By Mark Nickolas, on Thu Apr 28, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
Last fall, at age 44, after 15 years in Democratic politics — or writing about it as an advocate and observer — I decided to challenge myself one more time and go after the thing that has interested me for quite a while: taking my experience and applying it to one of the most powerful mediums for affecting change: political documentary filmmaking.
I had come to believe that the documentary presents the greatest potential of informing the masses about the happenings in our society, providing itself as an important catalyst for political and social change. Think no further than Fahrenheit 9/11 or An Inconvenient Truthor even Super Size Meto understand how documentaries are able to circumvent the media or political filters and speak directly to the public about the issues of our time. They usually don’t force change quickly, but instead help to generate the critical mass necessary to alter perceptions and raise awareness, allowing us to re-prioritize our concerns as a society, rather than relying on the traditional media or, God-forbid, government officials to lead the way (are they still looking for those WMDs in Iraq that they both promised us?).
This time, I resisted the impulse to simply jump into the deep end of the pool and learn the craft of filmmaking on my own. If I were 10 years younger, who knows? But having recently moved back to New York City, I decided to do the thing that many of us 40-somethings frequently seem to long for – rather than just dream about – and that was going back to school. In my case, film school.
In brighter days...
After taking a close look at some of the excellent film programs in New York City, I decided to go against the wisdom of pretty much everyone whose advice I sought, and applied to only one school. If I didn’t get in, I was fine with those consequences. I’ve done well in politics, and had just left a tumultuous stint working for Governor David Paterson as we tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the job that Eliot Spitzer suddenly handed him a few years earlier. I knew I would be okay if school didn’t pan out. Either way, I would have chased a dream and would no longer torture myself over whether or not to pursue it.
Ultimately, I applied to master’s program in Media Studies and Film at The New School. Being a UC Berkeley graduate, and a strong Democrat, I suspected I’d fit in quite well with the more renegade and avant-garde environment of The New School (after all, the school began a century ago largely from a group of breakaway scholars from Columbia University who refused to sign their government loyalty oaths). Beside, while NYU is renowned for its film school, it is geared toward traditional fiction films. If you want to go the documentary route, The New School makes much more for sense. So, I applied in October, got accepted in November, and began school barely a month later.
During orientation, I learned I was the oldest of my incoming class of about 70 students. That discovery came just as I pulled out a notebook and pen to take notes, rather than typing directly into a shiny MacBook Pro, as did a majority of my new classmates (note: I used a typewriter the last time I was in school in the late 1980s). It was a new world and, at first, awkward. Terrifying, actually. It’s funny how you don’t feel old working on a political campaign when in your forties, but feel ancient when you’re a new grad school student. Like, dinosaur-ancient.
Thankfully, that feeling largely subsides after a few weeks as you realize just how great of an advantage and head start you have on your classmates when it comes breath of experience, perspective and focus, all of which translates into your coursework and relationship with professors, one way or another. While most grad students are, understandably, still figuring out what they want to do after they’re done with school, an older student has a laser-like approach to figuring out the lay of the land, the right classes to take and professors to avoid, how to take advantage of all the networking opportunities during visits from filmmakers and distributors and producers, and, most importantly, a plan. As a result, the lectures and readings are remarkably interesting and you’re enjoying it too much to even contemplate meaningful procrastination. On top of that, it turns out that professors love older students because we have a purpose, are engaged by what they’re teaching, and we’ve been around-the-block long enough to intuitively know what matters and what doesn’t when processing large amounts of new information.
Read the rest of… Mark Nickolas: From the Political Trenches to Film School
By Lisa Miller, on Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
Behind every man is a good woman.
And behind every good woman is a great woman.
In 1975 when Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, and Lorraine Newman were the feminine faces of Saturday Night Live, the late great John Belushi made it his mission to sabotage their success.
No kidding.
John Belushi and Jane Curtin
Jane Curtin said as much on Oprah Winfrey’s April 14 tribute to SNL. According to Curtin, Belushi apparently believed that “women were fundamentally not funny; and if a woman had written a piece for John, he wouldn’t read it during rehearsal, he’d whisper it.”
