WHAT IS IT?
Running
Time: 72 minutes
Format:
35 mm
Year
of Completion: 2005
www.crispinglover.com
(hi-res
photos & press kit on site)
Tour
Schedule:
October
20, 21, 22: Castro Theater, San Francisco
November
3, 4, 5: Northwest, Film Forum, Seattle
November
10, 11,12: Anthology Film Archives, New York
November
17, 18 ,19: Music Box Theater, Chicago
December
1, 2, 3: Clinton Street Theatre, Portland Oregon
December
8, 9, 10: Egyptian Theatre at the American Cinematheque, Hollywood
Publicity
Contact:
Margot
Gerber
323.461.2020,
ext. 115
Publicity@americancinematheque.com
WHAT IS IT?
Synopsis
Known for
creating many memorable, incredibly quirky characters onscreen as an actor,
Glover's first effort as a director will not disappoint fans of his offbeat
sensibilities and eccentric taste. Featuring a cast largely comprised of actors
with Down's Syndrome, the film is not about Down's Syndrome. Glover describes it
as "Being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are
snails, salt, a pipe and how to get home as tormented by an hubristic racist
inner psyche." In addition to writing and directing WHAT IS IT?, Glover
also appears in the film as an actor in the role of "Dueling Demi-God
Auteur and The young man's inner psyche." Actress Fairuza Balk voices one
of the snails.
WHAT IS IT?
Cast & Crew Credits
Directed by
Crispin Hellion Glover
Screenplay
Crispin Hellion Glover
Michael Blevis
....
The young man
Rikky Wittman
....
The minstrel's nemesis
John Insinna
....
The young man's outer sanctum friend and inner santum
choking victim
Kelly Swiderski
....
Inner sanctum concubine and outer sanctum snail collector
Lisa Fusco
....
The young man's fantasy girl
Crispin Glover
....
Dueling Demi-God Auteur and The young man's inner psyche
Fairuza Balk
....
Snail (voice)
Robin Adams
....
Inner sanctum concubine and outer sanctum girl who
recognizes burning
Cheryl Brown
....
Outer Sanctum Mocking tormentor and walkie-talkie
grabbing woman that cries
Later
Tom Carroll
....
Grave digger and mocking tormentor
Lynn Conley
....
The minstrel's concubine, mocking tormentor and ultimate
outer sanctum
Victor
Zoryna Dreams
....
Monkey woman
Ivonna Earnest
....
Baby Elephant
Scott Farley
....
Floating cloud minstrel double
Mary P. Hayes
....
The young man's mother
Kiva
....
Monkey woman
Muffy
....
Monkey woman
Karin Odell
....
Monkey woman
Adam Parfrey
....
The minstrel
Carlos Richardson
....
The young man's alter ego
Steven C. Stewart
....
Dueling Demi-God Auteur and the young man's uber ego
Eric Yates
....
Inner sanctum Puppet show audience member and outer
sanctum/inner sanctum
victim
Produced by
Crispin Hellion Glover
....
Producer
Matt Devlen
....
Producer
Ryan Page
Co-producer
Michael Pallagi
Cinematography by
Wyatt Troll
Film Editing by
Crispin Glover
Casting by
Kim Davis
Art Direction by
Floyd Albee
Set Decoration by
Cindy Epping
Mike Hardy
Sound Department:
Crispin Glover
....
Sound Editor
Molly Fitzjarrald
....
Assistant sound editor
Erika Gieschen
....
Boom operator
Jonah Goldstein
....
Assistant sound editor
Tim Hays
....
Sound mixer
Erin Michael Rettig
....
Sound re-recording mixer
David Brothers
....
Sets
David Brothers
....
Special story advisor
Adam Parfrey
....
Special story advisor
Craig Eustis
....
Assistant technical editor
Damon Fecht
....
Consultant: Reel Revival, LLC
Shawn Paper
....
Special technical advisor
Shawn Paper
....
Story editing advisor
Aidan Stanford
....
Film color timer
Christopher Vogler
....
Special story advisor
WHAT IS IT?
