SAN JOSE - In an age when Hollywood is churning out movies like an impersonal factory, large-budget films with big stars, fiery explosions and complex special effects run amuck. Studios often overlook quality projects in order to take on movies that will guarantee profits, with no regard to whether the product is a top-grade project or a shiny piece of crap.
As studios spit out movies like machines, more and more acclaim has been given to talented filmmakers who have created quality, low-budget independent films. Films such as Kevin Smith's "Clerks" and Jon Favreau's "Swingers" have taken the nation by storm, winning a stronger following than money-making bombs like "Batman and Robin" or "Striptease."
As film production becomes more of a detached labor process, independent filmmaking upholds the tradition of movie creation as a sophisticated art whose process and final product are equally savored. One ideal example of independent filmmaking at its finest is director M. David Lee III and his productions.
On a lazy Sunday morning in Northern California, at the height of summer with the sun beaming down on a community not yet out of bed, Lee and his crew were hard at work filming at Café Leviticus in downtown San Jose. As the gang worked diligently on a drama titled "3 Days ... 3 Hours ... 3 Minutes ... 3 Seconds," The Michigan Daily was invited to watch the process.
"3 Days" is a realistic drama about a part of the world that no one wants to see. Randy (Michael Kinsella) is an intelligent, aspiring writer working as a male escort to support himself and his junkie girlfriend Lex (Renee Smith). Life for this couple is painful and gritty, filled with drugs, casual sex and deception. As the two live within the dark shadows of society, they dream of escaping this hell and creating better lives for themselves.
"The whole premise about this film for us is that (all of us are) about a paycheck away from being homeless, streetwise, having to do what (we) need to do to get to the next day," said Lee, who previously worked on a thriller titled "1-900."
Amy Lee, who plays Randy's friend Leslie, said, "What we see in the film is that these people aren't losers. They're real people with feelings, with talents, with ambitions. I mean, Randy's not happy being a prostitute. He wants to do other stuff, but he didn't have a lot of chances and he doesn't have anyone to fall back on. So he's doing what he can to support himself."
Kinsella also provided insight into his character. "I think Randy is pretty introverted. He's one of those dreamers who wonders. But he's caught up in a bad set of circumstances right now."
The actor continued, "It's kind of a hardening of the heart the further he progresses, but he's scared of losing his humanity, and he doesn't want to become totally callous. It's at this stage now where these things are happening and certain key factors start laying on top of each other really quick.
"The film's within 3 days of this character's life, and by the third day, a lot of these things have built on and it's just an enormous amount of pressure. It's neat because he's more or less an introverted guy that needs to deal with a lot of stuff you wouldn't want to deal with."
Claire Battersby, a talented English import who plays Leslie's roommate Annabelle, added, "This is a story of people. It's not people around a story - it's people ... trying to get through life where it takes them."
On this particular day, the crew was shooting a scene involving Leslie and Annabelle gossiping, and a scene involving Randy, Leslie, and Randy's arrogant friend Tabor (Sam Means). Everyone had been working nearly around the clock the last few days, as Lee and producer Wendy Collins had hoped to wrap up shooting in 3 days - as close to real time as possible. While the first scene was being set up, Lee discussed the unique process that went into creating "3 Days."
"I put together a storyline. And what I wanted to do was to get the actors more involved. I've been actually watching an interview about Mike Leigh and how he put together 'Secrets and Lies,' and how they did it through a series of improv over about a year. And then they got the actual piece that way.
"So I came up with the storyline and plot elements that (the cast) had to hit from Point A to Point B. Then we rehearsed for about 8 weeks. We would sit down and talk about the scene. We would improv it 3 or 4 times. I would record it on a little Radio Shack recorder, and then I would go home and listen to the best of all the takes, compile it on the computer and come up with the written scene. And then from there, the next week we would reread that and fine-tune it."
Many of the actors agreed that this process of giving them free rein helped not only in regard to chemistry between the performers, but it also added to the film's realism. Kinsella said, "The script is kind of everybody's baby in the sense that the actual dialogue we pieced together through rehearsals."
As filming continued, though many people were overworked or suffering from lack of sleep, everyone was still having a good time within the relaxing and supportive creative atmosphere that Lee fostered.
Lee admitted that filming had been intense and many people were running on adrenaline highs. "I keep saying that I'm going to make it a little easier on myself one day and have 3 months to shoot a film. But the reality is, until Hollywood or somebody plops down a whole bunch of money, you've got to find creative ways to make independent films."
One quirk particular to this filming is that the café was still serving regular customers while the crew filmed. So as the daily rush for coffee increased, more and more wide-eyed spectators gathered to watch the movie being made.
The scene involving Randy, Leslie and Tabor took a little bit longer to perfect, as Lee tried to find the right blocking for the scene. But by the time everything was ready, the scene came off marvelously. The humorous verbal sparring between Leslie and Tabor (described by Means as a cocky guy who's "got one frame of mind - he only thinks about the present moment and how to advance himself") was a lighthearted moment in the dark drama.
With filming winding down, there was much speculation as to how the film would be received. It is definitely meant for more mature audiences, due to its subject matter.
When asked how he predicted audiences would react to "3 Days," Lee said, "I think there will be some shock to it. I'm sure some people will say, 'Oh no, these people don't really live like that - nobody lives like that.' But hey, I've known some drug addicts, I've known some people who have had to do some things that aren't very pleasant to go through. It's true. It's reality. These people exist, and we may not know who they are because we just walk up and down the street, and they might look okay to us, or we might not give them much of a second thought. But they exist, and I hope that when people see (this film), it'll get them to think."
Other members of the cast also hoped that this provocative film will bring about a heightened awareness of these people, and will successfully convey the theme that they are real and that they should not be superficially persecuted or dismissed.
While it is uncertain where this film will end up (Lee is gearing up for film festivals and hoping for a domestic release), it is quite clear that independent filmmaking is not only alive and well, but it has many budding stars waiting in the wings. For Lee, who is a veteran of television production among other things, this looks like the start of a promising career.
JULIA SHIH/Daily
Michael Kinsella (seated) stars in "3 Days ... 3 Hours ... 3 Minutes ...
3 Seconds." Sam Means and Amy Lee also appear in the film.