Last Stop
For Paul - from the web to the silver screen
by Mark Shapiro
This
is an amazing film - that proves you don't
have to have a giant budget, big name actors
or actresses, or even expensive special
effects to create an interesting and
accessible movie. So much for
packaging. With a great story, wonderful
actors and lots of enthusiasm, a couple of
DV camcorders, you could do this....
watch the trailer here
It is
just a simple story. Two guys take a trip
around the world to drop off the ashes of
one of their departed buddies. - Hence, the
Paul of the movie's title. The climax
of the trip is the giant infamous Full Moon
Party in Thailand. We follow the two young
guys as they experience travel and
adventures - it is sort of like a humorous
re-telling of the Iliad and Odyssey mashed
together - complete with sexy sirens who
threaten to derail the boy's journey.
Sex, romance, adventure, thrills, chase
sequences - "Last Stop for Paul" touches all
the bases.
The
occasional flashbacks and obscure story
threads - even though they do obscure the
plot a bit and derail the concept of a road
movie - are hilarious and help make the
film.
In
addition to the story, film makers will be
very interested in how the production team
actually shot and made the movie. According
to producer, director and leading man Neil
Mandt, many of the ancillary characters were
just "found". He threw the words at
them and they then repeated them back.
Surprisingly, he actually got some
incredible raw performances out of that
technique. However,
I imagine the editing process must have been
a nightmare as they had to cut bits and
pieces together to create performances that
flowed seamlessly into their movie.
By the way, the Internet version - a series
of short "webisodes," which represent
about 25% of the feature film, has been
entertaining web fans for over eight months.
"Last Stop for Paul" has been nominated for
two Webby Awards.
In October, you will be able to see the
flick at your local theatre, you can watch
the net version at
www.laststopforpaul.com right now or you
can wait until it finally hits the video
stores. It is definitely a trip worth
making.
As there are some
minor drug and gentle sex scenes, this is
not for the little kids.
Have you had a
chance to watch Last Stop for Paul (www.laststopforpaul.com
<http://www.laststopforpaul.com>),
the Webby-award nominated Internet series,
produced, directed by and starring multiple
Emmy-winner Neil Mandt. Last Stop for
Paul will open in theaters this
October-the first Internet 'webisode' series
in history to get a theatrical release.
Shot entirely on location, Last Stop for
Paul, a buddy-road comedy like none
before, chronicles the adventures of two
friends who travel around the world to
scatter the ashes of their recently deceased
friend. As they travel from country to
country they meet a myriad of interesting
characters and have the adventure of a
lifetime.
It's a tough call as to which is better:
Last Stop for Paul, or the way Last
Stop for Paul was made. The reviews and
awards speak for themselves, but what you
probably don't know is the story behind the
story--which is nothing short of amazing. In
the Spring of 2005, veteran Writer,
Producer, Director Neil Mandt and
Cinematographer Marc Carter set out on an
around the world journey to film the story
about two guys traveling to the famous Full
Moon Party in Thailand. All they had was one
camera, two wireless microphones, three
batteries, and a rough story outline. They
traveled without a crew, a cast or having
scouted one location; all of this was to be
done on the fly.
There weren't any casting calls along the
way, just strangers picked up on the street
to either act in a scene or hold the camera
as Neil and Marc delivered their improvised
lines. The outcome has proven to be a smart,
funny and poignant story about world travel.
The experience of making Last Stop For
Paul was like none other in the history
of
Hollywood
. No cast, no crew, no script, great result.
See for yourself.
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