Can I Talk Now?
Can I Talk Now?
Toy Alan, is an upcoming creative filmmaker with an award winning film, “Life Was Wonderful”
Toy Alan’s “Life Was Wonderful” (director /producer on a year tour to promote and network with an award winning film, “Life Was Wonderful”. To also find more opportunities in the business in all states)
⁃ Toy had a recent car ride across America to see his crew and talent during pandemic.
⁃ Toy Is trying his best to evolve to the new rules of film, tv, and web content.
⁃ Toy has award an winning film at festivals. Listen to what festival life is like during Covid?
Toy Alan :
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7173892/
toyalanwillard@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toyalan/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodfools/
https://www.toyalan.com/
Rahsun video on Facebook.
https://fb.watch/5AQ9AbTu0n/
Rahsun video on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/Gnsfg0wa2WM
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Instagram: @canitalknowpodcast
***"Can I talk now is an uncensored platform for others to tell their stories. Can I talk Now does not endorse or any of the interviewers beliefs or values"***
I would like to introduce you to Toy Alan.
What's up toy?
Toy.
What's up?
Yeah, I have the biggest smile on my face.
What's up, man, how are you? How's everything?
Good.
Good.
Put your hat on, put your hand on 'cause you know.
They can see us.
'cause this is?
This is.
Video, not really, it's audio, but you know.
I gotta get this. Her team, you know, like a lion now I met you through Jenny, my executive producer of the film and she hit you up.
Yes.
Uh-huh
She goes, you know what you gotta connect? You guys have the same energies and you guys will get along and you guys have a good chat and discuss some things and get into stuff.
That's.
That's what she said, yes?
And I was like OK, and after celebrating like first first 2-3 days and seeing some people here kind of got some rest so they were definitely set it up and get over.
He
Nice well yeah, but I'm glad I'm here doing this. You're your story is is interesting 'cause you know.
It.
During COVID you were out across country promoting your film to get things started. Where are you from?
Started.
OK, I'm originally from West Palm Beach, FL and went to a lot of different schools. I actually went to boarding schools and in Florida and Tucson, AZ and I also went to then College in Orlando.
OK.
Then I went to College in Nashville, and then I actually went to college Film School directing screen writing here in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Film School.
Me too.
How nice.
I got bachelors in directing screen writing, so I've been traveling for the past like 10-12 years.
Between Tennessee and LA back and forth, I was in LA for like 8 years so I just.
Pursueing Fillmore
Pursuing film photography, a lot of media acts I was working with a lot of musicians and we were actually hosting events.
Me too.
I was not a promoter, I was more of a host that host for for a while so I know how to accumulate talent.
Me too.
I know how to accumulate crowds. I know how to keep people in the same space so that history from where I'm from these different locations.
Huh?
Has allowed me to like, feel confident up to be where I am now or anything else I've been pursuing on in the future.
What made you shift from from the music to the movies?
I liked.
I wanted to be a part of movies I didn't know was gonna script right and I did work in videos and stuff and background stuff.
Arenas in Nashville and it's kind of like taking photos or biography artists and their journey, and that's someone else is love and it was not me.
I was like, I know I could take a good picture. I know he got good lighting and angles.
Uh.
Uh-huh
At studio work, I know how to do this, but am I someone who has a story? Do I talk about me?
Do I film me if I do the YouTube thing I was like I don't think I want to be that I.
Yeah.
I think I want to create this stuff and I don't want to just follow something. I want to create something and then.
Turn someone into it so it's kind of like having that pure creation like where's my white canvas and where can I paint on it?
So I think film is that canvas that I like to paint on. It transitions from me being photographer. I just imagine photographer since I was ten. I would be the only person at school who borrowed like the $4000 school camera.
OK.
And never bring it back.
And never bring it back for two weeks because I say I have this huge project and like I have I have.
Yeah.
It was so funny to like take it. They'd even know who who had it really just had the worst cataloging system.
And it was so much fun. So and then you know, learning that my photography was actually it's on point. Tell stories.
Huh?
Pictures, that's what films are. You still frame. You see in a picture it should look like it's a photo.
Like a tough
Film school What was that experience like? Since you already knew pretty much about how cameras operated early age?
So yeah, the only thing it gives you is that you do work with like teachers who were in industry and what they were bummed out about like not pursuing harder with and you learn, like all, they're kind of like that.
A a druggie comes in or alcoholic and he tells his story of like he should have put the bottle down. It's more of the opposite it's like.
Huh?
Huh?
Man, I should have picked the camera up more. You know, like something like that and it's kind of.
Yeah.
Kind of motivates you, 'cause then some of them are nice people and they're good jobs, but some of them are like man, I don't want to wind up here.
Huh?
You know, teaching and half the students here or just want to better tik T.O.K videos or some **** like that so you don't want that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I asked, I asked a ton of questions and they are insightful. I was just the top top annoying student. I would not not for the class, but for the actual, like asking the overall head question so.
Everyone else is because I wanted to learn like I was like I'm right here, I'm paying this yeah, I want to hear more and more. I want to annoy the **** out of you about film.
So did you do a lot of hands on projects you do?
You do like a film every month.
What was your first?