I was approached by two young first time filmmaker
writers to act in a film they had written. I had promised myself that the next
first time filmmaker I worked with would be me. The script they sent me had some
interesting things in it, but I felt like a major change was needed to to make
it work. I told them I would be interested in being in it if I could direct it
and do some re-writing. They said they wanted to hear what my ideas were. When I
met with them I told them that if I directed it I would like to have a large
majority of the characters be played by actors with Down's Syndrome. There were
other things as well but, that was a big part of it. They felt that was OK and I
went about re-writing it.
David Lynch got hold of the script and agreed to
executive produce the film. I had some good actors that I knew would be right
for some of the parts, that agreed to be in the film. Then I went to one of the
larger corporate entities to see if I could get funding for the project. They
initially seemed quite interested, but as time went on they finally said that
they were concerned about the concept of having a majority of the characters be
played by actors with Down's Syndrome.
It was decided that the best thing for me to do was to
make a short film that would promote having a majority of the cast played by
actors with Down's Syndrome to show it was a viable and doable idea. I wrote the
script for WHAT IS IT? It was to be
a short film of approximately ten minutes. I decided it would be best to
comprise the entire cast of actors with Down's Syndrome.
Most of the film was shot on locations around my house,
in my house, or on the set in SLC. One Graveyard was a location in Downey and
one Graveyard was a set made with a
backdrop in front of my house.
The original four days of shooting to make that short
film were done and I set about editing. Within five months I had the first edit
done and it came in at 85 minutes. That edit was too long, but I knew with the
addition of more material it could be a good feature length film.
I put myself in to the film as a different antagonistic
character than was in the original film. I also put Steven C Stewart, a man with
a sever case of cerebral palsy, in the film. He had written a screenplay many
years before, based on certain psychologies he had dealt with as a result his
condition, throughout his life. It was a very different kind of film on many
levels from What is it? But there were certain themes that somehow correlated,
and I realized it would be good to make his film in to a sequel and make the
original screenplay that I had been approached with, in to a part three. In many
ways all three screenplays are very different form one another, yet they all
deal with certain themes that compliment each other.
Six months after the initial shoot I shot three more days
in LA with myself acting this time and all of the original cast. Six months
after that I shot four more days in Salt Lake City with Steven C Stewart and
myself on a set.
Then I worked on editing the film and showing various
edits of it on video to audiences to get feedback. I did this for approximately
a year and a half.
Something was still not quite right, so I got more cast
together with some additional actors with Down's Syndrome and some of the
original cast and shot one last day. This last day of shooting was very
important and really helped tie everything together. I worked with the footage
another six months or so and locked the picture approximately four years after
starting it.
The film had been shot in 16 mm. Originally I was going
to only strike a 16 mm print, as the concept was to tour art house theaters that
would be able to project in 16 mm. The negative for the locked picture was stuck
with a negative cutter at an optical house in New York because, as I later found
out, there was a mistake in the SMPTE time code that had been made when the film
was initially put through telecine. With the amount of opticals I had in the
film it made it virtually impossible to figure out. Plus the optical house that
I paid to do most of the opticals was in their estimation, not being paid enough
to really try to help solve the problem.
After waiting patiently for five years, during which time
I slowly worked on the sound edit with interns, when that was done I went to the
optical house discovered that they had become a digital house and were not being
honest with me. I found a small company that had a new way of going out to 35 mm
with a digital intermediate that was much more reasonably priced than when I
first got estimates on the project, and suddenly it made sense financially to do
it that way. It still took almost a year to get it all worked out digitally and
then output to a 35 mm print. But after nine and a half years it was quite a
relief to have finally accomplished a film that I am genuinely proud of.
For the original short film the most that was given in
dollars was 2,000. Everything else was donated for that including some AGFA film
stock. I financed the rest of the film with money I made from acting.
The total process to getting to the point having it be a 35 mm film from
the beginning cost me approximately 150,000 to 200,00 dollars.
The more you do by yourself the longer it will take.
First time film makers should make a short film that takes them all the way
through to whatever point their final film is going to be. This way every
mistake one will inevitably make will be understood how to be avoided.
WHAT IS IT? was originally to be a short to promote
making IT IS MINE, is now part one of a trilogy that includes It is fine!
EVERTYHING IS FINE written by and starring Steven C. Stewart will be part two.
IT IS MINE. Will be part three.
