I kept set dressing, props, hair, and makeup more simple. It’s more about who they are and what they are talking about, and all the other distractions go away. Operation Blue Jay goes back to 1949 when communist aggression was in full flight in Indo-China and against United Nations forces in Korea and President Harry S. Truman declared a national emergency. That way, Mark and Sarah had more time to do their thing. NFS: From the start of this film, something about the black and white does make you pay attention to every minute detail. Blue Jay. When it’s scenes where the cameras are stationary and two characters a sitting or talking, that’s when I’d go back to the monitors and have two operators cross-shooting. For me, it’s humbling having cool people showing interest, and to be on No Film School. We’d go back and write that stuff in. Release: Friday, October 7, 2016 (limited) [Netflix] Written by: Mark Duplass Directed: Alex Lehmann In Blue Jay, Mark Duplass and Sarah Paulson make a little adventure out of being a couple long since broken up.When the former high school sweethearts bump into each other at a grocery store in their hometown after 20 years, they spend an entire movie — the first in a four … NFS: At what point did you decide the film would be in black and white? NFS: You’ve been working in the industry as a cinematographer. How did this come about? We had to make sure we were shooting in black and white for the right reasons. Owes to Amanda Peet. ... was largely improvised based on a concept from Paulson’s co-star, indie darling Mark Duplass. But what if the skills you're honing in the process are just what you need to become a director? What I like about this particular bird feeder is its design… Did you intentionally keep the crew small to maintain an intimate feel on the set? After becoming friends with Mark Duplass as a camera operator on The League, Lehmann got his dream job: he was commissioned by Duplass to direct his debut narrative feature, Blue Jay. With 'Blue Jay,' Alex Lehmann shows the cinematographer-director path is alive and kicking. "You pick up different cues and subtleties in moments you catch with your camera...so a lot of my narrative cinematography also informed how we shot Blue Jay."​. Bluejay outfielder Jared Wegner improvised to get back in swing of things; now games await is a reaction character. https://www.indiefilmhustle.com/blue-jay-mark-duplass-alex-lehmann/. I don’t take for granted where I am, or opportunities I’ve been given. Himesh Patel and Ed Sheeran in Yesterday 17 21 Jay Bird Feeding Place. You can dig anywhere and find oil! Sarah Paulson and Mark Duplass … It's 100+ pages on what you need to know to make beautiful, inexpensive movies using a DSLR. He doffed his cap in mock sorrow. Textbook "Objects First with Java: A Practical Introduction Using BlueJ" is a textbook co-written by the developers of BlueJ and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide. Filmmaker recently asked Lehmann shooting black and white, working as his own DP, and more. The costume had … Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass executive produced both films. With a movie like this, you basically want to give them as much time as possible to try as many things as they want. © 2021 NONETWORK, LLC. Starring Mark Duplass (based on his screenplay) and Sarah Paulson as two former high school sweethearts who reconnect in the small town they had each left years earlier, Blue Jay is a bittersweet romantic drama which stands out for both its leads’ heartfelt performances and for its textured black and white cinematography. In Washington a secret meeting was held in the office of the Chief of Engineers. Lehmann: There wasn’t a need to get on the same page with my DP or explore ideas, I knew what I wanted visually. I just kind of got sidetracked. "B.J. Lehmann: A lot of it is patience—knowing that everything you want to see, you’re also going to hear. Filmmaker: What sort of legwork did you have to do in pre-production to ensure the cinematic black and white look? For any of you guys reading: I support what all of you guys are doing, and everybody taking their own path. The movie is a simple one that was improvised organically on set. Those are all movies that I love, of course, and watched many times. NFS: Did the experience of shooting documentary inform the way you listen to and shoot these improvisational scenes? I’m pretty sure we put a big target on our back because everyone can then think, "Oh, how pretentious." Everybody was putting stuff out there, and pretty quickly we were all very exposed and loving of each other. Lehmann: We were both excited about shooting black and white from the get-go. There might be a learning curve. Present at this meeting were: How did it alter production? 