Film.
You may kick your own film off your iPhone in 5 minutes.
Huh oh OK OK.
But like I've made like probably like 30 films in the 2 1/2 years you're there. Damn but different.
You sometimes have the team with someone, sometimes you by yourself. So I think the best thing though they do teach like the business side thing pitching, but you're not gonna get that really on from online. You're actually talking to real people who have been executive producers who have options scripts if.
Huh?
If anyone is known this language, it's the property you own an idea and put it down in a treatment or a script or an idea.
You know whatever sheet then option it and then get it bought by studio and then have the studio find the cast and.
Bruh and then wait another 2-5 years, seven years, and then you finally. And then you get paid 1st and that's the main thing to hear here in the industry period. Screenwriter gets paid first.
Yeah.
And the director gets paid first direct, the first day he works, he gets paid his whole check. They fire him.
Direct to the first.
Damn.
That's a that's a the directors Guild. That's how they protect them. Fire him that day, go ahead. He's already taken care of.
Huh?
You pay him off, but so like it's hard enough to be that person though, so obviously to get that responsibility so you have to have a good head on your shoulders too.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I I see that as the attractive things like I'm starting the project and I hope to get it done and the end result and hope everyone trusts me.
Your film life was wonderful. Where did you make this at?
Yeah.
We were here CBS studios on the streets in LA before COVID. It was like the last weekend of February and the first week of March weeks of March.
OK.
Wow.
Actually.
Our first film, their first successful film day on the street. We had to reschedule because everyone still driving on the street.
Feet.
Obviously on a Friday, so we filmed on a Tuesday at like 2 in the morning because we needed and once we finished filming this fog came in.
M.
There's like this dense fog you couldn't see like 15 feet in front of you in the car you couldn't see St lights beyond.
On sunset or whatever, and it was eerie and like we're like, Oh my gosh, thank God we got the shots done and we're going home.
But anyways, that morning. Wake up Kobe helicopter, the fog. We were literally in that fog that night before filming in it.
Oh yeah.
Wow.
And we found out that was the same fog that got him, and we're like, Oh my gosh then the rest of the set was kind of like.
Kind of spooked out for the rest of the week or two, especially on CBS Studio.
Me.
Those and like then everyone like tagging up the you know set would or whatever like it was it was, you know everyone gave respect to that but it was just crazy and everyone was feeling the pain so it was a tragic start to a a film called Life was one and it was crazy.
Yeah.
Uh-huh
Yeah.
And then you resumed shooting that following week or.
Yeah, we had we had a schedule.
And CBS studios allowed us to shoot on Sundays so we actually shot during the Super Bowl 2.
Oh wow, yeah got lucky it's cold. It was.
Yeah, so if you.
Yeah.
Cold no one wanted shoot on CBS Studios that night, so like it was cold as windy and so many problems with lighting and so.
Yeah, tell me.
And we got through and got her shot. So which is struggle with LA is obviously the permits to just film legally on the street.
Yeah.
We had to go through a system with that, but I mean it costs a bit too like I mean, you know 10 grand to just do a lot of the technical stuff.
If you ever see the film you you say there's over 10 grand worth of permission almost for.
Huh?
Anything, So what was it film about film? Give us a quick little quick little email synopsis.
OK boom.
Oh so the film synopsis. OK, so the film. So this is actually, you're thinking OK, how long do you get?
Judged you know, like what is my genre, you know, am I making this easy for myself? Am I going to film two bedroom thing you know in this bedroom and the living bedroom?
Miss.
Yeah.
But now I was like now I'm going 8 locations I'm I'm going with psychological, more music in the head kind of stuff I'm going with, you know, not guns.
Uh-huh
Or too much car work? 'cause then then you have to have permissions and cops on the scene and stuff like that and you just gotta worry about that.
And I was like, you know, I don't want to make a cheap gun movie if there's a gun, I want explosion too, you know?
Yeah.
So I'm like, Nah, let's not do that. So like even like writing the script just coming up with the idea of like.
What's this film that I'm going to do so I did a film about to be responsible for your actions. This film is about how a guy who who just won.
Umm?
The Pulitzer for an article he did that destroys Big Pharma and now drugs are cheap and he travels across the country for a new job in LA. Work for this journalist company that the night he gets there he makes a big ask mistake.
Hmm.
Yeah.
He has to make a choice or to save his career or make a choice to ruin his life. So like as open ended as that you know you got this guy who has done great for the world.
Uh.
But then you know he does make a mistake and and the movie is the journey of that, so you know where you go from. Like being one of the most.
Hell.
For people in the world, all aspects you know just imagine send.
Mm-hmm
Drugs to other countries and you know, lowering the cost and making everyone live longer, and so there's like a lot of lot of stakes on that, right? So that's the only thing I want to kind of give away 'cause it started.
I need to see this.
Who was the lead actor in that?
His name is Paul Farrell. He's, uh, he's been in a couple of films. He was in a Ford versus Ferrari and.
Oh nice.
There's another like military film. I forget that which one come?
Huh?
But he was really good actor. He did great in that casting and the film is actually written with no work really, so there. So we did a practice at school where let's say you want to tell me a story, right?
