Howdy Folks,
We are starting up principle photography of Huzzah! again after taking a year off due to personal matters, other projects, and just life generally getting in the way. Such is things when trying to get a project done that is so big in scope .. But, alas, we have committed ourselves to finish shooting this year and the first festival that is up is Colorado.
So with that being said we are looking for some playtrons or festival workers to interview. We already have several lined up w/staff and some performers and such but as we are trying to get a complete scope of festival culture we need everyone! An interview would roughly run for about 30 minutes (out of character please) and we would also like to follow you around a bit (where a bit may be an hour or more, depends on how interesting you are, heh) just to get a feel for what the festival is to you and how you interact with it. Feel free to contact me here .. Would also love to get someone during their "at the car" ritual before going into faire as well.
Oh, and for those who haven't seen the trailer, here ya go:
http://www.huzzahthemovie.com
:-D
HUZZAH... I am up for it Sent you a renmail
My girlfriend and I would both be very interested! We met at the faire two years ago, and it's very close to both of our hearts. I used to work there as the resident Captain Jack Sparrow clone, but now I'm back to being a playtron. She's been a playtron for many years.
When you say you have interviews lined up 'with staff', does this mean you have the Festival's blessing and authorization to film? Permission to tie up cast members/workers for 30 minutes when they should be working? Have you shown them what you plan to be asking people? I'd hate for cast/employees to volunteer, and then when they're gone from what they should be doing to partcipate in your film, they then get reprimanded/fired. (Playtrons, lucky them, are free to do what they want. :D )
I'll be passing on this. Sorry, but I just finished a run of Bay Area Renaissance Festival in Tampa, and we had a rather unpleasant documentary crew (affiliated with the movie All's Faire in Love) out there harassing cast and patrons. They ended up being banned from the site, and when I left for our high country here, criminal charges were being filed for some of their actions when the cameras were turned off. Due to their questions and overall probe of footage to prove all those who attend festivals are sexual deviants, I've had my fill of such 'films'.
Your trailer makes your movie to be all about the 'utopian hippie' lifestyle some Rennies think festivals are all about. I'd be careful, there was an article in the Rocky Mountain News (a huge newspaper here) relating to CRF last summer that extolled the virtues of such a wandering Rennie lifestyle, going so far as to refer to patrons as "sheeple". The main interviewee went on about how he's found his place and home amongst faires, and yet, abanonded a wife and child (providing them zero financial support) to live an artists' lifestyle on the road. In my experience, the majority of people out at CRF do not feel that way. People are still sensitive about this image that makes us all look like misfits who can't function in the real world.
Of course, you could be all sorts of awesome, and I wish you luck with your endeavor. However, experience has taught me to avoid such things.
Oh and I am also available for the act of dressing which is quite the chore when wearing noble garb such as I do.
NO Capt Jack this year? Oh well there will be many walking around. We look forward to seeing you not as Capt Jack or maybe you will be Capt Jack or maybe Capt Jack not BEING Capt Jack
Replicant-
Strongly recommend that you go through the festival office if you wish to work with any employed participants. The management is rather particular about folks on the payroll interacting with press or media. You really need to get their blessing to avoid getting someone fired. You will also need approval to film on site as CRF "owns" all images of the site, including the performers in costumes. You will want to contact Jim Paradise Jr. He is the marketing director. He's a good guy and it sounds like a good project. I'm sure he'll hook you up.
Employed participants-
Strongly recommend that you get approval from your dept manager or coordinator before granting interviews and being filmed.
Patrons/Playtrons-
You guys can do pretty much whatever you want.... but remember that management has a long memory if they are painted in a bad light in the media.
That being said..... I have been cornered more than once by press & media working on a story about the "gritty underside" or the "subculture" or some other expose', tell-all sensationalist jargon. I too, will pass on this, and will mention that, if your intent is to create a "freaks on parade" film, you will likely be made unwelcome. IF, on the other hand, you are creating something that we can all actually be proud of, then I will apologize, and wish you the best of luck.
Cheers!
Folks,
I have already spoken with Jim on several occasions and he is completely aware of us and what we intend to project with the documentary. He has seen the trailer and I have convey'd what the intent of the project is, which is by no means "Look at the freaks". We would never be so presumptuous to just show up at a festival and start filming before we get consent from the owners. We have confirmed the above dates with the owner, hence this posting.
With that being said ..
When we film, we are quite aware of how things work at a festival and do not just randomly walk up to cast members and performers and start interviewing away. If we do an interview with cast or a performer, we try to arrange it before, or in a way that they do not have to break character and then we film then in an area where they will not be seen breaking character in front of the patrons. Here's part of a form I use that's a bit more eloquent than my normal writing:
Our crew is small and non-intrusive, consisting of only 2-3 people on
a given shoot. Enthusiasts ourselves, we are respectful of boundaries
concerning cast, maintaining character, and the spirit of faire. We usually
wear garb during shoots and, where necessary or requested, do interviews with
cast and entertainers out of the sight of patrons. We ask for little
accommodation other than press access and permission to shoot on location for
purposes of producing a commercial documentary.
