Sunday 14 October 2012

Boink! -for "Bobo the Clown"

"Dan Savage has a Humor Category for the HUMP Film Festival!"

That's all that needed to be said.
My creative juices were flowing.
What's funnier than clowns? And girls in knee socks and tutus are damn incredible!!!!
I wanted to do a sexy/funny montage with sound FX originally. Almost vaudeville like.
...Then the more I talked about it with real film makers the more I learned how fascinating story telling through film was. I fell in love with a story, that two clowns could tell for me.
At first I just wanted to have fun and make a funny/sexy flick... Then My mind swirled around in circles. I was dazzled and inspired by the art of story telling through film. (Thank You)

This is the story that two clowns allowed me to tell:
Once upon a time I swore off men. They dated me expecting the girl I was on stage. When they saw my true self, they weren't shy about letting me know how disappointed they were.
So logically I swore off men.
Loneliness drew me to the comfort of a co worker who understood the stereotype. She lived it too. (we weren't clowns at the circus. We were strippers in a strip club) One thing led to another and suddenly, somehow, I was dating a GIRL! Not just onstage. But in my real life. No make up, no audience.
I found love without guile or expectation. It was incredible. And for the first time I didn't feel judged by the character I played on stage.
(funny note: when she and I would kiss my big lips would smear lipstick all over. When we would stop kissing and she'd point at her face and say "did you turn me into Bobo the Clown?")

http://youtu.be/xLYaXCVCXH4

I tried to tackle this film from 3 different perspectives. 

1)Humor and Entertainment
Let's face it people falling down is funny. I wanted to limit dialogue and focus on visual/prop/typical tried and true clown gags and sound FX. Keeping it universally funny was important.
While talking about my stand up comedy, http://www.youtube.com/btjofficial said,
"I don't know if I should get off or laugh"
Ever since then, that statement has been the foundation of my comedy shows... so while you're laughing there's two hot chicks to keep you basically entertained for 5 mins.
So for those of you who don't want to think about any possible message or meaning, and you just want something to watch mindlessly...  You're Welcome ;P

2)Closet gays. Escaping reality to explore sexuality. Hiding behind a mask becoming someone else to allow yourself to explore happiness.. and at the end of the film allowing it into your reality aka coming out of the closet.   

3)Judging a book by it's cover:
a)This girl is forever single because she is judged based on job. Publicly she is an entertainer, the world only knows the character she is on stage. No one knows her without the costume and make up. Only a co-worker understands. The happy ending allows them both to dismiss the characters they play on stage and genuinely find happiness with each other in their real world, sans make up, costumes etc.
b)Eliminating hetero relationships from dominating the definition love. Sexual identity isn't a factor. Love isn't about what's in a person's pants but what's in their heart. It's not the boinking that was important. In this film Love came not from sex, but from bringing happiness, acceptance and friendship from the characters they play on stage into reality.

I also used an old film cliche were the character escapes through doors to a fantasy.
The main character leaves her reality - to her fantasy that is played out on stage by clowns. THEN those clowns escape their reality by going through another door into their fantasy. (it's like waking up from a dream within a dream)
Reality is just behind the door. The door and what's on the other side is what pulls them apart. Until of course the happy ending!

HUGE Thank Yous to the many people who helped me create this. I couldn't have done it without you!!!! Mad Love Yo xxx

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