). "Like" us, "Follow" us--whatever the kids are doing these days. We're out there. I promise we won't abuse the privilege with non-essentials. </span><br />
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</div>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-62894081791116564102011-09-09T15:39:00.019-04:002011-09-14T15:48:33.692-04:00What is a food movie?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><style>
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</style><span style="font-size: 100%;">While we're hammering through all the in-points and out-points of post-production (which is kind of tedious and not especially report-worthy most days) I thought I'd post something a little different than the garden variety production diary entry.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQabqayIluO6j3F17kQYqiFZ6B8YSj3s8-rd_WfPxVlU46EXAFHYdhYi3r9a-5wAts_Aq2KXhxD3A0H_lufNLJ8NHXzQ_PHIxo4eFs1APcqta_z7Ce5PC1SSWEek-ePo1qYLavtKCPooj/s1600/NF+still+%25239.jpg"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">As an exercise, I tried to put together a list of memorable food moments in cinema. I came up with ten scenes from nine films. And they’re mostly not from categorically defined “food movies”...</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">As I may have mentioned here before, I’m not a big fan of what usually gets termed a food movie. I do think it’s a genre (or sub-genre) unto itself, but without naming names, most of the standouts are sickeningly sweet, romantic, metaphoric messes that commit a cardinal sin, in my opinion—they get the cooking wrong. I suppose you could argue that most of these films are about the eating rather than sourcing, prepping, and cooking—since eating is a pretty common activity that most people enjoy.<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">But in American culture, cooking is having a pretty major renaissance. You can mention casually that you're into homemade charcuterie and suddenly be discussing the intricacies of caul fat and cold smoking with a total stranger.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">(Maybe that's our new <span style="font-style: italic;">Now, Forager</span> marketing campaign-- "By caul fat lovers. For caul fat lovers." Or maybe, "If you like rendering your own leaf lard, you'll love this film.")<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">And so, as a partial effort to help deconstruct and expand the genre, here's my incomplete list of memorable, influential, and/or traumatizing food scenes:<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">10)<b> <i>First Blood</i></b></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><b> (1982) – Wood-roasted pork</b></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 85%;">Stallone made a food movie? No, but I do think that this film is a totally under-appreciated marvel. In the course of its 93 minutes, you watch 70s cinema turn into 80s cinema. <i>Apocalypse Now</i></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"> bleeds into </span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Red Dawn</i></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;">. The subsequently caricatured “Rambo superhero” franchise has little to do with the original's somewhat character-driven story. But I digress… There’s a little scene, after John Rambo has escaped the bigoted small town lawmen and found shelter in an abandoned mine shaft tucked into the woods of the Pacific Northwest. He fashions himself a spear and soon procures for his solo dining pleasure a haunch of wild pig, which he then roasts over an open fire. I grew up hunting feral pigs with my grandfather—and there’s no better taste on this earth than a wild spring sow that’s been feeding on acorns all winter. Rambo has an excellent sense for sourcing ingredients.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">9) <b><i>Story of a Cheat </i></b></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><b>(1936) – Wild Mushrooms</b></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 85%;">Early French auteur Sacha Guitry uses wild mushrooms as the ultimate plot device. A boy is sent to bed without supper for stealing. Ironically, it’s on a night when his entire family is fatally poisoned by toxic mushrooms hastily gathered by another relative. Don’t worry, it’s a comedy. <span style="font-style: italic;">(Tip of the hat to my friend A.S. Hamrah for turning me on to this film.)</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">8) <b><i>Cool Hand Luke </i></b></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><b>(1967) </b></span><span style="font-size: 85%;">– <b>“Get mad at them damn eggs!” </b></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: normal;"> How many pickled eggs did Paul Newman actually have to eat for this sequence? By the look on his face, and the swell on his gut, I’d guess that he was employing The Method that day. A totally believable performance—but maybe that’s just because I don’t much care for hard boiled eggs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">7) <b><i>Sid & Nancy</i></b></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><b> (1986) </b></span><span style="font-size: 85%;">– <b>Baked Beans </b></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: normal;">In the opening sequence, when Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten go to visit a dominatrix friend, she serves them up a lunch of cold baked beans. The two Sex Pistols proceed to shovel the ubiquitous English staple (mostly) into their gaping maws. They’re hungry and it gets the job done. What the fuck else do you need? It’s punk rock.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">6) <b><i>Saturday Night Fever</i></b></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><b> (1977) – </b></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><b><i>“Two. Gimme two…that’s good.”</i></b></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Like </span></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>First Blood</i></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;">, <span style="font-style: italic;">SNF</span> is remembered more for its subsequent cultural impact than for what it really is—a great piece of underclass drama. The Tony Manero strut that opens the picture includes a detour to a slice joint. The pizzaiola behind the counter asks him if he wants two or three. Tony moderately chooses the deuce, and proceeds to stack them up and chomp away as he completes his walking tour of Bay Ridge. The disco clubs and paint stores are mostly gone--but until you can’t find a serviceable slice in Brooklyn, the borough of my dreams will never die.