hope everyone is enjoying the first week of summer! here in Los Angeles it’s finally starting to get hot. it actually rained a couple of times in June! *gasp* personally, I don’t mind the slightly cooler weather. but I do feel bad as it usually extends up to Washington and it’s even colder there… anyoooo, speaking of nice weather. how about spring time in the South of France???
did I mention that the cinematographer of Certified went with me to France? well, Mr. John Matysiak did indeed make the trip. it’s always good to have a traveling companion …but you never really know how well you’ll click with someone until you are actually “on the road.” well, we didn’t hate each other after 10 days together – so I’d say we’re pretty good travel buddies.
our first stop was Nice. we wandered around town, had a bite to eat, a drink at the hotel’s bar and when we’d finally stayed up late enough crashed out. it’s always important to power through those first couple of days. you may want a nap sooooo bad. but you can’t have one! you must stay up!
the next morning we took the train to Montpellier. I have to say, it was way easier to figure out the whole train thing this time than when my family and I were there in 1999. I guess traveling in new cities on 4 continents since then helped a bit=)
In Montpellier my Corsican Cousins, the Cassanovas picked us up. we were going to be staying with them through the weekend. after a couple of phone calls we found each other in the station. hugs, kisses (3!), and a short drive later we were eating bread and cheese at their home in Assas.
this Castle is about two city blocks from their home. two!
we had a really great time with them. they were very hospitable to us and we felt right at home. it was a good start to the trip. we brushed up on our French (very minimal), got our internal clocks set to the right time, and made great progress in building up our bread/cheese/wine tolerance.
then it was on to Cannes!
the first few days were a total blur. so much to see and to learn, so many people! so many! it was a madhouse. I really stick by my “Comic Con” analogy from before. and we had a LOT to learn. the festival & market are pretty complicated…at least at first.
one thing we learned quickly was that you don’t need to wear formal wear to the early screenings…even though the ticket says you DO. (and our American Pavilion liaison also told us to). consequently John and I were among the 6 best dressed men in a crowd of about 1000. it was alright…as the day went on we progressed from being the oddly best dressed guys, to being the dashingly best dressed guys. but really, Cannes is one place where you can’t really be “over dressed.”
John on the Red Carpet
taking a break from the Vanity Fair party and watching the sun set.
I really enjoyed seeing the different sorts of grates and panel coverings on the ground. almost as interesting as Japan.
finally it was time for our screening! it was pretty exciting, so great to get to show the film to an entirely new audience…and in France no less! the film was very well received and John and I got to talk to a bunch of people afterwards. I’m still waiting for the AmPav to send the group photos from the event…when they do I’ll make sure and post ‘em.
one of the great things about the festival was getting to meet filmmakers from other countries. a friend of a friend introduced me to a Brit named Jimmy Thompson. we corresponded over the internets before the festival, then met in person at the short film corner.
he was doing a photo competition with a camera that took a sequence of shots. here’s one of me he took post screening. part of his “peek-a-boo” series.
the next few days were filled with meetings, screenings, networking, rosé drinking, champagne, late nights and early morning. one such night John and I were walking home along the beach road when we stumbled across a group of young French/Algerian/Sicilians hanging out and partying. well, two Americans in tuxes walking home at 5 in the morning must have been interesting to them – cause they offered us a drink. for the next hour or so, we laughed, drank, and talked as best we could. a couple of them spoke fairly good English and the rest…well we communicated as much as we needed to.
station 18 party.
as the sun came up, we goofed around. by the time we got back to the hotel we were laughing so much. various things may or may not have been thrown from our balcony. I can neither confirm nor deny any such mayhem. hehe.
pwn’ing the road.
the next day started our epic journey back to the States. there was a pretty darn long night without dinner at Heathrow airport. who knew a major international airport would stop serving food at 10pm??? not me, that’s for sure.
all in all it was an amazing trip. we made new friends, met interesting people, had good food, screened our film, and learned a lot. I look forward to my next trip to Cannes!
I know this was a pretty quick overview, so if you have any specific questions – let me know. I’ll do my best to answer them in another blog…
and there are plenty more pictures on my flickr, www.flickr.com/lukeasa, so check them out!
this week we conclude the interview with the amazing & talented Daisy Solis. you can read part 1 here.
