The Lounge Lizards - Fatty Walks - Surely the most Noirish of Noir music...

The Great Acting Blog: "The Short Film Before The Feature Film"

 

 

Prelude is now complete, and I am delighted to be sharing the film with you here. Some of you will already know that this is the short film we made when work on our feature film,Noirish Project, was snowed off. Noirish Project is a noir about Billy, who steals the family jewels and gives them to low-life Jimmy to sell to a Fence. But their problems begin when the jewels turn out to be fake. Prelude, takes place before the robbery, and Billy is trying to convince Jimmy to help him out. I do hope you enjoy the film, and please feel free to leave any feedback in the comments section below.

As of last week, there has been no change in the situation for the feature film shoot: we are awaiting confirmation (or not) of more snowfall. Either way, we will get the production up and running over the next month or so. I have posted all of the blog-posts we have so far, which relate to the film.

 

Improvising

Prelude To Noirish Project [Stills]

Noirish Project Rehearsals

 

Poetic Acting

 

Noirish Project Swings Into Motion

 

Noirish Project - Feature Film Announcement

 

 

Prelude To Noirish Project Is Now Complete. Delighted to share the film with you here...

 

 

We made this short film when the shoot for our feature film, Noirish Project, was snowed off. Noirish Project is a noir about Billy, who steals the family jewels and gives them to low-life Jimmy to sell to a Fence. But their problems begin when the jewels turn out to be fake. Prelude, takes place before the robbery, and Billy is trying to convince Jimmy to help him out.

 

Check-out notes about the film...here 

 

The Great Acting Blog: "Improvising"

Check out this quick teaser I put together. We've still some work to do on the sound, but the film will be completed in the next week or so.

I had planned to shoot Noirish Project in two chunks: the first last week, and the second later in the year.  Unfortunately, I had to postpone shooting the first chunk last week because of the snow, obviously this wouldn't have matched with anything we would have shot in the second chunk when in all likelihood there wouldn't have been snow. However, seeing as everything was set up anyway, I thought it would be a waste to not do anything, and so decided to go out and make a short, using the landscape as a snowy backdrop. I wanted the short to still be connected to Noirish Project in some way, and hit upon the idea of the short film being a sort of "backstory" for the feature, where we would learn a little bit more about the characters and how the events in the feature came about, calling the short; Prelude To Noirish Project. 

In the feature film, Billy has stolen his families' heirloom, some pearls, which they have owned "since before the War", and he gives the pearls to the only person he knows who has even a vague connection with the world of crime, Jimmy, to sell to a fence. Prelude takes place before Billy has stolen the pearls, and is structured around a telephone call, i.e. - Billy ringing-up Jimmy to see if he'd be interested in the pearls. The telephone call is then intercut with imagery of Jimmy on his way to meet Billy in the park. This structure lends the film a sort of fantasy quality, where we are not sure whether Billy is imagining the events we are seeing or not. I'm starting to think that the telephone is perhaps my favourite dramatic device of all - it's just so economical, and it creates plenty of scope for the acting, it's always fun to watch actors trying to express themselves through a phone. Also, I think telephones are very strange indeed (far stranger than email or text message, which seem far more natural), and therefore they possess a mystery which is intrinsically dramatic. It also opens up structural possibilities, and in Prelude, often I use the telephone conversation as a voice-over: we hear the characters talking, but we see imagery from another time and place.

There wasn't time to write a script, so I just decided on subject matter and the overall structure of the film, and we improvised the specific dialogue. We had, however, during the preceding weeks, been rehearsing the scripted scenes  we had already scheduled to shoot, and had arrived at performance level. This work had a strong impact on the improvisation, especially in terms of style and rhythm of dialogue. The actual script has repetitive, punchy dialogue, and we found that to be true of the improvisation aswell, as if the rhythms of the script had lodged themselves in our minds. I also found it easy to access my character's (Jimmy) sardonic intent toward the other character (Billy). The net result is that Prelude feels very much a part of the full Noirish Project feature film, it seems part of the universe of the full film, which is a very pleasant result.

