Mitch Brian Seminar on Directing Actors

On Wednesday nights in the basement of the Westport Coffeehouse, the Independent Filmmakers Coalition of Kansas City meets. On March 5, local filmmaker Mitch Brian gave a seminar on directing actors.

“So I’m gonna talk about directing actors, and scenes, and a little bit just about the process of communicating with actors and how to make actors your friends, not make them your enemies. How ’bout that?” Brian said.

Even Andy Garrison, who teaches at the Actor Training Studio, took a lot away from the seminar.

“I thought he was terrific. I thought it was really clear. I love hearing a director talk about ‘make sure you give your actors verbs to play.’ Tell them what they can do, not how the can feel or be,” Garrison said.

“You wanna give your actor something to do. Make him want to kiss you. Get close, get close but don’t let him touch you,” Brian said.

“I thought he was really right on, especially in terms of keeping the actors busy with what they’re doing, because that’s what they can do,” Garrison said.

“Sometimes actors are self-conscious, give ’em a task. Say ‘Here, take this pocketknife and take this apple and peel this apple while doing your lines, or eat the apple,” Brian said.

Seminar coordinator Alden Miller got a lesson in review from the presentation.

“I would say 80 percent of that stuff is stuff I’ve heard before, so it was a good reminder,” Miller said. “One of the funniest things I think that I hear directors do all the time is tell people how to read lines, tell actors how to read a certain line a certain way and what words. It was kind of funny that he brought that up.”

“Big no-no, is don’t give an actor a line read. Don’t say, ‘I want you to say Hark I HEAR the cannon!'” Brian said.

“Especially nowadays in the whole hot technology thing, is to step away from the monitor and actually watch the process happening. So many people are worried about what’s it gonna look like as opposed to, you know, working with the stuff inside,” Miller said.

“But I think that your job as the director is to be as close to the lens and the camera as you can be and as close to the actors as you can possibly be. Because the only person that actor has as an audience is you the director,” Brian said.

This is Alex Lamb, signing off.

AMC Town Center Renovations Revamp Theater

Following the August opening of AMC Theatres’ new Theatre Support Center in Leawood’s Park Place complex, the neighboring AMC Town Center 20 is now undergoing a multimillion dollar renovation to revamp the entire megaplex.

“Just about every aspect of the theater will be touched in some way,” AMC spokesman Ryan Noonan said. “Everything from plush recliners being the seating in just about every auditorium to an enhanced food and beverage area,” Noonan said.

Additionally, a MacGuffins Bar and an AMC Prime auditorium – AMC’s version of the large screen format auditorium – are being installed, and the IMAX auditorium is being retained. There will be new speakers, new sound systems and new screens in every other auditorium.

Construction began in early January and is expected to last until mid-spring. Currently only the right wing of eight auditoriums is operational, where the upgrades have already been completed.

AMC Ward Parkway underwent a similar renovation in late 2011, which reduced seating capacity by about two-thirds yet yielded a tripling of attendance. Town Center’s seat reduction won’t be as significant. Noonan says this trend continues across the country at similarly renovated AMC theaters.

“People are coming more often, and people who haven’t been out to the movie theaters in a while, they’re coming out and trying it, they’re loving it and so they’re coming out more often,” Noonan said. “So we want people to be excited about coming out to the movies, and we’re finding with these renovations, that’s what’s happening.”

Karen Kreamer, a Leawood resident and frequent Town Center moviegoer, is looking forward to the added comfort from the recliners and the wider food selection.

“I like the fact that they’re going to increase the food choices that they have there too because anytime you can get a nice range of food, beyond just popcorn and candy, I think that adds a lot,” she said. “Whether it’s healthier options or just more a range of options, that’s really going to be more customer friendly I think, and more people will enjoy their experience.”

One new (or rather, returning) amenity may not excite some guests, however: reserved seating. The specifics haven’t been nailed down yet, though Noonan anticipates the entire theater will use reserved seating once the renovations are complete.

Town Center originally implemented reserved seating from October 2009 until July 2011. The AMC press release about ending the policy said that despite its success in other theaters, “guests at AMC Town Center indicated their preference for open seating at that location.”

Kreamer was one of those guests who preferred open seating.