—–
“Garden of Eden”
LG: So are you doing some paintings now, or just the large collages?
DS: Yes, I’m working on some paintings.
After looking at my last series of paintings, I thought that I held back on them with the paint. I was very “safe” with it. Which I think comes along with learning how to use the paint.
With the paintings that I’m doing now, I decided that I want to make these large paintings – I don’t want to be any restrictions with size.
I really enjoy painting now, I feel like I’m a lot more confident and that I can take a lot more risks with the paint than even a year ago.
Not second guessing myself, just attacking the canvas and doing whatever I want.
LG: You’ve mentioned a couple times “safe” and “taking risks,” is there something you do to tap into that more open mindset? Like, “I just got home from work and now I need to tap into this artistic mode.”
DS: For me, even when I’m at work – painting, is all I think about. I don’t think there’s ever a time at work where I’m not thinking about it, it’s not the first thing in my mind, but I’m always thinking about it.
I can’t wait to get off of work to make work. To do what I really want to do.
I don’t let anything stand in the way of me being in that studio and doing what I really love to do.
But it is challenging, once you are in there and you are in front of a blank canvas it is difficult to get back that energy that you had when you were at work thinking about it.
What I normally do is refer to the collection of images found in my notebooks that have inspired me. Reread jotted down notes, and reconnect to that energy.
Maybe I have a little glass of wine or two, you know.
[LG laughs]
Those notebooks are a very important part of the process. I’m attached to the images that I’ve collected and they inspire me.
So I get my motivation back and start making work.
LG: So what’s the next thing you are going to work on?
DS: Well, I haven’t made very many large paintings. It goes back to my fear of ruining a large piece of canvas. Besides my sketches and collections of books that I’ve set aside I have a set of collages that I’ve built that are going to be paintings.
So my goal is to go in and make these paintings. I want large, maybe twelve foot paintings. So they will require a lot out of me physically, while I stand on a ladder and paint section by section. I feel that this will be a really big challenge ahead..
I want to focus on these images. I feel like I’ve made these collages with the intention of painting them, then I put them aside cause I’m afraid of painting them.
But that’s my goal for the end of the year, to make these large paintings. To trust myself and trust what I’m doing with the paint. The image is there, I just need to paint it.
I think every artist second guesses themselves. And I think it’s very important for me, and something I’ve learned with past work is that is to just start it and just do it. Do what’s natural, what feels natural and it will turn out fine.
LG: Trust your instincts?
DS: Yeah, if you want to make that brush stroke, do it. Don’t think “is that going to be a good brush stroke?” or not.
“Grape Woman”
“Leopard Woman”
LG: If you weren’t making art, what do you think you would do?
DS: You know I ask myself that all the time, cause it’s such a hard way to make a living and there’s really nothing else I’d want to do. There really isn’t.
And I don’t think there’s anything I’d be good at either. And it’s partly because I don’t want to be good at anything else – I just want to be good at what I want to do. And this is what I want to do and I’m going to stick by it.
LG: That’s a great answer.
LG: So what’s your favorite episode of The Real Luke? Or a favorite Real Luke moment from “real” life.
[DS laughs]
DS: Well, let’s see….hmmm…I don’t know if you do it in the episodes, cause I haven’t seen them all. But you kind of state the obvious all the time. [LG laughs] It’s so obvious that it’s obvious, but I like that about you. I don’t know if that makes any sense.
well, as a friend and fan of Daisy’s – I’ve been excited to see her work progress and grow over the years. ever since that first show I saw at Cal Arts, it’s been clear that she has a very strong voice and distinct style. I look forward to seeing it displayed in the large paintings & collages she will be creating.
make sure to check out her site to see more of her work.
recently I had the chance to interview the talented artist, and my good friend Daisy Solis about her work and artistic process. she’s DS and once again I’m LG. here’s the first part.
—–
LG: So Daisy, how do we know each other?
DS: I think we met at a newsstand, when you were working there.
LG: And what were you doing there?
DS: Getting a snack after a hard day at work.
LG: What sort of work were you doing at the time?
DS: You know, some airbrushing and hand painting. It was kinda like a sweatshop.