I am currently in the process of re-scheduling the scenes we were unable to do, probably for mid- February. Snowfall has been rumoured, but we'll have to wait and see. 

Trailer for CENTRO HISTORICO, omnibus feature by Aki Kaurismaki, Pedro Costa, Victor Erice & Manoel deOliveira

The Great Acting Blog: "Improvising"

Check out this quick teaser I put together. We've still some work to do on the sound, but the film will be completed in the next week or so.

I had planned to shoot Noirish Project in two chunks: the first last week, and the second later in the year.  Unfortunately, I had to postpone shooting the first chunk last week because of the snow, obviously this wouldn't have matched with anything we would have shot in the second chunk when in all likelihood there wouldn't have been snow. However, seeing as everything was set up anyway, I thought it would be a waste to not do anything, and so decided to go out and make a short, using the landscape as a snowy backdrop. I wanted the short to still be connected to Noirish Project in some way, and hit upon the idea of the short film being a sort of "backstory" for the feature, where we would learn a little bit more about the characters and how the events in the feature came about, calling the short; Prelude To Noirish Project. 

In the feature film, Billy has stolen his families' heirloom, some pearls, which they have owned "since before the War", and he gives the pearls to the only person he knows who has even a vague connection with the world of crime, Jimmy, to sell to a fence. Prelude takes place before Billy has stolen the pearls, and is structured around a telephone call, i.e. - Billy ringing-up Jimmy to see if he'd be interested in the pearls. The telephone call is then intercut with imagery of Jimmy on his way to meet Billy in the park. This structure lends the film a sort of fantasy quality, where we are not sure whether Billy is imagining the events we are seeing or not. I'm starting to think that the telephone is perhaps my favourite dramatic device of all - it's just so economical, and it creates plenty of scope for the acting, it's always fun to watch actors trying to express themselves through a phone. Also, I think telephones are very strange indeed (far stranger than email or text message, which seem far more natural), and therefore they possess a mystery which is intrinsically dramatic. It also opens up structural possibilities, and in Prelude, often I use the telephone conversation as a voice-over: we hear the characters talking, but we see imagery from another time and place.

There wasn't time to write a script, so I just decided on subject matter and the overall structure of the film, and we improvised the specific dialogue. We had, however, during the preceding weeks, been rehearsing the scripted scenes  we had already scheduled to shoot, and had arrived at performance level. This work had a strong impact on the improvisation, especially in terms of style and rhythm of dialogue. The actual script has repetitive, punchy dialogue, and we found that to be true of the improvisation aswell, as if the rhythms of the script had lodged themselves in our minds. I also found it easy to access my character's (Jimmy) sardonic intent toward the other character (Billy). The net result is that Prelude feels very much a part of the full Noirish Project feature film, it seems part of the universe of the full film, which is a very pleasant result.

I am currently in the process of re-scheduling the scenes we were unable to do, probably for mid- February. Snowfall has been rumoured, but we'll have to wait and see. 

The Face Of Another: "Richard Burton. Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?"

Prelude To Noirish Project [Stills]

We had to postpone some of the filming for Noirish Project proper, due to the snow. So, we went out and made "Prelude To Noirish Project", using the snowy landscape as a backdrop. We created scenes around the original script, scenes which take place before the original script starts, but which are still very much related to the main action. I hope to re-schedule the Noirish Project shoot over the next week or so, and complete post-production for Prelude.

Prelude To Noirish Project [Stills]

We had to postpone some of the filming for Noirish Project proper, due to the snow. So, we went out and made "Prelude To Noirish Project", using the snowy landscape as a backdrop. We created scenes around the original script, scenes which take place before the original script starts, but which are still very much related to the main action. I hope to re-schedule the Noirish Project shoot over the next week or so, and complete post-production for Prelude.

The Great Acting Blog: "Noirish Project Rehearsals"

Billy: What if he, y'know, tries to glass us or something?

