Thanks to family connections, Robert was invited to scout a second location in Pope Valley. This beautiful area will be a funeral scene set in the Basque country. There are no sheep on this land, so Robert describes an old-school technique to blend sheep from another shoot into the funeral scene. A sheepskin (or single sheep) can make a wipe unnecessary, so only cuts are needed. This lightens the workload for the editor.
No digital effects have been employed in the film.
When I listen to certain film composers, it is sometimes immediately apparent they are fans of Ravel’s music. While Ravel himself didn’t consider Boléro an important piece, it has “gone viral” somewhat — probably due to the catchy rhythm that drives it relentlessly forward. When I heard Ennio Morricone using that rhythm in a sound track, it was an immediate cue, and a natural choice for a remix against Boléro. I also think any “warhorse” piece which has been over-played or misused is fair game.
Boléro became Ravel’s most famous composition, much to the surprise of the composer, who had predicted that most orchestras would refuse to play it.[3] It is usually played as a purely orchestral work, only rarely being staged as a ballet. According to a possibly apocryphal story, at the premiere a woman shouted that Ravel was mad. When told about this, Ravel smiled and remarked that she had understood the piece.[6]
Imagine in your mind the villain from Diva (1981) — but instead of polka music, he’s listening to Boléro over and over… while he merrily commits terrible violence. The guns, brass, vocals and signature whistling are courtesy of Morricone. The ending was difficult, as I’m combining two separate recordings of Bolero; it has to have a “big finish” — a.k.a. fortissi-issi-issi-issi-issimo. One trick employed here is substitution sleight-of-hand; the “jump cut” out of Morricone is made possible by the two chords which lead to the “coda” in Boléro. Also, in the development I wove the theme onto itself to provide additional interest, since everyone knows the piece so well.
This sort of “sound track remix” is quite illegal technically but when approached correctly is unlikely to be a subject of legal proceedings. For example, under the last half of the Sopranos theme an original track was added to the mix. The title is a play on the musical direction “from the head to the end” - which you can also take to mean “from the Mafia Boss to the gunshot.”
Instrument doubling for the Godfather waltz is accomplished by carefully editing together sections of two separate recordings. There is a side-trip to Chicago included in the Godfather section. One can’t omit the Tarantella - but where to put it? Knitting together the two broad sections required a transition to the natural key of the Sopranos theme. I’m very careful to preserve original pitch and meter, which stems from the overall mandate to retain the “audio fidelity” of the sources.
It is quite unfortunate that content owners consider the musical themes to such classics as these ongoing profit vehicles. In my perfect world, the composers would be well-paid, up front, and ongoing royalties would come from film and television broadcasts. The theme music itself can be considered an advertisement for that content, and could be released into the wild, for “fair use” by musicians, producers, DJs and other culture jammers and trouble makers.
Da Capo al Fine v3 (wise guy mix) Henri Mancini Ennio Morricone Nino Rota Alabama 3 ca·po 2 (kä’pō, kāp’ō) n. pl.ca·pos The head of a branch of an organized crime syndicate.
Etude for Clarinet and Piano - Robert Elvin, Richard Walker (Read this for more back story)
Debussy’s Mis takes - Robert Elvin, Steve Goldman, Richard Walker
Previous Announcements
October, 2008
Unreleased Film: The Savant Screens Sunday October 26th (2008)
At 7:30 P.M. at the Art Institute on Chestnut. Free admission. Don’t miss it! Robert will be hauling a high-def projector there for your viewing pleasure.
We will be drinking at a nearby North Beach watering hole afterward. Cast party will be held November 2 at some “maritime club” or other.
July, 2008
Unreleased Film: The Savant (2008)
Our editor Terry Studanski died suddenly this year while working on the project. The film will carry a dedication to his memory. His family and associates assisted with the recovery of the work in progress, and Potrero Post signed on and will soon wrap up the post production. A screening has been tentatively scheduled.
…For their part, the makers of Overnight have already responded to Duffy’s allegations and denied any bias in their filmmaking. Director Tony Montana explained:
…The proverbial keys to the kingdom were handed to Troy. The narrative of ‘Overnight’ changed as the protagonist and the events changed. We simply followed the organic themes.
Overnight’s producer was slightly more forceful in his response, saying:
…I have to admit it is impressive that he got the sequel off the ground after making enemies of the likes of the William Morris Agency, Harvey Weinstein and nearly everyone else in the industry…
In my interview with him, Duffy was equally derogatory about Overnight’s filmmakers, saying:
I could go point-for-point on the whole film. But the fact of the matter is, what I accomplished was a tall order, especially for somebody with no relationships in this business. From watching that movie, you have no fucking idea how I did it. Period. They did not tell you my story. That wasn’t a documentary about me. That was a smear job executed by two opportunists who decided to screw everybody who ever helped them.
This is the review of Overnight I wrote long ago. I’m refreshing it because Troy Duffy recently completed Boondock Saints 2, which will arrive in theaters soon.
I’d heard about this documentary a while back, and finally screened it. It is the story of a blue-collar nobody from Boston who sells a script and then launches into Hollywood-scale hubris and excess. Celebrities. Partying. Shouting. Phone calls. Doesn’t end happily. Highly recommended. Imdb link.
Troy Duffy, an overnight Hollywood golden boy, sells a script for $300,000 and gets a Weinstein deal to make the movie (Boondock Saints), and the sound track with his band, as well as final cut, and part ownership of a newly trendy bar in L.A. where Duffy worked before the deal. He even gets signed to a record label, and he brags that his band is the first to be signed completely unheard. They didn’t even have a demo song. The label dropped them after Weinstein dropped their film, naturally.
Well into this docu-disaster Troy Duffy said to his inner circle that things had really fallen apart and it was time to actually produce the film. So he wasn’t being paid to get drunk and schmooze with celebrities?
It’s really sad the way he strung along his brother and close friends, who perhaps assumed a Weinstein nod would turn into mounds of cash.
Directors: Tony Montana Mark Brian Smith
Cast: Troy Duffy Taylor Duffy Jerry O’Connell Willem Dafoe Mark Wahlberg Patrick Swayze Billy Zane Vincent D’Onofrio Sean Patrick Flanery John Goodman Ron Jeremy Billy Connolly
“Boondock Saints director Troy Duffy held a live videocast answering fan and website questions yesterday about Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, which just wrapped production. We were asked to participate, but were too late to the game. Maybe we can get Troy on the /Filmcast Afterdark and get to the bottom of “Overnight”. Thanks to my friends at Geeks of Doom, I have the video embedded below.”
20100618 at 10:29 
