Forget the Winnebagos

A lot more love than money has been invested
in this New York independent film

By Dennis Hamill

Table Setting: Randel Cole (in black) directs '2BPerfectlyHonest'

John Turturro

Welcome to the realities of making a movie on the cheap in New York City in 2003.

Today the location is the Il Vagabondo restaurant on E. 62nd St.; the shoot goes an hour and a half overtime. Now they need a new location - a corporate suite - for the day after tomorrow. But with a budget about $1 million, Randel Cole, the writer/director of "2BPerfectlyHonest" can't afford it. So he decides to barter.

As Cole blocks out a shot, Jeff Mazzola, the producer, paces the sidewalk, horse-trading with the president of a Wall Street firm. "That's right," he says, "five days in Datura Villa, a fully staffed, five-bedroom, Montego Bay villa, in exchange for one day's use of your office. Deal? "Good, our location scout will be there in an hour to take pictures so we can start blocking shots virtually."

Cole's comedy-drama, which stars Andrew McCarthy, Adam Trese, John Turturro, Michael Badalucco, Aida Turturro and Robert Vaughn, is being filmed in 18, 12-hour days on 24P, high-definition digital video.

Inside, Cole explains that he wrote the script two years ago and has been developing it since then. It's a comedic, contemporary tale about a father telling his kid a bedtime yarn based on a true story that unfolds in the film.

"We tried all the traditional routes of fund-raising," says Cole, who has previously directed commercials and documentaries, "studios, venture capitalists, and co-productions. We had John Turturro and Mike Badalucco committed to play supporting roles, but the wallets still wanted to know who the leads were. The catch 22 of course is that you can't cast a studio acceptable lead until money is in place."

"So eight weeks ago, we just said to hell with the casting game. To me, a name is not what makes a film anyway and it is certainly not a reason to green light a picture...so much for anyone caring about the screenplay. So we went to friends, family and other private investors; raised a portion of what we needed and decided to just go make it."

"I've never done one of these experimental films," says Turturro. "I've done plenty of independent, low-budget films but never one shot on digital. So I'm interested to see how it comes out. "Randel Cole is a friend who's helped me on some things in the past, so I believe in loyalty and reciprocation. Plus he's written a really interesting script."

As an actor, Turturro has been able to move back and forth between Hollywood and independent films. He's also directed two indies, "Mac" and "Illuminata," and later this year will direct a third, "Romance and Cigarettes," with James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet.

"I know how hard it is to get a picture going," he says. "And often the problem with a low-budget film is that they need an extra week of shooting to finish. And, because of that, a lot of times they don't get seen. So I wouldn't do this kind of film often at this stage of my career. But for a friend with a good script, it'll be interesting."

Badalucco, who will be returning to ABC's "The Practice" in the fall, is delighted to be in "2B PerfectlyHonest" "For me, working with people I like, with a good script, on the streets of New York, is a joy," he says. "I get to play two characters, Gene and Eugene. Where else am I going to get that opportunity? And we get to go to my native Brooklyn next week for a big shoot-'em-up scene at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. I'm having a blast."

With Turturro and Badalucco on board, casting director Caroline Sinclair sent the script and character breakdowns to the major talent agencies.

"My agent gave me the script, I read it and thought it was great," says former Brat Packer McCarthy, who's playing one of the leads. "Weird, different, quirky. I met with Randel, liked him, too. I also liked that it was in New York, and only a couple of weeks work. This is my first film on digital -- I'm curious to see how it works."

This is the Off-Off-Broadway of New York filmmaking. More and more established actors are gravitating to small independent films, to tell human stories. To them, it's why they studied acting in the first place.

"I heard that John Turturro and Michael Badalucco were in it," says Trese, the other lead. "I liked the script, and I got along with Randel. Plus shooting digital is an actor's dream because you can do take after take without busting the budget on film stock. "Yesterday we shot in the Turkish baths on E. 10 St. When we went overtime, the owner turned on the steam with all the cameras, lights, computers, sound equipment in the place, either to get us out or to get more money. It caused a small panic, but it was pretty funny."

"I can't be happier with the way the casting turned out, although there were moments when I held my breath", says Cole. "This type of production is definitely not for the faint-of-heart."

Now that the cameras are rolling, there's renewed interest from investors. "A few distributors have called already," says Mazzola. "They want to see what we've shot and read the script. To be perfectly honest, we could be in profit before we wrap '2BPerfectlyHonest.'"

Originally published on June 15, 2003