"A Continuation of Pre-Production" – Project Greenlight, Episode 3
Posted on Wed 30 Mar 2005 (2021 reads)
Nine weeks until production begins, and they're still working on getting a budget. Rona comes to visit them in New York for a face-to-face meeting and unfortunately, he's just not ready to commit more than three million dollars. Leahy thinks it's impossible. "We aren't going to spend five million dollars on this movie," Rona tells them how it is for this film. Dimension is not ready to commit to the project for many factors. Gulager is up for the challenge, even if nobody has the confidence in him to do it. "In the past, Dimension has stepped up," Leahy explains, keeping his hopes up. Chris Moore and Gulager go out to lunch for the day. "I was taking him to lunch to really try to convince him to share his vision with the rest of the people in the movie," Moore advises him. "Figuring how to talk in a group is a skill," he says, and he offers to help Gulager learn the skills to talk in a group. He wants to help him in any way he can, and he lets John knows this. "That is not good for the marketing of the movie," Moore says of the nepotism involved. "I'm still the contest guy," Gulager laughs. "I want to be the first guy who makes movie on Project Greenlight." With eight weeks to go, and another draft of the script, Rona calls in to discuss it. "The more he knows the vision, the more money we'll get," Leahy notes. Rona was advised to watch some movies by Melton and Dunstan, and he did, which gave him more of vision of what the film will be. Gulager even takes part, gaining some confidence, and talking to Rona about the film. "I got my balls busted in the last meeting," John says. This meeting, however, he steps up to the plate and shows he can lead. All the producers are smiling, and it's a much better view of them and their confidence in him as a director, a contrast to the last meeting with Rona on the speakerphone. "Right now, John Gulager isn't the concern of Andrew Rona," Leahy says. Now, we're done to seven weeks until shooting begins, and they're still working on casting. They are working on picking a Director of Photography and Production Designer, along with a First Assistant Director. He has to go around and interview a bunch of people to find the best people to work with him on his vision for Feast. Casting is still up in the air, though. "I'm not sure John and Michelle are clicking. They have very different approaches," Leahy explains. John believes Michelle has already casted the film behind his back, without his approval, and he's a bit upset about it. He still wants his family in it, despite the misgivings of the entire cast. "They should just run everything by me before contacting someone," he says, "They just don't do that." "I sort of get John," Michelle explains, "I'm giving him as much information as he can take." She tells her assistant to give him anything he wants, to inundate him as much as possible so that he possibly gets it. Now, they're auditioning the roll of the heroine, which is the central role of the Feast. John wants a strong woman who can kick some butt, as he says, but so far he doesn't seem to really like anybody. One of the girls from the O.C., Navi Rawat, comes in to audition for the role and blows everyone away, except John, who is still skeptical. In a final budget meeting, Rona confirms that only three million dollars plus all the fees, is the final number. "We aren't going to tell you what to do," Rona says, but he refuses to give more money. Leahy makes a pitch to go to another studio and get one to come in as a partner, and Rona gives the thumbs up for the attempt, saying that's what makes him a good producer. We see Gulager was listening in on the meeting, unbeknownst to anybody by hiding outside the room. Soisson believes by dropping a week out of the film will make it horrible, but unfortunately, it's the only thing they can do to make the entire film be it good, bad or ugly. They begin to cut down the cost of the movie. They first decided to make grandma the bartender. Then, they approach Tunnicliffe about the monsters, which have lost much money. "We want to salvage what we can of the two major parts of the movie, the set and the monsters," Soisson says. Leahy called a radio station and heard that the owners of the Sacramento Kings were on and wanted to get into the movie industry. So, he calls the radio station and gets through to talk to them, and tries to get them to sign on to finance the film. Then, they just hung up on them and made fun of the fact that people ask them for money. He doesn’t think they realized who they were talking to and calls them for real from the studio again. Wes Craven and John go out to dinner one night, at a private table. Craven wants to give him all his experience in one night, if possible, to help him out to make the best film he can for his first film. "John's really going to have his hands full," Craven says. That night, Gulager's girlfriend reads a script with him, because he wants to cast her as the role of Tuffy. She was in his submission for Project Greenlight and did a great job, but the casting director isn't going to be happy about this, nor will anybody else involved in the project. John and Michelle joke about casting their family members, but they seem to be getting along a bit. "I really want this role as Tuffy," Diane, his girlfriend, muses. Nobody seems to be that impressed at first, but when she does the angry scene shot, Michelle is actually really impressed. "She was actually very good," Michelle notes. "Do I still think they're going to fight it? Yes." Krista Allen came in to audition for Tuffy, too. They are really excited about her being there, as she's highly desirable for the role. She's very much into the process, asking for feedback, and direction. John seemed impressed, but they are worried he will still want to cast his girlfriend, even if she isn't the best actress. "I still like Diane," he says. Rona comes into a conference over the phone and talks about the casting. Soisson said, "It should be whoever is best for the role." However, "I want these guys in the film. When I like someone, it doesn't matter, is that the deal?" he asks. He keeps debating this nepotism ideal, because he believes in it, even though it'll look horrible for the studio. "Your credibility is shot," Soisson explains. "Rona looked at all the tapes." Then, tells him he didn't like any of his family and that he wouldn't approve any of them. "Why did they pick me?" John asks. "If they don't think the director should be involved in casting, that's just asinine." John continues to defend himself, but he's clearly outnumbered. He just doesn't get how casting works and Soisson gets very angry about it. He feels he is serving his own interests, which he shouldn't be as a first-time director, instead of serving the movie. As a temper tantrum, he begins to rip down his family's pictures from his wall. "The Gulagers don't have to do this, and I can do this alone. If they think it'll make it easier for me, if they think it'll make the project better, they're probably wrong," he whines. John goes out with his family for dinner. He claims those working with him don't respect him. His father tells him that that's just the way it is in the industry. They discuss nepotism, his father even taking notes, and they overall don't get it. John won't back down though, and he thinks it's personal, but it isn't. He comes back to the studio, and tells Leahy that he wants to file to Los Angeles to meet Bob and Harvey Weinstein – owners of Dimension – to plea for his family to be in the movie. "I want you to direct this movie if those people aren't in it," Leahy says. Rona is called and told about the plan. Soisson can barely get it out, it's ridiculous. "There's just no way this is happening," Rona laughs. Gulager comes in, the producers are laughing. Rona says if Gulager leaves New York, Dimension will shut down the production permanently. Leahy goes to meet the Maloof brothers to see if they will become partners for Feast. They sit down with them and pitch the movie for real this time. Sean Bailet, who works for Live Planet, has an established relationship with the brothers and introduced Chris Moore and the rest of the team to the project. They all work hard to pitch the film. "We're trying to shoot a forty day project in twenty days," Leahy notes. "I was very encouraged by the meeting. If we can get Maloof Motion Pictures involved with Feast, it could be huge." Chris Moore, Joel Soisson and Mike Leahy go out to lunch and joke about how they finally sat down with the Maloof brothers. They then discussed the casting issue with John's family and flying out to meet the studio executives. Moore can't believe that John wants to do that, and tells them that if they ever repeat the conversation or bring it up again, he will fire Gulager on the spot. Carpesomediem is an aspiring freelance writer from Lancaster, Pa. who enjoys music, movies and writing about the way the world works; you can contact her at carpesomediem@realityshack.com to talk about this week's episode or anything at all.

Index :: Print :: E-mail

This site is best viewed in the most recent version of Firefox or Internet Explorer, with a screen resolution of 1024x768 or higher. Theme design by BCOOL.