NOTES FROM HOLLYWOOD: Part 1

Reflections on the Journey to Make a Feature Film

I’m writing at the end of our second week of prep from the production office on Yucca and Vine, around the corner from the famous Capitol Records Building, in the heart of Hollywood. ​A portion of the Walk of Fame runs up Vine and I step by the stars each morning on the way from the parking garage. Louis Lumiére; Rita Hayworth; George Burns; Joan Fontaine; Judy Garland; John Wayne; Cecil B de Mil; Groucho Marx. Our Line Producer set up the office, borrowed space from Mammal Studios, a VFX company. 

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​It’s a converted old-school second floor apartment with hardwood floors, a brightly tiled bathroom and a view of The Knickerbocker Hotel sign. Low Budget filmmaking with a little Hollywood glam out the windows. 

Wait...you may not know what I’m doing here. 
​Backstory.

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After the success of WRESTLING JERUSALEM, (a film based on my stage play about the complexities of the Israel/Palestine conflict), I turned my attention to try to understand the complexities of another polarizing topic: Guns in America. Before we all disappeared into our silos under the pandemic, I travelled around the U.S. talking to people about guns. I interviewed gun enthusiasts, gun-safety advocates, cops, gang members, surgeons, politicians, parents of kids shot at schools. I even attended the NRA convention in Dallas, Texas (photo above). I pursued a similar interview process that I used to create JERUSALEM. I read everything I could. I thought I was writing a play, but after a number of drafts and various approaches, as I honed in on the story of a solider and his relationship to firearms, I received a remarkable contribution from one of my supporters. It was enough to turn the nascent story from a play into a screenplay, and to set my sights (so to speak) on making a feature film.

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I called my long-time collaborator, Dylan Kussman (left) who directed JERUSALEM (the film), to join me as a producer and actor on the movie that I would write and direct. (Dylan and I met in the 90’s in Berkeley when I directed him in a number of plays. We made an indie film together and have been collaborating ever since). He signed on without hesitation and we set in motion a project that we both felt passionate about. Again, I'm untangling the threads of a complex and dynamic set of narratives that vie for our attention across media and that very few people take the time to fully understand. We all watch with horror as the cycles of violence and public commentary play out over and over again, and I find myself saying (also over and over again) we’re not even having the right conversations. This is a mission-driven film. We're exploring the roots of an on-going American tragedy and helping to shift the conversation. 

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​​Unlike WRESTLING JERUSALEM, which harnessed the theatrical elements of the stage and translated them into cinema, the formal style of AMERICAN SOLITAIRE is cinematic realism. It follows the story of one guy: a veteran of the U.S. Army and an expert marksman. He served in Afghanistan, and when he returns home wounded, in body and spirit, he's forced to rethink his relationship to violence and thus to firearms, if he's going to find the healing for which he yearns.
 
So where are we now in the process? RIGHT IN THE THICK OF PRE-PRODUCTION! We start principle photography on February 5 and will shoot for 4 weeks. We are deep into casting, location scouting, hiring crew, meeting with camera department, production design, costume, make-up, revising the script to reflect all these collaborators that are now on board. Full days and a list of decisions to make as long as my arm each time I walk into the office.
 
It’s quite a thing actually, to live inside a fictional story that I created, honing the screenplay for two years, revision after revision, with Dylan’s consistent and good notes, and then have all these other people read it, roll up their sleeves, and dive in with me. Turns out that they each have opinions and ideas! It's exciting to watch them lean into the story with their talent and expertise and make it better.
 
My conversations with cinematographer, Hana Kitasei (left), have been fruitful and enlightening as we develop our shot-list and visual language for the film. Production designer Niko Vilaivongs is a visionary who thinks in emotional tones for each character as she designs the look of the film, location-by-location, with her trusted Art Director, Aaron Bautista, at her side. My lead actor, Josh Close, who fell instantly into creative symmetry with me and Dylan, has been digging deep into the material and our conversations have led to subtle but vital changes in the script. Our casting team, Meg Mormon and Sunny Boling, are so good at what they do, they are providing us with incredible insight into our own film as they bring in remarkable talent to fill the roles. 

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Costume Designer, Jennifer DeRosa, is quick-witted and thorough as she's sizing up each character's look. Bailey Delong, in charge of hair & make-up, has much to consider, even on a small film like ours. Ashley Wright, our First Assistant Director, came in this week with great spirit and excitement. ​Liam Finn, our line producer (right), drilling down into details of production with razor focus and decades of experience, is forcing us to make important creative decisions so we can come in on-budget. And Dylan remains steadfast in his role as producer, keeping communication flowing between departments, while his 30-plus years in film offers us all a steady reminder that the story is the thing, even as we all begin to feel the pressure of imminent production.

I feel so profoundly fortunate to have all these incredible people with which to create the fabric we call collaboration. And with so many moving parts and so much unknown in the process of filmmaking, I feel every day since I got to L.A. as if I'm walking across a bridge that is being built under my feet as I go. I just keep hoping they find the next board and lay it down before my foot comes down. 

If you're one of the handful of financial contributors to this project thus far, and you know who you are, we wouldn't be here without you. Thank you. And behind all of this, our executive producer, Maris Meyerson, has been cheering us on with unwavering support and encouragement.

If you've read this far, I'm grateful. My goal is to share as much of the journey with you as I can. Maybe next week I'll be able to tell you more about our cast. There's a great deal to tend to, and so much unknown, so we'll just have to see, won't we?

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