| 
DEBUT
HIT
Filmmaker Jeffrey Bemiss talks about
"The Book and the Rose," which has
been short-listed for an Academy
Award nomination and screens at
the Director’s View Film Festival
this month.
by
Amy Souza
February 1, 2003
Having screened
at numerous festivals and garnered several awards, "The Book and
the Rose" Jeffrey Bemiss' directorial debut has been short-listed
for an Academy Award nomination in the Best Live Action Short category.
The 29-minute film based on the book by Max Lucado tells the story of
a young man in 1942 who becomes intrigued with a woman named Sarah when
he begins reading her scribbled notes in the margins of Leo Tolstoy's
"Anna Karenina." Eventually, he tracks her to a Philadelphia
address and begins a months-long correspondence that brings them together.
Bemiss shares some thoughts about the film, and filmmaking in general,
with NewEnglandFilm.com.
| AS: |
What’s
your background? I saw on your bio that you attended USC...when
was that, and what do you feel you got out of the program? |
|
|
| Bemiss: |
I'm
33, born and raised in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. I went to USC film school
as an undergraduate, 1988-1992. My wife, who is a mathematician,
did her graduate work at UCLA, then got a job teaching at Trinity
College in Hartford. She is now at Western New England College in
Springfield. I stayed in LA for several years, producing and assistant
directing in independent film. Eventually, the bi-coastal thing
got to be a drag, and I finally moved to New England a couple of
years ago to be with my wife. We currently live in Springfield,
MA. As far as the film program at USC goes, I would say it introduced
me to the world of filmmaking. It's a good place to learn the technical
side of the craft. I think the best thing I got out of it was meeting
a lot of talented would-be filmmakers. In fact, some of them worked
on "The Book and the Rose." |
|
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| AS: |
You
also attended the Sanford Meisner Academy; can you tell me a little
about that? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
It’s
your typical hole-in-the-wall LA acting school. It's run by a master
teacher named Martin Barter, who worked and studied with Sandy for
14 years. Sandy Meisner was one of the great acting teachers to
emerge from New York's original Group Theatre, purveyors of what
has become known as "the Method" in acting. I did the
full two-year program there because I wanted to learn how to work
with actors, something USC doesn't really teach you. What I got
out of it was a whole approach to directing. |
|
|
| AS: |
Can
you tell me why you chose film as your storytelling medium? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
I
was eight when "Star Wars" came out. I wanted to make
films ever since. It's a cliché now, but I really did rescue
my dad's Bell and Howell Super 8 camera from the family garage sale.
At USC, I discovered that "Star Wars" and the early movies
of Spielberg are what sent a lot of us to film school. |
|
|
| AS: |
What
draws you to a particular story? Do you write scripts, as well? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
I
know that when screenwriters ask producers what kind of scripts
they are looking for, they go into conniptions when the reply is,
"good ones." But all I can say is that I like stories
with good drama, interesting characters, and some kind of humanity.
Beyond that, it's hard to say. It has to be a good fit with where
my head is at the time. For instance, when I heard the story that
"The Book and the Rose" is based on, I was on the verge
of proposing to my high school sweetheart (who is now my wife),
and the depth of love in the story appealed to me. It's very subjective.
I do write scripts, but it's not my passion. My standard joke is
that I'm the best writer I can afford. |
|
|
| AS: |
What
do you like about directing? |
|
|
| Bemiss: |
The
satisfaction of building something. Like an architect might feel.
The script is the blue print, and the pleasure comes from seeing
it made real. |
|
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| AS: |
How
did "The Book and The Rose" come about? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
The
challenge was to convince the author of the underlying short story,
Max Lucado, and his people to let me make a short film out of it.
It was an incremental process. I had to write the script to get
them to say "maybe," then outline the production to get
them to say we could do it. The final part was that Max had to see
the finished film to grant his name. Somehow we put it all in a
one-page agreement. Max seemed to understand that short films are
basically calling cards for the filmmakers, so he was very kind
to us. In the end, he gave me the rights for free. |
|
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| AS: |
Can
you tell me about the process of taking written fiction and preparing
it for the screen? |
|
|
| Bemiss: |
Max's
story is only a few paragraphs long -- mainly the final scene of
the film, plus a few lines of set-up. It needed some expanding to
make the twist ending work better. Also, it's a love story where
one of the lovers can't be shown until the end of the film. It was
a challenge to make that character's presence felt throughout, even
though she's on screen for only two minutes out of 30. |
|
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| AS: |
Is
the author of the short story the Rev. Max Lucado who runs the UpWords
Ministry? |
|
|
| Bemiss: |
Yes.
I usually don't volunteer that part, because I've seen people roll
their eyes, thinking it must be some kind of religious film. In
fact, I'd never heard of Max Lucado until I heard this short story.
