TheHouseMovie

Can People Change?

2010-05-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

(This is a different blog post then I usually do on this blog, but here it goes...)

Can people really change? A timeless question, one the begs to be answered. When I sat down to start writing the original script to THE HOUSE I knew I could go many directions with the film. But, for some reason this question kept coming back to me: Can people change? Now the answer that many people might give to this question is usually some quick, one sentence "yes" or "no" with some statement about their personal beliefs. I'm not complaining about anyone's personal views, but simply giving a verbal statement is very easy to do, but it could be hard to live by.

Can people really change? Or are we stuck being who we are? I have seen tons of people who have fought hard to change career paths. Or, I have read or seen films where individuals try to beat a bad habit or are ex-criminals out on parole trying to make a second chance that works. What is necessary for true change deals with the internal struggles of the human soul. One part of them trying to keep them where they are while the other part of them wanting so much to change.

I find it is so easy to judge, but hard to change We see on the outside the effects of choices someone makes, but do we know the causes that are hidden deep within. There are so many layers upon layers of someone's past that we might not truly understand. Now I am not making excuses for choices that people make, I am just simply stating that they are not isolated events. Each event in someone's past is potential motivation for their decisions.

I find it interesting how many people say that people can change, but when a new tabloid article comes out about an affair, or someone doing or saying something stupid while they're drunk people quickly make comments like, "...that person can't change."

--Why do we do this? Have these people fallen so quickly from the pedestal that we placed them on?

Acting asks a person to acquire empathy for a character. To dig down and find out the "why" that motivates the character's actions. Writing also does the same thing. Whether novels, poetry, songs or screenplays: all ask emotional and psychological questions. They might not appear that way on the surface, but part of a writer's soul ends up imprinted in their art. Art is an expression of a artist's soul and a reflection of the world around them.

Back to the point: Can people change? What do you really believe? And how can a person find the ability to change? This blog post is open to any answers, because I believe that it is possible by asking the right questions we can lead to the possible answer...

Vlog 1: Hyper-realism and this is NOT the typical murder/mystery

2010-05-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

writer/director John Wayne Bosley speaks about what makes THE HOUSE unique. He also talks about his unique filmmaking style... about hyper-realism, art.

Breaking the Mold: I DON'T typecast actors

2010-05-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a long held tradition, especially in the film studios, to type-cast an actor into certain roles. People can debate when this started. Was it during the Golden Age of cinema or before. All I know is that it is a long standing tradition to fit an actor in a role like the last one they played. I don't like that and I rebel against that notion.

Many actors that I have talked with about playing a part in THE HOUSE have mentioned, "have you seen my actor reel". My answer, "yes, but I still want to have you audition anyways.". Why? Wouldn't that be a waste of time? I was taught that you should have actors audition for many parts. This film system dictates not to take risks and allow people the ability as performers to break out of a type-cast and be something original. Think about it: how many A-list actors have you seen play basically the same type of roles over and over again? Some of my favorite actors, like Mel Gibson, play similiar roles. I can basically sum up most of his role as emotionally driven character. Either they're slightly psychotic or suicidal like Lethal Weapon, Mad Max (where's his angry about the death of his wife) or have some thing they're dealing with at a deep emotional core like in The Patriot, Signs, Braveheart. His situation is not unique when it comes to the issue of type-casting.

Sometimes I think it goes beyond what the person has done previously, I also think that Hollywood cheats when it comes to casting someone because they base a lot on the person's personality. Or another one is a person's public image. Many actors struggle to break out of the mold of a type cast for years. Tom Hanks is a great example of this. He was almost known as a funny guy. Then he did Forest Gump and showed he could be both funny and serious.

The use of type casting many times goes down to agent. Many agents find it much easier to just put their talent in a nice, well marketed, package. (I would dare to say 'box') It makes it easy for marketing purposes. This person is "action hero" type actor, this is a "blonde bombshell", this is the "sidekick", etc. MGM did this a lot too. Mayer did a great job of creating an essembly line. Once he placed you (a cog like in a clock in the description used by a character in The Incredibles) in your spot don't expect anything to change.

Film is art. Like a painting a filmmaker should be able to figure out what brush or color or whatever they want to make their masterpiece. The filmmaker should be able to evaulate an actor as a whole performer. I should be able to have you audition for many roles. Could it be possible that you have more to bring as a performer than the type of roles you've played in the past.

My two favorite actors are Bob Hoskins and Terry O'Quinn. Why? Because they play a diverse amount of roles. Most people didn't know who Terry O'Quinn was until LOST (he plays John Locke). Bob Hoskins plays characters so well that I almost don't notice him until I read the credits. -He's that good. I'd love to work with either one of these actors.

My point: if you see an actor you like in THE HOUSE that is totally different than you have seen them before, you should applaud! I have given them the respect of showing how great a performer they really are.

CGI isn't Easy!

2010-05-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

For those who have seen the airplane landing on Moosehead Lake/Opening Credit Sequence for THE HOUSE this is the show reel of James R. Bosley who designed the vfx for the scene. In the beginning you get a glimpse into some of the making of the segment.

The Airplane Opening Sequence

2009-12-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

The opening of the film is of an airplane landing on Moosehead Lake, Maine. Sounds simple. But in fact you really need to watch the videos to trully value what this sequence is. To really make the best of this concept we are creating the entire sequence as animation. But the final product will be so photo-realistic that the audience will believe it was shot "in-camera". The first stage was to create a pre-viz of the scene where you layout the action and camera movement. This cuts down time and gives us the freedom of adjusting without being time consuming.

