It's a wrap!

Welcome to the official website and Blog for Down in the Mouth, a movie that will do for the uvula what Davy Crockett did for coon skin caps. After many months of preproduction and location scouting, the cast and crew of over forty plunged into the shoot on June 28th of 2005. What followed was enough drama and mayhem to fill an entire two hour documentary -- you know, one of those “The making of...” deals -- all in the pursuit of a fifteen minute film! The good news is it’s in the can!

Before we get any further, let me give you the “official” pitch on what Down in the Mouth is all about...

The inspiration for Down in the Mouth came while reading an article in a magazine that mentioned the seemingly pointless appendage of the body, the uvula. What the hell is this thing for? It got me thinking about other “appendages” that human beings tend to obsess over, and it struck me how the human race has run amuck with body modification. Through plastic, or “cosmetic”, surgery we can now enhance, lengthen, diminish and otherwise alter our bodies (and parts thereof) at will, and we do more and more often these days, pursuing some crazy ideal that has been imprinted on us through the media or whatever. Well, what if some poor guy latches onto the idea that his tiny uvula is the thing that’s been keeping him down all his life? Hence, DOWN IN THE MOUTH.

“Down in the Mouth is an absurdist look at one man’s pursuit of biological equality in an ever more competitive world.”

Down in the Mouth happened through the dedication and hard work of some amazingly talented artists in the Manhattan area, all of whom stayed on the project when the going got particularly precarious. Without the collaborative efforts of cinematographer Christopher Webb and our great team of gaffers and camera assistants, as well as the vision and craftsmanship of Ken Larson and his team of builders and painters (not to mention their stamina when circumstances required building two versions of the same set!) this film would never have gotten this far. To the entire production team I owe my endless gratitude.

The difficulties in making the movie became immediately apparent when we realized that what we were talking about was a film with roughly 18 principal characters, at least six different locations, a bevy of extras and, as independent filmmaking always goes, a limited cash flow. It was going to be a big production. That’s where Film/Video Arts came in. This New York organization supplied us with non-profit status and allowed us to solicit tax-deductible donations from friends and family...

By the way, this would probably be the best place to mention that WE’RE STILL ACCEPTING DONATIONS! This thing isn’t finished yet, and the big ticket expenses have yet to be incurred. We still have post-production to get through, and that’s going to be huge. Once the rough cut is finished, we have the negative cut to do, and the score to be assembled. The sound mix follows, and then it’s being blown up to 35mm. Finally, copies need to be made and sent out. There’s still a lot of ground to cover. If you’re interested in being a part of this process, and if you like the idea of having your name up on the screen as a supporter, you can send your donation to:

Donation
Film/Video Arts
25 East 21st St
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10013

Put on your check “Down in the Mouth” so the money will be earmarked for our film and put in our account. Then Film/Video Arts will supply you with a receipt that you can include in your year-end tax filing. Anyway, enough of the panhandling. In the next entry I’ll tell you all about pre-production.