I went to the bookstore to find it, and there was practically a
whole wall of his stuff. He's very prolific. It's been good for
the film in that I've never met anyone who knew his name that didn't
love his work. |
|
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| AS: |
How
did you find the short story, and what attracted you to it? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
I
wanted to direct my first film, and was looking for material. I
didn't care if it was a short or a feature. I'm not a regular churchgoer,
but I was invited to church by my now wife and in-laws, and the
minister related this story as part of the sermon. The twist at
the end got me. It made me wonder whether I would have passed Sarah's
test. I thought it would be great to make an audience feel that. |
|
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| AS: |
Where
was the film shot? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
We
shot it 85 percent in Indiana, the remainder in Los Angeles. We
chose Indiana for a couple of reasons. At least half a dozen of
the cast and crew hail from Indiana. Also, the film called for a
vintage train station. Indianapolis has a beautiful, perfectly restored
union station, which is not easy to find. |
|
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| AS: |
How
was it filming in Indiana? Was it easy to get the required permits,
etc? How did it compare to filming in Los Angeles? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
Overall,
it was great. Indianapolis had some of our key locations, such as
the train station, and permits and location fees were less of a
problem than they would have been in LA. In fact, we shot at a working
military base, Camp Atterbury, south of Indianapolis. It's an older
base and has some vintage barracks buildings. One of the sergeants
you see drilling the soldiers in the film is actually the colonel
of the base. We asked him on the spot to play that part, and he
was a one-take wonder. It was that sort of enthusiasm that made
shooting in Indiana enjoyable. As far as the drawbacks, it required
extensive planning. If we suddenly needed a special piece of equipment
that wasn't on our truck, too bad. |
|
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| AS: |
Did
you edit the film, as well? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
No,
it was edited by a very talented editor named John Axelrad. John
has worked in the editorial department of a long list of major films,
and is currently editing the CBS show, "Hack." We met
as students at USC. |
|
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| AS: |
Can
you tell me a little bit about the challenges of recreating 1942?
Did you have to do a lot of research, and if so, who helped you
with that? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
I
don't know if I'd attempt another period film on a low budget, because
it's one more limitation. There are the fun parts, like shooting
vintage automobiles and trains, but there are also the tedious parts,
like hours of Internet research to find the exact date the "Victory"
postage-stamp was implemented. For budget reasons, I did much of
that research myself, while trying to the keep the project moving
forward in the larger sense. As a result, some of that research
was done poorly. For the military sequences, we solicited WWII re-enactors,
who were wonderful because they knew everything about the period. |
|
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| AS: |
Is
it hard being on the east coast now, since it sounds like many of
your filmmaking friends are in California? Do you think living in
Massachusetts will affect your career in any way? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
It
has meant some extra traveling, although I think location has a
different effect when you're in the middle of a project, than when
you're between projects. The short film was in post-production when
I moved to New England, and for a while I had trouble finding certain
equipment and services to finish it. But there were also some fortunate
coincidences. John Axelrad was in Boston at the time, assistant-editing
the Martin Lawrence film, "What's the Worst That Can Happen,"
and cutting "The Book and the Rose" after hours. Whenever
he had scenes to show me, I'd drive up and sit down with him. Also,
believe it or not, a negative cutter lives up the street from me
-- Northeast Negative Matchers. A couple of times when my print
has come back jumbled from a festival, they have straightened it
out. But now that the short is finished, my day-to-day routine involves
marketing it, writing the next thing, and, eventually, raising money.
Most of that can be done anywhere. It's also worth mentioning that
I am teaching film production at Western New England College. There's
no way I would have that opportunity in Los Angeles. |
|
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| AS: |
Which
part of the production process do you like best, or can you even
choose? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
That's
a tough one. Shooting is definitely the thrilling part, but it's
chaos. Post-production is quieter, and there's time to think. In
the case of this film, we had an arduous shoot, so post-production
was soothing. Plus, when you're working with guys as talented as
John on the picture editing, and our composer, Gregg Conser, on
the musical score, post-production is a blast. |
|
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| AS: |
How
do you choose which film festivals to attend? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
I
have this complex method of going wherever we're invited. It's like
the old Will Rogers line, "Don't invite us if you don't want
us." |
|
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| AS: |
Are
there particular festivals that you like better than others, and
why? (Are the audiences more receptive in certain parts of the country?
Are some festivals better organized than others?) |
|
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| Bemiss: |
Indie
filmmakers could go on for days about this. The answer is yes, yes
and yes! I definitely know my favorites, as well as the lame ones.
Sometimes the disorganization gets to be funny. I was at a festival
I will not name, where they ran out of spare film reels. The projectionist
proposed to show reel one of our two-reel film, then bring the house
lights up for an audience Q&A, while he threaded up the second
half of our film. He wanted to show our short film in two parts,
like a miniseries. Overall though, the festival circuit has been
tremendous fun. My personal criteria for a good festival are: quality
of films shown, audience and filmmaker attendance, screening facilities,
and overall organization. There are other factors, like whether
they organize formal Q&A sessions between filmmakers and audiences. |
|
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| AS: |
I
understand "The Book and The Rose" has been short-listed
for an Academy Award nomination. How did you find that out? |
|
|
| Bemiss: |
I
got a call from the Academy. They needed a second print of the film. |
|
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| AS: |
What
did you feel when you heard the news? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
I
was standing in line at the post office, and my cell phone rang.
