Microcinema Flashback - My Safari to the Land of Foo (2001)

I had an idea once... after the advent of cable television and before the advent of the internet, I thought that film makers from across the country could use cable access channels as their own personal syndication option for their shorts and feature films.

Here was the concept... At that time, cable companies, by law, had to provide a channel in the lower tier (usually below channel 20) that was dedicated toward local programming. The cable companies had to make available the equipment for citizens to shoot their subjects and the channel to air them.

So, if you could get a film makers from all over the country to sign-up with their local cable access channel, we could combine our film projects into a single program and self-syndicate it throughout the country, one cable access channel at a time.

In Boston in the 90's a group of college students were already using their local public access channel to produce and showcase their own short film work in a show they called Fade to Black. The group, which called themselves Pangaea and Random Foo, were exceptionally prolific and were on the cutting edge of the microcinema revolution in the late 90's.

They made their shows available for sale on VHS tape. I purchase them and took a weekend to watch all of their stuff. Here were my thoughts...

From February 2001...

*****

My Safari to the Land of Foo
By Pete Bauer

It's official… I have been Foo-ified. I have immersed myself in the land of Foo on the continent of Pangaea and have lived to tell the tale. A few weeks ago I received, in a simple USPS box, a collection of 13 Fade to Black episodes, containing a total of 33 short films. I, like many of you, had heard so much about the ravenous filmmakers of the greater Northeast and wanted to experience what all of the fuss was about. So, I shuffled off my humble check to the friends of Foo and have watched all 13 episodes. (Episodes 14 and 15 have since been completed, but I haven't seen them yet).

First, I should state that I am of the belief that if anyone out there is capable of completing any project, no matter how long it takes and no matter what the end quality is, that you deserve a sincere round of applause. Any of us who have tried, failed and tried again, to make a short film know just how many obstacles stand between the simple idea stage to the completed film stage. Beyond that, I look for ingenuity in concept, implementation or presentation. I expect the basics (visual composition, a steady camera, competent acting, adequate sound) as a minimum and hope for more.

Now, what I'm not going to do is review each project individually, because, to be honest, I'm not that good of a reviewer… and that really wasn't the point of writing this article. But, I will share my overall experiences in my short, intense visit to the land of Foo. First, let's start with the obvious… VOLUME! These guys crank out more titles than some porn distributors! It's amazing the mere volume of work that is done by this dedicated group of people. I marvel at the fact that I'm able to complete one project a year. These guys have completed over 50 and have made available over 30 in the Fade to Black series. I know it's been said before, but that's frickin' amazing. Nuff said.

Second, let's talk about originality. Overall, the stories these guys/gals are telling are quite original in concept. Some are supernatural, some are funny and some are straight dramas. Do they all pay off as well as they could in the end? No. But most of them get pretty darn close. And with each project, the scope of the stories appear to be growing, which is nice to see. And Jason Santo seems to be the Stephen King of the group, prolific and with a non-conventional edge to his stories. And, again, the skill of the way the stories unfold has continually improved with each project, which is critical.

Third, let's talk about production value… and I'm not talking about available skin on the screen (and I'm excluding Santo shirtless). I'm talking about the quality of directing and camerawork. To be honest, in the beginning, this concerned me slightly because there were a lot of times, I thought, where shaky hand-camera work could have been replaced by a steadier tripod with no ill effect, I believe, on the shots being attempted or the time it would take to shoot it. But, more importantly, they have continued to improve in this area.

As you move up the Fade to Black food chain, the quality of the direction and camerawork steadily improves. There is more visual direction, more emotional impact created by the shots selected. And that's important to me and stems from my own personal bias. I like visual directors more than others (DePalma, Hitchcock, Bay, etc.). I like seeing style along with substance, so I tend to gravitate to projects which do the same. And the Foo camerawork has improved with each project, which has led to more effective editing and performances. If there were no visible growth in their ability to direct, then I would have been concerned. However, with each new project they seem to be expanding their horizons, raising the bar and attempting more ambitious projects. Otherwise, what's the point?

Fourth, let's talk about acting. The Foo ensemble has a nice mix of personalities. Each have their strengths and, for the most part, put themselves in a position where they can showcase what they do best as actors.

However, I must take a moment to point out the two best actors in the group, in my humble opinion – Jason Santo and Dan Gorgone. Good acting, on any level, consists of two basic things, relaxation and commitment. Relaxation in the sense that the actor relaxes into the role, you never feel like they are pushing or "acting" but merely being someone else. Secondly, commitment, which is important when portraying a normal role in an odd story or an odd role in a normal story. In order for those things to work, the actor has to commit fully to the role or situation, no matter how weird it may seem. By committing, the audience buys into it because the actors have fully bought into it. And both Santo and Gorgone succeed at both of these things. To my surprise, they are equally adept at both comedy and drama. Santo has an intensity that makes me wonder if he'd kick my ass if I ever meet him in person. Not that he'd have a reason to kick my ass, but he just might because of a bad chicken parmesan or something like that. And, I must add a special nod to Gorgone, who can be a frickin' nut in one film, a humble husband in another and then a scary stalker in the next, all convincing… chameleon like actually. He's got it all together.

Out of the plethora of stories I've watched over the past few weeks, I'd like to mention some of my favorites stops in the land of Foo (in alphabetical order):

• 51 – Nice direction, solid acting, good story. Good work.
• Friends of P – Funnier than when I saw it the first time over the internet. Goofy and fun.
• Hell Awaits – Ambitious, intense, well done.
• House Rules – when this started I was afraid… I thought it was something someone threw together when no one was home. But, I was wrong and the humor and story were so well done that I was laughing out loud. The voices were great, the humor was tremendous. Hilarious.
• Just Dessert – Funny story is infused with new, quality acting talent.
• Killing Time – Nice camerawork, story and acting. Good work.
• Marisa – Nice visuals, good direction, great implementation.
• Paths – Excellent. Nice visuals, nice story, and Gorgone spooked me. My personal favorite.
• The Quiet Day – Nice visuals, simple and effective acting, nice story.
• Sykes Tangent and the Angel of Death – Great story idea, great villain, can't wait to see where this series goes.
• Twice Upon A Time – Epic with lots of fisticuffs. Good use of combining an old film project with a new idea.
• Voice of Reason – Excellent acting, nicely directed, excellent story.
• Wordbox – Interesting, unique story, nice cinematography, good acting.

When you look at the massive work of Foo/Pangaea, you could try to focus on any number of reasons as to why this group is so successful. But, I believe the greatest thing these guys and gals have going for them is an overall sense of enjoyment they bring to their projects. You can tell that they love doing what they do. The love they have hanging around with each other, being friends and making movies. Out of all of their accomplishments, this is the one that I think most of us would envy. It's rare that you can get a project finished. It's even more rare that the experience is rewarding on a creative AND personal level. And it's even more rare that you could repeat that success with the same people over and over in a way that showcases not only your talents, but your long-term friendships. When people look at what makes Foovies so special, it's not only the volume or the consistent quality of the work, but comradery that they share on and off the screen.

So, thanks for the enjoyable trip to the Land of Foo. I look forward to the next stop on your never-ending journey.