Jimmy: Glass us? Dickie? Dickie wouldn't glass us. You don't know him. He's actually a really nice guy.

Billy: I thought you said he was dangerous.

Jimmy: I said he was POTENTIALLY dangerous. 

Billy: That's dangerous enough.

- Some dialogue from the script for Noirish Project.

 

Rehearsals continue apace. The ground-work has been done. The script analysis process which I discussed last week has been gone through, followed by the next stage, which is to find a concrete, exciting action to play for each scene. Then the fun starts, which is to actually start doing the scene with the chosen action. This is where the scene starts to take shape, and the acting begins to fizz because we now have the confidence to commit fully to playing the scene, and working off eachother in the scene, creating afresh each time (rather than deciding in advance how to do the scene, and doing it that way regardless of what the other actor in the scene is doing). I have decided to record the rehearsals this time, and replay the recording each time we do the scene. I have found this to be immensely useful (especially since I am directing aswell as acting in this production), because obviously I can see exactly what we've done and respond accordingly, but it also gives credence to my notes: I can literally point on the monitor to what I am talking about.  Also, as a bonus, I can review all the wonderful, unplanned moments which spin out of doing the action, and which we are not conscious of whilst playing the scene, little physical "tells" emerge, especially when the character is lying. As always, it is important to forget about these moments the next time I do the scene, because if I consciously try to jimmy them in, then they will no longer be organically created with that vital energy, but inferior reproductions.

In my blog, Poetic Acting, I expanded more fully on the style of acting the film will employ. The script is very gentle and slight in places, and so the performances will be mostly made up of small but meaningful moments, with the occasional bouts of drama and comedy. Despite the minimalism, the acting challenge posed by the script is a considerable one. High drama and comedy create an energy, a  momentum, which the actor may "surf" and carry him through the scene, however, this will not really be the case in Noirish Project, where the actor will have to remain focussed through some quiet moments, but then, from a standing start (so to speak), snap-up some energy for other, more intense moments. Absolute attention will have to be paid at all times.

 

 

I will certainly let you know how it goes.

 

 

RELATED

 

Poetic Acting

 

Noirish Project Swings Into Motion

 

Noirish Project - Feature Film Announcement

The Great Acting Blog: "Noirish Project Rehearsals"

Billy: What if he, y'know, tries to glass us or something?

Jimmy: Glass us? Dickie? Dickie wouldn't glass us. You don't know him. He's actually a really nice guy.

Billy: I thought you said he was dangerous.

Jimmy: I said he was POTENTIALLY dangerous. 

Billy: That's dangerous enough.

- Some dialogue from the script for Noirish Project.

 

Rehearsals continue apace. The ground-work has been done. The script analysis process which I discussed last week has been gone through, followed by the next stage, which is to find a concrete, exciting action to play for each scene. Then the fun starts, which is to actually start doing the scene with the chosen action. This is where the scene starts to take shape, and the acting begins to fizz because we now have the confidence to commit fully to playing the scene, and working off eachother in the scene, creating afresh each time (rather than deciding in advance how to do the scene, and doing it that way regardless of what the other actor in the scene is doing). I have decided to record the rehearsals this time, and replay the recording each time we do the scene. I have found this to be immensely useful (especially since I am directing aswell as acting in this production), because obviously I can see exactly what we've done and respond accordingly, but it also gives credence to my notes: I can literally point on the monitor to what I am talking about.  Also, as a bonus, I can review all the wonderful, unplanned moments which spin out of doing the action, and which we are not conscious of whilst playing the scene, little physical "tells" emerge, especially when the character is lying. As always, it is important to forgot about these moments the next time I do the scene, because if I consciously try to jimmy them in, then they will no longer be organically created and possess that vital energy, but inferior reproductions.

in my blog, Poetic Acting, I expanded more fully on the style of acting the film will employ. The script is very gentle and slight in places, and so the performances will be mostly made up of small but meaningful moments, with the occasional bouts of drama and comedy. Despite the minimalism, the acting challenge posed by the script is a considerable one. High drama and comedy create an energy, a  momentum, which the actor may "surf" and carry him through the scene, however, this will not really be the case in Noirish Project, where the actor will have to remain focussed through some quiet moments, but then, from a standing start (so to speak), snap-up some energy for other, more intense moments. Absolute attention will have to be maintained at all times.