It was the Academy's short film liaison. He told me my day was about
to get a lot better, and then informed me the film has a 50-50 shot
of going to the Oscars. I wanted to turn to the person standing
next to me in line and say, "That was the f*****g Academy on
the phone!" |
|
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| AS: |
How
do you feel now? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
Very
lucky. And I'm telling everyone, because I figure it may not get
any better than this. It's going to be a long three weeks until
the final announcement. |
|
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| AS: |
As
a kid did you used to practice your Oscar acceptance speech? (I
know more than a few people who aren't even involved in filmmaking
who have an Oscar speech prepared because, they say, you never know!) |
|
|
| Bemiss: |
This
is boring, but I never had a fantasy Oscar speech. Maybe I'm too
serious about filmmaking, or have a pessimistic streak, but I never
quite let myself go there. I mean, I'm an indie filmmaker. We don't
get nominated for things like that. |
|
|
| AS: |
Do
you have a next project picked out? Are you working on it already? |
|
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| Bemiss: |
I
don't have the next project settled yet, but I am working on a couple
of screenplays. I'd love to adapt something again. Read any good
books with available screen rights lately? |
|
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"The Book and
The Rose" will be screened at the Director’s View Film Festival
in Stamford, CT, on Sunday, February 16, 2003. For more information
about the film, visit Chartercrest Films (www.chartercrest.com/rose).
Amy Souza is a writer and media producer living in Burlington, Vermont.
© 1997-2001 NewEnglandFilm.com |
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NUMBER
An Independent Journal of the Arts
Danny Linton
Winter 2002/2003
The
2002 IndieMemphis film festival found itself long on quality shorts,
as the abbreviated festival entries were frequently as--if not more--compelling
than the feature length offerings. Chief among them was Jeffrey Bemiss‚
"The Book and the Rose," festival prizewinner for Best Narrative
Short and arguably the event's most completely satisfying entry of
any length.
Polished
and literate, "The Book and the Rose" translates Max Lucado's
short story, "The People with the Roses," in fine form.
Set in 1942, the film chronicles a series of correspondences between
military enlisted man John Barnes (Chris Kennedy) and a mysterious
woman whose copy of Anna Karenina has fallen into his hands. Intrigued
by the intimacy of her marginal scrawls, the potentially war-bound
Barnes attempts to meet their originator, who reluctantly agrees,
and promises to be holding a rose when he comes to find her in a Philadelphia
train station. Director Bemiss uses this premise to establish a tone
worthy of comparison to the similarly smitten works of feature directors
like Anthony Minghella or Martha Coolidge. This type of material could
easily stray into the arena of Harlequin romance novels, but instead
it nimbly walks its narrative tightrope.
Danny
Linton, film reviewer for The Daily Helmsman at The University of
Memphis from 1993-1998, teaches film at the U of M.
|
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LA
International Short Film Festival
by Ron Stringer
October 10, 2002
Of the 400-plus
dramatic and documentary short films showing in 73 separate programs
over six days in this, the "largest festival of short films in
the world," fewer than a dozen were made available for review.
So much for the overview. It’s worth noting, however, that at least
two of the festival’s offerings (or six, if you count the opening
night’s roster of Harold Lloyd comedies, and the special screening
of Jan Harlan’s feature-length Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures)
are not to be miss ed. Stefan Knerrich, Michael Ray and Amy Rubin’s
Facing Arthur is a poignant, 39-minute record of an unlikely friendship
that developed, over the course of 18 months in a New York City apartment,
between a wary, 101-year-old Polish-Jewish artist and Holocaust survivor,
and an idealistic young cellist sent abroad by the German government
to---in lieu of fulfilling his military service---act as a nurse-companion
to the old man. Guillaume Malandrin’s Story Telling recounts the
metafiction of how a chance encounter straight out of some lost Krzysztof
Kieslowski script---between a fatally self-absorbed writer and the traumatized
victim of his carelessness half a century back---creates the possibility
of reconciliation for at least one of the actors in that far-off tragedy.
Also worth a look:
Kal Weber’s The Birthday, about payback for an act of wartime treachery;
Ben Giraldi’s The Routine, a story about a star-crossed family
of three in Tribeca; and Jeff Bemiss’ The Book and the Rose,
based on an O’Henryesque short story by Max Lucado.
(ArcLight Hollywood
& Los Angeles Film School, 6363 Sunset Blvd.; Tues.-Sun., Oct. 15-20.
323-851-9100, www.lashortsfest.com) |
|
CLICKERS
& FLICKERS
PHOTOGRAPHY NETWORK, INC.
Palm
Springs 8th Annual International Festival of Short Films
August 8, 2002
"The
Book and The Rose," using a technique that famed Writer/Director
Billy Wilder perfected, "Narration by the leading character,"
this sharply photographed short film moves an audience with a nice
cinematic heart. The performances convey simple impressions of a time
gone by. This is a sharp film of quality work."
|
|
| 
Good
Guests and Bad the Woods Hole Film Fest
by Gerald Peary
August 8, 2002
Ireland's David
Elio Malocco discovered the Woods Hole Film Festival on the Web, a small
American fest championing independent works, so he mailed a tape of
his feature, Virgin Cowboys. Any chance for the North American premiere?
