Name: Scott
E-mail: sspnyc66@mac.com

Josh,

You can add me to the list of people who actually like the film LET IT RIDE. I thought it was very funny and I think I had seen it as many times as you did, although, it was a on cable a lot in the early 90's, so maybe that is why I had seen it so many times.

I like Richard Edson, I think he is a great character actor. Actually, everyone in that film did a great job, and I agree that Joe Pytka did a very good job at directing. It says on IMDB that it was originally a book which is interesting.

Meanwhile, I think all of us here who write in on your site should all chip in and get you a digital camera so you can take some beh ind the scenes photos on your future film projects (or have somebody else take them when you are too busy).

I think you have given people some damn good advice over the years and it would be a good thank you gift!

I leave it up to everyone here. How would you feel about that?

Scott

Name: Jeremy Milks
E-mail: admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:

You don't think Brandon Routh fits the part of Superman? I think he looks the part. Sure, he's no Christopher Reeve, but I think he's not a bad replacement.

Maybe I'm just partial though because he's from Des Moines, Iowa and you know, Iowa represent.

What makes you think Routh won't do a decent job?

Jeremy Milks

Name: Charles Rottwell
E-mail: minime@losi.com

Dear Josh:

If you had to choose between directing "Dukes of Hazzard 2" and having sex with a Belgian crack whore with halitosis, which would you pick?

Name: Trey Smith
E-mail: cobra_commander_of_cobra@yahoo.com

Hello again.

I watched "Night of the Hunter" tonight for the second time and I must say that once again Robert Mitchum's performance blew me away. He was such a marvelous actor and Harry Powell is definitely one of my favorite roles of his.

When he is driving along at the beginning of the film "speaking to God", believing every word that he says is truly right, never fails to give me chills.

Or when John Harper wakes up and see's Powell outside under the lamp and he walks slowly away singing a hymn. Very creepy.

His "love and hate" story in the candy shop is great as well.

What do you thin k of the performance?

Name: Alotta Fagina
E-mail: alottafagina@home.com

Dear Josh,

What do you think of the new film Superman Returns, if you have seen it yet. Gee, what a Super Man!

Alotta Fagina

Name: Craig
E-mail:

Josh,

That's very kick ass that you're making another movie. Post photos from the shoot whenever you can, I'm sure we'd all appreciate that. Is David Worth the DP again? And how is it being back in an environment where anybody can smoke wherever the hell they want? I'm a fellow smoker, and that must feel pretty damn good.

I have a question regarding salaries for actors and actresses. What is scale payment? What did your actors get for "Hammer" and "Alien Apocalypse?"

Thanks, and all the best.

Name: A No. 1 to Portland On The Number 19
E-mail: coppolas_cocaine@hotmail.com

Dear Josh,

In your book, you mention BARFLY as an example of a character learning at least one thing over the course of the story. I noticed a good one on LET IT RIDE, Richard Dreyfuss learns that if he has good luck, everyone has insanely bad luck, therefore any horse someone recommends has got to lose. Of course, this is countered by the owners of Charity giving him a tip off on the next one. I love the simple premise of this film: no matter how many times he wins, you're still expecting him to lose. You're expecting Luck to set this loser's hopes up then knock them down. By the last race, when they set it up th at he could still lose, you feel the extreme disappointment coming on in your gut. I almost didn't want to watch. And its that sort of involvement that's missing from a comedy like say THE DUKES OF HAZZARD where the three leads aren't funny, and the plot is something anyone could write.

Name: Larisa Gavrilova
E-mail: zest@samtel.ru

Dear Josh,

I write screenplays in English but I don't live in the USA To my big regret you never consider directing other people's screenplays. I know that you are familiar with Renee O’Connor. She is not only the talented actress, also the interesting director and the producer of successful films. I almost year search for opportunities to come into contact with her , to offer the screenplays on her consideration.

If you have an opportunity to help me in these searches, to you shall be very grateful.

In the hope of complete mutual understanding,

Larisa Gavrilova

Name: star rosencrans
E-mail: star@plotbot.com

Hello, Mr. Becker -

I've been reading your site for some time now - at least the last four years or so. I was actually an extra in If I Had a Hammer - I was standing in line outside the Purple Onion (in Tujunga!) and had to take a drag off a cigarette and watch an awesome (though nonexistent) hot car tear off up the street. As I was doing the extra thing on a lark, I've always feared I was terrible. I'm only sad that I haven't been able to see the film to see! Trying to find out more about the film eventually led me to here, and I've been checking in intermittently ever since.

I don't have a question, to be honest - I wanted to invite you to a webapp/site that I built with a friend. It's called Plotbot (http://www.plotbot.com), and it's something we've put together to help facilitate collaborative screenwriting.

I won't give you the whole pitch - I don't want to sound any more like spam than I probably already do - but you can read more about it on my blog (http://www.splitlevel.org/archives/2006/06/behold_plotbot_1.html), or you can sign up at http://www.plotbot.com/register with the invite code "splitlevel."

We're just running a small beta test aimed at people we thought might be interested.

Thanks, and good luck with your future endeavors!

Star Rosencrans
star@plotbot.com

Name: Tim Roessler
E-mail: tlrboulder@gmail.com

Dear Josh:

You’re right – if I’d read your book, I would’ve been much better off. I pulled it off the shelf where it was waiting, read it, and spent a lot of time slapping my forehead. You know, the “damn it I shoulda done that” > kind of gesture.
Unfortunately, until you do something, it’s hard to know what you don’t know. And advice like “make a plan and stick to it” seems obvious – until you try to do it. And find yourself being pulled in eight directions.
Now that advice seems more like the Holy Writ of the Lord to me.
Anyway, I found your book extremely valuable, and I wrote a review for Amazon saying so.
I noticed as an aside in your book that you take photographs in medium format.
Have you found it helpful in your directorial work? What kind of shots do you tend to take – landscapes, people, whatever strikes your fancy? And why medium format?
Thank you for the good advice here and in your book, and best of luck in Bulgaria!

