tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36810531272259200102024-02-18T18:17:14.239-08:00A MODEST SUGGESTION"A Modest Suggestion" is a feature-length satire on anti-Semitism. The film explores the absurdity of anti-Semitism by allowing its characters to pose and ponder its central question.<br><br>
In a drab, corporate boardroom, four men in suits discuss the next item on their agenda:
“should we or should we not… kill the Jews?”Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-16682249454442884782012-05-21T18:21:00.001-07:002012-05-21T18:21:23.092-07:00Armchair Actorvist: Another Modest Suggestion<a href="http://armchairactorvist.blogspot.com/2012/05/another-modest-suggestion.html">Armchair Actorvist: Another Modest Suggestion</a><br />
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Our star, R. Scott Williams, explores the experience of seeing the stage version of "A Modest Suggestion".Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-40177412337818557012012-05-18T11:59:00.003-07:002012-05-18T11:59:31.722-07:00"A Modest Suggestion" On 42nd Street!"A Modest Suggestion" on 42nd St!
Ken Kaissar's play (on which our film is based) is having a successful off-Broadway run at The Studio Theatre!
<a href="http://www.telecharge.com/BehindTheCurtain.aspx?prodid=8938">http://www.telecharge.com/BehindTheCurtain.aspx?prodid=8938</a>
I'd love to hear what you think of it, and how you feel it compares to the film.
-Arnon ShorrArnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-1182976836806507972012-01-04T08:50:00.000-08:002012-01-04T09:17:57.800-08:00Is this film anti-Semitic?I received the following email earlier this week.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">To Arnon Shorr:<br /><br />We have seen your movie “A Modest Suggestion”. You asked us to comment on the movie. Our comments are as follows:<br /> • I ordered the DVD because we believed in you and we wanted you to be honored with work that you created.<br /> • The title of the movie is very deceiving.<br /> • Had we known what it was about, we would have never purchased the movie.<br /> • Now that we have seen the movie, we need to let you know our feelings about it.<br /> o We believe the movie is very disturbing and anti Semitic.<br /> o It gives very unsafe ideas to the world.<br /> o How could any Jew possibly be associated with degrading the Jews as shown in the movie?<br /> o How could any Jew make a movie about killing Jews?<br /> o It appears in the movie that killing Jews was OK.<br /> o This is very dangerous for Jews all over the world.<br /> o As a holocaust survivor watching this movie, it was extremely upsetting.<br /> o It has only been about 70 years since Hitler got the very same idea, Kill the Jews.<br /> o We are very upset and concerned that all of the anti Semitics who watch this film will be encouraged to do what was shown in the film.<br /> o The killer did not show remorse and the other three morons went along with him, making it appear that it was OK to kill Jews. <br /> • Are these the ideas that you wanted to give to the world?<br /> • What kind of lesson were you teaching the world?<br /><br />On behalf of all of the Jews in the world, we strongly urge you to withdraw the film from circulation immediately.<br /><br />In view of our comments above, we chose not to comment on the quality of the director’s and the producer’s work.<br /><br />We hope you seriously consider the comments above and remove the film from circulation.<br /><br />Regretfully,<br /><br />A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR and HER HUSBAND<br /></span><br /><br /><br />In my response, I explained the film's intended purpose. It is a satire, meant to lampoon anti-Semites by exposing the ridiculous illogic at the foundation of anti-Semitism. It's not an uplifting story of redemption and peace. It's a dark exposee: anti-Semitism often triumphs, even though it has no basis in truth. We are not removing the film from circulation. I thanked them for their candid letter, and invited further feedback.<br /><br />That said, I've lost a lot of sleep these past few nights, bothered by this email. Ultimately, the meaning of a film has nothing to do with the director's intentions. It's the audience that must decide. Is "A Modest Suggestion" an anti-Semitic manifesto, or a satire on anti-Semitism? I know what I intended, but I don't think that matters nearly as much as what you see, and as such, I'm eager to read your comments here.<br /><br />-Arnon Z. Shorr<br />Director, "A Modest Suggestion"<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=musinpictu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0052MA2ZY" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-38067758644025195372011-11-19T22:31:00.001-08:002011-11-19T22:35:06.385-08:00Michael Gabel honored for his work on "A Modest Suggestion"Congratulations are in order to Michael Gabel -- he was just honored by the <a href="http://www.tivadc.org/index.php?/Peer-Awards/winners-list.html">PEER Awards</a> for his performance in <a href="http://www.amodestsuggestion.com">A Modest Suggestion</a>!<br /><br />I'm honored to have had the opportunity to work with Michael, and to witness his process first-hand.<br /><br />Congrats, Michael, for a very well-deserved award!<br /><br />-Arnon Z. Shorr<br />Director, Producer,<br />"A Modest Suggestion"<br /><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=musinpictu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0052MA3VW" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-54760895017827120512011-08-10T12:04:00.000-07:002011-08-10T12:07:48.563-07:00Discount on DVD for Blog ReadersDear readers,
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<br />I want to take a moment to thank all of you for following our progress so closely, and for cheering us along as we brought this film through to completion.
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<br />As a token of gratitude, I'd like to offer you this discount on the DVD of "A Modest Suggestion" -- just type in the discount code: YTAUNN7H at the createspace.com order page: <a href="https://www.createspace.com/309574">https://www.createspace.com/309574</a>
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<br />This offer will expire on 9/1/2011.
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<br />-Arnon Shorr
<br />Director, "A Modest Suggestion"Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-46812457895635599592011-08-10T09:37:00.000-07:002011-08-10T09:56:55.819-07:00"A Modest Suggestion" on DVDOn Friday, we officially announce the availability of "A Modest Suggestion" on DVD. This is an exciting time for any filmmaker, but for me, and for this film, it is especially important.
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<br />Since "A Modest Suggestion" represents a complex social commentary, it's not enough that it be entertaining. I do hope that its viewers find it entertaining, of course, but as a personal matter, I feel that its success is really rooted in how much it encourages conversation.
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<br />I grew up in a world that desperately needed conversation -- the Israeli/Palestinian peace talks of the early '90s were a sign of tremendous hope for me (I was still in grade school, still naiive, still faithful that the best of humanity would triumph over itself). It really looked like people were communicating, and that communication was moving us all forward.
