By the Soles of Our Feet

It Ain’t Easy Being Green

admin — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 01:59:43 +0000

One of our longest (but most harmonious) shoot days was Chapter 2 of our hero’s journey – the Romantic Comedy / Musical!

BUCCO (Michael Bachmann) was lucky enough to spend the looooong day in these kicks. The poor ladies had to work the heels.

It was all done on a huge, gridded, green screen sound stage that will be replaced with an idyllic setting in the final film and set to original music and lyrics.

It’s here where our favorite travelers encounter love along the road. Stay tuned for more updates!

Happy Trails!

Meet our Costume Designer

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:47:54 +0000

We are honored (and lucky) to have the incredibly talented, Arthur Aleksander, as the costumer designer for By The Soles of Our Feet. Mr. Aleksander is an up and coming designer finishing his studies at Otis College of Art and Design. His award-winning work was featured at the LACMA Summer 2010 Art Walk where he conceptualized the work of local artist Gary Baseman in the form of party dresses.

We recently sat down with Mr. Aleksander to find out more about him and how he is approaching the costuming for the film.

How did you manage costuming a story that develops across several environmental extremes and movie genres while still keeping a consistent “thread” in the designs?
Well, there were several meetings with the producers and director of the film to discuss the characters’ identities, which were integral to the translation of how the clothes would evolve on-screen. I wanted there to be a direct correlation between who the characters are as a living human being and who they are destined to become. It was discussed that these stripes were to be the unifying design detail that figuratively tied Bucco and Pepe together and makes appearances in the costumes throughout the film’s entirety. As the film progresses you see not only the evolution of the characters but also of the stripes.

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Would you say the costumes are an extension of the character’s identities?
They most definitely are. You know, when you look at the costumes and then compare it to the characters, they really are an extension of their identities. I’ve had the pleasure of reading the script in its entirety, so I know what happens to the characters as they progress and change (for better or for worse), and I think the audience will (hopefully) see that and maybe appreciate the little details.

So yeah, the costumes, I think, help bring the characters to life. On one hand we have Pepe, one of the main characters, who’s this uptight, righteous stick-in-the-mud who’s own noble creed restricts him from living life outside of his “code of conduct.” So I wanted to translate that in his clothes. In some costumes I actually purposefully made things fit tighter like in the arms to restrict his movements, some pants were made to hinder fluid walking; I just wanted the actor, Andrew, to feel the discomfort and misery of Pepe.

And then on the other hand we have Pepe’s loyal sidekick, Bucco, who’s the complete opposite of his master. Bucco was a wild card for me. He’s this free-for-all, free-spirited, fun loving pig-like character who loves wearing bright, obnoxious colours and is kind of all over the place. It was a bit of a challenge to design for him because his character was out of my comfort zone of clean, sleek design.

He’s messy and dirty, and a commoner, and his clothes had to reflect that. His shirts would be dirtied and soiled with grease stains, dirt, maybe blood from who knows where, and he’d always have some form of stripe plastered on his clothes.

But their clothes don’t remain stagnant, because the characters have to change. As the film progresses, we see that Pepe gets “stripped” down to almost nothing and Bucco gets more “tailored.” I can’t say much more than that, but I can say that it’ll be exciting to see it transform on-screen.

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What are some the perks and challenges you’ve encountered designing for a motion picture?
Nothing is worth doing if it doesn’t involve risks or challenges, and then once accomplished, you have nothing to do but reap the benefits of its worthwhileness. And designing for a motion picture has provided me with both. You kind of have to jump some cliffs to make something work, especially when fighting to meet deadlines and ensuring things fit properly or look right for the camera or designing something that you normally wouldn’t design.

The hardest part for me was sourcing or finding the right fabrics and stripes, because you have to be careful of colours reading well or poorly on camera or ensure that the stripes are super skinny so that they create a dizzying moire effect. It’s been a phenomenal experience that I’m glad and excited to be a part of. It takes a lot of time and research, though, so that requires me to really know what it is that I’m doing and going to do or looking for.