Yeah.
Uh-huh
Well, you could tell a story through music, videos and stuff you just play shut, show by actions. So you gotta make it a film with no dialogue or action shots.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And they say this film about this guy waking up grabbing his toothbrush. You know getting ready for the morning, going to work, coming about, you know, was there a transaction?
Uh-huh
Was there Arc was there faults and whatever it be amazing if you could do that within 5 minutes.
Yeah.
And just actions.
So I wrote this script based on that. I wrote it all action just so there's like an impressive soundtrack in the background. Kind of like a silent film. You're getting to know the actions, kind of like that airplane, yeah?
Me too.
Kind of like that airplane going high.
I don't like that airplane and then you'll know this guy is in suburbia, yeah?
Ah.
So that I wrote it like that, and then I, and then I put the lines.
He
Then
That's really cool.
To just support actions that are not clear enough that like I don't wanna make this guy jump hoops, I want him to like say 2 lines or this actor says one line or two months and it's not a lot of directors or writers they'll they'll put all their thoughts in a film they like.
Uh-huh
And by the way, did you know that you can open a jar like this? And like it's like that director.
Only knows that idea. You know what that make my character just, you know, like no my character is interesting by their action. Kind of keep kind of making more sound friendly, more of like a music video style.
And then where? Where did that vision come from?
I just from probably they did. I also thought maybe it's probably.
From that
From Zelda
Really.
Because Zelda is a guy who doesn't talk or they link the character and my character doesn't speak back.
Yeah, yeah.
I was wondering like maybe I got. I was just wondering now the other day I was like so honestly I made it where the soundtrack drives the emotion so much.
Yeah.
Huh?
Maybe that's where I feel like 'cause you're in your character set you. You don't have to over exert the information over and over again. We're not dumb.
Just yeah.
The audience is not dumb. We using our eyes and ears and you can feel the rumble and stuff. I kind of made it with where I'm not making the audience dumb.
Yeah.
Concealed
Making the audience have fun, you know?
So did you have the footage and then dubbed the audio or you did it all?
We did, I scored, scored with the two composers, Marco and Alina. They're Italian and full on composers they have.
Whole string studio set up or whatever, and they they scored the whole film based on that cut by based on edit. So we did have kind of like.
That's crazy.
Of sample song or two. I knew that it was gonna be kind of like but we didn't use them. We were just inspired.
He fired one was fired by like Spiderman movie. Have you seen the new the the virtual one or the multiverse one?
Yeah.
Prowler Prowler has a soundtrack that's so sick I tell you it's so intense like he sounds like he's a predator and I just I was like, man, I really like this like electronic.
Yeah.
Uh-huh
Huh?
African animal sounds in the background and like it's freaking crazy. I was like you know what if someone was?
Me.
I mean, that's the music that would terrify me like they're they're just the the beast so.
Just take inspiration for something so that was at least a cue song then. But no, no music was done before the film.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We do the normal film schedule route of filmmaking, so no, no sample. Songs have a music video on.
And then COVID hit and then will happen. After that the film was already wrapped, right?
Well.
I think the film was wrapped like a week before COVID, so then I knew a lot of people who had no chance, no chance of doing what they wanted to do and they repaid permits and prices schedule.
Here.
You know, maybe put a down payment for an actor or actress you know, just destroyed a lot of people in in in that creative way and you have to go a different route.
But luckily I had it all my big GB trash can. I got like 20 quote, 20 terabyte, 20 terabyte trash can. And I was like Dang. I'm lucky. So yeah once editing.
Uh.
It took about six months to have a kind of dawn version.
OK.
And then.
When did you submit it into the festivals October?
October, OK.
And then, like I probably have the final cut December. So what happens is you enter in a festival. Yeah, you have a version with Phil Melt the festival ads actually happen. You got intern October and the festival happens in like next May.
It's like way it's like a half a year before.
So if OK, let me just title this if you are looking to go into the festivals with a film, a micro short one minute film, a 5 minute iPhone film or 4K film, they have 10 minute films at 15 and 30.
5th OK.
He
They have one that's like you know 30 and below 10 minutes you know. So between 10 and 30 minutes.
You know you could submit to these festivals 6 to 8 months ahead of time for like 20 bucks and just have the name and title and kind of like IMDb like it's in progress.
And then when the Film Festival comes up, you have to have at least done by that notification date, which gives you time.
It gives you like six months. It gives you like a a a mandate and then you can have a film but done by then you have then it kind of inspires people to go.
Yeah.
I just got the film done and then I go OK. Now I can submit. I think I had to submit like before Halloween all I submit it to like 30 festivals and probably submitted to another 40 before December.
Yeah.
Sure.
That means I submit. It doesn't mean I was accepted so, but I've recently it's probably been now like I don't know.
True.
22 festivals accepted.
I'm still waiting others I've been rejected by like 10-1.
It's a numbers game.
And yeah, I wanted nine festivals now and some of the festivals would win four more categories. Best film, Best Director, a sound score, best actor.
Yeah.
So from so from March.
To October you finished the film you started submitting.
Thing.
Around October, yeah.
'cause I had to finish. I didn't want to give.
Only pandemic, so then from November to March you took a journey across America.
