VFF10 Shorts Program ~ Made in the (818)

Made in the (818) is The Valley Film Festival's signature showcase of films shot in or showcasing, and/or made by filmmakers currently living in The Valley.  VFF believes that the San Fernando Valley has a diverse landscape for every film shoot, whether you're using the backlot of Universal Studios or shooting guerrilla style at Hansen Dam. VFF encourages local production by creating a showcase just for these films, and we hope you'll consider the fabulous San Fernando Valley for your next film shoot. 

We asked our Made in the (818) filmmakers to share a little bit more about their film, themselves, and their favorite place in The Valley:

Born in Chicago and raised in Woodland Hills, Beth Einhorn is proud to be a Valley Girl and is the writer/director behind 500 DAYS OF ZANKOU. In this comedy short, SNL's Abby Elliott falls in love with Zankou Chicken. Shot entirely on location in the (818), Beth and her crew used Zankou Chicken in Toluca Lake and a private residence in Studio City.

When Beth isn't working on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, or preparing for her next film shoot, she can be found at Fryman Canyon, Brent's Deli, Corbin Bowl, Candy Cane Lane, and Zankou Chicken (of course) on Sepulveda.

Some things are better left alone and Burbank based director, Michael Barton, delivers a creepy comedy in BY A HAIR. During our submissions process, this was the first film we screened that made us go "a-ha" and it was also one of the few that made us squirm in our seats. 

From the mind of multi-hyphenate (writer-director-dp-editor-colorist) and Valley-born Mike Halper comes DECEIVERS. Shot in under two days in Mike's Sherman Oaks apartment, this thriller is about betrayal with so many twists, turns, and more twists, that you'll never see the ending coming. 

A purist through and through, Mike can be found on the sets of short films, web series, or feature films being shot in The Valley. Next time you drive past a set, shout out to him!

THE DISAPPEARING GIRL TRICK, from director David Jackson Willis, is one of the older films screening at The Valley Film Festival, having been completed in 2001. While most festivals allow a two-year window to screen a project, VFF doesn't put restrictions on our submissions. In this gem, Broadway sensation, Susan Egan, stars as a TV producer who goes undercover as a magician's assistant to expose the "Disappearing Girl" trick. Even though this film was shot entirely at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, the producer gets props for being Valley-based!

Made for the 48 Hour Film Project, DRAIN DESERT TANNER follows the (mis)adventures of a Forensics investigator who makes an outlandish attempt to get himself out of a bad situation. Another multi-hyphenate (actor-director-editor-writer), Shant Hamassian comes to us from Calabasas where the old Paramount Ranch is.

Directed by Jimmy Lu, THE HURRICANE FIST is an action-packed Kung Fu film shot in the Angeles National Forest, starring Toy Lei of Sherman Oaks. When she's not mastering stances, punches, or kicks at the Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park, you can find her snowboarding.

LEAGUE OF S.T.EA.M: FOOL'S GOLD is a steampunk short film produced by VFF09 alumni and Burbank based Trip Hope. Don't know what steampunk is? Neither did we before this year, but we've come to learn that it is a fusion of 19th Century (Victorian era) and fantasy. Not to mention awesome costumes and cool gadgets! Sneak a peek here.

From NoHo based filmmakers Surge L'Rodriguez (director) and Preston Northrop (producer) comes the gritty drama MOTEL SAN FERNANDO. Shot and set in the SFV, an out-of-luck woman risks everything to provide for her younger sister during the current economic crisis.
 

Hailing from our state capital, writer/producer Denise Dougherty has been a Valley resident for 36 years and shot WILL TRAIN RIGHT PERSON in Van Nuys. Making its world premier at VFF10, this family-friendly tale proves that in this economy, everyone is looking for work.  Rita Wood generously donated the use of her office building, providing Denise and her crew with a functioning set that allowed them to play around with geography and reality, a theme to their film. 

Denise recommends Emle's on Reseda Blvd. in Northridge for their great food, atmosphere, and people!

