I heard one story of Affleck and Moore
going out somewhere, and some fan stopped
them and wanted Moore's autograph and not
Affleck's.Stephen: I would
too... I mean, for really enthusiastic
filmgoers, Moore is something of an idol.
Lee: First season I was somewhat
intimidated by Moore and this season
they've showed more of his supportive
side.
Stephen: I personally would look up to
him for advice, as Kyle and Efram probably
should.
Lee: Plus, Moore's movies have been
good for the most part (American Pie’s,
Joy Ride, etc.).
Stephen: I don't really remember too
much about Moore from the first season,
because such a good picture of him was
painted this season - we all have tempers
- no hard feelings.
Lee: Well, it seemed like this time he
just stood back and let them make their
movie. Before it was like he was making
sure they didn't screw up, which I guess
in some ways is a good thing.
Stephen: I guess that's true, but if I
were in Moore's shoes, I would have been
making sure stuff didn't go wrong.
Lee: Yeah.
Stephen: I mean, he was one of the
founders of Project Greenlight, and I'd be
nervous too that it didn't work out. It's
his name on the line, too.
Lee: I remember when Pete Jones on
Stolen Summer talked to the camera for a
second and said something like "I know my
movie" or whatever in regards to Moore
being afraid that Pete would screw up. I
don't think Pete really understood that
Moore was representing 2 guys (Damon and
Affleck) who worked their asses off to get
Pete there.
Stephen: Television can depict people
however they'd like to, and so I'm not
entirely sure how *good* of a picture of
Kyle and Efram we saw. It always seemed --
truthfully or not -- that Moore was most
often right and that the directors were
most often wrong. I never got the
impression that Kyle and Efram were
grateful for this opportunity, even though
I know they probably were. It always
seemed they were just there.
Lee: I've seen a few interviews, and
Kyle said they had more fun than what HBO
showed; but then again, drama makes it
gripping. As much as showing them having
fun relieves tension, always having
tension keeps you there; and the show is
known for its addicting nature. I think we
saw more gratefulness in Jones than in
this directing duo, but Kyle and Efram
have filmed stuff before – it just hasn't
been seen. Jones was going from never
being a filmmaker to showing up every day
to do what he'd love to do. Kyle and Efram
had "some" experience, so I think that was
partly why they weren't always showing
excitement.
Stephen: Okay, I agree with that. And
really, they did *earn* the right to win.
Lee: If Pete had one quality that rose
above this new duo, it's that he
communicated.
Stephen: Totally – even if he was in
trouble, he'd let someone know. Kyle and
Efram seemed to just stick with each other
to solve those types of things.
Lee: From the first moment of Kyle and
Efram's audition when they were sitting in
front of Matt, Ben, and the clan, it
seemed like they were some of the most
"with it" guys there amongst the other
directors.
Stephen: They seemed to be nice enough
guys, but that kind of bugged me how they
really just talked to each other openly.
Yeah, they were "with it" at first, but
that doesn't mean they were "ready."
Lee: It was like they were more relaxed
and more focused on the directing end than
simply showing off what their dedication
would be like.
Stephen: I was never as taken with
their sample piece as I was former
contestant John Otting's.
Lee: Who was that? There was some short
film that was done really, really, damn
well.
Stephen: I realize, though, that
Otting's style was not what would fit
"Shaker" at all, and they made the right
decision for the script they chose. Otting
was the one who filmed the short film set
in the mental ward.
Lee: It really opened my eyes – I
literally went "wow."
Stephen: He's actually teaming up with
one of the PGL writing contestants – the
guy who wrote "Prisoner." I'm excited to
see that film – it seems perfect for
Otting's style.
Lee: I'm actually surprised the debate
for PGL1 was so intense for picking a
script, because it always seemed like
Stolen Summer was quite possibly the most
promising. To everything else I was just
like, "Yeah, ok, whatever."
Stephen: But yeah, "Shaker Heights"
needed to be directed by Kyle and Efram.
"Stolen Summer" by far seemed like the
best choice. However, I soon realized it
wasn't very accessible; I loved the
script, but knew that not everyone would.
As a side note, the script read better
than the movie played. I think the reason
for that was the two lead kids – they
never captured me like the characters
needed to. "Summer" was meant to be a
drama with very small bits of comedy
(provided by Bonnie Hunt), but it never
seemed to grab its audience with much
emotion.
Lee: I think when you're jumping into
your first film, it may not be wise to
cast little kids unless you really know
what the hell you're doing – you have to
write what you know you can do.
Stephen: Yeah, I know, but still Jones
wrote a fantastic script. Maybe it would
have been wise to do something more
adult-centered, but that's how we learn I
guess. I always have admired him for
trying something kind of out of the
mainstream. A children's religious drama –
what did people expect but something close
to an after-school special? Think about
it, how was a film starring second graders
coping with religion supposed to be not
geared at kids?
Project Greenlight 2 Chat Continued
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