Name: Max Wein
E-mail: mw@mw.com

Dear Josh:

Curious about the new film. Are the Harpies a group of female Harpo Marx imitators who charm men with their red wigs and silent comic mugging, and then slaughter them when their backs are turned? If so, I await the sequel: Stan Lee's The Grouchies.

Name: Bob
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

I'm getting the jist that you got a new movie deal with Sci-Fi. I'll have to read more. That's cool, congrats.

Do you think R.E.M. is good? The group, that is, not the physiological phenomenon.

Name: Scott
E-mail: sspbrazil@mac.com

Hey Josh,

Quit sniveling!

Actually, I still have an uncompressed quicktime version of "Holding It" that can be compressed and posted if you have that desire.

I sent the tapes back to you befroe I was able to ake the other films into quicktimes.

So, How should I proceed Mr. Director!

Scott

Name: Jeremy Milks
E-mail: admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:

... Stan Lee's The Harpies? As in Stan Lee, comic book writer? Creator of such things as Spider-man and X-Men? Or is this some guy with the same name only? Because the idea of you directing something by Stan Lee is kind of amusing to me considering how much you hate comic books.

All the same, I look forward to seeing the film and I hope it turns out great. There's a rule in my house: if it's done by Becker, I must see it. Any word on who's going to be in the film?

Jeremy Milks

Name: August
E-mail: joxerfan@hotmail.com

Dear Josh,

Major congrats on your gig for Sci-Fi coming through. If you're in Bulgaria, then I guess it's official now!

Is Stan Lee himself going to be involved? Or is he just sort of lending his name to this as producer? I remember seeing a press release a while back that he had a 3-picture deal going with the network.

And who's in your cast? Any familiar names or faces, either in front of or behind the camera? And on behalf of the men of America, any chance you can work in a part for Rosi? "Eeek - the harpies! We must repel them by means of potato liquor!"

Again, this is supremely cool news!

Regards,

August

Name: Brian Simpson
E-mail: bjsimpson@scatcat.fhsu.edu

Dear Josh:

I didn't have a question, just couldn't find any other way of "contacting" you. just wanted to inform you of a review of your movie, Alien Apocalypse on www.bisforbrains.com. Didn't know if there was anyway you could utilize it, post it for your fans, or what. I'm not looking to put "my" name out there, just thought your movie was a step up from most tv-movies. keep it up!

Name: Jonathan Moody
E-mail: jondoe_555@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

Here's a suggestion and take it as you will. If you still wanted to put up your Super 8 short films you could probably post them on http://www.youtube.com which lets you upload movies. The catch is they have to be under 100 MB's. Not sure how high of MB's your super 8s go. But if you still had people that convert them maybe You Tube wouldn't be a bad place to host them.

Your fan,
Jonathan

Name: Dean
E-mail:

Hello Josh I am writing to you from the U.K after having just finished reading your book ( which is one of the best I have read on the subject of indy film production by the way primarily for its emphasis on shooting film, which I favour and the actual writing process which no other book I have read has gone into, though screen writing books are obviously out there ).


My question is in regards to actually selling the picture, you seem to be torn between sales agents being the best approach or dealing directly with the distributor, is it actually realistically possible outside of a miracle to sell a film as an unknown without a sales agent ? For instance if a movie garnered enough "buzz" at film festivals would a distributor realistically approach you ? I have my script that I believe in and I have nearly all the money I need to "shoot" the thing ( if all goes well ) and I am pondering the almost impossible question of getting distribution.

Also for laughs, Orson Welles "The Lady from Shanghai" what do you think of this movie ? I really enjoyed it myself finding the funhouse in ACT three to be a superb sequence, though Orson's "Oirish" accent left a lot to be desired.

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Name: Thom Kellerman
E-mail: 2cool1001@msn.com

Hi Mr. Beker, I can't wait to see the new Super Man film. I think its going to be better then all of the other super hero films of the last couple of years (and there have been a lot!!). I think Brian Singer will do a great job with this one not only because he is talented (just look at the Usuel Suspects!!) but also because he is both Jewish and gay and so he understands what it means to be an under dog better. I think he probably also had obsticles to overcome just to become the director that he is. The effects look really great.

Name: Doug Harp
E-mail: jackamole@purvis.org

Dear Josh:

Is there any chance you can get the new movie renamed "Josh Becker's Stan Lee's The Harpies," (like Ruth's Chris Steak House) or "Stan Lee's The Harpies: A Josh Becker Joint?" Lee is way overrated... The artists on his comics (Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, etc.) were the guys who made them cool. Maybe you'll do the same for this screenplay that Lee probably farmed out to one of his interns after jotting down a one-sentence synopsis about busty monster babes.

Name: Jeremy Milks
E-mail: admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:

I just had a quick question for ya. I know you don't like sequels, but if a sequel is to be made, how do you go about setting up returning characters? I mean, I know the first 20 pages or so is supposed to be character set-up, getting the plot of the film out there, that kinda stuff, but since the character would be (hopefully) pretty well established in the previous film, do you just focus more on the plot of the new film or do you re-establish the character just in case somebody hasn't seen the first film in the series.

Also, I apologize for that huge run on sentence.

Thanks,
Jeremy Milks

Name: Tim Roessler
E-mail: tlrboulder@gmail.com

Dear Josh,

I just finished directing a short film. Although it was a small crew and cast, I have to say I was overwhelmed by all the competing demands on my attention on the first day, despite my having prepared myself as well as I could. So: how do you maintain your focus on the set? And where do you place your attention first?
And: What's the best way to develop an eye for a good performance? Of course, it's taste, but are there other steps to take? (I'd rehearsed the bulk of the story, so I'm happy with nearly every actor, but one guy slipped in a performance that looked acceptable on the set, but far too broad on playback. It's not his fault; I cast him and directed him, but I never want to mess up like that again.)
Thanks!

PS My mother the folkie really loved "Hammer" and thought you did an excellent job of capturing the time and place, and she laughed in all the right places.

