From one of those interchangeable trades...
Dave Chappelle is teaming up with director Michel Gondry (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND) to produce and star in an untitled music/comedy feature to be directed by Gondry. Chapelle will emcee the project and do standup and scripted comedy. Pic will have a documentary aspect to it with some of the musical and comedy elements to be filmed live from the musical and comedy event that will take place in New York. Pic will start shooting later this month on location in Brooklyn.
More info:
Chapelle and Gondry Unite
Pair teams up for an untitled project featuring both music and comedy. Source: FilmStew.com
Actor and comedian Dave Chappelle is teaming up with Michel Gondry, director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, on an untitled comedy project, which will star Chappelle and be directed by Gondry. Although the project has no distributor attached, Chappelle and Gondry, who will both also produce with Bob Yari, will begin shooting the $5 million budgeted project later this month in Brooklyn.
Details of the plot are being kept close the vest, but the project is based on an original idea by Chappelle inspired by Wattstax, a seven hour, non-stop musical event that took place at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1972, hosted by Richard Pryor and featuring some of the hottest names in soul, R&B and gospel music at the time. The project will not be a concert film but will have a documentary feel and feature Chappelle as the host doing scripted stand-up at the musical event.
UTA, which reps both Chappelle and Gondry, will be handling the distribution rights on the project. Chappelle is financing along with Yari's Bob Yari Productions.
Chappelle, who's attached to star in Universal's King of the Park, recently signed an eight-figure deal that will keep his Chappelle's Show on Comedy Central through 2006. He's also been seen in the features Con Air, Blue Streak and Undercover Brother, among others.
Dave Chappelle and Michel Gondry? It sounds pretty cool, but that is just an odd odd pairing. It's like if Cindy Margolis and Ron Jeremy got together to do a porno with penetration, but it never showed the penetration. Just panting and gasping.
sounds......okay. not exactly the exciting follow-up i was hoping for after eternal sunshine, but maybe this will just be a pit-stop to something greater. or maybe this is something greater?
or maybe, just maybe, it's one of things that will fall through.
come ON guys! what did all of you say when your beloved pta was announced to be making an adam sandler romantic comedy? hunh?!
QuoteDave Chappelle is teaming up with Michel Gondry
I'm interested in hearing how their conversations will go
Did any of you buy the September issue of W magazine?
i'm wondering if this has anything to do with the film. This is from the okayplayer message boards...
A special neighborhood in New York will host the "block party" featuring artists: Kanye West, Mos Def, Common, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Dead Prez and The Roots with Dave Chappelle serving as the event's master of ceremonies.
Ticket Info
The tickets are FREE. However, everyone must be bussed in from NYC. We will give you bus info as soon as it is locked down.
EVERYONE MUST BE BUSSED TO THE EVENT! The block party will last from 12pm - 9pm. You must be available from 12 noon till 9 pm.
Location & Arrival Time
Event Location:
A Secret Location in New York City
(you MUST be bussed in from NYC)
Event Date:
September 18, 2004
Arrival Time: 11:30am
Show Requirements
- You must be at least 18 years old to attend this event.
- We ask that you do not wear solid white clothing or logos, as they are not camera-friendly.
- No cameras or recording devices will be allowed in the event.
- Everyone attending the event must go through a security check before gaining access. Please downsize any purses or bags you are bringing with[/i] you.
from the Toronto Film Festival...
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Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Programme: SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Director: Michel Gondry
Country: USA
Year: 2005
Language: English
Time: 100 minutes
Film Types: Colour/HDCAM
Rating: 14A
SCREENING TIMES:
Monday, September 12 9:00 PM VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)
Wednesday, September 14 9:00 AM VARSITY 8
Production Company: Bob Yari Productions/Pilot Boy Productions
Executive Producer: Greg Manocherian, Doug Levine, Skot Bright
Producer: David Chappelle, Bob Yari
Screenplay: David Chappelle
Cinematography: Ellen Kuras
Editor: Sarah Flack, Jeff Buchanan
Music: Cory Smith
Principal Cast: Featuring: Dave Chappelle, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Talib Kwali, Kanye West, The Roots, Common, Dead Prez, The Fugees
What do you do when your net worth tops fifty million dollars? Start with a party. Dave Chappelle's wicked, chilled-out comedy show caused a sensation and catapulted him to a massive contract renewal. In 2004, the future looked infinite - and so did the pressure. To unwind, Dave decided to throw himself a little block party.
Kanye West, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Dead Prez, Jill Scott, The Roots plus one top-secret closing act: this concert would gather some of music's hippest performers at a mystery location in Brooklyn. There would be no tickets, no advertising: Chappelle tapped underground networks to reach his audience. Even better, he invited directorial wizard Michel Gondry to film the festivities.
The result is electric. Gondry follows Chappelle back to his Cleveland, Ohio neighbourhood, where he rolls up on unsuspecting former neighbours to hand out invites. He even finds a marching band and brings them along. He plays a rough version of "'Round Midnight" on the piano, confessing his love for both music and comedy. "I'm mediocre at both," he jokes, "and yet have managed to talk my way into a fortune."
Chappelle can be brutally funny, but he often reserves his most searing lines for himself. As the concert begins, it becomes clear that he needs this party as much as his audience craves it. The skies threaten all day, but the music wins out.
