Showing posts with label Roller Blade Seven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roller Blade Seven. Show all posts

Saturday, July 10, 2021

William Smith: Another Great Loss By Scott Shaw

 

By Scott Shaw

 

            Sadly, the great actor, William Smith has passed away. For those of us who are old enough or for those of us who have watched the evolution of independent cinema, we know that Bill has appeared in so many films and TV shows that it is almost impossible to believe.  In the 1960s and into the 1970s he was ultimate badass. He was in so many biker films; it’s not even funny. But, before that he was in westerns. From there he went on to co-star with Clint Eastwood, he fought Kwai Chang Caine in the original TV series Kung Fu, he even took over for Dano on the final season of Hawaii 5-O. The man had a great career!

            I was lucky enough to have worked with him a few times. The first time was on, The Roller Blade Seven. I so remember the night Don Jackson and I went to meet him to talk to him about being in the film. He was homeless then; couch surfing at the home of one actor or another. When we asked him to be in the film, he actually cried, as he was so happy to be offered work.

            When we took him to the set, several days later, his constant mantra was, “Can I go home now, daddy?   Back then, he drank a lot. He had brought an entire gallon jug of vodka with him to the set and continued to drink from it throughout the day. None of this changed his performance, however. He was great.

            We shot with him for a few days on the Roller Blade Seven. Each time he as on the set he brought that great William Smith presence.

            I also got to act with Bill and direct him in my film, The Rock n’ Roll Cops. This story is told elsewhere, but the night we were to work with him, Don was in one of his major fuck with everyone sort of moods.  Don produced the film and shot it for me. Anyway, we had rented a suite at the Bonaventura Hotel in DTLA as a filming location. Don invited everyone to show up. And, I mean everybody. …Telling them they all would be in the film.

            Don and I had been messing around all day and well into the night, when we finally got there, and saw an insane number of people in the suite. Don immediately screamed and yelled and threw and general fit; throwing everyone out. He then fired the guy who was managing the talent, blaming him for allowing so many people to show up. Bill just sat there in disbelief while all this was going on. Don then decided that he didn’t like the fact that Bill had brought along his then girlfriend, later wife, Joanne along.  But, he didn’t have the balls to tell Bill he didn’t want her there. So, without me knowing, he told Bill I didn’t want her there. But, I was fine with it. I liked her! I noticed she was gone and I asked Bill what happened to her? He said, “Don told me you don’t want her here so she went down to the bar.”  When I told him that wasn’t the case, he got up and stormed into bedroom where Don was preparing the camera, jumped on him, and put his hands around his neck in a chokehold. It was just a joke, as he liked Don, but it was a funny sight to see, as he did all that with that pure William Smith intensity. After that, Bill gave a great performance!

            Another funny experience I had with Bill was when he invited Don and I to a private screening of a film he was in. Don also invited another of his friends, who I also knew. Anyway, the film was so bad, and Don’s friend kept making jokes and cracking up throughout it, which caused me to also laugh through most of the film. Believe me when I tell you, the movie was bad. After the film, we are talking to Bill outside, he stated, “Who were those assholes who were laughing, I’d like to kick their ass.”  Of course, this just caused us to smile. 

            With the amount of work Bill did, his legacy is set in stone, or should I say on celluloid. …This, even though much of his later work was shot on video.

            Overall, he was a great guy, a true badass, a great actor, and a very nice person. As I sadly said not so long ago, in regard to the passing of Julie Strain, the Zen Filmmaking family keeps getting smaller. The original team is almost all gone.

            As for Bill, it’s sad. He was a true talent!

            Rest in Peace my Zen Filmmaking brother.

 

Copyright © 2021—All Rights Reserved

 

Originally from the Scott Shaw Blog

Scott Shaw Zen Filmmaking

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Zen Filmmaking: Beyond The Roller Blade Seven By Scott Shaw