2457 3rd Street South Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250 (904) 318-3020. Lehmann: We never had a full script. We weren’t trying to be an early Jarmusch film or trying to be an early Truffaut. So a lot of my narrative cinematography also informed how we shot Blue Jay. The energy of a set can really impact the tone of a film, and Blue Jay relies heavily on the intimacy that is Jim (Duplass) and Amanda (Paulson) hanging out alone in a small house. Lehmann: Mark wasn’t sure about it. Lehmann: Emotionally, it started informing me, subconsciously, of the movies I grew up on. A former lead instructor with the Toronto Blue Jays' academy for young players faces two charges involving sexual offences against children. It started out with a two-page treatment that was very efficiently written. What's this comedy show like? All of my attention was on the actors and the story, the look and shot selection had largely been decided well in advance. Then I could see everything that was going on—see both faces. He did have strong feelings about the black and white; in fact, I remember when he first suggested it. Use it for all it’s worth. The blue jay is looked upon as a trickster in Celtic myth, and in the stories of many Native American tribes, most notably the Chinook, Sioux, … NFS: Was it important to you to be actually operating the camera during production? 7 1 Blue Jay Bird. Former high school sweethearts reconnect after 20 years when they unexpectedly run into each other in their hometown. You don’t necessarily need to be seeing [on camera] what you’re hearing at the same time. It seems like a no-brainer, but we made an extra effort to only hire crew that we really vibed with, so there would be no tension on set. Blue Jay is a gentle, genuine trip down memory lane that features one of our best actresses in the kind of role she doesn’t get to play that often. He'll duck behind a dugout and then pop up again. Filmmaker: Given that Mark Duplass wrote the script, executive produced and starred in the film, how much did you discuss the look of the film with him before you began shooting? Shot in just a few locations in and around the tiny town of Blue Jay … Stop Trying to Break In and Make Something, How Ratings and Algorithms Impact Your Filmmaking Career, Yes, You Can Get Film Distribution Without a Producer—Here's How, 8 Great Filmmaking Lessons from 'Legally Blonde'. Eleven years later, their experience in this narrative execution culminated in the critically acclaimed improvised film Blue Jay (2016). 16 16 Jay Bird Songbird. You don’t need to panic. Willie Upshaw became the first Blue Jay to get over 100 RBIs with 104; On August 4, 1983, New York Yankee Dave Winfield, while warming up before the 5th inning of a game at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium, accidentally killed a seagull with a thrown ball. It felt like it highlights a really simple story, like those simple classics where you get to listen to the characters more. It was lucky for me; he has worked with a lot of great filmmakers and directors, but here, he wanted someone who could direct from behind the camera. Show is the only show in Jacksonville that combines Sketch Comedy and Improvised Comedy in one show! I tried to light things simply and quickly. I’ve always wanted to direct narrative features. You can find this gripping, bittersweet movie over on Netflix. Blue Jay. Or just to sit there in between takes to take as much time as they want before they shoot again, knowing everything else is ready, and it’s up to them to find the moment and tell the story. You have to recognize all the gifts being brought to you by equally or more talented people in other positions on the crew that have been perfecting their roles on set and bring their experience and perspective with them. Ask Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales. There’s that thing you hear, which is true: just go out and do it. NFS: How did you create the best environment to allow Mark and Sarah to focus on their acting and the improv? You don’t necessarily need to be seeing [on camera] what … Duplass wrote the screenplay and produced the … If you can use them, you will get a way better product than you are if you are just busy trying to exact your vision in a way that requires you to have blinders on. What was your philosophy about camera movement? 8 8 Blue Jay Bird Animal. I know you had a few camera operators. Those LUTs where imported into Odyssey onboard monitors and we lit/composed with the LUTs, which helped tremendously. When you create that kind of energy, it translates on to set and [production]. Something Mark does really well is that he recognizes when people have these gut feelings. Besides their raucous jay! The Orchard opened “Blue Jay” in just one theater in New York on October 7, generating $5,235 at the box office, before making it available on video-on-demand on October 11. He's a fan. Blue Jay in essence is a simple film, and I don’t mean that in a pejorative sense. Intelligent and adaptable, it may feed on almost anything, and it is quick to take advantage of bird feeders. on Oct 7, 2016. Lehmann: Yes, a big part of it is having shot docs. I wanted to hold the camera for those scenes. Blue Jay unloads its narrative bulk almost entirely in a single setting, as Amanda and Jim unearth the ghosts of the past—some friendlier … Did he have strong feelings about shooting in black and