KIDS FIRST! News

Our family has a new favorite film. “Nim’s Island” captured our attention, treated our eyes and pulled at our hearts as we watched it. Now our kids want to show it to their grandparents. Families attending the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival have the opportunity to bask the magic of the film, too. Here’s the inside scoop on the film from directors Mark Levin & Jennifer Flackett:

CP:  What is the story behind getting this classic tale up on the movie screen?

ML & JF: The book “Nim’s Island” was shared with us by Walden Media, Fox and the film’s producer Paula Mazur. We were inspired by the character of Nim, an adventurous and heroic young girl. She at once reminded us of our own daughter, and seemed like the kind of hero that young girls don’t get to see in movies these days. We spent several months working on the script, trying to imagine what the life of a girl who grew up only on a deserted island must be like. Jodie Foster discovered the script and decided that she would like to play the role of Alexandra Rover, which was one of the great days of our lives when we heard that. Abigail Breslin was the first girl we met for the role of Nim and, once we met her, we knew we shouldn’t bother to continue looking. She has a very sincere and winning everygirl quality which we felt was perfect for the role of Nim. We didn’t want Nim to be too Tarzan-like but very real and identifiable. The final piece of the puzzle came together when we lit upon the idea of casting Gerard Butler as both the father and the great adventure hero Alex Rover. Until that time, we had thought we were going to cast the roles separately, but Gerry inspired us to use one actor for both, enhancing the storybook quality of the movie.

CP:  What were some of the more difficult aspects of filming this particular movie?

ML & JF: There is an old saying in the film business that you shouldn’t work with children or animals, and on this movie we worked with both. Certainly, when the child is Abigail Breslin, it’s not a problem at all  The animals were a slightly different story. The sea lions (there were two) were quite experienced, on loan from Sea World. They did a variety of tricks and became easily bonded with Abigail. The pelicans (also on loan from Sea World) were a slightly different story. Pelicans are less trainable than sea lions and, if you get to close to them, they might peck at you dangerously. We spent a lot of time and energy trying to get the pelican and the actors into the same frame together. In “Nim’s Island”, there were also many giant storms which is always a challenging aspect for a film crew, having to create wind and rain and lightning and roll cameras through the whole thing.

CP:  The cinematography is amazing, and the mix of mediums added a lot to the story, how did you come up with the mix?

ML & JF: Our cinematographer was Stuart Dryburgh, a highly talented fellow who had shot movies like “The Piano” and “Bridget Jones’ Diary”, two very different movies that we admired. When we first considered the look of the movie, we discussed “enhanced realism” — making it feel real, but slightly better than real at the same time, which seemed appropriate because Nim lives so much in her imagination. The opening of the movie is created entirely out of paper, which was created by a special team from our art department. It took dozens of weeks to designed and create and puppet the cut-outs for each of the shots in the beginning of the movie. We wanted it to feel handmade and slightly childlike, like a kid who grew up only on books might imagine a story.

CP:  Please tell me an anecdote regarding something that happened on set that was ether funny or inspiring or both.

ML & JF: When we started making “Nim’s Island,” Abigail confessed that she was a bit concerned about all the climbing and swimming and running she would have to do. She had never done a role with so much physicality before. She asked “What if when I’m running, I fall down.”  We said, “If you fall down, just get up and keep running because that’s the most important thing about Nim. She keeps going.”

CP:  What does it mean to you to have your title featured in the KIDS FIRST! film festival?

ML & JF: It’s great to have a festival dedicated to quality movies for kids which has always been very important to us. From the first movie that we wrote “Madeline,” through “Little Manhattan”, through “Nim’s Island,” we’ve tried to make films that reminded us of the films that entertained and inspired us when we were young. It’s a pleasure to have “Nim’s Island” included in KIDS FIRST!