I will certainly let you know how it goes.

 

RELATED

 

Poetic Acting

 

Noirish Project Swings Into Motion

 

Noirish Project - Feature Film Announcement

Richard Burton. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.

Work On Arts Council feature Film, "There Is No Escape From The Terrors Of The Mind", Continues....

 

HSP: There Is No Escape From The Terrors Of The Mind is an experimental feature film by Rouzbeh Rashidi, funded by The Arts Council of Ireland and produced by Experimental Film Society.

 

It consists of three medium length instalments of an ongoing film project by Rashidi,Homo Sapiens Project. These instalments, when watched back-to-back, will function as a single film structured in episodes. 

A mysterious loner (James Devereaux), perhaps a poet, journeys through a series of uncanny surrealistic landscapes with an unclear purpose. His adventure is divided into three sections:

1_He wanders and prowls through dream-like landscapes and strange cryptic locations as if searching for something.

2_He encounters vague figures and discusses topics such as art, aesthetics, narration and mundane daily life.

3_The woman he loves, Patricia. He meets up with her from time to time in a haunted house where they play out the rituals of their unusual and obscure relationship. Eventually, she vanishes in the woods one day while they are out strolling together.

The main theme of this experiment is to compare the eerier qualities of different landscapes and interpose the characters within them, elaborating the project’s ongoing preoccupation with extracting sinister moods from ordinary settings. In a way, these can be seen as experimental horror films in which an atmosphere of dread is evoked and sustained without the expected narrative trappings.

Work On Arts Council Feature Film, "There Is No Escape From The Terrors Of The Mind", Continues....

 

HSP: There Is No Escape From The Terrors Of The Mind is an experimental feature film by Rouzbeh Rashidi, funded by The Arts Council of Ireland and produced by Experimental Film Society.

It consists of three medium length instalments of an ongoing film project by Rashidi,Homo Sapiens Project. These instalments, when watched back-to-back, will function as a single film structured in episodes. 

A mysterious loner (James Devereaux), perhaps a poet, journeys through a series of uncanny surrealistic landscapes with an unclear purpose. His adventure is divided into three sections:

1_He wanders and prowls through dream-like landscapes and strange cryptic locations as if searching for something.

2_He encounters vague figures and discusses topics such as art, aesthetics, narration and mundane daily life.

3_The woman he loves, Patricia. He meets up with her from time to time in a haunted house where they play out the rituals of their unusual and obscure relationship. Eventually, she vanishes in the woods one day while they are out strolling together.

The main theme of this experiment is to compare the eerier qualities of different landscapes and interpose the characters within them, elaborating the project’s ongoing preoccupation with extracting sinister moods from ordinary settings. In a way, these can be seen as experimental horror films in which an atmosphere of dread is evoked and sustained without the expected narrative trappings.

 

 

The Face Of Another: "Richard Burton & Ava Gardner"

On set of The Night Of The Iguana.

The Great Acting Blog: "Noirish Project Swings Into Action"

Rehearsals for Noirish Project have begun. The film itself is a slice neo-realism masquerading as a film noir: Billy robs some precious pearls from his own family, and gives them to local scheister, Jimmy, to off-load to the local fence. The trouble starts however, when it emerges that the pearls are fake and Jimmy barely escapes from the fence with his life, let alone the pearls. The film effectively functions as a road-movie, as the protagonists set about reclaiming the pearls from the fence, who has suddenly become very elusive. Filming begins next week, and I'm delighted to announce that the super-talented Rouzbeh Rashidi will shoot it for us, as he will be in town working on the next stage of his latest film, There Is No Escape From The Terrors Of The Mind. 

