(From the Janesville Messenger, 8-17-08)
I am not, by nature, a patient person.
When I am in the middle of something, whether it’s doing a project, reading a book, or even writing this column, I won’t rest until it’s completed and I can move on to something else. This trait has become even more pronounced since my life has gotten busier. Having a project linger drives me crazy; I obsess about finishing it. For me, instant gratification isn’t quick enough.
If I were a filmmaker, I would absolutely love the International 48 Hour Film Project. Filmmakers in several cities around the world enter into a competition to make the best short film completely from scratch in two full days.
On Friday evening, the filmmakers all draw a film style out of a hat (comedy, romance, sci-fi, etc.) and at that point, the clock is ticking. They have to come up with an idea, script it, shoot it, edit it, add music and special effects, and deliver a finished 7-minute product by Sunday evening. If you turn in your entry even a second past the 48 hour mark, your entry will not qualify for consideration.
Recently, the competition took place in Madison. I was not aware of this fact until about 9:30 pm Friday, when I got a call from the set designer of a play in which I had recently appeared at the Janesville Performing Arts Center. He told me about the project and said that his son-in-law and daughter were hard at work on a detective drama. Would I be available the next day to play the detective? As usual, I had things going on that Saturday, but I was so intrigued by what they were doing, I found a way to work around them and participate in the film.
To complete a project like this in 48 hours, you don’t have much – if any – time for sleep. The first draft of the script was e-mailed to me at about 3 a.m. By the time I arrived at producer/director Stephen Pickering’s home at 8:30, it had gone through a few more revisions.
There were only two actors, myself and a fellow named Tom Hall. Stephen’s directions to us were very clear in the e-mail he sent us prior to filming. “Tom, you are ‘Buddy Kant,’ the calm, collected, meticulous and self-justified serial killer/philosophy professor who bases his life on his own definition of reason and morality. Jim, you are the honest but obsessive detective who has finally caught the murderer he has been searching after for more than 10 years. He has given up a life, family, and marriage in order to dedicate his life to Kant’s capture.”
If the character name “Buddy Kant” doesn’t impress you, there was a reason for it. Besides the time limit, every film submitted for the contest was required to include a philosophy professor by that name, as well as a greeting card for a prop, and the spoken line, “I’d chalk it up to dumb luck.”
On Saturday morning, Stephen and his team found a location to shoot the film and we spent the morning doing test shots in what amounted to a rehearsal for the real thing later that evening.
The actual filming took place from about 6 p.m. until 12:30 in the morning. Scenes were shot several times from different camera angles and different approaches were tried. Different mixtures of syrup and cornstarch were used to simulate blood. I had to figure out how to convincingly throw Tom against a wall without hurting him.
Stephen and his wife Cameron assembled a top-notch team to put this together. Different crewmembers had different responsibilities, from music to editing to computer effects. In the interest of conserving time, while Stephen was in one room shooting a scene, Cameron would be in the other room editing what we had previously shot.
While my work as an actor was done at 12:30 a.m. Sunday, theirs was just beginning. They had 19 hours left to assemble all of the pieces into a finished film, which they decided to title “Kingdom of Ends.” They turned in their entry with about a half-hour to spare.
Four days later, on Wednesday night, all 15 submitted films were shown on the big screen at the Orpheum Theatre on State Street in Madison. I have to admit, it is quite a trip to sit in a movie theater and watch a film that you participated in, especially when the film is as good as this one is.
Stephen and company did a tremendous job. I’m still amazed they came up with the plot and concept within a couple of hours of being assigned their film style. Add their obvious technical skill, dedication, and sheer love of the art, and the end result is something they should all be proud of.
As for the acting, my castmate Tom is a tremendously nice guy who somehow found it within himself to play a very convincing creep. It would not surprise me if his performance took the Best Actor award for the Madison competition. One of my friends said he was so spooked by Tom’s character that he now sees him around every dark corner.
By the time you read this, the judges will have decided the winner of the Madison competition and determined whether “Kingdom of Ends” will move on to national or even international competition. In the meantime, you can watch the film on the Internet by going to YouTube.com and doing a search for “Kingdom of Ends” (be sure to put the title in quotation marks or you’ll never find it).
Maybe Dr. Buddy Kant will haunt your dreams, too.
(Follow-up 8-20-08: "Kingdom of Ends" won three awards - Best Special Effects, Best Use of Character, and Best Actor for Tom Hall. We didn't win Best Film, unfortunately, but it was really hard to argue with the film that did - a short called "To Be Okay" that you can also find on YouTube. While you're at it, check out the audience favorite, "Stools?")
Saturday, August 23, 2008
An Interview With Bessie, Janesville's Cow
(From the Janesville Messenger, 8-3-08)
Bessie, Janesville’s famous cow, stood in the parking lot of the Oasis Restaurant and Shops for over 40 years, until the property was sold and razed to build a new Menards Home Improvement Superstore and Del Taco Mexican Restaurant. After being temporarily moved to an auto repair shop and refurbished, Bessie has returned to the property, now residing in the parking lot next to Del Taco.
This exclusive interview is her first since settling in her new home.
Q: Are you happy to be back on Milton Avenue?
A: Is the Pope Catholic? Does a newborn calf have wobbly legs? (Laughs) Of course! I missed the fresh air outdoors. And I missed my fans.
Q: Was the experience of being away from home traumatic?
A: Was it ever! Cows don’t like change. We like our daily routine. We get milked in the morning, go out to pasture, come back to the barn in the evening when it’s time to get milked again. Anything different throws us off.
Q: How did you cope with the stress?
