ROAR
In association with
PROSPERITY PICTURES
Presents
A
STRIKING FEATURES/INDUSTRY ENTERTAINMENT
Production
An
INTERNATIONAL ORANGE
Film
PITTSBURGH
Jeff Goldblum
Ed Begley Jr.
Illeana Douglas
Moby
PRELIMINARY PRESS NOTES
Press Contact: Sales Contact:
Christine Richardson Andrew Hurwitz
Jeremy Walker + Associates Epstein Levinsohn, Bodine,
160 West 71st Street, No. 2A Hurwitz & Weinstein
New York, NY 10023 1790 Broadway, 10th floor
T: 212-595-6161 New York, NY 10019
C: 917-547-6876 T: 212-262-9542
C: 646-220-2359
FILMMAKERS
Directed by……………………………………….…….Chris Bradley & Kyle LaBrache
Produced by…………………………………………………….………..Bernie Cahill
Patrick Bradley
Ryan Magnussen
Jeff Goldblum
Executive Producer…………………………………………………….... Greg Orman
Keith Addis
Photographed by.……………………………………..…Chris Bradley & Kyle LaBrache
Music by………………………………………………………….…...David G. Byrne
Edited by……………………………………………………………..….Chris Bradley
Kyle LaBrache
Michael Palmerio
Sound by………………………………………….……………………..Chris Bradley
Kyle LaBrache
Chuck Kleine
Diego Reiwald
Additional credits begin on page 16
PITTSBURGH
What happens when an international movie star "goes rogue," turns his back on his manager and follows his heart to star in a two-week run of The Music Man in his hometown of Pittsburgh? This is precisely what Jeff Goldblum did and filmmakers Chris Bradley and Kyle LaBrache documented the whole hilarious process, from auditions through rehearsals to an opening night finale worthy of a Christopher Guest movie. The resulting film stretches the boundaries of the documentary genre: Goldblum’s friends Ed Begley Jr. and Ileanna Douglas gamely join him in the Music Man cast, though Begley requires some environmental quid pro quo, while Douglas is getting over a painful, cinematic breakup with Moby. But, the main event here is Goldblum’s whole hearted attempt at a role that he perhaps wasn’t born to play, making PITTSBURGH a high-wire act in more ways than one.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
To hear manager Keith Addis, Jeff Goldblum’s longtime manager who is also an executive producer of PITTSBURGH, tell it, “Jeff Goldblum had been struggling for years to find the right approach for a film about a trip to his hometown of PITTSBURGH.”
For Goldblum, an early creative connection leading to PITTSBURGH came about several years ago during a taping of the IFC series “Dinner for Five,” where he met Illeana Douglas. (Incidentally, Fred Willard, familiar from the Christopher Guest films, was also on that episode.)
“I’ve been teaching acting for fifteen or twenty years and one of the things I’ve always tried to impress upon my students is to try to make acting a part of one’s daily life. With the new technology, I’d come to realize one can do this with increasing ease. And I remember on the show,” Goldblum says, “discussing how I was really intrigued with the idea of an improvisational and spontaneous approach to filmmaking, where you just let the cameras roll. I wanted to make a movie where it would be possible to get sophisticated, naturalistic performances from actors and non actors alike.”
Chris Bradley and Kyle LaBrache met as freshman at UCLA and have been friends and creative partners since. They started their production company, International Orange, in 2000. Since then they’ve directed various documentary films, TV shows, commercials, music videos and promos. PITTSBURGH is their third feature-length film.
“We first connected with Jeff Goldblum,” Bradley recalls, “through his manager, Keith Addis. Keith had seen and liked our first feature, JON E. EDWARDS IS IN LOVE, a comedy about a struggling soul singer.” JON E. EDWARDS IS IN LOVE won a Special Jury Award at the 2003 SXSW Film Festival.
“Keith told us that his client, Jeff, wanted to work with us and that we should get together. We met with Jeff and connected instantly. We spent about six months writing treatments and developing new concepts for all kinds of movies that ranged from Jeff playing a completely fictitious character, to pure documentary.
“We finally came up with an idea that we loved,” recalls LaBrach. From the inception, the whole project was an exploration in documentary and improvisation, and that continued throughout the editing process. We had no script to guide us. We just followed our instincts and explored the things that were interesting to us. We shot 400 hours and edited on only one system. The editing process took 18 months.”
A true filmmaking team, Bradley and LaBrache have known each other for so long that they rarely exchange words as they are shooting.
We just look over and know what the other guy is shooting,” Bradley says. “It’s pretty much a 50/50 proposition. We both hold cameras, we both edit.”
“There is no set delineation of who does what,” LaBrache continues. “We generally shoot everything with two cameras simultaneously, which lets us keep the action fresh.”
