INFLUENCE

"Cassavetes' career as a filmmaker began most unexpectedly. In 1957, he was appearing on Night People, a New York-based radio show, to promote his recent performance in the Martin Ritt film Edge of the City. While talking with host Jean Shepherd, Cassavetes abruptly announced that he felt the film was a disappointment and claimed he could make a better movie himself; at the close of the program, he challenged listeners interested in an alternative to Hollywood formulas to send in a dollar or two to fund his aspirations, promising he would make "a movie about people." No one was more surprised than Cassavetes himself when, over the course of the next several days, the radio station received over 2,000 dollars in dollar bills and loose change; true to his word, he began production within the week, despite having no idea exactly what kind of film he wanted to make."

I discovered John Cassavetes many years ago in a great film by Richard LaGravenes and Ted Demme called A Decade Under The Influence about the films of the late sixties and early seventies that were in response to the big studio films of that era. There was a segment on Cassavetes and everybody from Scorsese to Peter Bogdanovich to Dennis Hopper all mentioned that this was the guy who showed them that it was possible to make films outside the studio system. He was a guy who would pick up a camera and go make movies with his friends and they would all work on both sides of the camera for no salary. I started watching and reading what I could about Cassavetes and was inspired beyond belief by this man and his approach to filmmaking.

It was around this time that I made a short film which went on to win a couple of audience choice awards and a best film award. I made it in my apartment for ten bucks, the cost of the tape, in one afternoon with my producing partner. The inspiration came from going to several film festivals and watching these very artistic short films that were according to everybody around me, brilliant. I couldn't tell you what they were about and I was convinced that those who were raving about it's brilliance had no idea either but were too afraid to admit it so I made Quekes Tue` Deuche & Behind The Deuche to test them. Whenever it screened people had the reaction I was hoping for which was uncomfortable silence while they tried to figure out just what in the hell they were watching and then the rolling laughter once they were let in on the joke. My short was born out of the need to say something, I'll admit that the subject matter is not going to have an impact on humanity but I had something to say and the reaction it got let me know that it came through. That first taste of rolling laughter from a theatre full of strangers at something I created for so little but with complete faith in the idea was intoxicating.

I have always ducked the feature film for many reasons, fear being the main one. It is a huge undertaking making a feature film. But there is one factor above all that kept me from it. I have seen many films done in this same manner with the same budget. Some have succeeded and others failed miserably in my eyes. The ones that I felt succeeded worked because the writer had something to say and did it in an original way with an airtight script. If your story is solid you don't need to rely on flash to cover lack of substance. That is what I feel we have achieved with this script and my fear is gone. I started writing it four years ago and had written many drafts before sticking it in a drawer. Since then I have written two other screenplays and gained a wealth of knowledge, as we all do with time, and felt that I was ready to yank this one out and get her ready to shoot and after many more rewrites it is because I have something to say again and complete faith in the idea.

Tyler Brooks