A: Normally, I would have jumped a fence, but unfortunately I was rooted to the spot. All I could do was to try to relax and find my center. You know, you can’t stop progress. Like when my cousin down in Harvard got moved from the middle of the intersection onto the sidewalk. There’s not much you can do except roll with it.
Q: And your cousin even has an annual festival [Harvard Milk Days] that features her.
A: I know! I was feeling pretty jealous and neglected for a while, until this whole thing came along with the move and whatnot, and I realized just how much Janesville really cares about me.
Q: You were able to go for a ride for the first time in over 40 years. How was that?
A: Being transported while I was lying on my side was a horrible experience. The kids think cow tipping is a big joke, but there’s a reason cows hate it; it messes up our organs. But it was worth it; I got a heck of a makeover. I don’t think I’ve ever looked this good.
Q: Instead of the Oasis, you’re next to Del Taco now.
A: I wish they didn’t serve beef, but that’s just me.
Q: What did you think about the recent controversy regarding the Mexican veil that was draped over your horns?
A: As a cow, I prefer to go au naturel, but once in a while, I don’t mind getting all gussied up for a special occasion.
Q: On a local newspaper discussion site, there was quite a debate about whether a Wisconsin cow should be advertising for a Mexican restaurant.
A: You’re kidding me, right? I’m a big fiberglass cow, people. Get a grip. And I don’t mean on my udders.
Q: Is it strange looking around and seeing the Oasis and the Ramada Inn gone?
A: And don’t forget, the Red Barn was out here, too, way back when, which made me feel right at home obviously. It’s that whole change thing again. Don’t like it, never have. But I’m getting used to it. I’ll tell you one change I’m glad about, though. With the pond filled in, all those dang geese are finally gone. Made it hard for a body to stay clean, if you catch my drift. I’d have to wait for a good gullywasher to come along and make me dainty again.
Q: Anything else you don’t miss?
A: I don’t miss the bar at the Hoffman House, either. I was sick of drunks using my hooves as a restroom in the middle of the night.
Q: Doesn’t being next to a home improvement center instead of a cheese shop deprive you of some of your charm?
A: What? Cows are naturally charming! (Laughs) Seriously, I thought I would stick out like a sore hoof, but it seems to work just fine. Glad I have my back to that roundabout thingy though. I’d probably get dizzy watching it all day.
Q: Any other thoughts you’d like to share with your public?
A: Yeah. I just want to thank all the fans who stop here to have their picture taken with me. That rocks. Way better than a milking machine.
Bessie, Janesville’s famous cow, stood in the parking lot of the Oasis Restaurant and Shops for over 40 years, until the property was sold and razed to build a new Menards Home Improvement Superstore and Del Taco Mexican Restaurant. After being temporarily moved to an auto repair shop and refurbished, Bessie has returned to the property, now residing in the parking lot next to Del Taco.
This exclusive interview is her first since settling in her new home.
Q: Are you happy to be back on Milton Avenue?
A: Is the Pope Catholic? Does a newborn calf have wobbly legs? (Laughs) Of course! I missed the fresh air outdoors. And I missed my fans.
Q: Was the experience of being away from home traumatic?
A: Was it ever! Cows don’t like change. We like our daily routine. We get milked in the morning, go out to pasture, come back to the barn in the evening when it’s time to get milked again. Anything different throws us off.
Q: How did you cope with the stress?
A: Normally, I would have jumped a fence, but unfortunately I was rooted to the spot. All I could do was to try to relax and find my center. You know, you can’t stop progress. Like when my cousin down in Harvard got moved from the middle of the intersection onto the sidewalk. There’s not much you can do except roll with it.
Q: And your cousin even has an annual festival [Harvard Milk Days] that features her.
A: I know! I was feeling pretty jealous and neglected for a while, until this whole thing came along with the move and whatnot, and I realized just how much Janesville really cares about me.
Q: You were able to go for a ride for the first time in over 40 years. How was that?
A: Being transported while I was lying on my side was a horrible experience. The kids think cow tipping is a big joke, but there’s a reason cows hate it; it messes up our organs. But it was worth it; I got a heck of a makeover. I don’t think I’ve ever looked this good.
Q: Instead of the Oasis, you’re next to Del Taco now.
A: I wish they didn’t serve beef, but that’s just me.
Q: What did you think about the recent controversy regarding the Mexican veil that was draped over your horns?
A: As a cow, I prefer to go au naturel, but once in a while, I don’t mind getting all gussied up for a special occasion.
Q: On a local newspaper discussion site, there was quite a debate about whether a Wisconsin cow should be advertising for a Mexican restaurant.
A: You’re kidding me, right? I’m a big fiberglass cow, people. Get a grip. And I don’t mean on my udders.
Q: Is it strange looking around and seeing the Oasis and the Ramada Inn gone?
A: And don’t forget, the Red Barn was out here, too, way back when, which made me feel right at home obviously. It’s that whole change thing again. Don’t like it, never have. But I’m getting used to it. I’ll tell you one change I’m glad about, though. With the pond filled in, all those dang geese are finally gone. Made it hard for a body to stay clean, if you catch my drift. I’d have to wait for a good gullywasher to come along and make me dainty again.
Q: Anything else you don’t miss?
A: I don’t miss the bar at the Hoffman House, either. I was sick of drunks using my hooves as a restroom in the middle of the night.
Q: Doesn’t being next to a home improvement center instead of a cheese shop deprive you of some of your charm?
A: What? Cows are naturally charming! (Laughs) Seriously, I thought I would stick out like a sore hoof, but it seems to work just fine. Glad I have my back to that roundabout thingy though. I’d probably get dizzy watching it all day.
Q: Any other thoughts you’d like to share with your public?
A: Yeah. I just want to thank all the fans who stop here to have their picture taken with me. That rocks. Way better than a milking machine.
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