No Crystal

It's pretty hard to determine if a rep is being honest when they say they've spoken to their client about your project -- but apparently Crystal is not interested in doing any TV work or acting. Her rep says she's quite happy doing as much modelling as she can, as that's what makes her happy. That's the story he's going with.

Hey, to each, her own. I'm looking for a woman who's interested in acting as a role model for other women, which is a serious responsibility. Disasterous if treated lightly. But -- for a girl who's gone on the record (AND many tv programs) to talk about her past eating disorder and the plus-size modelling world changed her life....her "answer" is a bit suspicious.

In the end, I never wanted this to be a celebrity-driven story. But, I do wonder if my request ever actually made it to Crystal and if she's making any decisions on her "gigs" herself...

Tatyana

COOL, GENUINE PEOPLE MAKE ME HAPPY

Three Weeks In...

Three weeks fly by so fast...

So I have a couple more days with my researcher Anna, and I'm soooo tempted to see if we can have her on for a bit longer. I realize that part of this is because I am addicted to hunting. Sniffing out leads and digging for stories...thinking that if I don't keep going, if I don't peek around the corner or see what's behind the next door I'll miss the greatest find known to storytelling.... Obssessive, I admit. But often there are great rewards. We'll see if we can extend research a bit longer...

Locations and trips are beginning to come together. Some areas that I thought in my initial planning would reveal great characters have not (Texas, Atlanta)...and others that I didn't consider are (South Carolina, Las Vegas).

Things I learned this week:

- Language barriers never get easier to handle and perhaps I should learn a bit of Portuguese
- Italians (just like the Greeks) are on vacation pretty much all of August
- Americans still get confused when they get a call from a Canadian filmmaker. Not quite sure why. I had one man last week say "How are you gonna research and find characters from all the way up in Canada?" Sigh.
- Celebrities are more carefully guarded than I ever thought.
- this is really shaping up to be a great project!!!

Onwards I plug...
Tatyana

Did you know...

That Americans don't use the word "bum" or "bum-bum" to represent the posterior?
Who knew? Of all the words for the buttocks, I truly love "bum" best because it's playful, not crude.

So:
America= Ass"... or more commonly "Butt"
Canada= "Bum" or "Bum-Bum"

The things I learn...

Tatyana

Tassles, Titties and Tushes...

Friday marked the end of my first official week of development....and my first ever burlesque show. Ok, I should clarify. I went as a SPECTATOR. I'd first heard about burlesque last year (I know...I know...I've been living under a rock)...and since then I had strategically been avoiding seeing a burlesque show.

Why?

Originally this documentary was envisioned as my personal journey. As in, my journey to see how women across North America feel about their butts and to seek out the women who celebrate what they've got in the "back". So I knew burlesque would be highly empowering and I wanted to save that moment for when the cameras were rolling. How genuine of me, huh?
But then I decided I'd love to weave the stories of three unique, empowering characters rather than myself. So... off I went to my first burlesque show.

It was Toronto-based troupe "Skin Tight Outta Sight" at the Gladstone. The theme was Tiki Tease. I got there a bit late and the self-proclaimed tranny host was already revving up the crowd.

The show itself was fun. I was surprised to see a guy performing as part of the troupe -- don't quite know why. But his enthusiasm, if not his dance moves, were inspiring. The three girls I did see (well one i think was also a transexual and probably had the most riveting style of the bunch) were really great. Pussy CaloWhora (sp) was very Vegas showgirl... Coco La Creme like a curvalicious fairy tale character... and tthen there was Lena Love. Can't find the words to describe but it was all ultra-modern, slick, and the movements like a blend of ballet, martial arts, and i suppose maybe "Blue Man Group"? I was spellbound.

The kicker -- Michelle L'Amour -- she of "the ass that goes POW" fame was supposed to be the guest act, couldn't attend. I was waiting to see this so called ass trick she does.

The reason she couldnt make it? Because she had just moved on to the next round of America's Got Talent! Yep, Brandy was revolted...but Michelle in her Snow White Stripper-esque styles prevailed! So I lost my chance to meet a perfect candidate for the film.