 By Scott Shaw

As I frequently discuss, hardly a week goes by that someone does not contact me about The Roller Blade Seven and wants to discuss some aspect of that Zen Film. Which is great! That’s fine! I get it… It’s a bizarre film. And, that is exactly what we had in mind when we created it. Though, in all honesty, that was never the vision I had for my film career when I first entered the industry. But, I’ve said all this before…
The thing about Roller Blade Seven and all the turmoil that surrounded its creation is, so many people see that film and believe that is where Zen Filmmaking ended. They think that somehow RB7 is the end-all culmination of Zen Filmmaking. It is not. In fact, due to all of the craziness during the Production, the Post Production, and the initial Distribution of RB7, one can conclude that RB7 is anything but true Zen Filmmaking. Yes, it is crazy. Yes, it is weird. Yes, we had a lot of fun making it. Yes, it has etched a place for itself in Cult Film History but did Zen Filmmaking begin and end with that film? No.
As each production possesses its own set of criteria and definitions, RB7 had its own, as well. And, that is what defines that film. But again, was what took place and what was presented on the screen in that film the end-all of Zen Filmmaking? No, not at all. That film just was what that film was. Nothing more, nothing less.
As I always tell everybody, Zen Filmmaking is never about the story. …The stories have all been told… Zen Filmmaking is about a visual cinematic experience. It is about invoking emotions and thoughts in the mind of the viewer. As each person brings their own set of standards and ideologies to every/any film that they watch, anyone who ever sees a Zen Film will come away with something different. …As they should…
FYI: I haven't made a narrative-driven Zen Film since 2009 so what most people who discuss Zen Filmmaking are talking about is actually ancient history.
The fact is, Zen Filmmaking is more about philosophy that about actual cinema. And, this is where so many critics and movie watchers get it wrong. It is about embracing a philosophic vision on the screen. As such, even if you project one never-ending single image on the screen, that can be Zen Filmmaking, if Zen Filmmaking is what you hope to invoke with that single image.
I know there are a couple of film schools that teach courses on Zen Filmmaking. Of course, none of them, (at least not yet), have invited me to come and give a seminar or be the actual instructor… But, that’s okay. I get it. They want to control the message—even though I am the one invented the message. Yeah sure, I own the Trademark. Yeah sure, I instigated and formalized the understanding. But, like I always say, “Make it your own…” You don’t have to do what I do to make a Zen Film. You simply have to do what you do.
Zen Filmmaking is about the freedom of naturalness. It is not about following any film formula that I may have used in the past. From this very definition it gives rise to the understanding that there are no definitions. …Not even the definition of no definition. …As isn’t that the ultimate understanding of Zen?
So, for all you people out there writing and talking about RB7, remember that was the beginning of Zen Filmmaking, it was not the end. It keeps changing. It keeps evolving. So please, don’t hold myself, my filmmaking, or other Zen Filmmakers locked into that place in time. That was there. That was then. Now, I am here. Where are you?

Copyright © 2018—All Rights Reserved

Friday, March 30, 2018

The Good, The Bad and the Art of Zen Filmmaking By Scott Shaw


Here is an article I was asked to write in about 1997 for an indie film publication called Thunder Magazine. I am presenting here exactly as it appeared in the magazine for your reading pleasure and to maybe/hopefully provide you with some new insight and inspiration in the world of filmmaking.

Thunder Magazine

In a simpler time, I used to sit down with friends, pop in a bad movie and drink some beer. It was a sick pass time, but one that provided an endless amount of cheap entertainment. Because of this experience, titles like Curse of the Queer Wolf and Roller Blade will forever remain as grade A entertainment for me. Little did I know that Rollerblade would not only spawn sequels, but spin-off sequels? And if you’ve never heard of these films, then you’re probably sane and not much into watching bottom-of-the-barrel budget flicks that will occasionally offer more excitement than Hollywood’s by-the-numbers bullshit. That said, you’ve probably never heard of Scott Shaw, Donald G. Jackson or the bevy of direct-to-video quickies they’ve amassed over the past few years. So for those of us interested in the art of filmmaking, or zen filmmaking as you are about to learn, here’s a real eye opener for independent film buffs interested in breaking into the action/adventure film biz.  

--Xander Octavius

                        The Good, The Bad and the Art of Zen Filmmaking

By Scott Shaw, Ph.D.

            Whereas most people aspire to come to Hollywood, walk down the boulevard of the stars and hope to rub elbows with the rich and the famous, I was just the opposite. Born in L.A., I grew up in Hollywood and attended Hollywood High School—where more than a few of my classmates were already ex-movie or TV stars struggling to adapt to life in the mainstream. Others were the children of famous actors or directors who knew that any day they would become stars.  It all seemed like bullshit to me: the egos, the insecurity, the drugs to provide courage and the never enough money to pay the bills for the high lifestyles they all lead. Though these adolescent relationships got me onto the sets of some marginally memorable films, I swore I would never get into the industry.  Or, should I put that in quotation marks, “The Industry.” So, I spent most of the next decade or so in various geographic locations of Asia, refining my lifelong involvement with the martial arts and Zen Buddhism.
Back in the States, I was continually receiving offers to be in martial art films.  I finally accepted.  That was my big mistake.  I got bitten by the bug.
I spent my early film career doing starring or co-starring roles in the then very lucrative independent action/adventure market, performing small roles in A-films, guest starring roles on TV and shooting documentaries in Asia.  One day I got a call.  The voice on the other end of the phone line said, “My name is Don Jackson; I make movies. Can you really use the samurai sword as good as everyone says you can?” From this phone call our initial meeting took place at the Gower Gulch in Hollywood. The rest is Zen Filmmaking history...