Name: August
E-mail: joxerfan@hotmail.com

Dear Josh,

I've actually seen "Equinox" - in the early 70's it was sort of the holy grail of horror movies, because it premiered at drive-ins, so if you were a little kid, you had to first live near one, and then have a parent willing to take you to it, who was also willing to sit through something marketed as being about unspeakable evil and terror. I didn't see it 'til it turned up on AMC decades later, and in a very loose way it has the same premise as "Evil Dead" - clean-cut college kids go out into the woods and get mixed up with evil beings conjured by an old professor studying the Necronomicon... but that's about it. If Sam saw it, he' d have been 11 or 12 max, and in those pre-video/dvd days, there'd have been little opportunity to see it again. Plus he'd have dragged you along, and you'd remember it.

Plus the main creature is a Harryhausen-ish stop-motion Cyclops. I think the whole film was made for about $1.99. So I guess ED steals from it in the way that most John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies steal from the first Roy Rogers movie to have a lone gunfighter get into trouble in a western town. Which would in turn steal probably from "The Virginan" and assorted Tom Mix movies.

Speaking of Wayne, I saw "Angel and the Badman" for the first time in many years not too long ago, and noticed a few similarities with your "Chariots of War" script. I'd forgotten how good that film was, and especially liked Gail Russell's acting as she reacts silently to Wayne talking in his delirium about various women in his past: he tells one he loves her, and she pouts...then he says he's leaving her, and she perks up again.

No real question, but I thought I'd also mention that your buddy Gary Jones' horror movie "Jolly Roger: Massacre at Cutter's Cove" makes its TV debut this coming Saturday July 1st at 9 PM eastern on Sci-Fi, so I hope it does well.

Regards,

August

Name: Jim
E-mail: JEaganfilm@aol.com

Josh, finally caught up with Alien Apocalypse. I haven't seen many Sci Fi channel original movies. Don't really watch many direct to video sci-fi either. But I thought AA was pretty good for what it was.

What stood out on the DVD was the music and cinematography, which were very well done regardless of budget. Bruce and Renee were also very good, and the story moved along briskly and was entertaining. Some of the CG bug effects could have been better, also would have helped if there were a few more large-scale shots to show what the bugs were doing across the planet and how their wood-export operation was working. The dubbing really annoyed me for the firs t half hour or so then I got used to it. Overall, it was not as bad as some of the comments on here led me to believe and on a rainy saturday afternoon it's not a bad way to kill a couple hours.
But I got the feeling that if you had another 3-4 days of shooting and a regular english-speaking cast it would have been a significantly better film. Definitely would put it above TSNKE, haven't seen Lunatics, not as good as RT or Hammer. Many sci-fi tv movies seem to be about explosions and T&A, but AA felt like sort of a throwback to a more classical genre style, and also had some smart ideas in it. Hope you can take what you learned from this production and do an even better movie next time with Sci-Fi. (no dubbing of Bulgarians please!).

Name:              Todd
E-mail:

Dear Josh:         

I went on this website called famousapes.com and they said that evil dead ripped off some old movie called equinox,is that true? Do you know if Sam raimi had seen it and it inspired him? I never saw that film but the website listed the similarities and they sound alike.

Name:              Ron
E-mail:             funarium@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:         

I read through a couple of your reviews and I was flabbergasted, particulary your reviews of Out of Sight, Catch me if you can, and Traffic (you were very right about gladiator, i didn't like it much either). You seem to focus on the very minor and unimportant flaws which are hardly prevalent, however it made for an interesting read. Anyway I was wondering what you thought of the following: The Usual Suspects, Pulp Fiction, and Fight Club?

Name:              Dale Wayne
E-mail:             dwayne@dwaynesworld.net

Dear Josh:         

I just watched Alien Apocalypse and I wanted to ask you why the t&a girl was raped in this otherwise lighthearted blood-soaked alien amputation movie.  I was having a good time with my kids watching the movie and then the rape happened and my kids are asking me what happened so I had to stop the movie and try to explain to them what rape is and why it is legal in the Eastern European country where you filmed the movie.  They didn't understand what I meant so I had to point out the parts on their mother and what happens and it was uncomfortable to say the least.  I should have rented Last House on the Left instead.  At least then the rape would have had some context.  I thought Bruce Campbell was a tasteful man but now I know he is Mr. Rape Movie Acting Guy.  Ugh.  Time to return my copies of Spider-Man 1 & 2 because his rape-tinged macho visage disgraces them both.  Boo hiss, Rapey Becker.

Name:              Kevin Kindel
E-mail:

Dear Josh:         

I finally found a copy of Lunatics for rent. And let me just say it was fucking awesome. very quirky and humorous. I don't give a rat's ass what these other chimps say about your collective works; in my humble opinion they are all entertaining with a sense of their own purpose, interesting characters, and apt themes. My hat's off to you.

Name:              marcel
E-mail:             marcelinus2002@yahoo.co.uk

Dear Josh:         

i wish to thank you for revealing the news about the gospel of judas to the world, but if i might ask, do you really believe in what was in the scroll? cos i for one as i read your account on the scroll immediately saw the scroll as a plot by the early jews to soil the works of Jesus, reason being that if this account were to be true, then why did the author commit suicide? if youask me, i'll say guilty conscience.

Name:              Chris
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

The Australian guy here again. At the beginning of this year two friends and I decided to make a film, just something quick in our summer holidays between high school and college but after many headaches and frustrations its 6 months later and this thing is still being made. I have watched as good ideas have turned to cliches and have truly learned how to NOT make a film.

Now one of us without talking to the others has talked to a guy who owns a company that wants to distribute this crappy movie on dvd. My question is will this be detrimental to my future career? Should i put a nom de plume for my writing and directing credits or should i just laugh it off because who cares about a straight to dvd movie from when you were 18?