She went on to explain that this type of disrespect wasn’t at all an unusual feature of the workplace experience in the 70’s. A working comedienne (terrifically talented at that) in New York, on the most exciting new show on television, and Jane Curtin, as a self-employed woman — “could not even get a credit card.”
Why bring this up now?
Because I thought of this super good title while walking the dog three days ago. And I decided this piece can’t be about my life as an RP spouse as I had originally planned. That’s because watching Tina Fey sit with Curtin on Oprah’s famous couch illustrated how far women have come in 36 years. And that was deeply inspiring.
Today, Tina Fey is lauded as one of the most brilliant entertainers in T.V, and she is indeed a woman with a credit card — as well as loads of respect. Here’s what Oprah says:
“Tina Fey is the creator, writer, and star of 30 Rock — and former head writer of SNL — she is one of the smartest women on our planet right now.”
I wonder if she’s the smartest woman on all of the planets. She might be, and do you wonder too how she got to be so all that?
Fey said simply, “I was 5 when the show started, and I studied it all the time.” There it is, nourished by the brilliance of women before her, Fey now stands on the shoulders of those who blazed the trail. (For the purpose of this spiffy blog article, I wish she’d have been more specific in that sound bite about emulating women in particular. But maybe that’s exactly what she meant, eh?)
Anyway, it was a powerful statement when she said later about her own trail-blazing time on SNL that “the more women in the room to laugh at pieces written by women, the more everyone would agree to put it in the show.”
While the scary, loathsome dynamics of middle school girls might lead us to believe that girls will always and forever scratch each others’ eyes out, most adult women have each other’s backs. There is no doubt that we help one another in ways that make us cry with gratitude.
Consider all the stories of women all over the world: WomenforWomen.org, which helps women survivors of war rebuild their lives; United Prosperity, which guarantees loans to female entrepreneurs in developing countries; the nameless thousands of women volunteers who stand on call in the middle of the night at rape crisis centers across the world; or the women in your own family and in my family who say to each other, “I know your heart is breaking, and I know you will get through it because I did.”
Click on Tina to review and/or purchase
Whether we realize and appreciate them or not, new generations build on the successes of their ancestors. It’s why the indigenous people pray that their current actions be “for the good of the children and the children’s children.” And it’s why Tina Fey can now be queen of comedy in an industry that is still predominately male.
I plan to read her new book, Bossypants, this weekend by the way. In it are many stories of her road to empowerment, success, and hilarity. Can’t wait.
And because I’m always looking for fantastic role models for my girls, they are each getting a copy.
Now it’s your turn: Whether you are female or male, tell a brief story below about the awesomeness of a woman in your life.
