Talbot Perry Simons
Interview by Renata Lorenc
IFQ: Could you discuss the origin of this particular story as well as why you felt the need to commit it to film for others to watch?
Talbot Perry Simons: On November 15th, 1995 Richard Fulvio, George Simonelli and myself (Talbot Perry Simons) performed an improvisational scene in an acting class given to us by Pat Randall who at that time was a our acting teacher and former instructor at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Hollywood and a lifetime member of the Actors Studio (since the 1950’s). The improvisation was performed at the Inner Circle Actors Theatre in Hollywood, California. This was one of many improvs performed within the class setting. The subjects of the improvs were usually heavy drama. It was some as an exercise where each actor would incorporate the use of three specific sensory choices during the improv. The improvs would usually last about fifteen to twenty minutes. This particular improv went really well and there were some very positive and strong comments about the story and the work, so I asked Pat if she wouldn’t mind if I wrote a screenplay using her storyline from the improv. She said “Do it!” It took me (in my spare time after work) about 2 ½ years to have my first draft. I made quite a few changes from the original improv. I had to create a beginning and an end and make it a complete story.
Note: I gave Pat Randall a credit with me for “Story By” in the end credits for the movie.
IFQ: If you would, please discuss with our readers how you decided to approach the physical production in terms of design, cinematography, performance style, i.e. the overall directorial vision you employed to create the film itself?
TPS: That’s a big question and it will take a big answer because our production process is quite a story in itself. After I felt that I had completed the screenplay, I was ready and wanted to move forward and direct and shoot the script, but Richard Fulvio (who was footing the bill at that time) suggested that since we had never made a movie and had never attended film school that it might be a good idea to first shoot a video storyboard using the Sony camcorders that he owned. This would not cost us a lot of money and we could explore whatever we wanted to shoot in the film.
Since about ninety percent of the story took place on one set (the backroom of a closed small business) with all three of the leading characters, this made it possible for us to shoot a VIDEO STORYBOARD for almost the whole movie. After some coaxing by Richard I agreed and it was decided that we would shoot a video storyboard as a blueprint for the movie that we would later make.
We rented an inexpensive rehearsal space and built a mock set that we could break down easily each time we were through for the day. It was a simple set, basically a short counter with two stools and a table with four chairs.
I set a new goal in my mind to explore every beat of the “Backroom Scenes” in the script, which included the climax. As an avid movie watcher I set out to search for what I felt would be good looking, useable and interesting camera shots. The sound, lighting, costumes and acting were really of no priority for the storyboard.
Each time we met I had the script pages ready and a variety of shots and the blocking I prepared for beat we were working on. I used a stand-in for my character so I could do the actual camera work and shoot my vision of my script. We’d shoot for about 3 to 4 hours. Immediately after I would go home and watch all the footage and simply keep the shots that I liked and dump the ones that I didn’t. Then I’d do rewrites, and plan out the shots for the next time we met. I repeated the process week after week working on each section over and over until I felt that I had it the way I wanted it and then I would move on to the next beat. After about 2 ½ years we ended up with over 58 hours of exploratory footage where I discovered a wide variety of great camera shots for each scene.
It soon became obvious that using this process was not only working well, but it was visually increasing the production value of the film and with all of the re-writes I did I was writing a better shooting script while at the same time the exploration was very beneficial for all of us in our character development.
Shooting with an inexpensive video camcorder also gave me the ability to edit on my home computer with an inexpensive editing program.
Once the Video Storyboard was completed I had a the main body of “Still the Drums” a full length feature film, edited before one foot of expensive film was ever shot!
In production costs this is a gigantic savings! By having a pre-edited video storyboard to use as a blueprint, during production on the set I only had to shoot the shots that I had already “pre” chosen and not shoot all the shots that usually end up on the cutting room floor. They were already cut when I edited the video storyboard! Having this information, in advance of filming I cut production costs by about a whopping SEVENTY-FIVE percent!
For example, another benefit from knowing what the shot is in the final cut, more time is available to shoot the shot that was chosen and if necessary we have extra time to shoot more takes. Resulting in better performances on film by the actors and raising up the production value of the film.
In the process we created a form labeled the “Shot Breakdown Page” (see enclosed). We had a numbered, “Shot Breakdown Page” for every shot in the edited video storyboard on the set. Each individual “Shot Breakdown Page” contained specific detailed information including a still photo for each shot set up. This was used to assist the DP and the crew in setting up for each shot in less time.
For example: There’s a note for “Shot Length” on the “Shot Breakdown Page”. We never realize while watching a movie how many hundreds of 2, 3 or 4 second quick cuts there are in a film. All of these shots when filmed may have been twenty to thirty seconds or even longer before they were edited. By our having the length of a shot on our storyboard prior to filming, we were able to cut the actual filming time for all of those quick cuts down to the bare minimum saving more time. Time is money! So again this helped cut down on both our production and post production costs.
Another example, is the note on the “Shot Breakdown Page” for “Similar Shots”. By having a video storyboard to view in advance of shooting, we’re able to identify all the similar shot set-ups and pre-schedule the shooting order for each day, so when the crew moves to the next shot set-up the least amount of adjustments were needed for camera, sound, and lighting, props, etc., shortening the down time between shots on the set during production.
The “Shot Breakdown Pages” were all kept in a book that we labeled the “Shooting Book”. All of the key crew members had a copy of the “Shooting Book”, along with a VHS Tape and a DVD copy of the edited video storyboard. Simplifying communication on the set.
The video storyboard also aided in my communication with the actors. For example, whenever necessary or whenever an actor or crew member wanted to, they were shown the framing for any shot on the “Shot Breakdown Page” or the blocking for any shot on the VHS or the DVD of the video storyboard prior to filming.