[LG & DS laugh]
DS: I’m just kidding.
LG: No you’re not.
[DS laughs]
LG: Well that’s not the most interesting meeting story… do you remember when we first started talking about art. Did we go to a gallery opening or something?
DS: I think it was at my Thesis Show at Cal Arts.
LG: That’s right. All your work at that show had a very defined style. How did you go about developing it?
DS: Well even before college, I was collecting images that I liked. I felt very comfortable with this technique. And I enjoyed it, so I kept doing it.
Then at Cal Arts, I showed it to my Mentor and she thought it was a very interesting way of putting ideas together. So she encouraged me to continue doing it but to also be more aware of the types of images I was collecting.
To focus on specific images instead of just collecting random ones. Animals, patterns and faces were my main focal point.
And I filled up a couple books doing this.
LG: Collage plays a big part in your style. What else contributed?
DS: In my time at Cal Arts, during my Art History classes I became very interested in the nude. Like Velázquez’s “Venus at Her Mirror” is a good example. I found that I really enjoyed drawing the nude female form.
“Venus at Her Mirror”
LG: So on one hand you have these collections of images, and on the other hand you have your drawing of the nude female figure. When did you start marrying those two ideas together?
DS: When I was on exchange at the Glasgow School of Art I had enough time to reflect and digest the various projects I had been working on over the last three years at Cal Arts.
I was doing research on “masks” and the history of masks. And I became very interested in the rituals or the spiritual aspects of the mask.
So I started making these collages where I was doing a nude and collaging a face.
And for that I settled on birds, it’s a natural fit with the head and beak and eyes.
That style I developed in Glasgow was the work in the Thesis show that you saw.
a sketch for “Side Kick”
“Side Kick”
LG: Great. Why don’t you tell me a little about what you are working on now?
DS: For the last six months or so I’ve been working on new collages. They’re a lot different than what I’ve done before cause I’ve incorporated a lot of new objects and landscapes.
With these, I’ve taken a lot more chances and lost a lot of fear about how things are “supposed” to look. I’ve found that I’ve been able to let go and let the paper be.
It’s become more about the paper. Like I have a piece of paper and it’s an odd shape and I try to make something of it. And see where I can place it in the collage. It’s more fun that way.
LG: What’s the scale like on these new collages?
DS: They are a lot larger. Six feet by two feet.
LG: Very cinematic.
DS: And I like the interaction that the viewer has with them. I feel that it draws in the viewer and makes them ask questions or interact with the work. And I don’t think my work had that before.
LG: Is it because there is more room for the eye to travel, or because you are using more “loaded” imagery?
DS: I think it’s a little bit of both.
LG: When you are placing these images, do you have a story or emotion that you want your viewer to come away with?
DS: Well I’m very interested in the emotions that make us different than animals, like greed, power, lust, envy and I try to include those in the work. But I’m not sure if the collages tell a specific story.
I never really know what the collage will look like at the end, I don’t allow myself to go that far. Because I want to be surprised, and I want to push myself.
“The Battle” [this really needs to be seen larger...click to embiggen]
[end part one.]
next week we’ll chat about motivation, current projects, and of course…her favorite episode of The Real Luke.
ca va? I hope you are all doing well. earlier this week we returned from our trip to France.
we had a great time visiting relatives in Assas for a couple days, then went to Cannes. wow, what a thing that is. it’s pretty hard to explain really – but for those of you that have read my blogs about Comic Con I will make this analogy.
replace San Diego Bay with The Mediterranean. replace Fan Boys with really attractive and well dressed Europeans. replace soda with Champagne. replace Cosplay with Formal ware and viola! You have the Cannes Film Festival. haha. well, that’s simplifying things a little bit but it gives a good generally idea. I’ll have more extensive stories in the next few weeks.
so the ski season is coming to an end…at least at places that aren’t named “Mammoth.”
it’s always a little sad this time of year. nice to think back upon the good days we had on the mountain and dream about the epic days we’ll have next year.