I posted this mainly to get playtrons, and possibly to get some workers as I stated .. I do not want to have management arrange all the interviews for us as they are very busy people and interviewing is our job, not theirs! ;-) . I guess I should have chosen my words more wisely when I stated "follow around" as this was mainly directed at playtrons. doh! Also, please note when I say workers I am not talking about cast or performers, it would be shop workers, vendors, etc.
I apologize for any misunderstanding ..
I also noticed this was only my second post on this forum, I was an active member before the change to the new software, but I have been an active participant of the faire community for a good 10+ years now, hence why I have chosen to do this documentary. I see that me all of a sudden posting may have looked a bit odd! Oooppps!
Not at all Replicant. There are MANY on this forum who may register and never post or post infrequently, my boyfriend Toki being on of those. There are many who read who never post or were followers of the old site that either got lost and finding their way back, or just read without saying a word, maybe never making an account.
For those interested Mr. Paradise is pretty open to publicity to the faire as long as it is positive. He has welcomed me with open arms to do yet more photography since CoRF had such a beautiful add in the Premier issue of Faire Magazine. CoRF is using MANY old photos and I do believe he wants these updated and with Huzzah the movie filming on our MOST beautiful site (anyone could figure that they had permission before hand) that it will help promote our faire to the faire goers outside of our state. I am biasted but to me CoRF is the prettiest faire around and I know many who would agree.
As for owning all rights media is a FAR different matter of ownership. But if one can, it is always best to ask permission first when doing a project such as Huzzah the movie and filming acts. I know many years ago Puke and Snot asked people NOT to film their show in it's entirety
To me Huzzah the movie looks to be an informative film no worse than many other documentary out there. Anyone can still interpret it how ever they please good or bad and that goes with any news story. We do live in a country of freedom of speech and expression and it is just one of those reasons we all love faire so much. We can all express another side of ourselves and escape the every day drudge of life we all must deal with.
So Replicant. Good luck in your venture and I look forward to seeing the finished product.
Quote from: pktaxwench on June 03, 2009, 01:10:33 AM
I'll be passing on this. Sorry, but I just finished a run of Bay Area Renaissance Festival in Tampa, and we had a rather unpleasant documentary crew (affiliated with the movie All's Faire in Love) out there harassing cast and patrons. They ended up being banned from the site, and when I left for our high country here, criminal charges were being filed for some of their actions when the cameras were turned off. Due to their questions and overall probe of footage to prove all those who attend festivals are sexual deviants, I've had my fill of such 'films'.
I'm very sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience, and from what I have heard this is unfortunately a common occurrence with some film crews at festivals. Whenever we talk to some performers or management at festival their initial reaction is a flat on "No way" due to their past experiences such as yours :-( We have had to convince a festival, or two, that we behave in no such manner. As I said, the same has happened with some performers as well, but they warmed up to us after seeing some of the raw footage and seeing us interact with folks as the festival.
I'm not asking you interview or film you, just wanted to say us documentary makers are not all the same! :-D
Quote from: Lady de Laney on June 03, 2009, 11:09:33 AM
As for owning all rights media is a FAR different matter of ownership. But if one can, it is always best to ask permission first when doing a project such as Huzzah the movie and filming acts. I know many years ago Puke and Snot asked people NOT to film their show in it's entirety.
To me Huzzah the movie looks to be an informative film no worse than many other documentary out there. Anyone can still interpret it how ever they please good or bad and that goes with any news story. We do live in a country of freedom of speech and expression and it is just one of those reasons we all love faire so much. We can all express another side of ourselves and escape the every day drudge of life we all must deal with.
So Replicant. Good luck in your venture and I look forward to seeing the finished product.
We always ask permission from the stage acts themselves before we set down to do anything length of recording of a show.
Thank you for your kind words, and I know we will not be able to please everyone. We would like to think the thing we are creating is a piece of art (wow that sounded pompous, ha!) and art is something interpreted by the eye of the beholder ;-)
I was in a commercial once with Will Shakespeare, drinking a mug, of chocolate rum, yum... O, that this too too solid chocolate would melt...
Replicant
I would like to participate in your film. I am as Cap'n Jack, a former performer at the festival, but will be a playtron this year. I will be both in noble garb as well as .... well something in the fantasy realm (sorry its a surprise, it doesn't matter if you know, but I dont want everyone else to until opening weekend lol...) But, I will also be acting with a partner, and although I can assume he will be alright giving an interview, I should ask him first. But if you would like to get me on my own, I would be totally okay with it.