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<br />Several years later, we all got a shocking reminder of just how poorly we were all communicating, when Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. Even as Jews, our dialog with ourselves had broken down so terribly that even one of the ten commandments was no longer inviolable. As we've learned over the years, the Palestinians are no less unified, with opposing factions grappling for control of the territories, and of the peace process itself.
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<br />The issue of communication is not just a matter for Jews to consider. It is required in (and missing from) all sorts of foreign relations, not to mention our own political system in the United States (remember the debt crisis?)
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<br />Though I am still deeply committed to the virtue of communication, it won't solve every problem. Most of "A Modest Suggestion" describes a failed communication, a kind of communication that unravels and becomes selfish, blind, short-sighted and destructive. Communication is difficult. It can require a lot of hard work, a lot of careful analysis. It can break down, sometimes catastrophically. All we can hope for is that new conversations will arise from the rubble of the old.
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<br />I urge you to see "A Modest Suggestion" this week. If you don't want to buy a copy (here: <a href="https://www.createspace.com/309574">https://www.createspace.com/309574</a>), you can rent a digital copy on Amazon.com
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<br />Don't see it alone. See it with friends. Talk about it. And if you have a moment, let me know what you've discussed. Leave a comment here, and I'll do my best to respond.
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<br />-Arnon Z. Shorr
<br />Director, "A Modest Suggestion"Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-39360462631651162172011-05-10T13:14:00.001-07:002011-05-10T13:39:10.435-07:00Understanding the CompetitionMark, Israel and I spent much of this past week-end taking in films and networking at the Maryland Film Festival. Mark, who recently launched the <a href="http://markjaffee.com/MJFF%20Description.pdf">Mark Jaffee Film Fund</a>, formally began his search for his next producing adventure at the fest.<div><br /></div><div>Although we were all there for the same general reasons, my personal goal was to get a sense of the competition. What sorts of films made it in to the festival? What were their strengths? What were their weaknesses? Of course, at the back of my mind was the festival's surprising rejection of "A Modest Suggestion".</div><div><br /></div><div>At the forefront of many critiques of "AMS" is the film's pace. It certainly isn't a racehorse, as far as films go, but is that really it? If there's one lesson I learned at the festival this year, it's that pace is not a factor, at least, not in this selection committee's eyes.</div><div><br /></div><div>The festival included some particularly slow films, some of which had won high praise at other festivals around the world. These were narrative films, stories, and they were much longer than "AMS". One film, in particular, seemed to be cut exclusively of minute-long takes. In my most recent "<a href="http://musingpictures.blogspot.com/2011/03/musing-pictures-cronos.html">Musing Pictures</a>" blog post, I spent some time pondering some of my favorite long takes, using the del Toro film, "Chronos", as a springboard to thoughts on "Touch of Evil", "Rope" and other films. I love long takes when they're done well. At times, they can do more than a series of cuts to engage and energize an audience. Unfortunately, some of the slower films we saw didn't use long takes in that way. They seemed to invite contemplation, meditation and introspection. Unfortunately, they also inspired sleep. I don't think I've ever seen quite so many snoozing people in a movie theater.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, why are films like that accepted to a film festival? (and yes, the back of my mind still nags, "why wasn't 'A Modest Suggestion' accepted?)</div><div><br /></div><div>The conclusion I reached is a somewhat more nuanced version of "it's just dumb luck, kid. Get over it".</div><div><br /></div><div>Every film that I saw at the festival had something - breathtaking cinematography, a unique viewpoint, unusual characters - that stood out in some way. Although some of the films did not speak to me at all, those stand-out elements must have spoken out to the festival's selection committee in some way. We all have our unusual interests. Long takes, for example. If I were a festival judge, I might vote to include a film with a particularly complex long take, whereas others might find fault in its narrative. The element of luck that plays in to the festival game is in how the selection jury's interests align with the film's particular quirks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some film festivals are known for having a certain 'character'. Other fests seem to have a different 'character' every year, depending on who's selecting the films. One year, a festival's lineup may include lots of gay/lesbian themed films. Another year, and the lineup features strong female leads. It's not necessarily a conscious decision, but a reflection of the selection committee's preferences, biases, and interests.</div><div><br /></div><div>From the films I saw at MFF, I'd say the selection committee leaned towards films with great pictures, with characters whose moral center was blurry. Audio quality seemed less of an issue than the clarity or uniqueness of the picture. Narrative resolution seemed less important than the complexity of the journey.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since most film festivals don't provide any feedback on the film when they reject it, this is really the first obscure insight I have in to the reception "A Modest Suggestion" has been receiving, and it gives me much hope.</div><div><br /></div><div>"AMS" is a snarky, cynical satire, with characters that are not characters, but a group that caricatures the anti-Semitic mindset. It's wordy, intellectual, silly, and very dark. Getting it in to film festivals will require that enough people on the juries or selection committees be interested in this unusual sort of film.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although it's disheartening to think that luck plays such a major role (rather than quality or significance), it leaves me with some hope for the film. Sure, it has its problems, but films with similar problems (or worse problems) have been accepted to some of the biggest festivals in the world. Here's to hoping the film falls in to the hands of a snarky, cynical festival judge who likes intellectual, wordy satires.</div><div><br /></div><div>-Arnon Shorr</div>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-60588630301922117172011-03-03T12:14:00.000-08:002011-03-03T12:35:41.012-08:00Every Film has its First AudienceLast week, we screened "A Modest Suggestion" to an audience of roughly 200 of the Baltimore area's business, community and religious leaders at the wonderful Charles Theatre. It was thrilling to see the film on such a large screen, and to hear such a large crowd react to the waves of humor and gravity that we've worked so hard to create.<div><br /></div><div>I didn't want to spend very much time 'lecturing' to the assembled crowd, so when I did get up to speak after the film, my message was brief: You Matter!</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the basic idea: since this is such a small (dare I say, "modest") film, each one of you can impact its growth and advancement very dramatically.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since the screening, quite a few people have come up to me and asked how they can help us spread word about it. Here are a few notes on different ways you can help. Some may involve a bit more work, others may be a little easier, but they're all important!