These titles aren't the only films in the festival with an (818) connection, but we felt they complemented one another and showcased the diversity of what is possible in The Valley.

Made in the (818) screens on Friday, November 12, at 5pm, at CAP Theatre in Sherman Oaks. Purchase tickets here.

Beth Einhorn on Working in Comedy

Beth Einhorn & friend

We contacted Beth Einhorn recently to ask about her experiences working as a writer, producer, and director in TV comedy. She’s worked on The Chris Rock Show, HBO’s George Carlin specials, and Saturday Night Live, to name a few. Beth is currently a writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She’s also written and directed independent films that screened at the VFF (Simple Roasted Chicken in 2009 and A 3 1/2 Foot Perspective in 2007). This year we’re screening 500 Days of Zankou. Here’s some of what she told us:

“I’ve always loved comedy. When I was young, I saw a lot of Woody Allen and Mel Brooks films, and would stay up late watching Johnny Carson. I never thought that someday I’d actually be a writer on The Tonight Show. That definitely wasn’t something I thought I would do when I first got out of college (Boston University) and moved back to the San Fernando Valley. I’m an 818 girl – I know it’s not cool to say that, but I don’t care.

“Shortly after graduating college, life was great, but I decided to move to New York where I didn’t know anyone. In those days before Facebook, I developed connections the old fashioned way, which led to a job at the Apollo Theater with a woman who, it turned out, worked on Saturday Night Live. Through her, I then got a job on SNL. And that’s kinda how my career has gone ever since. No rhyme or reason, just what sounded interesting and a lot of long hours and hard work.

“Some people do very well in life by getting a job and staying there until they retire or the show ends. I sort of had a different path. I was mostly a free lance person – going from show to show. I’ve been fortunate to meet and work with so many amazingly talented people. If I had stayed with one show, I probably wouldn’t have done so much, like directing 10 cameras in Japan, working with George Burns in Paris, or traveling the country on a tour bus with Genesis.

“I have been really lucky to work with the likes of George Carlin, Betty White, Paul McCartney, and Chris Rock. Actually, Chris Rock taught me most everything I know about directing, producing, and writing remotes. He also taught me that nothing becomes funnier after midnight. That is, you don’t have to work on a TV show twenty hours a day for it to be good; more hours don’t make a better show.

“People bring up, ‘What’s it like to be a woman in comedy production.’ Right now, I’m the only woman writer on The Tonight Show. It is odd sometimes, when I look around the room and there are nineteen men and me. But I got used to that a long time ago. I was the only woman director my season on The Man Show and I guess it was good that I was the only girl in my Hebrew school class for two years—it prepared me for show business.

“My first remote I directed on The Man Show was called ‘Jimmy and Adam Go to the Sperm Bank.’ I had just started and didn’t know Jimmy Kimmel or Adam Carolla at all. The piece was them at a fertility clinic to check their sperm count and mobility of the sperm. Of course, with them there was a twist – they wanted first to see who could masturbate the fastest to get the specimen to analyze. Ok, so I set it up like a race: they had to run down the hall and they each go into different rooms – it would have been gross if they were in the same room -- and do their thing. Trying to be professional, I told them, “Okay – Adam you’re going to go into that room and Jimmy you are going into that room and do your thing.” Adam kept teasing me—“Beth, exactly what are we doing?”—and I was like, “you know very well what you’re doing.” And he kept asking me. Well, they did do their thing and, for the record, Adam was faster, but Jimmy had the better sperm count. I went on to work on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Too Late with Adam Carolla.

“I’ve had a lot of amazing experiences working in television, but one of my favorite professional experiences was in film. That’s when I got to see my short film, A 3 ½ Foot Perspective, shown at the Valley Film Festival. It was a passion project of mine, something I feel proud of. Going out and shooting something that you love, seeing it up on the big screen, and then having people come up to talk about it was all wonderful. I love working in the industry, but sometimes it’s also great to go out and do your own thing.

Edited by James Latham