"Club Penton" - Ask questions to Hollywood insider "Penton-Man"

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Grubert

edit: I clicked through to the Antwone Fisher Blu-ray on amazon and it turns out that you get $5 off if you order it together with The Secret Life of Bees (which just dropped in price to $20.99!). Damn you Penton, you made me buy two more movies!

It’s better than owning a boat for a hobby.

[Penton-Man]

Folks, it’s Grammy’s weekend and a few of my personal favorite performances that I was fortunate enough to witness live back in 2007 (which had a bunch of great performances) were………..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T47A9...eature=related
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh2Yxp6q2h0
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhJKSseiPXE

Later.

[horseflesh]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Well, I feel your pain but, keep in mind that a lot of people back then in the olden times rather liked the look of the imagery (including the filters) esp. over there on the sophisticated continent (i.e. Europe), if memory serves, regarding the overseas box office receipts.

Penton, my knowledge of actual film making is limited, so I do enjoy your posts where you go into some technical detail, I feel like I'm very slowly getting some idea about the whole process. (likewise for Robert Harris's contributions here and in his own thread).

Which sort of leads me to a question, although one that I don't really expect you to answer very specifically, LOL.
What job do you do? (even in general vague terms)
You are obviously very involved in the business end of things, but you also seem to have very strong technical knowledge that one might expect many "higher-uppers" to not have.
Anyway, I don't really expect an exact answer, I guess I'm just thinking aloud.

[Jeff Kleist]

Here's a question for you Penton

With Rent coming out today, and STOMP on the way, do you see a greater future for filmed stage productions on home video? I know that virtually all Broadway stage shows exist in some form on video, but are there only for reference purposes and are not to be distributed, lest they reduce the value of revival ticket sales.

I would always rather own a recording of the stage than a movie version any day of the week, especially when it comes to something "real" like West Side Story or Oklahoma, where the natural environment busts through the 4th wall for me and ruins it because I my rational brain tells me that NY gang members aren't likely to be doing numbers in the middle of the ghetto.

Certainly SPAMalot, given Sony's excellent relationship with Monty Python might be a good choice

Do you see this as an experiment that points to the future, or an isolated case not likely to be repeated in any kind of quantity?

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by horseflesh

Penton, my knowledge of actual film making is limited, so I do enjoy your posts where you go into some technical detail, I feel like I'm very slowly getting some idea about the whole process. (likewise for Robert Harris's contributions here and in his own thread).

Which sort of leads me to a question, although one that I don't really expect you to answer very specifically, LOL.
What job do you do? (even in general vague terms)
You are obviously very involved in the business end of things, but you also seem to have very strong technical knowledge that one might expect many "higher-uppers" to not have.
Anyway, I don't really expect an exact answer, I guess I'm just thinking aloud.

Hah!
Well, I think that Amir revealed my profession during the format war……i.e., I belong to the Make-Up branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, or was I supposed to be a hair stylist?

For the closest you will ever come to learning how “higher-up” I am, I shall quote what the paidgeek asked me a few years ago, as he still lurks on this thread from time to time and this recollection should provide him a little chuckle………..

Paidgeek --“So, Penton, you don’t care to mingle with anyone below the Vice Presidential level.”
Penton -- ”Not really, as it has proven to be a waste of time when I can go directly to the top for answers.”

For, the closest you will ever get to seeing who I am……..at the 2007 Grammy Awards show, Gnarls Barkley slipped and nearly fell into my lap while stepping off the first stage and moving to the second ……..
http://www.truveo.com/Crazy-Live-Gna.../id/1685618875

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Here's a question for you Penton....
Do you see this as an experiment that points to the future, or an isolated case not likely to be repeated in any kind of quantity?

An experiment with an indeterminate future and consequences at this time……….to be determined later.

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

P.S.
To our attending Brain Sturgeon we have here on staff –
An interesting aside for you may be the fact that Joshua L. passed away in the late 80’s from progressive supranuclear palsy, which I wouldn’t be surprised was misdiagnosed on initial presentation due to its rarity.

Interesting... Not something that I (or nearly anyone outside of Neurologists specializing in movement disorder) see very often. I would guess that they thought he had Parkinson's at first. Just another one of those depressing neurological disorders that have no cure...