West launches into a rousing version of "Jesus Walks," with the marching band blasting out counterpoint. Badu makes an entrance in a puffy afro wig. The wind keeps blowing it back, so she yanks it off and keeps singing - a great moment, but she tops it when she returns to join Scott for a duet. "This is the concert I always wanted to see," Chappelle crows.
Then, after having interspersed the music with his own freestyle comedy all day, Chappelle comes out to announce the headline act: The Fugees. For the first time since 1997, Lauryn Hill, Pras and Wyclef Jean hit the stage together. There are gasps. And then the music kicks in.
Chappelle's 'Block Party' booked at Toronto
"Dave Chappelle's Block Party," a concert documentary revolving around a giant bash the comedian threw for himself, has been sold at the Toronto International Film Festival after a bidding war between two studios.
The eventual victor was Rogue Pictures, the genre arm of Universal Pictures' Focus Features label, which will release the film next year. Also bidding, sources said, was Paramount Pictures and its MTV Films arm.
Sources close to the production tagged the complex deal at $7 million, with the film's major participants receiving a share of box office revenues as well.
"Block Party" was directed by Michel Gondry -- an Oscar winner for the screenplay of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which Focus Features released. The 2004 neighborhood jam featured performances by the Fugees and Kanye West.
About halfway through the movie's first public screening Monday night, Rogue began aggressively pursuing the deal for worldwide rights, including home video rights, and it closed late Tuesday night. The film's eventual DVD release is expected to be of particular value since DVD releases of Chappelle's Comedy Central series "Chappelle's Show" have been big sellers.
Before Toronto, a rougher version of the film was shown to several distributors, who didn't immediately bite.
"I don't regret showing the earlier version," said producer Bob Yari, who partnered on the project with Chappelle. "It may have been misunderstood, but it was done primarily for feedback."
By the end of its more polished public unveiling -- which was still billed as a "work-in-progress" screening in Toronto -- several major executives saw the crowd's enthusiastic response, which eased some doubts.
"The movie is incredibly dynamic and tremendously entertaining," Rogue president David Linde said. "It's a new kind of entertainment for all kinds of audiences."
Trailer here. (http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1402480&sdm=web&qtw=480&qth=300)
http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/winter2006/features/beat_back.php
Poster Exclusive: Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Chappelle and friends bring it in Brooklyn.
IGN FilmForce has your first look at the brand new poster for Dave Chappell's Block Party. Check it out below!
The film, from Rogue Pictures, spotlights comedy superstar Dave Chappelle as he presents a Brooklyn neighborhood with its very own once-in-a-lifetime free block party. The unprecedented combination of comedy and music was shot on location. In addition to Mr. Chappelle performing all-new material, the stellar roster of artists includes Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, the Roots, Cody ChesnuTT, Big Daddy Kane, and - reunited for their first performance in over seven years - the Fugees.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind helmer Michel Gondry and cinematographer Ellen Kuras captured the whole thing in addition to private rehearsal footage of Chappelle and company from the small Ohio town he calls home.
In Ohio, Mr. Chappelle wandered through town handing out golden tickets to invite several dozen citizens to join the party, providing transportation and lodging for their first-time-ever visit to Brooklyn. Ohio's Central State University marching band made the trip and helped kick off the festivities at the intersection of Quincy and Downing Streets. As a diverse crowd comes together, Mr. Chappelle's freestyle wit guides them (and the film audience) through a day-long, life-affirming celebration of music and comedy, history and community.
Dave Chappell's Block Party has been rated R by the MPAA. The movie arrives in theaters on March 3, 2006.
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Gondry + Chappelle = Dirty Lego Jokes? Not Even Close
Famed director plays it straight for comedian's 'Block Party' movie.
Source: MTV.com
One of them is a 40-year-old French music-video-visionary-turned-Oscar-winning-writer/director, the other is a 32-year-old raunchy stand-up comic who created one of the hottest shows on basic cable. According to "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" director Michel Gondry, however, he and Dave Chappelle have more in common than you might think.
"He'd seen my music videos; he hadn't seen my movies," Gondry recalled of the unlikely friendship that yielded "Dave Chappelle's Block Party," which is part concert film, part standup concert and hits theaters March 3. "I had done this video for Steriogram ('Walkie Talkie Man') and we watched it together; it's a video where everything is knitted. ... I guess he liked it."
That would be a pretty easy guess, considering that Gondry's dazzling efforts (the White Stripes' all-Lego "Fell in Love With a Girl," for instance) have reduced many of Hollywood's top creative talents (including Jim Carrey and Jack Black) into starry-eyed superfans begging for a collaboration. With "Block Party," however, Gondry has set aside his trademark action figures, miniatures and pop-art-influenced stages for what might be his most daring visual depiction yet: reality.
"The story is that Dave had been doing his show, and he always invites, on the show, artists he likes, like Mos Def," the stick-thin, exuberant auteur continued. "It is where comedy meets performance music. He wanted to do a show; he's very successful, and he wanted to do a show to promote them. Obviously, the common bond between all these bands is that they're trying to say something with their lyrics. It's not only about showing off and bragging. It tends to have a message, and we wanted to put them all together and have this concert."