I also find that the process in designing for a film is a lot similar to designing for the mass market in that I have to create a “look”–a look that’s believable and sellable, if you will, on screen so that the audience will believe that the characters are who they say they are or are portrayed as they should be. You know, clothes make the man, and this film’s creators most certainly believe that.

What is your usual design aesthetic? Has it found its way into any of the designs for the film?
Usually, I have a very minimal approach at designing. My emphasis is more on drape and fit than glitz and glamour. That’s not to say that I don’t ever do glitz and glamour, I just prefer understated beauty. Society today believes in excess everything, I don’t, and I don’t want to be excessive. For me, when people are excessive in their mannerisms and their clothing and belongings, I always feel that they’re trying to compensate for something. There’s nothing more attractive to me that clean lines.

This aesthetic has kind of weaved its way into the designs for the film, I guess. It’s always difficult to part with your own ideas and philosophies, but hopefully it translates well.

What “Chapter” in the film are you looking most forward to and why?
I’m really, really excited for the Romantic Comedy and Drama chapters. Maybe it’s because they’re some of the only scenes that involve this heavy dosage of colours, which is weird because I normally don’t design with colours. But I think these chapters will be so viscerally visual.

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What’s your favorite film of all time?
That’s a good question. I honestly don’t think I can pin down a movie that’s my all time favorite. My moods change so often and my likes and dislikes are in constant flux that I never really know what my favorite anything is. But if I had to choose my favorite movie of all time at this moment, it’s got to be Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle, since that was the last Miyazaki film that I re-watched recently.

I love, I mean I absolutely love, Miyazaki films. They’re always so multi-faceted and well-layered with themes and myths of fancy and everything. It’s like watching dreams being projected through animation. They’re beautiful.

What’s your favorite fabric of all time?
It has to be wool. It’s a very versatile fabric and succumbs so nicely and beautifully to steam. It just looks beautiful in any form that it takes. A person couldn’t look any better if they wore the right tailored suit. It’s today’s body armour. When a man or woman puts on a nicely cut wool suit you just can’t help but feel powerful and beautiful or handsome at the same time. There’s this connotation to success, I guess, with wool, especially fine wools. It’s also a natural fiber, so no need to worry about it taking millions of years to decompose!

We Need Your Help!

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:10:15 +0000

Please check out our Kickstarter Page to see how you can be a part making the film a reality!

With $4,505, we are over 1/2 to reaching our goal – let’s surpass it!

In other news, we are slated to shoot Chapters 1 and 2 just after the new year and are currently in pre-production and rehearsing the cast. It’s going to be amazing!

Happy Trails!

JOIN US ON KICKSTARTER!

admin — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:22:43 +0000

We’re currently looking for bigger investors to fund the completion of the film but asking people to support your dream takes time.

In the interim, we’ve created a fundraising campaign through Kickstarter for By The Soles of Our Feet to keep our production on schedule.

Check it out here!

The pledges we hope to gather with Kickstarter will be used to produce our next chapter (romantic comedy/musical) that is scheduled to shoot before the end of the year.

We are trying to raise at least $7,500 in 40 days, if we don’t, then we do not receive any of the funds raised.

In return, our backers get great rewards with everything from a signed copy of the original screenplay to a featured extra role as a “Zombie” in the horror chapter!

Please spread the word to anyone you know who would like to support independent filmmaking, creativity and our dream of making By The Soles of Our Feet a reality!

See us on KICKSTARTER

Happy Trails!

The King of the Hill Connection

admin — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:12:33 +0000

We are excited to share some news that we are working with Emmy-award winning Composer Roger Neill!

Roger is busy at work composing the score that will accompany our musical sequence in the movie! It’s going to be incredible!

In addition to scoring several features, including this summer’s Beginners, starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer, Roger developed the music for the Fox hit, The King of the Hill!

CLICK HERE to check out Roger’s site and listen to some of his work.

Happy Trails!

Fourteen Actors Acting

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:54:45 +0000

What screen types would you want to take on?
The femme fatale? The aging tycoon? The hot headed tough guy?
Or are you the kind that likes to watch?

This recent new media piece by The New York Times Magazine strips everything down so we can enjoy some of our favorite actors doing what they do best.

