Film Courage I heard you touch on this in
another interview you did, I’m wondering
if you can elaborate.
That everything is a cliché and it’s all
been done before?
So how do we keep films fresh?
Jay Silverman, Producer (OFF THE MENU)/Photographer:
It’s an interesting thing because I don’t
think a filmmaker sets out to ‘I want to
do a fresh approach to food.
I want to do a fresh approach to a romantic
comedy.’
I think what you do if you’re doing a good
service to storytelling is try to do it with
the best experiences that you’ve got with
the knowledge and knowing that people don’t
like to be preached to.
With the knowledge and knowing that ‘Oh
I want to make a strong female character and
it’s written strong but I’d like to make
it even stronger because I’d like to make
a statement about (in this particular case
food).
And I also think clichés, it’s part of
the vernacular of human communications so
it’s not a bad thing to make a cliché.
People have compared this movie [OFF THE MENU]
to CHEF.
Who wouldn’t be more flattered than that
or a reviewer just reviewed it and compared
it to CHOCOLAT.
CHOCOLAT was a major influence on me choosing
to make this movie because I wanted it to
be a discovery.
I wanted it to be warm.
I wanted it to be rich.
And I wanted it to be real.
It’s funny, there’s a TV show on Amazon
right now that’s basically a mimic (and
I’m not going to tell you the name) of UNDER
THE TUSCAN SUN.
And it’s all filmed in Greece and it’s
unbelievably, magical done.
It takes place in the 1930’s and I look
at that and I say to myself ‘Is that a cliché?
Is that an exploitation?’
No it’s just another way to tell the story
that is about place.
I want to go watch that (it’s a TV show),
I want to go watch that every time I feel
a certain need to see the warmth and to be
perfectly blunt with you I am not an exterior
filmmaker typically so for me to want to go
to New Mexico and exploit that the biggest
compliment you could give me is comparing
it to a movie like SIDEWAYS that took parts
of Northern California and made it popular
because the movie was filmed there.
I think Taos [New Mexico] will be a major
benefactor if the movie is successful.
Film Courage: But clichés versus remakes?
How are they different or are they the same?
Jay: Actually it’s one and the same because
because you go out today to make a remake
of any of these TV shows that are being made
now.
I think you can temporize it you know?
You try to make it more conducive to what’s
going on in the world today and hopefully
try to do a better job than the original and
it’s interesting because I think that Hollywood
has got a formula for doing that now and much
of it has to do with bringing in the right
writers and the right directors as it is an
art form and it’s failed as much as it’s
succeeded.
So clichés I think are just part of the vernacular.
Someone is always going to say to you “Have
you seen this?
It’s just like that.”
I just did it!
You know the old story that George Lucas once
said there are only 7 to 10 stories ever told.
All these stories have been told before.
So your ability to catapult it into a different
look, a different drama, a different tone
is what makes this all so exciting.
It’s funny the movie I was about to do was
a Holocaust themed movie but it took place
in the 90’s.
And what motivated me to do this movie is
it’s not about the Holocaust because I didn’t
want to do a movie about the Holocaust.
I wanted to do a movie about psychology and
about the concept of the aftermath of the
wall coming down.
That was appealing to me.
Is it a cliché?
Well if you do what I did as a filmmaker and
looked at everything that was on either Netflix
or Amazon about these concepts of World War
II or even World War I you walk away with
just a huge jar full of wonderful content
and then say I don’t want to do anything
like that I want to do something.
Is it a cliché?
I don’t know?
Some people would say it is.
Film Courage: So a cliché and then keeping
a fresh voice.
How does someone keep a fresh voice?
We always hear that.
I’ve been reading a biography on David Foster
Wallace and how he had a fresh voice at that
time [INFINITE JEST] and how he was breaking
all the rules.
Do you think that could really be done today?
I realize he’s a writer [author].
Jay: I do and it’s interesting because my
movie is a romantic comedy that takes place
surrounding food and I’m here to tell you
with no problem with no problem dropping names
because THE CHEF’S TABLE on Netflix is just
a brilliantly produced show.
I wouldn’t want to do it but I love to watch
it and it takes place all around the world
and they broke all the rules because there’s
a million shows about food.
So why is that one different?
Because the filmmakers are great storytellers.
They take you to the far corners of a Buddhist
Monk in South Korea.
I mean who would have done that?
And they have drones and they have technology
that they are using to make this not only
a delightful one-hour special but you’re
there.
You feel it.
But isn’t it just the same as well…I’ve
been doing this for so many years I can go
back to the beginning where they had these
food shows and you got these people (Martha
Stewart) cooking and then they show stills
behind her of Tuscany or wherever the food
the food she is cooking and there is really
no difference in the storytelling except for
how they went about executing it.