First rehearsals involved script analysis, a process I especially love, not because of any intellectual predilection, or wanting to know "what do oranges symbolise", but because it helps to give a wonderful clarity of thought, and enables me to state in simple, actable terms what is happening in the scene. This eliminates the weird, potentially neurotic elements which can arise, and serve as barriers to work, or excuses not to act - a state I'm sure all actors recognise, if not everyone in the world. Instead, a simple analysis of the scene helps to decide on a simple, concrete action, which I can commit to doing in the scene, freeing me up to create and go for it.  

It goes something like this....

1. What does the character literally do in the scene?

2. What am I going to do in the scene?

Note that what the character is doing in the scene, is not the same thing as what the actor who is playing the character is doing in the scene. That's because the actor can never believe the fiction of the scene, and so he needs take something into the scene which will ground him in truth and make him active: an action, in short. But the action the actor chooses for himself must be in line with the writer's intentions (or as the actor discerns his intentions, if the writer is not present at rehearsals).

Below is a very simple scene from Noirish Project: - 

BILLY

I’m sorry, Jimmy.

JIMMY What for?

BILLY Putting you in jeopardy like that.

JIMMY Don’t be silly.

BILLY I’ve really made a mess of this.

JIMMY Hey, never put yourself down in public.

BILLY

I’ve wasted your time.

JIMMY It happens.

BILLY I’m sorry.

JIMMY Don’t apologise.

BILLY I’m stupid and weak.

It is fairly obvious that what Billy is literally doing is apologising to Jimmy.

But an actor might choose the action; "to beg a friend's forgiveness", to do in the scene. This is do-able, in line with the writer's intentions, and would certainly get me up and working (note; the choice of action, and the wording of an action may vary from actor to actor - each actor needs to find an action which is exciting to himself). 

Rehearsals will continue for the rest of this week and the beginning of next week, then filming will start. I'll post regular updates here.

The Great Acting Blog: "Noirish Project Swings Into Motion"

Rehearsals for Noirish Project have begun. The film itself is a slice neo-realism masquerading as a film noir: Billy robs some precious pearls from his own family, and gives them to local scheister, Jimmy, to off-load to the local fence. The trouble starts however, when it emerges that the pearls are fake and Jimmy barely escapes from the fence with his life, let alone the pearls. The film effectively functions as a road-movie, as the protagonists set about reclaiming the pearls from the fence, who has suddenly become very elusive. Filming begins next week, and I'm delighted to announce that the super-talented Rouzbeh Rashidi will shoot it for us, as he will be in town working on the next stage of his latest film, There Is No Escape From The Terrors Of The Mind. 

First rehearsals involved script analysis, a process I especially love, not because of any intellectual predilection, or wanting to know "what do oranges symbolise", but because it helps to give a wonderful clarity of thought, and enables me to state in simple, actable terms what is happening in the scene. This eliminates the weird, potentially neurotic elements which can arise, and serve as barriers to work, or excuses not to act - a state I'm sure all actors recognise, if not everyone in the world. Instead, a simple analysis of the scene helps to decide on a simple, concrete action, which I can commit to doing in the scene, freeing me up to create and go for it.  

It goes something like this....

1. What does the character literally do in the scene?

2. What am I going to do in the scene?

Note that what the character is doing in the scene, is not the same thing as what the actor who is playing the character is doing in the scene. That's because the actor can never believe the fiction of the scene, and so he needs take something into the scene which will ground him in truth and make him active: an action, in short. But the action the actor chooses for himself must be in line with the writer's intentions (or as the actor discerns his intentions, if the writer is not present at rehearsals).

Below is a very simple scene from Noirish Project: - 

BILLY

I’m sorry, Jimmy.

JIMMY What for?

BILLY Putting you in jeopardy like that.

JIMMY Don’t be silly.

BILLY I’ve really made a mess of this.