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">5)<b> <i>Babette’s Feast</i></b></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><b> (1987)</b></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 85%;">– </span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><b> Bird Brains</b></span> <span style="font-size: 85%;">Okay, this is maybe the crown jewel of the proper food movie genre. But you really have to invest time and patience with a very subtle period drama to get to the titular meal. And that anticipation is what makes the film masterful. It peaks for me when one of the dinner guests (the only sensualist at a table of Protestant ascetics) sucks the brains from the head of a whole quail baked in puff pastry, to the shock and secret delight of the others at table. That’s some juicy narrative pleasure.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">4) <b><i>Los Muertos</i></b></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><b> (2004) – Honey</b></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 85%;">This stark, extremely observational drama from Argentine director Lisandro Alonso follows a man (non-actor Argentino Vargas) as he’s released from prison and makes his way up a river to find his daughter. Most scenes are made of a single shot that documents a step in the process. Eating is a regular act of self-sustainment along the way. In Alonso’s hands, food is simultaneously mundane and complex. At one point, the man stops his canoe along the river and ventures into the woods. He listens at a dead tree—then proceeds to dig out an arm-long section of loaded honey comb from a teeming mass of live bees, bare-handed. This is in one shot—no stunt doubles, no CGI bees, no fakery of any kind. The performer is actually doing this. And when he squeezes the honey out into his thick, leathery hand and laps it up, you taste it with him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">3) <b><i>The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover</i></b></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><b> (1989) - “…It’s a delicacy.”</b></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 85%;">This NC-17 Jacobean melodrama by Peter Greenaway came out when I was just finishing high school. I didn’t know what a Jacobean melodrama was, but it sounded too titillating to pass up. Sex? Cooking? Murder? Count me in. There’s so much to love about this movie—including a great performance from Helen Mirren. But the grotesque revenge climax—featuring one of the main characters roasted whole, a la haute cuisine—that left me queasy for a few days. The power of cinema had taken hold and permanently warped my tender sensibilities. For the better.<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">2) <b><i>Tampopo</i></b></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><b> (1985) – The Egg Dance</b></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 85%;">Another more literal example of a food movie, <span style="font-style: italic;">Tampopo</span> is a fairly broad Japanese comedy about a woman trying to learn how to make the perfect bowl of ramen (from a cowboy truck-driver sensei). The main narrative is loosely held together with vignettes that play on different themes of food and eating. Two recurring characters are a gangster and his moll—who at one point pass a raw egg yolk back and forth—with just their mouths. It’s kind of like one of those stupid summer camp games, but only if you went to sexy Yakuza underworld summer camp.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">1)<b> <i>Los Muertos</i></b></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: normal;"><b> (2004) – The Goat</b></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 85%;">I’m going back to my man Lisandro Alonso for numero uno. Describing the scene would ruin it. It’s one of the most visceral cinematic moments I’ve experienced in recent memory. Let me just say that this film probably doesn’t have a vegan fanclub on Facebook. But in all seriousness—if you eat meat, you should be able to deal with how it lands on your plate. And what happens in this scene is a helluva lot more humane and understandable than what occurs in volume everyday inside the average agri-business abattoir. See this film.<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">I'm sure there are many other scenes and films worthy of mention, but I thought these offered a nice range of options.<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">In other news, we're getting very near a fine cut and should have a few bits of good news to announce very shortly, as well as the release of our first official trailer (huzzah!).<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">For now, I've attached a somewhat appropriate production still from <span style="font-style: italic;">Now, Forager</span>--striped bass butchery (performed by yours truly).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQabqayIluO6j3F17kQYqiFZ6B8YSj3s8-rd_WfPxVlU46EXAFHYdhYi3r9a-5wAts_Aq2KXhxD3A0H_lufNLJ8NHXzQ_PHIxo4eFs1APcqta_z7Ce5PC1SSWEek-ePo1qYLavtKCPooj/s1600/NF+still+%25239.jpg"><br />
</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6bjpfIyeLgIeStAhr82Xuau6k30KMEBV5nYHS5UnPjreRffkK0lFO5-z17XRNukuIGkvZY3UYxb8bJvZHmqAWhTwllofTf8kjnk-p2D6V5-TVO2XK3HqlY_twJGN715oGQtCs1jSHjy4/s1600/NF+still+%25239.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650450672296096610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6bjpfIyeLgIeStAhr82Xuau6k30KMEBV5nYHS5UnPjreRffkK0lFO5-z17XRNukuIGkvZY3UYxb8bJvZHmqAWhTwllofTf8kjnk-p2D6V5-TVO2XK3HqlY_twJGN715oGQtCs1jSHjy4/s400/NF+still+%25239.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 289px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 517px;" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div></div>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-80881316087158230572011-06-13T20:16:00.004-04:002011-06-13T21:51:07.397-04:00Connective Tissues and Egg Sandwiches<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The first of June brought the </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">last</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> pickups that we'll need to shoot (hopefully). A skeleton version of our crew reunited for a few days to grab bits and pieces of things that we missed, had to cut for time during principal photography, or that we discovered we needed to fill a gap. There was really only one short scene that we decided to re-shoot. The rest were the equivalent of narrative tendons and ligaments for added support.