kevin baggott

Yes his site is back up!

WOW! Such great news! I just got the e-mail too and got choked up! Great....

Yes Freya I am new! You guessed right. One never seems to escape the school yards...

Why is everyone here filled with vinegar? Why so cynical? Is life just poop and people too?

Another reason any real numbers will be hard to find is that most producers never really divulge how much a film makes. They intentionally keep those #'s secret. Or as Joseph Levine, the producer of The Graduate, when Mike Nichols asked him - "Hey Joe, this thing has really taken off. How much have we made? Can I see the books?" "Sure Mike. Anytime." "Oh, well I'd like to see them... I guess now, tomorrow if possible?" "Well, I keep all the books in Alaska Mike." True story told by Mike Nichols.

Hey Phil - wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? As Kafks once said: "a man who does not have dreams only has nightmares." And that was Kafka for Christsakes! Make a film from yer heart - that means someting to you and you never know...

Happy birthday David. I'm so impressed with your genorosity to everybody on this site. Best, Kevin

I would have to agree with Kazan here - in that you can't tell a Hell of a lot in Auditions - maybe some technical things - but to paraphase Kazan - what yer material is is the life experience of the actor himself. If he/she does not have the character in them you'll only be pulling teeth trying to get it out. Kazan would talk to them, take them out for coffee, meet their wives, girlfriends. Of course you can't do this with everyone - but you can do this with yer initial selects. I was casting a film last fall - that got put on hold - but I had narrowed down my choices from "actors access" Back stage, etc - wherever yer getting yer actors - and I had to cast a mother, father and a teenager. I met with 2 teens and found my teen after having coffee with them. The mother I met with 2 actresses and found my mother, the father I met with 2 actors and found my father. I can tell you that almost all the actors were a little taken by my approach. But no reading of a monologue was going to tell me what sharing a cup of cofee told me. All of them had read the script before hand and in talking to them I could tell what kind of actors/people they were. I also act - I had three auditions recently where in all three situations my character was a husband married for many years. In all three audtions I go in and there are 2 guys there. The director and the Dp shooting video. The Dp read my wives lines in all three audtions. I cracked up in all 3 situations as soon as I walked in the room. Now what the director thought he was gonna see with me reading with his Dp? I don't know. I got call backs to 2 of the auditions - and of course I made adjustments and threw myself into the situation - but I think the director would have been better served to have a chat with me initially and see if I have the meat and bones of the character in me. My 2 cents.

Hey Joel - I recently picked up the 6 dvd box set of Hollywood Camera Work - and I envy you that at your age you could potetially buy it and gleam what are on those disks. I went to film school and even though as my thesis film i got to write and direct a 50 min film on 16mm - after watching the first 15 minutes of disk 1 I was learning more then the 4 years of film school. I'm exagerrating a bit. But that's one powerful tool those 6 dvds - Kevin

Hey I don't know what city you live in - but I did a 2 mintue test from mini dvd to 35mm - wtih Swiss effects - and well if you happen to be in new york maybe we can hook up and see it - if you can arrange for a 35 projector - kevin

I went to film school 30 years ago. After film school I realized I still knew nothing. So I go study acting for the next decade full time. I then study directing full time the decade after that. During those twenty years I write a dozen feature screenplays trying to learn screenwriting. During the last 35 years I don't think I've not seen at least one film per day in that time. I've read hundreds and hundreds of books on acting, directing, screenwriting, cinematography, etc. For the last four years I've tried to watch the films with the sound off to study the camera work. And I still feel like I know nothing. The director is spinning many plates in the air. The last film I made for a solid month after the film wrapped I had night mares of someone from the crew waking me to shoot some scene. Ok the director might not know how to use a spot meter but... well I think you get my point Brian. I will never forget the times where I've been on set and I might not have known where to put the camera or how to help an actor and have felt the cold indifference from some of the tech people. LOL! I'm not sure what brought this all on - except I felt some directing bashing go on in yer post and had to say my peace - it's all good! Peace out.

What the hell.... 1 pather Panchali 2 400 blows 3 Nothing But A Man 4 Home Sweet Home, by Mike leigh, would have to include also , Secrets and Lies and and High Hopes 5 the first 3 films by Terrence Davies. Well now that I'm doing this - going to shoot for another five 6 Killer of Sheep 7 Cul De Sac by Polanski 8 Winter Light 9 Harold and Maude/Being There 10 The films of Terrence Malick I think Do The Right Thing is an amazing film. Yeah.... too many great films...

Hey Rob - yeah I think I found someone to complete the film. Her name is Jenette Sampson, she did a couple of other films, Margaret Chow and something else. Some folks just shimmer up on the screen and she certainly does. Not only does she shimmer, she has real acting talent I think. She's also a stand up comedian. I hope to work with her again. I have another script that I'm shopping around at the moment where she would play the co-lead as well.

The film was shot on mini-dv - I edited it on I-movie - it's not a professional trailer. Just something I put together one night to show to a producer about another project. I was using a dvd of the film that wasn't very good to being with. There's a version on IMDB that looks OK - the one on YOUTUBE not so hot. I'm in the process of finishing the film - the tracks never got mixed. When it's completed I'll put up another version. Sorry for bad quality folks. http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi2046099993/

Hey Karel - ever hear the phrase: "there's a difference with leveling with somebody and leveling them?"