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Lloyd Kaufman:Make Your Own Damn Movie (St. Martin’s Griffin) |
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Written by Pete Timmermann
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Thursday, 01 May 2003 |
Lloyd Kaufman, the cofounder of Troma Studios, was approached by
Penguin Putnam some six or seven years ago to write a how-to on the
subject of independent filmmaking. The book that he wound up turning in
to them, All I Need To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic
Avenger, read more like a guide to Troma's greatest hits, and not much
like an instructional guide at all. Now Kaufman is two films further
into his 25-plus film career (Terror Firmer and Citizen Toxie: The
Toxic Avenger IV are his most recent), and he has finally written his
tome about how to make an independent film.
An important distinction to be made here is that Kaufman gives advice
not just on how to make an independent film, but on how to make a Troma
film, which is not much like any other independent film you are likely
to see. If you are unfamiliar with the films of Troma, they are usually
made up of a minimum of three distinct criteria, among others: they
will have an unbelievable amount of violence, which is shot in maybe
the most unrealistic but somehow more disgusting fashion possible
(Kaufman's films in particular are notorious for having head crushings
in them, and this is accomplished by hollowing out a cantaloupe, then
filling it with raw hamburger and Karo syrup, dressing it up so that it
could pass for a human head in the editing process, and then violently
smashing it on camera); they have so much sex and nudity that calling
it gratuitous does not do it justice (witness a chapter title in Make
Your Own Damn Movie: "Chapter Four: Get Your Women Nekkid and Other
Invaluable Casting Tips"); and they have funny titles (my favorites are
attached to otherwise horrible films: Stuff Stephanie in the
Incinerator and Fat Guy Goes Nutzoid).
Make Your Own Damn Movie, assuming you don't mind making a Tromaesque
film, is actually pretty ideal for those who are wanting to make or
making a film in a city that is not New York or Los Angeles, as Lloyd
gives sound advice on how to weasel money out of people who are still
impressed by the potential glitz factor of having their name in the
credits of a movie. Furthermore, Kaufman does know how to make the most
(or least, if you prefer) with a small budget; he claims that Citizen
Toxie's budget was less than that of the original Toxic Avenger, which
was made more than 15 years ago on $475,000 (he hasn't disclosed
Citizen Toxie's budget)-which, by comparison, is about 2% of the budget
of Glitter. His legal advice is equally credible to his financial
advice, as his father is a lawyer who has taken care of Troma's legal
concerns for years, and can, as a result, point to the many loopholes
that one can jump through to get a film made quicker, cheaper, and with
less hassles from the law.
Aside from all of the advice, from how to weasel dentists out of large
sums of money to how to make realistic fake poop, Lloyd has not
forgotten to include what made All I Need To Know About Filmmaking I
Learned from The Toxic Avenger such a fun book to read-the horror
stories from production. Where else can one expect to hear stories of
losing a filming permit for having a fat man run naked through Times
Square?
Make Your Own Damn Movie will undoubtedly appeal to two groups of
people: Troma fans and poor, would-be filmmakers struggling to make a
movie. Make is well suited to both of these groups, as well as many
others. Kaufman does not use much technical jargon (perhaps because he
doesn't know any), and as a result, it is easy for anyone to pick up
Make and be entertained. Just like the best Troma movies.
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