Out anything, yeah?
Code would have and I was like. I'm like, uh, pay LA prices.
Hell no. I'm not gonna sit in this **** So I got in the car. I bought a car and I went to Atlanta, Florida, Alabama. Nashville next may.
Yeah.
He
When did you drive across country?
May 1st.
May 1st also you all and, uh, Wroclaw.
So I'm editing on the road I'm heading. I said I I downloaded hard drives, sent them out to different states, got to got to work with people on Upwork. Damn, I met a guy who's a sound producer actually in.
Meet cartoon.
Franklin, TN close to Nashville. That's where I live now. I lived mainly in Nashville, but the guy I worked with it did sound design.
Uh.
It sound mixing the most important part period of this of all editing and filmmaking. His name is Tim Parker and he works for Hulu and Netflix. You know, editing sound, trailers and stuff like that so.
Yes.
Huh?
He
Use a 30 minute drive for me every single moment, time and penny. I've hung out with him for I bought sandwiches and food and drinks and stuff I was like, listen, let's make it good.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So you were on the road getting this film completed.
Gone and yeah, I'm just going across country and I mean people so you know I can do it. And I, that's the number one thing you learn like I thought.
Damn.
Yeah.
You know, filming. When I was getting the team together, you're like wow, I can't do this alone, it's impossible.
Uh-huh
Impossible to do this alone. Yeah, it's impossible to be that everyone had. I had a good meeting with everyone.
Yeah.
I shook their hand. I go. I'm confident that you're gonna help me and do this right and I don't have to manage you ever know that didn't happen really not bad for the filming part, but I thought for that any part?
Umm?
That's nice.
I could probably handle a lot.
Knowing my stuff, but I was like for sound. I was like I I gotta put love in the sound I gotta give it to everyone else can't just shortcut it and that's the I think the number one reason my film even has relevance. Period the sound.
Yeah.
So you started off on your journey. You started off where no?
To drive across country you started off.
So LA.
LA2 who is in Arizona?
Go to Arizona, New Mexico.
Arizona is a Flagstaff says mountains and desert, then you go to New Mexico which is more.
OK and then.
No, I mean, as far as as cruwys or or help with the film, yeah.
Oh no, no I I didn't meet anyone in those states. No, no, no, no no no.
Oh, to help you oh I OK 'cause I I thought you went to each state.
I didn't like.
Listen this, my my journey was not like Dorothy and Wizard of Oz or like I go to another section of the world and I meet a tin man who's gonna video edit my film and then I meet I meet a cowardly lion who's gonna color grade it and then.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Who the hell is next in a scarecrow? Yeah, who does my sound off or thriller effects? The special effects? Oh my God.
Yeah.
That's what I thought I thought you drove across country to get your film.
Oh
Finished.
I got it. I got it to get it safe. How about that? 'cause I also meant it to a lot of music people.
Yeah.
A lot of sound and just inspired me more for the sound part and I like I say I can't emphasize it enough that the sound is important like so when you go to a theater, I don't think a lot of people thinking like.
Huh?
When you watch a movie, you're also living in a movie, so it's 50% sound 50% movie.
Yeah.
So I put a rule in my head saying no this movie is 40%.
Visual and 60% auditory. Like you, you want to enjoy it as a sound as much as the picture.
Uh-huh
So a lot of people just slack off and put like 10 percent 20% of their energy. I just don't want to do that, so make it a point and then I'm obviously in Music City too, so it's like.
Yeah.
If I don't give respect to sound and music and all that, then I feel like a fake.
Yeah.
You feel like COVID slowed up the process of completing your film.
Yes or no? I mean there's no rush. All these vessels are done.
Huh?
Also, a lot of festivals have like a year term like I I submitted and I technically started February 25th with a festival, so I can't technically submit to a lot of these other festivals after 25th February 25th next year 2022 because they only give you one year to.
Hmm.
Damn.
Yeah.
You have it on the circuit. It's not like you're putting out the same film every year, you know, compete.
Yeah.
I guess you could edit it and there's sub festivals that are open for two or three years. The main ones you want to do or whatever are usually a year so.
Yeah.
And then you got the film completed November 1st Festival you went to during COVID what was it? Is it?
Yeah it is in Huntsville TX like in the middle of nowhere Texas.
And I believe you drove there.
Yeah, 11 hours 11 hours of Jenny Jenny went with me. We were it was there was no one there.
Why did you drive? Why don't you just take a plane?
'cause?
Uh, I love playing.
Probably gonna make a film about how much I love planes too now. It's also I got the car. We're going to be there for four or five days. I drove a car here too so I can not have to.
Yeah.
Rent a car for three weeks.
Festival was in.
It's called Huntsville it's prison city, so there's just more prisons there. Wow, there's like four or five big prisons within the city, and we went to the theater there.
OK.
Wow.
Salvage.
That's was hosted by this family.
And we got really good friend friendly with them and I guess we were there the most in some sense there was like 200 two 150 people or.
Damn.
Is painted.
How was there restrictions for COVID?
And Texas is.
Open oh it was oh.
You had to wear a mask to get into place, but once you're in the place like pretty loose they were ratchet in. I mean, we went to this place called.