luckily there are people like isenseven making quality films to help us through the summer…
ever since 2003 when my parents gave me a Canon Powershot 400 for a graduation present I’ve rarely been without a camera. I loved it’s small size. I love the image that it created. and I loved having a technical limit to what I could do. there were certain photos that could NOT be taken with the camera. the lens and sensor had limits and it was fun to explore and push the limits of what it could do.
when I got my first iPhone in 2008 I started to carry my Powershot (a newer one) around with me less. now, I only take the Powershot out for location scouting, film shoots, and travel. the camera on my phone has proved to be a great substitute. plus, I don’t wear as baggy of pants…so only having one device is a plus. but I digress.
the iPhone is a limited camera. it can only accomplish SO much. and that is part of why I like it. there are numerous Apps available that will change the image, give it a look, enhance it, etc… but I don’t use any of those. I want the raw image, a photo that says – this is what it looked like.
here are some of my favorite pictures taken during 2010 with the iPhone 3GS.
next week I’ll be posting my new “Director’s Reel.”
exciting news – “Updating Paige” is finished! and we have a premiere date scheduled. there will be a screening at “Web Series Unplugged” on Wednesday March 16th at El Cid in Los Angeles. details on the screening series can be found at facebook.com/webseriesunplugged
expect to see it online shortly thereafter! since that’s a month away, I’ve decided to release a film that’s been in my hip pocket for a while.
back when preparing to shoot the Grand Vanity “Got A Nerve” video I realized we were paying to have a camera package all weekend, but the music video shoot was just Saturday. it seemed a shame to not use the gear both days. so, I floated an idea to my producer, Tony Federico – should we try and shoot another project on Sunday? he liked the idea of filming something else, as long as we had a manageable idea. we asked Brett Pawlak, our director of photography and he was down for the challenge as well.
we had the gear, we had the crew, now we just needed a project. I went to my old sketchbooks and poured through them. somewhere there must be an idea that would fit. something that could be done with a skeleton crew, with basically no budget, in less than a day of shooting…
here’s a scan of the original idea. (click on it to see bigger)
over the next few days we worked on getting the idea flushed out and figuring out what locations we wanted to use. but we were still missing an actor.
the day of the Grand Vanity shoot came and we still didn’t have talent. Tony posted an ad on craigslist, then throughout the day he checked the responses and forwarded any promising prospects on to me.
but it wasn’t until the morning of the shoot that we confirmed our actor. Tony gave him a call and he was in. Jerome would be meeting us at our first location, the Huntington Library that afternoon.
just like with the music video, the changing weather had provided us with an amazing backdrop for the shoot.
wait, let me stop for a minute. Huntington Library is a very interesting place. it’s not a “library” in the way your local public library is…and it’s not just a park…or a museum…or a garden. it’s a bit all of those put together. you can look at rare books, see art, wander the gardens, or have high tea there. it’s really an amazing place.
so just outside was this row of ginkgo biloba trees. their leaves were brilliant yellow. the wind would gust and send a shower of them floating down. it was amazing. and we filmed it.
next we ventured into the park. one of the advantages of shooting on a DSLR is that people don’t bother you… for the most part you look like you are shooting “real” pictures. I’m sure eventually people will get savvy to this, but for now there is an incredible amount of access that this format affords.
there is NO WAY we would have been able to afford to permit this location. it’s a non-starter. there was no reason to even consider asking about it.
but, grab a DSLR, have a small crew, don’t spend too much time “directing” your actor…and security guards will walk right by you.
as the sun set we packed up and headed to our next location – Century City. I think it was on one of my long bus rides shortly after moving to Los Angeles that I experienced the strangeness of Century City for the first time. here was a group of large, modern buildings…but at night there was NO ONE around. it was like something out of “Omega Man.” eerie to say the least.
however, when we got to the location we found out someone else was there…namely Michel Gondry and the very large production of “The Green Hornet.” this actually turned out to be quite a boon for us. Sony spared no expense in shining light. three giant sun trucks, each with 15 10K lights bounced light all around the normally darkened streets. and we used it.
here’s one of our takes that was interrupted by a car chase. (how rude!)
it was a very low key and easy going shoot. we didn’t have any set locations, or a script for that matter…but it didn’t really matter. everyone was up for the adventure and we took what came our way and made the most of it.
the post on this project went as smoothly as the production. Carey Williams edited, Jeff McDonoungh did the score, Steve Romero did the sound design, and Bruce Cathcart did some stabilization and color correction.
sorry I missed yesterday…things got away from me. BUT – we did finish the sound mix on “Updating Paige!” so stoked!!! hopefully it will be online for your viewing pleasure soon.
in the meantime, please enjoy some pics from a new flickr set – “Stuff on the ground.” I really like to walk places. and I always have my camera with me. so I end up seeing a fair amount of interesting things. here are a few of my favorites.
