Stewart Halpern Blog 2

Tonight was the Premier of PAGEANT and Holy Cow! Ron and I are on such a high. It was such a hectic and memorable day.

A camera crew from the INSIDER came to our little condo this morning to film our subjects putting on their fancy $2000 dresses to prepare for the big night. They girls are all a buzz because the first INSIDER piece was so complimentary of the film.

Before the movie started our anxiety was running high. My stomach was in knots. Sarah Michelle Geller was in the audience along with some press, so it felt like it was do or die time. Once the movie started and the audience began laughing and clapping, I knew it was ON.

We have several big performance numbers in the movie. It wasn’t long before the audience began clapping and in one case practically give a standing ovation right in the middle of the movie. Ron and I kept thinking, "Don’t they know this is a movie and not a live stage show."

The best part of the day was when during the Q&A after the film we announced that the 5 subjects of the movie were actually in the room. The place went crazy. The rest is all a blur. I will write more later. Check out the website, we have the Insider piece there so you can check it out. Let me know what you think. www.PageantMovie.com

U2 3D had its world premiere at Sundance Saturday night at the Eccles theater at 9:45PM, and after a brief filmmaker & band Q&A, it screened again at midnight. With the festival run complete, the film now opens in theaters. All artistic intentions born at the beginning of the project are now leaving the nest to be replaced by public opinion. The turnover is hard for some filmmakers, and a few never let go. Catherine's broad smile and sparkling eyes during the introduction and Q&A, told me she was not just ready, but proud to hand it off.

When I got to Eccles, I instantly realized that the customarily insane atmosphere at the more popular screenings had not prepped me for this. Aside from the 1000+ ticket-holders herded into a pre-entry tent, there were almost as many people heartbroken without tickets, hoping against hope to glimpse at their heroes. Having been a teen fan of The Police, who would stay up 'til 5AM planning in excruciating detail with my best friend Margaret how to best meet them, enchant them with our brilliance, contribute to their ouvre and marry them, I'm versed in the lengths a fan can go. Sapphire from "Almost Famous" said it best, "They don't even know what it is to be a fan. Y'know? To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts." Everyone standing outside that theater understood this. But once I found my seat in one of the 3 front area rows reserved for the U2 3D crew, I realized it wasn't only the fans left behind that had no plans to play it cool tonight. Woody Harrelson looked pumped, and Al Gore had a skip in his step as he approached his chair. You guys: Al Gore...in 3D glasses.

It had been a while since the NY editorial and audio team (Olivier Wicki and Jason Free, Carl Glanville and Robbie Adams) and members of the LA post team (Dave Franks, Michael Peyser and crew) had seen each other. Folks that you've only known, sitting in edit bays looking pasty under fluorescent lighting, were milling amongst the rows, greeting and giggling in edgy versions of their Sunday best. These people you've known from conference rooms and spontaneous 3AM conference calls, suddenly have lovely wives and cute boyfriends. It's like a kid spotting his 3rd Grade teacher at the supermarket. Or seeing Kermit the Frog ride a bicycle. Once everyone was seated, save a few restless folks, the voices and seat rustling began to crescendo in anticipation for three things: the arrival of our Director Catherine Owens and Co-Director Mark Pellington, the band's arrival and seeing the film. Before I actually saw them with my own eyes, I knew they'd all entered because the screams shook the room like a Park City avalanche. When I did see them, I saw that Robert Redford was fittingly leading them.

Festival director Geoff Gilmore's intro was the screening equivalent of "Are you ready to rock?". He then summoned Catherine, Mark and the band to the podium, where Catherine, in a flirtatious orange coat, thanked her core team with the poise of the Royals, and the joy of someone whose artistic vision was being embraced by 1200 people. Bono stepped forward, noted that the high school venue was perfect for what is, after all, a high school band, and them prompted photographers to get shots of the band in their 3D glasses which brought cheers, but when the lights went down, the audience went nuts. It got louder during the 3D countdown, and when the film finally began, and the room started to pulse with Vertigo's first beats, it felt like a prison riot erupting. From the animated TV and telephone that Bono touches with his hands (like a thoughtful "Minority Report" Tom Cruise) in "Love and Peace or Else", to him reaching to "dry our eyes" in "Sunday Bloody Sunday", to the Eccles audience raising their cell phones in solidarity with the thousands of South American fans raising theirs in "One", to the rich palette of falling and flying letters in "The Fly", the audience faithfully followed each beat. Not once did I spot (I turned around a lot to watch the audience of 1200 all wearing 3D shades) anyone wriggling in their seats or getting up to pee.