I started out going to art therapy groups that worked
with people with Down's Syndrome. But it was very difficult in terms of scope
and I ended up working with a casting person I knew named Kim Davis. She brought
in many great people and we met with more groups and I finished casting what was
to be the short film that way. When it turned in to a feature length film I
added myself and Steven C Stewart so to make his film later in to a sequel. At
the very end I went to another group entity called the applied behavioral
analysis center and cast a lot of people from there. I believe two of the actors
with Down's Syndrome had worked before. One of those two had worked a lot. Most
of the actors had not worked in front of cameras before. Many people ask if it
was difficult working with people with Down's Syndrome, but it was not. One of
the most important things about working with actors whether they have Down's
Syndrome or not is that they are enthusiastic. Every cast member was extremely
enthusiastic and great to work with.
My technique in directed them sometimes depended on if
the actor was particularly high functioning or not. Most of the actors I worked
with were very high functioning and were able to memorize lines. Some of the
actors were lower functioning and that was a bit different. But I always knew
who I would be working with and they were always cast for a specific purpose so
everyone always did exactly what was needed. I have used some of the same
techniques I learned working with the actors with Down's Syndrome with actors
that do not have Down's Syndrome, and it was helpful with the actors without
Down's Syndrome, so ultimately I would say it is not too different.
I truly do look back upon it with fondness. They are
genuinely interesting people to work with. I will often be asked why I chose to
work with people with Down's Syndrome. I would say there are quite a few reasons
but the one of the most important is that when I look in to the face of someone
that has Down's Syndrome I see the history of someone who has genuinely lived
outside of the culture. When peopling an entire film with actors that innately
have that quality it affects the world of the film. As far as interpersonal
experiences the most interesting element that people who do not work with or
know people that have Down's Syndrome may not realize how perceptive they are
about certain things. People with Down's Syndrome often do not develop a certain
social mask that most people develop. This can be both interesting as actors on
film and in real life it can often take one in to a certain emotional
sensibility that can be ultra perceptive. It really is an interesting thing to
be around.
It was recommended to me to look at Wyatt Troll's reel.
He was excellent. When I shot additional footage his friends Scott Hendrickson
was able to shoot who was also great to work with and in SLC I had several
different people behind the camera. I also personally shot certain things with
my Bolex that I have had since I was eighteen.
I had a story board artist illustrate the whole short
film. I made an animation of it in Adobe Premiere. Even though the film became a
feature the most basic part of the protagonist's story are still innate from the
short film, and the story board sequences are quite exact in comparison to the
story board animation.
When I turned it into a feature I had shot the whole
short film of on AGVA film stock. This will be that last film every released
that has AGVA film stock as its original source, because they stopped making it.
I shot the rest with Kodak. I knew the film would have different looks because
it was being shot with different film stocks, different cameras, and on both
locations and sets. But I also wanted to the film to have different hierarchies
so I was aware that the different looks and textures could mean certain things
in those various hierarchies.
There is an organic quality to much Wagner being that he
wrote in the post Beethoven Romantic era and the structure was played with
vastly. Often his music was used when scenes were changing. I put his music in
very late, but it helped immensely. Often the film goes beyond the realm of that
which is considered good and evil. Some of the music pieces reflect that.
The sets were extremely important in the film. Originally
as a short film, virtually everything was shot as a daylight exterior. When
turning it in to a feature film there were some new sets built to create new
realms for new characters to inhabit. The largest and most elaborate set
designed by David Brothers was influenced by several things. One was a
photograph of an old UFA set. After we had shot the film and I was editing I was
watching Fritz Lang's SIEGFRIED and Siegfried came under a tree on a horse and I
realized there is the image that set was inspired from. It looks quite different
in WHAT IS IT? But if one looks at a front on still it would be apparent. Also
there is a musical from the forties that has people flying around on clouds that
was very beautiful and David Brothers had seen it also, so we talked about it
and incorporated that in to it. He was watching a film on video I believe called
THE MOLE PEOPLE, where people came out of the earth, and that was incorporated
for the monkey women that seemed to live inside of those.
The original short film was mostly daylight exterior and
the characters were dressed in straight forward and standard style clothing and
wore no makeup. Once it was turned in to a feature film I wanted every character
to have a strong look in certain new realms that were introduced along with a
new antagonist that was played by myself.
