Is That Real: Smoke, Shoot & SnoRt

Thinking about the logistics of our upcoming film, Stopover City, an important question is how will we show the marijuana. Although in Ithaca smoking weed seems to be a very common occurrence among students and locals alike, it still is illegal. So I took to the internet to find out how they fake actors using drugs.

Of course alcohol has a very easy solution; you can just make non-alcoholic drinks for your actors to slug down. But in thinking about how many films or television shows show their actors smoking weed, snorting lines of cocaine or even shooting up heroine, there are a variety of solutions.

                                                             Marijuana Alternatives:

If at first you don't succeed, try to replicate illegal drugs again. Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld, the creators of High Maintenance, first tried using herbal cigarettes. They would slice the props open and pack it into bowls. The fake cigarettes they use are notorious for being very unpleasant, so they switched to an alternative. Once they tried using legal smokable herb blends, it became their choice alternative. For the baggies the dealer doles out they actually used cotton balls soaked in glue and covered with dried parsley, cilantro and rosemary.

Trying to get a catepillar high in Pineapple Express. 

Jenji Kohan's hit show Weeds, has an entire art department to create fake marijuana. The huge quantities of weed needed in that show called for a very realistic looking substitute. They custom made their supply using moss and other plants. Then they spray-painted and bound them together while also painting individual tiny hairs. As for the grow houses, they actually just use fake plastic plants.

Basically a (very good) movie about a bunch of drugs. 

I'm sure our solution will be more low-budget like the first. In reading a few different articles about substituting drugs for film, here's a quick bullet list of alternatives.

• Cocaine: powdered lactose for snorting, a mix of cornstarch and baby powder as a prop

(Sometimes they will even coat the inside of the straw with vaseline so most of the powder doesn't go up the actor's nose.)

• Heroin: milk and vitamin powder blend, when it needs to be heated they use sugar and baking soda

• Ecstasy Pills: sugar placebos

• Magic Mushrooms: freeze dried fungus

• Crack Rocks: "created by dropping globs of krazy glue into a pile of baking soda

Enough about drugs, have a fun weekend kids.

Freaks and Geeks

Throughout the history of television, there have been many series that were cancelled before they could reach their full potential. Many of these shows, such as "Firefly" and "Arrested Development,"  fail to find a broad audience upon their initial broadcasting. However, through word of mouth and praise from critics, many of these series have developed cult followings long after they originally aired. As I recently discovered, one the greatest shows to see a premature cancelation is "Freaks and Geeks."

"Freaks and Geeks" follows the life of Lindsay Weir, played by Linda Cardellini, a straight A student from a fairly conservative family. Despite her background, Lindsay begins to hang out with the "freaks", the slacker students who care more about socializing than school. The entire series focuses on Lindsay's journey of self-discovery as she attempts to balance her new personality with her old reputation. "Freaks and Geeks" also follows the story of Lindsay's brother, Sam, played by John Francis Daley. Unlike his sister, Sam is considered and geeks and has to deal with being bullied and looked down upon by others. Similar to Lindsay, "Freaks and Geeks" shows Sam trying to fit in and ultimately becoming more comfortable with himself.

What separates "Freaks and Geeks" from other shows is its incredible character development. Much like in real life, the characters are vastly different with many facets to their personalities. Such differences allow for very compelling interactions without making the show too dramatic and unrealistic, something that many other high school dramas fall victim too. Although the show only lasted for 18 episodes, this series did an amazing job of providing a compelling backstory for its characters. By doing this, even the meanest of characters became somewhat relatable. For example, Kim, played by Busy Phillipps, is shown as rude, obnoxious, and generally unlikable in the first few episodes. However, as the season progresses, we see that these actions are the result of her acting out because of her poor family life. Although Kim is mean to everyone, she really just wants a friend whom she can confide in.

In my opinion, "Freaks and Geeks" is by far the most realistic high school show ever written. Although there have been a ton of shows centered around high school, none of them have been able to replicate the quality that "Freaks and Geeks" achieved in its lone season. Most of the time, it seems like high school shows are too dramatic and the characters and largely one dimensional. As a result, it becomes hard to relate to them and they end up lacking the human element that makes "Freaks and Geeks" so special. Ultimately, the impact of "Freaks and Geeks"can be seen in the eventual career path of many of its actors. This series was a springboard for the careers of James Franco, Seth Rogan, and  Jason Segel, who are now three of the most prominent actors in Hollywood. Instead of dwelling on what could have been, it is best to appreciate the one superb season of "Freaks and Geeks" that was produced.

Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks is a show based in the early 1980's that deals with the typical teenager's problems. This show has a knock out cast featuring young James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, Busy Phillips, etc. The show is divided into the under class men and the upper class men and their collective and individual struggles but in school and home life.
Freaks and Geeks was Judd Apatow's first major hit show. Along with being Apatow's first success it was also James Franco, Seth Rogan, and Jason Segel's as well. This show is a cult classic, though it only survived one season. What makes this show such a knock out is it's plethora of timeless themes, stands on it's own as a period piece, and possesses unique and organic characters. Also, the writers did an excellent job of capturing those awkward young adolescent encounters that bring you back to your time as an awkward teenager.

The Beauty of Soap Operas

In an industry where Showtime and HBO television series get all of the spotlight (with good reason), sometimes we forget how to appreciate all of the “bad” television there is out there. More specifically, I am talking about soap operas. Yes, you read correctly.

Now, I am not an avid soap opera watcher, in fact, I think I may have seen only one episode of General Hospital and that was because James Franco was on it—but I must admit that over the summer, I became obsessed with a Spanish soap, una novella called “La Casa de al Lado.”

This is not an entry about the differences between Spanish and English soap operas, but rather about soap operas themselves. With so much fantastic television out there, soap operas get the short end of the stick and don’t get as much recognition—particularly by us students who are preparing to enter this industry or some variation of it. I believe it’s important to take a close look at soap operas and see why sometimes they’re so good, and sometimes why they’re just so darn awful.

Here is what stands out to me:

1. One of the best things about soap operas, in fact the most admirable—is the short amount of time that it takes to put on the production of one episode. Usually, it’s one day per one episode. Now that is just crazy! When you think about it in context, it is quite impressive. After all, how long does it take us to shoot a scene that is merely five minutes?

This creates an atmosphere of constant pressure because of the lack of time. This is the reason that a lot of soap operas aren't that visually exciting or impressive. A lot of their scenes are shot once, using three cameras so the lighting has to be able to work for all three angles simultaneously. Also as a result of the quick production time, the settings aren't always as believable as they could be if it were a production on a larger budget. Take a look below at the hospital scene and awful car crash in La Casa de al Lado.

2. The actors on soaps of course may not be the most groundbreaking actors to ever have been on television, but, they are very good at what they do. Since soaps have such a short production time, the actors are usually in the position of having to memorize their lines in an incredibly short amount of time-sometimes a day before the actual episode or scene is shot. This presents a huge challenge to the actors and it is highly respectable that they take their craft so seriously. After all, how many times do we hear of “serious” actors in Hollywood showing up to sets and not having their lines memorized?

Also, soaps feature up and coming actors quite frequently, usually giving a completely new actor their first role. Many times, great actors have had their start acting in a soap opera. Some examples include: Demi Moore who worked on General Hospital, Meg Ryan (As the World Turns), Christopher Reeve (Love of Life) and Susan Sarandon (A World Apart) – all of these actors have had successful careers after their initial soap-spot. They are just a few of many.

3. The best aspect of soap operas in my opinion is the writing (yes, I really did just write that.) Now, let me explain myself. When I say writing, I am well aware that there is far better writing on television than what ends up on One Life to Live, but that’s not my point. Soap opera have absolutely no limitations. None whatsoever. There is nothing impossible within the realms of a soap opera. Characters can die and come back from the dead because in fact, they were never really dead at all. Characters have shady pasts and can end up being evil even when they’ve been pretending to be good. It must be pretty fun to work in a writers room for a soap opera. Anything you suggest or think of can actually happen.

Granted, not much of it might logically make sense but that’s why it’s fun—it’s creative.

Like I mentioned before, I do not watch soap operas, however, I think it’s important to take a look at the shows that we truly admire and the kind of series that we don’t because we can learn a lot from both. Soap operas are extremely popular all over the world, with even their own award shows (Daytime Emmys). They last for years, even decades so even if it’s not something that you ever want to get into, it’s still interesting to know their production process.