Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with a fun new column I hope to get going here in the fun film loving world of Ain't It Cool News. The bulk of you might only see my name, columns, news, etc... sporadically and the honest reason: When I'm on a project, I tend to pull lovely 13-14 hour days and genuinely can't step away to get to a computer. I love movies. Everything about them excites me. That's why I went to school to study them further. That's why I'm a proud member of IATSE and make a living working on fun films I can believe in. Ain't It Cool is a place on the internet where film/TV/comic books are adored in the most sincere way, by folks who just love them and everything about them. With me, my heart is all about movies, so I'd love to take that interest a step further - I want to talk to the folks that don't go on the press tours, the men and women who aren't on the cover of magazines. I'm tired of getting the same press releases as all the other film sites out there. Studios and PR companies have this stuff down to a science. They're all about promoting whatever it is they're getting paid to in order to generate buzz, which then turns into revenue. That's great; it's the necessary razzle-dazzle that's been around since cinema was born, it's the "business" behind "show business." Here I just want to dig a little deeper.
I'm looking to start a column that invites industry professionals to chat with me and ultimately give the readers of AICN a different angle when thinking of our favorite films. I want to dive into interesting conversations with Production Designers, Special FX Make Up Artists, Stunt Coordinators, Prop Masters, Visual Effects Supervisors, Film Festival folks, Producers, hell... even Studio heads (doubt they'd want to chat, but why not?). The point is, whenever a movie is building hype, you're going to see the same interviews across the board, the same Directors and key actors all saying roughly the same thing (hell, if you had to talk with 50 different outlets about the same project - there are only so many unique things/stories/anecdotes you can really say before getting tapped out, right?).
Is that something you folks would be interested in? Hearing first hand stories from the people behind the scenes who work their butts off to make that movie magic? If not, please do shoot off in the Talkbacks "Muldoon, you handsome devil, I could care less!" I'm just vibing out with the AICN community to see if you guys and gals would be interested. I'm not saying, "I only want to chat with industry legends." Hell no (I'm not against that), but I want to talk to the real folks, the folks who have had to pull some overtime, work through interesting/bizarre problems in order to put stuff on screen, things that push filmmaking forward. I'm not anti-director by any means (shit, I am one), I just know that's a position that's wildly covered - and then some.
So if you work in film and feel like chatting, I'm here and I'd love to pick your brain and shine some light on things I typically see shoved in a corner while most reporters/editors/etc. ask the same questions of the same folks. I have no clue based on how many people out there would love to chat to say "This will be a weekly thing" or "This is a monthly thing..." In that same sense, back when I reached out to you folks for your short films for SATURDAY SHORTS - I also had no clue how long that would last. Two and a half years of bringing 4-6 unique films a week to AICN have passed, so I'm hopeful, but can't make any promises.
If you make a living in film and feel like testing this out with me:
Email me at mike@aintitcool.com with the subject "MTC - (Your name) - (Your Position)"
I'm not looking for scoops, dirt, or anything that could possibly damage anyone's career, so before I post anything/any conversation, you will have the chance to approve whatever the article is. I take my NDAs to heart, so I'd never push for anything that could screw someone over - that's just not my thing, because personally I can't stand when folks ask for "scoops" on projects I'm currently working on, but can't talk about. (Also why I shy away from posting set photos and spy information, you know... the very thing movie blogs depend on for content.) Everyone wants the scoop, the leak, the thing that no one else has yet for the latest blockbuster. I just want to talk with talented artists who turn pure imagination into something "visually tangible."
So there we have it folks, hopefully a new column to the AICN library that will explore the muscles, veins, and other tissues that are involved in something we all love. I have nothing but high hopes, so fingers crossed it can find a nice home here at AICN. Let's do this!
- Mike McCutchen
"Muldoon"
Mike@aintitcool.com