PARTNER IN CRIME
            Don Jackson, or more properly Donald G. Jackson, had spent his early adult life in Ann Arbor, Michigan working in an auto factory for fifteen years and struggling against the odds to become a filmmaker. He finally made the feature, Demon Lover and the wrestling film, I Like to Hurt People—which was purchased by New World Pictures.  This financed his move to L.A. Once here, he made a film called Roller Blade—a futuristic piece referring to samurai sword wielding girls on skates.  It was shot on his credit card for $5,000.00—New World purchased it and the film made over a million dollars.  From the video market success of these two films, they asked him what he wanted to do next.  An actor named Sam Mann and him had been toying with an idea which eventually lead to his next film, Hell Comes to Frogtown.
Upon meeting, Don and I, both influenced by the films of Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone, set about on the path which became Zen Filmmaking—though it took a few swings at bat before we hit a homerun...

THE FOUNDATIONS OF ZEN FILMMAKING
            When I first met Don he had financing in place for an action adventure film in which he asked me to perform the lead. We started the film in December of 1990.  Due to the fact that the screenwriter was backstabbing Don to the Executive Producer, midway through the production, the financing was pulled. The screenwriter wanted me to finish the film with him as the Director. Fuck that, if you don’t have loyalty to your friends in this cut-throat industry, you have nothing.  Thus, the film went to never-never-land and Don and I moved on. 
Don directed another film and I acted in several. Perhaps most ironic of my performances during this interim came when Robert Altman called me up and asked me to do a Cameo in his film, The Player. As if to hail the coming future, when we were shooting one of my scenes, I really did like what the script had my character say, “Can I change this?”  “Sure, just say whatever you want,” answered Altman...

THE FIRST ZEN FILM
            In November of 1991 Don and I regrouped and made the first Zen Film, The Roller Blade Seven.  For this film we continued Don’s Roller Blade concept, combined that with two books I authored which were made up of spiritual aphorisms (to use as a basis for dialogue), added some samurai swords, some semi-naked girls and we were off...
Though relatively obscure, this film has been credited with influencing everything from Oliver Stone’s U-Turn, to the TV series Homicide, onto Six-String Samurai, (though now that the Six-String boys are on top, they probably wouldn’t admit it).  Even today, RB7 has a big cult following in the U.K., (the only place where the Director’s Cut was released).  I get E-mails all the time from people who form groups to discuss the true meaning of the feature.
Though we played equal philosophic roles in the creation of Zen Filmmaking, during the filming of RB7 Don really showed me the ropes of how to make a low budget art film. So, there is no doubt that he holds the title of, Godfather of Zen Filmmaking. 

