Director Norry Niven’s “Chasing Shakespeare,” which debuted this month at the Dallas International Film Festival, is an enchanting love story about a young Native American woman’s search for her destiny and her widower husband’s attempts to reunite with her after her death. Based on a screenplay by James Bird, the film features stunning performances from Danny Glover, Oscar-nomined Graham Greene, Chelsea Ricketts, Mike Wade and Ashley Bell, and delivers an emotional, dreamlike experience that is not to be missed.nnA Texas native, Niven shot “Chasing Shakespeare” in rural regions of his home state. Although produced on a modest budget, the director says that the production benefitted from an exceptionally dedicated cast and crew, and serendipitous circumstances that he decribes as “a magic that defies logic.” “If you were lucky enough to be on set during the filming, you saw it,” he recalls. “It rained when it needed to and was sunny when we needed bright skies. On the night of our rooftop Tempest scene when it was supposed to have an electrical storm in the script…we had one on set, a storm so powerful that it struck my family’s house, leaving us without power for days.”nn
nnThe charmed nature of the project carried through to post-production. In what proved to be a fortuitous choice, Niven selected Peter Tarter to edit the film. Tarter is a Dallas-based editor known for his work in commercials (He recently founded the commercial editing company Treehouse.), but he had not previously edited a feature. Still, Niven was impressed by his narrative skills and obvious enthusiasm for the project. “Peter dove in head first…with reckless abandon,” Niven says, “because this is what he loves—telling stories.”nnTarter’s initial cut of the film ran nearly three hours. That was obviously too long and so he and Niven began working their way back through the story, looking for ways to trim and hone. That process involved some tough decisions. “I started taking out side stories that didn’t move the story forward,” Tarter recalls. “It was very hard to do because I was literally cutting characters out of the movie. Norry said it was like killing his babies…and we really didn’t want to kill a character. It was sad.”nnTarter’s editorial style runs deeper than simple storytelling. He employed a variety of techniques to enhance the emotional content of the film on subliminal and symbolic levels. “Peter understood clearly the need to get the subtle messages across on screen through Joseph Campbell’s ‘thresholds’ which were visual and within the subtext,” explains Niven. “So you see doorways, arches, fence lines, lines of tombstones, building ledges, even the edge of the roof of a farm house, all built into the editorial story. That tells you more than the words do about the characters and their individual journeys.”nnNiven adds that Tarter heightened the ephemeral quality that time has in the film by “cutting on action” during shifts from flashbacks to current time. “Peter knew the story completely and could feel the characters throughout his process, which brought so much more to the screen than any ordinary film cutter could have,” Niven observes. “No other editor would have been able to walk that fine line.”nnTarter says that he developed a deep emotional attachment to the film. He notes that he was moved in particular by the film’s opening deathbed scene as it reminded him of the recent passing of his mother. “I identified with the sensitivities of saying goodbye to a dying parent,” he says. “Being there in the room, watching as they try to hang on, but also relieved that it is over.”nTarter believes that many people will share his response to the film’s timeless narrative.
Jeremy Besser Executive Producer TREEHOUSE 214-754-8004 Contact Jeremy via email
Contact:Media: Linda Rosner ArtisansPR 310.837.6008 Contact Linda via email
Who Needs Los Angeles? We Do.
One doesn't have to be a statistician to know that there are fewer commercials being shot in the U.S. today for the American market than ever before, and a dramatic decrease in L.A. in particular. In the last five years, as reported by FilmLA (the office tasked with issuing permits), L.A. commercial production has dipped 31 percent. But here’s the thing: This doesn’t mean that L.A. has lost its importance as the production center of the world. Production in L.A. is vital. It is the go-to. It’s where you can count on access to exemplary crews, a support infrastructure second to none, varied location and backlot options, a large population of on-screen talent and (fairly) predictable weather. The fact is, with overall decline and now the devastation of the fires, we’re on the brink of losing this mainstay resource. Without employment opportunities and now many without homes, talented and trained crew are bound to leave either the industry or the LA area for other opportunities, unless there are enough job opportunities to sustain a solid living. Now is the time when we ALL must support and bolster this community. Production is needed in L.A., now! Of course, advertising is a business, and marketers’ money should be spent as efficiently as possible, BUT we have to think beyond each production and know that if we lose the incredible resource of L.A. production as we know it, then marketers, agencies and the industry loses in the long run. Over the past several days, some agencies have issued directives to production companies that are unilaterally pushing upcoming production options out of L.A. The fact is L.A. is a large area, and many sections of the city and county are not directly impacted... Read More