Given the nature of the project, the need to maintain a sense of invisibility, especially as they covered the audition, rehearsals and opening night of The Music Man was a big part of the filmmakers’ strategy.
“We decided early in the process that we wanted to keep the ‘fourth wall’ intact,” says Bradley. “We weren't going to have any talking-head interviews, and that the performers and other creative people would ‘ignore’ the cameras. In fact, that was the only direction we gave... just ignore the cameras and be yourself.”
Bradley and Labrache decided to shoot most of the film with longer zoom lenses, which means they could get some distance away from their subjects and lessen any self-consciousness a camera might otherwise trigger. They also used wireless microphones on the main actors all the time, which allowed them to catch the audio from a distance and get a lot of genuine reactions from The Music Man cast and crew as they readied the production.
“Most of the time we were off in a corner somewhere, so people wouldn't feel like they were being filmed. By opening night, everyone was so used to us being around it was like we were not even there,” adds LaBrache.
Says Goldblum, “This invisibility on the part of the filmmakers was one way we were able to get those sophisticated, naturalistic performances from actors and non actors alike.”
LaBrache continues, “From the beginning, we thought Richard Sabellico, The Music Man’s director, would be star-struck by Jeff and kiss his ass throughout the production. The fact that he was so hard on Jeff was a pleasant surprise.”
“It was quite a performance,” laughs Golblum.
Making a documentary with actors can be an intrinsically loose proposition, especially because actors are intrinsically improvisational creatures.
One of the more memorable and logistically challenging scenes in the film depicts a breakup between Illeana Douglas and the musician Moby during the Coney Island Mermaid Parade.
“Illeana called us two days before and said Moby was going to be at the Mermaid Parade and wouldn't it be funny if he broke up with her there. We thought it was a great idea, and it really fit with our whole concept for this movie. We put wireless mics on both Moby and Illeana, as we normally would, then just hid in the crowd like any another TV camera crew. Once the parade started, we had no contact with them.”
When Douglas was unintentionally late to the parade, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the filmmakers.
“Illeana was supposed to be doing the scene as the parade came down the street,” LaBrache remembers. “But because she was filming another movie and didn't get there on time, she really had to run around and look for Moby, asking people where he was, until she finally got to him at the best possible moment, as they head to the water. So her nervous energy and confusion was all real: she was worried we weren't going to get the scene, but it plays like her character is worried about their relationship. Many of the people in the crowd believed they were watching Moby break up with Illeana. The Mermaid Parade was the only location on the film where we had to pay to get a permit. The organizers knew we were there and filming part of a movie.”
Throughout the production of PITTSBURGH, the filmmakers maintained a loose and flexible shooting style, treating both “documentary” and “improvisation” days the same.
“We rarely did second takes,” Bradley continues, “and certainly not for the actors. We maybe did something again to see if we could come up with an alternate performance or camera angle that might add something to the first take.”
“I like to think what we’re doing with PITTSBURGH is a little bit new,” Goldblum concludes. “Then again, come to think of it, Robert Altman was doing all kinds of crazy stuff when I worked with him on NASHVILLE, so maybe what was new then is new again today.”
WHO’S WHO IN “PITTSBURGH”
Jeff Goldblum
With a career spanning film, television, and theater, Jeff Goldblum is one of the most talented and respected actors of his generation.
Earlier this year, Goldblum wrapped production on Barry Levinson’s film for Universal Studios, MAN OF THE YEAR, starring opposite Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Laura Linney and Lewis Black. He also just wrapped Hal Hartley’s independent film FAY GRIM, starring with Parker Posey.
In 2005, Goldblum received critical praise for his return to Broadway, starring in Martin McDonagh’s “The Pillowman” with Billy Crudup, Zeliko Ivanek and Michael Stuhlbarg. He received an Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance and was nominated for a Drama Desk and Drama League Award. The play received a Drama Critics Award and was nominated for a Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League Award. That same year, Goldblum garnered an Emmy nomination for a guest appearance on NBC’s “Will & Grace.”
In 2004, Goldblum starred in Wes Anderson’s THE LIFE AQUATIC with Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Owen Wilson, William Dafoe and Cate Blanchett. Also in 2004, Goldblum received critical attention starring opposite Anthony LaPaglia and Liev Schreiber in Showtime’s “Spinning Boris,” directed by Roger Spottiswoode (TOMORROW NEVER DIES).
In 2003, Goldblum starred in “War Stories,” a compelling two-hour television movie for NBC, about journalists risking their lives while covering conflicts in the Middle East.
