Singing Happy Birthday in the Movies

It's not too often that you hear the song "Happy Birthday" sung in a movie. Have you noticed that?

You will hear "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow".

But rarely "Happy Birthday". Why?

And there's a reason for this. There are copyright issues. You see, if you ever do hear the song "Happy Birthday", you know that the filmmaker (or the studio) paid good money. Apparently you'll pay something between $5,000 to $30,000...

For one single song. For independent filmmakers, that's a lot of money...

So, instead of singing Happy Birthday to the real Jakob (yes, it's his birthday. He'd have been 138 years old if he were still living)... guess we better sing that other song (the one that's in the public domain, and therefore costs no money to use in a movie!)

Oh, and by the way, yesterday was Jeff Stewart's birthday. (He plays the role Jakob in our movie...) Happy belated birthday, Jeff!

Q&A with Actor Quentin McCuiston

Film: Under Jakob's Ladder
Actor: Quentin McCuiston
Role: Yasha

Q: What first attracted you to work on this film?
A: I really like period pieces for one thing and I also thought it was a very good story to tell.

Q: Tell about your character, Yasha. How do you identify with him?
A: Yasha is a very childlike person. He's innocent and simple. And at one time (when I was a child) I had a greater capacity for those characteristics. As you grow up, they seem to fade a bit. But I can still remember what it was like to see the world through eyes like that and it's actually quite refreshing.

Q: How did you prepare for your role as Yasha?
A: I usually take a lot of clues from the script. What the character says, how he reacts and interacts, and the circumstances around him are all usually right there on the paper. Talking with the director helps to get a hold of the big picture and how your character fits in. His vision for the character helped to define things a little sharper. Some research went on as well. Then it was a matter of playing until I felt that the character had come to life.

Q: What was the most challenging scene for you?
A: The most challenging scene for me was the sequence with my father, Oigen. Most all of the other characters in the scene don't care or begin to pick on Yasha at the same moment that he is going through a very heavy experience. I don't know how it looks, but it was a very lonely scene to do. It was also very difficult, being a high emotion scene, to stop and start and shoot out of order. That's always a challenge.

Q: What did you enjoy the most about working on this film?
A: It was a really great group of people. I loved working and learning from everyone and got to make some good friends. I also got to work with a rat. How often does that happen?

Yasha (Quentin McCuiston) playing with his rat
Q: Do you have any stories about working on the set?
A: Usually if you weren't in a scene you would go outside and hang around until they needed you again. During the down time in between scenes, some of the other inmates and I got pretty creative. We started to play what we called "Yasha-ball". It was basically trying to toss a rock through a 1' x 6" hole in a dilapidated wall while standing at a certain distance. We had a lot of fun.

Q: How did you get your start in film?
A: Some of my first projects with film were with some friends right out of college. We actually still work together whenever we can. I am currently collaborating with Chapter 2 Studios (located in Dayton, TN) on a web series called "Learning with Lawrence" which launched September 3rd on learningwithlawrence.com.

Q&A with Actress Chloe Roe

Film: Under Jakob's Ladder
Actress: Chloe Roe
Role: Marta -- Jakob's granddaughter

Q: What did you most enjoy about working on 'Under Jakob's Ladder'?
A: All the films I have been in so far, I have had to film in New York City. I live an hour away from the city so usually I have to get up really early or get home really late, or both. This film was right near my house! Plus, since it was being shot in my hometown, most of my family and cousins were able to be extras in the film.

Q: Tell about your audition. What did you think when you found out that you got the role of Marta?
A: After my initial audition, we did a lot of table readings. I read with three different Jakobs. Usually we would do a screen test afterward. My last table reading was with Jeff Stewart. I thought he was the best of the three. I guess everyone else did too because we both got cast! I was very excited to sign the contract to play Marta!

Q: What was it like to work with Jeff Stewart?
A: I really like Jeff. Before our scenes, we would go through our lines together. He was very supportive of me. On our off-time we would go bike riding. We would ride to the diner and he would order rice pudding. He's nuts for it! He would ask to have it warmed up. That's the way they eat it in England.

[Photo: Steve Roe, Jeff Stewart, and Chloe Roe out for a bike ride.]
Q: What is your favorite scene in the movie?
A: Every scene had something I really loved about it. I thought the most exciting scene was when my Grandfather got taken away in the middle of the night. My most fun scene was during the campfire scene. Even though the smoke kept getting in our eyes, it was fun because afterward we got to toast marshmallows! They were delicious.

Q: Do you have any funny stories about working on the film?
A: When I thought they told me to throw the bell in the fire during the fireside scene. So I did! Perhaps it will end up in the bloopers.

Q: What was the most challenging scene for you?
A: I thought my most challenging scene was when I was talking to my mother about why I thought they took my Grandfather away while she braided my hair. We had to re-shoot it many times from different angles and I had to be sure to try to deliver my lines the same way every time.

Q: Who inspires you as an actress?
A: Working with Matt Okin on "Out of Whack", the all-kids rock musical and "Generations" was very inspiring. He let us write our own dialogue and songs and we got to perform in cool clubs like Nuyorican and Bowery poetry club in NYC with a live three-piece band!

Blog Series | Cast Q&A

Over the next couple of weeks (maybe months?), our plan is to post a series of Q&As with some of the cast members of our feature film Under Jakob's Ladder. Each post will feature one actor (in no particular order).

Of course, we'll also be publishing other blog posts as well -- besides the Cast Q&As. And we'll include some Q&As with the Crew, too. But those probably won't appear until shortly before or after the New Year hits us.

Soooo... The first Q&A?... Well, you might think it'd be the one featuring Jakob (actor Jeff Stewart). Well, we'll let you in on a secret. It's not. (Like we said, the list isn't really in any order...)