He'd come with his film, even if the fest couldn't pay his way across
the Atlantic. It was the ideal offer for Woods Hole, in its 11th shoestring,
all-volunteer year, especially since Virgin Cowboys proved an adept,
genre-savvy heist film. Malocco arrived at the Cape for the July 30
screening, at which the audience got off on the motley cast of burly
scoundrels. He stayed all week, attending seminars and other filmmakers'
screenings and making himself available. A perfect film-festival guest.
On the other hand...
The middle-aged
crowd lining up for Made-Up, Woods Hole's closing-night film on August
3, was kept waiting in a hallway for more than half an hour because
the film's director, Tony Shalhoub, and producer, Lynne Adams, felt
that there was too much blue on the screen when their DV film was projected.
Thus began a long night of out-in-the-open grumbling that this showing
of the Jamaica Plain–shot feature was being ruined by the unprofessional
Woods Hole crew. I witnessed Lynne Adams chewing someone out because
the picture was too dark. At the end, the Made-Up people bolted for
their Martha's Vineyard ferry without thanking anyone from the fest.
The audience, of
course, didn't give a darn about the brouhaha. It was jubilant to have
a couple of film personalities in attendance, Shalhoub and his wife,
Brooke Adams, the movie's lead; and it was with the story all the way,
guffawing at the corniest jokes and reveling at the obvious plot twists.
I can understand film artists wanting their movie shown in the best
technical circumstances, but Made-Up isn't exactly The Rules of the
Game. It's an opened-up version of Lynne Adams's middlebrow stage play
about a 40ish woman whose daughter wants to be a cosmetologist instead
of going to college and wants to practice her makeover art on her graying
mom. There's a reason that Made-Up hasn't found a distributor: it's
community-theater square.
Fortunately, the
Woods Hole Fest had other made-in-Massachusetts indies on its well-chosen
2002 program:
"The Book
and the Rose." A 29-minute narrative by Springfield's Jeff Bemiss,
set in 1942 and with dazzling production values, about the epistolary
romance of a draftee and the mystery woman he has discovered through
her notes in a used copy of Anna Karenina. Hollywood should come scrambling.
The Gift of the
Game. A warm, vastly entertaining, boys-of-summer documentary by Boston's
Bill Haney. Florida writer Randy Wayne White and some middle-aged guys,
including screwball former major leaguers Bill Lee and Jon Warden, travel
to Cuba to uncover the remnants of Ernest Hemingway's 1940 ballclub
and to bring bats, baseballs, and equipment to Cuban kids. The political
message: "Castro sucks, the Cuban people are our amigos."
Lots of funky baseball, plus Bill "Spaceman" Lee's riff on
metaphor in The Old Man and the Sea.
A Centered Universe.
Former Bostonian Kaylyn Thornal's gripping probe into the long life
of the Dennis-based sculptor Harry Holl, now 80, who at key moments
in his life rejected wives and daughters so that he could be free to
work. "I want people to leave this movie not knowing if they like
Harry or hate him," Thornal told me, and it's this refusal to sentimentalize
her charismatic subject that gives this nonfiction work its muscle.
Imagining Robert.
Northampton's Lawrence Hott made this stirring, troubling documentary
about New York novelist Jay Neugeboren and his brother Robert, who has
spent 38 years in mental institutions. At the time of the filming, Robert
had at last been moved to a halfway house, where he is alternately endearing
and hilarious, a Groucho with a beret and cigar, and an angry, belligerent
mess. A must for the Boston Jewish Film Festival.
Water for the Moon.
A dreamy, enchanting animation by Jamaica Plain's Jenny McCracken about
a woman who discovers a man in her closet. Very Eastern European puppetry,
in classic black-and-white.
THE HARVARD FILM
ARCHIVE'S summer "Actors A-Z" series finishes up this Saturday,
August 10, with Torment (1944), the familiar tale of a repressive teacher
at a private boys' high school. You also get to watch Swedish filmmaker
Alf Sjöberg's Fritz Langian expressionism duke it out with young
Ingmar Bergman's earnest, preachy screenplay. The "Z" is actress
Mai Zetterling, who's admirable as a battered, self-loathing floozy.
Gerald Peary can
be reached at gpeary@world.std.com |
|
| 
Short
Film Reviews
by Kerry Lambert
August 8, 2002
The
Book and The Rose, directed by Jeff Bemiss is based on the short story,
"The People With the Roses" by Max Lucado. It is a classic
romance set in 1942 about a young man who acquires an old book and begins
correspondence with its previous owner. The film has high production
value with exquisite cinematography by Thomas Hargis. The wardrobe design,
however, is sadly inconsistent. Big moments are marked by predictable
but perfect period piece uniforms while the main character's everyday
pants look like Dockers. 1942? The lead performance of John Barnes by
Chris Kennedy is notable; he combines excitement and uncertainty with
flawless detail. Supporting actor Patrick Tuttle could have reeled in
a bit, he played Seth Davis as if on stage rather than on film. Director
Jeff Bemiss keeps his vision consistent - all the elements work in perfect
harmony - and he adeptly infuses tenderness to the story. It's an impressive
debut. This is one director who certainly has a promising future ahead. |
|
Book
and the Rose: Romance exceptionally well told
August 10, 2002
BY MICHAEL JANUSONIS
Journal Arts Writer
If
you had only one chance to visit this year's Rhode Island International
Film Festival, you couldn't do any better than buying a ticket to
tomorrow's screening of The Book and the Rose.
