4PLAY: TAMPA ... a few stills PT01

Crazy, crazy, crazy! And yes, all the penises (in these pictures) are fake. Photography courtesy of Otis Ike! - Kyle

4PLAY: TAMPA in progress...

4PLAY: TAMPA - Multihyphenate Heyd ... pt2 of 2

Pictured above are stills from the in-progress set for 4PLAY: TAMPA, designed and constructed by Heyd Fontenot. Intrepid and versatile producer Jason Wehling, also multi-hyphenated, picture above working as a construction assistant! Below is the second installment of my interview w/ Heyd concerning sex and its filmic representation. In the first installment, I asked Heyd how he thought 4PLAY: TAMPA differs from both "mainstream" cinema and pornography's representation of the "act". For me, bathroom sex (aka known as "tea rooms" in the queer community) has been going on since the dawn of time, especially in repressive communities where queers have to find furtive, anonymous places to act out their desire. I wonder if the repression were eliminated, if queers were integrated fully into the body politic, would tea rooms still exist? - Kyle

4) You've worked for many years now on films in various art department positions, what advice would you give to anyone interested in a career doing that kind of work? Any tips on how to creatively around budgetary limitations on low budget films?

Filmmaking exists on so many different scales. Everyone has budgetary limits, even James Cameron. Of course, having the proper funding makes things so much easier to produce. But if you have a challenging budget, you really have to communicate with your production team. You have to answer as honestly as you can, what can you achieve within your given budget? And eventually, it does have to add up. You have to deliver. Suggest alternative ways of doing something, if you don't have the budget to spend freely. I think these negotiations can save you a lot of heartache and wasted resources. It's difficult sometimes, because you're put in a position to either pull something out of your ass or to say "No, you can't have that." And if you're a designer, that's really a difficult thing to tell a director - and they generally don't want to hear it. You're supposed to perform miracles - that's your job. But I think a really important part of your job too, is to reflect the reality of accomplishing a request. Generally, you're in store for a lot of stress and hand-wringing and trying to figure it out.Consider your assets. If they are insufficient, ask yourself "What can I trade, what can I borrow, what can I get for free?" The idea of creativity and what it means to "be creative" is sometimes confused with drawing skills or singing ability. Creativity is problem-solving and navigating around obstacles.

5) Any question you'd like to answer that I haven't asked?

I wear a size 11, and I need arch-support.

4PLAY: TAMPA - Multihyphenate Heyd ... pt1 of 2

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4PLAY: TAMPA Kickstarted!!!!

Pre-production is underway on 4PLAY: TAMPA, thanks to generous donations to our Kickstarter drive. I can't recommend Kickstarter enough, especially if you have only a relatively low amount of money (under $5K) you need for a specific project and broad enough base of supporters to aggregate with the drive. Also, if you're working with a community of artists, as we are on 4PLAY, having the whole community involved with the drive certainly helps too! Thanks to screenwriter Carlos Treviño, producer Jason Wehling, and cinematographer PJ Raval's extended family of friends, as well as generous donations on the part of artists Ivan Lozano and Heyd Fontenot, who also designed the 4PLAY: TAMPA set, we made our goal and are busily building the set as I type this entry! - Kyle

PS - And thank you Rebecca Havemeyer, wherever you are!