Provincetown International Film Festival 2009

by Chuck Pistorino

Hello there! Well, with Greg heading to Nantucket for the weekend, Nick and I decided to make the trek out to the very end of the Cape to see the 11th annual Provincetown International Film Festival.  We’ve always been in awe of this festival as it’s known as a magical place where the work of up-and-coming filmmakers and the artistic, energetic vibe of Provincetown collide.  Hopefully we can be a part of it next year, and needless to say Nick and I were excited to go.

While we had made plans some time ago to attend the festival on Saturday, June 20th,  the manner in which we ended up going didn’t come together until that morning. In true Pistorino fashion, since several members of our family mentioned a desire to go, it became a full-on family trip literally minutes before we embarked. So, away we were, Mom, Dad, and Ashley along for the ride, both excited for the festival and absolutely unsure of what was waiting for us.

We kicked off our trip with the screening of “World’s Greatest Dad” starring Robin Williams and written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait.  This was a very dark comedy that was able to deal with some deep issues while tastefully giving the audience a chance to laugh.  It was an amazing performance by Robin Williams, who was able to really dig into his character and further broaden his already impressive body of work.

Next on the list was “In The Loop”, an interesting satire about the British and American government systems that provided a lot of British dry humor.  It was a fast moving film with a broad cast, featuring James Gandolfini and Anna Chlumsky (of “My Girl” fame) as well as several up-and-coming actors from both the US and the UK.  There were many laugh-out-loud moments and it was a fun way to look into the inner workings of both of our government systems and their international relations.

Left to Right: Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page

Last film of the night was “It Might Get Loud,” a phenomenal movie that follows three legendary guitarists (Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White) and puts them in a room to talk and play together.  It was fascinating to hear each of their stories from their own perspectives, and to see them together playing classics from each of their amazing catalogs.  The highlight for me was seeing Jimmy Page start playing the riff for “Whole Lotta Love” and seeing the utter awe and amazement in The Edge’s and Jack White’s eyes as they completely stopped whatever they were doing and gazed at the majesty that is Jimmy Page’s guitar playing.

Overall, it was a great day in Provincetown where we were able to see some great films, walk around the beautiful area, and just enjoy a June day on the Cape (thanks to the weather which thankfully held out!).  I’m definitely looking forward to going next year.

Chuck

… So Where Are We Now?

by Chuck Pistorino

A good question indeed.  I’ll try to do my best to answer it.

It’s really an exciting time for us, a time of accomplishment and yet a time where we realize the real work still needs to be done.  We officially wrapped production on Saturday, March 29th, shooting the very last scenes and also getting a few re-shoots in.  It was a bittersweet day — while we’re all more than happy to be done with this chapter and onto the next for “Catching On,” I think I can speak for everyone when I say we’ve had a lot of fun on set and I surely will miss that.

We were also able to let loose a bit just a week later.  Saturday, April 4th was the “Catching On” wrap party, and I for one was thrilled with the turnout.  In the tradition of Mr. Michael Lake providing all food and beverage services for us, we thought it only fitting to go to Mike’s place of employment, The Squealing Pig in Roxbury, to celebrate the completion of production.  Much fun was had indeed, and it was great to just hang out with everyone without worrying about trying to get work done at the same time.  By the way, if you do find yourself at The Squealing Pig, I highly recommend the Mars Bar Toastie — it’s heaven.

And that brings us to where we are now.  We’re underway on post-production and diligently working to get this film into the best shape possible.  Nick has worked day and night to get a cut together of the film, and I must say it is shaping together nicely.  We’re a few rough cuts in now, and I am amazed at how much better it gets at every new cut (especially since I was in love with the first one — but what do I know?).  We’re going through all the fun things now — agonizing over the cut until we feel confident that we’re at picture lock, getting some second opinions on the edits of some scenes, and working with a composer and color correctionist.  We’re moving as fast as we can, and yet I’m so excited to have this project ready to be seen that I constantly want to be going faster.

