A 'Camp Casserole' Movie Review and Trailer

“Camp Casserole” is a behind-the-scenes documentary by Anthony Pedone that chronicles the making of “The Casserole Club,” which is a movie that one of the VISIONFEST directors calls Steve Balderson’s “best work to date.”

Forget about what you saw on those featurettes that filmmakers add to the special features section of their DVDs. “Camp Casserole” is nothing like that stuff and based on this alone, movie lovers and filmmakers alike should be thankful.

The opening credit sequence is so attention grabbing, viewers may start to wonder if they are either high on some type of drug or in a really tripped out dream. Nothing is off limits in this movie, which includes spontaneous marriage proposals, random sketch comedy skits on the set, breastfeeding, commentary on how Steve Balderson is a force to be reckoned with and thoughts on the state of the film industry by veteran Caltech professor, Eric Sherman and a glimpse into what independent filmmaking at it's best looks like.

The cast and crew become roommates while making "The Casserole Club" in Palm Springs, creating that summer camp experience combined with a little film production workshop....maybe, but without all of the drama, poison ivy, egos and mosquito bites. Leave your entourage, VIP cards and Hollywood baggage at the door because it's all about a group effort in this movie. Imagine attending a summer camp sprinkled with drinks, comedy, lots of love and a wild family reunion....this is what you get in “Camp Casserole.”

The filmmaking scenes appear to be casual with a laid back feeling on set and good rapport between Balderson and his cast and crew. One moment they are playing golf and the next, Balderson is getting some exterior shots of Kevin Richardson (yes, the former Backstreet Boys member) for the movie. Later, actress Starina Johnson is screaming in the mountains and the documentary reveals what the deal is behind this moment. Here is a hint: If that's not guerrilla filmmaking, then somebody tell me what is.

Balderson may be the only young filmmaker in the country right now who can actually get work done in such a relaxed atmosphere. Maybe Joe Swanberg (Hanna Takes the Stairs) would be the only other director to match this in terms of a casual production set, but Balderson is someone with a clear plan of action. His vision, talent and discipline is reflected in the amount of respect that “The Casserole Club” cast has for him, so much that they deliver on the performances necessary to make the story come to life. The quality results are not accident because Balderson chooses actors carefully during the casting process.

Some of the scenes in “Camp Casserole” remind me of old black and white home movies from the 50s or 60s that capture family vacations but not like any tapes from “Capturing the Friedmans”.....it’s more like the “The Wonder Years” TV show or something of the sort.....happy and fun!

The soundtrack in this documentary is also groovy as scenes change from candid interviews about the movie characters or inspiration for the story to still photographs and then to production set coverage that show how fun movie making can be without the need for makeup/hair trailers and several hundred people on site. Developing and maintaining a high level of comradery is among the biggest lessons that independent filmmakers can learn from watching “Camp Casserole.”

The documentary is a valuable companion to “The Casserole Club” and could be more entertaining than many making-of movies that were previously released for other Hollywood and independent films.

“Camp Casserole” is scheduled to be released June 1, 2011. You Can Request a Download or Streaming Copy of this movie HERE.

Watch the Trailer:

The premiere screening of “Casserole Club” is set to take place between June 22 and June 26, 2011 in New York during VISIONFEST 11: The Other Festival (VF11).

Technorati Tags: camp+casserole+movie+review, wordcount+blogathon, camp+casserole, 2011+wordcount+blogathon, camp+casserole+movie, casserole+club, steve+balderson, anthony+pedone, movie+reviews, filmmaking

A Hollywood Awarded Mother's Day Greeting Card

If you plan on giving Mother, Mother-In-Law or Godmother one of those Mother's Day cards that are blank inside but you are still trying to find a sentiment, look no further. Here is a Mother's Day greeting card that I wrote for today's Writercize that you can use.....if your mother is a movie fan. Heck, you can still use it even if she isn't a movie fan.

Dear Mom,

You deserve an Oscar for "Best Cook" in a leading role,
a Golden Globe for "Best Appearance" at my games,
An Emmy for your "Outstanding made for Television" level of home decorating style and social etiquette

and....

A Razzie for "Worst Attempt at Matchmaking"!

Please stop trying to arrange blind dates for me with every person of the opposite sex that you meet at the grocery store, church and your office parties.

There you have it. Maybe it will get you a good laugh from your mother!

Technorati Tags: 2011+wordcount+blogathon, writercize, mothers+day+greeting+card, movie+theme+mothers+day+greeting+card, hollywood+mothers+day+greeting+card, wordcount+blogathon

My Top 5 Books on Screenwriting

Today’s theme in the 2011 WordCount Blogathon is on writing books and it’s been a while since I read books on writing but the last book was a reference book and a television script writing book. So, here are my top 5 screenwriting books that I selected....either because I already read them in school and they were useful so I favor them or because I read them in whole or in part but have nothing else to compare them to.

They are in no particular order and all of them are not 100% scripts from cover to cover, since I do not remember all of the books that I read nor can I find all of the books that I have merely on the subject of writing.....so the following list will have to do.

1. Writing Television Sitcoms by Evan S. Smith

This book was nice to read a few years ago when I considered submitting a spec script based on “The King of Queens” starring Kevin James, for a chance to participate in a television writing fellowship or apprenticeship or something of the sort that ABC had available at the time. Even though this TV show was on CBS, I believe that hopeful television writers were allowed to submit a script for any sitcom, so long as it was still on-air. I ended up not writing the script completely nor applying to the program but this book helped me learn a thing or two about scenes, characters and dialogue for funny TV shows.

2. Video Scriptwriting: How to Write for the $4 Billion Video Commercial Market by Barry Hampe

I read this book a few times and it has been a useful resource for creating scripts that are used for television commercials, instructional videos, corporate videos and infommercials. It covers different parts of the scriptwriting process such as writing treatments, writing a synopsis and script research.

3. 2008 Writer’s Market

I purchased this book to find freelance writing markets but the screenwriting and playwriting sections have also been nice to read through. I may not have bought the book if it did not have these sections but I’ve paid more attention to the periodical listings in there since payment for freelance articles from a magazine comes a lot quicker than payment for a script option or buyout. Still, it has useful information on writing queries, which is important no matter what is being pitched.....a magazine article or a screenplay.

4. $30 Film School by Michael W. Dean

Yeah, this book is not entirely dedicated to screenwriting but it has an extensive chapter that focuses on the topic. It’s more technical than some others, covering things like script assembly with brads, etc. but does touch on outlining, story structure, dialogue and creating action.

5. The Ultimate Fimmaker’s Guide to Short Films by Kim Aldeman

I’ve made more short movies than feature films. In fact, I’ve only made short films up until this point while trying to get one of my feature film scripts into production, so this book has been useful. There is a section called “From Concept to Blueprint” that covers the scripting process and the author stresses that simplicity is important and to think about the resources that are already available when creating the story for a short film.

So, there you have it! My top 5 Books on Screenwriting, or writing for the screen!

Disclaimer: After writing this post and visiting Michelle Rafter's (the WordCount Blogathon host) website, I seem to have been mistaken regarding the theme, which actually seems to be just "Top 5 Books" and not "Top 5 Writing Books." Oh well. Live and learn, live and learn!

Technorati Tags: wordcount+blogathon, 2011+wordcount+blogathon, my+top+5+books, top+5+books+on+screenwriting, wordcount+blogathon+theme+day, wordcount+blogathon+wednesday+theme, books+on+screenwriting, screenwriting+books