Uh-huh
Really.
Place called shenanigans.
And there's like 600 person plus place.
And it was packed.
It was packed, but it was. It still had so much room in it, like over 30 Pool day.
Yeah.
Tables the huge hunky tonk dance floor in another room with hip hop dancing floor. With polls he could swing on.
Uh-huh
I mean Texas is turned, I mean, and everyone everyone had their belt buckles and hats and boots. It was it was awesome and then we were obviously like Jenny.
Taxes.
If you know Jenny, which she looks like she's just gorgeous in and she's also articulate and she's like talks.
She's going.
Very different. She's like very professional and so like everyone meets us, I'm the weird space case cowboy here and she's like this fashion Al and then everyone like we do not.
Yeah.
We are enough from there and they knew everyone knew of each other in town and we just made so much friends outside of the festival itself so we look.
Uh-huh
Forward to like any festival, especially in Texas. I mean you can't hate taxes right now, they're they're. They're joined their freedoms here and there. How?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Weather
Did your film do it in that festival?
Good we got like 7 awards. Best film ashore. Best actor. Best sound. Best makeup.
Nice best film.
Nice.
Uh.
That's Soundmix best director.
Nice Congrats.
It's.
Hard to remember it like I didn't. I wanted overall, but then this film that had like a stranger things actor had it.
Huh?
Oh
But what happens is that want to give the overall a claim to a big.
They want to.
They want to give it to a big name because they want those characters or actors or or studios to come visit town to claim the awards. So there's a growing festival. It's been around for a couple of years.
Yeah.
Well, it's good to take home seven awards. Thorn cold fade the one coppit that's that means it's a good.
Yeah glass yeah during COVID.
Film yeah and then.
Yeah.
Some come online certificates, some have glass. You have to order some. You know I'm looking forward to the physical ones and that's why we're here in L.
A just in case he gave attention to the crew, I'm handing out some posters and stuff that they have, and I have a poster I'm making everyone sign. Just give awareness like give, give, give attention to the IMDb.
Huh?
Would even take a headshot for like a couple of actors or extras.
'cause I'm a pretty good camera man. I'm like just get yourself on IMDb and start your career. You know if L is got me back up, I want to help you like I'm not here to slow you down. I'm here to progress. So reach out to me. I got a car I'll drive you.
Any?
Yeah.
Gonna do with screening.
Huh?
No, now the well here not here, but it made me in Nashville. I've had couple screens in my place.
No.
Please.
The Nashville Festival, which has been around for 54 years, Natural Film Festival. That's a big one that will be happening in October.
Nice.
I'll be with her son. We just did the interview with the wing Chung Kung Fu Master. We're going to go to New York for the first two weeks of June.
There's International Festival. We're in there. Tribeca will be there too, like we just got saved by Dumbo. That's New York.
Nice.
Or do you want to see this film progress too?
Mainstream theaters, where's your vision you want?
No, it's it's just it's.
No, it's it's just.
The cautionary tale and it's just to show my talent. Show my talent that I worked mainly and then show that I got this done a certain time during a certain period and a lot of focus to do it.
Uh-huh
And I can't wait for the next project like that's literally it. Like it's not more complicated than that. I I think this story is just a story I made for this short.
Yeah.
Version.
There is other short scripts I wrote. Or are there bigger stories?
I have. I mean, if I'm being completely honest about it.
Be honest, my show is about honesty. OK, come on now.
It's like you know it's to show like this is what I could do in this amount of time. This amount of money.
You have to be a bigger check for budget. You're just going to get just as much effort energy, hopefully with better resources. We can chew better products.
What, what camera did you shoot on?
We shot Ari and Ari Mini and Alexa Mini and then Ursula.
OK.
Mm-hmm
In the black magic.
So so couple different ones 'cause there's difference. It's not fun to mix cameras, but we had different cameras for cars.
Magic.
Yeah.
Huh?
That's why for car shots, 'cause we had a moving car, scenes and everything, so that's really hard to do legally. And but we had no one at night. We had permits.
Hey.
And I think we didn't care. At some point we didn't care because like because then like we were like, OK, we're gonna shoot the footage.
Like
That we thought was skeptical were like how hard they could come down. It's like they're going to come down hard in us if someone got hurt.
Of course, maybe, but then we got the footage. Now we're in editing and we're like, can we show this in the first cut? Do producers or anyone who's like?
Yeah.
Uh-huh
Worried about it and and and then COVID?
Or like up too many things to worry about. Besides guys filming in cars. So I mean, who cares now?
Yeah.
Yeah.
So like that caution went out the window, you're allowed to shoot in Elaine legally. You're out of three people.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm
Your letter about light guy. You're allowed to have someone hold a fire extinguisher. Someone hold the camera and then you have that subject.
OK.
That's good to know, but.
Once you get bigger than that, then they start worrying about taking up space and sidewalk and stuff like that.
So you're allowed to have that three man crew, and normally, like I said, the fire extinguisher that's like your everyday safety pack that you have to have, like you have. Also your Med kit or whatever, so that around you most likely would be Wheeling a card.
Yeah.
Huh?