Next step is the friends and family screening — and since you’re reading this, I consider you a friend and possibly even family, so you’re invited.  We’ll be sending out emails to cast and crew soon to let everyone know when and where this will occur, so shoot me an email if you’d like to receive that message — my info’s in the “Contacts” section.  Then, we’re onto festival submission and promotion, and hopefully we’ll have news on that front soon for you as well.  In the meantime, please peruse the site for some of the great media we’ve got up here — we just posted an interview from Autumn, our actress playing Lisa, and I highly recommend that you see the previous ones if you haven’t already.

Well, that’s all folks — I look forward to updating you again soon!

Chuck

What is a Producer?

by Chuck Pistorino

An interesting question indeed: what is a producer? Well, for starters, if you look at a movie poster or the back of any DVD case, you’ll notice that there’s usually a string of them; some are called executive, others are called associate, sometimes even others are called assistant. I don’t know the distinction, nor do I think I would understand it if it were explained to me. Even in what I do, be it what I’ve done in pre-production or on set, or what I will be doing once the film is “in the can,” there is no way that I could begin to define the term to say, “This is what a producer does.”

Now that we’re aware that I know of no way to technically define the term, I suppose I can comment on my idea of what a producer was before shooting this film, and my actual realization of what a producer is based on my own experiences. I always imagined a producer being in a fancy office getting weekly updates from his or her director, giving “notes” and looking over numbers to make sure the project would finish under budget.  While that may be the way things go in some studio somewhere, it is far from what producing is in independent filmmaking.  No cushy office, no assistants getting you coffee, no glory — at all.  It’s not a bad thing, it just is what it is.

I remember stepping on set my first day, having felt that I had done a decent job of preparing for the beginning of this adventure through the months of pre-production I had just been through.  This feeling was quickly squashed when I was mentally thrown into an absolute mess with an entire crew working in insane heat (due to all of the lights as well as the fact that it was the glorious month of August and and our set was a 2nd floor apartment with no A/C).  Yes, as you can imagine, I had just entered a friendly atmosphere full of people who were absolutely in love with me.

I’ve often described the duties of a producer as comprising absolutely everything that nobody else wants to do.  It’s true — it includes equipment pickups, car re-parking (in the event that one of your sets is in a lovely neighborhood that enforces resident permit parking), ensuring that there is plenty of food and drinks for everyone, trying to keep some semblance of schedule and timeliness, having those oh-so-enjoyable discussions with the director about how there is no possible way we can shoot everything he wants to and stay on schedule for the day, and the list goes on from there.  The best part above all?  Writing those checks for equipment, set design, costumes, makeup, food, and the many other random things that come up — and seeing how quickly those checks drain your production account.

All of the glamor and glory supposedly associated with producing is lost on an independent film set, in fact it’s pretty much the opposite.  99% of your work is done before the cameras and crew get on set if you did your job right in pre-production.  Therefore, aside from coordinating all of the logistics of what needs to get done throughout the day (those aforementioned items), you’re basically in the way of everyone who actually knows what they’re doing.  This in addition to being completely to blame for anything and everything that anyone is ticked off about, and you would assume that being the producer on set is a nightmare.  However, it really isn’t — it’s easily the most fun and rewarding thing I’ve ever done, and an amazing experience.  Going about it in the trial-by-fire manner that I did would probably not be recommended by most – but hey, I think I’m slowly getting the hang of it.

Personally, I define producing (or really, filmmaking in general) with the many experiences I’ve had throughout filming this short film as well as the memories I have amassed that will last a lifetime. I define producing with the countless words, such as “mostly,” “buck,” “musket,” “flimming,” and “buzzers,” that would not even make most people think twice, but I know an entire group of people who would fall into hysterical laughing fits at the very sight or sound of them.

To sum up, I’ll tell a quick story that goes back as far as cast auditions in July. We held initial auditions and then chose a group of people for call backs on some key characters who we were undecided about. I sent out my email to the pool of potential cast members, describing all of the details including where and when the call backs would be held as well as directions to the call back location. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to be present, but I informed all of the potential cast that it was my brother’s birthday and that everyone should wish him a happy birthday for me. They all wished him well in their own unique and entertaining ways, one even bringing in birthday doughnuts (and that may or may not have gotten that person the job). I come home that evening to Nick looking greatly annoyed, and he simply says “Why… on earth… did you ever tell them it was my birthday?!?!?” It’s not often you’re graced with the ability to screw with your brother, and being producer gave me that rare opportunity.