<br /><br />Day 1, we needed some additional pre-dawn footage for our opening woods sequence plus the never-ending collection of the 3Fs (flora, fauna, and fungi b-roll). <span style="font-style: italic;">Now, Forager</span>'s fearless Director of Photography Jon Nastasi was locked and loaded for a 4am call time. I think the promise of a truly outstanding egg sandwich at The Palisades Market on 9W was the real dealmaker--and it didn't disappoint.<br /><br />[As filmmakers who came up in Austin, it seemed unfathomable to go into production without breakfast tacos--the cheap, delicious, and substantial morning staple that fuels film crews of all sizes across the State of Texas. We soon were introduced to the Northeast regional equivalent: the egg sandwich. Typically, a humble Kaiser roll, bagel, or croissant with egg, cheese, and optional meat substance (Taylor ham anyone?). While it'll never supplant the breakfast taco in my heart (literally, figuratively), I've come to appreciate the form on its own terms. And the best part for feeding hungry crew-folk is that you can find a serviceable egg sandwich at obscenely early hours, just about anywhere in the region. From a corner bodega on Staten Island, to a 24-hour gas station in the Bronx, to a swanky little micro-bakery in the Hudson Valley. And you can't always tell from the decor when you're going to hit a truly brilliant iteration.]<br /><br />Day 2 of pickups was a return to the woods of Putnam County for a few daytime and nighttime exteriors. Our sound guru Jeremy Fleishman returned from the comforts of Pittsburgh to join us. The highlight was that we grabbed a beautiful new opening shot for the film that we're all totally in love with. Half by design and half by happy accident. I can't wait to see it in the cut.<br /><br />Day 3 started back in NJ with a trip to Newark's Iron Bound. Julia had the idea to add a brief scene in a neighborhood coffee house. We had been by <a href="http://www.cafeopcao.com/">Café Opção</a> several times and loved the way it looked. The owners and staff were incredibly gracious to work with us and let us shoot in their gorgeous space. (A thousand thank yous!). After another short scene in the neighborhood outside our friend Amy Brown's apartment </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(thanks Brownie!)</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">, we moved on to grab a quick shot back on Staten Island. Then we finished the day with some driving footage along the scenic NJ Turnpike.<br /><br />Day 4 was a half-day in the sound studio (at <a href="http://www.metrosonic.net/">MetroSonic</a> in Brooklyn) recording voice-overs and ADR phone dialog.<br /><br />That brings us pretty much up to date. We're moving into the fine cut, working on a trailer, and continuing with time-lapses.<br /><br />Thanks to master producer Kit Bland for helping to wrangle all the moving parts and for hosting us in his lovely abode. And thanks again to our cast and crew, old and new, for making the necessary connections happen. Onward!<br /><br /></span></span></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-66879072086404469732011-05-24T17:35:00.004-04:002011-05-24T18:33:30.441-04:00The Open Flatlands of Post-Production<span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">If this were a marathon (and it is, indeed, it is!) maybe we'd be at mile 16 give or take. Julia and I are on that unbearably long and lonely stretch of road--every day, it's just you and your footage. And the constant pounding of progress.<br /><br />It's been awhile since I've posted an update. Not because things haven't been progressing. Quite the opposite. We've had a lot to get done in the first months of 2011, and only so many waking hours each day to fill. Blogging kind of fell off the list of priorities for awhile. But as Fast Eddie once said, "I'm back, baby."<br /><br />We now have a rough cut. And we've been focused combing through it for the last few weeks. Watching...discussing...checking alternate takes. Et cetera. We've also had the benefit reviewing an alternate cut that was put together by students at <a href="http://www.theeditcenter.com/">The Edit Center</a> in Manhattan--some really great ideas in there that we'll surely borrow from on our way to a fine cut.<br /><br />The bountiful morel season around NY and NJ afforded me the chance to shoot some very pretty seasonal b-roll out in the woods. And I was most pleased to get to cook some of the delicious fresh black morels and ramps that I found for our stalwart producer, Kit Bland, and new friend Karin Chien.<br /><br />I also helped prepare a mycophillic feast in Brooklyn with writer/director David Barker, photographer Barbara Ess, filmmaker/artist Nida Sinnokrot, and editor/filmmaker Rica Linders. Three kinds of morels (<span style="font-style:italic;">Morchella elata, Morchella esculenta, and Morchella semilibera</span>) and all kinds of talk.<br /><br />Next up in the process are pick-ups (just a few odds and ends that will help smooth out a few scenes--no major re-shoots, praise be to the mushroom gods) and some sound booth recording of voice-over. Then we're back in the edit suite for the rest of the summer. Hoo boy!<br /><br />We'll be posting at least one official trailer in the coming weeks as well, as part of our next fundraising campaign. Stay tuned!<br /><br />I've also started shooting a series of mushroom time-lapses for inclusion--here's one of the first tests:<br /><object height="266" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/10150198232911934"><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/10150198232911934" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="266" width="400"></embed></object><br /></span></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-16221132969214993472010-12-14T12:08:00.015-05:002010-12-14T13:49:01.163-05:00Kickstarts & Pickups at Year's End<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuDieCFegyzms6JvSXwtangQ6_2ZSWMtmlQZUe4KftD7ZfmjtH6Ob46Wybdva4dWL7kuBpfWtbppQqHKNxHMLqQot9gewD-jTOrlr598O6M28IpMKsBbzbJz-rnmg_TFuLaRjFqUQ10ol/s1600/slate.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuDieCFegyzms6JvSXwtangQ6_2ZSWMtmlQZUe4KftD7ZfmjtH6Ob46Wybdva4dWL7kuBpfWtbppQqHKNxHMLqQot9gewD-jTOrlr598O6M28IpMKsBbzbJz-rnmg_TFuLaRjFqUQ10ol/s320/slate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550606678063043138" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Has it been a month since my last post? I guess we've had a lot going on...