Having been to the Santa Barbara Film Festival several times previously, I found this particular one to be my favorite. There was such a vibrant sensation last Friday at the Sandra Bullock Awards ceremony for The American Riviera Award and interview with film critic Pete Hammond from the Los Angeles Times and "The Envelope" as commentator. I sat on the front row observing Sandra's body language and it was obvious that she was quite comfortable in her own skin. She was very unrehearsed and natural and came across just as beloved as she does in so many of her films. She made a joke about her marriage to Jesse James, going on to say that she was going to announce the break up at this time, then quickly put that to rest by saying how well her marriage was doing. Her parents were opera singers and she said that she developed her discipline because of her parents' influence. She also said that she learned how not to upstage the star and knowing that has paid off for her. After the ceremony, we went to a party at the beautiful home of Jeff Barbakow, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara Film Festival. This gathering was very intimate and while meeting Sandra, I realized that she was the same charming person then as she had been during the interview. She was very happy to have decided as a second thought to take the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy in THE BLIND SIDE.
I has had the pleasure of meeting James Cameron and his lovely wife, Suzy Amis, right after the Golden Globe ceremony last month at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and I could tell at that time James was on a natural high. By contrast, Suzy has a very calming effect and appeared to rise above all of the excitement and yet be supportive of James at the same time. When he was being honored at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, with Leonard Maltin as commentator, Leonard came out and was seated again directly in front of my seat awaiting Cameron to join him for the interview. James, however, was told that the order of his award presentation has been changed and that he was to give his acceptance speech first. He came out and went straight to the podium where Leonard stood awaiting him to join him and James began speaking. Leonard was very patient for some time and then finally interrupted, saying that James was stealing his lines. James was taken aback and said that he had been told to do exactly as he had done. I liked the way he took the opportunity to set the record straight. Everything settled down and the interview began and again James lit up and shared that he had created a second position for film director, second unit director, which he filled, and which gave him the leg up he needed to move ahead in his career. He was not afraid to take on new frontiers and said that he would imagine what he wanted and then figure out a way to make it happen.
The film clips that were shown of James' many accomplishments such as THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS, and of course TITANIC, were astounding. He has been such a leader in special effects and is a true visionary. With AVATAR he has crossed over into new boundaries where no one has dared to go, and he is now light years ahead of his peers as a result. This film took the audience into a world in which they felt a part of the action and were caught up in emotion as if they were a part of it.
Sandra's wide range of roles that include THE BLIND SIDE, The PROPOSAL and many more, particularly the ones where she allowed the audience to laugh at her, really stood out to me as well. She is a natural comedienne and a true pro at what she does. Not one hair out of place, not one uncomfortable body gesture.
During the private party with James Cameron and his wife, I was talking with James about the new 4D in film. Shortly before my conversation with James about 4D, I had mentioned this new experience to my friend, the journalist Jeffrey Welles from Hollywood Elsewhere, and he told me that there was no such thing. Upon mentioning it to James he said that there were 7 different places in Korea where they were showing AVATAR in 4D and that it was a tactile experience: moving seats that vibrate, twist, turn and lurch along with the action, smells wafting, wind blowing and rain falling can be recreated in the theater, making for a completely new experience in cinema. I had come up with a similar concept fifteen years ago and of course so had the theme parks, so why not do this in regular theaters? James went on to say that it took about $800,000 to create one such theater.
While talking to James, I realized that he was a true Artist who had great passion for his work and he even defended Steven Spielberg when the Abraham Lincoln project postponement had been brought up. He basically implied that it is his prerogative. I really appreciated how James was willing to stand up for what he believes in and for the Art of film-making.
In addition to the Awards ceremonies, there was a screenwriter's panel with Nancy Meyers of It's Complicated, Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner of Up in the Air, Geoffey Fletcher of Precious, Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman of Star Trek, and Mark Boal of The Hurt Locker. Considering that I am working on a screenplay at this time, I found this to be very helpful. In particular, the tip from Jason Reitman that he sometimes jumps ahead to the ending scene and then fills in the in between. Which stood out in my mind. Also that there are no boundaries any longer and that has always resonated with me. I do not like to follow the path that others have set; I like to create new ones. I have done this with my painting technique, Scintillism, my book and to me this is where an Artist has a chance to do something that has never been done before.
Roger Durling, the festival Director, is truly brilliant, and has consistently chosen well in advance the most sought-after Actors and Directors to be featured at the festival and this year was certainly no exception. James Cameron said that Roger had obtained James' commitment over a year ago for the festival, long before AVATAR had come out.
I had to leave the festival this morning due to another commitment and came away with having been enriched by the experience. Santa Barbara is a lovely town and a great place to have such a significant festival.
