THE MAKING OF "CROSSING THE BAR"

Conception and The Importance of Foreplay - Blog 1 of 10

It's universally accepted that film production occurs in five basic stages: (1) Development - The script is written and drafted into a workable blueprint for a film; (2) Preproduction - Preparations are made for the shoot, in which a cast and crew are hired, locations are selected and sets are built; (3) Production - The raw elements of the finished film are recorded; (4) Post-Production - The film is edited, production sound is edited, music tracks are composed, performed and recorded, sound effects are designed and recorded, and any computer-graphic "visual" effects are digitally added, all sound elements are mixed then married to the picture and the film is fully completed; and (5) Sales and Distribution - The film is screened for potential distributors, is picked up by a distributor and reaches its cinema and/or home media audience.

I'm adding a sixth-stage called Conception, and I'm adding it to the top of the list where it rightly belongs. For me the conception stage sparked somewhere in the right side of my brain as nothing more than a fanciful thought way back in 2006. It was the beginning of a chain of events that I will begin to describe in today's first edition of the new blog.

It was in June of 2007 when the now defunct San Francisco Film Arts Foundation announced its fiscal sponsorship of "Pilots of the Golden Gate," my historical documentary film about the history of ship pilots on the Bay of San Francisco. (The coveted fiscally sponsored status means that that individual filmmakers enter into an agreement to gain access to funding sources who only want to give money to organizations with tax-exempt status.) In 2008 the San Francisco Film Society assumed stewardship of my sponsored film project and brought to the program a new energy and an increased reach within the funding community and the film industry. Or so I anticipated. I naively forgot that an old institution like the San Francisco Bar Pilots does not like to be profiled, abhors change and that they have very deep pockets.

When originally conceived the film was to be an inspirational story about the unheralded heroism of ship pilots on the Bay over the better part of 200 years. But who would guess that when I took the project to the SF Bar Pilots they would stone-wall me by denying me any funding or cooperation. Because of my friendships inside the organization I remained optimistic concerning access to retired ship pilots and the organizations extensive archives. However, when the November 2007 oil spill occurred on the Bay the SF Bar Pilots organization reacted by threatening me with two lawsuits and summarily denying me any and all access to their premises, pilot boats, personnel and archives. At the time I wondered, "What on earth are they hiding and want kept secret, and how can I overcome their resistance?" Time will tell. Or rather, I will tell you over time.

Check back next week. More skulduggery will surely be afoot.

Copyright 2010 G. Leo Maselli

Hesitant Hedonism (10 of 10)

My second series of weekly blogs is a fictionalized description of six closely linked and austere lives that come to recognize disillusionment with feeling happier and more fulfilled in their workplace than they do in their own homes. Each personality will come to terms with their feelings of guilt about whether or not they have earned the right to dip a toe into the pleasure pool for pleasure's sake alone. We will witness the large emotional stakes they wager on such an unanticipated adventure. Above all else these stories will be about reinvention, feature endearing characters and the promise of provocative endings.

The original idea for this story was to use the production of perfect olive oil as a metaphor for finding balance in life. First, I could draw upon all the memories of my father, uncles and all the gumbahs in the olive processing business that filled my world growing up. Second, I had a strong sense of the protagonist being a young woman who'd been tucked away in a French convent since adolescence, resulting in what I deemed to be a compelling virginal innocence. All I knew was that she was going to California to be reunited with her father and that she had one goal in mind on this trip. At age eighteen she wanted to have her first sexual experience.

On what turned out to be Sarah Kay's last day at the ranch, it was two o'clock in the morning before she was certain her father was asleep. She looked out her bedroom window into the backyard as she slipped on her jeans. She saw a faint light burning inside the caboose and wondered if Chuck (he of "pure pleasure is no longer my cultural paradigm" fame) really was waiting for her. She also saw that the greenhouse had a light on and that there was the movement of a shadow inside.

When she got to the backyard she peeked through the greenhouse glass and saw Squint pruning his bonsai olive trees. She tapped on the glass.