<br /><br />The final tally on our Kickstarter campaign was beyond our wildest dreams. After surpassing the initial $3K funding goal, the pledges kept rolling in to the tune of $6360 (for the statistically inclined who want a bit of quantitative analysis in their blog-reading, that's an </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">achievement of</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> 212%). Our deepest, most humble thanks to our 73 backers, and everyone who helped us spread the word. Which was necessary, because we're speechless.<br /><br />For those backers who are awaiting thank-you gifts, the first batch is in the mail. For folks who have official <span style="font-style: italic;">Now, Forager</span> t-shirts coming their way, these have been custom-ordered. </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I hope to have </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">all the gifts shipped out by the first week of January--thanks for your patience.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />Also, we will have a</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lof0thNaB2JIr8zkhBao-o94n1TMM_Wb7_Gd7Kenj3z9at8mEtkFVcl0pw3gjnRyFkuuhFgsbDgyn82_E7_x8Hl2sng8VCWb3SRE-KaodOfMcQNP_9z38a3ra3rBkdIgjtdnxiqe2jTV/s1600/NF+Woodcut+rough+t-shirt.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lof0thNaB2JIr8zkhBao-o94n1TMM_Wb7_Gd7Kenj3z9at8mEtkFVcl0pw3gjnRyFkuuhFgsbDgyn82_E7_x8Hl2sng8VCWb3SRE-KaodOfMcQNP_9z38a3ra3rBkdIgjtdnxiqe2jTV/s320/NF+Woodcut+rough+t-shirt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550604756112861426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> few extra shirts (all cotton, dark gray with black screenprinting) in various sizes plus cloth shopping bags left over--all featuring our wood-cut morel logo. Shoot me an <a href="mailto:support@nowforager.com">email</a> if you're interested in making a direct swag purchase in support of the film.<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Though the holidays have been creeping up on us, we've stayed pretty darned busy with NF-related business. We shot a day of pickups right before Thanksgiving (when I posted this on Facebook, friends from my hometown in Oregon reminded me that "shooting pickups" has a more literal meaning involving firearms, rusty trucks, and abandoned quarries). We also submitted two lengthy applications for grants to raise some more budget for post-production, and took a meeting for some in-kind post resources. All good stuff.<br /><br />Julia has also been getting the editing process under way with the help of Assistant Editor, Alec Beard. The raw footage has all been transcoded, the audio synced, and scene assemblies are under way.<br /><br />The last big item on our plate for 2010 will be a couple last days of production--shooting our winter exterior scenes. <span style="font-style: italic;">Now, Forager </span>takes place over the course of a year--the only way to show this believably is to actually shoot in different seasons. While this sucks in terms of scheduling, continuity, and production momentum, it's really our only choice to make a micro-budget feature with ambitious production value. We couldn't do it without a cast and crew who were committed to the project. (Thanks again guys.)<br /><br />I'll hopefully post one last production report before 2011 comes a-calling. And I think I'll have some very good post-production news to announce shortly, once it all becomes official. Stay tuned...<br /><br /></span></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-33247215535457204692010-11-14T16:16:00.003-05:002010-11-14T16:24:29.324-05:00Kickstarter Update: Minimum goal achieved!<span style="font-family: verdana;">We've made it beyond our minimum goal of $3000, thanks to the generous support of numerous donors. This achievement ensures funding via Kickstarter. To all of our backers who have pledged so far, thank you.<br /><br />And if you'd still like to show your support for "the mushroom movie"--you have until 6:31pm EST on December 3rd to make your pledge:<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cortlund/now-forager">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cortlund/now-forager</a><br /><br />Donations $35 and above qualify for cool "forager-friendly" thank you gifts.<br /></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-90866076215981772932010-11-12T09:57:00.013-05:002010-11-16T12:38:33.199-05:00Production Report-Week 4<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0llezyywFjpT6tHaeRlWqjoAgHecw-ET1-IWZd0rL9Gvvh51QWUAiDca4qeSKbvNnwaxXrYBwEJGhK-FZtRGhnZFiYUT0-_nz9EFfeEmDzh10XlYi6w_V_WjY6sbzDzLv1yhi-Uh6Fbv4/s1600/1or8-inside.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0llezyywFjpT6tHaeRlWqjoAgHecw-ET1-IWZd0rL9Gvvh51QWUAiDca4qeSKbvNnwaxXrYBwEJGhK-FZtRGhnZFiYUT0-_nz9EFfeEmDzh10XlYi6w_V_WjY6sbzDzLv1yhi-Uh6Fbv4/s320/1or8-inside.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539512344029851826" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">As </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">previously mentioned, we had a week's hiatus before finishing up principal photography on <span style="font-style: italic;">Now, Forager</span>. While a few of the cast and crew members had other job commitments, others would enjoy some well-deserved R & R. And the rest of us would be still working on production logistics non-stop...<br /><br />Jenny "Queen of Locations" Harkins was hustling to find us our most challenging restaurant interior--an elegantly modern Asian-influenced fine-dining establishment. We needed a kitchen interior, a front-of-the-house interior, and a restaurant exterior. And we needed two full days to shoot all the scenes.<br /><br />The difficulty: if a restaurant closes at all in New York, it's usually only for one day per week. To get a single location that matched our very specific decor and style needs for two full days--not bloody likely. So we divided the scenes into a back-of-the-house day and a front-of-the-house day. And Jenny scored us a couple of incredible locations...<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">For our Back-of-the-House/Kitchen, we shot one of the prep kitchens of the <a href="http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/nyc">Thompson Hotel</a> in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Lots of sleek new stainless steel appliances and equipment. A great layout with plenty of room to shoot. A beauty of a stove. It was everything we needed it to be.