INSTANTANEOUS CREATIVITY
            But back to the point… Just what the hell is a Zen Film? First of all, and perhaps most importantly, scripts are out the window. I like to say, “Scripts are for sissies.” This doesn’t mean that you let the actors improv. For the most part you wouldn’t want to see novice actors improv-ing. The problem with scripts is that performances become so contrived when people have their lines memorized for days or weeks—it’s just boring.
To create a film what we do is Don or I comes up with a concept, we cast some people who fit the roles we have in mind, we go out to a location, get inspired and then guide them through what they should say and do. As Don says, “Zen Filmmaking is like painting: you get a canvas, you get some paint, but you never know what the painting is going to look like until you apply the paint to the canvas.” 
For example, we took our cast out to the El Mirage Dry Lake Bed for our film, Toad Warrior. When we got there, someone was flying an ultra-line aircraft. Don asked them if we could use it.  They agreed.  My character Max Hell got in, took off, and it became the opening sequence for the film. You just can’t plan or anticipate those occurrences.  You just have to live them.  If you base a film on a script, all instantaneous creativity is lost.
Instantaneousness doesn’t mean that it doesn’t take a lot of planning. Mostly, you have know what the hell you’re doing, but beyond that, you have to be prepared: have all the technical equipment ready, the film stocks to be used, make sure that the cast has their costuming, and be ready to adapt to any situation.  Sometimes the first planned location doesn’t workout, so we move onto the second, and the third, if necessary.
In Zen Filmmaking the big crew thing doesn’t work either. A small crew not only keeps the budget down but it also allows much more spontaneous creativity.  If you have too many crew people, they all want silly things like story boards, shot lists, and stuff.
A funny experience I like to relate is when Don and I were doing a film with Frank Stallone. Frank met us, we put him in Don’s car, and we drove over to this location we like to use.  En route Frank asked, if the crew was set up and waiting for him at the location?  Well, actually he was riding with the crew.  Don was operating the camera; I was doing the sound and performing the lead. I would get the tape recorder up and running, go in, slap the slate, walk out, and then walk back into the shot and act with Frank.  Needless to say, he wasn’t the kind of actor to get into Zen Filmmaking.
But then there are people like Conrad Brooks, one of the last remaining Ed Wood confidants. He is a great guy and a true Hollywood icon. One night we were shooting with him at our Hollywood studio—there was some down time so he went out and had a few drinks.  When he came back, he was a little light headed and couldn’t remember any of the lines we would give him.  So, we fed him his dialogue one word at a time. Editing that was interesting to say the least.
That’s one of the great things about Zen Filmmaking; editing is where it all comes together. I look at all the footage and then let my feelings guide me as to where each scene should go. 
There are no mistakes in Zen Filmmaking. It’s like enlightenment, it all happens in its own perfection.
Just as editing takes care of itself, so does the budget. In Zen Filmmaking you really can’t draw up a formal budget. There is just no way to budget inspiration.  The people who fund these films understand that we are creating art and we must possess C.C.C. (Completely Creative Control).

NO RULES
            The main thing to understand about Zen Filmmaking is that there are no rules. You cannot compare a Zen Film with a traditional screenplay based movie.  A Zen Film is an entity onto itself.  If the story isn’t all that constant—who cares, all the stories have already been told.  A Zen Film is more like a rock video in that it moves with a visual essence which is absent from traditional filmmaking.

GET ON THE BUS
            Zen Filmmaking is so simple and so filled with art that many people question its results. But we have proven it works in numerous films. It’s generally the wannabe actors who have gone to way too many acting classes and freak when they hear about it.  They always question, “Will I get dialogue?” Or state, “I need tape on myself.” Our answer is to pull out a roll of camera tape, rip off a piece, and stick it on them. There you go, you have tape on yourself...  In reality, the people who get on the bus and stay with us for awhile get the biggest roles. If they doubt the process, it is better not to take them along, for their negativity can bring the whole thing down.
Real actors, people like Golden Globe winner and two-time Academy Award nominee Karen Black or Clint Eastwood co-stars Don Stroud or William Smith love the process. These are the really creative people; they have nothing to prove, their acting is completely natural and they truly appreciate the art of Zen Filmmaking.
A funny story… One night last year we were shooting my film Rock n’ Roll Cops. We decided to rent a room at the posh downtown L.A. hotel, the Boneventure, and bring William Smith in for some scenes.  Not only did we have the bell hops bring up massive quantities of lights and film equipment to our suite, (why they didn’t ask questions, I don’t know), but by the time Don and I arrived, there were like twenty actors and actresses in the room hoping to be in the film.  Don, (the Producer), in rare form, kicked most of the people out, including William Smith’s girlfriend. I tried to diplomatically hold Bill back but he is an intense guy and went in and put a chokehold on Don.  Had he not remembered they had been friends for more than a decade, I’m sure the whole incident would not have turned out to be the memorable joke it is remembered as.      

PAYING YOUR DUES
            In the past we have paid neophyte actors hoping it would assure that they would show up, have a good attitude, and so on. It doesn’t work!  Everyone in Hollywood thinks that they are going to be the next big star.  You cannot imagine how many times I’ve heard, “No, no, I’m the one that’s going to make it!”  I wish them all the best but paying a person whose name means nothing to the projects serves no purpose.  I’m much more hard-core about this than Don. And besides, there are many ways of compensation that do not involve money. We are giving people the opportunity to be in a film which will receive international distribution. In essence, we are paying for their demo reels.

