Tuesday, July 8, SagePresence, along with the ScreenWriter’s Workshop, Fredrikson Byron P. A., and Best Buy sponsored the summer Script Night event with a public reading of INCARNATION, the latest Dean & Bill joint feature film project, read to an audience of 200+ movie buffs.
SPECIAL THANKS: We are very grateful to John Stout of Fredrikson for ongoing support to Script Night, and to Julie Gilbert (of Best Buy and the WOLF women’s leadership program) who’s financial contribution allowed us to fly in Hollywood veterans John Ashton (Beverly Hill’s Cop, Gone Baby Gone, Midnight Run) and Chris Mulkey (Cloverfield, Friday Night Lights, North Country) to bring voice to our script alongside fantastic local talent assembled by Emily Fradenburg (Moore Talent), Lynn Blumenthal and Lucia Anderson at Wehmann which included Sue Scott (A Prairy Home Companion). And the Minnesota Film and Television Board came through for lodging expenses, thanks to Lucinda Winter. A very special thanks to Robb Mitchell and the Screenwriters Workshop, who do so much for independent filmmakers and screenwriters wherever they are in their artistic and professional journeys.
PREPARATION: It was an amazing experience, with a lot of pressure. We spent a full week just trying to cast the reading, then to orchestrate travel, find corporate sponsors, and then find equipment donations so we could mic our nine actors. Big equipment contributors were Roy at AudioQuip, possibly the most friendly and supportive equipment provider in Minnesota (producers, bring your business to these guys – I know I will), and Cinequipt, who also graciously came through to support its local filmmakers. Jack Boniface orchestrated the technical operation of the reading, along with Chris Geegax.
On Monday, before the reading, life was totally crazy, as we’re picking up actors at the airport, getting gear, figuring out how to pay for a dinner suitable for John and Chris that wouldn’t embarrass us. But it went off great and I had an uncommonly “Hollywood” evening, pitching movie ideas to John and Chris and talking about our project.
On Tuesday, we did the reading. It began with Bill taking the actors to lunch while I worked with Jack Boniface to set up the technical stuff at the Ritz Theater. I had an overly ambitious idea of taping the event with two cameras and projecting the reading on the big screen behind the actors (so I could get a “movie reaction” instead of a “playhouse reaction” to the material). It was a lot of work and a brilliant idea, however we made the hard decision to pull the plug on it just before our audience stepped in. [This was because while it really did create a cinematic experience, about half the story worked better on screen and about half the story worked better on the stage, so people were losing the story as they switched between stage and screen.]
Tension built around 5:00 (just hours before the reading). Literally, our actors had one read-through of the material before audience showed up to react. What kind of directing could I really do in that situation? Very little. And honestly, we sucked at 5:00. But we stopped and regrouped, and worked through dinner. At 6:30, Ashton needed to go to his hotel room, and people needed to eat something, so we broke for dinner as audience was literally starting to sit down. Suddenly we were frantically getting people’s microphones on and I could see a full house… and does anyone know if John Ashton has returned? And did anyone work out our music cues? I found the CD in my bag and ran it up to the booth.
As I ran back down toward the stage, I thought: “Oh, what am I going to say in my intro?” As I thought about that, I heard, “And Director Dean Hyers has a few words to say, so here he is… “ Oh crap, I thought, but my intro went off very well, unprepared as I was, and then the music started perfectly (imagine that) and then the reading began.
This is where I really found myself impressed with the talent of good actors. While rehearsal was fraught with confusion, these professionals had clearly been listening. They mind-melded with each other and followed every cue I’d given them. They embodied each of the characters (with only one half-finished read/rehearsal) and brought our screenplay to life.
It was a sight to behold, as no one would ever have expected they were reading some of it for the first time. For Bill and I, it was the very first exposure to this material outside our own heads. We got to simply sit back and experience our movie, long before we will ever have to worry about a real production. This is a huge gift to us – a gift of perspective and objectivity. I was never more proud of anything than I was of these actors for what they brought to the moment, under-prepared and under pressure. Chris Mulkey, John Ashton, Aditi Kapil, Ansa Akyea, Chenea Love Green, Sue Scott, Carolyn von Hauck, Amanda Bluford, E.J. Subkoviak, Emiy Fradenburg – THANK YOU!
The audience vibe was electric and very positive. At intermission, word was coming to us that people were saying very good things in the aisles and in the bathrooms. People were approaching us with praise and anticipation for where the story was going to end. Note that such praise doesn’t mean the film is “ready.” It just means that it has substance worthy of taking the distance.
FOLLOWING THE READING: The event was followed by drinks at a local tavern, and big talks about financing, teaming up with Hollywood channels to find at least one A-list actor. We also talked about what we learned – after all, this was our first experience of the thing and the road before us is long and treacherous. We also had expansive talks about how we will alter the screenplay, not only because of what we learned in the reading, but also depending upon which way we would go for business reasons. Actor choices, producer choices, business plan choices, and other variables will all affect the direction of the screenplay itself. John Ashton had some cool ideas about how the script could be more Hollywood, and Chris Mulkey had ideas that could lead the screenplay more European. John Stout joined the discussions as well, and clearly we felt we had made solid progress, and had options and opportunities for the future.
THE DAY AFTER: The next day, we had some press online, and it was pretty critical, but that’s what we asked for, and we will grow from it. Critical reviews can be like “tough love” for a project, and this one sparked a lot of discussion and controversy amongst patrons of the Ritz, which eventually we joined in on after letting people speak for a few days without our input.
We also got all our feedback forms, which were very positive, with an average overall rating of 4 out of 5. Our Hollywood advisors have told us that most of the successful projects they follow land with extreme reactions, with people either loving or hating them, and that's what we got.
Personally, I’m not sure people fully understand the nature of a project in progress as distinct from a finished project, but their hearts are in the right place and their comments were definitely helpful. I like feedback before the script is so perfect that nobody has an open mind to evolution. To me, this project is past its first baby-steps, but not too far beyond them. I don’t think that our project is any more ready to live on its own in the world than my children are. But I believe in my children with every step they take, as I do with this project whether it’s ready right now or not. It is clearly a project with substance and Bill’s writing honors this challenging piece brilliantly.
LOOKING AHEAD: Since the reading, we have made leaps and bounds in firming up Hollywood partners to help us develop this project, so the reading was a worthy, albeit an exhausting investment of time and energy. Bill and I feel a bit tested, but our number one goals toward furthering INCARNATION have been achieved. Thanks for all the advice and support!
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