In summer 2004, then, Chappelle took a few of the enormous paychecks he received from "Chappelle's Show" and threw a party. In the days preceding the event, Chappelle went to some of New York's poorest neighborhoods and handed out golden tickets to the show, Willie Wonka style. Mos Def showed up, as did Kanye West, Jill Scott, John Legend, Common, Big Daddy Kane and dozens of other famous friends. Raindrops fell, people sang along and food was served.
Looking back, Gondry is happy to say he was there every step of the way. "People had suggested that he [have the concert in] Central Park. ... My first contribution [was that] I suggested he should go to a place where it would mean more for the people who lived there," Gondry recalled. "That's how we ended up at Fort Greene, which is in Brooklyn."
The timing was perfect for the director, who'd been itching to collaborate with many of the acts that Chappelle happened to choose. "I think hip-hop music is the only popular music now that's moving forward," said Gondry, whose "Sunshine" won him a screenwriting Oscar. "I think alternative rock is really backlogged. I was always very interested to work with hip-hop artists, and it would never happen because I wasn't in the right place at the right time. David contacted me, and he offered me the chance to shoot this concert with all of them at once ... all these guys I'd been worshipping forever."
For Gondry and many of the others in attendance, the highlight of the show was the startling reunion of the Fugees, who hadn't performed together in six years. "It was a very emotional moment when David turned to them, and you can see them coming through the crowd," Gondry beamed. "When they come onstage, you can see the joy they have to be together again. It was really joyful to see that."
For better or worse, "Block Party" received an unexpected dose of extra publicity last year when Chappelle went off the grid, leaving many of his friends and colleagues wondering if he'd ever return to Hollywood (see "Dave Chappelle Speaks: 'I'm Not Crazy; I'm Not Smoking Crack' "). "He didn't really disappear," the director said, insisting that Chappelle always kept in touch with those he considered to be in his corner. "I talked to him every weekend."
Such loyalty might just pay off again in the long term, as Gondry and Chappelle have discussed plans to team up on a more traditional narrative film. "I have some ideas that I'd like to grab him and convince him to do," Gondry grinned.
Quote from: Michel Gondry
I think hip-hop music is the only popular music now that's moving forward, I think alternative rock is really backlogged.
what an asshole. an artists job is NOT to change. why does music need to move forward?
Quote from: modage on February 09, 2006, 02:23:18 PMwhat an asshole. an artists job is NOT to change. why does music need to move forward?
Because then we wouldn't have Sgt. Pepper's, the White album or Abbey Road.
you do talk a lot of sense.
The Beatwho?
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After creating many of the most brilliant music videos and the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry is considered by many to be one of the greatest film visionaries ever. His latest project, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, is a bit more human and real. Back in 2004 after Dave Chappelle made his $50 million deal with Comedy Central he decided to give something directly back to the people he loves. With Gondry’s cameras following him the entire time Chappelle organized a massive Block Party in Brooklyn with musical guests such as Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Jill Scott and most amazingly of all a stage reunion of The Fugees. Before the show Chappelle traveled back to his hometown of Dayton, Ohio to give out free tickets and transportation to the show to many people including two very funny young men and a local marching band.
I got a chance to talk with director Michel Gondry about directing Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, his upcoming film The Science of Sleep and being scared of Charlie Kaufman.
Daniel Robert Epstein: Were you just taking a picture out the hotel window?
Michel Gondry: Yes I bought this camera. I already took 20 rolls but I haven’t seen anything yet. It has a very good lens.
DRE: I remember when we spoke a few years ago you had said you use a lot of small cameras to do experiments with.
Gondry: I was probably talking about my Bolex camera. It’s very good because it’s totally self-sufficient. You can just crank it up. A digital camera needs to be hooked up to a computer. With a film camera at least you have something physical.
DRE: Do you ever use any of the little experiments in work we can see?
Gondry: Sometimes, yes. For some videos I used some black and white film that I processed myself.
DRE: Do you always process your own film?
Gondry: No just sometimes. My first job was to shoot and process line tests for animation. At the time they were shot on celluloid. I used to shoot animation tests. I would shoot on my Bolex to see if the animation was working. I would shoot it and go into the bathroom, process the film, dry it and then my friend Jean-Louis [Bompoint] would edit it together. In fact that’s how I started to work in this business.
DRE: Wow! You’ve been working with this guy for 20 years.
Gondry: Longer, we first met in ’83.
DRE: Now you’re in charge.
Gondry: I went to a big market in Lille, which is north of France, where everyone wants to sell everything on the street. That’s where I bought my first Bolex. Jean-Louis was worried because he was the director at the time, I was just his helper. He asked me why I needed a camera and I told him I wanted to experiment.
DRE: Did you know Dave Chappelle before you started Block Party?
Gondry: Not personally. I knew his show and we had a good meeting. Obviously he could see I was very ambitious. It was not only about doing the most fabulous concert but about the artistry of the film as well. It’s not about making money to Dave or me. I liked Dave’s ambition to create a moment that will remain in history.
DRE: What was your setup for the concert?
Gondry: I wrote a diagram where all the cameras would be. After I met Dave my initial idea was to have the musicians in the greenroom watching the concert before they went on. You can see the show on TV and have this constant back and forth. Then Dave wanted to go to Ohio to invite some people and then follow them. It became more about giving voice to all those people like the marching band and the two kids from Ohio who peed on the golf course. We were just going to a location and interact with them.