<br /><br />But the Front-of-the-House that Jenny came up with was maybe the biggest location score of the entire shoot. <a href="http://www.oneoreightbk.com/">1 or 8 Atelier of Food</a> in Williamsburg, Brooklyn was beyond our wildest dreams. Owners Maho and Shinji Mizutani have designed a restaurant that exudes brilliance in every facet. Sleek design, decor, and lighting (seen in the photo above); an inventive selection of house-infused cocktails; a full menu that offers top-quality sushi and sashimi plus a rotating selection of French-influenced entrees. They even featured a tasting menu of different mushroom dishes earlier in the fall season. Total simpatico. Julia and I went in for an amazing dinner</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> a couple days after shooting</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">--the whole experience was beyond superlatives.<br /><br />In the costume department, we also had the generous support of Michael Pittard and Maggie Kleinpeter of <a href="http://www.supermaggie.com/">Supermaggie</a> (who started their business in Brooklyn, and who recently moved their operations to Austin). They helped us outfit our chefs and restaurant staff in these scenes with their super-cool octopus t-shirts.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">And that's a wrap for our interior locations. We still</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlzvu5mPlSl8P7fcC4Ploeqs_Xp7Jmnhhj0rXWcpqRI5NIOfkmKesPBcMt0i5-iO9sMs7OWFwirV5Mm4w-5CoGVP18h6hP28US9xx8Jxm59gQpdpnNRvzzETixMeksX7TmfxRvX7oZNa-/s1600/rest.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlzvu5mPlSl8P7fcC4Ploeqs_Xp7Jmnhhj0rXWcpqRI5NIOfkmKesPBcMt0i5-iO9sMs7OWFwirV5Mm4w-5CoGVP18h6hP28US9xx8Jxm59gQpdpnNRvzzETixMeksX7TmfxRvX7oZNa-/s320/rest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539513264028648082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">have to get a bit of fall driving footage, a couple </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">more days of winter exteriors in December, some Additional Dialog Recording, some short animated </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">sequences, and some time-lapses. But some of the hardest parts of production are now behind us.<br /><br />Foragers--cast and crew--you have been amazing. Our deepest gratitude to you all. Now get some rest. </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">(Photo by Kelly Marsh)<br /></span></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-85053249633646774962010-11-09T18:45:00.004-05:002010-11-09T19:04:23.112-05:0082% Funded with 23 Days to Go!<span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">In just about a week, we've achieved more than 80% of our funding goal on Kickstarter. We are most humbly grateful for the love and enthusiasm of our friends, family, and supporters across the country. There are no finer communities to have roots in than Austin and Brooklyn.<br /><br />Our deepest and most heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has helped spread the word, offered encouragement, and pledged a few bucks if they could. Cheers!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cortlund/now-forager">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cortlund/now-forager</a></span><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cortlund/now-forager/widget/video.html" frameborder="0" height="410px" width="480px"></iframe>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-10659882120479600022010-11-07T18:43:00.009-05:002010-11-09T19:44:35.098-05:00Production Report: Week 3<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Now, Forager</span> Week 3 started in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn, shooting a restaurant interior at <a href="http://www.chestnutonsmith.com/">Chestnut</a> on Smith Street.<br /><br />It was very fortuitous that our intrepid location scout (Jenny Harkins) made contact with Chestnut's chef (Daniel Eardley) soon after his own foray into the woods searching for fall edibles. We had found a like-minded establishment--with a perfect interior for our </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">scenes. This wouldn't be the last time Jenny saved our bacon with a fantastic place to shoot.<br /><br />Our next morning would be a venture into doc-style shooting, for scenes of Lucien at his win</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">ter job working in a bread bakery (located in Astoria, Queens). The afternoon was spent on various restaurant exteriors around Brooklyn--in Park Slope and Sunset Park. Special thanks to the folks at Moutard, Stone Park Cafe, and Hunan Delight.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXTg34cHCOQs6Y0eXOGJZrqCVnCNMgq2PmWUUoZ7hAM3fPJ72XBB9Ql3Wxpli4YWY8ZSU5xEGM4S7l9zx0HYKpZRuySiYAUzlc3-3AsyyXlchKT7FOCh6EqHxhaXLnfOOsSJ8SZTMovcu/s1600/E+Village.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXTg34cHCOQs6Y0eXOGJZrqCVnCNMgq2PmWUUoZ7hAM3fPJ72XBB9Ql3Wxpli4YWY8ZSU5xEGM4S7l9zx0HYKpZRuySiYAUzlc3-3AsyyXlchKT7FOCh6EqHxhaXLnfOOsSJ8SZTMovcu/s320/E+Village.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537240087322734130" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">We spent a full day in Manhattan for (mostly) exteriors. The East Village in the morning (where this photo of our lead characters hawking their wares was taken); Chinatown mid-day; and then a short round-trip train ride to NJ. Boom, boom, boom. We were on fire.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">We rounded out the week with two days on Staten Island. I'm not sure how many films shoot in all 5 boroughs of New York, but the scrappy DIY professionals behind Now, Forager made it happen.<br /><br />(Our Bronx shoot was in Van Cortlandt Park back in May--scenes of Lucien hunting for morels and ramps. 'Can one actually find morels and ramps in Van Cortlandt Park?' you might ask. My lips are sealed...)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />Camp Pouch Boyscout Camp on Staten Island was a fantastic and fungi rich location. Jeremy (our sound guru) had his mushroom eyes on--finding a big Chicken-of-the-Woods (<span style="font-style: italic;">Laetiporus sulphureus</span>) log. We also spotted a big patch of stinkhorns (<span style="font-style: italic;">Phallus impudicus</span>), a fruiting of shaggy manes (<span style="font-style: italic;">Coprinus comatus</span>) and some blewits (<span style="font-style: italic;">Lepista nuda</span>). I also found several <span style="font-style: italic;">Lactarius</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Cortinarius</span> species, as well as a patch of <span style="font-style: italic;">Hebeloma</span> (these are hard to ID to species, but a typical variant has the common name "Poison Pie" if that gives you a clue as to their general edibility).<br /><br />We also had the full moon working on our side for our Staten Island days--and we took advantage by shooting into dusk one day, and into the night on the next (at Wolfe's Pond Park).