Name:              Aaron Stroud
E-mail:             coppolas_cocaine@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:         

Did anyone find it odd in the movie BIRD when they had the flashback-within-a-flashback. First, its from the Diane Venora's point of view, but it just shows her walking down the road to another guy, who then has a flashback from his point-of-view, and it goes back to him, and back to her in the mental ward. That makes about as much sense as that movie ADAPTATION when Nicholas Cage writes a movie with three people chasing each other on horses and they turn out to be one schitzophrenic person.

It makes perfect sense in THE SEARCHERS when the girl is reading the letter and it turns into Jeffrey Hunter's voice because he wrote the letter. So shouldn't the flashback in BIRD have stayed in Diane Venora's P.O.V.?

Name:              Will
E-mail:             wdodson52@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:         

The June 19 issue of The New Yorker has a great piece on Gregg Toland. I thought it was particularly revelatory that Toland said "Forget the camera [...] The nature of the story determines the photographic style. Understand the story and make the most of it. If the audience is conscious of tricks and effects, the cameraman's genius, no matter how great it is, is wasted." He also insisted, once he became a cinematographer of stature, that he be allowed to select some of the scripts he would work on.

Toland's integrity and sense of priority, i.e. the STORY comes first, is devastating to me because it's so anachronistic. Can you imagine a cinematographer saying such a thing today? Or a director, for that matter?

Lately all I've seen of note has been Deadwood. I'm still working on the second season on DVD, since I have no cable or satellite TV. I also got the new John Ford/John Wayne set that has 3 Godfathers, The Searchers, Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, They Were Expendable, The Long Voyage Home, and The Wings of Eagles.

At least there's plenty of good older movies to offset the dearth of new ones.

Name:              Danielle
E-mail:

Dear Josh:         

"Anybody out there know anything about microphones?"

Whenever I have questions about equipment, I usually head over to the "B&H" web site: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home/

The store is based in New York and they have absolutely everything. The people who work there really know their stuff and they'll be able to tell AJ about the various pick-up patterns and whatnot for a large variety of microphones. Also, the employees do not earn any kind of commission, so they couldn't care less if someone purchases a $200 mic. or one for $20. I've been bugging them with questions for years and I always get honest and helpful answers.

Name:              Bill
E-mail:

Dear Josh:         

If my original message seemed rather incoherent, I apologize, and I meant to imply that I found your response to Jeremy distasteful, rather than the film itself. I agree that it is quite bad, but I find that constructive criticism and encouragement is far more effective than trying to convince them they're idiots who don't understand anything about how screenwriting works. I'm afraid I don't have any "masterpiece" to my name, because I'm not a filmmaker, but I'm not stupid, and I certainly know what constitutes the difference between a good film and made-for-TV garbage like "Alien Apocalypse."

Name:              Jim
E-mail:             JEaganfilm@aol.com

Dear Josh:         

Audio-Technica makes a number of good, inexpensive mics. Wireless lavs and regular booms are the standard movie mics. But more importantly, you need to know how to use it properly. This means having someone monitoring the levels and quality closely - re-doing takes if necessary because of background noise or whatever else.

I know of a situation where an indie 16mm feature had to loop just about all their dialogue because their sound guy let the levels peak frequently, and in digital peaking means shitty, compressed sound. Looping should be a last resort, and it's a laborious process for the sound editor.

Getting good sound is not particularly complicated, but it requires more commitment than many indie filmamkers are willing to give it. And perhaps even more so than visuals, good or bad sound can be the difference between a professional or an amateur production.

Name:              CD
E-mail:

Dear Josh:         

What were your shooting ratios for each film you've made?

Is it unreasonable to shoot a film with a 3:1 shooting ratio if that's all you could afford?

Name:              Diana Hawkes
E-mail:             upon request

Hey Josh,

Did I see a suggestion to discuss "Spring Forward"?> I'd love to. I caught it twice on the IFC channel, and was quite moved.

I especially liked the scene where the 2 are having a smoke outside the funeral home. The "It's so OK, dad" performance was touching enough, but what really got to me was when the neighbor comes out to have a smoke too. They're all looking ahead and Shrieber's character then gives him the death glare... the tension and awkwardness is palpable, and Beatty breaks it all with a quip about his son's homosexuality. They're all released by this, and it allows the neighbor to make this quick, embarrassed, breathy apology that Beatty immediately accepts and Bang - the long-held anger/disappointment/sene of injustice over the neighbor's snub of his son long ago is extinguished. The clumsy way such an otherwise wonderful moment in life was shown rang true to me; it's more or less how an encounter like that happens whenever there's a confrontation in my family.

Anyway - also a nice touch that the scene fades out with Liev going up to the kid repairing the snow blower to help.

I was a bit puzzled over the neighborhood shots in between the scenes: they were pretty, but some seemed a few seconds too long and I wondered if they were supposed to be particularly significant.  Just a cue that the seasons are changing? The last one, I believe, of a family stringing Christmas lights on their porch was confusing.  I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be Liev and his new girlfriend?

I also thought the scene where Beatty talks to his son's friend living under the gazebo was a wee bit overacted (I couldn't get at first what was getting Beatty so worked up), and the money-moment at the very end of the film where Liev tells Beatty how much he means to him - "kinda like you gave me a helping hand" - had a hint of a goofy, sheepish 10 yr old or something which I thought was the wrong choice acting-wise for that beat, but on the whole I thought it was a solid film.

I loved the scene where they are getting stoned and Beatty says he never cheated on his wife, and then adds:  Well, there was the war.  That doesn't count. LOL!  Charming, somehow. There's a lot of little moments that are neat - like how they both realize the eyes on the new Nativity scenes (or was it Angel lawn ornament?) are dead-looking.

Name:              Chris
E-mail:             shenaniganz@hotmail.com

Hi there Josh,

An odd question but I wondered about it while I was watching the movie. If "If I had a Hammer" was a SAG production were there any actors you had in mind for certain parts? I guess I'm thinking that maybe you wrote parts with people like perhaps Bruce in mind. I could picture him as maybe either Lorraine or Phil's father or even someone at the purple onion (Like one of those upper class guys acting like he did in Crimewave).