Squint was about to light his ganja pipe but politely asked if she would mind, "Not at all. Go right ahead," she said. Minutes later Squint was talking philosophically about the calming power that olive trees, even his bonsais, have always exerted on humankind. "I think of the olive as a central component of an idyllic ideal. Like wheat leading to bread, like grapes leading to wine, like the honeycomb, olives signify something of nature and human cultivation. The olive and its oil are surrounded by an aura of myth and romance. Like you, Sarah Kay, olives came as an immigrant from the old world to the new world. Its journey and your journey seem like a chance of a lifetime."

She asked, "Does that come from your head or your heart?" He pointed to his heart. Then, out of the blue he asked, "Will you have a romance with Senor Risconi tonight?"

"How do you know about that," she asked.

"When you rejected the advances of my nephew Cesar, it was then I knew," he offered. "Be on your way. The sun rise is not long from now. Enjoy the love you feel." She gave him a hug and left for the caboose.

She found Chuck waiting for her on the porch. When he stepped out of the darkness she immediately slipped into his arms before he could object. There were no words spoken. They kissed.

Suddenly her father's voice yelled, "Get away from her, you son-of-a-bitch." Jesse leaped onto the porch of the caboose, shoved Sarah Kay aside and punched Chuck hard in the nose that landed him square on his ass. "I thought you and I had an understanding."

"We do. I just... She just... We do - we do."

"Good. Sarah Kay, get him a wash cloth and see if you can stop that bloody nose and then get in the house." With that, feeling quite self-satisfied, he walked back to the house and went back to bed and fell contentedly to sleep.

What awoke him was Chuck's DeHavilland float plane as it slowly flew over the house rocking the wings as a sign of goodbye. The plane then turned and headed east into the rising sun. Jesse instinctively knew his daughter was on board. He smiled and spoke aloud the poem, "Don't be like most people who instead of searching for happiness, rather, they live avoiding the risk of unhappiness. Don't allow the fear of pain to be stronger then the delight of life you feel."

THE END

Copyright 2010 G.Leo Maselli

Hesitant Hedonism (9 of 10)

Unaware that a fly problem is manifesting at the ranch, Chuck and Jesse are taking a leisurely stroll through the packed Artisan Market building. When Chuck spots Lilli preparing to mount the elevated kitchen set to do her cooking show, he gives Jesse a nudge. They exchange knowing nods as Jesse heads over to say hello. After last night's rather unexpected tete-a-tete in the caboose it seems the least he should do. He'd like to see her again.

Chuck stands alone in the crowd slowly turning to see what he might see. That's when he sees Carla behind the counter of her booth that features the "Olive-U" brand of olive-oil based cosmetics. After air-kisses she invites him to come along with her to the nearby town square where she takes her cigarette breaks. He gladly joins his old high school friend who has maintained her sparkling personality, not to mention her bodacious figure, even if he is susceptible to the urges that will ensue. After all, hasn't he re-invented himself? He's trust worthy. Right?

Within minutes of hilarious conversation they discover that they have something surprising in common: each has become celibate by preference. Carla made the decision three years ago when she arrived back in Oroville. Chuck's decision was more on the order of thirty-six hours ago when his plane touched down and his resolve was immediately tested by Sarah Kay's tempting presence. Carla is surprisingly open about her history of sex addiction, "I was on an endless quest for fulfillment that took me from lover to lover, night after night. Let me tell you, there is no bleaker moment in life than when you cross the boundary between those who have not slept all night and those who are just going to work." Encouraged by her eye-opening revelation, Chuck describes his own sexual addiction that manifested in Atlanta where he became a serial dater via the Internet, averaging 38 different dates each year. They agree that their decision has brought them unexpected joy and how disappointed in themselves they would be if they didn't try something they've always admired in others: the being in control of your life, up to and including a celibate life-style.