Specifically, I wanted each cameraman to be there as if they were each the only camera. They shouldn’t worry if the camera is missing something. I wanted shots as long as possible. As I was watching the film yesterday I felt that I was really there. The camera movement was very organic and a lot of that came from [cinematographer] Ellen Kuras. She works very much in this spirit and I really wanted to have as much of that as possible.
DRE: I’m sure you’ve shot plenty of live bands before. Had you ever done like a full blown concert like that?
Gondry: No, never. I’ve been asked many times, but it was not interesting to me. I didn’t want to dedicate so much of my life to just shoot something for somebody. I want to be my own voice. In this case I’m not my own voice, but I think that the subject is wide enough that it is interesting.
DRE: Were you able to inject your own voice into the film?
Gondry: It’s not my voice but more like my art. It’s more about trying to peel off the familiar. I want to get the opportunity to enjoy this side of people and I think that’s what Dave and I had in mind. To spend time with them and let them lose a little bit of the surface to see what’s inside them.
DRE: Have you worked with many hip-hop artists?
Gondry: Not much. I’ve only done a couple of hip-hop videos. I like this music. I think it is some of the most modern and progressive music in some ways and in other ways it’s backwards. It can be a little bit immature and not very progressive. But the selection of people we had were really interesting and I like the fact that the women dominate the scene.
DRE: How much was Dave involved in the editing process?
Gondry: He was pretty involved but obviously not the entire time. He would come once or twice a week. I think he wanted to make sure that the general message stayed the same. People have frank opinions but we didn’t want to be too negative or dull. We shot just around the election in 2004 when Bush won and it was ironic because the last state they were counting the ballots was Ohio where we shot. It was a big bummer after he was elected. So we wanted to give a positive message.
DRE: Certainly one of the best moments is when Erykah Badu takes her wig off.
Gondry: For a long time that almost didn’t go in there. But it’s a nice moment that people remember and that really reflects what this movie is about.
DRE: Were you in the control room during the whole show?
Gondry: I started first in the control room, but I couldn’t control anything because nobody could understand me. So I gave up and I made decisions like “Let’s take the marching band and put them in this little yard” and “Let’s go to the rooftop and ask Fred Hampton Jr. to interact with people and shoot them.” I was trying to create little situations, because I had one day. We had four days in all but one day with all the artists and the concept to have a theme for it all. So I wanted as many situations as possible.
DRE: How far in advance did you know that The Fugees were going to be on stage together?
Gondry: Maybe five minutes. Two days before in Ohio, Dave was on the phone with their manager who was flipping back and forth between saying there were going to be there or they might not. It was amazing and I still can’t believe it.
DRE: You shot The Science of Sleep after this obviously.
Gondry: Yeah but I did the animation for Science of Sleep before the concert and then I did the concert and then I did the live part of Science of Sleep after.
DRE: Is Science of Sleep in English?
Gondry: Mostly in English.
DRE: It seems like a very personal film. Did being with Dave and being in Ohio for the first time influence you in any way?
Gondry: That influenced me in that I found that the less you plan, the more you get. Science of Sleep is a complicated story with a lot of characters and sets. I wanted to leave room for randomness and happy accidents.
DRE: How was Ohio for you?
Gondry: When you leave New York you find there is a lot of space. That’s the first impression. Ohio is very mellow and I think that is why Dave lives there. People are white and black there but that doesn’t make much difference.
DRE: Is there going to be a lot of extra stuff on the Block Party DVD?
Gondry: Yeah, tons of stuff because we shot a lots more film and video of those kids from Ohio. Then we show the same people 18 months later.
DRE: Did you meet Kanye at the show for the first time and that’s how you ended up playing drums on Diamonds From Sierra Leone?
Gondry: Actually I met him before. He was a big fan of my videos. We wanted to work together. So later on he asked me to play drums.
DRE: When we spoke last time you mentioned that you were really impressed by Cody Chesnutt after he was in the movie. You said that you might want to do something with him. Did that ever come about?
Gondry: He is so wonderful and we want to try and do something with animation. Maybe I would do an animated doodle.
DRE: Was Science of Sleep the first screenplay you wrote?
Gondry: Yeah.
DRE: How was that process?
Gondry: I started to write it a long time ago. First it was three pages, then eight, 40, 80. Then 130 pages then 80 again. It was very scary and very different. I had worked with Charlie Kauffman who is one of the best writers around so I felt very nervous. I wanted to do it without any restriction. Even financial restrictions are not so drastic in comparison to opinions and your own restriction.
DRE: Did Charlie give you notes?
Gondry: No. I was too scared to show him.
I talked about it with Spike [Jonze]. But I was too fragile to face Charlie’s point of view because maybe I would give up altogether. I really wanted to be on my own and try it. Now I can’t wait to show it to Charlie.
DRE: Was your writing process structured once you were getting to the end?
Gondry: No, it was not like that. There would be one week where I would write 100 pages then I wouldn’t write for six moths. It’s completely erratic and out of control. I couldn’t write anything and then during Christmas I dedicated myself one day and I wrote the whole storyline.