From lawyer to filmmaker, Marc Mangum tells us about his journey through the filming of  “The Adventures of Food Boy” starring Lucas Grabeel, Brittany Curran, Kunal Sharma, Ryne Sanborn, Noah Bastian and McCall Clark.CP: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey into filmmaking.MM:  I’ve always loved movies. As a kid I made some very simple (and very lame) stop action type films with a VHS camera and Star Wars figures. In 9th grade I made a commercial for a school project using a VHS camera with some very, very low-budget special effects that won an award and made everyone laugh. My father ran a film distribution company while I was a teenager, and I worked for him a few summers in high school so I had some exposure to the business side of films back then. My favorite classes in college were creative writing classes. But even though I wanted to tell stories in some way and at some point in my life, for a variety of reasons I decided to go to law school. I worked as a corporate attorney for 10 years before starting Cold Spark Films. As different as being a lawyer may seem from filmmaking, I gained a lot of experience that has been invaluable as a producer. A huge component of being a producer is putting together deals and negotiating contracts, which is exactly what I did for 10 years as a lawyer.About 4 years ago, I knew that I wanted to do something other than being a lawyer for the rest of my life, and I had an idea for a script. I wrote that script and showed it to a few people, and I got pretty good feedback on it. I tried to shop it around, but had a very hard time getting anyone in the industry to take me seriously. One day I was talking to a director who had just finished directing his first big-budget studio movie. He told me that I was the “50th person” who had approached him with a script or an idea since he finished directing his latest film, and he really didn’t have any insight or special knowledge on how to get my script into the hands of the right people. Coming out of that conversation, I was convinced that the only way I was going to get movies made that I wanted to make was to do it myself.Not really knowing much about the nuts-and-bolts of filmmaking, I figured that I needed to start small. My youngest brother was just finishing up film school so he and I decided that we’d produce a short film that we could then turn into a feature film. We had a list of a dozen or so different ideas that we thought could work, and we decided to go forward with the “Food Boy” concept. I wrote a short film script based on the concept, and in the summer of 2006 we shot a short film called “Food Boy.”  For us it was a test run and learning experience. We screened the film at several different festivals, including KIDS FIRST! (the first festival that accepted our short), and we won 2nd place in 2007 from KIDS FIRST! Best awards for the Best Indie Short For Kids Age 12-18. Ranny Levy and the entire KIDS FIRST! team were very supportive of our short film.I then wrote the full length script for “The Adventures of Food Boy” and with the short film went out to raise money. My experience as an attorney (I had spent several years working with start-ups and venture capital funds) was very helpful throughout that process. We raised the money in about six months, and then went into production in the summer of 2007.As we started casting our movie, shortly after finishing fund raising, I was amazed at the level of acting talent that was interested in being part of our movie. We were thrilled to bring Lucas Grabeel in as our lead actor and Brittany Curran as our lead actress. They were both fantastic to work with, and do a great job in the film.CP: Where did the idea for “Adventures of Food Boy” originate?MM:  I first told the story of “Food Boy” to one of my sons as a bedtime story several years ago. It started with a simple “…once upon a time, there was a boy who could make peanut butter sandwiches in his hands.”  My son laughed at that simple beginning, and I told him a few stories about this “food boy” over the next couple of weeks. A few years later as I was searching for a idea for a script, I remembered those stories and that my son liked the idea. So from there I revisited the concept and developed it into a more complete story.CP: How did the movie change from the way you first visualized it?MM:  It’s much better than the way I first visualized it. The process of bringing in a talented director in Dane Cannon and then adding our cinematographer Ryan Cannon (who is not related to Dane) really added a lot to the original vision. They both worked with us on the short film so we’ve collaborated together on this for a long time. Dane brought many helpful insights to the story and was able to get really great performances from our actors. Ryan brought a great visual style to the movie that is much better than I had initially anticipated. My brother Sam (who is also a producer and editor on the movie) was extremely helpful in making sure the film stays together and is cohesive. I think the music also turned out a lot better than I anticipated initially. Dane and our composer Bill Wandel did a great job on the music, and we were able to complement Bill’s music with some really fun tunes from some up-and-coming bands.CP: What was one of the more surprising elements you discovered whiledoing the filming?MM:  The power of collaboration. We tried to create an environment on set where everyone felt comfortable expressing their opinions. I was very surprised and pleased to see how we found great ideas from lot of different people on set. I had always heard how filmmaking is such a collaborative effort, and I found that to be very true.CP: What was the trickiest part of dealing with all the special effectsso it looked like he really made food?MM:  Clearly, it was the mustard. We did most of the food special effects “in camera” which means that we actually filmed food (or something that would look like food) on set as opposed to creating a lot of visual or digital effects. We also have some digital effects shots in the movie, but the majority of what you see in the movie was actually flying around the set while we shot it. We wanted to add to the realism of what was happening (if that’s even possible to do considering that we’re talking about a movie where a kid makes food appear in his hands) by doing that.There’s a scene in the movie where “Food Boy” unintentionally shoots mustard from his hands. We had built some equipment to shoot mustard for that scene, and we had tested it a couple of times using real mustard and it worked great. Then a couple of days before we were to shoot that scene, the actor playing “Food Boy” (Lucas Grabeel) mentioned to me that the smell of mustard makes him sick so he was a little bit nervous about being able to shoot that scene without throwing up. But, he said he’d do whatever we wanted him to do. Of course, I didn’t want our lead actor to get sick in the middle of this scene so we scrambled for a few days to see if we could find something that would still look like mustard but didn’t smell as bad. Finally, the morning of the shoot, we had figured out that hand lotion with yellow food coloring looks exactly like mustard. So we thought we’d found the solution…until we tested it and realized that the lotion wouldn’t shoot at all. It just sort of dribbled out of Food Boy’s hands. Of course, Lucas was great about it and said it wouldn’t be a problem with real mustard. Later that afternoon, when we finally shot the scene, I was worried the whole time that Lucas was going to get sick. The smell of the real mustard was VERY, VERY strong. But, luckily Lucas made it through the entire scene without any…incidents. We did a very funny interview with Lucas in between takes of that scene (with Lucas covered in real mustard) that will be on the DVD special features.CP: What advice to you have to offer aspiring independent producers intheir filmmaking ventures?MM:  One thing I learned is that making a movie on some levels is a matter of will power. You will encounter a lot of obstacles, many of them unanticipated, and if you want to get your movie made you just have to persevere, respond to the obstacles and keep moving towards you goal. Filmmaking is both an artistic and business venture. As the producer, you have to keep the business side of the movie in mind at all times. Everyone involved in the project will focus on the artistic side, but it’s up to the producer to keep reminding everyone about the business aspects as well. The producer is going to be the person trying to find an audience and market for the movie long after everyone else has finished his/her artistic part. The more you’ve kept the business aspects in mind, the better your chances will be at finding distribution later on. Ultimately, you want your movie to be seen by an audience so understanding and keeping in mind what it will take to get your movie to an audience is key in the entire process. Finally, I’d say you have to network…a lot. I really didn’t know very many people in the industry before I started on this project. But I talked to the few people I knew and asked them to introduce me to others who I could talk to. I’d suggest networking with distributors, international distributors, film festival directors, directors, other indie producers and pretty much anyone else you might meet who can give you insights. Almost everyone I talked to was willing to give some advice and help us. I also found KIDS FIRST! and Film Independent to be very helpful and valuable sources of information.CP:  What’s next for you? What projects are you working on now?MM:  We’ve just finished securing both domestic and international distribution for “The Adventures of Food Boy.”  We’re planning a limited theatrical release followed by a DVD release this fall. So now that all of that is behind me, I’ve just recently felt like I could really focus on our next projects. Right now we have three main projects we’re working on. We’re partnering with an established production company to develop a popular kids book’s series into a TV series. We’re also working on a feature film that is similar to “Food Boy” in that it takes a unique approach to a common genre…it’s a really funny concept that I think kids will love. And we’re developing a sports mockumentary feature film that should be hysterical.CP: Will we ever get to see a “Food Boy” sequel?MM:  You know, I would love to do a Food Boy sequel. It’s definitely something that I’ve thought about. Ezra (aka Food Boy) is only a junior in high school when he discovers his gift, so there’s plenty of time in his high school years to learn and explore more about his gift. I’ve also thought that the story would be great as a TV show, and I have plenty of ideas that we could use in a sequel or develop into a TV series. I would also love to explore Grandma’s food gift with a prequel about how she discovered and developed her abilities with the food gift.