</div><div><br /></div><div>First, some web suggestions:</div><div><br /></div><div>BLOG!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The most popular search engine in the world, Google, loves blogs. When a blog includes a link to a web page, that in itself raises that web page's profile dramatically on search engines. So, if you've got a blog, write about and link to <a href="http://www.amodestsuggestion.com">A Modest Suggestion</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Share!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Email people about the film. Tell your friends to visit the website, www.amodestsuggestion.com. If you're on facebook, "like" the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/amodestsuggestion">facebook page</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Did you know we have a video trailer of the film? Watch it here: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s6IY-NA2RQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s6IY-NA2RQ</a> -- don't forget to give it a "thumbs up!"</div><div><br /></div><div>YouTube has a "share" feature, which allows you to share the video in various ways, including on twitter, youtube, facebook, email, etc. Feel free to embed the video in your blog, too!</div><div><br /></div><div>Mention!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Mention the film on twitter, or if you're on facebook, use "@amodestsuggestion" to mention the film in your status updates.</div><div><br /></div><div>Comment!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Leave comments on the Facebook page, or if you're more ambitious, find film discussion forums and leave notes about "A Modest Suggestion". One fantastic way to help the film gain prestige at this very early stage is to find it on the Internet Movie Database or www.imdb.com. Give it a ten-star rating and leave a review! <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1764155/combined">Here's the film's IMDB page</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>And finally,</div><div><br /></div><div>Talk, Talk, Talk!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Tell people about the film. Tell them what you think about it. Discuss its messages and themes. It's a film loaded with controversial ideas and challenging assertions, so use it to start a conversation. Who gets to define "being Jewish?" Can there be a legitimate anti-Semitism? Do we know who we are, anyway?</div><div><br /></div><div>If you have other ideas for helping to spread word about the film, please let us know -- leave us a comment here or get in touch with us via email.</div><div><br /></div><div>We're still being considered by over a dozen film festivals at the moment. Any hint of 'buzz' that those festivals receive will only help our chances of getting accepted and screening to a much larger audience.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm looking forward to seeing this film's star continue to rise. I know that when that happens, it's due to a very large extent to your help in these crucial, early days.</div><div><br /></div><div>-Arnon Shorr</div><div>Director, "A Modest Suggestion"</div>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-53902253755859850742011-02-16T16:28:00.001-08:002011-02-16T16:46:20.671-08:00A Wave of SubmissionsWe've been busy behind the scenes at Modest Films, preparing and submitting "A Modest Suggestion" to a slew of film festivals and competitions.<div><br /></div><div>It's an anxious period, the long wait before the first festival says "you're in!" We've already heard a couple of rejections, and they're tough, but the bigger picture is still very exciting.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last week, I felt a strange kinship with a new batch of filmmakers. I had submitted films to festivals before, but this was the first time I had ever put a full-length film in the mail. Putting the addresses on the envelopes, I couldn't help but smile at what even this menial task represented. I've finally joined the ranks of feature-film directors.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think this sense will be complete once the film is accepted somewhere, or screened for an audience of people who don't know me. But I feel as though I'm almost there. After all, the movie's ready!</div><div><br /></div><div>We're hosting a private screening of the film next week to an audience of community and business leaders. The folks in the crowd, by and large, are movers-and-shakers in Baltimore. It's a bit of an intimidating demographic for a sneak preview, but an important one, nonetheless. I'm eager to see how they all respond when the end credits start to roll.</div><div><br /></div><div>Either way, the film is out there, now. We submitted to a couple of fests in England, one in Germany, several in California, New York, Massachusetts, and even Oklahoma. I've never been to Oklahoma...</div><div><br /></div><div>-Arnon Shorr</div><div>Director, "A Modest Suggestion"</div>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-22091490856671692382010-12-06T12:33:00.000-08:002010-12-07T03:13:45.678-08:00Too Much for Berlin?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; " ><div style="font-family: arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>For many filmmakers, the film festival rejection letter is very familiar. It usually includes some florid language about how many great films they've received, how few time slots they have, and how agonizing their decision was to cut your film out of the running. The cliches are carefully constructed so as not to reveal anything at all about what they actually think of the film. It leaves filmmakers with the self-destructive task of second-guessing every decision they made. Every shot, angle, cut, etc. becomes suspect.</span></div><div style="font-family: arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>I am not immune to this line of reasoning. In fact, I've become a bit of a pro. In the long wait between the film's submission and the festival's decision, I've watched "A Modest Suggestion" numerous times, each time taking careful note of all the tiny problems that only a director would notice and filing them away somewhere in the back of my mind. When news came this morning that the <a href="http://www.berlinale.de/">Berlin International Film Festival</a> will not select <a href="http://www.amodestsuggestion.com/">"A Modest Suggestion"</a> this year, that nit-picked list came to mind, a devilish reassurance that I shouldn't be disappointed by foregone conclusions.</span></div><div style="font-family: arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>That is how it usually goes. The optimist in me submits a film, the masochistic pessimist prepares in advance to justify rejection. But this time, things are different.</span></div><div style="font-family: arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>"A Modest Suggestion" is a film about anti-Semitism. The kind of anti-Semitism that swept through Germany barely a lifetime ago. In this case, could there be a reason beyond my self-assessed list-of-doom? Is the film... perhaps... too much for Berlin?</span></div><div style="font-family: arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>I don't want to dwell on German cultural sensitivities. Having never been to that country, I am just about the least reliable analyst of its tastes and anxieties. That said, what does it mean for a film about anti-Semitism to be "too much" for anybody?</span></div><div style="font-family: arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>I typically hear the phrase "that film was too much for me" or its shorter cousin, "that was too much!" in reference to violence, gore, and other forms of extreme deviance on screen. For many of us, seeing people getting ripped to shreds on screen is a difficult, unpleasant experience (even though we know it's fake!) Why is it unpleasant? I'm sure there are film theorists who have approached this question before. I've been out of college for a few years, and haven't kept up with the world of film criticism as much as I would have liked, so I'll venture a few suggestions of my own here (with apologies to anyone who has already come up with this stuff before me).