white? I would highly recommend Blue Jay. That’s the story of Alex Lehmann, who refined his directorial eye as a cinematographer on over 30 narrative and documentary projects. The dialogue is organic due to its largely improvised nature. Nin Mark’s the kind of guy who sees what really excites you and challenges you to follow your gut. How about your other cinematography work informing how you directed the film? 12 8 Jay Bird Songbird. Click here to read our Spring 2021 issue, featuring. Technically, we had committed to shooting black and white, which is the only way to do it right: You preview it as black and white, so you can light for black and white and compose for black and white, which can be really different. Blue Jay is quite still. jay! 7 4 Steller'S Jay Wild Bird. NFS: As a first-time narrative feature director, what advice do you have for others? 16 22 Jay Bird Songbird. He tells you to stop thinking and just follow your gut. Â, "I’ve always wanted to direct narrative features. Blue Jay was financed by Netflix before the company had even seen a script and, indeed, much of the dialogue was improvised. We had a no-assholes policy! Out this week on VOD and in select theaters this Friday, Lehmann’s directorial debut is a lovely, hyper-focused black and white character study starring Duplass and Sarah Paulson that combines the rare set of skills Lehmann has been perfecting over the last decade. Battle Dancer: A bard-like dervish. It’s not like you’re trying to hide a bad performance. NFS: When you hear that the movie is both improvised and handheld, you might think of the choppy, gritty handheld that you see in a lot of indies. 'Paddleton': How a Filmmaker Made a Duplass Brothers Production with Just a Heartfelt Treatment, Mark Duplass' 9 Secrets to Launching a Career in Indie Film, Are Movies Better When You Skip the Script? That was very important. If you need a good bird feeder that will keep the blue jays around your area asking for more, then perhaps the Songbird Essentials SE6019 is the right one for you. At some point, you find yourself in that place where you think, "Finally, this is the one that might help me break through." 6 1 Bird Feeder Bird. I got caught up making the Aspergers Are Us documentary because I was researching Aspergers and comedy for a script. It’s funny that that’s even a policy people have. So besides having great collaborators in Mark and Sarah, the rest comes down to patience. What Dan Harmon's Improvised Cartoon Can Teach You about Instinctual Storytelling I have to admit it is cheating a little, because I got to work with Mark and Sarah, who are both doing so many great things. We had color data for our footage, but we were seeing it—monitoring it—in black and white. And now she has a two-hander indie, Blue Jay, arriving in theaters this week. You pick up different cues and subtleties in moments you catch with your camera. When we spoke to you last at SXSW, you had just premiered your first doc, Aspergers Are Us. It’s been a momentous year for cinematographer Alex Lehmann, who successfully made the transition to director/DP with his first two features. We basically vibed out more ideas for the story. Improvised from a detailed but very short treatment and shot over just seven days, the black-and-white two-hander is about a reunion between two former high school sweethearts, Jim (Duplass) and Amanda (Sarah Paulson), and the distorting magnetic pull a lost love can exert on … We talked about a need to strip down unnecessary elements as a way to buck the trend of loud indies. Now, your first narrative is out. The result is a very simple film focusing on the characters and the spaces we create for them. NFS: Will you direct more narratives after this experience? Blue Jay is quite still. In a way, I feel like I’m getting back on track as to what my original goals were. I shot Aspergers Are Us, which I also directed, and many others where I was a cinematographer only. Lehmann: When it was a handheld, longer take from a single angle, I wanted to be on camera to really focus on what element I wanted to show at what time. Alex Lehmann: We decided early on in prep to shoot in black and white. Filmmaker: Did you always know the film would be in black and white? All Rights Reserved. Blue Jay, Lehmann’s narrative feature debut, recently premiered at TIFF and will hit select theaters on October 7 before heading to digital on October 11 and Netflix later this year. 7 2 Blue Jay Jay Corvid. Fans responded by hurling obscenities and improvised missiles. Don’t spend too much money on your first film, and don’t be afraid of failing. 8 1 Feather Jay Close Up. One of the loudest and most colorful birds of eastern back yards and woodlots, the Blue Jay is unmistakable. If you take an assortment of film gigs on the path to becoming a director, you might feel like you're getting sidetracked. 