Eleven-year-old Peter Gundling is not only one of the youngest filmmakers of KIDS FIRST! film festival titles, but it’s his third year of acceptance! Fans of Gundling might want to head to the theater to check out “Super Kitten and the Power Pets.”CP: Please tell me a bit about “Power Pets” including where you got the idea for this title.PG: I got the idea of Super Kitten when I adopted my cats. I got the idea for the Power Pets because I thought I should be fair and have other animals as well. I also wanted to do a film about how Super Kitten became Super Kitten and I included the Power Pets.CP: What equipment/computer programs work best for you in your filmmaking?PG: For my filmmaking I use a Panasonic PV-GS80 camcorder that plugs into my Mac through a firewire. Using the program Boinx iStopMotion the computer takes the pictures through the camera. I then import the clips to iMovie and add sound with GarageBand.CP: This is your third year with KIDS FIRST!, how do you feel your filmmaking has evolved over the past three years?PG: The quality of the animation has improved over the years. In “Toys: the Homemaker’s Tale” you can see some things sliding around that aren’t supposed to be moving. “Super Kitten and the Great Cheese Robbery” was my first all-clay film and the animation was somewhat choppy. This time the animation was more fluid and had less things moving in the background.CP: You are still very young, but already have vast filmmaking experience. What advice do you have to offer other young filmmakers?PG:  Always be serious about your filmmaking. The story is the most important part of the movie.CP: What do your friends and schoolmates think about your filmmaking?PG:  My friends and schoolmates all enjoy my films. Even if they don’t know me too well or are not my friend. They tell me that my film made them laugh or their siblings enjoy watching them over and over on the web. After they see it they ask me, “How did you do that?” and I tell them, but not too many understand.CP: Are you going to continue working with clay?PG:  Yes I think I will. I might do a Lego thing or a documentary, but I will continue to work with clay.CP: What do you plan to do next in regard to film?PG:  Next I will make “Super Kitten and the Escape,” the sequel to “Super Kitten and the Power Pets.”CP: Is there anything you would like to add?PG:  Something happens in “Super Kitten and the Escape,” but it’s a secret!