</span></div><div style="font-family: arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>First, there's the obvious: When we lead our daily lives, we typically don't see dismemberments or decapitations. I imagine most of us don't see much physical violence at all. Maybe a scuffle outside a bar now and again? The sight is disturbing because it's unusual -- it's strange, it deviates from our understanding of the world in a way that clearly doesn't bode well for those of us who like our limbs right where they are. Of course, seeing people flying in movies is lots of fun, and that certainly deviates from our understanding of the world. There's a cinema secret here: We love to see optimistic visions of an alternative to our reality, but we're uncomfortable with pessimistic visions of it.</span></div><div style="font-family: arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>So, why do we still see (and in some cases love) so many films with brutal death, destroyed societies, worlds ruled by robots, etc.? Many of those stories (especially those adhering to Hollywood's narrative sensibilities) always set up those worlds in opposition to what they could be. There is always some sort of hope, some sense of the cinematic world's "upward mobility". Even if there isn't a 'happy ending', we are at least presented with a word of warning, one which (if heeded) will prevent our real world from degrading to become like that of the film.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; font-family: arial; font-size: small; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">That leads me to my second thought on the question: We are repulsed by extreme deviance on screen because it is precisely not extreme deviance. Somehow, when we see a bloody dismemberment on screen, or a horrible dis-figuration, we see something real, a hint of our own fragility. Often, these moments pass quickly, moments in a battle. We are reminded not only of how fragile we are, but of how forgettable we are. Godzilla rampages, and no one really cares about the thousands of people crushed by his awkward feet. If we see them, in gory detail, getting crushed, we are forced to remember them, and forced to remember that we don't care, and that if we were there, crushed by the monster's feet, who would care about us? Deviant images come in other forms, of course (and much of it is defined as 'deviant' by culture's expectations). Sexual perversion (and in some cases, merely sexual explicitness) can make people uncomfortable because it may express things whose expression 'polite' society prohibits. We don't want to admit to being human, and therefore subject to all sorts of desires and thoughts that are beyond our control. When we see those expressed on screen, it can sometimes feel like a mockery of our self-control.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>These two approaches to understanding our aversion to extreme images and scenes in movies may seem to contradict each other. We don't like them because they are alien to us and because they remind us of ourselves? But I think that is precisely what may be happening with "A Modest Suggestion" in Berlin.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>In the film's first few minutes, a character poses the question, "Should we, or should we not... kill the Jews?" In a culture that has worked so hard to grapple with its own history of extreme anti-Semitism, this very question does more than just raise eyebrows. In Germany, the merest hint of anti-Semitism is dealt with in the most severe terms. Such a blatant question is truly alien to contemporary German society. This very line, though, paraphrases a critical moment in German history, calling to mind not only the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wannsee_conference">Wannsee Conference</a>, but the almost scientific developments of Germany's anti-Semitic policies that led up to the Holocaust. But the strength of the film is not just that it is a reminder of a painful past. We are all guilty of framing our understanding of the world in categorical terms. In this very note, I talk of "Germans" as if they are all cut from the same mold, a string of blond-haired, blue-eyed gingerbread men. We have to talk this way, because it is how we learn. We see a pattern repeated once or twice, and extrapolate from that an impression of the whole. What happened to Jews in Germany could happen again anywhere, even in Germany, unless we learn to be self-critical, to acknowledge the coarseness of the definitions we create.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>Bigotry is human. It is an extreme expression of the flawed way in which we understand the world. All too often, I've seen mechanical, robotic attempts to overcome bigotry. Celebrities such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_gibson">Mel Gibson</a> or notable personalities like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Thomas">Helen Thomas</a> are told to keep their mouths shut. "They shouldn't have said that!" I hear. If this is the way Americans react to bigotry, I can only imagine that the censorship is more severe in Germany. But it doesn't change anything. To the bigot, the thoughts remain, and there is no one around to say "no, that's not true. That's a ridiculous statement." A Modest Suggestion attempts to do just that: to undermine bigotry by revealing the fundamental illogic at its core. I had hoped that the film would be welcomed in Germany, but perhaps there is still too much anxiety. Perhaps there is still too much stock put in silencing anti-Semites, rather than in educating them, or at the very least, undermining the foundations of their bigoted opinions. I can only guess. Perhaps someone will respond to this with alternative ideas? For now, I'm left to contemplate the festival's response to "A Modest Suggestion", and to wonder, "Was it too much for Berlin?"<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">-<a href="http://www.facebook.com/arnon.shorr">Arnon Shorr</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Director, <a href="http://www.amodestsuggestion.com/">"A Modest Suggestion"</a></span></span></div></span>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-69107431459963385472010-11-27T17:27:00.000-08:002010-11-27T17:29:26.750-08:00So what’s going on with our film now?Fans & friends are asking: “Where and when can we see A MODEST SUGGESTION? What’s going on with it now?” Well, here’s the route we’ve planned. We submitted the film to two big film festivals. If the film is accepted, we’ll work with distributors to decide where and how they will distribute the film. Only then we will know how and where it will be shown. I would guesstimate that our film will be available to rent or purchase by mid-2011. Of course we will keep you updated as information becomes available. - Israel OrangeIsraelorangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07984304390431862602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-57606883981500683332010-11-01T11:56:00.000-07:002010-11-01T11:58:48.755-07:00A Modest Suggestion -Composer’s PerspectiveComposing the music for “A Modest Suggestion” was an absolute joy!<br />My involvement began with my friend director Arnon Shorr. I had worked with Arnon in the past on a short film project, and we had kept in contact over the last few years. When he told me some months ago that he was considering doing a feature film, I immediately expressed my interest in scoring his project. Well, one day I finally got the okay from Arnon to do the score, and now I am very proud that my name and music is attached to this project. <br /><br />Arnon had in mind to give the soundtrack a “Spanish feel.” I immediately sought out my friend Richard Peterson who is an extremely talented and versatile guitarist who can play Spanish style guitar with aplomb. <br />I used some of Richard’s improvisations as a “foundation” to work with on some of the tracks, and then I composed other tracks without the guitar based sounds. I think the results satisfied Arnon’s vision for the music, and “marries” to the film nicely.