The Reeler

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August 10, 2006

'Half Nelson,' Full House: Film's Brooklyn Homecoming Packs Them In

Well, that went well. Last night's installment of the Reeler Screeing Series welcomed a packed house to BAM for the Brooklyn premiere of Half Nelson, following which filmmakers and local heroes Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden joined the film's producers Jamie Patricof and Alex Orlovsky for an audience Q&A. Between the spirited debate on dialectics, hope vs. hopelessness and teacher/student relations, we actually did get some nuts and bolts insights from the Half Nelson gang, including the following:

Your humble editor looks on as (L-R) Half Nelson producers Alex Orlovsky and Jamie Patricof, co-writer/editor Anna Boden and co-writer/director Ryan Fleck take questions Wednesday night at BAM (Photo: Jennifer VanAirsdale)

FLECK ON DIRECTING RYAN GOSLING AND THE REST OF HIS GREAT CAST: "I mostly just tried to stay out of the way and cast good actors who we knew could deliver. We at least made sure we were aware of their work in some way and had seen a glimpse of something they could do, because I'm not going to tell them how to do it. I don't know how to do it. So they were good. We did it in a bunch of ways and gave them the freedom in a loose style that allowed them to move around on the set without bumping into some kind of crazy lighting rig. And our DP also had freedom to follow them... That was the only plan we had going in."

BODEN ON THE EDITING PROCESS: "It was very organic, because I approached it first as a writer. And then being able to write the final draft as an editor was really exciting and not exactly what we expected it to be. A lot of material wound up on the cutting room floor that we really loved and that, when we were shooting, made us say, 'Oh my God--this is amazing.' It just didn't end up being right. But I don't know. We assembled it, and the first assembly was three hours long, and we were like, 'Nobody's going to sit and watch this whole thing.' What ended up not in the movie is another full movie."

ORLOVSKY AND PATRICOF ON SHOOTING IN NEW YORK: O: "Everyone was from here, and you can't get better crews, especially when you're working on a small budget. It's just true. We figured out at one point that the average age of our crew was 27, and I think it's one of the only places you can find people who are so dedicated, so talented and committed and who can make a smaller project like this possible." P: "We couldn't have made this film for this budget anywhere but in New York. It's just one of those strange things." O: "Having shot stuff in other places, it just makes you miss working in New York because you just notice how special everyone is. It's true."

And... scene. The Reeler owes a debt of gratitude to ThinkFilm's Mark Urman and Alex Klenert for the opportunity to screen the film, and huge thanks go out to BAMcinématek's Florence Almozini and Molly Gross for so graciously welcoming this event on short notice. Brooklyn Brewery was kind enough to sponsor our after-party, and Moe's bar in Fort Greene was kind enough to host it. Thanks as well to Fleck, Boden, Patricof and Orlovsky for dropping by, and best of luck to them as Half Nelson opens Friday at the Angelika and Lincoln Plaza cinemas.

Meanwhile, the next Reeler Screening Series event takes place Sept. 19 at the Pioneer Theater, with director Chris Terrio stopping in for a presentation of his marvelous 2005 film, Heights. More information will be forthcoming, but go ahead and save the date.

Posted by stvanairsdale at August 10, 2006 10:51 AM

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Posted by: EDouglas at August 10, 2006 11:22 AM