DRE: You said that Science of Sleep is very autobiographical but you’ve been writing it for many years. Your point of view must have changed drastically over the years.
Gondry: I kept rewriting it. But you’re right, I’m following some events that happened to me in my life that changed my point of view on relationships. I included some of my other experiences and I enriched the two characters and their relationships from my experience over the years.
DRE: What scenes are animated?
Gondry: Most scenes that are animated occur in dreams but then there is a blend between both. The dream starts to be more realistic.
DRE: I have this problem where sometimes I have dreams then two days later I have a memory from a dream that I think is real.
Gondry: And you don’t know if its dream or real.
DRE: Yeah. I’m like, “Wait a minute, that didn’t happen.”
Gondry: It’s very true. It’s complex, sometimes you wake up from a dream and the dream has created a memory in the past. Sometimes I wake up and I’ll be like ‘I remember I was at apartment in 1992 in London and what happened to this apartment? But it’s purely made up in the dream. It’s like you dream in the past.
DRE: Yeah, it’s confusing.
Last time I asked you what superpower would you want to have. You said, “I want to go travel back in time and get back at all my old girlfriends.”
Gondry: Yeah, sounds like me [laughs].
DRE: [laughs] It just makes me think at this point that you are, I’m not going to say powerful, but you’re at the point where you probably could get back at your old girlfriends.
Gondry: Some maybe. Believe me I think about it sometimes. Recently I met again this girl I hadn’t seen in years that I was deeply in love with when I was 15. We were very close and she ended up dating my friend. When I saw her I was like, “Why did you go out with him?” She said, “Well I was in love with you but you would never make your move.”
DRE: Oh man.
Gondry: Just for that I kissed her then.
DRE: When you’re shooting a movie that’s as personal as Science of Sleep do you go back to your family at the end of the day?
Gondry: If I had been with my family I think it would be difficult to face the responsibility at the same time. It’s interesting how it works. When I did Eternal Sunshine, my son was living in Paris and I was in New York. It took me forever to finish the thing. So I took my son here. Now my son lives with me here in New York. Then I went and shot Science of Sleep in Paris. So my son was in New York and I was in Paris shooting in the same building where my son lived with his mama. Every night I would go back to my house and I would be very lonely and scared.
DRE: I read that your next film is going to be based on the book, Master of Space and Time [by Rudy Rucker].
Gondry: Yeah, we’re still are developing it. It’s a long process.
DRE: Who is writing that script?
Gondry: Rudy [Rucker] will probably have some input in it, but Dan Clowes is writing it.
DRE: Do you want to make more music videos?
Gondry: Yeah, I would like do two or three a year. I’d like to do one for The Roots of Questlove’s hair. I want to have all of the rest of it down in his hair like in the cartoon where the fleas on the dog are in an orchestra.
DRE: A couple of months ago Jim Carrey said that the two of you had dinner together. Did you talk about another movie?
Gondry: We don’t have a movie yet but we may work together in the future. We both would be happy to.
DRE: Even though it had only been a couple of years, how do you look back on Eternal Sunshine?
Gondry: It’s hard to tell because my personal life was in chaos so sometimes I associate that with it. All the work I do is very imprinted with the emotion I experience during the making. Then when I watch it it’s hard to separate from that. Now after working with Charlie I feel I’m going to be judged harder on my other work but so far I’ve had a very positive response so I feel relief. But I was really scared especially writing on my own
DRE: Do you have any tattoos?
Gondry: No. I’m against tattoos.
DRE: Why?
Gondry: Like the Holocaust stuff with the tattoos. There are some wives of officers that had big, nice tattoos and they would get them in shape for lamps. For this reason I think I would be very reluctant to get a tattoo. My son, who’s 14 sometime, may say “I want a tattoo.” I would say “You are not having a tattoo, as long as you live with me.”
Internal Spotlight into Michel Gondry's Mind
Source: ComingSoon.net February 27, 2006
Director Michel Gondry is best known for his two collaborations with Charlie Kaufman, Human Nature and Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind, as well as the many innovative music videos he's made with a wide array of musical artists.
In September 2004, he was commissioned by comedian Dave Chappelle to capture an all-day comedy and music concert held in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, which featured the likes of Kanye West, Mos Def, The Roots and a surprise reunion by The Fugees, as Chappelle bussed in lucky ticket recipients from his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. The resulting film, Dave Chappelle's Block Party, is unique from the normal concert film, because of the way Gondry mixed together the performances with candid interviews with Chappelle, the artists and regular people who attended the event.
ComingSoon.net spoke to the French director about this innovative concert film, as well as some of his other upcoming projects.
CS: Did you know Dave Chappelle before directing this film?
Michel Gondry: I met him on occasion, but that was a while ago. We got to know each other six months before we started to do the concert. We had a lot of time to talk and to find out why he wanted to do that.
CS: What made you want to direct this film?
