Lippman Finishes Post on his Film
LMGA MEMBER ED LIPPMAN FINISHES POST PRODUCTION ON HIS FEATURE FILM
Location Manager Ed Lippman has put the finishing touches on his feature film “Divertissement: Everyday Dancers Stories”. He had a preview screening at the American Film Institute on May 20th and is now starting to submit “Everyday Dancers” to film festivals. The film was just accepted to its first festival in Cincinnati, Ohio on the weekend of July 14th.
“Everyday Dancers” follows 5 amateur ballet dancers ranging in age from 40-61, as they prepared for and then took part in a
grueling, adult only ballet intensive held in August, 2005. These adults overcame significant obstacles to pursue their dream of dance. Most came to ballet late in life, each after 30, an age most professional dancers consider retirement. Along the way they encountered emotional, social and physical obstacles. How they confronted these challenges and how their lives were changed became a universal statement anyone in mid-life or confronting a life change can understand.
Producer/director Lippman says his film is really about second chances. “There’s a huge difference between being given a second chance and giving yourself one. These women went out there and did something for themselves and had these remarkable transformations as a result. It’s much more powerful and personal when it comes from yourself.”
Financed largely by a creative use of Lippman’s personal credit cards and donations from family and friends, “Everyday Dancers” was a major undertaking. Costing almost $85,000.00 for principal photography and post production, Lippman estimates it will cost an additional $44,000.00 in marketing and film festival expenses. Here are just some of the logistics that went into filming.
• Dancers participating in the film: 23
• Number of cities visited: 10 cities in 6 states
• Two digital formats used in production: Beta SP & Mini DV
• Hours of footage shot: 254
• Time taken for production: 2 years, 1 month
• Time for post production: 7 months
• Camera Crews: 16 crews over the course of principal photography
• Crews shooting the final performance: 6
• Miles flown: 27,000
• Days cars rented for out of town travel: 49
• Total nights spent in hotels: 87
• Number of days Lippman crashed on friends couches: as many as he could
Lippman observes, “One thing I learned in the production of this film is that we as location managers have a valuable skill set often overlooked because it’s easy to get boxed into “being” a location manager, just finding a place to shoot and park the trucks, etc. I sometimes feel that crews lock us into the role of location manager and that we don’t get credit for the real scope of what we have to do for production on a daily basis. Having to step into the role of producer and director showed me that we make creative decisions constantly, far more than even I realized. A good location manager will get right down into the trenches with a director and contribute to how a film gets shot and really become part of the creative process.
Someone asked me about three months into prepping the film who was directing it. That was the first time it really hit me that it was me! Directing was not something I came to Los Angeles to do and it was a surprise to me when I realized I was actually directing a movie.
We’re very fortunate in our position to be exposed to some of the best and brightest people in the business. You absorb things simply by being in a room with them. I thought about every conversation I’ve ever had with directors over the course of my career while shooting and editing this film. In addition to an aesthetic sense, we have to learn how to build a sequence of shots and how to structure story to be truly effective at our jobs.
As for producing, we take for granted our negotiating skills and daily exposure to contracts. Considering all the travel, crews
and people involved in this film, getting it done for only $85,000.00 was pretty good. And it was more than just logistics and hiring people. I found myself negotiating releases for music, which was something I’d never done before. I never knew what songs were going to be played in dance classes I would be shooting so I had to clear 200 hours of music that could be used in each dance studio I filmed in. I also had to do all the clearances for music in post. And, yes, there was even one location agreement!”
A dancer himself, Lippman still performs, recently appearing in the Westside Ballet’s Nutcracker. “At 42 you tend to get asked to do the parent roles and not the Cavalier or Prince. I don’t mind. I watch those younger guys lifting the girls and think to myself, knock yourself out. My back means too much to me to do that stuff anymore.”
Lippman has had more than 16 years experience in production and location management in TV and feature film. His TV credits include: The Closer, The Nine, Gilmore Girls, The Guardian, Angel, ER, Melrose Place, and The X Files. His feature film credits include: Galaxy Quest, Minority Report, Ed Wood, and Man On the Moon. Lippman was also the executive director of the City Of Angels Ballet in Los Angeles and currently serves on the board of the international dance organization, Criticaldance.com.
For more information and updates on “Divertissement: Everyday Dancers Stories” Please visit http://www.everydaydancers.com