Also are there any plans to put up some other super-8 movies on your site. There used to be a site I liked that had  all of your super-8 movies, Cleveland Smith being my favourite. Nothing like watching bruce bust out a puppet and start telling bad jokes.

Name:              Bob
E-mail:

Dear Josh:         

You mentioned the Return of the Secaucus 7, and I just happened to run across it in the library DVD collection.  I probably would have passed on it other than your recommendation.  Well, I thought it was pretty boring, however, it was interesting to see David Strathairn and the actor from LAPD Blue in it.  Strathairn does a pretty decent New Hampshire yankee accent, that guy doesn't age much.  Another reason why I was interested in it was that John Sayles directed it.  He directed a movie from back around the turn of the century called Limbo, also with David Strathairn.  It was set in Alaska, and I liked it.  One thing that I think Secaucus 7 got right versus Big Chill was that it was set in New England. All college movies should be set in New England, not the bayou, it is an unwritten rule.  At least up to 1995 or so anyway.  The movie hasn't ended yet as I write, but isn't Secaucus a city in NJ?  I guess I missed wherethe movie got its name.

Name:              John Hunt
E-mail:             Chowkidar@aol.com

Josh,

I'm about halfway through your book right now.  So far two things have struck me.  First, there is no rebuttal for your point about archiving digital.  Maybe that problem will be solved some day but that will require a slow-down in technology development and I don't see that happening.

The second thing that struck me was blocking the following scene before releasing the cast.  It's easy and practical but not necessarily intuitive.  It's the sort of advice that a person really making a film needs to know.

I also agree that rehearsals are rehearsals.  If you choose to present something to the public, then that something IS the finished product, even if it sucks, even if you could easily have done better.

John

Name:              AJ
E-mail:             ajky1111@hotmail.com

Dear Josh,

I am currently working on a short film that i will enter into a local film festival. I figure you would be the man to come to with this question.

What kind of micophone will give me the best sound for my film? I have this cheap little shotgun mic that i use but its been totally useless latley and I plan on buying a new mic.

Name:              orit
E-mail:             rdt_oran@\

Hey josh,

I write scripts in English but I don't live in the USA nor in an English speaking country... I have a first degree in filmmaking but I never "found" myself among the other young writers or the mainstream of the university. They, in turn, couldn't understand why I write in English... plus, I really love science fiction and fantasy and that didn't really exist there...
Anyway, my question is, can I do it from a far? Is it possible to find an American agent that would read my scripts and try to sell them? I don't really know the "formal" way to enter the business and I can't make independent films with my scripts... maybe you can tell me how you got started or suggest what should I do?
Thank you and good luck with everything you do,
Orit

Name:              Jeremy Milks
E-mail:             admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:         

Sadly, the only reason I didn't ask you to watch my first film is because it's not 100% finished yet, but I won't ever make you watch it anyway. Also, going with your statement that I'm at a High School Film 101 level, that kinda makes sense because I'm only 20 ... that and nobody around here teaches film so in a backhanded kinda way, you complimented me.

Also, again because people would rather talk to me on here instead of via email, I'll quickly say two things:

Julio- I could have listed myself and my brother in the credits even more than I did. I listed us only where I thought it was needed. The actors and I were the only crew the film had. Thank you for saying good things about the film though :).

Lee- I know how to write. I cranked Stranded out in 2 hours, so of course it isn't written well, I know that, but I've written other things which are much better, I just haven't had the opportunity to film them yet. I plan on shooting everything I write, whether it be good or bad.

Back to you Becker: The short doesn't look good, I know that. I was only asking for specifics. Was it the shaky cam that was used for some shots? Was it the blurry footage? Or was it just because I was shooting DV? I'm not actually expecting you to answer that, because I know the answer is probably "all of the above ... and then some".

I like Stranded, whether or not it's actually any good, it's the first film that I completed, so it's special to me. I didn't expect you to like it ... I never expect anybody to like it. But I'm with ya, the next thing I show you will be something I honestly think is good.

Once again, thanks for watching the short (I appreciate it), and I'm sorry people keep talking to me through your website. I have an email address where anybody can get in touch with me, but I guess people don't want to use it.

Jeremy Milks

Name:              Bill
E-mail:

Josh:

While I have generally taken your opinions with good humor, this is essentially in response to your opinion of Jeremy Milks' film, which, despite the film's mediocrity, I found incredibly distasteful. I have to wonder why you find it necessary to insult fledgling independent filmmakers (especially for a debut short film), when you yourself are not even remotely capable of writing or directing something coherent, much less competent. Unless, of course, you honestly believe "Alien Apocalypse," "Cleveland Smith: Bounty Hunter," and lines like "Hey, swab-jockey! Scram before you get scuttled!" must be included in some sort of artistic panthenon alongside the works of Homer and Plato.

Name:              Chris
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

I live in Australia and we have our own Project Greenlight here. I have seen the American one as well and have noticed some big differences in the way the production crews of either country react to situations. It has been said that Australian crews are very good at adapting to any situation as everyone has worked on television, film, stage and video clips and so know how to work on different budgets and time frames. Rather than go into panic mode every five minutes like what seemed to happen on the American Greenlight the Australian crew would just speak up when someone thought something was wrong and get on with doing it.

Would you say that this is just showing a difference in the way we show our reality t.v. with the American show edited to show as much drama as possible or would this be a fair assesment of how our crews react to million dollar budgets?

Name:              David R.
E-mail:

Dear Josh:         

Just curious, have you ever tried heroin? You mentioned having a really bad trip on LSD, also. What was that like?

Name:              Julio Iglesias
E-mail:             Julio Iglesias@latinochino.com

Dear Josh:

I just watched Jeremy's film and I thought you were a bit too hard on him. I thought it showed some wit. I also thought it showed he has a filmic instinct. It's not very good...but it displays some enormous potential. Nice work, Jeremy! Keep it up. One thing that really annoyed me though was the insistance of putting his and his brother's name 10,000 times in the credits. That's not cool.