All of the new characters were shot in an interior or on
a set and they wore more elaborate style costumes and sometimes makeup. The new things that were filmed were
purposefully to have a different realm or feeling to them.
Critical Acclaim for WHAT IS
IT?
Winner!
Best
narrative film. Ann Arbor Film
Festival 2005
Winner!
Maverick Award The Method Fest
Film Festival 2005
Winner!
The Midnight Extreme Award
Sitges Film Festival Spain 2006
“Crispin
Hellion Glover, auteur, is a force to be reckoned with.”
--Laura Kern The New York Times
"Glover...puts
impenetrably odd and tender poetry on the screen."
--Bill Stamets, The Chicago Sun-Times
"Scenes
with naked women in elephant masks, Shirley Temple, Glover being lowered
deus-ex-machina style into a Maxfield Parrish scene...It's like Fellini on
psychedelics -- wildly creative but completely twisted."
--Jane
Ganahl, San Francisco Examiner
"It's
unlike anything I've ever seen before...the unrestrained id of an artist at full
frenzy, unafraid to mount onscreen what others would judiciously edit out.
Glover's film is like that the fever dream of a crazy person.
--Dennis Dermody, Paper Magazine
“ABSOLUTELY
the most uncompromising and original thing I've seen. People try to compare it
to the likes of surrealist hero Luis Buñuel and trailblazer Werner Herzog, but
I say Glover has transcended even them"
--Kelly O. The Seattle Stranger Weekly
"Possibly
the most bizarre, uncompromising movie ever made by a major Hollywood
name."
-- Gilbert Garcia, Phoenix New Times
"Crispin
Glover... America's Best Psychotic energy."
-- Richard Lacayo, Time Magazine
"What
Is It? is an outre, bewildering, unnerving, surreal, blackly comic film. It is
brilliant in its sensitivity and humanity and infantile in its excess."
-- Darius James, Spin
“Crispin
Glover is weird and wonderful... Crazy in a Good Way."
-- Joel Stein, Time Magazine
Veteran
Actor Crispin Glover to Tour
His
Debut Effort as a Feature Film Director: WHAT IS IT?
Glover
to appear in person with the screenings and his LIVE dramatic presentation of
his "Big Slide Show" plus Booksigning
Hollywood -
Veteran actor Crispin Hellion Glover, who has appeared in over 30 films,
including RIVER'S EDGE, CHARLIE'S ANGELS, THE DOORS, WILLARD, DEAD MAN, BACK TO
THE FUTURE, WHAT'S EATING GLIBERT GRAPE, WILD AT HEART, THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY
FLYNT the upcoming BEOWULF, THE WIZARD OF GORE, and BOB BAILEY'S DISCO BALLS
will tour his debut feature film as a director, WHAT IS IT? with an in person
tour, this Fall. Glover's appearances in San Francisco, Seattle, New York,
Chicago and Los Angeles will include a q & a after the film screening and a
presentation of his "Big Slide Show" which features illustration and
commentary from eight of his books, followed by a signing of his books RAT
CATCHING, OAK MOT, and What it is, and how it is done.
WHAT IS IT? premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and won Best
Narrative Film at the 2005 Ann Arbor Film Festival. In the same year Mr. Glover
was awarded the prestigious Maverick Award from the Method Fest which was
presented to him by esteemed film director Werner Herzog.
Known for
creating many memorable, incredibly quirky characters onscreen as an actor,
Glover's first effort as a director will not disappoint fans of his offbeat
sensibilities and eccentric taste. Featuring a cast largely comprised of actors
with Down's Syndrome, the film is not about Down's Syndrome. Glover describes it
as "Being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are
snails, salt, a pipe and how to get home as tormented by an hubristic racist
inner psyche." In addition to writing and directing WHAT IS IT?, Glover
also appears in the film as an actor in the role of "Dueling Demi-God
Auteur and The young man's inner psyche." Fairuza Balk voices one of the
snails.
WHAT IS IT?
is part one of a trilogy. Parts two, IT IS FINE EVERYTHING IS FINE...! is
currently in post-production. On part two, Glover collaborated with Utah
writer-actor Steven C. Stewart, who also appears in WHAT IS IT? Stewart passed
away from complications from cerebral palsy in 2001.