<br /><br />Week 3--wrapped. The <span style="font-style: italic;">Now, Forager</span> crew would get a week's hiatus while our DP Jon and our gaffer Brian went to shoot episodes of <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/chopped/index.html">Chopped</a> for the Food Network.<br /><br />It was just the chance I needed to get back into the woods to shoot some more "mushroom porn" and gather a few more stunt fungi for our final scenes. The fall season was hanging on with some nice late hens, plenty more blewits, a late explosion of honey mushrooms (<span style="font-style: italic;">Armillaria gallica</span>), and even some delicious gypsies (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cortinarius caperatus</span>).</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rOnUmq6qzVYLhnPLI1LRkuCFZIVsAzM-zRXzW4LGrLz69sqixtCp5l-fTesSfSQDLTD3U53spR7ipK9odKJKc87v9ORaZAnzE5B5mi7BR5Bo18CwbLpwpo7ViVnalwCYx3OsWCFC-NQ7/s1600/crew.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rOnUmq6qzVYLhnPLI1LRkuCFZIVsAzM-zRXzW4LGrLz69sqixtCp5l-fTesSfSQDLTD3U53spR7ipK9odKJKc87v9ORaZAnzE5B5mi7BR5Bo18CwbLpwpo7ViVnalwCYx3OsWCFC-NQ7/s320/crew.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537696060070126306" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Did I mention how much we love this crew? Here's some of the gang on Staten Island at the end of the week.<br /><br />(The photos in this post were taken by Jon Nastasi...on actual film, no less.)<br /></span></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-76252125476782604022010-11-03T18:39:00.009-04:002010-11-15T18:27:41.884-05:00Support NOW, FORAGER on Kickstarter<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">We just launched a fundraising campaign for <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Now, Forager</span> via Kickstarter.<br /><br />Visit our <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://kck.st/aUpuXr">Kickstarter project page</a> to learn more. There are some super cool mushroom-themed rewards to thank you for your donation.</span></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-29281173947287333962010-11-03T15:27:00.007-04:002010-11-21T17:45:13.540-05:00Production Report: Week Two<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipdmnnh934dh1XOAXzWx2qmXybhGSkG7nPyDfSfLGRAuXuJqEXWQjRxgd8g-grg3A6a8QgPtpnGaw0q8RIc12q8v21_KLU8NXCgpZjEHHWiCf_cr8Bj7HT4Hgak3cUWh8yTioEMS8RaF_s/s1600/bait+shop.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipdmnnh934dh1XOAXzWx2qmXybhGSkG7nPyDfSfLGRAuXuJqEXWQjRxgd8g-grg3A6a8QgPtpnGaw0q8RIc12q8v21_KLU8NXCgpZjEHHWiCf_cr8Bj7HT4Hgak3cUWh8yTioEMS8RaF_s/s320/bait+shop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536895024122334658" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">After a couple well-deserved days off, <span style="font-style: italic;">Now, Forager</span> - Week Two started </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> in New Jersey. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">First at <a href="http://fishbox.tv/julians/">Julian's Bait Shop</a> in Atlantic Highlands (live eels!); then on to a surf fishing sequence at Sandy Hook where Jon Nastasi, our DP, donned waders and ventured out chest deep into the ocean to get some shots; then on to the pine barrens of Cheesequake State Park (my favorite name for a state park in New Jersey) for more fungi hunting.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />These scenes featured some lovely lobster mushrooms (<span style="font-style: italic;">Hypomyces lactifluorum</span>) and a pair of machete-toting Russian mycophiles (played with appropriate linguistic gravitas by Alex Mayzlin and Brandon deSpain). Thanks to to some weather disturbances over Newark, every commercial flight out of NJ was re-routed directly over our production, with planes passing every 90 seconds or so. That Jeremy Fleishman, our sound maestro, didn't slit his own throat with one of the machetes is a testament to his character.<br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KsgPcN3EOq7bzqjh3sauTtoBouX5M1SDqeJ6OPu12Js5Vq5Bg2ygEaEaIWtKNGvH63YmmKnJW9i46qQNioiJOwArO5VEypoj6DANbvn4CA13v6Xv5F8r-sk5dLCv1KpqUgcX0Z7P02Qo/s1600/cheesequake+mushrooms.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KsgPcN3EOq7bzqjh3sauTtoBouX5M1SDqeJ6OPu12Js5Vq5Bg2ygEaEaIWtKNGvH63YmmKnJW9i46qQNioiJOwArO5VEypoj6DANbvn4CA13v6Xv5F8r-sk5dLCv1KpqUgcX0Z7P02Qo/s320/cheesequake+mushrooms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536895214385254370" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">We were back at Cheesequake the next day as well, to shoot the film's opening sequence, including an </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">abundant fruiting of wild Hen-of-the-Woods (<span style="font-style: italic;">Grifola frondosa</span>) mushrooms. I have to offer a very special thanks to local foraging legend George Johanson for loaning our production several of the most beautiful young Grifola specimens I've ever laid eyes on.<br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The next two days were spent on interiors--in the apartment of our lead characters, L</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">ucien (played by yours-truly) and Regina (played by Tiffany Esteb). Filmmaker Joe Petrilla graciously let us use his Brooklyn apartment as our location. Thanks to Joe for not kicking us out after the first scene we shot, where I gutted and filleted two 20lb. striped bass on his kitchen counter. (Our producer, Kit Bland: "Get those fish out of there as soon as possible, please.")<br /><br />We rounded out the week in the prep kitchen of the soon-to-reopen <a href="http://thebrooklynstar.com/">Brooklyn Star</a> restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (thanks to chef Quino Baca and his crew for their support). Our good friend and master thespian Eric Dean Scott was back in town from his new home in Slovenia, so we were very glad to put his services to use for the day in a supporting role.<br /><br />Also new to our crew this week was production assistant Juan Diaz De Lindo--who was on fire keeping our production running and taking amazing set photos in between (both of the photos in this post are his).<br /><br />And that's pretty much how it happened. Two weeks down, two to go...<br /></span></span></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-85839748908978729632010-10-18T20:32:00.007-04:002010-11-09T19:37:49.188-05:00Production Report: Week One<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7zUYFlxgAFiJscyaD5MX3iP20bw4e0es1LNVKvVt-xTXnN_TshVtp1AT_WWkDHhe5vZWQVogw_5a-gcn-YHegO45CHExEX91uGj5UfJKtWtCgG35o_dxiLiZpoV4KKijPXvPbr40DWKF/s1600/week+1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7zUYFlxgAFiJscyaD5MX3iP20bw4e0es1LNVKvVt-xTXnN_TshVtp1AT_WWkDHhe5vZWQVogw_5a-gcn-YHegO45CHExEX91uGj5UfJKtWtCgG35o_dxiLiZpoV4KKijPXvPbr40DWKF/s320/week+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535403914773271842" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Our first week took Now, Forager on location--north of the city, to carefully selected locales on both sides of the Hudson River.