Anyway, I've seen the bootleg tape of the Raimi/Spiegel/Becker early films, and they were equally impressive in that "great filmic instinct" kind of way. No better...no worse.

Name:              Lee
E-mail:             lee.price@gcapmedia.com

Hey Josh

jeremy milks: you ARE funny; just for all the wrong reasons!

Actually, your 'film' would amuse me if it weren't for one fact: it's shit like that that creates a vast fog that swallows the work of film-makers with real talent.

If you DO want to improve I'll reiterate what Josh says: learn to write. Really put yourself and your own experiences into a story and stop trying to be a smart arse.

Boy, you really get my goat!

Lee

Name:              Jeremy Milks
E-mail:             admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:         

I just want to make this clear. I wasn't making excuses for why the film was bad, I was just explaining how things unfolded. And I did do a slight rewrite on it (mostly I just changed a little dialogue).

Also, I was well aware that I wasn't making anything that great. Or even that good. I know my good ideas from my bad ideas.

Another thing, feel free to hate the film I made, that's fine. But don't write me off just yet based on that one damn short. Believe it or not, this short is a step up from my first movie, and my next movie will no doubt be a step up from this short. How many people's second films are great?

If I sound bitter or angry, I assure you I'm not. I respect your opinion. And, because I respect your opinion, I only have one more question for you regarding my short film. You said that the film looked bad, could you give me some examples of what in particular looked bad, so that I know what to try to avoid in the future.

Thanks again,
Jeremy Milks

Name:              Kevin Kindel
E-mail:

Dear Josh:         

What is a good 35mm film stock to use for an interior shoot?

Name:              Jeremy Milks
E-mail:             admin@homecomingcreations.com

Josh Said: "Why did you want me to see that?  It looks awful, it's terribly acted, directed and written, it's about nothing and goes nowhere.  It made six and half minutes seem like a long time.  If that's the best you can do, consider other professions."

Jeremy Says: I wanted you to see it because I'm a whore when it comes to opinions of my work. And trust me, it's definitly not the best I can do. I basically wrote that short in about 2 hours, half asleep, sitting in a Western Civ. class. The ammount of effort I put in shows through, obviously, and that effort wasn't much. The actors did okay though considering most of them hadn't read the script until the day we shot the film.

I guess, now that you've seen it, I just have to ask did it make you laugh at all? Because it's sole purpose was to be funny (and I know a good chunk of it isn't). If you laughed at any part of it, then I consider my job done ... if not, then I'll just keep at it until I force a giggle out of ya.

Thanks for watching it. I do appreciate it.

Fear not, I have better things in the works,
Jeremy Milks

Name:              David R.
E-mail:

Dear Josh:         

As I suspected, "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" is a solid picture, and is definitely worth seeing. Looking at the title you know that it's not made for the ADD generation, but rather for intelligent adults (what a novel idea!). I hope you watch it and come away with as much from it as I did.

Here is a nice review I saw posted on imdb: "It's not very often one comes across a film which gives you hope for the future of the American film industry, but this gem is a bright star in the usual landscape of formula Hollywood shlock.

The story begins in the American nowhere; a small Texas border town, with its usual hick cops, obnoxious border patrol, oversexed and bored housewives, illegal immigrants, greasy diners, etc. As the story unfolds, Tommy Lee, as a local rancher, sets in motion a journey to avenge the murder of his Mexican friend. This is a story about redemption. And watching the film, it made me realize that redemption is a western way of saying 'paying off of karma so that you're better off than you were before you did the stupid thing.'

The acting here is wonderful. Tommy Lee Jones has hit the character precisely; it's not underplayed, and it's not overplayed. It's not Clint Eastwood and it's not Mel Gibson. It's a balanced interpretation of a man who uses violence in an appropriate manner. In fact, this is the first violent film I've seen where I hardly noticed the violence at all, so smitten was I with the tale.

This is not a flawless film -- for example, we don't get good character development for the border patrolman's wife to mess around with an illegal, and the story does drag a bit in the middle -- but as a slice of life with immense depth and realism, this one is hard to beat."

Name:              Bob
E-mail:

Dear Josh:         

Well, tonight I watched "The Big Chill" for the first time.  It should be called The Big Bore or maybe just Obnoxious Yuppies. I was hesitant in getting this  this movie but Meg Tilly looked so cute on the DVD package, that that was the deciding factor.

So then is was just enduring two hours of these rich actors pretending to be rich yuppies and talking and shedding tears about one of their number who we don't know or care about.  Enough so to make the viewer feel like a real outsider watching some kind of clique.  I liked Jeff Goldblum's performance the best, but not that much, and I think that the movie might have been partially redeemed if Mary Kay Place had shagged him instead of anyone other than him of the studs of the group, which it was made clear that he was considered the only one not of that caliber.  A very isolating message.  I guess it was more realistic in that regard as well, but in doing so the characters came across as extremely shallow people and I certainly did not share in whatever warmth that the characters having sex at the end of the movie were supposed to be experiencing.

However, Meg Tilly still was very cute and made the film a little more bearable.  Did you like The Big Chill?

Name:              Eric Rosenthal
E-mail:             eric30202002@yahoo.com

Hi Josh,

    You forgot The Day the Earth Stood still in your recent list of favorite good science fiction movies (right??).  That's scary that there are so few really good sci-fi movies...
    Anyway you said something a while ago like all directors who were inspired by Star Wars made crummy movies.  That bothered me because it's pretty accurate.   Lots of action directors now rip off Sam Raimi (or try to) and  the result sucks...   And I know aspiring filmmakers who are so influenced by stuff like anime, kung-fu movies, bad comic books that they'll probably never make anything decent.
So here's my question: If I want to make a good, somewhat smart (or at least not dumb) low budget sci-fi movie (and it's got to be sci fi because I love sci fi)  what would be some good sources of inspiration - authors, magazines, etc...  that you would recommend.  I've read some Harlaan Ellison and Micheal Crichton; too bad their best stuff never makes it to the screen...