The mission at Listen Up! is to help youth be heard in the mass media, contributing to a culture of free speech and social responsibility. Listen Up! is a national Youth Media Network that helps youth producers and their adult mentors exchange work, share ideas and learn from one another.What do youth fear? How do they build security in their lives? Check out their Peabody Award-winning short documentaries by youth filmmakers worldwide — Beyond Borders: Personal Stories from a Small Planet. http://listenup.org/beyondborders In this interview with Austin Haeberle, Creative Director at Listen Up!, tells us how his work with Listen Up! affects his own life.

CP: Could you please give me an overview of how your organization works and a sample of a typical day for you?

AH: At the Listen Up! Youth Media Network, we provide technical, organizational and financial support to over 100 organizations that help young people tell important stories through media production. Our mission is to help young video producers and their allies connect to resources, support, and projects to achieve an authentic youth voice in the mass media. While most days seem humdrum in meetings & sending emails, it can be pretty exciting stuff.

I’m producing a worldwide project with 14 youth production teams in nine countries, showing how they interact with the environment and what youth are doing to solve environmental problems.  We’ve had a little luck in the past with similar projects, landing broadcast homes on PBS, the Independent Film Channel and Current TV.  Our last project, “Beyond Borders:  Personal Stories from a Small Planet,” even netted us a George Foster Peabody Award which many consider the highest honor in American Television.  

So, while most days I’m behind a computer screen, helping groups make connections, other days find me working with groups in different parts of the United States or other countries.

CP: Some of the kids’ films I saw dealt with some pretty heavy topics. Do you have counselors on staff that help the kids work through their issues while filming?
AH: You don’t ask easy questions, do you?  Youth filmmaking has a history of dealing with really heavy topics:  suicide, war, homelessness, sexuality, abuse, AIDS & HIV, environmental destruction, etc.  For many youth filmmakers, their films are attempts to work their way through issues that have dogged them from very early ages.  They’re also reaching out and touching other young people who may be experiencing the same types of issues. 

AH: In order for youth to be able to honestly reflect on their own experiences and communicate those experiences in a manner that others will understand, empathize and learn, it takes great mentorship that balances youth development skills and filmmaking talents.  So, while many youth media organizations don’t have counselors for traumatic issues on hand by default, youth media experts are adept at finding resources on the fly — getting help when they need it.  It’s one of the great skills that come with filmmaking — you are very quick at accessing resources that you don’t immediately have at your fingertips. 

CP: Please give me an anecdote of a student whose life has been significantly affected in a positive way through Listen Up!

AH: Meet Mohamed Sidibay, a 15 year-old soccer player going to high school in an affluent New Jersey suburban town. Listen Up! has had a lot of influence on him, but we’re only a part of caring network of individuals worldwide who have made the security and health Mohamed their business.  

He was born to a good family in Sierra Leone, but like so many tragedies there, he was swept into an unthinkable situation.  By the time he was 5 years old his parents and family were killed and he was forcibly recruited into a rebel army to carry weapons and kill.  We met him when he was 10, demobilized only two years prior, and learning computer skills with the iEarn center in Freetown.  Mohamed and his team made a film with us about his life — a film that has been broadcast on TV here in the States, on CNN International and in film festivals worldwide, earning awards along the way.

Mohamed joined us in New York last June to receive the George Foster Peabody Award.  Long story short, he never went back and now has beautiful host family in New Jersey and is doing what he has always wanted to do:  play soccer & go to school.

CP: Please give me an anecdote about a student who changed you and your way of thinking through film.