The film received a standing ovation during all six minutes of end credits. The first Q&A question, "I LOVE YOU BONO!!!!", came from a "journalist" whose press credentials I instantly questioned. While the audience calmed down, and Bono noted there seemed to be a lot of love and Irish whiskey in the house, I considered what she might have done to get there-join a rag-tag periodical? get her press pass and herself to Park City?-and I lauded her chutzpah. A bold bespectacled man asked the band if they would ever consider making a deeper film-like The Yellow Submarine. Catherine later said that in that moment, she knew Bono would respond in one of two ways: conciliatory or challenging. He approached the mic with a swagger and met it with an expletive. And there was her answer. He reminded everyone that he was a huge Beatles fan, but wasn't convinced that The Yellow Submarine was a "deep narrative". After he gave Octopus' Garden "big ups", he said that yes, the 3D technology did dazzle and the film did deliver the hits, but it also told the story of the band's coming together and commitment to human rights, and he ended by challenging the questioner to see the depth in touring this particular country with the Declaration of Human Rights. This blogger put a quote from The Nowhere Man under her Senior yearbook photo, but I and the 1200 cheering audience members had to concur. Catherine told me that she had no idea Bono had pointed out the symbolism of touring "this particular country" with the Declaration until she read about it later, and I realized what a blur much of this must have been for her. The session ended with a final audience member asking if the band knew how much they were loved. More cheers, and then like that, it was over.

Catherine Owens, U2 3D's director, sat with me Saturday morning while she had her makeup done for the director's brunch, and marveled at how she got from the concept phase of our project four years ago to today. In between whispering side comments to Chris, the makeup artist, about how she never wears makeup, she spoke about how thrilled she was to be celebrating the experience with her core team, the editor, music producer, producers, visual effects supervisor, and their teams. An artist by trade, Catherine began as U2's creative director when she designed the cars that hung from the rafters for U2's Zoo TV tour. Coming from that background, she never imagined herself ending up at what is by all accounts, the definitive North American festival-especially in the year where Robert Redford's introductory remarks were about artists as agents of change, and the increase in submissions from artists of other disciplines crossing over into film.

After reminding Chris that it had to be waterproof mascara or nothing, she talked in her musical Irish clip about what an honor it was to also share the fruits of everyone's labor with a town full of people who know how to make films. In fact she was giggling at the idea that, "..these Irish folks were being dropped smack dab in the middle of such fabulousness." But she was most excited about being part of something that was truly on the cutting edge technically, visually and sonically.

Catherine Owens, "There is really no way to prepare people for the experience of seeing this film. My team and I have worked to push 3D up to the next level. When Producer Pete Shapiro approached me years ago with this idea of doing a project with U2 in 3D, one eyebrow went up. But for whatever reason, maybe because the seemingly impossible is incredibly enticing, Pete and I and a small army of incredibly talented misfits came together with the single purpose of having compelling musical storytelling seen through the filter of technology so new, it was being completed as we went along."

Co-Executive Producer Scott Mednick, "Coming from working on 300, I didn't think it was possible to be part of yet another filmic experience that was presenting images and technology that had never been seen before-that had to truly be seen to be believed. But when I was shown just a few songs in 3D during editorial, I couldn't believe it was happening again. I think one of the big reasons that the imagery and technology got so far is that Catherine started as an artist and when you think about the way an art piece is created, one of the steps is to walk around your creation and look at it from various angles. She moved onto visuals for live performances, again, creating a piece that has to be built from many angles. The natural progression was bringing that to 3D, a format with a long history in film, but one that in the past used the gimmickry of sending images out to the audience and trying to grab them. With U2 3D, there is no need for the gimmickry because you, the individual moviegoer, is grabbed and pulled in. Catherine and this team of vanguards has made the technology disappear and has made infinity behind it."