New England filmmaker Jeff Bemiss' film is one of the most accomplished,
and certainly the most romantic, movies at the event.
Based on a short story by Max Lucado, in 30 minutes The Book and the
Rose wraps you in its story of the possibilities of love and the hand
fate plays in romantic encounters.
Set in the 1942 in the early days of World War II, it has a richly
detailed period look. Handsome, square-jawed Chris Kennedy plays John
Barnes, a dreamer living in West Virginia, who becomes intrigued with
a mystery woman named Sarah when he begins reading her scribbled notes
in the margins of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Eventually, he tracks
her to a Philadelphia address and begins a months-long correspondence
that brings them closer and closer.
But just as he's about to arrange a meeting with her in Philadelphia,
he's drafted into the Army. Months later, he's ordered to ship out
to England, but first he sets a date to meet Sarah at a Philadelphia
railway station en route to his troop transport.
Bemiss sets this up beautifully, playing up the tenuous emotions of
eager, but uncertain, romance. Kennedy makes a dashing-looking hero,
but also uncovers John's emotional fragility. We like him and worry
that his heart may be broken or that he may never find Sarah.
The film has a sort of Twilight Zone quality, too, in that it begins
very near the end, when John thinks he has spotted Sarah in the railway
station, then backtracks 16 months to show us the set-up as it brings
us back to where it started and then beyond.
The Book and the Rose is an exceptionally romantic film that's exceptionally
well told.
The Book and the Rose will be shown at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow at the
Columbus Theater, 270 Broadway, Providence.
|
|
The
2002 Stony Brook Film Festival Announces Award Winners
| CLOSING
NIGHT AWARDS CEREMONY left to right: Alan Inkles, Director
of the 2002 Stony Brook Film Festival with many of this year's
winners: Jeff Bemiss, writer/director, "The Book and the
Rose" - Ralph Maccio, writer/director, "Love Thy Brother"
- Anna Marie Crovetti, executive producer, "Almost Salinas"
- Terry Allen Green, writer/director, "Almost Salinas"
- Adrienne Wehr, producer, "The Bread, My Sweet" - Max
Myers, writer/director, "Don't Let Go" - Melissa Martin,
writer/director, "The Bread, My Sweet" - Awards presenter,
Michael Atkinson, Film Critic, The Village Voice |
Audience
Choice - Best Short (Tie):
"Love
Thy Brother"
Written and Directed by Ralph Maccio
"The
Book and the Rose"
Written and Directed by Jeff Bemiss
|
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| 
UW
Grad Tackles Hollywood
January 16, 2002
by Rob Thomas
The Capital Times
Underneath the big Hollywood sign that greets visitors to Tinseltown,
there should be a motto inscribed: "Good work if you can get it."
Actor Chris Kennedy,
born in Waunakee and a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate, knows
all about that. This week, for example, he has a guest-starring role
on FX's "Son of the Beach," where he has a good, funny part,
his own dressing room and the chance to hobnob with bikini-clad starlets
and actors like "The Man Show's" Adam Carolla and "Politically
Incorrect" host Bill Maher.
"It's a really
funny episode," Kennedy says. "They're doing a spoof of 'Temptation
Island,' and I'm playing a guy that one of the female lifeguards is
'seduced' by. It's a cool part. I play an Air Force captain, and I'm
all manly, and then at the end I put a twist on her."
But after shooting
wraps on that special hour long episode (which should air in late February),
he heads back to the hard work that goes on behind the scenes for a
young actor in Los Angeles - auditioning, making contacts, and working
on small projects in the hopes that the right people will see him at
the right time.
While Kennedy hasn't
made it "big" yet in Hollywood after over four years, he has
reached the point where he can make his living solely from acting. His
resume includes guest starring roles on shows such as "Friends"
and "Party of Five," leading roles in short films (some of
which he's written and produced), and numerous commercials.
While that may seem
like a small amount of success compared to the likes of George Clooney
or Tom Cruise, the truth is that there's a long, long line of actors
and actresses behind Kennedy who would love to be in his shoes.
"Think about
a show like 'Friends,' " Kennedy says. "They have an opportunity
for two or three actors every show to come on. One of those actors is
probably going to have one line, like 'Here's your drink, Monica.' And
you've got 50,000 people who want that role."
Actually, Kennedy
said plenty more than "Here's your drink, Monica" when he
appeared on the "Friends" episode titled "The One With
Joey's Fridge" in 2000. He played one of several suitors that Rachel's
friends were trying to fix her up with.
Business last year
wasn't great for actors in general, but Kennedy is looking forward to
the next few weeks, when auditions for TV pilots begin. In the past,
Kennedy has come near his goal of getting a role on a pilot that gets
picked up by a network for a full series, and hopes to make it this
year.
Kennedy was interested
in acting when he attended Waunakee High School, but he was a broadcast
journalism major and football player when he went to UW-Madison. Upon
graduating in 1994, he immediately knew he wanted to pursue acting,
and moved to Chicago.