“I hated the reserved seating. I hated it. Because then you had to start going online and picking your seats, you couldn’t really tell which seats were which, and even if you went to the front lobby area and you bought them there, you still couldn’t see exactly what seats were available and what seats were taken up,” she said.

Whether or not guests embrace reserved seating this time around, at least the policy is better suited for the reduced capacity than it was for the theater before the new renovations. Noonan says that after more than 16 years of being open, Town Center needed more than just an interior facelift.

“Ultimately it comes down to making sure we’re doing what’s right for the guests: providing them with an incredible moviegoing experience,” Noonan said. “So that’s what we focus on. We find [when] we focus on quality, and we focus on what our guests want and what they need, the results turn out spectacular.”

“Our guests in Kansas City get to try a number of initiatives here locally before they’re available nationally. AMC Studio 30 was one of the first dine-in movie theaters in the country. AMC Ward Parkway was one of the first theaters to get the full renovation with the plush-power recliners in every auditorium. Barrywoods was the first theater to get the AMC Prime large screen format concept.”

“Well it’s less to do with other theaters, although certainly that the Kansas City market is one of the best in the country in terms of the quality of movie theaters from an AMC standpoint. But Town Center, it was an older building, I think it opened in ‘97. So you’re looking at 15, 16, 17 years now of being open. It needed some attention. Instead of just going in and putting new paint on and throwing down new carpet, we wanted to make it truly an amazing experience for our guests. And that’s really what the ultimate driver is.”

Local Film News – March 10, 2014

Spring Movie Preview – Before summer blockbuster season starts in May, there are still lots of great films releasing now through April. Check out this guide to spring releases.

First KC Film Connect Event – There are a lot of film and media organizations in the Kansas City area. This event on March 19, put on by the KC Film Commission, brings them all together to network within the filmmaking community.

HBO Go Crashes During ‘True Detective Finale – The first season of “True Detective” ended with a bang last night, as well as some streaming errors. Demand to stream the finale live was so high that HBO Go crashed for a little while.

 

Local Film News – March 3, 2014

Best Moments from the Oscars – From the record-breaking selfie to the stars sharing pizza to the most memorable speeches, this roundup highlights the best moments from last night’s Academy Awards show.

Wes Anderson Month at Alamo Drafthouse – To celebrate Wes Anderson’s new film “The Grand Budapest Hotel” opening in the Kansas City area on March 21, the Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet is screening five of his previous movies throughout the month.

Cinemark Classic Series Throughout March – Cinemark Merriam and Palace at the Plaza will be screening five more previous award-winning films this month, including “Rear Window,” “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Silence of the Lambs,” as part of Cinemark’s Classic Series.

Documentary Festival in Columbia, Silent Films in Topeka and Oscar Party in Kansas City

True/False Documentary Film Festival this weekend – The 11th annual True/False film fest takes place Thursday, Feb. 27 through Sunday, March 2 in Columbia, Mo. Last year, four of the five 2014 Oscar nominees for Best Documentary screened at the festival.

Kansas Silent Film Festival this weekend – For those interested in something more local, the 18th annual Kansas Silent Film Festival is Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1 at White Concert Hall in Topeka. Silent films are screened with live musical accompaniment. The event is free and open to the public.

Kansas City Oscar Party at Screenland Armour – Come watch the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2 at an actual movie theater with lots of film geeks, contests and prizes. There’s a food and cash bar and everyone can fill out Oscar ballots to compete for the big prize for correctly selecting the most winners.

Local Film News – Feb. 17, 2014

‘Jayhawkers’ brings a legend back to life – “Jayhawkers,” the new movie from local filmmaker and KU film professor Kevin Willmott, premiered over the weekend at the Lied Center in Lawrence. It tells the story of basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain’s time at KU and how he changed the game as well as racial attitudes in Lawrence.

Director John Waters coming to Lawrence to talk about William S. Burroughs – Waters is speaking Thursday night at 7 in the Lawrence Arts Center for the exhibition “William S. Burroughs: Creative Observer.” He also has a new book, “Carsick,” coming out June 3, detailing his experience hitchhiking across America.

Philip Seymour Hoffman Memorial Double Feature – The Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet will be screening “Punch Drunk Love” and “The Master” on Saturday in memoriam of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. He plays “Mattress Man” Dean Trumbell and the L. Ron Hubbard-like leader Lancaster Dodd, respectively.