Each video is accompanied by amazing music (speaking of which, look out for an update on how we’re scoring our rom-com/musical Chapter 1 later this week!).

Please to enjoy:
Fourteen Actors Acting

Happy Trails,
By The Soles of Our Feet

Poll Question: What’s your favorite dramatic film of all time?

admin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:53:33 +0000

Last time we took a look at the films that inspired the tone of Chapter 1 of By the Soles of Our Feet. This go around we are looking at Chapter 2, where our story goes from happy-go-lucky to tears and tissues.

Chapter 2 (Drama)
Dramatizes the end of love and leaps head-first into that dark pit where our shattered hearts take refuge from failed relationships. Here, the characters wallow in their suffering and eventually find strength in the pain.

Film References:

GONE WITH THE WIND – Victor Fleming

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF – Mike Nichols

PERSONA – Ingmar Bergman

A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE – John Cassavetes

BREAKING THE WAVES – Lars Von Triers

DAYS OF WINE & ROSES – Blake Edwards

21 GRAMS – Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Sam Mendes

BLUE VALENTINE – Dereck Cianfrance

MOMMY DEAREST – Frank Perry

So, what are your favorite dramas, what get’s the tears flowing?

Poll Question: What’s your favorite Romantic Comedy and/or Musical?

admin — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:15:27 +0000

By the Soles of Our Feet is a revenge story told in 7 chapters, each one influenced by a different movie genre. It covers everything from the Epic Adventure to Horror (which means we get to have zombies!).

We are gearing up to shoot Chapters 1 and 2 in the coming months in majestic Northern California. As part of this preparation, our director requested the actors and some of the crew to review archetypes in the genres we are shooting (which means our homework is to watch some great movies!).

Here’s a peak at some of our Director’s notes/references for Chapter 1:
Chapter 1 (Musical/Romantic Comedy)
Explores the comical side of the battle of the sexes – with song! Every aspect of the production (acting, wardrobe, location, camera, score, etc.) will draw from the artificiality commonly associated with these genres, as well as those love-to-hate clichés. It’s a sappy good time!

Film References:
MOONSTRUCK – Norman Jewison
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093565/

LOVE ACTUALLY – Richard Curtis
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314331/

EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU – Woody Allen
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116242/

THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG – Jacques Demy
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058450/

SINGING IN THE RAIN – Stanley Donen
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045152/

MY FAIR LADY – George Cukor
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058385/

LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
What are some of your favorite musicals and or rom-coms of all time???

How To: Call Backs

admin — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:06:32 +0000

Ever wonder how the actor you’re watching in a movie booked the part? A lot of the time it goes like this…

First, their agents submit their headshot along with physical stats, a resume and a reel featuring highlights of their work. If the producers like what they see, they bring the actor in for a scheduled casting. The actors receive “sides” (an excerpt from the script) in advance to prepare for the audition.

Each audition is recorded so that the producers can watch a playback on camera to help them decide who is worth bringing in again for a call back.

Here’s a peak inside the casting process for “By The Soles of Our Feet”. We saw tons of talented actors read for the coveted roles of “Bucco” and “Pepe”… but to be honest, these guys had us at, “We loved the script!”

Check out our amazing lead actors, Andrew Ableson and Michael Bachmann (who just met each other moments before we started recording) perform a cold read of a scene written specifically for our call back sessions.

Are We There Yet?

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:23:06 +0000

We’ve only just begun the journey but we’re off to an incredible start!

We want to take a moment to thank all our fans for your continued support and interest in the project. We promise to keep you in the loop with what is happening with production, financing and distribution. Subscribe to the TRAVELBLOGUE and follow, friend and stalk us on Facebook and Twitter. Your devotion doesn’t freak us out in the least.

This past June, we started production on the movie and we are 28.5% of the way to getting it completed. By the Soles of Our Feet (BTSOOF) is a story told in seven chapters. We are not shooting in chronological order so we’ve shot the PROLOGUE and CHAPTER 3, and are gearing up to produce CHAPTER 2 and CHAPTER 5 later this fall.

If you interested in investment and or co-production opportunities – reach out and CONTACT us.

Happy Trails

Go The Distance Productions