JIMMY Hey, never put yourself down in public.

BILLY

I’ve wasted your time.

JIMMY It happens.

BILLY I’m sorry.

JIMMY Don’t apologise.

BILLY I’m stupid and weak.

It is fairly obvious that what Billy is literally doing is apologising to Jimmy.

But an actor might choose the action; "to beg a friend's forgiveness", to do in the scene. This is do-able, in line with the writer's intentions, and would certainly get me up and working (note; the choice of action, and the wording of an action may vary from actor to actor - each actor needs to find an action which is exciting to himself). 

Rehearsals will continue for the rest of this week and the beginning of next week, then filming will start. I'll post regular updates here.

Some stills from location scouting for Noirish Project

Finalising locations for the scenes where Jimmy & Billy get lost in the woods, searching for the elusive fence, Dickie Thomas.

 

New Short Film Up: "Cinematic Neurosis"

The Great Acting Blog: "Robert De Niro Notes"

 

De Niro offers practical advice here, which means alot coming from an actor of his stature, and especially him I suppose, because so much theoretical voodoo has grown up around his work, in order to explain away his performances - the truth is, acting requires skill and technique and a little bit of aptitude. For me, the central theme of De Niro's view, is that it's about getting the work done and getting on with doing it, aswell as respecting the scene at hand.  

 

 

• De Niro says acting is not about neuroses and playing on your neuroses, it's about doing the character - "the tasks of the character".
• He says don't go about it as though the character was you and how you would do it - it's about the character.
• Be faithful to the text/script. 
• Says it's about script analysis, seeing something for what it is, breaking the play down - not fictionalising but taking whatever you get from the analysis, and making your choices based on what you pick up from the analysis - "the talent is in the choices" - Stella Adler.
• "Earn the right to play the character" -  make it your own and feel comfortable in doing it by researching the character, try to be close to the character, so if you have to improv or ad lib, you have an idea about what the character would do in that situation.
• Acting is about having an action, like "to sell something."
• He says you've got to get up and do it - the sooner you get to knowing you've got to get up and do it, the sooner you'll do it.
• He says he had a problem when he was a young actor : he was afraid to make a move "I have to feel it, and I have to do this".- but says you've got to sometimes jump in - "if i jumped in I arrive at that place" (where he is playing the scene) - whereas before he thought he had to do all sorts of weird preparation before he could arrive at that point.
• Says, don't pamper yourself, you've got to get out there and do it, and if you make a mistake, you do it again.
• Never comment on the character, never put the character down.
• While working on Mean Streets with Scorsese, they improvised scenes, but it was set and structured by the time they did it in front of camera.
• For Godfather 2, he studied and studied Brando's performance to find the boundaries.
• Says he doesn't like to expend a lot of energy on the set: does the scene then goes back home and rests.
• Says the last thing he wants to do is worry about the scene, because then his action becomes "to worry!"
• Says Scorsese has great respect for actors, which is important to get the best out of them.
• Listening is essential in acting - says actors have problems just listening, trusting themselves, but if there's nothing to do don't do anything.
• Says the notion that if actors look at the dailies it creates a problem, is a myth. Doesn't subscribe to it.
• Says he and Scorsese understand each other, that's why they're able to work with each other so many times and have a good time.. Says they have the same sensibility, says you have to be very honest with each other, about how you feel about things.
• Says he always wanted to direct, that's why he made Bronx Tale.
• Says do authentic work, regardless of how you think people may react. That'll distinguish you from other people.

Rouzbeh Rashidi's feature film, Closure Of Catharsis, can now be watched online!

Rouzbeh Rashidi's feature film Closure of Catharsis (2011) can be watched here: www.youtu.be/7zZY7QAL1j0

The film was made based on the The Remodernist Film Manifesto and it is his biggest contribution to the Remodernist film.

Also it marked the first work in the on-going collaboration between Rashidi and myself, and is the genesis of Rashidi-Devereaux Cinema.