14 0 Feather Jay. It would transport you to the world of the story. "You have to recognize all the gifts being brought to you by equally or more talented people in other positions on the crew that have been perfecting their roles on set and bring their experience and perspective.". He wanted someone who had a documentary background because we would be shooting improv and chasing the story. "Mark Duplass wanted someone who could direct from behind the camera.". There were no direct inspirations but I grew up watching Truffaut and Jarmusch and certain filmmakers who started simple and character based. I'd also check out Alex Lehman's podcast episode on IFH: https://www.indiefilmhustle.com/blue-jay-mark-duplass-alex-lehmann/. Credit: Netflix It felt right. Blue Jay, directed by Alex Lehmann and written by Duplass, is the first of those four movies. What was your philosophy about camera movement? Archer Adept: An archer class with homebrew martial maneuvers. Click here for free sample lessons: http://bit.ly/2tEof9L They also made sucky films first. The soundtrack is unobtrusive. It’s really hard to have that conversation with your camera operator: “He’s feeling this when she says this…” When you’re improv-ing, those things can happen really quickly, and you can’t account for it all ahead of time. Get your FREE copy of the eBook called "astonishingly detailed and useful" by Filmmaker Magazine! The release said Hashimoto is with the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball … Mark and Jay Duplass have used this method for many of their films, ushering in what is known as the Mumblecore Movement with their feature-length debut The Puffy Chair (2005). Think SNL-style original sketches (with an Underdog twist). Lehmann sat down with No Film School to talk about drafting a two-page treatment for Duplass, creating the right environment for improv, his "no assholes" policy, and why he chooses to operate the camera himself wherever possible. More Events 22 1 Toronto Skyline Tower. Starring Mark Duplass (based on his screenplay) and Sarah Paulson as two former high school sweethearts who reconnect in the small town they had each left years earlier, Blue Jay is a bittersweet romantic drama which stands out for both its leads’ heartfelt performances and for its textured black and white cinematography. Lehmann: I had a good sense that I wanted to use Canon’s ME-20 based on other tests I’d done. When you start to be surrounded by very talented people—a great sound guy, great producers, strong actors—it’s important as a director to remind yourself and appreciate all of the things that everyone else is bringing.  is out in theaters this week in both Los Angeles and NYC, as well as onÂ, These Are the 37 Best Movies of the Decade, Emily Puts It Bluntly—the Superhero Genre Is Exhausted, Gal Gadot Is Under Fire for Her Comment on Israel-Palestine Violence, 'Knives Out' Pulled Off a Really Cool Shot That No One Noticed, Christopher McQuarrie's Advice? Even in a lot of my narrative cinematography, I like the ability to have the A camera reactive to what the actors are doing, and have a B camera shooting a safety shot so we don’t miss anything important that we’ll need to stitch a scene together, or if an actor does something great where a camera wouldn’t have otherwise been on them. Lehmann: I’ll say a few things. Blue Jay Listening Room. Eric Marienthal teaches jazz saxophone online at ArtistWorks. It had the whole story and the feeling, and a good sense of who the characters were. That the film’s dialogue is largely improvised makes these two central performances even more impressive. We had all gone to some places together. Much of the routines were improvised. Creating a black and white look after the fact wouldn’t have had the same effect. “Meeting by chance when they return to their tiny California hometown, two former high-school sweethearts reflect on their shared past.” (IMDB) Blue Jay utilizes its simplistic concept to the best of its ability, packing equal parts depth and humanity throughout. The group sessions were really cool. Shooting his narrative feature in black and white was a bold undertaking, but working with editor Chris Donlin, Lehmann did significant pre-production work to ensure a crisp, cinematic look. Alex Lehmann: [Mark Duplass] was looking for something very specific, which narrowed it down for me. Sarah Paulson and Mark Duplass on turning existential crisis into the improvised indie romance ‘Blue Jay’. Blue Jay’s ability to avoid detection, using the call of Hawks to divert the attention of predators or their tendency to be secretive homemakers when it comes to tending to their nests, can be seen as related to figures from Celtic myth and lore who are likewise swift and stealthy. So I decided to make a documentary. We shot tests for Blue Jay in a number of conditions including daylight and extreme low light, then took it into Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve and created some LUTs. Subtitle Web Application and Captioning....!!! John Douglas Hashimoto, 56, of Hamilton is charged with luring a child under 16 and an invitation to sexual touching, Halton Regional Police said in a release Thursday. Lehmann: A lot of it is patience—knowing that everything you want to see, you’re also going to hear. He does what a lot of fans would do if they weren't so reserved." NFS: After he approached you with the story idea, did you storyboard? Blue Jay is a romantic drama film directed by Alex Lehmann in his fictional feature debut, from a screenplay by Mark Duplass.It stars Duplass and Sarah Paulson.The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2016. When you look at a black and white monitor on set, some of the simplicity of those previous films resonate with you, and you can’t help but want to evoke a certain shooting style.