Thanks,

Eric

Name:              Bob
E-mail:

Dear Josh:         

I finally saw Sideways on DVD.  I thought the commentary with Giamatti and Hayden Church was funnier than the actual movie.  But, I really could have done without seeing that MC Gainey dude naked.

What do you think of the movie 'Reds' Warren Beatty?

Name: Sanchi
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

In regards to Hitchcock's decade of duds, I assume you mean the 60s, when he did those little itty bitty numbers like Psycho and The Birds. Not too shabby, and several critics these days (and cinema lovers as well, myself included) count Marnie as one of his great triumphs; a movie that proves (along with Notorious) that Hitch cared very deeply about character...and women. Torn Curtain I think is pretty above average, and you yourself admit it has some exceptional sequences. The studio tightened the reigns and took away some of his control, it's understandable why it didn't turn out to be something better. What do you think about its structure? I think it's phenominal. Act 1 from Julie Andrews perspective, Act 2 from Paul Newman, Act 3 uniting them together. Interesting stuff. Topaz I can't really defend. I think the "wilting rose" shot is one of his all-time most memorable, and the chase scene that starts in the hotel was pretty good as well. Otherwise, dull affair, but could have benefited from Hitch's original ending which, as I'm sure you know by reading Truffaut, involved a duel to the death. Family Plot in '76 was lame as well, but Hitch directed it from a wheel chair, and never went to any of the locations. I had a great talk with studio head Ned Tannen once about those later days and he told me it was heartbreaking, especially having to turn down Hitch's proposed projects after FP.

I'm not a filmmaker, but I have worked in the studio system for quite some time. I see such mediocrity these days, it just pains me to hear younger directors knocking the older ones. Even knocking the few around today who I think really do special work, and do it with integrity. Night Shyamalan is a filmmaker, for example, who is incredibly courageous, choosing a style of storytelling that is archaic, but makes perfect sense to him. A true auteur, and audiences love him (when they're not busy complaining they saw the ending "miles away"). His filmmaking can be likened to Hitchcock and his storytelling can be likened to the socially relevent, morally significant, brilliantly fantastic Twilight Zone, and the writings of its three key contributors, Serling, Matheson, and Beaumont. I don't know what you have to say about him, maybe his films aren't for you, but I hope you don't knock his courage, his integrity, or his sensibilities. His heart is in the right place, and in some minds (again, mine included), he has the talent to back it up.

Just a response from one film fan to another, both of whom happen to know a thing or two about the business.

By the way, I recently re-watched a favorite film of mine that I own on the old RCA Videodisk, those big clunky square things that no one these days have ever heard of. The Incident. Ever see it? What a fine movie. It was about theme, drama, and character, in that order, and it's true, these days we rarely see a movie with any of those...don't blame the studios, don't blame the audiences, blame the writers. Their priorities are elsewhere, and that's not reinforced from my end. Everytime an agent sends me "a great character drama" it's about a woman dying from cancer or a man dying from AIDS...everytime an agent sends me "a great character piece" it's about someone with OCD who makes wise cracks. Sheesh. Won't someone write me a Christ-like character who takes a stand against the authority and dies for our sins like the old days?

P.S. My name, of course, is not really "Sanchi," or "Sanchi-poo." But if you REALLY love movies, you'll be able to figure it out.

Dear Sanchi:

Good response.  I just wish more people knew their Hitchcock movies as well. Boy oh boy, I find "Marnie" rough.  It seems so clunky, and psychologically naive for its time.  All of "Marnie" is like that last ten minutes of "Psycho," with Simon Oakland explaining what we just saw.  "So then you're saying he was a transvestite?"  "Yes, and no."  "Topaz" is a disaster, and I liked the book by Leon Uris.  "Torn Curtain" has its moments, but it's rough to sit through, too.  Thankfully, he made "Frenzy" before he died.  Look, I love Hitchcock, I just don't love everyone of his films.  Did you read my essay, "The Life-Span of Creativity"?  And no, I guess I'm not a big enough movie fan to figure out what Sanchi means, but I guess you must be in the business.

Regarding M. Night Shyamalan, I liked "Sixth Sense," but after the second viewing realized I probably never needed to see it again.  I absolutely hated "Unbreakable" (see the review), and "The Village" was a belabored bore that would have made an okay 30-minute "Twilight Zone" episode.  Yes, he's one of the best filmmakers working, but to me he's a big disappointment. His shooting style worked fine on "Sixth Sense," but hasn't functioned

Josh

Name:              Jeremy Milks
E-mail:             admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:         

I know I gave you the link to the download of my short film, but I don't think I ever found out what you thought of it. Anyway though, I have a YouTube.com account now, and the short is available to watch there. I'd love to know your opinion, even if it's "this short is the worst piece of shit I've ever seen", lol. Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5vyHFU-wuQ

I apologize in advance for any loading time. If you get a chance to watch it, I'd really like to know your opinion, because, believe it or not, you are one of my many idols, despite our constant disagreements.

Thanks,
Jeremy Milks

Name:              August
E-mail:             joxerfan@hotmail.com

Dear Josh,

You've commented several times on what a huge science fiction fan you were in your youth, and how disappointed you were when the technology that we saw in "2001" didn't lead to some huge rebirth of the genre, with big-screen adaptations of Asimov, Heinlein etc. all over the place.  Which mystifies me as well - I remember getting all psyched for "Silent Running" > as the next big thing, loving the sfx, but then realizing that it was basicaly a long Twilight Zone episode.

I was reminded of this today when talking w/ someone about my favorite sci-fi movies, and I realized that in most cases, I was talking about nothing but the visuals, like with say "Star Wars" and "Blade Runner."  I was really hard-pressed to come up with too many in recent decades where the movie itself was decent, other than the original "Planet of the Apes" and maybe "Clockwork Orange."  Although I thoroughly enjoyed "Back to the Future," which I guess is marginally sci-fi.

So what would your favorite sci-fi films be, in your lifetime?  (Thereby leaving out all those early 50's classics.)