<br /><br /> The Composing Process:<br /><br />I received the script a few weeks before the actual shoot, and began to compose some Spanish-themed material based on certain scenes from the script. This particular way of composing for film is not that unique; sometimes composers get a cut of the film to work with, or, we receive the script prior to the filming like I did, or, sometimes it’s a little of both. Besides composing themes based on the script alone as scenes were being shot and edited, I then received a 20 minute cut of a portion of the film to work with. A few days later I received the “locked picture” cut of the entire film. Naturally, I had to find the places where the pre existing music cues that I wrote would fit in, as well as write some new cues based on my receipt of the balance of the film.<br />This was accomplished in a very compressed time schedule because the film was shot in 9 days after 98 pages of script, and then had to be edited, sound mixed, and pressed as a DVD for entry in the Berlinale Film Festival in Germany, just a few short days after the shoot was finished!<br /><br />It was definitely crunch time!<br /><br />As I had completed portions of the score, I forwarded the music to Arnon for his approval. He was reassuringly complimentary and supported me all the way. When a director likes a composer’s work, there is nothing better.<br /><br />The film is now in the very capable hands of Executive Producer Mark Jaffee who is in Berlin to promote our film.<br /><br />I wish Mark and the rest of the production team the best of luck with this very important and timely film.<br /><br />“A Modest Suggestion” will go places!Israelorangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07984304390431862602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-16956238358583509192010-10-25T20:33:00.001-07:002010-10-25T20:36:09.666-07:00Aaah! We're talking like the script!Earlier today, Mark revealed that he's now asking for "a picture of the landscape" from people.<div><br /></div><div>Since we started rehearsals, it has been hard not to fall in to the back-and-forth rhythms of Ken Kaissar's fabulous and quirky dialog.</div><div><br /></div><div>It seems the bug is spreading: I'm uploading a large file, the completed locked picture, for the composer to use as a guide when creating our music. It's taking a long time, so I sent him an email to let him know. This was his response:</div><div><br /></div><div><div>A)That makes a lot of sense, can't slow down the upload.</div><div>B) Oh sure, he's right.</div><div>C) He is?</div><div>D) Of course he is, these things take time.</div><div>A) Yes, he's right; and time is important. I mean after all, all we have is time.</div><div>B) Exactly.</div><div>C) 100% right.</div><div>D) So what do we do now.</div><div>C) Donuts?</div><div>D) Oh sure, eating donuts is a great time passer.</div><div>C) Right.</div><div>D) Donuts it is.</div><div>A) Good.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks, Leon!</div><div>-Arnon Shorr</div>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-72631959595877452372010-10-18T17:38:00.000-07:002010-10-18T18:24:51.515-07:0030 pages in two days... again!Today, our seventh shoot day, we wrapped another grueling pair of days. They were challenges, but they were planned challenges, and we beat the odds.<div><br /></div><div>Some background: The general rule of thumb, I am told, is that Hollywood movies aim to cover two to three pages of a script in their average shoot day. Television shows, which have a cumulative running time that far exceeds a typical film's two hours, tend to shoot faster, covering six, sometimes eight script pages a day.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sheer financial necessity often forces independent productions to cover more ground in less time. Actors, crew, equipment and facilities often charge by the week or by the day, making each additional production day an instantly expensive proposition. "A Modest Suggestion", for example, which is scripted just short of one hundred pages, was scheduled for ten shoot days, roughly ten pages per day. This turned out to be merely an average -- some days would require much more of our cast and crew.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had set ourselves up with an additional challenge: we had scheduled a lengthy, difficult scene for our first and second shoot days. On top of that, our second day included an additional scene at a different location (which means the cast and crew showed up in one place, shot for a while, then re-located en-mass to our studio). We had roughly thirty pages to cover.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first days of a shoot are notoriously unstable. Talented people in numerous disciplines are thrown together, often for the first time, in an attempt to create meticulously detailed puzzle pieces, the individual shots that will eventually combine to form a motion picture. Everyone has their own way of doing their job, and their own expectations of how everyone else should do theirs. It can be a challenge on any production, and it usually means the going is slow, sometimes flawed, and often frustrating.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had our fair share of frustrations on our first day. For me, a lot of it involved learning the rhythms of such a large, compartmentalized crew. I also had to learn how to communicate my careful planning to the crew and production team -- my storyboards and shot lists have made production move very smoothly, but on day one, I still hadn't figured out how to express my meticulous plans to the people around me who needed to understand them. By lunch, we had fallen behind schedule significantly, and I was instructed that I'd have to speed things up.</div><div><br /></div><div>I tweaked the shot list frantically during our lunch break. When we were called back on the set, I felt the tension mount as the lights went up, the camera rolled in to position, and the microphones swung over the actors' heads. The shot list was organized a bit better, and the cast and crew seemed to have a better sense of each others' patterns and needs. Perhaps lunch had helped them all relax in to the job? Somehow, we got very close to completing our shots that day. We had fallen behind, and we pushed an hour in to overtime, but we got close.</div><div><br /></div><div>That night, I sat down with our first assistant director to review what remained of our scene. There was a lot left to cover, and we'd only have half a day to cover it, since there was that other location shoot in the morning. We shuffled, tweaked, and shifted shots around, trying to figure out the most efficient order in which to get what we needed. We came up with a new shot list and called it a night.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day, on the set, as actors pulled in, and as the crew started rigging their gear, I frantically hacked at the shot list, changing and shuffling our shooting order again and again, continuing to streamline the day's plan.</div><div><br /></div><div>On set, the team seemed better prepared for the day. By know, they had gone through a busy day together, and had learned a lot about each other. The first day was like oil in the joints, making day 2 flow very smoothly. Needless to say, we caught ourselves up and finished shooting that big scene by the time we wrapped our second day. In those two days, we had covered roughly thirty pages.