Has it really been a month and a half since my last production update? I guess this stretches the definition of "regularly updated."

Sorry for those who have actually noticed the lack of updates (I was surprised to get an e-mail or two). I was of course distracted by the rehearsal process for "Bat Boy: The Musical," a stage production that I co-wrote and which opened March 21 at the Union Square Theater in New York City. While trying to edit the film and deal with "Bat Boy," I just couldn't find the time to write any updates.

It was strange working on both projects at once. "Bat Boy" and "MacArthur Park" are very similar in that they are both based on true stories, but the expression of each in final form could not be more different. "Bat Boy" is a fictionalized version of the true tale, told in the world's oldest medium for story--the stage play (in fact, the structure is that of a Greek tragedy). "MacArthur Park" is a straightforward examination of a real event, using the world's newest medium--digital video. During rehearsals for "Bat Boy," I would be sitting in the balcony of the Union Square Theater, editing "MacArthur Park" on my Powerbook, using the very latest editing software, while below me on stage would be actors working out the story of "Bat Boy" using the simplest tools artists have--their bodies and their voices. It was pretty cool.

The experience of working on a stage production was a good lesson for me as a filmmaker currently in editing. It's easy to get caught up in all the bells and whistles that are now readily available even to low-budget filmmakers--compositing tools, graphics, special effects, audio and video filters, the endless cutting possibilities offered by non-linear, non-destructive systems such as Final Cut Pro. But ultimately the presentation of a film is almost identical to that of a stage production--you have to put the thing up in front of an audience, and they're going to like it or hate it. And what's going to keep them interested for 90 minutes or more is not fancy tricks, which I was reminded of as we put "Bat Boy" in front of preview audiences early last month. Over the course of three weeks we pared away a lot of showy "stagecraft" and concentrated on what the audience really wanted--a simply told story.

Back in L.A. now and working on "MacArthur Park" full time, I'm concentrating on two fronts: editing the film and preparing to shoot a major re-creation. Brian Clark and I decided that the 3D animated "re-creations"--while quite useful and still present in the film--weren't enough to get certain points across. We need to re-create the assassination of Bill Gates itself in fairly elaborate detail. So we're going to rent MacArthur Park, hire a crowd, consult with technical experts on specifics and shoot portions of the events of December 2, 1999. It will be just like a "real" movie shoot, and, to be honest, I'm not looking forward to being both an editor and a director in full production at the same time. It leaves very little time for naps and matinees.

I am now plunging into the details of that production and shall share them with you in this space, gentle reader.

Best,
Brian Flemming
doc@nothingsostrange.com
Brian Flemming's Weblog

P.S. If you want to know how "Bat Boy" went, check out the reviews:

www.usatoday.com/life/theater/2001-03-28-bat-boy.htm

www.nytimes.com/2001/03/22/arts/22BATB.html

www.nydailynews.com/2001-03-22/New_York_Now/Theater/a-104227.asp