On the sidewalk, and you can still do that legally without permit. You just can't be there long. You can't stop traffic and you might as well just do it for like a sunset.
Yeah.
You know off the beaten path kind of Rd here in Lai wouldn't do it. You know on a hilltop with traffic you know everything that there is definitely those streets you know you could find town somewhere.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Especially at night, if you could just find your own lighting, but we can't. We wanted to get in the middle of the road.
Uh-huh
We were not going to be on the sidewalk so you got to take different precautions with that.
Hmm.
Because we're filming subjects, we're not slowing down traffic or anything, but we're just making.
Sure we do the right thing. It's your latest project you got coming up or in the pipeline.
Uhm, so you interviewed my friend Rusun Hurkle.
Uh-huh
I've been working with him on a documentary, kind of like put a teaser trailer out, which by the way I'll share it with you if you want to put it on.
Yeah, put it on so nice.
Yeah, I'll give it to you. Drop it to you somehow.
Yeah, put it in my description.
So we did a trailer teaser for the thing that we were going to film last June in New York. You know, Ground Zero basically of COVID and it just turned out we couldn't do it so.
Oh
Now we're going to this June. While we're doing the festival, so we have something to do in between all this stuff, so I'm going to go interview friends and so riffs undoes Kung Fu any.
Nice.
It's a story of a man. I would say if I was filming it putting together at the end would be how is a a Brooklynite survived Brooklyn? What's his tail and start?
How does he go from there to an Oriental Chinese art form?
Yeah.
And then travel the world and have a different life than others from where he's from. And and you know, was the path right?
Was there risk is there that should it influence people? Should everyone go get jobs? Should everyone get that minimal job at Burger King or should you know like what is the options in life? I think that's a big.
Huh?
Thing I show and then like you know, going from Brooklyn to having your name and printed on a Chinese Shaolin temple or like attorney, you know like someone wanted your name in someone other country on a temple like.
That's amazing.
That's respect, yeah, that's awesome. So it it sold me so every time I hate with it, I just feel I feel powerful that I'm like in a good Sir. Yeah, Oh yeah, Oh yeah, he always.
Me too.
And you feel protected.
He always makes a joke. He always makes a joke like I don't think he's making a joke. I think we just sometimes like we walk into a scenario, go like alright just so the purpose is like I gotta pass only you are my security he goes alright I'm game.
Yeah.
And he'll play cool, and he'd say his name and everything. But you know he'll be like no, I don't go without him, OK?
Yeah.
Trees.
Special property he does. Another raises fists. I do so and he's cool **** I love and so I got to know him for many years I've done for like 8 years now so and I knew him.
Huh?
Oh wow.
I just didn't know a lot a lot about the Kung Fu, but now I know a lot about it.
Huh?
I know a lot about it for the past, like 3-4 years now, but he's been a great friend.
It was like every other so.
Has he been in any of your your projects other than this?
He was in. He was in life was wonderful.
Huh?
He plays uh.
Homeless man that actually gets the better end of a cop. He whips and cops ask basically.
And then, but he's in the documentary I'm doing the documentary on him, but that's it talking about this other script.
And.
I got your six minute pitch sort so this one. This six pager would be something I'd be like. Yeah, I want to do the bigger version of this.
Hmm.
So instead of.
What the film I? I know, I just kind of describing the film I the film I'm winning awards on.
I'm like now we don't need to make this movie. You need to make another movie. I trust me on that.
Trust me on this and it's like so we want to maybe do the six minutes. Kind of.
Yeah.
Like a fight between brothers.
But there's like intense trauma between these two, like there's definitely like that. Holy gosh, this is a terrible situation, like.
I would all.
Feel bad for both of them and then like man you, you're like you get why both of them are fighting each other, so you might help coordinate that and put that together so nice.
He's
Who played the Better Joker Ledger?
Joaquin.
Uhm, probably Joaquin, really. I think Keith played.
He didn't have a transformation, so he played the same person. He didn't evolve, he didn't open arc. We watched the Joker movie he evolved from.
Miller
He has a starting point. In an end. He have a reason.
Miller
He has stakes. What's at stake is his sanity and his livelihood, and his job, and he loses his job.
He loses his identity for as his mother son.
And then, like.
There's just so much loss and then the visuals of them film two is great because what happens is.
The Joker this is because it's two different directors. No one is very good at camera work, but I think, uh, who directed the Joker hangover?
I'm not doing justice here right now, so no, he studies more character and he he allowed Joaquin to do what he wanted.
Oh
Todd Phillips
But, uh, the coolest part. About if you watch Joker, so the symbolism of every time he gets off work.
Tries to do something in the beginning of.
Home.
By the way, helicopter helicopter helicopter yoyo.
Helicop there we can't edit that out.
We are outside. We are outside. If you guys wonder, yeah in the garden.
Yeah.
This is the interview in the Guardian.
Have anyone heard an LA helicopter ruin a shot? It's right here.
Yep.
Has that ever happened anyway? OK no, but like weapons in Joker you watch.
The camera angle of when he gets off work or whatever he has to climb up these stairs, barely getting up every step he's trying.
It's barely.
It's.