Because of this, the film couldn't be marketed traditionally. There were no TV spots because it didn't make sense to show on TV in 2D, and the trailer was only shown in 3D ahead of Beowulf. While there was a dynamic 2D teaser that will be tactically shown on the jumbo-tron in Times Square and online, it contains no 3D footage. In fact, the film will never been seen two dimensionally. The band decided if they were to do this, it had to go all the way. The material had to be so compelling that there would be no reason to create a plan b set of images in 2D. But, this is not a group, neither the band nor the filmmakers, who bother with plan b anyway.

Stress relieving did go too far with our group though. On the way home from the Festival HQ Marriott bar, Jason Free, Robbie Adams, his wife, director Amy Talkington and I spotted, through a window, a poor soul working on his mac at 11:30PM. I can't totally account for what happened next-either they were overworked and ready to rage at a fellow workaholic, or, ahem, tipsy-Jason and Robbie began hurling snowballs at his window. Splat after more densely packed splat, we thought he'd eventually turn around, and we'd all share a wave and a giggle, but his response? Nothing. He went from propping his chin on his hand, to leaning his cheek on it. Who was this mad genius? Covered in snow, we retreated, and spent the rest of the night marveling at his focus. Not until the next morning, when this blogger arrived at our publicist's office to get my orders for the day, did I slowly begin to realize that I was suddenly looking out the windows that they'd been pelting the night before, and that the "poor soul", was the VP of publicity. And the president of the company, who I later learned was about to call the front desk on us, was an old friend of mine. Guess I'll be buying them a "Sorry we hurled snowballs and taunted you" cake from Albertson's. If I had a nickel for every time I'd bought one of those.

I'm Adrienne Gruben with U2 3D here to say that the film and its crew have arrived at Sundance, and it is no small feat. In fact, I'm not sure we've all grasped that this means the train has almost reached its last stop. Four years ago, when Producer Pete Shapiro began tactically popping up everywhere U2 visual content director Catherine Owens was, not to ASK but to TELL her that they would be doing a project together with U2 in 3D, I'm not sure most believed it would actually happen. Pete did come from the music industry, had produced sports content in 3D, and had inspiring faith in his vision, but to bring U2 into the mix, would obviously require everything-the concept, the visuals, and the sound-to go farther than it had ever gone before. Not wanting to ignore a door beckoning for her entrance, Catherine, an artist by trade who had previously directed one project: the MTV VMA nominated video for U2's "Original of the Species", decided to roll the dice. Aware of the need for crack collaborators, she approached fellow director and U2 alum Mark Pellington to co-direct some of the live shows, and re-approached "Original of the Species" editor Olivier Wicki and creative director John Leamy.

All U2 fans are known for their unlimited passion. But in following the band to South America, where they hadn't performed for eight years, we knew we could capture the transcendent magic of an audience who had waited patiently to share again, an experience with their band. And boy did they. Like a Greek Chorus answering back to everything the band gives them, the film becomes a three dimensional volley between the band's fiery performance and the audience's charged and sometimes heartbreaking song interpretations. Catherine calls a few key audience members, like the girl who pantomimes the "love is a temple" lyric from "One" with outstretched arms, "the other stars of the show". So off we went, and in true tumbleweed fashion, more and more crew came on board in sound, editorial, post production, visual effects, 3D conforming, and marketing to name a few. And this crew was one of a kind. Rogue like, sometimes eccentric, and all at the top of their respective games, the one thing that drew them together, as cliche as it sounds, is that they weren't well versed in labeling something impossible. They are the extreme sportsmen of 3D filmmaking. A few of them, including Olivier Wicki and second editor Jason Free, are actually skiing black double diamonds while I type. And Music Producer Carl Glanville, after one lesson, is out there on a slightly less dangerous course. I guess that after jumping and flipping for the last few years, in premiering the film at Sundance, they've all landed at their own filmic X-Games.