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's easy to credit the shot list for something like this. Shot lists require discipline and organization, but not much art. Here's roughly how it works:</div><div><br /></div><div>A movie or scene is composed of all sorts of shots -- individual camera angles that combine to convey a narrative. Think of the typical movie conversation between two characters. You start out seeing both of them talking. Then, you see one of them, saying something. Then, you cut to the other one, responding. Cut back to the first, with a retort, and back to the second, with a reaction. You might think that movies are shot like that, too: first, the wide shot of both actors, then a shot of one, saying one thing, then a shot of the other, saying the next thing, then back to the first actor, and so on. If we worked that way, we'd still be shooting that first day's scene. You see, every time you move the camera, you've got to worry about the lights, the set, continuity, etc. Everything has to be re-set, moved, turned around, or fixed up. It takes a while. Instead of working this way, most filmmakers will try to group the shots they get together. If, in our example, we get all of the first character's lines and reactions, then reset our camera just once for the other character's lines and reactions, we've only had to re-set things once, but we've got the same amount of footage.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's the basic principle of shot-listing, as I see it. If the camera is pointed somewhere, you might as well get every possible shot you'll need from that angle before you move the camera somewhere else. Since the scenes in "A Modest Suggestion" are very long, and involve four or five characters moving a lot through the set, the shot-listing was complicated, and often required combining moments from the beginning of a scene with moments that take place ten minutes later, at the scene's conclusion. Jumping back and forth across these scenes is not easy, and that's one of the places we got lucky.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our actors have been absolutely incredible. Their careful preparations gave them such a keen understanding of their characters and of their scenes that they could almost instantly glide in to and out of each moment. They may try to be modest about it, but their preparations paid off. The shot list was arranged in such a way that we didn't have to reset the cameras, but that would have been meaningless if it had taken us ten minutes to remind the actors of how their characters should behave and interact every time we jumped across a scene. Because of their preparation, the shot list worked.</div><div><br /></div><div>The crew was also fantastic, especially once I learned how to communicate my shot list to them. There are still a few kinks to iron out, but at this point, it doesn't take two minutes for me to explain a shot before the camera is moved, the lights adjusted, and the sound team brainstorms the best microphone placement. Once we're up for a shot, we're up for everything else that needs to be shot from that position -- that sequence of shots is called a setup. The shot list makes it possible to get through setups quickly, but the crew is the bridge from one setup to the next. The shot list reduces the number of times we have to reset the camera, but when we do, the crew makes that process flow like water.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now that we are a week in to the production, it happened again. We just wrapped another 30-page pair of shoot days. This time around, our shot list was more carefully refined -- I had been working on it with the 1st Assistant Director since late last week. The actors were even better prepared, having worked together in character for what adds up to roughly half the movie. And the crew, of course, had become a family -- a very functional family!</div><div><br /></div><div>So, with two shoot days to go, I am already looking back at what we've accomplished with a great deal of pride. 30 pages in two days is an enormous accomplishment, and we've done it twice. Don't let anyone tell you it's impossible! But don't try it without careful preparation, or without a brilliant, hard-working, dedicated team at your side.</div><div><br /></div><div>-Arnon Shorr</div><div>Director</div>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-3311715119037239902010-10-14T19:42:00.000-07:002010-10-14T19:43:19.627-07:00Day 4So far so good, actually amazing! We’ve been now on the set for four days, not straight because we had one day off on Wed, and today we completed day four of shooting! Being on a set of a feature film and living the motion with such nice people is almost like having a new family. It’s not a job; it’s not a vacation, nor a hello and bye at the local supermarket, but an experience. A production team works like a functional body; everyone has its productivity task and makes sure the final product is special and perfect. For me, these are good days, and days to remember.<br />– Israel Orange (Producer’s Perspective)Israelorangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07984304390431862602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-74291049757446433072010-10-06T19:48:00.000-07:002010-10-06T20:20:58.413-07:00A Mountain Climbed - By Israel Orange, ProducerOften, after watching a film I would wonder, what is the magic of film that creates a masterpiece? What makes a film so special? I can NOT say I have a clear answer to that yet, but what I do know after working tirelessly on our film is that a ginormous amount of work goes into every single film, every single minute of every single scene, every single frame; lots of effort, time, finances, meetings, people, artists, thoughts, props, heart, blood & soul, go into every second of every piece of footage shot. Eight months ago, I sat with Arnon (director) talking about this project, wondering, how in the world can we make this happen? How can we cross this humongous bridge with only a dream? Is it really possible? How can it be done? We sat together for hours, day after day, sipped LOTS of coffee, tea and chocolate milk, and planed endlessly, creating a budget, a time frame, a schedule; modifying, revising, clarifying, pushing meeting after meeting, not relenting! By every means, it was not an easy process and no easy task. But today I felt proud; a feeling that was gripping. Literally! Today, as I watched Arnon for the first time on the set, sitting with these amazing actors, in the boardroom, directing this new film, I had a sense of calm, a feeling of awe, knowing that every minute, every meeting, and every effort that went into this project was so truly worth it. These are really exciting days for me! – Israel Orange, Producer.Israelorangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07984304390431862602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-3525979166368111722010-10-06T16:19:00.000-07:002010-10-06T16:34:13.414-07:00Reflections: Day OneThings are running like clockwork. Here's how I know:<div><br /></div><div>Yesterday, we did a "tech scout" ("tech recce" is another term for it), basically me visiting our locations with the DP, AD, producer, making sure we have a sense of how to tackle them when the time comes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our office hallway location was nice, but there were stirrings of trouble. By the time we got home from the trip, an email awaited us: the major Jewish association that owns the building and that coordinates the financing for the organizations housed therein decided they didn't want to have anything to do with our film, so, we can't shoot there.</div><div><br /></div><div>You'd think a major Jewish organization would be interested in supporting Jewish artists, especially when those artists are tackling such important subjects as anti-Semitism and bigotry. But no, they didn't want to make waves. Fine.</div><div><br /></div><div>What does this have to do with us running like clockwork?</div><div><br /></div><div>Today, I showed up on the set for our first rehearsal. The actors arrived, and we got started. We worked 'til lunch, took a break, and worked some more, refining and polishing the lively banter that characterizes so much of this film. Eventually, five o'clock rolled by. Actors went home, and things got quiet.