The soundtrack makes use of Wagner and Bartok excerpts to ironic effect, as well as tracks by late Church of Satan high priest Anton LaVey, Charles Manson and a country track by Klassic Klan recording artist Johnny Rebel.
"Scenes with naked women in elephant masks, Shirley Temple, Glover being lowered deus-ex-machina style into a Maxfield Parrish scene...It's like Fellini on psychedelics -- wildly creative but completely twisted." -- Jane Ganahl, San Francisco Examiner
"Possibly
the most bizarre, uncompromising movie ever made by a major Hollywood
name." -- Gilbert Garcia, Phoenix NewTimes
"Crispin
Glover... America's Best Psychotic energy." -- Richard Lacayo, Time
Magazine
"What
Is It? is an outre, bewildering, unnerving, surreal, blackly comic film. It is
brilliant in its sensitivity and humanity and infantile in its excess." --
Darius James, Spin
Crispin
Glover is weird and wonderful... Crazy in a Good Way." -- Joel Stein,
Time
Magazine
Glover's
books are re-workings of 20 books from the 1800's into new books that utilize
some of the original words and illustrations with adding original words and
illustrations.
The tour
schedule is as follows:
October 20,
21, 22: Castro Theater, San Francisco
November 3,
4, 5: Northwest, Film Forum, Seattle
November 10,
11,12: Anthology Film Archives, New York
November 17,
18 ,19: Music Box Theater, Chicago
December 1,
2, 3: Clinton Street Theatre, Portland Oregon
December 8,
9, 10: Egyptian Theatre at the American Cinematheque, Hollywood
Crispin
Glover is available in person or on the phone for interview. Theatrical press
screenings will be held in each city.
Running
Time: 72 minutes
Format: 35
mm
Year of
Completion: 2005
Official
website with hi-res downloadable photos:
www.crispinglover.com
For more
information please contact:
Margot
Gerber, 323.461.2020, ext. 115.
CC
Publicity@CrispinGlover.com
RESUME
ACTING
FILM TITLE
DIRECTOR
YEAR FILMED
My Tutor
George Bowers
1982
Racing With the Moon
Richard Benjamin
1983
The Orkly Kid
Trent Harris
1983
Teachers
Arthur Hiller
1984
Back to the Future
Robert Zemeckis
1984-85
At Close Range
James Foley
1985
River's Edge
Tim Hunter
1986
Twister
Michael Almereyda
1988
Where the Heart Is John Boorman 1989
Wild At Heart
David Lynch
1989
The Doors
Oliver Stone
1989
Rubin and Ed
Trent Harris
1990
Little Noises
Jane Spencer
1990
30 Door Key
Jersey Skolimoski
1990
Hotel Room
David Lynch
1992
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
Gus Van Sant
1992
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
Lasse Halstrom
1992
Crime And Punishment
Joseph Goldman
1993
Chasers
Dennis Hopper
1993
Dead Man
Jim Jarmusch
1994
What is it?
Crispin Hellion Glover
1995-2005
The People Vs. Larry Flynt
Milos Foremna
1996
Nurse Betty
Neil LaBute
1998
Bartleby
Jonathan Parker
2000
Charlie's Angels Mc G 2000
Fast Sofa
Salome Breziner
2000
Like Mike
John Schultz
2002
Willard
Glenn Morgan
2002
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Mc G
2002
Red Light Runners
Nick Egan
2003
Drop Dead Sexy
Michael Philip
2004
Simon Says
William Dear
2005
Beowulf
Robert Zemeckis
2005
The Wizard of Gore
Jeremy Kasten
2006
Epic Movie
Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer
2006
BOOK TITLE
PUBLISHING COMPANY
1ST PRINT YEAR
Rat Catching
Volcanic Eruptions
1988
Oak Mot
Volcanic Eruptions
1991
Concrete Inspection
Volcanic Eruptions
1992
What it is, and how it is done.
Volcanic Eruptions
1995
RECORDING
ALBUM TITLE
RECORD COMPANY
YEAR
RELEASED
The Big Problem does not equall
Restless Records
1989
The Solution.
The Solution = Let It Be.
DIRECTING
TITLE
COMPANY
YEAR FILMED YEAR
COMPLETED
What is it?
Volcanic Eruptions 1995-1998
2005