By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Tue Apr 26, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Film
Kevin Smith, who directed films such as Chasing Amy, Clerks, Dogma, and Mallrats (and the guy who played Silent Bob in all those films), made a splash by opting to self-promote and distribute his new horror film, Red State. The gamble paid off for him, as the film has already turned a profit. [Film Junk]
Theater chain AMC has shown several films in theaters in anticipation of their Blu-Ray release dates. They are doing it again, but this time, for all 3 extended versions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I wish we had an AMC in my town. [/Film]
Jennifer Lawrence, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Winter’s Bone has been cast in the upcoming adaptation of the Young Adult book series Hunger Games. It looks interesting. [The Movie Blog]
The film Bang Bang Club is about South African journalists who risked their lives to cover the final days of apartheid in their country. It is in limited release in the United States. CNN has an interesting piece about how hard it is to make a film about difficult stories. NPR had an interview with the subjects of the film a few days ago. [CNN] [NPR]
Morgan Spurlock’s most recent project Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, which tackles advertising culture, has convinced the town of Altoona, PA, to rename itself after the film for 60 days. [City News]
Renting streams of films has become popular, with companies such as Apple iTunes and Amazon offering services. Now, online video giant YouTube is getting in on some of the action. It seems like YouTube doesn’t quite have the catalog wrapped up like Apple does, but they appear to be working on it. [The Independent]
By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Tue Apr 19, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Film
You may have noticed that the time it takes between the release of a film in theaters and that film’s home release has gotten considerably shorter over the past few years. Studios want to cut that down even further. Theaters, on the other hand, don’t want that at all. [The Movie Blog]
Jesse Eisenberg, who was widely acclaimed for his performance in The Social Network, is teaming up with Ellen Page (from Juno and Inception) in Woody Allen’s next film. I am pretty excited about that. [Movie Line]
Nicolas Cage is in some hot water. He was arrested on charges of Public Intoxication, Disorderly Conduct, and it has been alleged that he physically abused his wife. Lets hope that Nic gets on track soon. And lets hope he makes better movies, too. [Chicago Sun-Times]
George Clooney is no stranger to controversial films. His next film could be about the Troubled Assets Relief Program, entitled the 700 Billion Dollar Man. He might even direct. [Film Junk]
It’s been known for a while that Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer will partner to make another adaptation of The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp playing the role of Tonto. However, things are looking like Ryan Gosling might play the starring role. Ladies, keep it together. [/Film]
Catherine Zeta-Jones has drawn praise for disclosing that she received treatment for bipolar disease. Mental illnesses are no joke, and its pretty sad that sometimes popular culture puts celebrities who suffer from them through the ringer. Here is hoping she gets everything straightened out. [The Guardian]
I do a radio show every week. If you happen to live in the Lexington, KY area, you should tune in to 88.1 WRFL every Monday at 10 to listen to it. Everybody else should go to our podcast and download it. Seriously, it doesn’t suck. [Surreelfilm]
By Jonathan Miller, on Fri Apr 15, 2011 at 2:15 PM ET
In early 1995, one of my best friends, David Hale (now U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky) called me to see if I would help the campaign for Secretary of State of his law school classmate, John Y. Brown, III. I was certainly aware of Brown’s dad, the former chicken magnate and Governor, but my parents had opposed Brown Jr.’s last campaign, opting instead to support some guy named Steve Beshear.
Still, I was bored working as an associate for a big Washington law firm; David made a compelling case; and John, upon meeting, seemed like a nice, well-meaning, intelligent guy.
Somehow, as the only one in the room with a modicum of campaign experience, I was enlisted, pro bono, as the campaign’s media consultant. I wrote and directed a series of ads that, while extraordinarily amateurish, apparently didn’t hurt Brown too bad — he won both the primary and general elections by wide margins.
Most importantly, watch for the international television debut of my future running mate, John Y. Brown, IV, whose newfound mobility skills inspired the ad, and whose telegenic appearance cannot be underestimated for its vote-accruing effect:
By Jonathan Miller, on Tue Apr 12, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
Of course, politicians are not the only victims of sensationalist journalism — entertainment celebrities have it far, far worse.
Take Ashley Judd’s new book. (Seriously: Take it — there’s a link to buy below.)
If you’d believe the breathless coverage, the memoir is just another celebrity tell-all, a lead-in to a sobbing appearance on Oprah’s coach.
In fact, All That is Bitter and Sweet is an important book: a sobering diary of Judd’s humanitarian work in some of the very poorest areas of the globe. It is far moreThree Cups of Teathan anything resembling Mommy Dearest.
In this exclusive RPTV podcast interview, Judd discusses her journeys, advises all of us on how to get involved in supporting her critical causes, and, of course, discusses Kentucky basketball.
You can download the RPTV podcast by clicking here, or on Ashley’s picture above.
