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Originally Posted by Webby
Hell Kristian - you've been at it longer than I've been in that biz and interesting to hear!  It's been a long time down the road since these days for me, but it's a matter of sticking with it come hell and high water and the time will come when it's "right" and you feel comfortable with whatever scenario arises. You'd prob love to get stuck with a bunch of screenwriters arguing for hours on end and throwing their thoughts into the bin to come up with something tasty - your brother will prob get a touch of that at film school. I remember shooting an interview decades ago with Wilf Greatorex (at that time he had done a lot of TV screenplays and had several "mini series" running on TV (can't remember having seen it, something called The Planemakers) - he did the "boardroom drama power struggle" stuff prob 10 years before Dallas was ever heard of ;-) Was a decent interview and interesting, but never saw the finished product and not sure where it was broadcast. Wilf is another character who has since passed on - think around 2000, but suspect you'd love to have a drink (or two) with him.
You are correct about Mr Lean - he was a total gentleman, very modest, unassuming and very quiet, (100% straight and trustworthy) but knew exactly what he wanted and went to great lengths to convey this - he was very well respected, prob by everyone who knew him. In fact, I actually felt sorry for the guy, and still do, - he spent a long time and put a lot of work into.... can't remember the name.. an Irish movie - Ryan's Daughter! This was panned in New York so badly that it actually seriously affected David and, can't say for sure, but think he may have decided he was not making any more movies - ever. It knocked his confidence and don't think the enthusiasm was there. But.. watched that movie a few times and got to say it was damned good and excellent performance by John Mills as the village idiot. Mr Lean actually built a, wait for it *s* - an "English country house" here in Costa Rica and this happened to be on the market a short while back and was having a look round to see if it was worth making an offer on, (price was OK!) but it was kinda out of character here ;-) amidst classic Spanish colonial homes, but a nice home for someone yearning for a UK lifestyle.
You seem to know exactly what you want and wish ya the best of luck on this. Prob not surprisingly, we are not the first people to earn of of "adult" from that background - tho a generation before me, Mike Winner was one person who motivated me into adult along with George Marks (Harrison Marks). Michael Winner started off shooting "nudies" (sounds softer than porn - and sure as hell they were!*lol*) and cut his teeth on them, but then bought the fattest cigar he could find and borrowed off Dad and became a "movie producer"  Georgie Marks was well-known for his "glamour photography" (when you see the originals - excellent stuff) and ventured into his own mass-distribution of what was then 8mm/16mm movies tho he did some cinema stuff as well. (I've still got a lot of original George Marks photo and negative stock - got to be worth something!) Georgie is another flamboyant character who has sinced passed on. Anyways, here I was in the mainstream industry and thought, why all this work when all that was needed was a camera, no script, and shoot "nudies" in a couple of days and get paid for it?? So, that career changed quickly and sold more Harrison Marks movies than ever anyone has had breakfasts! *lol*
I'm not sure who the "faces" are in the screen biz now, but hopefully some will devote their time to teaching others - and with some luck, your brother will get some benefit from them and be an asset on your side in the future.
Sure, hell.. would love to meet up and have a few drinks - it's a much smaller world these days and prospects of that are pretty good :-)
PS .. Noticed your location is Malta. You make that move in the end? Know the Malta Hilton well - tho it's does not appear to be the same standard as most Hilton's *lol* BTW.. There is or was, a decent movie lot there - does it still exist? |
Oh, how right you are about the Malta Hilton! You wouldn't mind so much, if not for the silly prices. It was like Fawlty Towers staffed by the cast of the Adam's Family. The one saving grace were it's maids, who made up for elbowing you when passing in hallways by wearing tight uniforms, accentuating their perfect little Mediterranean bottoms (like a couple of ripe apples, I tell ya!). I slept-in most mornings to catch the show!
We found a house on Gozo (20 mins ferry from Malta) and moved in on Dec 1st. We'll be renting before deciding which areas of Malta we like best. Nice house though. Several rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, a fat maid with excessively humongous bosoms (my wife hired her of course ... and you can bet your ass I'll be hiring the pool boy!). On the subject of hot women (we were on that subject, right?), I can honestly attest that I've never seen such beautiful women as those here in Malta. I used to think Eva Longoria was hot - not anymore (average compared to many women here). If it's legal to shoot porn movies in Malta, maybe we'll be seeing you! Just PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me on set! It sounds like you've been here a few times, so let me know next time. We can chat and watch the hot girls!
Yeah the local "Mediterranean Film Studios" are going strong. The
Maltese Film Commission is highly proactive, offering rebates, tax relief, co-productions and investment funds to any size of project. Trying to think of the latest movies : Munich (about 2 days here), Troy, Gladiator, Swept Away and there are dozens of smaller ventures. I keep meaning to go see the old Popeye set!
I hear what you're saying about working in porn (and knowing Michael Winner must have been a blast!). I was watching
All the Love You Cannes! a few years back. Here's a man, Lloyd Kaufman, who's been contributing to his art for
decades and yet the poor guy is still having to beg, plead, kiss ass and offer blow jobs for distribution and so forth. No one should have to work so hard after all his achievements. What I love about adult "internet" is the accessibility of the medium. You would know a lot more than me, but when you get all those good ideas lying in bed at night ... it must be a lot easier to send them to your audience!
Any plans to shoot in Malta? If so ... ya need a middle-aged coffee boy?