[PaulGo]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

For, the closest you will ever get to seeing who I am……..at the 2007 Grammy Awards show, Gnarls Barkley slipped and nearly fell into my lap while stepping off the first stage and moving to the second ……..
http://www.truveo.com/Crazy-Live-Gna.../id/1685618875

If he did based upon his size you could have been crushed!

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by horseflesh

Penton, my knowledge of actual film making is limited, so I do enjoy your posts where you go into some technical detail, I feel like I'm very slowly getting some idea about the whole process. (likewise for Robert Harris's contributions here and in his own thread).

Don’t feel badly as few probably know that much about filmmaking itself (i.e. what’s the typical work day (in hours) on the set of a feature film? or, roughly how many films have really gone through a 4k DI process, not including those that were restored for archival purposes by a studio); otherwise, if they did, they would probably be spending a great deal of their time in endeavors like this……………http://www.ultimatefilmmakercompetition.com/ and not have much free time for other stuff.

The important thing is, you personally realize that to appreciate some nuances of a movie which you are viewing in your home on Blu-ray at your leisure, it is optimal that one learns something about the filmmaking process, i.e. pre-production, production and post production. In addition, if the film was not shot recently, it’s best to learn accurate knowledge of restoration and mastering procedures from folks like RAH, Torsten and other Insiders that we have here as well as some well-informed members. It seems that in the past, far too much emphasis has been placed upon encoding parameters and the codecs involved, which are really only as good as the masters that are provided in the first place.

Me……….I’m a sticker dude . My current project is providing the highest tack adhesive for the “Re-Elect Obama” bumper sticker for Rob’s car, as he takes his politics very seriously and I wouldn’t want it to peel off prematurely.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

.....and he (Joshua) hoped to somehow, in a daring way, create the visual effect of the stage show to remedy that and challenged his cinematographer to find a solution technically.

Be patient. I’ll post another excerpt when I’ve got more time.

The Idea-

To elaborate further, what Joshua L. wanted to convey to his audience (in addition to avoiding the “picture-postcard” look of Technicolor) was the visual effect of the stage show “South Pacific” in which the entire stage would change color before and during every song, so as to create a mood for movie viewers in order to allow them to concentrate on the music, vocals and emotion of the singers who were performing, rather than the natural beauty of the environment, in this particular case, the Hawaiian Islands.

That was the filmmaker’s original idea.

He placed the technical challenge of exactly how to accomplish that goal into the hands of one of the most highly regarded cinematographers of the time, namely Leon Shamroy.

Next episode …….Shamroy’s response and pre-production aspects.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by PaulGo

If he did based upon his size you could have been crushed!

No kiddin.
I don't think he's missed many meals.

[horseflesh]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

For, the closest you will ever get to seeing who I am……..at the 2007 Grammy Awards show, Gnarls Barkley slipped and nearly fell into my lap while stepping off the first stage and moving to the second ……..
http://www.truveo.com/Crazy-Live-Gna.../id/1685618875

You like just like I expect you would

It's not that I was wondering about your actual identity (I think a little mystery is good for all of us), just what job you do.

And thanks for your subsequent post; while not wanting to spoil the "magic" too much, I do love seeing the sheer amount of planning and work that goes into making a movie. I watched the making-of docs for Superman Returns recently, and it's a real eye-opener in terms of the scale of making a big-budget picture.

[Bobby Henderson]

I really love the music video for Gnarls Barkley's Crazy. It's a clever visual play of a Rorschach ink blot test. And the video has a similar feel to it as Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes.

[dred]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Me……….I’m a sticker dude . My current project is providing the highest tack adhesive for the “Re-Elect Obama” bumper sticker for Rob’s car, as he takes his politics very seriously and I wouldn’t want it to peel off prematurely.

Penton, I know you know some good sticker people! By the way, thanks for help with that.

[Rob71]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Me……….I’m a sticker dude . My current project is providing the highest tack adhesive for the “Re-Elect Obama” bumper sticker for Rob’s car, as he takes his politics very seriously and I wouldn’t want it to peel off prematurely.

Get the formula for the stickers they used to seal Blu-ray cases with. That stuff was amazing.