That, in a nutshell, is producing.

Chuck

A job… and a career.

by Chuck Pistorino

Hello, and thanks for visiting!

Well, here we are in 2009, following a year that will no doubt go down in history books for many reasons.  As for us, 2008 has been a very busy, challenging, yet ultimately rewarding year in which we have seen our short film begin to take shape.  The excitement is truly yet to come, once the film is edited into its final form and screened for you to see.  I anxiously await what lay ahead in this new year, and I hope that you will join us on our journey by watching the film once it is complete!

I’m often asked what my background is and how I got involved in producing this film.  I actually find it quite humorous when I respond to someone who clearly expects me to touch on my long background making films and my many accomplishments at film school.  That person’s face swiftly reveals the emotional change from expectation of what will be said to utter confusion and disbelief when I respond:  I graduated a business major and went on to work for the US government before we decided to make this film.

Yes, it’s true.  My work experience before we decided to embark on this filmmaking journey consisted of the following: stock boy and cashier at a pharmacy, attendant and vehicle inspector at a gas station, and financial analyst for the government.  While the idea of filmmaking wasn’t completely foreign to me (I had participated as cast on many of my brother’s high school projects several years ago), I had no idea of what went into actually making a movie — so I had to learn quickly.   Now, I know what you’re thinking: what a perfect choice for producer of a short film!  I can assure you, everyone else involved in hindsight feels the exact same way.

You may also be wondering what possibly could have led me to Washington, DC to work for the government.  The answer can be summed up in four simple words: “Hey, that looks cool.”  Those were the words in my head as I clicked on the “US Government – Washington, DC” link in my school’s Cooperative Education employment database one day in the Spring of 2005.  No analysis of the pros and cons of relocating for six months, no thought of whether or not I really wanted to start a career in government finance, no exploration of the other options that I may have been overlooking; just “Hey, that looks cool.”

Little did I know that was a half-decent way to start a career, regardless of whether or not it’s actually the career you want.  I returned for a second six month Cooperative Education experience in 2006, and lo and behold, I was offered a full-time position pending graduation in May 2007.  Now, before you go thinking that work as a financial analyst for the government is mundanely boring and miserable, I feel as though I should do my best to inform you otherwise… although, quite frankly, it is.  I will correct myself a bit as that may not be the most fair assessment to make; I worked alongside some of the hardest workers I’ve seen, forged friendships that will last a lifetime, and was able to experience life in our nation’s capital.  All that said, government work was steady and paying the bills, and yet it just didn’t seem to be for me; but really, what was?

Fast forward to early 2008, talking with my brother during the WGA strike about the complexity of traditional filmmaking in today’s world filled with media that is easily accessible via the internet.  It was ironically in that discussion that I realized I could, and should, make a major change and try to set the foundation for an independent filmmaking career during a time when the industry is facing challenges and change that it has never experienced before.  Great idea, but bad timing; I’ve established a life 500 miles away from the other people willing to embark on this adventure.  Not only that, it’s a pretty crummy time to be job hunting, particularly when you’re looking out-of-state and your experience is only useful in the state (or district, rather) that you’re already in.

So, the job search begins, and remarkably it doesn’t take all that long.  Come May, I’m back in my home state with a new job and the ability to start producing a film… now I just have to figure out how to do that.  I’m still learning in that regard, but moving back to Boston has easily been the best decision I’ve ever made.  In my experience thus far, there’s nothing more rewarding than to be doing what you love (and in my case, to find out what it is you love to do).  The opportunities are endless in this light, because I’m happy just to continue making films regardless of their success and it will just be exciting to see where each one takes us and what project comes next.

I recently saw a Chris Rock standup special on TV, where he went into great detail describing the difference between a job and a career.  I just sat there, grinning from ear to ear, agreeing with every point he made. Granted, it’s tough to call something a career when you’re doing it outside of your day job and you’re paying to do it rather than being paid, but it’s still very satisfying to find something you love to do and to be doing everything in your power to make that your career.  It is funny, though, how quickly things can change – honestly, until we started making this film, that difference between a job and a career is something I would not have known or understood.