JUST GOT ON THE BUS
            A couple of new friends on the Zen Filmmaking bus are Penthouse Pet and B-Movie Queen Julie Strain and her husband, Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and publisher of Heavy Metal Magazine. We plugged them into our film, Guns of El Chupacabra, and four films after that (Armageddon Boulevard, Lingerie Kickboxer, etc.). Julie, who has been in many script-orientated films, immediately took to the process. She poetically stated after smoking a joint, “Zen Filmmaking unfolds in front of your eyes when you give someone the freedom to expand their mind and let the creativity flow like a waterfall. It’s like Niagara Falls running through my veins. Zen Filmmaking boundaries are limitless. To me it is like a drug.  I admit it, I’m a junky.”  She calls… us up all the time and says, “Let’s make a movie.”  With Zen Filmmaking, we can do that—forget about all of the unnecessary preparation and just go and make art. In fact, one day we shot an entire feature film at the Turtle Mansion (as we have named their Bel Aire home) called Vampire Child. It generally takes a lot longer to make a movie, but when the magic hits, it’s there.
The question is always asked, “How do you get established actors to be in your films?”  Well, as the independent film has taken over Hollywood, the unions have begun to fade from the picture, allowing established actors to become what is called SAG Financial Core and do non-union films. As an actor, I find that sad, but as a filmmaker, the unions can really constrict what takes place on a set and throw a monkey wrench into the gears of absolute creativity. Zen Films really need to exist outside the realms of meaningless control.

NICKEL & DIME ACTION
            Due to my extensive martial arts background and, of course, the mystical powers of the samurai sword, I generally integrate this heritage into all of my movies. The fight scenes are staged as the movie is created—they are never rehearsed.  I never attempt to choreograph more than one or two moves at a time. What I do is stage a punch, kick, block, or sword techniques, film it, and then have the cameraman move to a new location that will sell the next technique. This way it keeps all the movements fresh and the reactions natural.
All of the stunts in my films are created right on the spot. Inspiration strikes and I lead people through the techniques. So, it’s always good to have trained martial artists, wrestlers, and gymnasts in the cast.  It’s rare, however, to have an advanced Muay Thai Kickboxer like Kevin Eastman on the set.  Most martial artists believe that due to their long years of physical training that they will be the next Bruce Lee—so their own egos really hold them back from getting into films.
Then there are people like Traci Lords. She was scheduled to do a film with us and everyday she would come by and take private sword lessons from me—just so she would look good on film.  But, that is a rare thing. 

LET’S TALK GREEN STUFF
            I’ve acted in several but I have never personally produced or directed a film that I would call a martial art movie—though there has been martial arts in virtually every film I’ve created.  The sad truth is that the market has just been flooded with bad, low budget, rip-off martial arts movies—films that are just mimicking what has been done much better on a substantially larger scale.
This style of filmmaking is what has really poisoned the international market. As the quality dropped, so did the prices. There was a time when the U.K. would give you $50,000.00, Germany $100,000.00, Japan $500,000.00 for one film. Now, Taiwan wants to pay $1,500.00, Malaysia $750.00 and Korea $500.00. And, it doesn’t matter what NAME actor you have in it. If it isn’t someone the caliber of Nicholas Cage or Bruce Willis, nobody cares.
There is the occasional breakthrough film, but the whole dynamics of filmmaking has really changed. No longer can you count on quadrupling your budget in sales. Now, you’ve got to make your money from your investor or you may never get paid. Don says it best, “The real art of filmmaking is in raising the money to make the movie.” That’s why it’s great when I’m just hired as an actor to be in somebody else’s film—it’s all so easy...

GETTING IT OUT THERE
            In terms of independent film distribution there’s a lot of distribution companies out there, but the days of up-front advances are long gone. Now, they may take your film but they will charge back all publicity and marketing costs.  That way they can justify not paying you any money. And more than that, they may decide to reedit and ruin your film. I know that happened to Steve Wang with his film’s Kung Fu Rascals and Drive and to us with RB7—the Executive Producer took the film and its sequel, Return of the Roller Blade Seven, reedited them into one movie, and changed the title. She did this, even though it broke all of our contracts.
The sad thing about Executive Producers and distributors is that they know it is going to cost you more money to sue them then you could ever win in a lawsuit.  Justice and honor means nothing in modern Hollywood.
To remedy some of these problems Don set up a distribution company so we would have more control over our releases. But, this is very expensive. From this, our films generally do fairly well, particularly in Asia where I am an established actor and they appreciate our style of comic book action adventure. In fact, my film Samurai Vampire Bikers from Hell won me Best Director honors at the Tokyo Experimental Film Festival in 1993. 
In reality, getting a film out there is a complicated game. You have to do it for the love of the art and realize if your film doesn’t have a several million-dollar budget, even though it may be released, there will only be a few thousand video or DVD copies of it made. Once those are gone, it will be forgotten. That’s what’s great about Zen Filmmaking—all that matters is the perfection of the moment: it’s here, you live it and then you let it go and move on. 