[Objectivity]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Here's a question for you Penton

With Rent coming out today, and STOMP on the way, do you see a greater future for filmed stage productions on home video? I know that virtually all Broadway stage shows exist in some form on video, but are there only for reference purposes and are not to be distributed, lest they reduce the value of revival ticket sales.

I would always rather own a recording of the stage than a movie version any day of the week, especially when it comes to something "real" like West Side Story or Oklahoma, where the natural environment busts through the 4th wall for me and ruins it because I my rational brain tells me that NY gang members aren't likely to be doing numbers in the middle of the ghetto.

Certainly SPAMalot, given Sony's excellent relationship with Monty Python might be a good choice

Do you see this as an experiment that points to the future, or an isolated case not likely to be repeated in any kind of quantity?

I'd be curious about the sales for Rent Live compared to Into The Woods on VHS back in the early 90s. Both were released in the "early days" of the format and probably had similar fan bases at the time. The key difference is that Into the Woods wasn't a mainstream product. You had to do a mail order and pay double the going price for a video. Rent Live is available pretty much everywhere.

My only complaint about the Rent Live BluRay is the production. The director had a bad habit of cutting to people right before they started speaking. Very distracting. I'm glad I bought it though.

I'd love to have a collection of live musicals. Even those recorded for PBS.

[Robert Siegel]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist View Post
Here's a question for you Penton

With Rent coming out today, and STOMP on the way, do you see a greater future for filmed stage productions on home video? I know that virtually all Broadway stage shows exist in some form on video, but are there only for reference purposes and are not to be distributed, lest they reduce the value of revival ticket sales.Do you see this as an experiment that points to the future, or an isolated case not likely to be repeated in any kind of quantity?- end of quote

There is inside word that Mel Brooks will be getting the original cast of his newest musical Young Frankenstein together after the upcoming (soon to be announced) national tour, to be taped or filmed for home video. From what I understand, PBS and Great Performances is partially financing it. I suppose he is going a different route after the boxoffice intake of the Producers movie musical did awful business. I certainly hope that happens because the Original Cast CD is awesome. I hope that more and more shows like this are video-taped(filmed) to preserve all of the great performances that can only be remembered by listening to Original Cast CDs.

[Jeff Kleist]

So sad on The Producers, I can't understand why it did so poorly. Mostly original cast, fantastic attention to detail.

At least the Japanese Blu-ray is outstanding

[Robert Siegel]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

So sad on The Producers, I can't understand why it did so poorly. Mostly original cast, fantastic attention to detail.

At least the Japanese Blu-ray is outstanding

ditto. Most watched blu-ray in my collection is the Japanese blu-ray of The Producers (musical)! Why it did so poorly at the boxoffice is beyond me. It is really unfortunate. Excellent performances, fantastic orchestrations, as you said original cast members, very funny..a movie you can watch over and over and still be entertained....very unfortunate.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

The Idea-
He placed the technical challenge of exactly how to accomplish that goal into the hands of one of the most highly regarded cinematographers of the time, namely Leon Shamroy.

Next episode …….Shamroy’s response and pre-production aspects.

Pre-Production

Well, reportedly, colorful four letter words aside, he wasn’t at all enthused with Logan’s idea because he believed it was an unnecessary risk that would potentially serve only to separate views from the emotion of the film as Shamroy believed that film medium demanded reality, and it was the job of the cinematographer involved, to strive for that appearance (reality) as a goal…..rather than some fantasy look with color filters.

However, as any good soldier would, Shamroy carried out the orders of his commander (Logan) and searched for a solution to the challenge presented. Shamroy recalled that there was a technician that produced a nice set of painted moving filters in the past and maybe the same technician could build some filters for the South Pacific production. The mechanics of the process would be to wind the filter across the lens when the song began, so that gradually, the motion picture would be tinted, as if by magic.

The difficult part would be to manufacture the color camera filters with the director intended optimal density in mind………
if too thin, the effect would be so subtle as to not even be recognized by the audience and thusly prove impotent to ‘set the mood’ for the song,
if too thick, and the resultant appearance could prove to be overtly blatant and most viewers may start thinking about the filter itself and tone out the performance of the singers…….or, at least relegate them to a secondary thought, which was exactly the opposite outcome that Joshua was striving for.

Next installment………Testing -
Followed by principal photography as in Production, as in ……………

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/st...4960578&EDATE=