I too was very skeptical at first having heard the horror story from PKtaxwench, but you sound legit, and I am not strictly affiliated with the festival (meaning not employed this year lol) If you'd like to do the "by the car, getting ready" or whatever interview with us, that would be cool. We will be there opening weekend and probably every weekend after if truth be told. lol. What weekends will you be coming out to visit?
Best of luck!
Replicant-
All good news and well said. sounds as if you have run into a rough reception before based on the actions of other film crews, and you know exactly what the others are doing wrong. ;) No apology is needed and please know I had no intent to give offense. Only to protect my friends. (it's what I do. ;D )
since you have already been in contact with Jim, you should have smooth sailing & safe harbor.
We'll keep an eye out for you second weekend, and will flag you down to chat if we see you.
and..... Sincere best wishes on your project. I will definitely watch your movie. :)
Cheers!
So, pardon me if I'm missing it somewhere, but when will you be filming in Larkspur?
By the by, I just looked at the trailer, and I really enjoyed it!
His title of the post says it all... June 20th and 21st i.e. 2nd weekend
Oh, heh. Woops.
Damn... I don't think I'll be able to make it down there either of those days. But maybe... we'll see...
So how did it go? And do you plan on coming out for any more weekends?
I never saw them... did anyone else?
I saw them a couple of times . . . they got some good footage of our entertainment director chewing out our adorable thief. I hope they use it. They also got a little bit of our group singing. Anyone else?
I saw them....but they didn't interview me. They said they were sticking to what the PTB wanted them to do. Which I thought was smart :) I hope they use it too Nelle. lol
I saw them filming around Front Gate, but I had other things to do, and apparently, so did they. It'd be nice to see the final product when they're done.
Best!
I don't think I saw them either...although it's possible I did, and just didn't connect the two...
saw them from a distance. they were shooting in the pub. then my master yanked my leash and we went to ride the ships. :D
Was that them filming us Nellie? I thought so but I wasn't sure.....wonder if we'll end up in it and if we were in tune. Hmmm.... ;)
Anyone know which show the clips for the trailer are from? Looks like Texas, but I'm not quite sure.
Some of it is from Southern California and some from Scarby.
Some also looks like Bristol.
Filming went great! Was a little worried on Saturday as the rain would come and go as it pleased. Rain on equipment = no no no .. Otherwise I enjoy a good rain day @ faire every once in a while ;-) We got alot of good lane footage on Sat, and also some good 8mm footage as well. Really looking forward to the 8mm footage ..
But yes, we stuck to pre-approved interviews through management, which made things a bit different, but some of the folks they suggested were awesome interviewees. Betty was wonderful to work with, and we mainly went through her for everything. We met up with Jim and Jim Jr. and they were easy to work with as well.
Marquiche - Most likely the best interview we got out there. We got an awesome setup of him down behind the jousting field sitting against a tree with some long grass around him. Was our longest as well, good 40+ minutes. Easy interview, and got some really good nuggets of footage.
King and Queen - This was a spur of the moment interview, as we asked them to interview right before they went out for the parade. They agreed they could sit down to a quick 10-15 minute interview but it turned into a 25+ minute one! Lots of insight here as well ..
Master Piper Ben Holmes - Another good interview, am I starting to repeat myself? Lots of interesting stuff here, and was nice to talk to him off camera as well as I am a Highland Bagpipe student here in Dallas who plans on competing next year @ the Texas Scottish Festival. He judges sometime so he was able to give me some pointers :-D
Those are some of the highlight interview of the trip .. Oh, we also got some footage of the joust as we have had none yet. Did a really fast shutter speed so it'll have that "Saving Private Ryan" battle field look.
I will say lugging equipment around all day at this festival was a bit of a whip by the end of day 2! Our calves were KILLING us on the drive home! Never had such a workout at a festival ;-) Would be nice to just visit sometime .. We did manage to put everything up by 6pm on both days so we could swing by and catch the last of Iris & Rose @ the pub and to have a couple of beers.
Took alot of still pix as well, will be posting those on the Huzzah! myspace and facebook .. :-D
Thanks to everyone btw!
Can't wait to see the final footage in the movie!
Great to hear. Can't wait to see the finished product. please keep us posted on release. and again, sorry about the initial reception here, and thanks for the understanding.
Cheers!
I think it all stems from all the negative publicity that has been happening to our faire for the past couple of years.
And I do not fault PTB for only allowing certain interviews to happen. They are gun shy and want to make sure only the positive is told.
I look forward to the finished product as well
Pix are up on myspace and facebook:
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=421611420&albumId=1210605
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=133771&id=62158855940
Any update for this project?