In Chicago, Kennedy began studying at the Piven Theatre in Evanston,
whose artistic directors, Byrne and Joyce Piven, are legends in the
Chicago acting community. Kennedy says Byrne Piven helped steer him
along the right path, and roles in commercials, a film and a television
pilot followed.
But sensing that
Chicago was limited in the kind of film and television opportunities
that he wanted, Kennedy bought a Honda Civic, filled it with his belongings
and drove to Los Angeles.
"It's pretty
difficult for people from the Midwest or anywhere that's not New York
or Los Angeles," he says. "Anyone who's not connected, anyone
whose dad or uncle isn't best friends with the vice president of Universal
Studios. When you've got to come out here with nothing, you've got to
get in front of people, you've got to find ways to get noticed, find
ways for people to see your work."
Kennedy says that's
often the toughest lesson for hopeful actors who come to Los Angeles
-- the sheer amount of shoe leather they need to burn to get noticed
in a town full of other hopeful actors.
"That's where
people fall by the wayside is that they don't realize how much work
they've got to put into it," he says. "It's not enough to
just want to be on TV. You've really got to put the legwork into getting
yourself seen. You've really just got to take a leap of faith and try
to get your work out there."
For Kennedy, that
has meant acting in small plays in the Los Angeles area for free, in
the hopes that he'll be noticed by a casting agent or producer in the
audience.
It's meant working
on short films like "The Book and the Rose," a romantic drama
with an O. Henry style twist, that show his ability to be a leading
man. While he was home for the holidays in Madison, Kennedy was able
to arrange a special screening of "The Book and the Rose"
at the Westgate Art Cinemas for friends and family.
And it's meant writing
and producing his own short films, including parodies of "Good
Will Hunting" and "Memento," in hopes of getting seen.
"The more I
work now, the more exposure I get, and the more opportunities I get,"
he says. "You've just got to stay persistent."
While Hollywood
can be a frustrating town for those looking to break into the movie
business, Kennedy says he likes the fact that there are no rules, that
anybody with enough talent, drive and luck has a shot.
"Whether or
not you have experience, you have an opportunity," he says. "It's
not like a hierarchy in a traditional business, like if you're going
to work at IBM, where you put in three or four years before you get
moved up to the next position.
"You could
be out here for 30 years and never get a job. Or you can come out here
for two months, somehow hit it big and get in front of the right people,
and all of a sudden you're on a show. It's the Wild West." Chris
Kennedy, a Waunakee-born actor who now lives in Los Angeles, stars in
the short film, "The Book and the Rose," a romantic drama
with an O.Henry-style twist. The film has been submitted for consideration
for this year's Wisconsin Film Festival.
Copyright ©2001,
Madison Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. |
|
Springfield
Union-News
Celluloid
Celebration
Northampton Film Festival Includes Work of Area Residents
by
Ronni Gordon
Sunday, October 21, 2001
Jeff Bemiss says he took a risk when he made his short film, "The
Book and the Rose."
"It
doesn't have any killings or any violence. It's about the higher sort
of nobler emotions," he said. "The film industry likes to
have sensational material to distribute...We're appealing to the romantic
drama audience."
The
29-minute film written and directed by the Springfield resident is
among some 70 movies scheduled to be shown at the Northampton Film
Festival, running Oct. 28, through Nov. 4 at the Academy of Music
and on other screens, most of them at Smith College.
The
festival, now in its seventh year, features a wide range of offerings,
including shorts, romantic comedies, murder mysteries, animated pieces,
dramas and documentaries, according to cofounder and co-director Dee
DeGeiso. Filmmakers from as around the United States and Canada will
be on hand for question and answer sessions after the shows.
This
is the best mix we've ever had," DeGeiso said. "We were
looking for diversity and I think we have it."
Bemiss'
movie, which festival jurors have honored with the "Best of the
Fest Short Film Award," is set in 1942. A man acquires a used
book filled with intriguing handwritten notes. He tracks down, and
begins a correspondence with, the woman who wrote the notes, despite
the fact that he's never seen her. The ending has a surprise twist
that drew Bemiss to the short story on which the film is based, Max
Lucado's "The People With the Roses."
The
32-year-old Bemiss recently moved from Los Angeles to Springfield
after his wife got a teaching job at Western New England College.
He
said he made the film as a "calling card" to spark interest
in the longer features he would like to develop. It was shown at Trinity
College, but this is its festival premiere.
He first heard the short story at church in his hometown of Fort Wayne,
Ind., when the minister used it in a sermon. "When I heard it
I thought it would make a terrific short film," he said. "It's
hard not to put yourself in the place of the protagonist, who is sort
of tested at the end of the film," he said.
Bemiss
said the story has become popular via the Internet, and a lot of people
feel it sends a message that external beauty shouldn't matter. But,
he said, "To me it explores the pursuit of beauty."
According
to DeGeiso, "It's the kind of film people will enjoy right now.
It talks about what beauty really is and what love really is. It has
a wonderful message. It's a sweet film."
It
is one of a handful of festival offerings with Western Massachusetts
connections.
"Keep
on Walking," winner of the award for best documentary, was co-directed
by Great Barrington resident Freke Vuijst. It's a portrait of a young
African-American Jew who is both an up-and coming gospel singer and
a Hebrew teacher.