To get up in life, he's trying to get to that next level. He's always climbing. He's always below, and it's just this unsatisfying climb. He's just dreading it anyways.
Uh-huh
Umm?
Needs extra elevator up to his place. He has to climb up on stage. He just there's a lot of climbing anyways boom.
Uh-huh
At some point in the film, without ruining the spoilers, he finally becomes, he just accepts it puts outfit on, takes the elevator down town to hell.
Basically kind of feel that elevator closes touch and then what does he do instead of struggling to go uphill? What does he do? He dances down the same staircase.
He dances to his descent to his now his new form his. His trickery. His life doesn't matter. Life is pointless.
Umm?
Uh-huh
My life is a joke and his madness has shown through the dancing. He struggled and not happy trying to get up in life. No, he's delirious.
Uh-huh
And happy, and he's going to enjoy the rest of it, even if it is 2 seconds and you see it on the staircase.
And.
That's a symbolism to me. And then it happens a lot in the film. Every time he wins a victory, he goes downhill every time he wins he he does something going down and and and I'm just saying like that's what I see as being the better Joker is he took that madness.
Yeah.
Huh?
Yeah.
From being wanted to now being, I don't care if I'm not wanted and then I'll say people want him so and how they organically made his like Henchman.
Yeah.
Uh-huh
You know, like there was no like, you can always think about how you make Henchman. How do you like? How does dark Mr Freeze or.
You know, Penguin, like how do they get all these crooked evil people to wear the same exact outfit, you know?
Yeah.
And they have no names, and they have no health care plan. And like, there's nothing to you know. There's nothing back story there.
Me too.
So like Todd Phillips Joker like they really filled that in pretty well to show the city and it was really cool how they organically made him have a posse is cool, is cool **** so.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think it was.
I think the the Joker so good it's such an awesome character 'cause you know you you want to watch someone who do something you will never do.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's where you watch it. That's why you watch stuff though.
True, yeah.
Yeah.
Someone slapped you in a supermarket.
What are you gonna do? You're gonna walk away no this that's why you're watching this YouTube video. This person just got slapped in the supermarket. Guess we're about to do they're.
Gonna see this first, yeah?
Sweet twisted tea.
Straight to the face.
See.
And you're like, holy crap and you're gonna buy that product.
So good that that was good. That was dirty.
So you that yeah?
We we want to watch what we would never do. It's like watching another movie about someone go on a date I I'm not I'm not impressed I'm like.
Mm-hmm
Uh-huh
Right?
Well, why not go on a date and.
You're going to die in an hour. You know we can do on that date. Yeah, you never.
Are you going to order a salad or are you going to just get straight to dessert?
Where do you see yourself in the next five years or hope to see yourself?
Very employed, very employed, very too busy, very too busy, very, very and very very could be something. I just hope I hope we do good. I hope we get out of this. I hope we come. We all don't underestimate physical and interaction.
Please.
We already got Prowed now with their technology.
You know, we already know how to get along. Talk to each other. Now we need to get back with each other again and and not not get used to this.
OK.
'cause then 'cause then that'll be the future. 'cause especially for kids. Especially with schools and stuff, imagine if.
Like you had to go from 6th grade to like 10th grade like online.
I would hate it.
It would be terrible. Yeah, like all this random stuff you were supposed to. Yeah, have a problem, mistake with or learn or whatever.
Yeah.
You would never. You would never do it. Your parents would just call you dumb or right or wrong. You're never like, alright I think I'm right and then I'll say you're wrong like how to like?
Uh-huh
Yeah.
Gotta have that innocence shattered when you go into the boys room and you see someone incident you shouldn't do you like hey, I made this adult responsible choice to not do it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But then you'll see me do it and they're like, OK, well, that guy guys doing it. Yeah no. There's no those experiences anywhere.
So.
Now it's becomes more sheltered than when you're in the real world. You know you're not like someone like her son. You know you're not gonna have your fists up and you're not going to.
True.
You know what to say or do so true.
We need teachers and then to be on our own families and home.
They're all people, not people.
Any advice for any upcoming film makers you'd like to give?
Uhm?
Study Joseph Campbell, hero thousand faces your film maker who wants to learn how to write. Good story. You have to know that book.
If you're an actor, you need to know that book.
If you're a person who wants to be coherent with music making, you need to read that book.
That guy is literally my profit and the idea is that he just tells how people from all around the world have have vitalized heroes and wrote about them or song about them or made plays about them. Or puppet shows about them, not these heroes and people that we want to tell tales of.
Well.
Tale could be about Muhammad Ali or Malcolm X or Martin Luther King. It could be also about a president's rise and fall. It it just shows the arc and story type of how people.
Perceive and love stories. And usually there's a hero, and the hero could be any person.
Any care?
Any character when you watch that story or go on that journey with that story.
You always put yourself in there. You always say, hey, I was out here.
Bro.
In this situation, what would I do? And you have to raise the stakes and make sure like what this journey go on is gonna leave everything from behind that you were you knew before and you know you're going to become a different person.
You're you're leaving your adolescence, and now you're going into this journey of like understanding. Am I going to fail or not? You don't know when you enter that.