Gondry: Initially, people just wanted me to shoot a concert and they had the ambition to do it as a DVD, but I wanted to make a movie. Even if it was just a concert, I wanted to have this concert on the big screen. When you see it in a dark room with a lot of people and you watch this very good image, because it was shot on film, and the songs are great, you feel like you're in the concert. You would not get that at home on DVD. I had to take it from the concert to another level, to give people a voice, to follow David around, and to have a narrative. So, we went to Ohio to have the story of David giving out the tickets. We met all the characters that became part of the story, like the marching band and the people in the barbershop. All these people became like heroes. Even the waiter was very amazing. I wanted to do it at a time in [Dave's] career when he had a stronger power to use that in a positive way for all those that he likes. All those musicians in the film he knew before. Some became major artists, and some are still more confidential. He wanted to treat all of them equally and [to] give them the same voice. Basically, he liked them because they all used their music to give a message. It's not only about the goal of success. You could see this friendship they share. When you see him playing at the rehearsal, he's one of them. That's what was important [and] what interested me in doing this project. I've been asked many times to do concert films, but I wasn't interested until I found this project.
CS: Considering the types of movies you've made so far, would you consider this movie a departure for you?
Gondry: It's always a departure. It was a departure when I did "Science of Sleep," which I just finished, because it was the first time I wrote the screenplay and I was really in full control of what I was saying. Here, it was a departure because obviously, I didn't have any visuals to rely on. I was asked to give voice to people I'm not sure I know very well. It's always scary, but I think I've been chosen over the years to deal with that, to be in a place where I don't feel I know what I'm doing. It makes me more open-minded to suggestions and to find my own truth.
CS: What were the challenges of capturing an all-day event like this, as far as having cameras where they were needed?
Gondry: I didn't want to make a typical concert film. There's a lot of heavy mechanics that are involved and there's a lot of ammunition to make a very fast editing. The danger of that is that you over-cut and over-load it with fancy angles. By watching other documentary concert films that made an impact on me, you didn't feel that all the mechanic aspects were there before. The concert was there for the audience, so I wanted to translate that. Everything is about the medium, but I didn't want to give this impression. I looked at the camera work and noticed that it was very limited. In a way, it makes the camera invisible and gives all the power to the artist. Because you don't cut every 5 minutes to the drummer, you feel that. We had 9 cameras on the day of the shooting, but I was ready to shoot with 2 cameras. It paid off when I edited the film because we sustained the shots as long as possible like it's a real concert and not a crazy T.V. show.
CS: What role did the community play in your film?
Gondry: It was important that we talk about communities and this type of music. I was very flattered that I was asked to do that, but, as an outsider, I didn't think I could have a point of view [about] it. I don't like documentaries that have a stronger point of view than you actually experience [when] making the documentary. I think that you have to make the truth as you go along. The fact that I didn't know this community so well protected me from trying anything too directive. What I knew was that, in hip-hop, the images sometimes create a distance that I wanted to go across. I wanted to listen to people and [hear] what they have to say. It's why it goes into many directions. Some people talk about prisoners; some say that they should not blame the white people. There is some contradiction, and I think it's good that everyone has a different voice. I think we got a positive message overall because that was what Dave wanted to do. Dave wanted to leave people on a positive note.
CS: What was it like working with Dave? Do you think that he's a musician trapped in a comedian's body?
Gondry: I'm not sure I would put it in those words, but there is a strong resemblance with what he does in music. The way he holds the stage and tours with his little bus and when he does his comedy, it's similar in the way. He has a specific flow that makes him unique. Generally, comedians are all about actions and reactions, but he's much more organic. By being in communion with the audience, he doesn't have to fill up the whole act with jokes and stories. He can stay silent for a while. He's like a good basketball player when he gets the ball, and you can see him on stage, how he's pacing, he's moving with the time. Suddenly, he'll explode with a burst of energy. For me, this is very much like a great musician, who takes a saxophone and does a solo that goes in a crazy direction. It's not a formula that applies to every step of the way.
CS: Did last year's events with Dave affect the making of this movie?
Gondry: No, I think every change he was willing to make was that he wanted to give a positive message overall. I was the same, so it was for the best.
CS: Was it cathartic for him to work on the film when stuff was going down with Comedy Central?
Gondry: Yes, I think a little bit. He liked that. He had a parameter of freedom that he enjoyed, and he really used this freedom not for selfish purposes. He was very humanitarian on some level. Of course, we put him in front [on the poster], because he was the catalyst, but he never wanted to be on his own. He always wanted to be surrounded even when we do the premiere, the Roots and the artists will be there.
CS: Do you have any words of support for Dave in terms of the controversy?
Gondry: I think he has a lot of opportunity to express himself on it. To me, I meet the same guy every time. He's always supportive of what we are doing. He always seems to be a very natural and generous guy, so I have no opinion on it. Especially when I have a chance to sit down with him, I'm not going to bother him with what millions of people are talking to him about. We stay on a more personal level.
CS: Was it difficult to get the different artists to open up backstage?
Gondry: Sometimes, they are used to protect themselves on TV, but whomever you shoot, you need about 20 minutes of shooting before the person forgets that they're in front of the camera. It's a process I learned with another singer while doing interviews, which is the same process. They are not aware or they're not showing off. In this case, they are shy and they need time to open up and to be confident. Otherwise, they're too confident and projecting themselves, and they need 20 minutes to lose that and go to the real level.
CS: Did you know that the reunion of the Fugees was going to take place?
Gondry: We were supposed to have Lauryn Hill, which was great. I decided we couldn't release some songs, so she suggested putting the Fugees back together. It was at the last minue, so we didn't know it was going to happen.
CS: Did that change the movie at all?