After a few hours -- the intermission and the alcohol made me woozy -- it was time to call it a night. I believe I missed one more performer -- but I felt that I got a good sense of the event. It's all in good fun -- choreographed but not regimented, playful not perfect... a great night out for a bunch of friends.

But now I'm looking to see what sets the hundreds of other burlesque troupes across North America apart...

Any thoughts or perspective... let me know!

Tatyana

The impact that is MURDERBALL

I don't know how I managed to not see this sooner. But this doc is by far the best one I've seen in a long time. And with the most lasting impression.

Kudos to MTV -- for finding a topic that could potentially be very sensitive (quadriplegics) and bringing it to an audience that might never have sought it out!

Where to start -- first off: phenomenal characters! How can Zupan not stay in your memory for a long time.

Next, the entire opening is so well-paced and gets you up to speed so quickly and with so much style. It was a whirlwind of characters, info, shots....almost left me breathless but got me very pumped. Very few docs have done that for me right from the start.

Also, the conflict is introduced right away. Canada vs US -- AND Zupan vs. Soares.

But, I still can't get over the access - namely how on earth the crew got a camera (and themselves) into the operating room when Joe Soares had a heart-attack. It's not like you pre-plan that sort of access. Nor can I picture myself muscling myself into a situation like that.

Also blown away about how necessary it was to have one character who recently became quadriplegic (Keith?). I felt he was introduced at just the right time... far enough in that we were focused on the strong, determined, not-that-much-different-then-us murderball guys and their journey but just in time to show just how far the murderballers really have come. Also, a smaller point. The fact that he's young and was injured doing motocross (at an age when most guys are invincible) is a subtle lesson and warning. At least to me it was.

Again, access is incredible here. It must take a majorly sympathetic and warm director to let a character to allow every struggle in his rehab, from the visible shame of having to be picked up and moved from a bed to a chair to the frustration of trying to un-Velcro his shoe for several minutes. Also, scenes like that were very selective -- just enough to let us feel his pain and struggle, but not enough to let the doc spiral downwards and take on a depressing tone.

Love that the topic that every MTV-gen guy is thinking (but might not have the guts to ask) is also addressed. Sex. And it's tastefully done. Almost humorous...

Also can't get over the scene when the Murderballers came into the rehab clinic to show the guys what they could have to look forward to. A tad bit stagey, but worth it.

My favourite moment in the entire doc: when the little boy from the camp waits his turn to talk to Bob, (you can tell he's been rehearsing this question and just dying to ask it) "how do you eat pizza with your elbows?" Sheer documentary genius -- an innocent child's question, the response on his face when he sees his question answered before him... and Bob's satisfaction as he sees how the child has reacted. Folks, you can't PLAN this sort of gold!

Loved the ramp-up shots...the handheld cam, the music.... ok so I loved the ENTIRE doc...

Except for the end. What I thought was the final sequence (the Paralympic Games) was building beautifully - great shots (every cutaway looked like it was picked soooo meticulously), music and event audio... then they lose. Which is fine -- it's reality. We've gotten to know them so we don't feel ripped off. It's also a documentary, so no one expects a happy ending. So it feels like they built this extra short scene at the end where the team is doing a workshop (with Army recruits?). Felt so unnecessary and like the filmmakers would hope this would bring the mood back up. It's reality. Everything in the doc this far has appeared to be naural and real. But again, my only qualm with an otherwise spectacular film.

I can't wait to watch the directors' commentary and extra features on the DVD....

Tatyana

TAKE ME ON A JOURNEY...

I've always been a huge documentary fan and find that lately I just can't seem to consume enough of them! Fortunately, I live near an amazing video store called Videoflicks that carries so many titles, especially ones that have done well at Hot Docs. It never ceases to amaze me just how many ways directors play with the genre.

