Posted by Fizhy at spider-wc012.proxy.aol.com on September 01, 2001 at 09:45:26:
Hey-
First off I would like to say that i really aprecate the chance to ask you a few questions about your expirences filming. Also i think that its really great you have an relitively easy way for your fans to get in touch with you. (if only others in the biz could follow your example. I could fianally ask Steven Spielburg a Few questions:)
if you get a chance it would be great to know the answers to the following
questions.
I know you joke about your lack of visual style in your earler films( i personally liked the still frame shots, made it easier to almost become a part of the story rather than become wrapped up in fifty thousand diffrent angles of Ben Afflecs nose hairs. Is there a real reason why you chose to stick with the still fram shots so much? or do you just feel that it truely was a lack of a "visual style?"
When you write your characters do you write them for specific actors or did you just write your characters and hold auditions? I find in interesting that you seemed to keep the Actors with multiple parts fairly well separated in J&SBSB It amazes me that your acting pool was able to help create such a vivid series of stories to life and keep each character appart from the others the might play that inhabit the same area. Shannon/Holden/Bartileby . Brodie/Banike/Azriel , I don't know why Im writting the names you created them you know who they are:) As I am currently working on a script right now i can now more than ever see the true genious of your writing style.
In Dogma you introduce dgital effects into your Askewniverse with a vengence. Which brings me to this question, three films based on the complicated lives of interesting people in Jersey. Why all of a sudden the switch to the Religious tale of adventure and destruction of all existence? not that your other films werent important but as you put it so succintly in Chasing amy, finnally have somthing of importance to say? It seems almost out of place with the rest of the flims simplistic yet masterfull story telling. So why was it a Jersey film? why not a stand alone project? either way a wonderfull work of art.
If Clerks hadn't made it big what would you have done? I greatly admire the leap of faith in your tallent and the tallent of your cast and crew in that project. Lord knows it wasn't for everyone. My parents have put it in the same catigory as Pulp fiction. they knew it was a good moive but they werent sure if they liked it. The Black and white gave the whole film the atmosphere of being shot from the store security cameras alot of the time. Even Though i saw MallRats first Clerks made me a fan. The entire film should remind people of why movies were invented in the first place. not to watch overpaid actors stand on the sidelines while thier stunt doubles get killed, but to escape into a story that is worth being a part of. And that I think is the most important think I can say about your work Thank you for Giving My Friends and I storys that were worth being a part of. And lately Goals to reach in the quality of our own film projects.
'Nuf Said Congrats on your Stash hope to see it in person one day. untill then good luck with your future in story telling.
fish