After completing the filming of each shot, the “Shot Breakdown Page” for that particular shot will be transferred from the “Shooting Book” into another book that we’ve labeled the “Completed Shot Book”. It’s became a simple process of elimination. When one book was empty and the other is full, our movie was done!
By being able to view the video storyboard we’ve also selected the placement of many music cues and sound effects. This isn’t usually done until after a movie is shot and edited. This will allow the music and sound effects team to begin their creative process far in advance. Cutting down on the cost later on for expensive studio time during post-production.
The video storyboard and the shot breakdown pages have proven to be invaluable tools for pre-production planning, and for potential use on the set during production for anyone and everyone involved with the project from the crew to the actors.
So to sum it all up for you, as the writer being able to view a pre-edited video storyboard has been a great help in my creating a better shooting script. As the writer/director I’ve been able to get a better feel for each individual scene and the pace of the film as a whole. As an editor I had the video storyboard to use as a guide and it has been a great aid in my finding and selecting and planning for a much wider variety of affordable creative camera shots that raise the production value of the film and keep the movie far more visually interesting for the viewer and the script more interesting.
The savings in time and money, for equipment rentals, man hours for crew and actors, actors fees, location costs, rehearsal time, set up time, shooting time, film cost, developing cost, editing time, studio time for editing, music and sound effects. On a low budget film this process will save hundreds of thousands of dollars. On a big budget film it would save millions!
As a final note I have to say shooting and editing a video storyboard became so much more of an incalculable benefit for the making of our movie than we could have ever imagined. It was like going to film school. The whole process became a phenomenal learning experience. In the 58 hours of exploratory footage that we shot we probably made ten bad movies! But the best part is, all of the mistakes that we made, (and there were plenty), were all made, and eliminated, for pennies, rather than dollars, and during the process we not only created a video blueprint that enabled us to make a $1.5 million dollar budgeted film for only X number of dollars, but at the same time we also came up with a re-usable fail safe format for making quality movies.
Final note:
Richard and I both look back and laugh now at how everything we shot the first time was all wrong as far as proper camera set ups! It seemed like every shot was shot on the wrong side. A lot was learned from all the mistakes that were made on that first day the most important thing that we realized was that shooting the video storyboard was a very good idea. We now know that this process definitely works! It’s a detailed pre-production process like no other! No film should be without it!
I should insert here that while all of this was going on I spent a lot of my Sundays in thrift shops. I started buying decorative items that I thought an ex-marine might have in his home and the theme grew from there and over the next ten years I personally purchased about 98% of all of the set décor used for the set in the movie.
IFQ: In what way, if at all, has your own life experience both personally and professionally influenced your decision-making process while making this film?
TPS: The making of this movie has been my life for the last fourteen years (November 15th 1995). I, me, alone, have kept this project going no matter what obstacles I came across. It has been a life changing experience for me and still is every day! It has been the hardest and most difficult thing that I have ever done in my life and you can ask anyone that was involved or knows me that without a doubt I did everything on this movie. Many people never took me seriously about my making this movie. Some thought I was foolish to be buying props and set décor for a movie that would never happen, but I knew that I would and could do it. If I listed all of the jobs that I did in the credits people would say, “It has to be a piece of crap for one person to have done all of those jobs!” Here’s just a little bit of what I did –
IFQ: What message or themes do you hope the audience picks up on and hopefully discusses after watching Still The Drums?
TPS: In my story and that is all it really is, just a story, but it became more, I hate to say important, I prefer to say more relevant after 9/11. In my story, war is the villain and after we were attacked most people in the U.S. didn’t feel that way and I thought that maybe we wouldn’t be able to come out with our story for quite some time, but I keyed in on using controversy and an anti-war theme to promote the partnership and raise the money and that turned things around. So to be honest, the anti-war theme grew out of necessity as a marketing plan and not out of benevolence, but as you get involved with a subject as powerful as anti-war and post-traumatic stress disorder you start to care and the theme them becomes very obvious and clear. All war is bad and the men who fight in wars are changed forever!
IFQ: Finally, what plans do you have at the moment in regards to future projects, artistic endeavors, etc?
TPS: It’s hard to think ahead right now because my work with “Still the Drums” is far from over. I have a special one night “Black Tie” charity event for veterans that I want to do that I plan on organizing before releasing “Still the Drums”. I’d like to hold it for this coming Memorial Day in 2010.
After that, my first priority is to my partners. I’d like to make them all some money before I focus on whatever is next. If the right deal doesn’t come along I may self distribute using the money that I personally make to finance my next film myself.
I currently have two finished screenplays and I’m working on another. It’s an epic. I haven’t touched it in years, but I almost had it finished. It’s a historical true story that has never been done. It’s a political gangster story that takes place in New York during the 1930’s, but this is a big film and I could never finance it on my own.
I also have an original children’s story about cats that is perfect for a 3D animated film script that is a musical. I’ve been told that it has Broadway potential besides being a film.
I currently have no agent or any representation as an actor, writer or director. I’m hoping that now that we have won Best Film, Best Feature Film Directorial Debut, Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Song, that maybe now I can finally get an agent with some clout that can get me auditions for some real acting parts.
No matter what happens, I feel a certain amount of confidence after accomplishing what I did with “Still the Drums” in knowing that I can do whatever I’d like to. I have three more screenplays ready to go and I am anxious to see if I can do it again with the same kind of quality.
Post-Interview Notes:
Lionsgate is screening for possible distribution in theaters.
Passion River Films has offered to distribute on DVD.
Euro-Pacific Securities and Uniq Media Group have offered to distribute “Still the Drums” theatrically and also to finance two more of Talbot Perry Simon’s films.