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Early Consensus

Comments are starting to come in about the film. They are positive, constructive, very useful.

The early consensus (from trusted film-friends and colleagues) is that TAKEN IN is beautifully shot, acted, and edited. Several comments about the films deliberate pace and the first twenty minutes which "unfold like a Buster Keaton film," according to one source.

TAKEN IN is not a film for everybody. And there have been comments like this from people who've seen it. It will be interesting to hear from teenage girls and dads.

Considerable praise for Traysie Amick's work as Dawn. And for Ronnie Gunter's tender vulnerability as Dillon. Both of these supporting characters give the film an added texture that is useful. And both actors deliver compelling performances.

Five private preview screenings are scheduled for next week with small audiences.

Shoes Matter

The shoes worn by Madelain Hoptry ("Brooklyn") and Tim Brosnan ("Simon") in TAKEN IN may be so small a detail, it may not even be worth pointing out to you.

But.

They do reveal a whole lot about these characters. And great consideration was given to each pair our actors wore.

Tim wore a black, lace-up oxford. Not a slip on, nothing fancy. Smart, reliable, elegant, sensible. This is all you need to know about his character, really. (And we sincerely thank Rush Wilson, Ltd. for providing them to us...at no charge.)

Maddi wore two-toned, lace-up, 3/4 boots (from Urban Outfitters). Of course, she wore them with two Sunday dresses...a pair of short-shorts...and skinny jeans. They create a sense of rebellion, I think...incongruency for her character that is most certainly played out in the film.

Most people won't notice our actors' footwear. But in a micro-budget film, every detail has to count. And rest assured...in TAKEN IN, every detail does.

CINCO DE MAYO

Lunch with Tim Brosnan...then saw Josh McGill on Skype...and saw Daniel McCord, Madelaine Hoptry, Jeter Rhodes, and Emily White last at Dan's...where we all chatted with Jennifer Baxley on the phone.

REALLY ready for public screenings of our movie...

Q&A with "Dillon," RONNIE GUNTER

CHRIS WHITE: Ronnie Gunter…"Dillon" in TAKEN IN…how did you and I first meet?

RONNIE GUNTER: We met over the phone several months, or maybe a year, ago. You'd seen a film I made and we talked about regional filmmaking for a while. I didn't meet you face to face until I arrived on the TAKEN IN set. I remember thinking that you sounded taller on the phone.

CW: What did you think after our first Skype meeting?

RG: I'd never Skyped before and haven't since and probably never will again because the marvels of technology are endless and I like things that are finite. The Skype meeting was a unique introduction to the cast and crew and added to the mystique of the project. I was glad we were able to do it.

CW: What’s the best part of making a movie at South of the Border?

RG: Not much travel time between locations. Everything's centralized.

CW: What was the funniest thing that happened during the shoot?

RG: My ten-minute Shake Weight work out with Robert [facility manager, ex-cop] at Reptile Lagoon. Those things are as absurd in real-life as they are on TV, but much harder to operate than they look. There's a skill involved...Robert had it, I didn't.

CW: What was the sweetest/sappiest thing that happened?

RG: Well, pretty much everything Jennifer Baxley did was sweet, especially the surprise Push-Up pops. That was sweet and they were sweet so...double sweet.

CW: Talk about the character of Dillon. Was he based on someone you know?

RG: I know a few people like Dillon. I think there have been times in my life when I was Dillon. There's something about feeling stuck in a situation, or a place, or a job, even if there are things about them that you like, that makes you desperate. Then, when something or someone different comes along, it's easy to cling to it, hoping it will pull you out. It's not that Dillon is unhappy with his job or even his geography, but he's smart enough to know that he's stuck.

CW: What do we do next?!

RG: Something...I don't know what...but something.

30 SECONDS \\ 5

30 SECONDS \\ 4

30 SECONDS \\ 2

ON LOCATION \ DAY 2 [a]

After one full day of shooting, one thing is for certain: Madelaine Hoptry and Tim Brosnan are absolutely the best actors for the roles of Brooklyn and Simon.

Not only do they look like the father and daughter we’d imagined, they are excellent screen actors. Each offered smart, nuanced performances today…spanning the entire first half of the film.

Maddi and Tim came to TAKEN IN as experienced stage actors with few if any screen acting credits.

Indeed, their “big screen debut” will impress you.

PRODUCTION MEETING #3

"BROOKLYN"

Madelaine Hoptry plays "Brooklyn" in TAKEN IN.

Brooklyn is seventeen, and recently sent away to a therapeutic boarding school. She is mad at the world...but mostly at her father, Simon, who she must spend the weekend with.

Brooklyn's mom left the family years ago. Since then, she's done the best she can...raised mostly by nannies and housekeepers in the family's Buckhead (Atlanta, GA, USA) home, as her father travels for business...pretty much, all the time.

WARDROBE TEST: "SIMON"

LISTENING

The actors in TAKEN IN face a unique challenge. The film calls for neither traditional stage nor camera acting really…it requires utter, life-like truthfulness, moment-to-moment. And this is extremely difficult to accomplish given that the story is a complete contrivance...and, of course, the fact that they are being photographed while doing it.

So where do they start…preparing for this kind of work?

There is no clear-cut path or plan to follow…no real “schools” that train actors for this kind of filmmaking.

There are films worth watching…films with acting that succeeds at this.

The films of Mike Leigh, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Christopher Guest, come to mind. Viewing these films is helpful for actors insofar as they get to see someone else succeed. But. Working actors need process and practice. How does understanding what’s so great about Javier Bardem in BIUTIFUL (2010) translate into behavior on set? Mere mimicry will not suffice.

First, there must be trust. Trust between the actors themselves, and their director. Complete physical and emotional safety is a must, and there must be plenty of room to fail. As well, a willingness to try new things, to become…to stay…uncomfortable with each other builds trust.

If trust exists, it will manifest itself in an ongoing conversation between actors and director…an imaginative back and forth about the characters and story that never stops. “Action!” and “Cut!” aren’t spoken anymore. Instead, there are just tiny moments unfolding between people. Truth is revealed.

Trust and talk is important, yes. But there is something else at work here…something more deeply human.

Most people are pretty good at advice-giving, problem solving, offering our two cents at the drop of a hat. “We’re either talking or waiting to talk,” as the saying goes. But the actors in TAKEN IN must step away from this framework, and open themselves to their scene partner.

Good acting is listening.

And in the words of actor Alan Alda, “Real listening is a willingness to let the other person change you.”

What a discovery! Dig deep enough into the process of making a film like TAKEN IN, and you find the film’s theme buried deep.

PRODUCTION MEETING #1

TAKEN IN’s first production meeting saw director Chris White and co-writer Emily Reach White host co-producer Jennifer Baxley, cinematographer Daniel McCord, graphic designer Adam Robataille, and lead actors Tim Brosnan and Maddi Hoptry in their home Sunday afternoon.

It was the first time several of the company members had met.

Chris White led the meeting which coincidentally ran for about 80 minutes...his anticipated running time for the film!

During a brief discussion of his Expectations for Cast and Crew, Chris set only one hard and fast rule: “be good to each other.”