Â. The new indie romance BLUE JAY centers on a former high school couple, Jim (Mark Duplass) and Amanda (Sarah Paulson), who run into each other after 20 years while they’re both coincidentally visiting their hometown.The two grab coffee, which extends into a full day hanging out, catching up, and reflecting on old times. Subscribe to receive the free PDF! Filmmaker: What were some of the advantages and disadvantages of being both director and DP? Mark Duplass came up with the story. And now I’m writing and reading scripts, and I hope I get to make the next one soon. I just kind of got sidetracked...but it was worth it because I learned what I needed on the way.". Did shooting in black and white change the way you visualized the story? By the end, we had 15 pages of a treatment that we used to shoot the film. bird, animal, color, blue, bluejay, abstract, shapes, patterns, lines, triangular, triangles, bold Improvised Imagination Omaha artist decorating walls one Scrangle at a time! It affected me as a cinematographer and as a director, and anyone else peeking at the monitor. Can you walk Filmmaker readers through the process a bit? He wants to know what's going on. Lehmann: We kept our crew really small. calls, Blue Jays make a variety of musical sounds, and they can do a remarkable imitation of the scream of a Red-shouldered It took a while to get here, but it was worth it because I learned what I needed on the way. Movie Reviews Great Movies Collections TV/Streaming Features Chaz's Journal Interviews Reviews Blue Jay Brian Tallerico October 07, 2016. We wanted to strip the distractions away, so that included stripping the color out.Â, "We wanted to strip the distractions away, so that included stripping the color out.". It doesn’t work to shoot it in color and strip away in post. So it’s like finding oil in my backyard. It was a beautiful thing—it felt like group therapy or the Breakfast Club. Click here to read our Spring 2021 issue, featuring małni — towards the ocean, towards the shore's Sky Hopinka, location shooting during COVID and more... by Paula Bernstein in Directing, Director Interviews, Directors, Filmmaking We shot chronologically and without a script, instead going off of a plotted guideline. Martial Adept (Generic): A generic class that uses Tome of Battle mechanics. What was the next step in the process? 'Blue Jay' is out in theaters this week in both Los Angeles and NYC, as well as on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, and most other VOD platforms. When an actor’s just won an Emmy, their next project is typically not a mostly improvised small-town indie … When I came across that comedy troupe, I realized it was more interesting than what I was writing. Our gut feeling kept pushing us back there. We kept the crew very small. Don’t compare yourself to your film heroes' best films! Why was that important to you? The script focuses on two main characters and a guest character, and four locations: the grocery store, the Blue Jay diner, the drug store, and Jim’s mom’s house. I was very excited about the opportunity, but kept wondering if the audience would appreciate it or consider it a gimmick. Making the blue jays coming back for more tasty treats is a challenging task. 13 13 Jay Bird Songbird. NFS: When you hear that the movie is both improvised and handheld, you might think of the choppy, gritty handheld that you see in a lot of indies. "I like the ability to have the A camera reactive to what the actors are doing, and have a B camera shooting a safety shot so we don’t miss anything important.". His documentary feature Asperger’s Are Us, about the first comedy troupe consisting of openly autistic people, premiered earlier this year at SXSW, where it was bought by Netflix. The one that bobbed to the surface as George Harrison, jet lagged out his mind, gazed over Laurel Canyon and improvised Blue Jay Way. Lehmann: Absolutely! He wanted someone who was between introspective and melancholic…well, some of the time! That’s the most important thing I can say. It’s not like, “There are only going to be three magical moments in this film, and I got two of the three.” Here, they are producing a wealth of moments that we get to pick and choose from. Then we had these meetings where Sarah [Paulson], Mark, myself, Mel Eslyn [producer], the other producers, and I would sit in a room and talk about what was on paper already—what resonated, what our personal stories were. That’s an instinctual thing. Were there other films you looked to for inspiration? Jim and Amanda's story is told in a pared down, often brutally truthful tone - drawing us in as revelations unfold.