Directed anger
By JOHN WOOLEY 10/27/2005
Lights, camera and a moment of inaction - Kelley Baker, aka the Angry Filmmaker. JOHN CLANTON / Tulsa World
Angry Filmmaker brings completed movie back to Tulsa
Those who've seen and visited with Portland, Ore.-based filmmaker Kelley Baker during one of his previous appearances in town know that he's actually a pretty nice guy who knows a lot about making films inexpensively and doesn't mind sharing his knowledge.
On the other hand, though, his Angry Filmmaker moniker is far more than just a gimmick. He really is excited about a lot of things going on in indie moviemaking these days, including what he sees as the mislabeling of some movies made in Hollywood featuring well-known actors and big budgets. These, he will tell you, may carry the name, but they aren't really "independent" at all.
The same can't be said for his feature "Kicking Bird," shot in and around his hometown over 18 days on a budget of $6,000. The aggressively unsentimental story of a high school loser from terrible circumstances who becomes a star on the cross-country team, plays like a much bigger picture, thanks in great part to Baker's savvy as a filmmaker. (His credits include several other of his own features and shorts as well as six major-studio films from director Gus Van Sant -- including "Good Will Hunting" -- on which Baker served as sound designer.)
Although "Kicking Bird" wasn't officially completed until January, he showed a rough cut to Tulsa audiences during an appearance at the Nightingale Theatre last year.
"I'd say it was probably 70 percent finished then," he said in a phone interview from the road. "I even did some re-editing after we showed it. And I'm very happy with how it turned out. We got a review from Runner's World that said it had its flaws, but it was a very true movie."
As befits a guy with an allegiance to independence, Baker is his own distributor, driving across the country with not only his latest picture, but also with DVDs of his other movies.
"This time, I'm doing 50 venues in 60 days," he said. "I left my home Sept. 12, and I'll be home Nov. 12. We've had some great screenings, and I've probably sold about 400 DVDs of my work. I just came from the Memphis Independent Film Festival, where I taught workshops on making the ultra-low-budget film and how to find financing for your independent movie. Now, I'm headed for the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival before I come to Tulsa."
Thursday's screening isn't a workshop situation, but Baker said he'll take general questions about his filmmaking techniques as well as specific questions about "Kicking Bird."
"I'll also tell some funny stories about making a movie with no permits and no permissions," he said with a chuckle. "While we were making the movie, the art museum in Portland had its biggest fundraiser of the year. There was an orchestra, searchlights out front, people arriving in limos -- and I thought, 'What a great background for one of my scenes.'
"So we moved in and started shooting. But we got caught and sent away. The only reason we got caught was that we had about a dozen extras in front of the museum, and the security people couldn't figure out why these people were all dressed up, but they wouldn't go in the building."
"KICKINGBIRD"
followed by a Q&A with Kelley Baker, aka the Angry Filmmaker
When:
7 p.m. Thursday
Where:
Circle Cinema, 12 S. Lewis Ave.
Tickets:
$7.50 for adults, $6 for seniors and students