Jesse has a front row seat at Lilli's televised cooking show. He loves what he sees: she's got an engaging personality and has obviously found a new joy and new freedom back in their hometown. Employed, gorgeous, happy and single, now that's an attractive package. It's mid-afternoon when Jesse's cell phone rings. It's Sarah Kay with a message for Chuck from his mother, "Get home as soon as possible. There's an infestation of olive flies and she needs his plane to spray the groves immediately, if not sooner."

Once back at the ranch, Squint, Cesar, Jessee and Sarah are assisting Chuck with the operation. Tanks for the fumigant have been strapped to the rear section of the aircraft and a rusty old tanker truck is transferring the spray to the tanks on the plane. Sarah Kay asks if she can ride along with Chuck. Jesse gives his permission but once out on the lake they are waved off. It's rapidly becoming too dark. It's decided that Chuck will be taking off at first light. In a private moment alone with Sarah Kay, Chuck suggests that she sneak down to the caboose as soon as her father is asleep - just so they can get a head start in the morning, of course.

We must assume, mustn't we, that Sarah Kay is bursting still with a desire for pleasure and that this invitation only fans the flames. "What evil lurks? The shadow knows."

Copyright 2010 G. Leo Maselli

Hesitant Hedonism (8 of 10)

If a flock of starlings can strip a vineyard of a single year's crop of Chardonnay grapes in days, imagine the greater fear to olive ranchers when the presence of the dreaded olive fly can signify years of devastation. Since medieval times, to scare away the starlings, falconers are brought in to protect the juicy wine grapes. However, once the presence of the fly is detected a different kind of immediate action is required. Chemical controls must be implemented at once and aerial applications can be the fastest way to get the job done. Who on earth has an airplane available without a reservation on a festival weekend?

Chuck, Lena and Jesse are in the reviewing stand along Oroville's parade route. It's the morning after the Olive Festival Gala and the main street is lined with the citizens who've come from miles around for the annual parade of bands, floats and antique tractors. At the very moment the high school marching band drums signal the start of the parade, workers back at the Risconi ranch find an insect trap with several of the nasty little flies inside. One of the workers, with the trap in hand, rushes to his pickup truck and heads to town.

Chuck, Lena and Jesse grin and wave as Sarah Kay and Squint clatter by on an antique tractor driven by Squint's handsome nephew Cesar, a third year aggie at the university. Sarah Kay sits beside him looking happy. "Appears she's found a guy her own age," ruminates Chuck. "And a damn good thing it is, " says Jesse as he jabs his friend in the ribs with his elbow. "Nuff said?" asks Chuck. "You are only human, my friend," assures the young lady's father.

At the end of the parade all the floats and farm equipment are being stored in a huge warehouse. In the happy confusion Squint and Cesar explain the secrets of making olive oil to Sarah Kay. Squint offers that, "grapes can be manipulated enough to make different wines from the same fruit. This is not true of olive oil. The oil will taste solely of the olive that was used to make it." Cesar continues the thought, "You will consume the place, the micro-climate, the character of the soil, and too, the character of the human who produced it, and the care with which it has been handled and pressed." Suddenly the worker from the ranch rushes in and does nothing more than show the trap of flies to Squint. With that, they all rush out.

Over at the Artisan Market, Chuck instructs Jesse on the proper way to conduct a formal oil tasting. "Go ahead. Pour a little into a clean wineglass. Cup it between your fingers the way you would a brandy snifter, warming it, and then cover the top with your other hand. Swirl it around a few times. Now remove your hand and smell the aroma. That's it. Now, take a tiny sip. Consider the viscosity. How does it feel on the roof of your mouth? Suck in air through your teeth so that the flavor is distributed throughout your mouth. Consider the taste and the feel. Consider what flavors are invoked. Are there whispers of almond nuttiness, cucumber,freshly mowed grass, apples green pepper or raw artichoke?"

It is silent inside the pickup truck as it races through thousands of acres of silver tipped olives trees. Sarah Kay breaks the silence by softly musing, "For thousands of years, the olive branch and olive oil have been symbolic of all that is good and noble in mankind, and of permanence and perseverance." Everyone nods their agreement as the truck kicks up a rooster tail of dust behind it.