</div><div><br /></div><div>I sat down with our DP, Rich Waganer, and with our production coordinator, Stacie Jones Gentzler, to talk through the day. While I was working with the actors, they were busily discussing solutions to our location problem. They presented me with options, we picked one, and that was that!</div><div><br /></div><div>Losing a location just days before the shoot can be very hard to recover from for a little indie film. Since we've got so much of the project's needs already lined-up, and since we have the right people on board, ready to tackle any challenge the moment it presents itself, we were able to recover very quickly, without missing a beat. For me, the amazing revelation is that I didn't really have to do anything. I could trust my producer, my production coordinator, and the rest of the team to step in and solve the problem while I was busy with the rehearsals themselves.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've never been able to pull myself away from parts of a production like that before. Making short films, I've always had to wear every hat, and to be the chief troubleshooter for every department (mostly because there weren't really departments, just well-meaning folks lending a hand). This isn't to belittle all the fantastic people I've worked with before, of course! It's just that somehow, here, our team seems to have formed in such a way that everyone can independently work to support the production. People are solving problems, troubleshooting, addressing issues, and making things happen without too much of a push from the top. The best part is, we seem to all be making the same movie.</div><div><br /></div><div>I couldn't ask for anything more from my team. I'm looking forward to the collaborative adventure that the next few weeks have in store.</div><div><br /></div><div>-Arnon Shorr</div><div>Director</div>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-28383343122844145802010-10-05T08:43:00.000-07:002010-10-05T08:52:01.446-07:00On the VergeAs we creep closer and closer to the start of production, I've been doing my best to keep a level head about everything. I don't want to get too excited -- the movie isn't a movie yet, and it won't be a movie for a while. There's still lots of work to be done before we get to that point.<div><br /></div><div>But, yesterday, I had a brief emotional moment when I walked in to the studio. The set, its walls built up, its paint dry, with some pieces of furniture already in place, looked fantastic. What's more, it looked like all the sketches, models and diagrams that have been floating around my apartment for the past several months. When I walked in to that set for the first time, I couldn't contain the sense that 'this is really happening'.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's something very powerful about building and shooting in a set. So far, almost everything I've worked on has involved shooting on-location, with minimal adjustments to the rooms being used. Now, for the first time, I've been able to dictate the dimensions and demeanor of the space, and through that, of the film itself. I determined (with help, of course), the colors (which are very intentional, and meant to go entirely un-noticed), the shapes, the very furnishings of the space that encompasses so much of this story. I won't know 'til the film is ready if I've done it right, but it's thrilling to know that on this film, more than any I've shot before, will consist entirely of products of the combined imaginations of my team -- products that I need to coordinate for the screen.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tomorrow, when the actors step in to that space for their first rehearsal, I'll really get a taste of what I've been preparing for all these months. Think I'll be on cloud 9? It'll be far below me. But of course, there's more work to be done. It's not a movie yet!</div><div><br /></div><div>-Arnon</div>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-32030030510973319612010-09-22T08:09:00.001-07:002010-09-22T08:17:06.682-07:00Confined Spaces (thanks Scott Feinberg!)Since I began pursuing this project, I've been warned many times that a film like this runs the risk of coming across as 'staged' or 'theatrical' -- I've been encouraged to expand it to new locations, to write in new scenes, to take it much more outside the boardroom. My friend, Scott Feinberg, an industry analyst and guru behind <a href="http://scottfeinberg.com/confinedspaces">scottfeinberg.com</a> just noted that this year in particular, there are quite a few highly-regarded films that take place in confined or claustrophobic spaces. I feel like I'm in good company!<div><br /></div><div>Of course, looking at the careers of successful filmmakers, their first films are rarely large-scale, multi-location spectacles. Their films tend to be confined in some way. Lumet's "12 Angry Men" is an obvious one to look at, but also Spielberg's "Duel" (which put him on the map) takes place on a desert highway (sure, they move a lot, but the car and the truck really don't change setting at all). The economics of this are interesting in their own right, but I think the real secret is that these are films that really test their filmmakers. You can't just shoot your way through a dull scene and hope to cut to the next location quickly, before the audience gets bored. You have to make every shot, every angle, every moment count. That's really one of the things I've found so thrilling about "A Modest Suggestion".</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, we'll see if Scott adds "AMS" to his list next year...</div><div><br /></div><div>-Arnon Shorr</div><div>Director</div>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-42579227484490537662010-09-15T19:41:00.000-07:002010-09-15T19:42:14.602-07:00Bio – Ken Kaissar (The Writer)Ken Kaissar was born in Ramat Gan, Israel. When he was three years old, his family moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he developed a precocious understanding of the term “Red State.”<br /><br />He received a BFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University, and an MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University. After college, Ken spent a few years directing plays in various festivals such as The Women’s Center Stage Festival at The Culture Project and the American Globe Theatre’s Festival of New Plays. He also directed a new production of Ibsen’s A DOLL HOUSE along with a handful of other new plays.<br /><br />Finally, in 2002 he started devoting more of his time to playwriting. His adaptation of Geoffrey Chaucer’s THE CANTERBURY TALES was commissioned by Columbia University and premiered in 2008, and his ten-minute play CEASEFIRE (about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) was a regional winner in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. His other plays include, THE MAN STANLEY, THE VICTIMS OR WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT, RECIPROCAL VELOCITY (finalist in the Ashland New Plays Festival and the Texas Non-Profit Theatre Production of Original Plays Contest under the title CREATIVITY), and NUDE STUDY. Ken now resides in Yardley, Pennsylvania with his wife Amy. He is an adjunct professor of theatre at Rider University, Neumann University and Stockton College.<br /><br />Through the experience of promoting A MODEST SUGGESTION, Ken has learned that he gets the best results when he uses the pseudonym Moshe Feinblum.Israelorangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07984304390431862602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-59518519994478616882010-09-15T19:21:00.000-07:002010-09-18T18:02:54.778-07:00How A Modest Suggestion Came To Be - Ken KaissarOne day in playwriting class, my teacher was explaining that a writer’s work should reflect their philosophy towards life. In other words, by reading someone’s writing, we should understand how that writer understands the world in which they live. Do they think people are intrinsically good or evil? Are they conservative or liberal? Pessimistic or optimistic? Materialistic or hedonistic? Are they for abortion, or pro-life? Socialized health care, or capitalist health care? <br /><br />And in this laundry list of possible views that could be reflected in a writer’s work, he said, “Should we kill the Jews, or should we not kill the Jews.”