Learn if you're going to fail or not, like with any business venture, anything you do you do not know you're going to win or not. You're never giving the winning Lotto tickets, so there's a lot of.
Identity there's a lot of examples in that book.
I would tell everyone you have to read that you have to see it.
You go, you go listen to 7 hours and talks about it.
Huh?
And diagrams and kind of breakdowns on YouTube. Just look up Joseph Campbell's 1000 pieces.
What about, as far as actually coming here and getting an experience here?
So, so that's that's one thing, just to know how.
How?
Storytelling works now if you want to film it or you want to act in it.
Uhm?
Don't be afraid to have good sound equipment and a good camera and.
Audition on cameras to send to people. Audition with a person. Go back and forth if you want to film.
You want to filmmaking that like, that's why I'm saying like instead of being in the room feeling like you have to be in LA, you could do that.
Just make sure it's quality. Make sure you do multiple takes. The best part about sending in that video is you could do multiple takes.
Huh?
You get nervous your way in that hallway for the acting audition I could you late, your your, your bad hair day. A pimple popped up you know whatever you have all those.
Yeah.
Excuses but.
You know when you video you send in, they're going to go through. They're not going to not so and then go hard like just go hard. Don't? They'll be boring, be interesting. I I know good advice from Samuel Jackson for auditioning.
Umm?
Uh-huh
Come into a room he goes. This is how I act and every scene he goes I come into a room and I do my part and when I leave.
Good.
I make everyone want to leave with me.
Hey.
I don't care what it is. I don't care if I'm a nervous Nancy, I'm looking for my dog. It's obviously not in this office.
This.
But you're thinking damn this office is really boring and it has nothing going on. But I want to follow that character out of the room.
Huh?
That's how you should act when you walk into an audition. So we're I want to see if that guy finds his pen.
Huh?
Like what if I came in? I was a nervous Nancy and I did my whole script like why do you have my pen? I've been looking for the same for like 20 years like I can't find it.
Yeah.
So many years and then like on the way up like, by the way, I'm serious like sorry this ruined out but if you find that.
Then let me. I'm going to go outside and turn some chairs around. I don't care if I get in front, people get in people like I'm gonna go.
Yeah.
I'm talking too much. I gotta find this man. OK, see you guys later they go man, that guy is really nervous. I got you did a really good job see him be nervous out there too. He's being funny.
Really, really.
So then that's how you get a role. I would say just go in. One of them will follow you out.
Be in character the whole time. Make it with yourself, but they're going to be lowly confident that you come in and come out being being interesting. You didn't leave it with nowhere.
Huh?
Huh?
Added to it alright for filmmaking. I I heard advice if you want to direct you should write because then you have charge of your script.
If you work with a partner who did wrote, write, write a script, and then you're the head of all of it and you want to have your artistic idea, it's a little complicated so.
I think it's a lot easier to be a writer and director than to sell a writing, because then you get super attached.
You start putting in rules. You start putting percentages, paperwork and and you're just never. I feel like it's almost impossible.
Uh-huh
It's it's I think it's possible when you finally do your first script and then you're going through your agents that are giving you good name and then like you know then you're getting offers no matter what, but like.
Uh-huh
First time writing and directing you. You're better off having charge of the your whole story. Instead, we have to go back to a writer and change the dialogue and making the version and stuff. So make it simple. You should know how to write your director, but weirdly.
Uh-huh
Yeah.
You know, Steven Spielberg doesn't really write, he writes it with George Lucas for the Raiders. Indiana Jones.
Uh-huh
But he's normally just a producer or director of these stories, and he's just.
While he's directing, he can make choices and change lines here and there, but he does stick to the script, so I, but if you're getting into it from Natale filming, I just say make something us Web Series movie short.
Huh?
Huh?
Music, video, whatever and then have all the stats next to it.
Ready for that next meeting? You meet someone if you want to progress in the world, be like you know what I made. This three minute music video.
With like 8 locations.
8.
And with two grand and I had these hookups in town, yeah, that's what I could do. But this was for this particular video and I want to do more.
And and what else you got going for me? You get the next job just showing that rate. Whatever you want to have someone talking middle for you.
But main part is like just show what you did last, proud of it and go to the next thing, yeah.
Yeah.
Maybe?
Have fun making that next project like just be curious and all.
Easily show confidence in both realms if you want to be an actor or filmmaker show, show the confidence that you're the person to trust.
You're not going to be the crazy ******* on set that demands 20 million things when you are Nicolas Cage.
You go after I guess, but like be humble, be happy, be respectful and and know it's a a good opportunity and just let them have confidence in you.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Never be late, never be. There would be a hassle. Never be a problem. We only talked about on set because of performance.
Or your integrity or your work ethics.
Nothing else.
Why thank you so much, ladies and gentlemen, that was Toy Alan. Thank you toy for being here. Make sure you guys look at the description down below.
Yeah.
I'm going to put the teaser for his trailer for Life was wonderful so you guys can check that out as well as his Instagram and all that. If you guys got questions about filmmaking if you want.
Music video to be shot or anything, anything about anything. Just hit up toy toy. Thank you again man. This is a podcast can I talk now and make sure you guys subscribe like comment and thank you Toy.
Hell yeah.
Right?