I encourage you to buy Ashley’s book, and check out the important charitable organizations that she discusses in the interview. Links to all can be found below:
By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Tue Apr 5, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Film
While films based on comic books have become a mainstay over the past decade, few in the film industry have taken them seriously past The Dark Knight. Many credit DC Comics and Warner Brothers with getting visionary director Christopher Nolan to work the Batman series. Marvel Comics tried the same deal with Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky. Film industry watchers took note when Aronofsky agreed to direct Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine, but Aronofsky recently backed out of the project. Now, Fox is suing him. [The Movie Blog]
Rainn Wilson (best know as Dwight from The Office) stars in the film Super as a somewhat off-kilter vigilante–who believes himself to be a super hero. Although this film is a comedy, it is said to probe themes of criminal justice and mental health–subjects about which most political junkies are accustomed to thinking. The film is in limited release currently. My fingers are crossed that it makes it to my city. The link is an interesting interview with the director. [IFC.com]
Blockbuster had to file for bankruptcy recently, after losing a very sizable chunk of its demand to Netflix and Redbox. Although there are several opinions as to how relevant Blockbuster will continue to be in the future, who ends up with the property could be an interesting story. No matter what, the story of Blockbuster over the past few years have shown how much the film industry has changed. [Guardian]
Also from the Guardian, Michael Moore is suing the Weinstein brothers–who have produced most of his films. Moore states that their accounting has kept him from a sizable chunk of money. No matter your thoughts on Michael Moore’s politics, the man changed documentary film making forever by putting himself at the center of the action. There could never have been Morgan Spurlock or James O’Keefe without Michael Moore. [Guardian]
James Cameron–no matter what you think of his films–has incredible sway over the technical aspects of film making. He and George Lucas pushed for 3-D almost a decade ago, and thanks in large part to his blockbuster Avatar, the technology is all over our cinema’s nowadays. Now, he is pushing for a higher frame rate–to 48 or 60 fps from the current industry standard of 24 fps–which has been the standard since the 1920s. Read this post from /Film to see the implications of such a switch [/Film]
Again from /Film, The Weinstein brothers made waves earlier this year when they re-cut The King’s Speech to receive a PG-13 rating after the Oscars in order to make a higher return on what they expected to be a huge Oscar haul. Although the Academy delivered the film with plenty of awards on Oscar night, the re-cut film had no impact on the film’s money making abilities. A victory for artistry over calculated finance? I say so. [/Film]
I do a film podcast every week on 88.1 WRFL Lexington called Surreelfilm. You can check out the podcast here. I promise, it doesn’t suck.
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Mar 10, 2011 at 4:41 PM ET
LAUNCH DATE: APRIL 1, 2011
In just a few days, a new entry to the blogosphere will revolutionize the way Americans think about politics.
All right…I doth promote too much. I am a recovering politician after all.
I can promise, however, that The Recovering Politician will present a unique forum for spirited, reasoned, civil dialogue — dispatches from a few dozen folks who’ve actually served in the arena; and now having left, are liberated to share their experiences and critiques of the system without partisan bias or interest group pressures.
Don’t expect interminable political blather; our contributors will also share their opinions and ideas about business, religion, sports, pop culture, you name it. And you’ll be encouraged to join the conversation through your comments.
Be prepared to join us on April 1. In the meantime, feel free to surf around the bare bones of the site: check out our mission, sign up for my email notification list, and join me on the social networks: Facebook, Twitter, etc — you can find the links and forms above.
So strap in tight, liftoff is in T minus 12,000, 11,999, 11,998…
Last fall, at age 44, after 15 years in Democratic politics — or writing about it as an advocate and observer — I decided to challenge myself one more time and go after the thing that has interested me for quite a while: taking my experience and applying it to one of the most powerful mediums for affecting change: political documentary filmmaking.
During orientation, I learned I was the oldest of my incoming class of about 70 students. That discovery came just as I pulled out a notebook and pen to take notes, rather than typing directly into a shiny MacBook Pro, as did a majority of my new classmates (note: I used a typewriter the last time I was in school in the late 1980s). It was a new world and, at first, awkward. Terrifying, actually. It’s funny how you don’t feel old working on a political campaign when in your forties, but feel ancient when you’re a new grad school student. Like, dinosaur-ancient.