Behind
the Screens: Hollywood Goes Hypercommercial," was produced by
Northampton's Media Education Foundation and co directed by Matt Soar,
an assistant professor of video at Hampshire College in Amherst.
Then
there are three short films: "Three Miracles" was directed
by a Hadley native, Steven Latham now living in California. The movie,
part of a series about people over 100, focuses on the adventures
of Rose Freedman (1898-2001), the last survivor of the Triangle Shirtwaist
Factory Fire. A computer-animated short, "Puppet," was made
by Amherst resident Raf Anzovin, and "Following," about
a woman who feels she's being followed, was directed by Wendy Woodson,
who teaches dance at Amherst College.
The
shorts are balanced by longer films such as the feature directing
debut of actress Christine Lahti, "My First Mister," scheduled
to be shown as the Friday Night Feature on Nov. 2. It's an intergenerational
drama about the life-changing friendship between an alienated teen-ager
(Leelee Sobieski) and a middle-aged clothing store manager (Albert
Brooks) resigned to being lonely.
Documentaries
cover such topics as the battle over the killing of American bison
("The Buffalo War"), the death penalty debate ("Thanatos
Rx: The Death Penalty Debate in America") and the efforts of
author and spiritual teacher Ram Dass to cope with a massive stroke
("Fierce Grace").
The
film festival will also present "L'Chaim! Jewish Film Series"
and the "Out and About" gay/lesbian film series. DeGeiso
said these films were made for a general audience and many have won
awards from festivals around the world. Showings for the Jewish Film
Series are at the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Showcase
Cinemas in West Springfield and the Jewish Community Center in Springfield
as well as at the film festival's other screens in Northampton.
DeGeiso
said that last year, between 3,500 and 4,000 movie-goers attended
the festival, which featured 62 films. She said the festival received
more than 400 entries for this year's expanded event.
Special
festival events include a return of the Alloy Orchestra which composes
original music to classic silent films. They will present their most
recent composition, an accompaniment to Harold Lloyd's comedy, "Speedy,"
on Nov. 3.
The festival's first Chocolate Blow-Out, the official welcome for
participating filmmakers, is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. Nov. 2. Open
to the public by full festival pass or $6, it will feature a variety
of chocolate treats at the Academy of Music. Also open to the public,
by festival pass or for $10, is the traditional Artists' Reception,
to be held again this year at R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton
after the Alloy Orchestra performance on Nov 3.
The
festival will close at 7.45 p.m. Nov. 4 with a "Mary Poppins"
sing-along at the Academy of Music. Song sheets will be distributed
to members of the audience watching the Disney classic which stars
Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. "We wanted to close with an
upbeat audience-participation event," DeGeiso said.
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Fort Wayne, Indiana
Local
Movies Move Ahead, Albeit Slowly
By
Steve Penhollow
Sunday, September 3, 2000
Here's
an update on films that were shot in and around Fort Wayne over
the summer:
Jeff
Bemiss' short film "The People with the Roses" is also in post production.
It
is being edited by John Axelrad, who is simultaneously working as
assistant editor on "What's the Worst that Could Happen," a feature
film starring Danny Devito and Martin Lawrence.
"Roses,"
based on a Max Lucado short story, was shot at numerous Summit City
locations in June, including Hyde Brothers bookstore.
The
Sundance deadline looms large for Bemiss as well, but he says he probably
won't bow to the pressure.
"I
kind of made a decision to not rush this thing. Forcing it out as
fast as I can would not be pleasant. Sundance is a high profile fest,
but it's not the only big fish out there. If we have a decent rough
cut by the end of September, we'll send it out. If not, I'm not going
to sweat it."
Snider
High School grad Bemiss has relocated his film company, Chartercrest,
to Connecticut. While "Roses" is being edited in Boston, Bemiss will
be editing someone else's film in Los Angeles.
"With
this other short, they're trying to make the Sundance deadline. They
haven't even shot it yet. So I'll be living in L.A., editing like
a madman, while I sort of let my film go. Pretty interesting."
Bemiss
says he exceeded the original $35,000 budget on "Roses" by about $10,000.
Repercussions should be milder than they might otherwise be: Bemiss
says he funded the film using "the Sprint Plan."
"Family
and friends," he explains, laughing.
Bemiss'
hopes for "Roses" match those of other short-form filmmakers: At best,
some deep-pocketed person will want him to expand it into a feature.
At the very least, "Roses" will be a calling card and conduit to other
work. |
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Ft. Wayne, Indiana
Moviemaker
on a Roll in Indiana:
Fort Wayne Native Jeff Bemiss is
Directing a Romantic Drama Set in the '40s
By
Kevin Kilbane
Thursday, June 8, 2000
A
few whiffs of catnip calmed the anxious cat.
"Roll
camera," director Jeff Bemiss called from his seat on the floor of
the West Wayne Street apartment jammed with lighting gear, a 35mm
movie camera and production crew members.
A
handful of old letters tumbled down onto the cat, startling it just
as called for in the script. Actor Chris Kennedy of Los Angeles then
stepped into view to pick up the envelopes.
"Let's
try one more," Bemiss said after watching the action unfold on a small
video monitor.