Copyright © 1997—All Rights Reserved

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Zen Filmmaking: The Good, The Bad, and The People That Don’t Know What the F**k They’re Talking About By Scott Shaw



By Scott Shaw

            Ever since the inception of Zen Filmmaking, that was heralded with the release of The Roller Blade Seven, people have contacted me about my method of filmmaking. In the early days, it was largely via letters but soon after that everybody climbed onto the internet and then everybody had a lot to say.
            There have been a lot of people, over the years, who have actually contacted me and questioned, how do I do what I do. Those are the people I respect. Love my films or hate my films, they are the ones who cared enough to ask me what was actually going on. They came to the source and inquired. And, going to the source is the only way to gain true knowledge.
            Some of these people contacted me because they wanted to follow the path of Zen Filmmaking. That’s great! Make it your own…
            Early in my filmmaking career, (which you have to keep in mind did not begin until I was thirty-two years old so I had a lot of life-experience prior to that), I also began to see people coming to conclusions about what I did, how I did it, and why I did it. These discourses where then mostly entered into magazines that discussed the low budget, no budget, and cult level of filmmaking. In some cases, they got it right. But, in many, (in fact most), cases they were simply wrong. Yet, these people had a pulpit and from that pulpit they broadcasted their thoughts about Zen Filmmaking, Zen Films, and me out to the world.   
            As a professional researcher, I always found this method to be suspect, as these people were simply discussing their feelings that were not based in fact. Yet, they were presenting their opinions, observations, and speculations as if they were fact. This is truly the wrong way to put forward information to the world and this mindset is what has given birth to the whole culture of, “Fake News,” we are currently living within—as from these inaccurate depictions further counterfactual statements and misunderstandings are given birth to. People heard, “This,” and, thus, they believed, “That.” But, it is all based on bullshit. It is all based on somebody putting what they think they know out there but they do not have the true facts as they have not done any actual research. I know… I get it… Research is hard to do. It is time-consuming and it often costs money. It is so much easier to just read or hear something and then believe what you want to believe. But, the fact is, if you want to know the truth about a subject, (any subject), research is the only way to arrive at a factual and valid conclusion. And, you must enter into any research gathering with an open mind and not use it as simply a way to justify what you think you already know.
            Personally, in virtually all of the aforementioned cases, I found the discourses to be amusing. But, that’s just who I am. I easily poke fun at myself. If they weren’t flat out defamatory lies or someone making money off of one of my creations when they had no responsibility for its actualization, I was good.
            On the larger scale, I have always wondered why do people do this? Why do people want to spread their feelings about something or someone and, moreover, why do they want to transmit something out to the world when what they are saying is not based in fact but is solely based upon personal opinion, second-hand knowledge, and/or speculation? Sure, I understand, most people like something or someone for some nondescript reason but that reason is generally based upon them not possessing a true understanding about anything. Thus, what does that reason for like or dislike truly mean? Do you ever think about that when you form your opinions and from your opinions make your judgments which leads to your statements?
            As Zen Filmmaking is a defined form of filmmaking, many people have also taken aim at the craft. They have taken aim at it but all they know about it is that in Zen Filmmaking we do not use a script.  But, there is a lot more to it than that. And no, Zen Filmmaking is not just about showing up somewhere and seeing what happens next. So, if you’ve heard that, if you’ve believed that, if you’ve rebroadcast that, YOU ARE WRONG!
            Also, there have been a lot of people who have seen Roller Blade Seven or some clips from it and decided that was the epitome of Zen Filmmaking and all of my films are just like RB7. The fact is, a lot of people don’t get what Donald G. Jackson and I were trying to do with The Roller Blade Seven and they hate it. I get it! That movie is weird! If you don’t like weird movies you probably will hate it. But, think about this, we made that movie over twenty-five years ago—whatever you think about it: love it or hate; we did something right because people are still discussing it.
            On a more personal note, occasionally I have seen some people say, “Scott Shaw makes shitty movies,” and stuff like that. Okay… That’s what you think… But, how many of my movies have you actually seen? Many people make this comment after only seeing maybe Roller Blade Seven or Max Hell Frog Warrior. I have made a lot of movies! Honestly, how many of them have you seen? Have you seen any of my documentaries? Have you seen any of my music videos? Have you followed my filmmaking evolution and watched any of my Non-Narrative Zen Films, my Zen Film Art Captures, my Zen Film Movies in the Moment, or my Zen Film Mind Rides?  If you haven’t, then you have no idea what I’m doing. Moreover, if you have not read my written words on the subject of filmmaking, if you have not seen my interviews, if you have not met me, again, you are basing your opinion on a preconceived notion that you have no factual bases to possess. Love my movies, hate my movies, I get it… But, if you haven’t seen my films, if you don’t know my philosophy about filmmaking, if you have not actually spoken to me, then how can you judge anything?
            And, this goes to the whole point of this piece… Sure, you’re just a screen name out there in the nowhere of cyberspace. You will never have to pay for your cyber crimes. But, no matter what moniker you use, you should be whole enough to know the facts about what you’re talking about before you ever spew your misunderstandings out to the world. In other words, BE MORE. For me, that is the key to life. That is how the people who have truly excelled and made a contribution to the world have done it.  Care enough to care. Learn the true facts. Go to the source and ask before you speak. Be more than someone who talks about someone else, go out there and create your own something.