Thanks,

August

Name:              Tim
E-mail:             NansemondNative@wmconnect.com

Josh,

"Tepid" or not you have made sacrifices to make the movies you wanted to make and you have written all those scripts in addition to your book.My personal favorites are Hammer and Lunatics.Then we have the fluid ending to the Evil Dead."Head Shot" is my favorite of your scripts.

I don't think most folks could fathom just how much money $400,000 of your own money really is as it relates to "Hammer". I'm just talking money here Josh. I'm not even going to get into all the human elements that come to mind.What about the countless hours you have spent on writing your stories? I'm not anybody's champion here or anything but until you walk a mile in someone elses shoes it might be better to just not say anything at all.

Watched the 1953 version of the Titanic last night.

I have mixed emotions about it but I enjoyed Barbara Stanwyck's acting in the movie very much.

Most of the drama though seemed to center around the fleeing wife, her son and daughter and the husband who couldn't let go until he found out that the boy wasn't really his. Later on,of course,when the Pearly Gates start to open he has a big change of heart towards little Norman.

Have you seen the movie Josh? If so, your opinions please.

Tim

Name:              Matt David T.
E-mail:             msturnbull@comcast.net

Dear Josh:         

A friend of mine and I were discussing the Academy Awards (how only shit movies win now), and he had an interesting theory on the subject. I'd argued that literature and film were both declining in artistic value, and that the variety of awards being given to worse and worse works was a good proof-point for this. His response:

"I believe that has more to do with the age of the awards. Each award you give creates a precedence. A sad movie about crying girls won an oscar. Now there is an expectation there - not just by the voters, but by the people who create the movies themselves - that sad movies about crying girls is what they are looking for. After a while, the awards lose all value. I don't think literature and film are declining. The awards are just too old to be valuable."

Any thoughts on this?

Name:              Sanchi
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

Say what you want about the end of William Wyler's career--The Collector is one of the great films OF ALL TIME!!!

And Hitchcock's Frenzy is every bit as creative and filmic as any of his other films, and that says a lot, considering he is probably the greatest director cinema will ever see.

If people get worse as they get older, then you'd better start cracking, Joshy-poo, because you're getting a wee bit gray there yourself, and we've yet to see much from you that exceeds the realm of tepid.

Name:              Barham
E-mail:

Dear Josh,

Is it just me or is Eli Wallach incredibly underrated and was terribly under-used in films over the past thirty years? Granted he's done a lot of theater work since, but I think he could have easily become much more legendary than he seems to be already. The Magnificent 7 & the Misfits should really have taken him to another level, but they never really did. Just wondered if you ever had an opinion about him

oh, and Jack Warden is pretty sweet too, even though he should have died 15 years ago to keep him from the Problem Child movies and that Ed movie about the monkey....now Im just ranting...

Name:              Dan Lovetere
E-mail:             dlovetere@gmail.com

Dear Josh:         

I just bought Running Time.  It's a spectacular example of low budget indies at their best.

During the commentary track, you mentioned handheld detonation devices for squibs.  Do you know where I could purchase one or something like it?

I've built squibs using the method given on this site, but I need a safe and controlled way to detonated.  I have an Estes Electronic Launcher but it isn't powerful enough.  Thanks so much for your help.  Keep up the good work.

Name:              Cynthia E. Jones
E-mail:             photocindy@gmail.com

Dear Josh,

Hello once again! I haven't spoken to you in quite some time. I've made another short film I wanted to share with you. It was for the Washington, DC 48 Hour Film Project (48hourfilm.com), in which you have exactly that long to write, shoot, edit, and turn in a film after they give you the genre, a line of dialogue, and a character. This year it was "Comedy," "This is absolutely the last time," and "Tim or Tina Tate, gay glass sculptor."

I learned so much more in those two days of shooting than I ever had before--I had two cameramen, a lighting designer, a sound designer, body mics, boom mics, three different locations (with permission!), lots of extras, and one day of shooting. It was maddening and tiring and awesome and I am so ridiculously happy now that it's done. I can't wait to get started on the next project. I kept thinking of what you say, to just GO MAKE A FILM instead of talking about it or thinking about it or writing about it--and it's too true. Experience beats the hell out of theory every damn time. You have to figure out how to work around shortcomings and schedules, what to do when one of your locations is taken away from you before you're done filming there, and how to feed all your cast and crew (and when the hell do they eat?)--it was awesome.

So, I have uploaded the film to YouTube, which compresses the image a little bit in a way that annoys me, but I hope you enjoy watching. It's 8 minutes and 9 seconds--the films have to be under 8 minutes, but I added opening credits to the version that's online. Click here if you'd like to watch it:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xWcGs-2EV7Q

Thanks for being such an inspiration. Next step: a high def camera and a Macintosh instead of PC for editing.

Take care,

Cindy

Name:              Roberto Souza
E-mail:             robsouza@matrix.com.br

Dear Josh:         

I found your site yesterday when I was researching about William Wyler and read your article about him. If you turn your eyes over Wyler's filmography, you can notice that the quality decrease in his last films. I don't think that HOW TO STEAL A MILLION, FUNNY GIRL and THE LIBERATION OF L. B. JONES are good movies. The same happens with the final works of another great masters as Hitchcock, Wilder and Chaplin, among others. Do you think that age can influence over the artistic performance of a film maker?

Name:              Tim
E-mail:             NansemondNative

Good Morning Josh,

What is your opinion of the 1934 version of "The Count of Monte Cristo"?

I'm not going to say much at this point except to say that I enjoyed it very much.

I will say I wasn't that happy with the later Richard Chamberlain version.

As always, your thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated.

Tim

Name:              Richard
E-mail:             tuxedomask_477@hotmail.com

Josh,

I would just like to say I think you do outstanding work things that are new and intersting. Also I wanted to ask how you think I shoudl go about getitng into the film buisness I have tried time and time again and somehow always seem to fail.

Richard

P.S. If you could e-mail me your response it would be awesome cause I can never seem to find it on your site.