John Putch Writes His Own Rules Director’s film, Mojave Phone Booth, succeeds in breaking the Hollywood mould December 8th 2006 09:43am | Posted by: Michael Simpson For a brief period at the end of the 20th century an isolated phone booth in the Mojave Desert was a popular destination for independent travellers. In 1997 the phone number of the booth, which had been active since the Second World War, was posted on the internet and people were encouraged to dial it. Campers began converging on the booth, hoping the phone would ring and they would connect with someone in a faraway place. The booth’s fame was spread by CNN and other international media. In 2000, however, the attention became too much for the National Park Service. They asked the operator, Pacific Bell, to remove the booth because they were concerned that campers would damage the desert ecosystem. The booth’s story did not end there, though. Hollywood actor and director John Putch heard the strange tale and wanted to use it as the backdrop for a movie. Appropriately, he also decided that the film, called Mojave Phone Booth, would be no ordinary directing venture. John Putch’s acting career goes back to the 1970s. His many film and television appearances include parts in Jaws 3D, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Clear and Present Danger and Seinfeld. In recent years he has turned to directing. Before Mojave Phone Booth he helmed a mini-series remake of The Poseidon Adventure that was shown by NBC and the Hallmark Channel. More recently, he directed the cable comedy-drama Where There’s a Will, starring Frank Whaley and Keith Carradine. Despite his background, Putch chose to challenge the Hollywood formula for Mojave Phone Booth. In a director’s statement he described the film as "a rebellion against the Hollywood philosophy and all the bloat it stands for." "I believe that a compelling story can be told without it costing an arm and a leg and I opine that most films have lost touch with the grass roots of that idea because of the greed that has overtaken filmmaking," Putch said. Putch’s approach to Mojave Phone Booth was inspired by the Dogma-95 rules of digital filmmaking associated with Lars Von Trier. He also wanted to follow the example of Independent Digital Entertainment, a New York-based production company that specialises in low budget films and operates on a profit-participation basis. InDigEnt’s philosophy is that revenue should be shared among everyone that works on a production. Putch took these inspirations and modified them for his purposes. Following Von Trier’s example, he prepared a set of rules that would govern the making of Mojave Phone Booth. One of the most important was that the film’s budget should not exceed $39,469.49. He also restricted the crew to eight people and insisted that everyone involved must live without luxuries, just like the travellers who made their camps beside the real booth. The actors had to be responsible for their own wardrobe and appearance. The only equipment that could be used was whatever would fit into one car and an SUV. The film would be shot using a high definition digital video camera. Putch was aware that these rules would make Mojave Phone Booth a risky project. Everyone involved would have to accept the limitations they imposed. Yet he had no trouble in attracting a stellar cast. The actors that joined Putch in the desert were a mixture of names known to American film and TV audiences and young up-and-coming stars. Among them was Annabeth Gish, whose previous parts include FBI agent Monica Reyes in The X-Files and a recurring role on The West Wing. Also signed up were two members of the cast of Putch’s Poseidon Adventure mini-series, Steve Guttenberg and Tinarie van Wyk-Loots. Guttenberg is best remembered for starring roles in the 1980s hits Cocoon, Cocoon: The Return and Police Academy. He also appeared in several episodes of Veronica Mars. Tinarie van Wyk-Loots came to Hollywood from South Africa, where she acted in theatre and the South African soap opera Backstage. She has since featured alongside another '80s star, C. Thomas Howell, in Asylum’s H.G. Wells’ War of The Worlds. The cast of Mojave Phone Booth also includes David DeLuise, son of Dom DeLuise, Christine Elise McCarthy, Robert Romanus, Missi Pyle, Kevin Rahm, Larry Poindexter, Joy Gohring, Jacleen Haber, Lee Wilkof and Shani Wallis. The script was co-written by Jerry Rapp with Jerry Jacobs serving as co-producer. Mojave Phone Booth’s story takes place before the booth was removed and concerns four people whose lives cross when they visit the tourist hot spot. Although it contains elements of fantasy, comedy and drama, it is hard to categorise, says Putch. Putch finished the film in August without the aid of a major studio. It took 13 months to complete, but it’s been worth it. During a run around the U.S. festival circuit Mojave Phone Booth has won Jury Awards for Best Feature at the Stony Brook, Del Ray, Wine Country and Valley Film Festivals, Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay at the digital cinema festival, HDfest, and the Audience Award at the 2006 Kansas International Film Festival. Putch is hoping that all of these will secure the film a wider distribution or broadcast deal. Mojave Phone Booth recently received its Canadian premiere at the Calgary International Film Festival and in February 2007 it will be screened at the Victoria Independent Film Festival. A review will appear soon on HNR. Source: HNR In: General Entertainment News |Visit the HNR Forums

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