10.) Sheep Ranch Drive
this is one of my favorite drives. well, the part in the foothills at least. they are some really really fun roads. long straight aways, perfectly banked turns, almost no cross traffic. I saved listening to Girl Talk’s new album “All Day” just for this part of the road.
Plus, I had a really great time with my Pops in Sheep Ranch. it snowed! in November!!!
9.) -2
ever smoked a cigar in -2 Fº weather? I hadn’t…until I went to South Dakota. let me tell you. anywhere below 10º really becomes painful.
8.) Infra reds
the quintessential Air Max 90 was rereleased this year. and I copped a pair.
7.) Inception
what a great flick. an action movie with all sorts of surreal and sci-fi elements throughout. never have I seen a movie and then talked about it as much with so many people. it worked out well that the film was released right before comic con, as it could always be used as an icebreaker.
6.) Best Day of Riding
I love snowboarding when it is storming. less people, more fresh snow, and a wonderful sense of isolation. it’s just you, the mountain, and the storm. in February we had one of those days at Mammoth. run after run through untracked snow…and as an added bonus, an ice-beard.
5.) the SD meal at Animal
earlier this year, we finished the post-production on another cartoon – Angelina Ballerina. to celebrate, we went out to an amazing dinner at the amazing restaurant Animal. great food & great company. I look forward to working with this group for many years.
our director, Davis
4.) New Orleans Trip
the Big Easy has been at the top of my travel destinations for many a year. getting to travel there with my family for Jazz fest was an amazing experience. the culture, the music, and ooooh the food. more about the trip here.
3.) National Pride
anyone who knows me knows that I’m not much of a “sports” fan. I prefer to be doing rather than watching…and when I do “do” I lean towards more personal activities. but this year, I caught World Cup Fever. and I got it bad. everyday I was getting up early to watch the games…sometimes from the Pub, sometimes from my computer.
it was at one such match that I had my best sports moment in years. the USA was tied with Algeria…we needed to win in order to advance…then in the 90th minute, Landon Donavan scored a goal.
the place went nuts. there was so much energy in the room, everyone was drawn together in celebration. it was amazing.
2.) Stepping It Up Got A Nerve, The Real Luke: Pursuance of Justice, APT. 5, and Updating Paige…this year has seen not only my best looking work – but the best acting, shooting, editing, sound design, and scoring. the grinding of 2009 paid off and the proof is on screen.
1.) Certified
but the real cherry on top is the project I put the most into. it is my short film the twilight zone inspired, period drama “Certified.” this project has literally been years in the making. for the last 5 years I’ve been working on finding that great short script that was worth investing serious time and money into.
during that time, I read a ton of scripts, I wrote many a screenplay, and I poured through anthologies of science fiction shorts…but it wasn’t until a random IM from a recent acquaintance that I was introduced to the tale that would become my film.
we just finished the film this week…but I won’t be able to release it on the internet until its Festival run is complete.
however, if you’re in the LA area – I’d love to see you at the Cast & Crew screening, Sunday, 1/23 5pm. details and rsvp info are here.
here’s the final part of my interview with Lex Halaby! enjoy=)
—–
LG: So what the heck do you do?
LH: I’m a director. I like to think writer/director even though I haven’t directed a feature film. I write the concepts and scripts the both my short films and music videos. When I do commercial work the concept has been hashed out by the agency already so my role is different. I don’t like to say that I’m one kind of director or another. I don’t want to just do music videos, or commercials, or narrative – I like to do it all.
LG: You’ve done some documentary stuff to, right?
