The Best Raise Bugs Bunny Ever Got

In his autobiography, voice actor Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny, etc.) tells about "the best raise I ever got was the one I didn't get."

Here's how the story goes: He and his wife decide it's time to ask the boss for a raise. Never his strong suit -- to ask for money -- but he practices his little speech then goes to the boss.

He asks for the raise. The answer is... "No." The reason? "Insufficient profits."

But before Mel Blanc leaves, he tries one more tactic: "Well, if you won't give me a raise, how about at least giving me a screen credit."

Now, a little history here. This was a bold request. At the time, voice actors NEVER got screen credit. They got paid for their work, but that was the end of the story. The boss's response to Mel: "Credit? Who ever heard of a voice-man getting a screen credit?"

Even so, the boss actually agreed. It'd be no extra money out of his budget. And he probably wanted to keep Bugs Bunny happy. Ever after, Mel Blanc's name was listed in the credits as "Voice Characterizations by Mel Blanc"

We'll let Mel take it from here:

"Once talent agents discovered Mel Blanc was the man behind Porky, Daffy, and the nascent Bugs Bunny, I received a bounty of offers from other studios, as well as from radio shows. Opportunities were plentiful, I even had to turn some down. At one point in the mid-1940s, in addition to voicing Warner Bros. animated films, I was on eighteen trans-continental programs a week and bringing home two thousand dollars a week."

Not bad for a guy who didn't actually get "the raise" he was asking for.

Some Poison in the Coffee

Suspense and Surprise. What's the difference?

With suspense, the audience knows something that the character doesn't know. We're just waiting to see how the character responds.

Let's take for our example... a mug of coffee that has just been poisoned. We know the girl has put poison in the guy's coffee, but the guy is unaware of this life-threatening fact. We watch the guy go about some mundane activities. He butters a slice of toast, and takes a bite. So far, he ignores the coffee. Suspense makes us wonder: when is he going to reach for that cup?

Surprise is different. For surprise to work, it's got to be a surprise for both the character involved as well as for the viewer. Surprise can also be harder to achieve. For it to work, it really does have to be a plot twist.

So, which one is better? Well, think of it this way. Surprise only works once. And it usually only works for a couple of seconds.

On the other hand, you can have suspense that lasts 15 minutes. Depending on story, the screenwriter should think twice about sacrificing suspense for the little moment of surprise.

[Photo by life serial]

What's the Buzz, Jeff?

Jeff Stewart's been getting a lot of press recently for his award win at the Manhattan Film Festival for the role of Jakob in Under Jakob's Ladder. Here are some of the articles...

BBC News
Ex-Bill star Stewart says winning award 'extraordinary'
   » Read the Article

Daily Mail
The Bill's Reg set for Hollywood stardom after winning best actor award
   » Read the Article

The Sun
How Reg Hollis became a Film Star
   » Read the Article

TVGuide
From The Bill to Hollywood
   » Read the Article

Sky News
The Bill star set for Hollywood
   » Read the Article

The Guardian
The Bill's Reg Hollis actor wins US award for Soviet-era film
   » Read the Article

Daily Echo
Southampton actor Jeff Stewart star hot property in Hollywood
   » Read the Article

Most of the articles have some great shots of Jeff sporting his "Jakob" beard, or variations of the beard. To the point where some people who have commented on the articles are asking Jeff to lose the beard. Which, by the way, he already has. These are old photos. We did, after all, shoot this film in 2009. As you can see in the photo above (taken at the premiere of Under Jakob's Ladder at the  Manhattan Film Festival), Jeff Stewart is once again beard-less.

At least for now.

Shadow and Light

When it comes to lighting a shot in filmmaking, it's not just the light that matters.

Remember the shadows, too. You don't want all light. (Then again, all dark would be, well, too dark.)

It means that you may have to stray from conventional three-point lighting. That works if you want to make sure everything and everyone can be seen by the viewer. But that doesn't always take the mood of the scene into account.

In our movie, Under Jakob's Ladder, it was prison lighting for us. We needed plenty of shadow. But also enough light to create the right kind of mood. In fact, lighting will do that for you... change the mood of scene. And you want to get the mood just right.

Dark and light. Strike a good balance and you've got a good shot.

Two Awards for JAKOB

In case you don't yet know...

Under Jakob's Ladder received two awards last Sunday at the Awards Ceremony for the 2011 Manhattan Film Festival: for 'Best Film - Period Piece' and for 'Best Actor' (Jeff Stewart in the role of Jakob).

Congratulations to all our cast and crew. Filmmaking is a collaboration and we couldn't have made this film without you.

Also, our thanks to the Manhattan Film Festival team for all their hard work.

You can read more on this by going to our website...