Step #: Pre-viz

Step #2: Redeveloping the Pre-viz

After discussions between the director and the VFX designer some changes were made to certain shots in the sequence. One of the was the reflection shot which we thought needed a different angle in order for us to really see the beauty of the shot.

Step #3 the VFX designer is adding camera shake and extending the cloud part of the first shot to allow us more time to add more titles before the plane flies by the camera.

People Are Fragile

2009-06-08T05:27:00.000-07:00

Anne Marie (Jepson) Peterson

Character Profile

"People are fragile," that is what Anne's mom use to tell her when she was growing up as a kid. They can be easily broken like pottery or like her grandmother's expensive china set. Anne didn't really understand the relevance to the statement until her mom was diagnosed with cancer.

Life isn't fair, but it does teach it's lessons. Anne used the loss of her mother to inspire her to go to school to be a nurse. She knew she couldn't save everyone but she could make a difference.

"Try to see the best in someone" is something she always heard from her grandmother, and it was statement her grandmother lived by. Her grandmother would give the shirt of her back, if someone needed it. Anne was born in New Sweden, Maine, but after her mom died she sent to be raised by her grandmother in Greenville, Maine.

Meeting Jack Peterson was one of the magical moments in her life. He seemed sad and yet his eyes sparkled with hope. "What was it about him that I can't keep my eyes away from him?", she kept asking herself. Like a magnet she found herself drawn to him, wanting to know who he was and who he wanted to be.

"We all have pain," Anne Peterson found herself always saying, "it's what we do with it that matters. We can hide it or heal, it's doesn't magically go away on it own."

How do you deal with pain and loss?

Stay tuned in for more character profiles for THE HOUSE, you can also check out http://www.thehousefilm.com for more on the company.

"Do You Believe in the Ability to Change?"

2009-06-04T21:37:00.001-07:00

JACK PETERSON

Charecter Profile

Imagine each day looking into the mirror and realizing the reflection that you see is someone you think is better than you, that is how Jack felt every day of his life when he saw his twin brother... Jimmy.

Jimmy and Jack were identical, except for the fact that Jack was the "brains" and Jimmy was the "brawn". Jack secretly envied his twin. Seemed that all the girls adored Jimmy, but ignored the "quiet genius". Jimmy was the life of the party, but Jack was the silent hermit. Jack almost resented his brother... until the day-

Sometimes when we bury our loved ones, their memories continue to haunt us. Sometimes we "just can't forget". Jack can't. Alive Jack envied him, dead he missed him. "You don't know what you have until you lose it", Jack's mother used to always tell him... The truth hurts sometimes.

Jimmy was in the Marines, was there in Afghanistan. He returned... but not the same.

We all have things we bury in our past. Jack has his. He's seen death many times, and oddly enough seems to be the one left to carry the burden...

Now a knock at the door... FBI asks questions... about something... Did Jack do it? Does he know who could have? Is there something bigger going on?

What would you do if the FBI started to poke around into your past?

Paradise and Home?

2009-06-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

Paradise and Home?

Part II of my location scouting in Greenville.

Two things stood out to me when I was in Greenville: The landscape that looks like something out of The Last of The Mohicans (Michael Mann's version of the film) and a place that feels like "home". Could both be in one place?

Can the people be this inviting to those who visit the area or move there? Yes. Quite possible.

The setting we were searching to find that would fit perfectly for the setting of THE HOUSE had to be somewhere that anyone could find inviting, but also have something unique and original about it. That way the audience would sense throughout the film that Jack and Anne Peterson live a fairly peaceful life of contentment... until the day the FBI shows up to their door and dig up Jack's past.

While on our location scouting of Greenville we found many motels and also very beautiful inns. One of the inns we looked at was the Blair Hill Inn which has a very majestic view from its dining room and deck. The above view on the blog post is taken from Blair Hill looking out over Moosehead lake and the mountains and hills behind the lake.

Below are some of the property that is the Blair Hill Inn. There's something iconic about the look of this place. Loved the one photo I took of the wall that stands alone with doorway and window.

I asked a quesiton to many different people when visiting Greenville: "what do you want the world to know about this place?", so I could give that image to the world in the setting of the film. I received different responses, but the conclusion was a simple message: Paradise in a place called home... (stay tuned in, more updates to come.)

You can also check out the company's site http://www.jbmovies.com

The House Film Production (Location Scouting) Part I

2009-05-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

The Location Scouting/Visit to Greenville, Maine... A large part of our reason for going to Greenville was that we wanted to talk to key individuals in the town about our interest in shooting the film there. This was a rare opportunity for a town because I had decided that I would re-write the entire script of The House and set it in a town in Maine that exemplified what Maine was all about, but I wanted it to be a town that most people had never heard of before and had a lot of character to it to make it stand out to the audience. By re-writing the script around a town, we would write in businesses and locations that would benefit from the exposure. Also the town as a whole would benefit because the world would hear about it more and want to visit the area. Our hope is that by producing this film in Maine and allowing the Maine way of life to come through the story it would help to draw more business to the state, especially in film and other aspects of the arts to create a creative economy that would help the state to grow and offer better jobs to the next generation

Below are just a few of the stills taken from the videos I recorded of Greenville.

The boats in Greenville on Moosehead Lake:

The Katahdin Steamboat: Antique steamboat from the 19th century and was rebuilt and donated to the museum by one of the local citizens. Many people take tours on the boat during the summer season around the lake.

Bottom- Bird’s Eye-View of Greenville and more of Moosehead Lake:

For more location shots and news on the production of The House stay tuned in… we will be posting more very soon!