Copyright 2010 G. Leo Maselli

Hesitant Hedonism (7 of 10)

The scholar, writer and teacher Joseph Campbell gained international fame by deconstructing the great mythologies of mankind and revealing the simple truths and profound themes behind history's greatest tales and legends. It was Campbell who said, "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." Check it out.

Sunset is rapidly approaching as the elegantly dressed guests begin arriving at the grand Risconi estate home for the Olive Festival Gala. Greeting the Escalades and limos are six young Hispanic males under the command of Squint, Lena's elderly Mexican ranch foreman, himself looking mighty fine in his tux and perfectly groomed ponytail. Two hours later hundreds of the areas most successful and beautiful are milling about drinking champagne and eating a variety of the olive based canapes. Inside, a quartet plays cool jazz, while out by the pool two Spanish guitars do the entertaining.

From an upstairs window Sarah Kay watches the activity just beyond the area of the pool where a meticulously restored railway caboose sits. It has been converted into a guest house currently being occupied by Chuck Risconi. Chuck stands on the open rear platform drinking scotch and smoking cigars with her father, Jesse.

With considerable self-contempt, Chuck describes how he recently hit bottom while traveling solo aboard a cruise ship to the Greek Isles. He confesses that he was quite publicly and quite accurately accused of being a sexual predator and threatened by a small but passionate mob of protective husbands. Needless to say he was escorted off the ship at the next port. Before he can elaborate on the gritty details, Carla Pinetti and Lilli Bowen approach and request permission to board the caboose. These are the two gals who were their secret high school partiers when Jesse and Chuck were popular upper classmen. Despite the many years that have past and their enchanting ball gowns the guys recognize them immediately and invite them up for a cocktail to celebrate the reunion. From her perch upstairs Sarah Kay watches with a pang of jealously.

Squint, who is monitoring every aspect of the staff's activities both inside and out, suddenly comes into Sarah Kay's gaze. He signals her to come down. Minutes later she joins him in the hot house where he grows bonsai olive trees along with seedlings for the ranch. He describes to her that true life of the ancient tree is hidden, as is the true nature of a human, in the root system that exists underground and out of sight. His example is his own perception that most "whites" are odd. "They are always seeking something. What are they seeking? What do they want? I do not know what they want. I do not understand them. I often think that they are mad." Sarah Kay asks why he thinks that. He replies, "It's said that they think with with their heads." Sarah asks, "What do you think with?" "I think here," he says, indicating his heart.

Long after the party ends and the cleanup crew has gone home, Sarah Kay creeps out to Chuck's caboose living quarters. When she hears a woman's laughter from inside she heads,quite disappointed, back towards the house. That's when she discovers Chuck sitting alone on the diving board smoking a cigar. He calls her over for a bit of a chat. The question at hand may be which reinvented self will dominate this unexpected encounter.

Copyright 2010 G. Leo Maselli

Hesitant Hedonism (6 of 10)

It is of course my view that it's never too late to learn anything for which we have a potential. In the case of our protagonist, Sarah Kay, we find a girl of eighteen, raised for the last five years in a Swiss convent and gravely traumatized by the loss of her mother when she was twelve. Suddenly dropped back into California culture, she longs for the love that has been absent for so long. We trust that she has the potential for love but quickly sense that she possesses little knowledge of what love is. Countless studies and numerous research papers suggest that love is a learned response, a learned emotion. How Sarah Kay will learn to love is directly related to her ability to learn and to those in her environment who will teach her. She possesses the potential for love, but potential is never realized without work. This does not mean pain. Love, especially, is learned best in wonder, in joy and in living. And then, as D.H. Lawrence says, "Things will happen to us so that we don't know ourselves. Cool, unlying life will rush in." And so it shall be for Sarah Kay.

In the early morning's dim light she wraps her towel around her waist and quietly slips out of her room to creep downstairs to the pool for a swim and to investigate the elderly couple sitting on the diving board drinking coffee and sharing the very herb that she abused as a girl of twelve and thirteen. In the kitchen she finds her father drinking coffee and observing the same couple out the back window. He signals her to follow him out the front door where the car is parked. She can join him going up to the lake to pick up his old friend, Chuck, who will be landing his float plane within the hour.