I have seen a good number of "survey" docs on interesting subjects (including several on body parts!), but I still find myself a big fan of the "cinema verite" style. Perhaps it's because I entered the industry during the age of Reality TV? But even more so, I remember back to my experiences filming on SWAP-TV (a show I co-created with a group of my Ryerson classmates). This series has left a life-long impression on me. Being able to witness the incredible and genuine emotions of children as they explore worlds they never knew before brought me so much satisfaction. It allowed me to realize the power of documentary to reach out to an audience.
And of course, I was honoured that I was able to go along for the ride and share in their discoveries.

MTV's had an impact too. I recently completed a contract with the Canadian channel -- a place that holds verite filmmaking in high regard. Though I worked exclusively on the series "Diary" (a "day-in-the-life" style documentary, narrated in first person by a celebrity), it was the series "True Life" that most left an impression with me. We were able to obtain episodes from the US and watching this award-winning series made me realize how much documentary (and telling the stories of my generation FOR my generation) was important to me. The show is shot intimately and often gritty with no fancy editing or slick narration or graphics. And yet the characters are so well selected that the journey the viewer is able to go on with them is often an incredibly powerful one.

So my challenge now is to find characters that not only celebrate the beauty of the butt, but are at a point in their lives where we might follow them on a new journey or towards a turning point. It's a tall order, considering how many women have contacted me to share how they've ALREADY acheived success or experienced influential events. I don't just want to sit my characters down and hear in interviews what they've already experienced -- I want to share in the experiences with them as they unfold. This is the type of story I'm compelled to tell. And... it's going to be a ton more work to locate those special subjects... But then again, I never was one to take the easy route...

Tatyana

WHAT A ROLE MODEL!

I'm sure there are regulations about posting copyright pics but I'm going to wait until I get my wrist slapped to learn them.

I must say, researching asses has been fun so far, but has always proved challenging on the WWW. It's true that you can type anything in a search engine these days and get tons of porn related links back. So you can only imagine what happens when I search "ass" or "booty" or "bum-bum"!

Occasionally though, the net comes through. I discovered this young lady. You may have seen her spread in a recent issue of Glamour. Her name is CRYSTAL RENN and she is a GODDESS. The picture of her backside has inspired me and I've made it my mission to find her and gauge her interest in my project.

Apparently she overcame an eating disoder as a teen (while modelling, surprise suprise) and finally let her body take on it's natural shape. She's been a hit in Europe and especially Milan.

A wicked role model at 18 nevertheless.... Where were girls like this when I was a teen?

Enjoy!

Tatyana

INSPIRED BY THE ASS

It feels like an eternity that I came up with this idea. It was last summer -- I was driving with my good friend. In the passenger seat, I'm always an active observer. I watched a gal walking along the sidewalk, wearing tight jeans that showed off her ample bottom. A young guy passed her by, oogling her and finally stopping in his tracks as he watched her in amazement from behind. I'm sure something was said, but I couldn't hear. I could easily fill in the blanks though -- we've all heard our share of complimentary (and sometimes even creative) comments from men! But for me, it was all in the stunned expression on this man's face.. and the extra bounce in the gal's step that followed.

I kid you not, minutes later Six Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back" came on the radio...and my idea was born. There have been many points in my life where I've been in similar situations to the girl above. In fact, I went through a big portion of high school confused about my figure and why it attracted the attention that it did.

It's a hot topic, for sure. And one that is near and dear to me. I am excited at the chance to put my name on a great project as a director. It's a great and scary leap for me, career wise. I'm thrilled at the experiences ahead and the people I will soon meet....

Tatyana

DEVELOPMENT!

After a year or so in "development" on my own (looking for partners and financial contributors) I'm happy to say my first one-hour documentary is officially in development with a major Canadian network - W Network!

Wow, it feels like it's taken a great deal of time and effort to make it here, and yet, as those of us in the biz know, the journey has only just begun.

I'd like to share my trials and tribulations along the way -- and hope for wisdom, opinions and guidance from like-minded folks.

I've teamed up with an established documentarian who is my executive producer, Barbara Barde at UpFront Entertainment (I could definitely use some guidance!) and a researcher is starting in a few days!

Oh and by the way, the title is definitely a "working" one. With all the bum expressions, pet names and puns out there, even the name of this project is going to be challenging! It has to be just right....