Some crew, including VFX Supervisor David Franks, Executive Music Producer John Modell, Glanville and Co Music Producer, Robbie Adams, arrived as early as Monday (FOUR days before the opening night launch) to begin audio and visual prep for the two (and only) Eccles Theater screenings. Eccles is USUALLY used as a theater-theater for the high school. Like the kind where the kids put on Bye Bye Birdie. To say modifications had to be made to the space is an understatement. A new screen was brought in. Two Barco projectors were set up in order to yield enough light, and they underwent significant upgrades. And because this is U2, the Clair Brothers, the best Rock and Roll sound guys in the business, were brought in to create the crispest sound experience possible. I can only imagine the yearly demonstration from the student debate club in 5.1 surround and their power point graphs in 3D. Because it is Sundance, which is devoid of the exclusivity found elsewhere, the students came and watched U2 3D, and Modell hosted a tech discussion with them afterward. The remaining crew began to trickle in too. Our esteemed director, Catherine arrived on Wednesday-hopping on a plane straight from her appearance on the Tavis Smiley show, and later, Co-Director Mark Pellington who has another film here. This group is not lacking in super-achievers.

Sundance has some popular connotations: a Winter sportsman's paradise amongst snow-capped mountains, or a filmmakers dream come true, in spite of the sometimes make or break atmosphere. Films like THE SPITFIRE GRILL, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and JUNO had famously big sales here. The fantasy of every filmmaker sans distribution is that theirs is the film where the sale gets negotiated on cocktail napkins right after the premiere until 6AM the next morning. The filmmakers with distribution hope that this will be the first stop on the train of positive buzz, publicity and momentum. What is less storied is the fact that for some films, no matter how compelling or how rabidly successful the screening, Sundance will serve as the place for their only proud moment. Maybe the market doesn't want that kind of film right now. Maybe a more seasoned filmmaker tackled the same subject matter, or maybe it was too controversial. In '99, I was here with an experimental film set in the 40's, shot in b&w on the camera that shot "I Love Lucy", replete with male nudity and told out of order. I'm sure you can guess which category we fit into.

When I think about that, it dawns on me that one of the things that U2 3D is accomplishing here at Sundance, is that it adds new, or updated, categories to the mix. Sundance has always wanted to recognize technological advances in film. And in beginning to receive and project digital entries several years back, hosting panels about the newest technologies available to filmmakers, and screening animated films that are frequently on the edge of what is possible technically, many of the conversations start here. So with U2 3D at Sundance, it makes perfect sense to introduce new tools for telling stories to many of the people who care about them the most. But what makes it all the more relevant, is that a film like U2 3D will be screened a 2 two minute walk from a film that was shot handheld on film by one or two people. The conversation is not complete without recognizing every point on the spectrum. But my experience is that the filmmakers' feelings, whether they've made a documentary, experimental or big fiction feature film, don't vary so much. Also, what I keep coming away with about this place, is that no matter what category your film falls into, it is critical to appreciate each moment. Which I failed to do in '99. And it wasn't just because my film had naked dudes in it. Director, Catherine Owens, "Before I got here, I was warned time and again to savor every minute of my time here. But it's hard. From the moment you arrive, you are furiously pulled in myriad directions to director's luncheons, press obligations and the like. But I'm trying."

One thing that relieves filmmaker stress is the ridiculous kindness of the Park City residents. Jordy, the stunning snowboarder/waiter with shaggy, buttery, hair (that takes either 5 minutes or 2 hours to do), whose LA equivalent sneers like Bono doing Zoo TV's McPhisto, responds to every Blind Dog Grill patron's order with "I LOVE that dish!". And the Blind Dog's fish market supervisor, who in NY might be skeptical of competitors, stopped to show us the just-came-in Tasmanian trout. When I meekly asked the Park Mountain Kristi's Cafe cashier to break a hundred, she seemed surprised by my tentativeness, and she didn't even test it with that weird pen. (COUNTERFEITERS KEEP AWAY FROM OUR PARADISE!) Even the snow litter is sweet-either dog pee or accidentally dropped tins of lip balm paving paths to the theaters. But, on the way back down the mountain (where I left editor Olivier still snowboarding down black runs, and East Coast Editorial Producer Caryn Maclean taking a ski lesson), I did spot a soggy note on a windshield that read "Nice parking job, Fuckbag!". But still.