Copyright © 2017 – All Rights Reserved

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Would Your Ever Make Another Roller Blade Seven? By Scott Shaw

 

By Scott Shaw


Here is an article I wrote a couple of years ago. As I have recently been asked this question several times I thought I would repost it here.

            “Would you ever make another Roller Blade Seven?” I get asked this question fairly frequently. In fact, as RB7 was recently named number twenty- seven of, “The One-Hundred Best B-Movies of All Time,” by Pulse Magazine, (thanks guys), I have been asked that question several times this week. Last year the question was asked a lot when I was named number ten on the list, The Best Movie Trash Creators on imdb.com.
            To answer, “Yes, I would.” In fact, I would love to make another film of that caliber. The problem is, what we did then, for relatively little money, would be very-very expensive to do today.
            Don Jackson and I made Roller Blade Seven and Return of the Roller Blade Seven for about thirty-thousand dollars. We shot it on 16mm and doing that, in itself, is not cheap. During the production our executive producer had us add extra, “Name Talent,” which wasn’t in the original deal. We had set the Name Talent standard at two: Don Stroud and William Smith. But, she kept getting new ideas so the money went out: Karen Black (RIP) was $3,000.00 and Frank Stallone was $6,000.00. Now, I was happy to work with both of these people, as they are both very talented actor, but they did cost money.
            More than that though, when we made RB7 it was a different time in the film industry. People wanted to be a part of something. So, virtually every person who was in the film, including myself, was paid no money for his or her participation. But, they were happy to do it. I mean if you look at some of the scenes, there were upwards of over fifty people in one shot. They were all great and very nice people. I say, “Thank you,” to each and every one of them.
            Also, we shot RB7 with no filming permits. We would simply go to the locations we had picked and film.
            It was a different time. You could do things like that. At one point, when we were shooting out in the desert, a sheriff’s helicopter landed to check us out. As long as we had no guns, which we didn’t, they were all good. They flew off and filming continued...
            Since 911, everything has gotten sketchy, however. It is much harder, if not impossible, to shoot with that many people with out getting filming permits, renting the location, and all that entails... Hell, it’s hard to shoot with even a couple of people nowadays. Which means, it would cost a lot of money to bring a film like RB7 up again.
            Now, RB7 was not without its problems. Though I wrote a long chapter about the production of the film in my book, Zen Filmmaking, I plan to write another article, “Roller Blade Seven: Darkness in the Light,” or maybe even an entire book on the subject about all the positive and all the negative things that took place during filming and post production of the film; including the fact, I was totally broke by the end of the production, so much so that I had to sell my 1934 D’Angelico New Yorker, just to survive. A guitar I have never been able to replace. And, that’s just one story... A lot of shit went down before, during, and after production. There are a lot of untold stories to tell…
            But... All this being said, people still watch and talk about the film and that is great! Many hate it, calling it one of the worst films ever made. Maybe... But, many also like it. They love the bizarre, psychedelic, abstract nature of the first Zen Film.
            In closing, “Would I ever make another Roller Blade Seven?” Sure, I would love to do another Roller Blade Seven. In fact, Don and I planned to do the next chapter as, Wheelzone Rangers. But, we got distracted and made other films; both individually and as a team and never got around to doing it. Then, he passed away and all that is left of the Zen Filmmaking team is myself.
            All this being said, if someone out there has the money, a lot of it, (I know I don’t), and would like to finance another bizarre wild ride into the Wheelzone, give me a call. I am willing and I am available. :-)