The
Fort Wayne native, friends and volunteers have spent the week here
shooting Bemiss' romantic drama, "The Book and the Rose." Hours
of setup, filming and tear-down later will be edited into a short
film that he and the crew hope will catch the eye of Hollywood executives.
We
are trying to show the industry we can make a movie, and I mean a
movie with a capital 'M,' "Bemiss said. We want to use it as a calling
card."
Set
in the early 1940s, "The Book and the Rose" tells the story of a man
who picks up a book in a used-book store and becomes intrigued by
the personal notes written in it by the previous owner.
He
eventually tracks her down, they correspond and he falls in love.
On the eve of his shipping out for World War II military duty, they
agree to meet at New York's Grand Central Station.
Bemiss
said the screenplay idea came from a story in a book by Christian
author Max Lucado.
I
really identified with its theme," said Bemiss, 31, who now makes
a living in Los Angeles as a computer consultant. It is kind of a
simple parable. And it has got this twist ending."
After
writing a script, Bemiss tapped his savings, family and friends to
finance the film's $30,000 budget.
He
and friend Tom Hargis, also a Fort Wayne native, chose to shoot the
movie here so they could work with local friends and avoid the costs
and hassles of filming in the L.A. area. The pair first filmed here
in 1994 when they shot "Endless Bread," a short film about the trials
of 20-something life.
The
current project reunites them with local cinematographer Tony Hettinger,
who worked on "Endless Bread." Hettinger, who handled the camera for
local filming of Neil LaBute's award-winning "In the Company
of Men," liked Bemiss' story.
It
is a period piece, and you don't get to do that very often," Hettinger
said. Everyone is dressed up, and you try to hide all of the (modern)
cars."
Bemiss
cast a few local actors and extras in small parts. Several area people
also volunteered to work on the production crew.
Filming
locations have included a house in the 1900 block of Lawndale Drive,
St. Jude Catholic School on Pemberton Drive, and the apartment above
Dust and Rust Antiques on West Wayne Street.
They
filmed Wednesday at Hyde Brothers Booksellers on Wells Street and
along the St. Joseph River at Indiana University-Purdue University
Fort Wayne.
Today,
filming moved to the Back 40 Junction restaurant in Decatur and to
a car scene in Marion. They wind up this weekend at Union Station
in Indianapolis and at Camp Atterbury about an hour south of Indianapolis.
Bemiss
will spend the next few months editing the footage. Then he and crew
will start knocking on Hollywood doors, hoping for their big break.
Want
to be in a movie? Filming for "The Book and the Rose" is wrapped up
in Fort Wayne, but director Jeff Bemiss is looking for extras for
filming in Indianapolis. Filming will start at 10 a.m. Saturday at
Union Station in downtown Indianapolis.
Because
the film is set in the early 1940s, men should wear khaki pants and
white button-front shirts. Women should wear simple, straight dresses.
People with vintage clothing from that era can wear it.
[PHOTO]
Director of photography for the film "The Book and the Rose," Tom
Hargis looks over the camera to ensure everything is operational before
filming another scene. The romantic drama is set in the early 1940s,
when the country was entering World War II. Photo by Aaron Suozzi
of The NewsSentinel
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Fort Wayne, Indiana
Snider
Grad Returns to Shoot Film
By Steve Penhollow
Sunday, February 6, 2000
Snider
High School graduate Jeff Bemiss plans to return to the Summit City
in June to shoot an ambitious yet pithy project: a 30-minute adaptation
of Christian author Max Lucado's short story "The People with the Roses."
It's
a period piece--set in the early '40s--about a man who purchases a used
book filled with penciled-in notes. While fighting in World War II,
he tracks down--and strikes up a romantic correspondence with--the maker
of those marks, despite the fact he's never seen her.
Bemiss,
who has resided and worked in Los Angeles since he graduated from the
University of Southern California film school in 1992, says he first
heard the tale read aloud at Fort Wayne's Plymouth Congregational Church
a few years back.
"As
soon as I heard it, I thought, 'Oh my God, what a great little story.'
What grabbed me was the unexpected moment of revelation at the end;
it's got an O. Henry type of twist."
Bemiss,
30, asked that the twist not be revealed here.
The
story has been well-disseminated via e-mail, a fact that disturbed Bemiss
at first.
"Everyone
and their aunt was sending it to me. I thought, 'Oh, no. I wanted this
to be my secret.' But then it sort of reinforced for me how much people
really do identify with it."
Bemiss
already has scouted several Hoosier locations: He plans to shoot an
early scene at Hyde Bros. Bookstore, 1428 N. Wells St., and the climax
at Union Station in Indianapolis.
Bemiss
says he has lined up two producers for the project. He expects the budget
will be $20,000 to $30,000.
"That
will be stretched pretty thin on a period piece," he says.
Thanks
to Web sites like www.atomfilms.com, and the most recent Sundance festival,
short films (movies running an hour or less) are now a hot and downloadable--if
not very profitable--commodity.
Bemiss
doesn't have high commercial hopes for his film. The reasons short films
get made are artistic and anticipatory: Short work augments resumes
and gives potential employers a snapshot of a director's style. Bemiss
says it's primarily a labor of love. |
