Page 4 - LOOK BOOK - In the Mouth of the Wolf

DIRECTOR’S INTRODUCTION
􏰀􏰁􏰂4. As I looked around at the artists of my generation who had persevered through the Great Recession, I decided I needed to make a film about their struggle and their resilience. I had just finished reading Don Quixote when my opera-singer friend called from New York. He had just scored 5th-row tickets at the Metropolitan Opera where he had sat next to some ambassador, whom he impressed with a regaling comparison of the relative strengths of Verdi and Berg. Then, he told me he had $5􏰁􏰁 left in his bank account and asked if he could fly to LA and sleep on my couch for the next month. I knew I had my subject.
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would be the next Spielberg, but reality hit, and I had to find a ‘real job.’ I worked every film job imaginable (production assistant, grip, assistant camera, assistant director, special effects) before finding my way into animatronic puppeteering. I’ve been directed by some of Hollywood’s leading directors (Iñárritu, Fuqua, Verbinski) as well as some not so great ones. Twice, I was called in as an assistant director to save features from struggling directors who had
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too was on my own quixotic quest. After directing my second micro-budget feature at the age of 􏰀􏰀, I imagined I
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which approaches are most fruitful and which are most problematic.
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but had no idea how to shot-list on their feet and were falling far behind. Over the years, I’ve learned
My approach is more Wong Kar Wai, Truffaut, with some David O. Russell mixed in — fluid filmmakers who light organically, allow the actors to discover their blocking, and find their shots on the day. At the same time, in order for the actors and crew to perform such spontaneous work, we must provide a solid foundation of extreme preparation. And so, I’ve made an in-depth bible that demonstrates the intention, look, references, and shot-list for every scene. This Lookbook serves as a taste of the bible, using comparable film scenes to demonstrate character and drama, as well as photos to demonstrate my own aesthetic. It’s intended as a beat-map of the story, a reference point for the
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- Jonah Z Helms