<br /><br />On day one, week one it was immediately clear that we have an amazing crew.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Our Producer (the multi-talented and always entertaining Kit Bland) and our DP (Jon Nastasi) helped us assemble a strike-force of uber-professionals at every position. From our master focus-pulling AC (Borja Campillo Arribas), to our incredibly detail-oriented script supervisor (Erika Sanz), to our local "fixer" PA and stunning set photographer (</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Kelly Marsh), to the hardest working gaffer in microbudget filmmaking (Brian Harnick), to our oil-on-the-gears Assistant Director (Mike McDermott). And of course, the keystone to our crew from the Keystone State--Pittsburgh's sound recordist of record, Jeremy Fleishman. Plus some kid from Jersey named Bauer. (I love this crew so damn much.</span></span>)<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Days 1 and 2 are probably going to be our most challenging of the entire shoot in terms of production value and logistics. Our biggest feat was transforming a lovely, modern locavore diner in the Hudson Valley (<a href="http://www.anotherforkintheroad.com/">Another Fork in the Road</a>, run by mad genius chef Jamie Parry) into a weathered, backwater Rhode Island greasy spoon.<br /><br />The set dressing, costumes, lighting, authentic Basque cuisine food styling, and casting would all be at maximum levels of difficulty. Though we had a couple of longish shoot days, we got everything we needed--including a quantity (and quality!) of local background talent to play restaurant patrons at the peak of dinner service. Thank you Milan/Red Hook/Rhinebeck!<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxAVHr_l_S_fl1BrdCTAkYETU9pTu_zZWAhAv9GGAF5Zs9I-06ZO9HXF4UJbwwOzNL-uxkTcK_IDgCCUm8_jcsLsZQW7rQWafZKBF8nITiE0VACAYJaDXfXpRrB8jW3IWD9vf9tIseg9r/s1600/glide.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxAVHr_l_S_fl1BrdCTAkYETU9pTu_zZWAhAv9GGAF5Zs9I-06ZO9HXF4UJbwwOzNL-uxkTcK_IDgCCUm8_jcsLsZQW7rQWafZKBF8nITiE0VACAYJaDXfXpRrB8jW3IWD9vf9tIseg9r/s320/glide.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537713379733760754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Day 3 was a series of exteriors in the woods north of New Paltz, NY--and the weather upstate cooperated. The rain that would be bringing us mushrooms for later scenes halted for a day and we were able to get a complicated Glidecam sequence through the trees, as well as an emotional final sequence set at dusk.<br /><br />Days 4 and 5 would also be among our more challenging in terms of set dressing, props, and food styling. Thank the powers that be for the arrival of Art Director Bara Jichova, who would help us manage all the moving parts. We had a lovely vacation home to use as a double for a Washington DC area residence, where one of the lead characters takes a catering job for the wife of a conservative strategist, played by the outstanding Gabrielle Maisels.<br /><br />And that was Week 1--I'm sure I've forgotten someone important (like Another Fork's Micah Carter, who served as our kitchen master, sous chef, and food stylist for Days 1 & 2). Both Julia and I feel incredibly grateful for our outstanding crew.<br /><br />(photos by Kelly Marsh)<br /></span></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-46781973913328785102010-09-27T08:39:00.004-04:002010-11-21T17:48:35.909-05:00Rain<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Finally. I awoke this morning to a magical pitter-patter on my air conditioner. And the forecast for the next 10 days includes 4 or 5 days with increased chances of precipitation. Our NY weather persons haven't been exactly accurate this year, but the sight of several nimbus icons in close succession has taken the edge off my morning at least.<br /><br />I've just returned from a few days at the NEMF (Northeast Mycological Federation) foray up in the Hudson Valley. Conditions were very dry and the numbers of species collected I'm sure were below average. But still, there were enough edibles found for a very successful mycophagy (mushroom cooking) demonstration (I helped run the fryolators for making deep fried chicken-of-the-woods (<span style="font-style: italic;">Laetiporus sulfureous</span>) and I improvised a successful frittata out of <span style="font-style: italic;">Entoloma abortivum</span> (the shape and texture of these fungi remind me of sweetbreads), bear's tooth (Hericium erinaceous), and about 3 dozen duck eggs.<br /><br />But today I'm back in pre-production mode, with 7 days left to prepare for our first day of shooting in Milan, NY. There's a lot left to do.<br /><br />My thanks and deepest appreciation to all the mycologists and fellow "muleskinners" I met at NEMF this year. Your shared knowledge, interest, and encouragement for <span style="font-style: italic;">Now, Forager</span> has been invigorating. <span style="font-style: italic;">¡Viva Sam Ristich!</span><br /></span></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-42183480596967881762010-09-11T13:51:00.008-04:002010-09-11T14:08:46.604-04:00Giant Puffball Update<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjJJNjsNzjVzDwee7S8JFYLR1qaPktcTKVwBGa2b_-KuhGYiwHwBfW8LLN6DqmIevrTRqKjWRcDW8tHChzXtITNJxh-iDGYOvcHLpLJgAEBABYGZcKDxTNe-mRMJvQY4XFCfRClx1mBK0/s1600/puffball2.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjJJNjsNzjVzDwee7S8JFYLR1qaPktcTKVwBGa2b_-KuhGYiwHwBfW8LLN6DqmIevrTRqKjWRcDW8tHChzXtITNJxh-iDGYOvcHLpLJgAEBABYGZcKDxTNe-mRMJvQY4XFCfRClx1mBK0/s320/puffball2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515715286780797954" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >We shot our puffball footage, and as promised, here are a couple of different frame grabs.<br /><br />This <span style="font-style: italic;">Calvatia gigantea</span> was a real beauty--and it fried up nicely in panko bread-crumbed cutlet (shout out to Gary Lincoff for his preferr</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >ed culinary application).<br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7-q3hV1ReJFAphmukA32PThSj2cz3DMZGANNKGnmzUTJVChT14cM5Aw2R1vLlp9Ui6mtEeR9p5PdpwzvOhSNmrCqJoSo52rZMBWp22hMflulTyN0DIe5v1n4qaHMGIC8AvQ5PNeD6P1R/s1600/puffballs.