Thirty minutes later they are at the dock where Chuck will tie-up. Jesse walks out to the end of the pier to keep a sharp eye on the horizon while Sarah Kay heads over to a nearby swimming area and dives in. Five minutes later Chuck's plane kisses the water so smoothly there is hardly a wake. After he's tied up, he greets his Jesse with a hug. The pals of more than 30-years then walk over to fetch Sarah Kay. When she climbs out of the water the very sight of her takes Chuck's breathe away. It has to be her wet cotton, athletic, figure hugging, 1920's style tank suit that causes Chuck to begin to jabber, prattle and stammer non-stop. And that's when, for the first time in five years, her father's protective instincts kicks in. He realizes that his old friend's childhood flair for evasion and distraction is still operational. Chuck is attempting to bury the realization of lust for his old friend's daughter. Jesse quickly hands Sarah Kay her towel and announces they'd better head back to the house. A tailor will be waiting there to fit Chuck for a tuxedo. That evening's official Olive Festival Gala Ball taking place there at the Risconi Family's Estate.

Copyright 2010 G. Leo Maselli

Hesitant Hedonism (5 of 10)

As the introduction of this series states, above all else these are stories of reinvention. In this case, having committed themselves to retiring their old personas for the new, our six featured characters, Jesse and Sarah, Chuck and Lena, Carla and Lilli, are becoming totally vulnerable whether they are aware of it or not. In a frenzy of well-intentioned hedonism they will undoubtedly speak of their new convictions and feelings as well as be obligated to live with the consequences. By doing so they are automatically exposing themselves to praise or ridicule, acceptance or rejection which is by definition the first requirement of reinvention. Bully for them. As philosophers have long said, our vulnerability is the only thing of real value that we can give to other people. Let the games begin.

Sarah's plane lifted up through the clouds over Zurich at 0800 hours. By the time she touched down in San Francisco she had been flying for 19 long hours including a stopover in Philadelphia. Her journal that day describes, in detail, how she flirted shamelessly with one married man and two helpless college boys all of whom became quite discombobulated when she coyly confessed to still being a virgin.

At SF International, their physical changes notwithstanding, she and her father recognized each other immediately. It was as if they had seen one another just the other day. After a somewhat awkward attempt to bond they loaded her luggage into the back of his car. As they pulled into traffic, Sarah fell quickly and deeply to sleep. Next stop Oroville to revel in old friendships and the annual Oroville Olive Festival.

Sarah Kay slept during the entire four-hour trip to the Risconi olive ranch and adjacent processing plant. Later she recalled being groggy even as Lena, the gray haired matriarch of the old Italian family, and her father guided her up to her private bedroom on the third floor of the big house. She remembered nothing more until she finally awoke into an already warm predawn of a new day. She climbed out of bed to find herself wearing only an over-sized t-shirt with a large martini olive on the front worn over the large cotton panties she'd be issued by the Swiss convent. Looking out the window she saw a rather grizzled but distinguished old Mexican ranch hand sitting on the diving board of an Olympic-size swimming pool rolling what she imagined to be a marijuana cigarette. Sarah heard the back door slam shut and Lena appeared in a long night gown carrying two large mugs of coffee and joined the man on the diving board. The man, actually the foreman and Squint by name, kissed Lena pleasantly on the lips before lighting the hand rolled joint. After each had a long drag and exhaled with great relish they tapped their mugs together and settled back to watch the sun come up.

Sarah quickly dug through her suitcase and pulled out her 1920's athletic tank suit that she'd also been issued at the convent. Slipping it on and grabbing a towel she headed for the pool

This is, please understand, a story set in California's olive country and is meant to be a study of the humorous roles people play in their everyday slippery existence and what can happen when life throws them an unexpected, extra-virgin curve ball. Places everyone.

Copyright 2010 G. Leo Maselli