LH: Yeah, in fact right now I’m working with a really talented editor, Ryan Brown on a documentary I shot in London. It’s about a performing arts school called “Chickenshed.” They are a really interesting, progressive school that incorporates people from all backgrounds, all ages, and all abilities into one performing arts troupe. The work they do is really amazing and they’ve become a leading example of what you can do by incorporating all types of people.
There’s people that are physically handicapped, mentally handicapped, and completely able bodied all performing on stage together. We interviewed students in the school, the faculty, and the founders. We also filmed their rehearsals and performances and are in the process of creating a short documentary about the message and principles that they are built on.
LG: Is this something that they gave you the script for? Or did they give you a “Thesis statement,” something that said “we want want a piece that communicates these ideas?”
LH: No, actually in the case of “Chickenshed” they were really open to how I wanted to approach the subject. I went out there and for the first week I just took in the school. I sat in on as many classes as I could and got to know people. I got to see them perform and see what they do. And from that I was able to start putting together my ideas for the structure of the piece. Then I developed questions for the interviews that fit into that structure for the film. After shooting 12 hours of interviews I was able to find the right cut-aways and b-roll footage to compliment and exemplify what they were saying.
LG: I think it’s really smart that you spent that week just being there and being in the moment, absorbing it before you started shooting. Do you use a similar technique on your non-documentary projects?
LH: In the creative process, it’s really important for me to be on location as much as possible prior to shooting. I do a lot of my visualization on location. You know that from the “Man-Man” video, when you and I went out and looked at stuff and shot photos. It’s important for me to be in the space so that I can be inspired by it and pre visualize things before production.
LG: I remember on one of your recent projects, the Coheed & Cambria video, you went to the location a couple time before you shot, right?
LH: Yeah I went out to Victorville, CA a few times. The first time was to find locations and make the decision that yes, Victorville was the place to shoot. The second time was to look at the locations more carefully and think more in terms of blocking. We also did some lighting tests with the camera to find out when the best time to shoot certain scenes would be. Victorville is a couple hours away, but I knew I couldn’t show up on the day of production and not have those fundamental decisions made already – cause then it’d just be mass confusion.
LG: So tell me a little bit more about this project.
LH: The record label and band’s management came to me with a creative brief and said “we want to do something very different with this project.” They were open to it being more than a normal music video. The brief included a section from Claudio, the singer, with certain themes that the song’s lyrics touched on. So I those themes and incorporated them into a short film script. I pitched it as a “music video/short film hybrid using the song as the score.” They liked it, and I booked the job.
It was an interesting experiment working dialog in and out of a music video. There are times where you hear the music and lyrics and times where it’s just an instrumental version of the song with dialog from the characters. I think we achieved something unconventional and different which is what we set out to do.
And people have responded to it. G4 did a premiere of it on “Attack of the Show” and a shorter version w/o dialogue went to MTV. It was a great opportunity and I’m glad I got to take advantage of it.
LG: What’s the logline?
LH: It’s about three teenagers who live in a small desert town that’s turned against them. Through the course of the video you slowly discover why.
LH: I’m also developing it as a longer form short film, separate from the music video. Originally I wrote a longer script then I paired the footage down in editorial to work with-in the constraints of a music video. There other scenes and dialog that were too long to air, but will be great in the festival version.
LG: So what stage is the short film in?
LH: The longer form version of the Coheed & Cambria video is currently being edited. Then it will need a new sound mix and score because the timing will have changed. It will be a few weeks before I get into the meat of it, because I’m doing this version out-of-pocket and since requires some favors — I have to work at a “favor pace.”
LG: I think it’d be interesting to tell people what a “favor pace” means. ‘Cause I know what you mean, but I’m not sure all of our readers will.
LH: Sure. When I say a “favor pace” it means that people are going to do the work between their paying gigs and in their spare time as a “favor” to you. So things move slower when you are asking people to work for free.
If you have a little bit of money, it definitely helps, so sometimes I will pay out-of-pocket just to keep things moving.
LG: It’s the whole “better, faster, cheaper” thing.
LH: It’s the triangle: quality, time, and money. If you don’t have much money and you want high quality you gotta give somebody a lot of time with it.
LG: So what other projects are you working on right now?