<br /><br />My teacher of course was intentionally raising an absurd question to make a point. He is in no way anti-Semitic, but is actually quite passionate about people from all backgrounds. But he was trying to exaggerate the sick and twisted thoughts that lurk in people’s minds. I think he was trying to help us tap into our dark side. Everybody knows that great writing comes out of a writer’s dark subconscious mind. <br /><br />But in that moment, my mind stayed on that terrifying question: “Should we or should we not kill the Jews?”<br /><br />I started to imagine a scene in a corporate board room in which four executives engage in a cold and calculated cost-benefit analysis to see if it’s actually beneficial and cost effective to kill the Jews. <br /><br />I intended the scene to go on for about ten minutes. Ten minutes became twenty. And at the end of the first scene, I decided, “okay, now we have to see them interact with a Jew.” And then I thought, wouldn’t it be “funny” (that’s the sick and twisted part) if they decided that this Jew isn’t Jewish enough. And the piece quickly became a statement on ethnic identity, and what it really means to belong to a people, in this case the Jewish People. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />A Modest Suggestion is not just an absurdist look at genocide and bigotry, but also a statement on what it means to be a Jew. Or, to put it in a more universal way, what it means to belong to any nationality or ethnicity. </span>Israelorangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07984304390431862602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-81321516329817915822010-08-25T12:24:00.000-07:002010-08-25T12:46:57.183-07:00SketchUp and StoryboardingI've been using SketchUp as a tool for storyboarding on this project. It's my first attempt at storyboarding anything without actually drawing each frame by hand. Initially, I considered keeping the entire process digital, exporting individual images from my 3D model of the set for each shot in the film, creating a digital sequence that would serve as a sort of animatic. That process was a bit of a flop. If there was a button I could press that would basically snap a photo of my view in SketchUp and save it as a sequentially-numbered image file (perhaps with the option of adding some notes?) that might have worked out better, but as things go, it's such a tedious process to align each shot, and to save each individual file.<div><br /></div><div>Instead of this, I devised a hybrid method that combines my tried-and-true pencil-and-paper method with the promise of digital previsualization.</div><div><br /></div><div>First, I sat down with the script and devised a general visual approach to each act of the narrative. This "lens plot" (inspired by Sidney Lumet's approach, described in his wonderful book, "Making Movies") served as a guideline for what shots I would or would not include in a given scene.</div><div><br /></div><div>Second, I took that "lens plot" and used SketchUp to create most of the shots that I would use -- in this instance, medium shots, wide shots, shots with very few angles. I made about ten or twelve image files, and printed them all, nine images to a page. I cut these out and arranged them in stacks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Third, I storyboarded. Instead of drawing a shot by hand, I grabbed a picture from a pile and taped it on to my storyboarding page. I wrote in notes, drew in arrows for camera movements, and folded the little papers to form tighter shots.</div><div><br /></div><div>Aside from the obvious benefit to my writing hand, this process had an aesthetic impact, and will have a logistical impact as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>By having before me a limited array of shots, I was 'forced' to tell the story from a limited number of vantage points. Rather than confining me, this limitation allowed me to approach the scene more fluidly -- every available shot is part of a broader scheme, so, in a way, any shot I choose would be "correct". I didn't have to worry so much about whether a shot would fit in the scene's context. I only had to focus on the way each shot related to its immediate context, and to the character and the moment.</div><div><br /></div><div>The logistical impact may be obvious -- by limiting my choices of camera angles, I'm also limiting the number of setups that will be necessary on the set. This will give us more time to focus on performances, and the nuances of camera position, lighting, sound, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now that the first act is storyboarded, I've got to think about how to approach the 2nd and 3rd acts. They involve more movement, both in terms of the characters and in terms of the camera. Will this approach work for these more fluid scenes? I'm not entirely sure yet, but I'll find out soon...</div><div><br /></div><div>-Arnon Shorr</div><div>Director, "A Modest Suggestion"</div>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-26831534142402622492010-08-24T11:28:00.001-07:002010-08-24T11:32:43.353-07:00The Competition?There are people in Turkey spending $10M on an anti-Semitic, anti-Israel action film (the latest in a series, actually).<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.worldofjudaica.com/jewish-news/israel/anti-israel-film-burns-in-turkey/573/29/">http://www.worldofjudaica.com/jewish-news/israel/anti-israel-film-burns-in-turkey/573/29/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Politics aside, this is scary stuff. The earlier "Valley of Wolves" film, released this past January, is little more than a contemporary rehash of the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", using modern-day Israel as a thin metaphor for the Jews in that anti-Semitic text. The Mossad kidnaps Turkish children in order to convert them to Judaism? Are you kidding me?</div><div><br /></div><div> (Thanks to Rafi Farber for bringing this to my attention!)</div><div>-Arnon Shorr</div>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-93152017820561102010-08-15T14:53:00.000-07:002010-08-15T14:58:56.633-07:00The Book's CoverIt's early yet to be discussing promotional graphics, but brand identity is important, so we're discussing it.<div><br /></div><div>We're looking for feedback on our Man-in-a-Chair graphic. Who does it reach? Who gets it? Who doesn't? Is it effective? Is it flat? Is it dynamic? How should it change?</div><div><br /></div><div>Mark, our executive producer, is an absolute expert in the marketing world. Since I am not, I'm looking to get a broader perspective on this design, to see if there are folks out there who can help me look at it through a different set of eyes.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, what do you think?</div><div><br /></div><div>-Arnon</div>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681053127225920010.post-74683624999980963402010-08-13T15:52:00.000-07:002010-08-13T15:56:53.999-07:00Our set, as per "SketchUp"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRNF5nPSw1fzGVaygjFOOc2uvjumu8V5xcxJyoPzLp9CUSJTMa45b2DvsNx_pDbd7AHrDFTMXlSDGgn1jKKD4MCzDOyajDlX-HBdYY7BG21cQyUwyB4QNhNIQMD225ENY45sAKjoW1Dk/s1600/Act+1+-+Medium.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRNF5nPSw1fzGVaygjFOOc2uvjumu8V5xcxJyoPzLp9CUSJTMa45b2DvsNx_pDbd7AHrDFTMXlSDGgn1jKKD4MCzDOyajDlX-HBdYY7BG21cQyUwyB4QNhNIQMD225ENY45sAKjoW1Dk/s320/Act+1+-+Medium.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505031524497023602" /></a>Arnon Z. Shorrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12338457910724144673noreply@blogger.com0