Gondry: I don't know, because the movie was always with them. I didn't have a preconceived image of the film. It was a danger to have the film on the concert and the Fugees. For instance, I wanted to have them interviewed by Dave backstage, because they didn't do their rehearsals the same day. We waited a long time, because Lauryn Hill was busy and she would not show up. I said to be patient. I just wanted to have 5 minutes when she came, but because of Dave, she opened up and she actually talked for more than that.
CS: Was the sound captured purely from the event or did you end up doing a lot of fixes in the studio afterwards?
Gondry: No, we did some remixing, but we didn't change any of the performances. I remember reading reviews the day after the concert, and there was a [critic who] couldn't stop saying how thankful he was to Dave. I felt this enormous weight on my shoulder to render that as truthful as possible.
CS: Will there be a live soundtrack album?
Gondry: Yes, there's a record being put together of the performance. I pushed all the artists to accept it, because they were all concerned about not having their own bands or DJs and not sounding like they wanted to sound. I was like, "Hey, it's not your show. It's everybody's show" so you have to make some concession. I would say to them to try to remember the best concert album you can recall, and they were full of mistakes. It's not about making the same sound as the album. I pushed them to play on a smaller stage, because I didn't want the stage to be overwhelming for the location, and then I knew that if it was a little clumsier and crowded onstage, they would react and be more happy to be together and more in communication with the audience. I think the album will reflect that and it will be a great opportunity to listen to these artists. All hip-hop music is very well-produced [nowadays] and they're really good in the studio, and when they sing, they push the boundaries as far as possible. It's good for the audience to know that they are amazing onstage. Even Kanye West, whose music is about prediction, but on stage, he moves the crowd. He started the concert when it was still raining and very few people were out there, but he fought like a lion to get people to see that he's a good performer. I think you're going to get that in the album.
CS: Will there be extra performances on the DVD?
Gondry: Yes, there will be a lot more performances—it was an eight-hour concert. It's going to be a very good DVD.
CS: Any idea what's next for you?
Gondry: I wrote a story and would like to shoot it as soon as possible.
CS: How does writing screenplays change the way that you approach directing?
Gondry: When I shot this movie, I went there with no idea what would happen, and therefore I was very open with what would happen next. There are so many happy accidents that happen when you just take a camera and switch it on, especially on Dave. He meets people on the street and then there is magic that you can't possibly write. Knowing that, when I write on paper, I give some space for this magic to happen. Obviously working with Charlie Kaufman, I had access to the best material imaginable, and I would never match up to that, so I had to find the way to be as strong if possible, then to work with him. My way was to make sure to have these little accidents that happen along the way. Even with Charlie [Kaufman], we left some room, but his stories are so complex and rich that there's little left possible for those accidents. Writing myself makes it more receptive to what happens that gives life to the film.
CS: Do you think you'll be working with Charlie Kaufman again?
Gondry: I'd like to work with him in the future.
CS: How about with Jim Carrey?
Gondry: Nothing definite, but we definitely want to work together again.
CS: How far along are you on "Master of Space and Time"?
Gondry: I'm working on that. It's going to take time. [Note: It's been reported that the screenplay is being written by comic creator Daniel Clowes of "Ghost World" fame.]
CS: Are you going to keep doing commercials and music videos, as well?
Gondry: Yes, especially music videos. The same way this film was a way to crystallize all the individual parts I did in music videos into a bigger project. It made sense to me at the time, because I have all this collaborative effort with people and I want to keep that. Music is a medium that's faster than film, so it's a good way to keep in touch with what's out there.
it was alright. not the follow-up I was expecting from Gondry, but still entertaining. there wasn't much of an audience at my theater (about six people). so I'm guessing a lot of people don't wanna pay $8 to see a Dave Chappelle movie. the movie does seem more suited for TV than mainstream theaters. I'm a little surpsied with how much acclaim this has been getting from the critics (about 90% on the tomato meter). it's not the blast some of them are making it out to be, but it's definitely worth a rental.
it was really fun at my theater. The crowd was a bit older than I thought, which was cool, and there wasn't no slew of meatheads like I'd expected. I saw a slew of them walking out of the theater, but that must'd been some other crowd or something. It was a real fun time and people were singing along and talking back and it was just a wild good time. It was everything I'd expected except the ending was a little bit weak--Lauryn Hill's voice's shot, I mean, nothing much you can do about that. People were groaning when she was straining for those notes, everybody felt bad.
The sound in my theater was okay, it was not as overwhelming as I'd hoped, but it shook the house just a little bit. It was defnitely a good theatrical experience over here on my end. Not since XxX (the first one) had I been so encouraged to "participate" in the movie. Except this time it was in a good way.
Quote from: pete on March 03, 2006, 11:12:50 PM
The sound in my theater was okay, it was not as overwhelming as I'd hoped, but it shook the house just a little bit. It was defnitely a good theatrical experience over here on my end. Not since XxX (the first one) had I been so encouraged to "participate" in the movie. Except this time it was in a good way.
ok...dude...
it's spelled xXx.
for real.
it defintiley exceeded my expectations. i really liked it alot. as the movie goes on, you just want so bad to be there. and dave chappelle is soo funny. i wasn't expecting to laugh nearly as much as i did. that scene where wyclef jean asks the kids what they would do if they were president was a really nice moment.
