Inspired By: This American Life

One thing I love about the television version of This American Life is it's a lot of bang for your buck. They manage to squeeze so many interesting stories into each episode without ever leaving the audience overwhelmed. The series is like the ultimate storytelling mix tape. You depend upon the good taste of the producers as they present these interesting stories in a cinematic format that utilizes top notch visuals and music. It's great stuff. If you haven't caught the show, it's currently available on DVD. Also, of course, the radio show has been going strong for quite some time now. Visit www.thislife.org for more information.

Assembling the narrative structure of Beauty Day will likely be the most challenging task of the filmmaking process. It's always helpful to revisit a show like This American Life to get a sense of the possibilities of storytelling and draw inspiration from what they've done with their TV format and how they take full advantage of the visual/audio real estate. This leads me to a great series of videos features Ira Glass talking about storytelling. An insightful and inspirational tool during this stage of the editing process. Check them out below:

Inspired By: The Wrestler, Rocky Balboa

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently about non-fiction films that fall under certain dramatic genre conventions. The most recent examples, The Cove and Man on Wire, have found great success by aligning their stories with a sort of espionage/thriller presentation. It seems to me that although documentaries provide a opportunity for non-traditional story telling, the films that seem to stand out as true accomplishments are those that naturally follow a classic narrative format. How many times have you seen a documentary that's blown you away simply because the story was like 'something out of a real movie'!

Early on I'd thought that Beauty Day could also fall under certain genre conventions. In my eyes, the story feels like a sports drama, even though Ralph isn't a sports athlete. I've always been citing films like The Wrestler and Rocky Balboa in reference to Beauty Day, and it's definitely been a helpful reference point while sorting through all of the possible directions the film can go in the early editing stages. Having said all of that, the film is first and foremost a character piece and the 'plot' exists only as a thread to hang the individual characters stories on.

Inspired By: Werner Herzog

Although there are many filmmakers that I draw inspiration from, Beauty Day does have a few films to thank for some generous guidance throughout the production/editing process. The most obvious inspirations are definitely worn on the films sleeve; Errol Morris' Vernon, Florida/Gates of Heaven and Chris Smith's 'American Movie'. There are, however, some that might not be so apparent. Werner Herzog is one of my favourite filmmakers and it's no surprise that his work has also informed some aspects of this film, both in spirit and in style.

This past week I decided to revisit some favourite films of mine to gather some motivation/inspiration. After revisiting The Thin Blue Line and Goodfellas, I decided to sit down with Herzog's non-fiction, sci-fi fever dream 'Fata Morgana'. It proved to be a beneficial experience as one of the sequences ended up stirring my imagination and sent me rushing for my Mac. This would prove to be a minor, somewhat superficial inspiration, but a great starting point for what I think will be a promising sequence in my own film. The scene:



When Ralph first started discussing ideas for his 20th birthday special, I had one request to ask of him; total chaos. I wanted his skits to be tumultuous; total bedlam and as visceral as possible. I immediately drew from Herzog's filmography and his ability to put the viewer in the middle of chaos, giving you a sense that even the camera man is in danger. His wide angle, roaming handheld camera heightens the sense of pure disorder. This immediately came to mind:



Another great scene from the same film, along with a still from Beauty Day:





UPDATE: It seems as though YouTube has pulled my uploaded Even Dwarves Started Small clips due to copyright infringement. LAME.

SECOND UPDATE: The clips are currently back on line. I've disputed the copyright infringement, but I don't know how long it will last. Down with the man.

Inspired By: Bruce McDonald

Here's another great Canadian filmmaker that has managed to bring some great genre pictures to the table over the years. His most recent film, Pontypool, is a low key/high suspense take on the zombie film set entirely within the confines of a small-town Ontario radio station. One of many truly great Canadian horror films.

Bruce McDonald's Hard Core Logo received a fair amount of attention after Quentin Tarantino took it under his wing and released it through his now defunct 'Rolling Thunder Pictures' distribution company. I think I remember hearing that the film's lead, Hugh Dillon, actually auditioned for Tarantino for a part in Jackie Brown. I think. I could have my facts mixed up there. Either way, Hard Core Logo is an awesome road film/rockumentary that wears it's Canadiana on its sleeve, tracking the ups and downs of fictional punk band Hard Core Logo on their last Canadian tour. It's frenetically paced and features a cut and paste visual collage of imagery that compliments the soundtrack and do-it-yourself themes perfectly. What does it have to do with Beauty Day? Well, not much directly. However, we are looking at including a Canadian road trip aspect to the film and I think what McDonald accomplished with Hard Core Logo is a great place to look at for some inspiration. If you're looking for some great Canadian filmmaking, be sure to go through Bruce McDonald's filmography as soon as you can.

Inspired By: Strange Brew

There are few films that manage to successfully inject copious amounts of Canadiana without a sense of desperate, self-conscious over compensation. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas' Strange Brew is one of those films. I don't know what it is, but I can totally give this film a pass on its hockey, beer and donut references while at the same time roll my eyes at other films guilty of the same cultural pandering (Bon Cop, Bad Cop and Men With Brooms). Canadian films shouldn't feel obligated to force hockey, donuts and beer into the mix. Unfortunately, it seems as though you're more likely to get financial support from the government if you clumsily inject whatever Canadian cultural references you can. BUT...there are many films that successfully thrive on Canadiana. Bruce MacDonald's Hardcore Logo comes to mind, along with a few other films that I'll be mentioning in future 'Inspired By' posts. I've realized that the blame shouldn't be placed on the hockey, donuts and beer but rather the films themselves. A bad movie is a bad movie, curling or no curling. Strange Brew works not because of the donuts, but rather what surrounds the donuts; the beer and the hockey. Oh, and Mel Blanc (among many other things of course).

Beauty Day is first and foremost a comedy. A non-fiction Canadian comedy that features lots of beer, a sweet van and hopefully a shit ton of donuts. Maybe I'll even work in an intermission at some point. Needless to say, Strange Brew has been on all of our minds at one time or another throughout this shoot.

Inspired by: David Gordon Green

'Inspired By' is a regular post about the many films, filmmakers, books and tv shows that have directly -- or indirectly -- inspired Beauty Day.

It isn't just non-fiction films that inspire other non-fiction films. I can't say the work of David Gordon Green is a direct influence on this particular project, but there is an element of that rural, blue-collar 'Southern Gothic' turned 'Canadian Gothic' atmosphere. I've always loved his sense of geography and use of landscapes, and Tim Orr's cinematography always manages to capture what seems to be an everlasting magic hour. I'm hoping to be able to achieve a similar sense of time and place in Beauty Day.

Inspired by: American Movie

'Inspired By' is a regular post about the many films, filmmakers, books and tv shows that have directly -- or indirectly -- inspired Beauty Day.

So one thing I'd like to try and do regularly on this blog is highlight films, tv shows, books or music that have inspired (or are currently inspiring) Beauty Day in some form or another. It could be in regards to similar thematic elements, technical aspects, aesthetics or even just overall tone. Today I'll start with one of the more obvious selections; . Here's the trailer:



If I could capture even 1/100th of the humour, sincerity and passion expressed in this film, I would be quite proud and very happy. There are a few elements of American Movie that have informed Beauty Day; the meditation on the importance of personal and artistic expression, the blue collar work ethics and the plight of the struggling artist. The film presents a solid story that's both consistently hilarious and inspiring with memorable characters that are likable, yet complex. Something I'd love to be able to achieve with Beauty Day.