But, you'll just have to wait until later this week...

Stay tuned!

Moon Brothers vs. Lemony Snicket

If you think about it, the Moon Brothers and Lemony Snicket seem to share a few similarities... (and differences).

Similarity #1 -- Both Moon and Lemony are storytellers.

Difference #1 -- Lemony devotes his life to recording the stories about the Baudelaire orphans. Moon tells stories that are NOT about the Baudelaires.

Similarity #2 -- Both Moon and Lemony tend to prefer photos of themselves where they are in shadow.

Difference #2 -- Lemony is very, very secretive. On occasion, Moon has posted photos that have face-recognition.

And finally...

Similarity #3 -- Both Moon and Lemony are preoccupied with fire.

Difference #3 -- Lemony is constantly trying to track the fires that seem to crop up in every unfortunate event he chronicles. Moon... well, Moon, recently avoided an unfortunate event when filming some wide shots for Under Jakob's Ladder; involving fire and black dirt and a brisk wind and a field of corn. (Fortunately, Moon was warned in time NOT to make a fire and thus, the field of corn was saved.)

P.S. This post is dedicated to a certain girl who got dressed in her costume on a really cold and windy day. A girl who happens to be reading a certain series of unfortunate events. We're happy to say that we did not have an unfortunate event on that day... Except that it was rather cold. (Maybe a little fire would have been welcome after all!)

After Jakob's Ladder

What happens to a film set once filming is complete?

Here's a photo that proves that sometimes a movie makes a permanent mark (at least until someone paints over it!) Last spring, one of our filming locations for our feature film Under Jakob's Ladder was at Roe's Orchards in Chester.

As you can see, about six months after filming there, our mark has been left behind. Yes, the red Russian stencil work is ours... (Of course, the Roes re-added their orchard name to the crate. And we didn't exactly have pumpkins back in April...)

Five Small Noises

They may be small noises, but on a film set, they can cause big problems. Or, medium big problems. Or, at least a few headaches for the film editor.

We've already blogged about the traffic noises that caused sound issues on the set of our feature film Under Jakob's Ladder.

But here's a list are a few other small noises we had to live with:

1. For a few days, we had a small plane that kept circling overhead (Why? We never figured that one out).


2. The honey-wagon truck always seemed to come in the middle of a scene, with its "beep, beep, beep" as it backed up to do its weekly duty. (Yes, we tried -- unsuccessfully -- to get them to come in the morning when we were not filming.)


3. There were also those local kids riding their motorized vehicles in the field behind our prison location. (Fortunately, this only happened on a night when we were doing our test filming.)


4. And then there was the neighbor's lawn mower.


5. Oops! Our own cell phones and/or walkie-talkies went off a few times at inopportune moments.

Oh well, that's all part of filmmaking. You deal with each noise as it comes. Try to eliminate it, if at all possible. Sometimes, you just have to wait a few minutes and the sound will go away. (That's right, the plane did eventually fly to some other destination). Sometimes, you just need to go to lunch a bit early (as we did on occasion).

Sometimes a little creativity on set can go a long way. And there's always the creativity in the editing room!

Under Jakob's Ladder on IMDb.com

IMDb.com finally put up a page for our feature film, Under Jakob's Ladder.

But look at it carefully. You may notice that some people are still missing from the cast and crew list.

This same thing happened with our last film Dear J. It took a few days before everyone finally appeared. Actually, if memory serves, we even had a few credits that IMDb got wrong. (Can't remember, but it had something to do with another Roberto Munoz who's listed as being some actor in Mexico...)

But, it's nice see the movie was finally accepted into the IMDb database... (Thanks partly to a persistent guy with a computer.)

And just maybe, this'll become a sport as popular as Yasha-ball seems to be; whose name will appear next??? (Although, we do hope it's a be a short-lived sport!)

Cast Memories of Working on the Set

We asked the cast to share with us any funny stories or anecdotes about working on the set of the feature film Under Jakob's Ladder. Here's just some of their memories...

"The atmosphere on the set was very serious, but in between set-ups, one hot afternoon, I got all the actors pretending to play heavy metal band air instruments. We got very silly, like school chums and fell about laughing. Actors are the best people on the planet to have a laugh with. It's intoxicating."
-- Jeff Stewart (Role of Jakob)

"When I thought they told me to throw the bell in the fire during the fireside scene. So I did! Perhaps it will end up in the bloopers."
-- Chloe Roe (Role of Marta)

"Where do I begin? It was a joy from start to finish. Even standing in the freezing cold rain in the middle of the night was 'enjoyable' as the crew was always ready with blankets and coats between takes."
-- Peter Iasillo, Jr. (Role of Vovik)

"Usually if you weren't in a scene you would go outside and hang around until they needed you again. During the down time in between scenes, some of the other inmates and I got pretty creative. We started to play what we called 'Yasha-ball'. It was basically trying to toss a rock through a 1'x 6" hole in a dilapidated wall while standing at a certain distance. We had a lot of fun."
-- Quentin McCuiston (Role of Yasha)

"YASHA-BALL, the new sport we hope to make a competitive Olympic event! All you need is a prison wall, a couple small stones, and time to kill! Creative credit to Quentin M. and Matthew S."
-- Sal Rendino (Role of Bruno)

"I come from theater, where you have to project your voice, and this was my first professional film. My first scene called me to howl like a wolf. There was the boom microphone above me and I went full force with the howling. The operator came to me and, very gently, asked me to try again in a lower voice. I did it, but it was barely audible. He came again and asked me for something in the middle. I guess it worked. Standing at a certain distance. We had a lot of fun."
-- Horacio Lazo (Role of Pepchik)