AH: Youth filmmakers often give me perspectives that I haven’t been able to articulate or they sometimes outright challenge assumptions that I’ve made about what it means to grow up in times of enormous complexity and change.  Usually, youth don’t mince or filter their words, or as they say, they like “keepin’ it real.”   Salim Muslim’s piece “Losing My Way,” which is featured in the Kids First! film selection, keeps it real by dealing directly with Salim’s own bi-polar disorder, his struggle between the “positive and the negative.”  He fits the part of a disenfranchised black youth growing up in Brooklyn, or does he?  Through movement and sound and word, he helps me grasp the enormity of his disorder and what it means to grow up in troubling times.

CP: What advice would you give producers/educators who want to work with kids in film?

AH: Stick with it and be patient.  If you don’t have a high tolerance for “things not going as planned,” youth filmmaking is probably not for you.  There’s usually an element of drama involved in youth filmmaking, and that drama is not always on screen.   With a lot of patience and good spirit, youth will rise to the occasion and meet the high standard of work that you should demand from them.  It will take longer than you planned, but the impact will be on the faces in the audience as well as the kids behind the camera.
 

CP: Are your daughters involved in this program directly? If so, in what facet?

AH: Don’t get me started with my daughters Anna and Bella who are now nine and six.  Anna and her friend Lily are in pre-production on some sort of docu-drama and have already began to shoot.  At times they ask for input, but most of the time, mum’s the word.  I’m sure I’ll make a fine driver between shoots.  While too young to be a part of Listen Up!, they’re only a few years behind in age and maturity.   

CP: Is there anything you would like to add?

AH: The Listen Up! Youth Media Network is only a small part of a movement that values the ideas, experiences and voices of youth.  The work of organizations like Kids First! and the many venues across our country and around the world that feature youth-made films helps bring our work full circle.  This is valuable work, not just for us, but youth filmmakers and their organizations who are constantly looking to reach new audiences to broaden what it means to be young and live on this planet.

CP: Please tell me the story behind Wubbzy. How did it come about and what direction do you see the show taking?SM: Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is the first television series from told Bolder Media, Inc.. A company I and formed with my partner Fred Siebert. Fred and I combined our experiences in creating entertainment for children (the movie, “Ella Enchanted”; television series “Fairly Odd Parents”, Shari Lewis’ “Lamb Chop”, ‘Powder Puff Girls”). to create a company focused on television, books, digital media and films for young children and their families.Wubbzy was created by Bob Boyle and is based on the story told to him by his then 10-year-old niece Viviana Ogawa. We are in production of our second season (in Burbank, California) and we are introducing exciting new things including a new girl named Daizy, a disco dancing Wubb club and a magical Wubbmobile.CP: What were some of the more difficult elements in animating, and how did you overcome them?SM: Creating a great cartoon takes the work of over 100 people — artists, writers, actors, composers, animators, directors, editors, directors and more. We are lucky to have a great crew, led by Bob Doyle and our supervising producer Kevin Kolde. They manage to keep the creative process moving, while paying attention to team morale, budgets, contracts, computers, deadlines and all else involved in creating a hit cartoon series.CP: Please give me an amusing/interesting anecdote from the filmmaking process that readers can relate to and make them feel like they have a connection and inside scoop to the film.SM: Our creative team really enjoys the characters of Wuzzkeburg. And one of their favorite things to do is create their own art with Wubbzy and his friends and all kinds of crazy places and poses. A few months ago they sent us a Spiderman version of Wubbzy… red and blue outfit and all. They also create movie posters with our characters based on classic films like “King Kong” and others.CP: In your opinion, with all the great shows out there, what makes Wubbzy so appealing and such a hit with children?SM: Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! has the elements that we think make a children’s television series a hit with children. The three H’s… heart, humor and huggability. Wubbzy is the type of character children can relate to and want to be their friend. Also, Wuzzleburg is such fun-filled place… I know I would love to live there, too.CP: What does it mean to you to have “Wow Wow Wubbzy” in the KIDS FIRST! Festival?SM: It is Wow! Wow! Wonderful! to have Wubbzy and his friends participate at the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival. We hope that children along with their mons, dads, teachers, grandparent have a chance to see our show and get to know Wubbzy and his friends.CP: Is there anything you would like to add?SM: Our show appeals to children all of the world. Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is currently airing in England, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and throughout Latin America. The show is being dubbed into Spanish, German, Arabic, Hebrew, French and Italian, with many more countries and languages to follow.