HELLO AMERICA!—Even though they generally took a licking production-wise, there are hundreds of young artists who refused to let their production dreams disappear in a closet somewhere! I received messages from not only young filmmakers but playwright hopefuls, as well, determined to find a safe way to get an audience for their efforts. Young playwrights managed to gather an audience by streaming to produce the necessary audience.
Actor – producer, Tom Poole is an excellent example; he developed two plays during the virus challenge and each of his works had an audience. “They were not very large audiences but enough to receive the kind of reaction to the work which means so much for a new theatrical work,” said Poole.
When checking with USC and UCLA, both alma maters of mine, they were eager to announce to their students, even though not in a classroom, were active in every possible way. Many of them had film labs in their home as well as Green Screens making it easy for screen geographic transitions.
Again, those who are dedicated to the craft of filmmaking are determined not to allow any kind of physical difficulty hinder, or be in the way of an art that describes who and what they are. Tom Poole, of course, is one of those artists who refuses to fall prey to anything which might affect his dream as a filmmaker. “Hey,” he laughed, “no matter what, it is stupid to fall apart and give up on something you’ve dreamed about most of your life! I simply practiced distancing and any other technical trick in giving the necessary illusion.”
I even called a friend who is a part of the technical staff on the soap “The Young and the Restless,” one of my favorite daytime soaps to fill me in as usual. Tom quickly asked if I noticed there were no character getting a big hug or close-up kiss on the show. “And the way scenes that needed intimacy were shot in a way, making one believe the characters are really making love. It was fun and the actors didn’t mind at all. The use of technology is absolutely amazing today!”
The major film producers are opening up their production doors again mainly based on the general announcement that it is safer to do so in California. The runners for film productions racing like mad to set up appoints for their clients with their ideas for film as well as in television. Lloyd Robinson, a prominent Beverly Hills agent announced his doors are wide open now and is busy setting up the necessary meetings for his clients.
Bette Davis reminded me once when the film industry had a rather low point that, “those of us in this business have always experienced a time when we thought it might be a good time to check the WANTED ADS in Hollywood. DON’T YOU REMEMBER WHEN I CHECKED THAT SECTION OUT IN VARIETY and the REPORTER!” Of course, I remembered how shocked the industry was at the time.
“Gone With the Wind” actress Isabel Jewell did the same thing and was immediately signed for an appearance on a major television show. Since we were neighbors, she immediately called me and admitted that she simply did what Davis did and it worked. “Hey, when you need a job to stay alive, you do whatever is necessary!” she laughed.