Chuck

Greetings from the Producer…

by Chuck Pistorino

Hello and welcome to our site!

I wanted to take a moment to thank you for visiting and also attempt to give you a quick background for “Catching On: The Day The World Turned Gay.”

This project started as three college students and a recent grad who had a vision of making a movie, and now the majority of that vision is on tape and well on its way to being completely done with production thanks to a lot of hard work by an already countless number of people.

While the short film itself is only about a year old from conception to the present, the story behind the production team that has come together goes well beyond that span.  This all starts with a high school student by the name of Nick Pistorino, who decided to make a video with his friend Greg Walsh in favor of avoiding a history paper.  Since this idea was well received, Nick and Greg kept making them, and Nick continued to try to make them more professional to the point that he even learned how to insert effects like light sabers and muzzle flashes via computer editing.  Ironically enough, Nick and Greg ended up putting far more work into these videos than they ever would have writing some simple history papers.

Come Senior year, Nick decided to co-write a short video spoofing several teachers from his high school with his friend Mike Lake for exhibition at a school-wide event.  The video was immensely popular, and a monster was born (sorry Nick, but it’s true).  Next up was a short video spoofing the Terminator movies (are you catching a trend?) that Nick decided to write and film with Greg, complete with morphing, liquid robot technology, and a dangerous car chase scene, to demonstrate his filming and editing abilities for submission with his film school applications.  The highlight of the video was the starring role of John Connor — being Nick’s older brother and a talented thespian, I very graciously lent myself to the project (and to all of those reading who actually know me, please stop laughing hysterically at me calling myself a talented thespian).

Fast forward to 2008, when Nick, Greg, Mike, and I decide that we want to try to make movies ourselves and just need an idea for our first project.  Mike offers up a short story he wrote for a writing class, a crazy satirical piece about what would happen if far-fetched “slippery slope” gay marriage theories were actually realized.  After some convincing (admittedly Greg and I had our reservations about the intent of the story being taken the wrong way), we had an idea for a short film — now we just had to make it.

Now, you may ask how four early-twentysomethings, only one of which actually studied film and the others having studied English, Business, and Public Relations, would go about making a film.  Well, I will have to get back to you on that once we’ve actually made a film.  The short while-we’re-in-production answer is that you surround yourself with consummate professionals who actually know what they’re doing and can make your idea into a product that will actually look good to audiences.  Enter Sean English and Courtland Jones, our Director of Photography and Production Designer.

I still remember the exact words that came out of Nick’s mouth when he and I were discussing the feasibility of making this film and making it well — “I need Sean English as DP, it’s as simple as that.”  Sean went to Fitchburg State College with Nick, and Nick could not say enough about his amazement at the kinds of images Sean was able to get onto film for his student projects.  It was for that reason that Nick decided that getting Sean was the only way to make this film and give it that production value that we absolutely needed and for which we could not afford to pay much at all.

While we have known Courtland for far less time, we are all grateful that she is also a part of this project and know that we can always rest assured that our characters will come to life in unique and artistic ways.  I met Courtland through my good friend Zachary Egan, and ever since we first met for a production meeting we knew that she was the perfect choice to be in charge of costumes and set design for this project.  It’s very difficult doing costumes for a “satirical zombie movie that’s not really a zombie movie,” yet somehow she’s been able to do a flawless job at it — I promise you that you’ll thoroughly enjoy seeing her work on screen.

What was once words written on twenty pieces of paper, read aloud by four guys to each other impersonating “characters” (only one of whom had any formal film training whatsoever), has now come alive onto tape thanks to an immensely talented cast and an extraordinarily hardworking and diligent group of people.  We’ve got the kind of cast and crew that most would only dream to have — people who are talented, dedicated, and honestly driven to ensure that this project comes to life in the best way possible.  I will give your eyes a rest (that is, if you’ve lasted this long) and update you on the production details later — it will be a fun ride.

Chuck