In 2002, Goldblum starred in MGM’s IGBY GOES DOWN opposite Susan Sarandon, Ryan Philippe and Claire Danes. The film was written and directed by Burr Steers, a former acting student of Goldblum’s at Playhouse West.
Goldblum’s film career began at the age of seventeen, when he moved to New York City to study acting under Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse. In less than a year, Joseph Papp cast him in the Broadway hit, "Two Gentlemen of Verona." Soon after, he had his first film audition and got cast as the terrifying rapist in DEATH WISH. In contrast to that role, the very next week Robert Altman cast Goldblum as the twenty-year-old boy wonder in CALIFORNIA SPLIT and asked him to play the mysterious biker/magician in NASHVILLE.
Goldblum’s long list of film credits include roles in some of the highest grossing films of all time, including Steven Spielberg's worldwide box-office success, JURASSIC PARK and Roland Emmerich’s science fiction thriller INDEPENDENCE DAY. Other film credits include THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK, HOLY MAN, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, Chris Colombus' NINE MONTHS, Woody Allen's ANNIE HALL, Lawrence Kasdan’s THE BIG CHILL, SILVERADO, THE FLY, DEEP COVER, Paul Mazursky's NEXT STOP GREENWICH VILLAGE, REMEMBER MY NAME, THE RIGHT STUFF, THRESHOLD, BETWEEN THE LINES, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BONZAI, INTO THE NIGHT and THE TALL GUY. On television, Goldblum starred in the Showtime original film "Lush Life" with Forest Whitaker and Kathy Baker.
Aside from acting, Goldblum was nominated for an Academy Award for directing the live action short film, "Little Surprises." He served on the jury of The 1999 Cannes Film Festival and occasionally plays piano with Peter Weller on trumpet in their live-performing jazz band, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra.
Goldblum resides in Los Angeles.
Ed Begley Jr.
Inspired by the works of his Academy Award-winning father, Ed Begley, Jr. became an actor. He first came to audiences’ attention for his portrayal of Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the long-running hit television series, “St. Elsewhere,” for which he received six Emmy nominations. Since then Begley has moved easily between feature, television and theatre projects.
Begley is currently working on several film projects, including the comedy RELATIVE STRANGERS, MAKING CHANGE, THE OPTIMIST, THE LEGEND OF WILLIAM TELL, TRIPPING FORWARD and the animated film FLY ME TO THE MOON.
Begley was seen recently DESOLATION SOUND and GOING DOWN, as well as A MIGHTY WIND, a follow-up to the American Comedy Award-winning film, BEST IN SHOW with Christopher Guest, Catherine O’ Hara and Parker Posey. His other feature film credits include BATMAN FOREVER, GREEDY, THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST and THE IN-LAWS.
On television Begley recently starred in “Kingdom Hospital”, the new Stephen King mini-series on ABC. He appeared in recurring roles on “Arrested Development,” “Six Feet Under” and “7th Heaven.” He also guest starred in such series as “Boston Legal,” “The West Wing,” “The Practice,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “Touched By an Angel,” and “Providence.”
Among his motion pictures for television credits are “Homicide: The Movie,” “Not in This Town,” with Kathy Baker, “World War II: When Lions Roared,” with Bob Hoskins, Michael Caine and John Lithgow, “Running Mates,” “Cooperstown” and “Story Lady,” which starred Jessica Tandy.
Begley also starred in the West Coast premiere of David Mamet’s “Cryptogram,” at the Geffen Playhouse, in the role that he originated in Boston and then in New York.
Illeana Douglas
Indy Queen, Illeana Douglas first came to prominence as Matt Dillon’s suspicious sister in Gus Van Sant’s TO DIE FOR (NY Film Critic’s Nominee). Since then she has been a staple on the independent film scene with memorable performances in GHOST WORLD, HAPPY TEXAS, WEDDING BELL BLUES, DUMMY, HACKS and many more.
While working for a New York film publicist, Illeana was asked to dub screams and provide additional dialogue for Martin Scorsese’s, THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST. This led to a long association with Scorsese, acting in NEW YORK STORIES, GOODFELLAS and CAPE FEAR, and developing and co-producing
SEARCH AND DESTROY, THE LOST ARMY and GRACE OF MY HEART (London Film Critics Nominee). With Scorsese’s encouragement Douglas also began writing and directing. Her first effort, THE PERFECT WOMAN won “Best Short” at Aspen Shorts Fest and was a nominee for a Cable Ace Award. Another of Douglas’ projects, EVERYBODY JUST STAY CALM was a documentary made for Bravo, about the comedic trials of independent filmmaking. BOY CRAZY, GIRL CRAZIER and the television pilot CONFESSIONS OF A MOVIE LOVER were made for Bravo and IFC.