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Staying in character
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| Actress Courtney Robinson, 10, has a role in the independent film "Repressions." (Alex Collins/ Glendale News-Press) |
First-time directors showcase actors’ talent in their projects during the 10th annual Method Fest.
By Ani Amirkhanian
For those with their sights set on entering the competitive motion picture industry, Method Fest officials said they put on the film festival as a means for budding filmmakers to showcase their work with other aspiring writers, directors and actors who are hoping to be recognized by professionals in the industry.
The Method Fest provides an avenue for the creative type to gain some exposure, said Don Franken, executive director of the 10th annual event that is based in Calabasas this year.
“This festival is really a festival of discovery,” he said. “They are future generation filmmakers. These people start on films for a few hundred thousand dollars and their next films may be studio films.”
One of the festival’s requirements is that the films be character driven, meaning the filmmakers focus on the actor and their skills, Franken said.
The actor is a major part of director Brennan Howard’s film, “Low.”
“This is a festival that embraces actors and I hope the selling point is the actors,” he said.
This is the Glendale native’s debut at Method Fest. Howard, who trained as an actor with Jeff Goldblum, got into directing in 1991.
“Low” is based loosely on the parallels of the lives of heavyweight boxer Sonny Liston and jazz musician Chet Baker, Howard said.
“There is a lot of loose spontaneity throughout the film,” Howard said. “There is a lot of open parameters for the actors to be loose. The acting is very honest.”
“Low” was shot over a weekend in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Howard, who teaches acting, plans on working on his next film — a comedy.
Like Howard who focuses on telling a story with his characters, the actor also has to prepare to tell the story with his or her character.
To get into character for her role, actress Courtney Robinson of Glendale, the youngest star of “Repressions,” imagines she is that character in real life, she said.
“Repressions,” a film written and directed by former Burbank resident Adam Kargman is about a young woman who represses a negative childhood memory but is troubled by it as an adult.
With 17 student films and four commercials under her belt, the 10-year-old plays the younger child version of the troubled woman in the film.
“I really just was so excited to get the part and I started thinking what I would do when I got into that character,” Courtney said.
“Repressions” has a running time of 24 minutes and was shot around the Los Angeles area, including in Glendale and Burbank, Kargman said.
“I’ve always felt the need to tell stories and I think films are the best medium for the stories I want to tell,” Kargman said.
Kargman, who is a lawyer, recently wrapped up production on his next film and hopes to pursue filmmaking as much as he can.
“If I can make a living doing it, there is nothing I would love than to do it on a full-time basis,” he said.
But Kargman isn’t expecting to get a distribution deal at Method Fest, he said. Instead he’s looking forward to having his film shown on the wide screen.
“With any festival, the main reason you submit to them is to show your film to a large audience,” Kargman said. “I’m just hoping a lot of people will come and see the film.”
The Method Fest began 10 years ago Pasadena, where it stayed for four years until moving to Burbank for two years, Franken said. But the operation was moved to Calabasas because of the need for more corporate support, Franken said.
The Method Fest provides an avenue for the creative type to gain some exposure, said Don Franken, executive director of the 10th annual event that is based in Calabasas this year.
“This festival is really a festival of discovery,” he said. “They are future generation filmmakers. These people start on films for a few hundred thousand dollars and their next films may be studio films.”
One of the festival’s requirements is that the films be character driven, meaning the filmmakers focus on the actor and their skills, Franken said.
The actor is a major part of director Brennan Howard’s film, “Low.”
“This is a festival that embraces actors and I hope the selling point is the actors,” he said.
This is the Glendale native’s debut at Method Fest. Howard, who trained as an actor with Jeff Goldblum, got into directing in 1991.
“Low” is based loosely on the parallels of the lives of heavyweight boxer Sonny Liston and jazz musician Chet Baker, Howard said.
“There is a lot of loose spontaneity throughout the film,” Howard said. “There is a lot of open parameters for the actors to be loose. The acting is very honest.”
“Low” was shot over a weekend in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Howard, who teaches acting, plans on working on his next film — a comedy.
Like Howard who focuses on telling a story with his characters, the actor also has to prepare to tell the story with his or her character.
To get into character for her role, actress Courtney Robinson of Glendale, the youngest star of “Repressions,” imagines she is that character in real life, she said.
“Repressions,” a film written and directed by former Burbank resident Adam Kargman is about a young woman who represses a negative childhood memory but is troubled by it as an adult.
With 17 student films and four commercials under her belt, the 10-year-old plays the younger child version of the troubled woman in the film.
“I really just was so excited to get the part and I started thinking what I would do when I got into that character,” Courtney said.
“Repressions” has a running time of 24 minutes and was shot around the Los Angeles area, including in Glendale and Burbank, Kargman said.
“I’ve always felt the need to tell stories and I think films are the best medium for the stories I want to tell,” Kargman said.
Kargman, who is a lawyer, recently wrapped up production on his next film and hopes to pursue filmmaking as much as he can.
“If I can make a living doing it, there is nothing I would love than to do it on a full-time basis,” he said.
But Kargman isn’t expecting to get a distribution deal at Method Fest, he said. Instead he’s looking forward to having his film shown on the wide screen.
“With any festival, the main reason you submit to them is to show your film to a large audience,” Kargman said. “I’m just hoping a lot of people will come and see the film.”
The Method Fest began 10 years ago Pasadena, where it stayed for four years until moving to Burbank for two years, Franken said. But the operation was moved to Calabasas because of the need for more corporate support, Franken said.
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