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7-q3hV1ReJFAphmukA32PThSj2cz3DMZGANNKGnmzUTJVChT14cM5Aw2R1vLlp9Ui6mtEeR9p5PdpwzvOhSNmrCqJoSo52rZMBWp22hMflulTyN0DIe5v1n4qaHMGIC8AvQ5PNeD6P1R/s320/puffballs.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515716176948598082" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >A scene from "Lucien and the Giant Puffballs" (with apologies to Roald Dahl).<br /><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBnKd-9BdtBlRVCYfIIMTSPQcRsKizsXd72VJqzbvqM2geyEx5x4owFWQPq9kjMxSPjZ9PBjLRulGE4ma8k4PUUMq-COmZbMPvHMlvipVId9Mqv58hxNZJYZVWjJmnXcew3uTsK9zbNC3/s1600/september+oysters.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBnKd-9BdtBlRVCYfIIMTSPQcRsKizsXd72VJqzbvqM2geyEx5x4owFWQPq9kjMxSPjZ9PBjLRulGE4ma8k4PUUMq-COmZbMPvHMlvipVId9Mqv58hxNZJYZVWjJmnXcew3uTsK9zbNC3/s320/september+oysters.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515716723958807202" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >On our way to shoot, we found another log covered in oyster mushrooms (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pleurotus ostreatus</span>). The cultivated varieties are nice, but I find the flavor much more intense when they grow in the wild.<br /><br />Roasted in a hot oven (400-425º) in Spanish olive oil is my preferred cooking method for these.<br /></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-24285444428175921912010-09-07T14:13:00.007-04:002010-09-11T13:51:17.430-04:00Rehearsing with Giant Puffballs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEt-LSFrEHz7FhykejGh8WjmfzoIXismq8q6SzCUIZPO_7XWhdwSChoYqNzShmgVLiFwSrctB9av-LrEqWkal8aGgHveWYDYOhWieRjlhKY9V65g5RcvI_lfFtdbzaYqzL_2tArxFVkzP/s1600/NF+Woodcut+BW+morel.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEt-LSFrEHz7FhykejGh8WjmfzoIXismq8q6SzCUIZPO_7XWhdwSChoYqNzShmgVLiFwSrctB9av-LrEqWkal8aGgHveWYDYOhWieRjlhKY9V65g5RcvI_lfFtdbzaYqzL_2tArxFVkzP/s320/NF+Woodcut+BW+morel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514243279533428674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">This post's image will be featured on cloth bags and t-shirts that we'll give away as 'thank you' gifts for our upcoming Kickstarter fundraiser. Stay tuned!<br /><br />We were in Prospect Park yesterday for a rehearsal--co-director Julia Halperin, co-lead Tiffany Esteb, and myself. We played a game of cribbage (which figures into the narrative) and set out to check some spots in the park where I've seen Giant Puffballs (<span style="font-style: italic;">Calvatia gigantea</span>) in past years.<br /><br />It's still way too dry around NY--the precipitation predicted with Hurricane Earl missed us entirely. So I wasn't too optimistic.<br /><br />We wandered a bit, checking my spots for other wetter-season mushrooms along the way. Everything was dry and dead. But I had heard reports over the Labor Day weekend of puffball discoveries up in the Palisades and had even spotted a patch alongside a busy NJ highway on Saturday afternoon (never pick puffballs near a roadside--they accumulate lead from exhaust fumes of days gone by).<br /><br />When we finally got near my sacred puffball grounds, my greatest fears were confirmed. A giant puffball alongside the trail...turned to fluffy white shrapnel by someone's foot. Now, I can understand the temptation--giant puffballs are about the size of a soccer ball. To a kid, it might seem the natural thing to do. But to a mycophile, mushroom kickers are not cool.<br /><br />I stood there among the fungal carnage, staring down into the shreds and chunks of perfectly white, homogeneous flesh that would have been so nice fried up in crispy Panko cutlets. Then Julia let out a little gasp. A few feet away, just on the other side of a low wire fence, was another perfect puffball--bigger than my head.<br /><br />We hunted down the trail further, and found another three large and lovely GP specimens to overfill our baskets. Plus a log with about 2 lbs of absolutely fresh and perfect oyster mushrooms (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pleurotus ostreatus</span>).<br /><br />After rehearsing, we walked back to Grand Army Plaza with heavy baskets and tired arms. We stopped to watch the West Indian Day Parade with all the beautiful people and flashy costumes going by. But even with all that glitz, our mushrooms caught a few eyes.<br /><br />I'll post some puffy pics later, after we shoot some B-roll.<br /><br /></span></span></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344862338785494975.post-65999749757423103532010-08-06T19:28:00.008-04:002010-08-06T20:43:45.099-04:00The Short, Dry Summer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLSraqe3r5lVMOHw0RSgGVQhF_qWK4qbAX_1X6FFE6unlorRXBxBE6RYWgDygFuO-tJaYRknlLQVwZEv85FGwCg7tCw9sVWVybojso-un6mNckAwsrnSJ_wxr8Qa8FS2aUBCjNhbMEbBT/s1600/white+chicken.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLSraqe3r5lVMOHw0RSgGVQhF_qWK4qbAX_1X6FFE6unlorRXBxBE6RYWgDygFuO-tJaYRknlLQVwZEv85FGwCg7tCw9sVWVybojso-un6mNckAwsrnSJ_wxr8Qa8FS2aUBCjNhbMEbBT/s320/white+chicken.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502451630497733586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">There's a helluva lot to do, and not much summer left to do it all.<br /><br />Casting supporting roles. Locations. Filling out our crew. Trying to raise a few more production dollars. Rewrites. Production design. Rehearsals. More rewrites. Scheduling. Budgeting. Testing equipment. Meetings...<br /><br />It might be a blessing that much of New York and New Jersey has been experiencing an unusually warm, dry summer. If it wasn't such a crummy time for foraging, I'd be much more tempted to be out prowling Western New Jersey for chanterelles and black trumpets rather than sitting in front of the A/C in my Brooklyn apartment preparing for an October shoot.<br /><br />I still get out of the city once a week or so...and I've thankfully been finding just enough edible fungi to stoke the fires. I crossed paths with the chicken mushroom (<span style="font-style: italic;">Laetiporus cincinnatus</span>) pictured above last Sunday. Nothing makes a finer tempura than fresh, young chicken mushroom, in my opinion. It also takes to braising very well. I've also had a pretty good summer for different bolete species, but very few chanties and no lactarius or black trumpets to date. Such is life.<br /><br />And so, while the Mister Softee trucks are still rolling, we'll be busy laying the groundwork for production...and praying for a massive deluge of rainfall come September. The mushrooms must be ready for their close-ups.<br /></span>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388490253290277084noreply@blogger.com