LH: I just directed a project for Coca-Cola’s new Christmas jingle, a music video for the band Train, and a music video for Kimberly Caldwell from American Idol. It’s been a really busy month and balance all the projects has been a challenge, albeit an enjoyable one. Those should all be released in the coming weeks.
Before that I did a large Latin video for Juanes, international latin rock-star. That was a great experience. He was fantastic to work with, we got along really well, and it’s a beautiful video. I think we hit the themes and tone of the video perfectly.
It takes place all at night, outside on city streets. You don’t see anyone at all, it’s completely empty, but you do see people’s shadows. So Juanes is walking through an empty city with the shadows of a bustling city all around him.
LG: So do you have any writing projects right now?
LH: Well, I’m pitching on quite a few music videos and a couple commercials right now. And in my personal writing I am developing a graphic novel and some short scripts. I think the graphic novel is going to be my next major undertaking. I just met wih my friend Skip Martin who’s just published his graphic novel, “Bizarre New World” and talked with him about the next steps I need to take in order to get it made.
LG: What inspired you to work on a graphic novel?
LH: Graphic novels are very creatively freeing to me. There’s no limitations from a storytelling and budget standpoint. It costs the same amount to draw a character sitting alone on a park bench as it does to draw a character flying a massive spaceship through a black hole. There’s no budget constraints and therefore far fewer creative constraints. Of course the quality of the art and printing all cost money but not in the same way it does in filmmaking.
There’s many stories I’d like to tell that are too expensive for the screen and graphic novels allow me to bring these visual stories to life. It’s still something I’m exploring, but very excited about the possibilities of the medium.
LG: What were the graphic novels that have been inspiring you?
LH: “Scalped” and I’ve also really enjoyed the “Walking Dead” series.
LG: Can you think of any examples where inspiration has come from an unexpected place?
LH: I’m usually inspired when I’m traveling or when I’m somewhere where there’s a lot of visual motion. If I sit and watch cars, or I’m at the airport, or just watching people walk by I’m able to think much better than if I’m starring at a screen.
Usually when I’m writing I just walk around the house in circles. I can’t just sit if I’m trying to break an idea. I think all my ideas come from movement and action.
LG: I like that bit about motion, how it lets you disconnect and hit those other areas of your brain.
LH: Yeah, I didn’t even realize that until a few years ago. Once I realized it, it really helped. It’s really hard for me to just write in front of my computer. That’s why I really need to get my laptop fixed [laughs] so I can be somewhere else. [LG laughs]
The other thing I do, just from a productivity standpoint, is run a program called “Freedom.” It blocks all internet access for a certain amount of time. So if I have a hard deadline and I’m getting distracted with emails and the internet, I’ll run that program and it block my internet access for say “the next two hours.” The only way to get it back is to fully reboot the computer, which is a pain, so I don’t do it. And then I get more writing done.
LG: So I think we’re getting close to being done…if you weren’t filmmaking – what do you think you’d be doing?
LH: I spend a lot of time thinking about that. If I wasn’t in film I’d probably be in either politics or journalism. Like NGO [Non-government organization] style politics. Or psychology. [both laugh] I think they are all related in a way. I think that in writing and filmmaking understanding psychology is really important. Especially for understanding motivation and how characters interact with each other. Also to understand the psychology of the audience. What do they interpret from the characters on screen? Do they connotate it as positive or negative and how do they react to it? I think those are valuable skills.
I’m always involved in politics and I love to travel. I like to be outside of the US, so that’s probably where the NGO side of things comes from. And journalism, that’s from my love of documentary.
I like picking people’s brains…like you’re doing to me right now. [laughs]
LG: Deep into the dark recess of Lex’s mind we will travel…
LH: Super meta right now. [both laugh]
LG: So what’s your favorite episode of The Real Luke?
LH: I think the trailer that you did was ****ing amazing. I love that trailer. It was particularly funny because the other Real Luke stuff is intentionally so lo-fi and has a homemade feeling, but then this is really huge and epic and I like that contrast.
LG: [laughs] Cool. So where can people see your work?
So that wraps it up. Definitely some exciting work on the way from Lex!
I really enjoyed picking his brain and finding out about his creative process…it’s an exciting adventure getting to learn more about how my friends work and I’m glad I can share it with y’all!