Quote from: RedVines on March 03, 2006, 10:56:48 PM
it was alright. not the follow-up I was expecting from Gondry, but still entertaining.
For some reason (to me), considering this 'the follow-up I was expecting from Gondry' is like saying that about the Kanye West video or something. While I'm exicited about BP, SOS is obviously the
true follow-up.
yeah doc's dont count for usually non-documentary filmmakers. james cameron has not made his follow-up to titanic either.
Quote from: modage on September 15, 2004, 02:27:54 PM
sounds......okay. not exactly the exciting follow-up i was hoping for after eternal sunshine, but maybe this will just be a pit-stop to something greater.
apparently I'm not alone here. but I probably need to see it again. or at least with a bigger, more responsive audience. besides, I was stuck in traffic for about 20 minutes before I saw it. not in the best mood after that. :evil:
yeah that was when it was an untitled musical comedy project with a documentary aspect. it's a documentary.
It was a fun time non-stop. It felt good and comfortable.
It was cool to see Yellow Springs up on screen, because, you know, it's a small little dot on the Ohio map but I lived by there. There's a bike trail by Ha Ha Pizza, and there's Antioch College (Rod Serling went there), which is a trippy little arts school, and, well it's basically a small community of hicks and artists and visiting suburbanites. I've never been any place quite like it.
My point is that I sensed the value all of that in the picture, the small town to the top vibe. Ebert called it a buried message, but I'd say that given that Chappelle wanted the movie, that it started in Yellow Springs, and the choice of entertainers, the movie was about that more than anything else. Being true to who you are and finding success at that. It was said a few times in the movie even. Really uplifting and warm and positive and funny and genuine and all that jazz you don't usually see from entertainers or their movies. Which was also said in the movie.
Dave Chappelle's Block Party Rocks June 13th
Dave returns to DVD in his mega-concert event of the year.
On June 13, 2006, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release Dave Chappelle's Block Party on DVD in both Rated and Unrated forms. The blockbuster concert and comedy DVD features the reunited Fugees, Kanye West, the Roots, Mos Def, and a host of other hip-hop and R&B superstars performing, as directed by Michel Gondry. It will feature a host of bonus materials and extra features, and be available for the MSRP of $29.98.
The Dave Chappelle's Block Party DVD will feature the following bonus materials:
September in Brooklyn: Making of Block Party
Extended Music Acts
Ohio Players: The Bus Ride
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Interview: Dave Chappelle
Chappelle chats with IGN about his concert doc, the DVD, and the possibility of future films.
During a recent Los Angeles appearance to promote the release of his new DVD for Dave Chappelle's Block Party, IGN enjoyed an opportunity to speak briefly to the famous funnyman about the forthcoming disc. Slightly fatigued from an appearance in Hollywood last night, Chappelle seemed subdued, but he generously spent time with the press answering questions before adjourning to the comfort of a Culver City, CA Best Buy to sign autographs for his fans.
IGN DVD: Given the success of this and theaters and inevitably on DVD, do you have a dream line-up for a sequel?
Dave Chappelle: I have entertained the idea of doing a sequel, and like all sequels, we would just try to do it bigger and better. I have an idea but I'm scared to publicly pitch it. But I'll tell you this: it has been discussed, and I think it would be spectacular.
IGN: In other interviews you described the show as 'spirited'. Talk about that.
Chappelle: One of the things in the movie for me, one of the bigger things, was the feeling of community. I look at these artists in the movie as kind of like my community, because they are artists I have utmost respect for. I said in the movie, and I sincerely mean it, I was fans of these people before I ever met any of them, and when you work with people like this, it really kind of inspires you. Because I think one artist to another artist, the best compliment you can pay one another, because the part of you that is inspired or creates something, to write a joke or a song, that's like the God-like part of a person. And when you get together, you've got to appreciate it.
IGN: How does it feel to get out and interact with your fans like you're doing today?
Chappelle: It feels great. You know, a celebrity, whatever I am, you get cut off sometimes from people just by circumstance. So the only time that you actually get out here - you know, you can forget sometimes that it's not just a business. It's a big human interaction. I see people with their kids and stuff and they hand me stuff and take pictures with me, and that might be in their family photo album. You know, that makes you feel good, and it's always important to remember that.
IGN: How much did you participate in putting together this DVD?
Chappelle: Not so much. I mean, [Michel] Gondry, I attribute a lot of the creative stuff to. I mean, I had an idea that I wanted to do this movie, and had a way that I wanted it to be done, but Michel is like a genius, you know what I mean? So when you're around a guy like that - it would be like if we were at a comedy club, it wouldn't be like he was like, 'Dave, you should do your jokes like this'. So when it comes to directing or putting together creative vision, I just felt like I was completely in good hands, and I think what he did with it was beautiful.
IGN: Was there any thing you especially wanted to be on the DVD either in the unrated cut or bonus features that didn't make the theatrical version?
Chappelle: I think the only thing that I wish was on there that may not be on there was that because there was so much music involved, and there are so many clearances involved, that there was some music that was at the concert that I don't know if made the disc or not, but on the disc I know they played like extended versions of all of the songs, which was incredible. So I'm real happy about that. It was a God damn piece of movie magic!