Alison Bailes:
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We are back, I'm Alison Bailes with IFC. This is Todd Robinson who has
a film here at Slamdance. Tell us about your film.
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Todd Robinson:
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I'm here representing a film called Amargosa. My protagonist is a
dancer and touring America. She and her husband break down in Death
Valley, CA, one of the most desolate places you can imagine. It was
abandoned by the Borax co in the 1910s. While waiting for her car to be
repaired, she wandered into the town and found a building that used to
be a theater. She decided to make this the home for all of her dance
work. They bought the whole town and populated it. It took her six
years to do it. She sells out ever performance today, and is still there at
age 76. It's a great story of risk-taking and dreaming. It's really touching
people.
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Alison Bailes:
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Did you talk to her about why.. was this something she wanted to do for
herself or for her audience?
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Todd Robinson:
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An audience matters to her. Clearly, performance needs an audience.
Wagner said there is a complete synthesis between audience and
performer. The same thing with a movie. You have a group response
emotionally, to the film. Her commitment was what was important. She
wouldn't play to no one. It's not the quality of the performance but how
the audience responds and what they take away. We recognized that the
transcendent value to this story was important to our story. All really
important endeavors involve risk. You never know unles you jump. I
think that's why so many people relate to it.
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Alison Bailes:
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She sounds like an amazing woman. What's going to happen in a few yrs
when she can no longer dance?
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Todd Robinson:
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That's one of the things she muses about--her own mortality. The
survival of this town is in doubt because it's all adobe structures, much
of it is in great disrepair. She's holding the place together with paste
and toothpicks. Her performances pay for some of it. This is a woman
who subsists on almost nothing. Her staff makes more than she does.
This is a woman who really decided that success was less
important than self expression. Any time that money is injected or
infused into an endeavor of the heart, it becomes compromised. Art
cannot exist without commerce. If you can eliminate that, what you get
in exchange is autonomy. We stand behind our work and use our
money. That's the price you pay.
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Alison Bailes:
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Obviously your efforts and your partners efforts have been rewarded
because? So 12 that whittled down to 5?
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Todd Robinson:
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We have been honored by being selected as one of 12 finalists for the
Academy Awards. the 72nd Academy Awards. It started with 400
submissions and was whittled down to 12. It's going to be down to five.
It motivates us, we're getting a positive response. To be in the company
of these other films. . . the films are so wonderful and made by
experienced filmmakers. We're humbled to be in this company.
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Alison Bailes:
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There's always a lot of controversy there about the documentary
selections.
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Todd Robinson:
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There have been omissions in the past . . . Here's the problem with the
Academy: Even now, with only 12 left, you have to see all the films.
That takes a lot of time. In the past they accommodated the Academy
voting members to only see certain pieces of film. We submitted our
print and were taken aback by having VHS tapes sent out. We wanted
people to see the work on its own terms. Hopefully, this is going to be
good for the Academy.
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Alison Bailes:
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Good luck with that. One other thing...you have another side to your
career. You wrote the film, White Squall. What's it like to work in that
environment?
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Todd Robinson:
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Again, it's a very different animal. There's a lot of money in commercial
films. It's fun and I've worked with good directors and been mentored
by commercial films. It's fun and I've worked with good directors and
been mentored bythem. I've learned a lot.
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Alison Bailes:
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Good luck with that. One other thing...you have another side to your
career. You wrote the film, White Squall. What's it like to work in that
environment?
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Todd Robinson:
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Again, it's a very different animal. There's a lot of money in commercial
films. It's fun and I've worked with good directors and been mentored
by commercial films. It's fun and I've worked with good directors and
been mentored bythem. I've learned a lot.
When you work on smaller films, you have to solve your problems with
imagination, not money. One enables the other.
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Alison Bailes:
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Do we have any questions from the audience? No? Did you want to add
anything about White Squall?
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Todd Robinson:
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It was a wonderful experience. Ridley, as I said, mentored me. I got to
see his approach to staging scenes, moving lights, etc. He is one of the
strongest directors out there right now. It's a real privilege to work with
him. I got to travel all over the world. Not to mention working with Jeff
Bridges, Scott Wolf, etc.
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Alison Bailes:
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It looked great. Thank you very much for coming.
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Todd Robinson:
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We have another film coming out called Go Tigers!! It's about the
importance of sports in peoples' lives. Amargosa will be in LA
February 8th. The website is www.amargosafilm.com and
www.gotigersfilm.com. Our songwriter has a website as well,
www.amycook.com Thank you for having me.
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Alison Bailes:
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Thanks again, Todd! We're taking a 2 min break. We'll be back to
discuss more Slamdance events.
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Todd Robinson:
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We have another film coming out called Go Tigers!! It's about the
importance of sports in peoples' lives. Amargosa will be in LA
February 8th. The website is
www.amargosafilm.com and
www.gotigersfilm.com. Our songwriter has a website as well,
www.amycook.com.
Thank you for having me.
ifctv.com
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