I just got an email from James telling me that he had to post my blog b/c I hit the wrong button. I think by the time Sundance is over, I should get the hang of it... Had our premiere last night at the Library -- (hold on, JR Bourne is looking over my shoulder and reading what I'm writing. JR is our lead actor in "Chronic Town"; go away JR... Ok, he's left.) Anyways, we had a great time at our premiere on Saturday. My first Q & A as a director. Not sure what I said, but nobody called me a jerk afterwards, so I guess it went o.k. Went snowmobiling for Park City TV with Sean Smith today. I dumped the snowmobile, my wife ("Chronic" Producer Lauri LaBeau) laughed at me and they caught it on camera. I'm sure it's what they wanted, but not what I wanted! Sean enjoyed blowing snow in my face while I tried to keep up; and the Promontory gave us an awesome blanket as a gift. I think I can now say that I got 'swag'... Screening tonight at the Prospector at 11:30 pm. Patriots vs. Giants in SuperBowl LII. Go Pats!

Stewart Halpern Blog

It is 5am and the phone rings. All I can hear is screaming. After a minute or so I realize that it is my film partner Ron telling me that we got into Slamdance. Then all I can hear is me screaming.

Ron, a friend from college, and I have been working on a documentary called PAGEANT for the last three years. The process has taken a toll on us, but now that we were in Slamdance we are ready to celebrate.

PAGEANT follows 5 of the most talented female impersonators from across the country as they compete in the Miss Gay America Pageant. (Check it out at www.PageantMovie.com)

Ron and I are feeling good about the movie – "Hell, we like it." But we still have never seen it in front of an audience of any kind. We hope that folks will laugh and cry. But we really have no idea.

Ron and I arrive in Park City with a mission. We need to get people to our two screenings. We proceed to cover the town in posters, buttons of female impersonators, and even Pageant style sashes. Surprisingly, even before the movie premiers the buttons are going like hotcakes.

Our publicist tells us that the TV show INSIDER with Pat O’Brien is going to air a 2 minutes piece on the movie so we wait anxiously to see how we are portrayed.

6:00AM. Pierre Trudeau Airport Montreal. Just passed through customs with the nicest customs agent in the world. He is ecstatic about Up The Yangtze at Sundance.

Here are the screening times:

Fri. January 18, 12:15pm, Holiday Village Cinema III, Park City
Fri. January 18, 5:30, Holiday Village Cinema I (Press & Industry)
Sat. January 19, 12:30pm, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, SLC
Sat. January 19, 11:30pm, Holiday Village Cinema II, Park City
Sun. January 20, 10:00am, Holiday Village Cinema IV, Park City
Mon. January 21, Noon, Screening Room, Sundance Resort

Well, I've been invited to "blog" on indiewire.com and I'm not even sure if I'm doing this correctly. My name is Tom Hines and my film "Chronic Town" is playing in the Spectrum category, starting with our first screening on Saturday (5:30 pm at the Library). Right now, my wife Lauri LaBeau (Produced and acts in "Chronic") and I are scrambling to get ready in our apartment in Studio City, CA. We can't wait to get to Park City tomorrow b/c then that will mean that we can finally stop "getting ready". Chiropractor for me, baby doctor for Lauri (who is 5 months pregnant) and suitcases to pack. We shot the film in Fairbanks, Alaska, so we're hoping that we'll be able to hack the cold at Sundance. We've also got some friends and crew that helped with the film coming all the way from Alaska to be a part of our group. They'll be the ones in t-shirts saying to all of us "This isn't cold..." They should know - on one day in Fairbanks, we hit 50 below on one of our Exterior shoots... that was cold. Check out our movie trailer at www.chronictownthemovie.com - This site was designed by my good friend Heming Nelson who also created our CHRONIC TOWN license plate logo. He has a company in Washington D.C. called 4Site Interactive and he also did our EPK and behind-the-scenes while we were in AK. I hope I did this right...

With Sundance and Slamdance kicking off later this week we see the return of indieWIRE's Park City Diaries, where we'll see a number of festival filmmakers blogging about their Park City experiences here at indieWIRE's Park City Diaries blog.

We invite you to check back this week (and throughout the Park City festivals) as the filmmakers weigh in on their experiences.