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Thursday, August 11, 2016

Making Something Out of Nothing By Scott Shaw



By Scott Shaw

            The world of filmmaking is something that is entered into by very few people. Yes, most everyone watches films and many have their opinions about the films that they have seen but few people have the creativity, desire, focus, and the fortitude to actually make a film. It is not easy.
            I often speak about how filmmaking was much harder and way more expensive a decade or two ago. Back then, before the digital revolution, everything was shot on film. And, when shooting on film you could never see what you had actually captured until that film was developed and put into a format where it could be viewed. Then, you had to sync the sound and edit the footage. All, very expensive. 
            The formula was, you could calculate approximately $1,000.00 a minute to shoot a 16mm film. As a feature length film is eighty-two minutes plus, you would basically calculate a $90,000.00 budget to complete an independent feature film. When we created Roller Blade Seven in 16mm for $30,000.00 it was quite an accomplishment and almost unheard of.  
            Then came the video revolution and next the digital revolution. People have now shot entire feature films, that have been shown on the silver screen, on their iPhone. Not only has filmmaking become exponentially cheaper, it is vastly more easily done, as well.
            All this being said, though filmmaking has become much easier and cheaper, still very few people step up to the filmmaking plate and actually create a feature length film. Yes, people talk and talk about the films other people have created. Some say, “They could do it better.” Some even state that, “Someday,” they will make their own. But, that someday never comes. All they do is talk.
            At the heart of filmmaking is creating something out of nothing. You have an idea for a film and then you find a way to get that film made both financially and technically. Then, you put together the cast and the crew and you actually create the vision that is your mind. Can you do that? Few people have.
            Here lies the essence of the arts. This is the factor that defines the true artist from those who all they have is their words.  An artist envisions their art, then they find a way to create their art. It is not easy. It takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of focused creative energy. But, once it is done, it is done, and art has been created. Loved or hated is not the sourcepoint of art. The creating of the art is the sourcepoint of the art and very few can actually do that. So, all we are left with is those who talk about the art others have created.
            Who are you? How do you live your life? Is your life defined by talking about the creations of others or is your life defined by creating your own art? Are you someone who can actually make something out of nothing?

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Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Film Reviewers: Fact or Fiction By Scott Shaw

By Scott Shaw

            Ever since I first got into the filmmaking game I quickly began to realize that a lot of the magazines and even the authors of books put out fiction and claimed it to be fact. This has really intensified at the point when everybody got a voice on the internet. You don’t have to have any credentials anymore, so all kinds of people began saying all kinds of things – many of which had absolutely no basis in fact.
            When magazines and books began to discuss my films, back in the early 1990s, I quickly realized that many of them did not check their facts at all! They were stating a lot of things about my films, their development, who did what, and why, and all the etcetera… But, they were totally wrong!
      I think most people do not realize this. They read what they read and instantly believe it. It’s in a magazine, it’s in a book, or even, it’s on a website – it must be true; right? No, many times it is not.
      And then, reviewers have gone on to misquote me and my associates; taking our words out of context, and then writing a whole piece about what we or I said in order to get their own point of view across and somehow gain validity for it by jumbling the words of their source. That is just hatchet journalism. And, I can say that with some authority as I have had well over a thousand articles published and none of my editors would ever have let me do that.
            I have long thought to write a piece titled, “Reviewing the Reviewers.” I am sure I will get around to that a some point.
      Perhaps the biggest fault of those who write on the subject of film is that they base what they write upon their own appraisal of a project. They are not so much presenting the reality of the film or of a filmmaker’s process but, instead, they write what they think about the project and then disguise it as a literally discussion.
            A few of the funny things that come to mind that authors and reviewers have gotten totally wrong about my films are: one author totally got the title of The Roller Blade Seven wrong in his book, “Blade of the Roller Seven.” One magazine article, said that the frog masks we used in Max Hell Frog Warrior were poor imitations of the ones uses in Hell Comes to Frogtown. In fact, they were the exact same masks! One author claimed that the Asia scenes in Undercover X were actually filmed in L.A.’s Chinatown. I guess he didn’t take the time to read the writing on the signs or view the license plates on the cars. That was Tokyo and Seoul! One of the funniest, at least to me, was one author in his book detailed that one of the lead characters in Killer: Dead or Alive was my wife. I’m sure the actress that played that part was surprised to find out that we were married.
      Those are just a few examples… It goes on all over the place.
      And, on the internet, oh my god! The totally wrong things that they write and say…
      Personally, I find all of this amusing. Some of my filmmaking friends are not so jovial as I am and get really upset.
      But, this is the reality of life. People say or write what they write from their own perspective. And now, in the digital age, Andy Warhol’s prediction has come to pass, “Everybody gets fifteen minutes of fame.” Some people just choose to gain theirs by reviewing and discussing the works of others. And, in many cases, they base what they say upon fiction, not fact.

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