The Great Acting Blog: "Robert De Niro Notes"

 

De Niro offers practical advice here, which means alot coming from an actor of his stature, and especially him I suppose, because so much theoretical voodoo has grown up around his work, in order to explain away his performances - the truth is, acting requires skill and technique and a little bit of aptitude. For me, the central theme of De Niro's view, is that it's about getting the work done and getting on with doing it, aswell as respecting the scene at hand.  

 

• De Niro says acting is not about neuroses and playing on your neuroses, it's about doing the character - "the tasks of the character".
• He says don't go about it as though the character was you and how you would do it - it's about the character.
• Be faithful to the text/script. 
• Says it's about script analysis, seeing something for what it is, breaking the play down - not fictionalising but taking whatever you get from the analysis, and making your choices based on what you pick up from the analysis - "the talent is in the choices" - Stella Adler.
• "Earn the right to play the character" -  make it your own and feel comfortable in doing it by researching the character, try to be close to the character, so if you have to improv or ad lib, you have an idea about what the character would do in that situation.
• Acting is about having an action, like "to sell something."
• He says you've got to get up and do it - the sooner you get to knowing you've got to get up and do it, the sooner you'll do it.
• He says he had a problem when he was a young actor : he was afraid to make a move "I have to feel it, and I have to do this".- but says you've got to sometimes jump in - "if i jumped in I arrive at that place" (where he is playing the scene) - whereas before he thought he had to do all sorts of weird preparation before he could arrive at that point.
• Says, don't pamper yourself, you've got to get out there and do it, and if you make a mistake, you do it again.
• Never comment on the character, never put the character down.
• While working on Mean Streets with Scorsese, they improvised scenes, but it was set and structured by the time they did it in front of camera.
• For Godfather 2, he studied and studied Brando's performance to find the boundaries.
• Says he doesn't like to expend a lot of energy on the set: does the scene then goes back home and rests.
• Says the last thing he wants to do is worry about the scene, because then his action becomes "to worry!"
• Says Scorsese has great respect for actors, which is important to get the best out of them.
• Listening is essential in acting - says actors have problems just listening, trusting themselves, but if there's nothing to do don't do anything.
• Says the notion that if actors look at the dailies it creates a problem, is a myth. Doesn't subscribe to it.
• Says he and Scorsese understand each other, that's why they're able to work with each other so many times and have a good time.. Says they have the same sensibility, says you have to be very honest with each other, about how you feel about things.
• Says he always wanted to direct, that's why he made Bronx Tale.
• Says do authentic work, regardless of how you think people may react. That'll distinguish you from other people.

Rashidi-Devereaux Cinema: The First Three Feature Films

 

Closure of Catharsis (100 Min HDV Stereo B/W UK & Ireland 2011)

Idea & Director: Rouzbeh Rashidi

Synopsis: ”A man (James Devereaux) sits on a park bench talking to the camera, trying to weave together a thought that won’t cohere while commenting on passers-by, his ‘guests’… Mysterious images intervene, overturning the serenity of the park-bench monologue. Rouzbeh Rashidi’s new feature proves as engagin as it is elusive.”

 

HE (122 Minutes DSLR Stereo Colour/B&W Ireland 2012)

Idea & Director: Rouzbeh Rashidi

Synopsis: HE, the latest work in the ongoing collaboration between Rouzbeh Rashidi and actor James Devereaux, is a troubling and mysterious portrait of a suicidal man. Rashidi juxtaposes the lead character’s apparently revealing monologues with scenes and images that layer the film with ambiguity. Its deliberate, hypnotic pace and boldly experimental structure result in an unusual and challenging view of its unsettling subject.

 

Boredom of the disgust & monotony of the tediousness (95 Min DSLR Stereo B&W Ireland 2012)

Idea & Director: Rouzbeh Rashidi

Synopsis: Rashidi continues his collaboration with actor James Devereaux in this unsettling and ultimately touching portrait of an isolated actor possessed by film history.