Making A Movie in 3 Days: PARADOX by Daryl Hannah w/ Neil Young + Promise Of The Real
From When Daryl Hannah, Neil Young and the son of Willie Nelson made a Netflix movie in three days | Washington Post by Monica Castillo:
Hannah, who also wrote the film, created a loose musical journey that follows a pack of musicians — including Young — in steampunk and western attire, traipsing through gorgeous strips of the American West in a post-apocalyptic future. The troubadours are played by the band, while Young plays the ominous “man in the black hat.” Willie Nelson shows up later in the film for a delightful cameo at his ranch, known as “Luck, Texas.”Full interview at When Daryl Hannah, Neil Young and the son of Willie Nelson made a Netflix movie in three days | Washington Post by Monica Castillo.
“When they’re walking into the tent, that’s the first time they’ve ever played that song with Neil,” Hannah said. She’s proud when she says it, knowing well that she caught something special on camera. “That was the only obligation they had, that they had to play an hour for two days.” Since the band needed to rehearse for their upcoming show, Hannah worked that into the story line of her movie.
In spirit, “Paradox” is not unlike Joss Whedon’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” for which he gathered his friends in a house in Santa Monica, Calif., and quickly made a movie. Hannah’s film, however, was not full of professional actors. Just a band and their friends. “I had to be hands-on, because there wasn’t anybody else,” Hannah said. “It was also improvisational, because we made stuff up as we went along.”
Hannah had to be resourceful. She reused her main cast again as extras, pointing to Nelson and Dascalu as examples. “When we shot the scene in Luck with Willie, these guys were the townsfolks. And then, Micah also painted the seedbank set. Everybody has to do everything.” Hannah ordered everyone to “keep hold of your props, keep track of your costume, drag your own furniture.”
The hands-on coaching proved useful. “I don’t act,” Dascalu said. “This isn’t a thing I do, but it was so easy with Daryl. I knew exactly what she wanted and not wanted me to do.”
Micah Nelson enjoyed a similar experience. “We didn’t think too much about things,” he remembered. “That was Daryl’s job. The rest of us were just kind of playing cartoon versions of ourselves.”
“It’s pretty mind-boggling to watch that movie,” he said. “It’s just Daryl with her camera yelling, ‘Okay, let’s all go over here! Okay, no, turn that around!’ ”
“That was the hardest thing, watching the dailies,” Hannah said. “I’m yelling all the time. I hated that!”
Micah assured her, “That’s not an easy thing to do, to have anything other than creativity, a camera and a bunch of weirdos.”
In the same way that activism brought Hannah and Young together, the band met Young while performing at Farm Aid and other environmental protests. It was only natural that the group’s shared passions for causes made it into the movie.
“She kind of makes films like Neil makes records,” Nelson said. “We just go into the studio, and we’ll learn the song as it’s being recorded. He loves the life in it.”
Daryl Hannah, Neil Young et al after “Paradox” screening at @musicboxtheatre pic.twitter.com/M2iCJ9ZCM7
— Robert Loerzel (@robertloerzel) March 25, 2018
Also, see:
- REVIEW: 'Paradox' Premiere @ SXSW - Film Directed by Daryl Hannah w/ Neil Young + Promise Of The Real
- Netflix.com will stream the film globally on 23 March, the same day as the release of the movie's soundtrack
- SXSW conversation with Neil Young about ‘Paradox,’ his archives and more | American-Statesman/Austin360
- Trailer for the film "PARADOX" directed by Daryl Hannah with Neil Young + Promise Of The Real & Willie Nelson
- Cover & Track Listing: PARADOX Soundtrack Album - Neil Young + Promise Of The Real, April 20 Release
- Dream weekend when Rusties took over a small town ski resort for Neil Young + Promise Of The Real concerts in Telluride, Colorado in 2016.
Labels: daryl hannah, film, neil young, promise of the real, willie nelson
9 Comments:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQMJb3kp0Bw
me talking to THE Neil Young at the "Paradox" screening in Chicago last night. I asked him about working with director Jonathan Demme on HEART OF GOLD, TRUNK SHOW and JOURNEYS!
Did you ask the question about CSNY ?
No, that was not me.
An odd soundtrack - bits and pieces no real theme, may make sense with the film I guess. Neil take that hat off - you look ridiculous. Ms Hannah takes control of the interview and perhaps much more?
Nice job, Adam. Thanks for posting!
I posted this earlier but this seems like it fits this post.....
My wife and I watched Paradox last night for the first time and I found the visuals to be rather stunning, but the story seemed quite disjointed. This film may need repeated viewings to follow the storyline as it jumps around a bit, yet the intention is clearly about Neil and Daryl's battle to expose the corporate manipulation of our food sources, along with the our worlds fascination and dependence on technology.
The music is spectacular as one would expect from Neil & the Real, especially in regards to Lukas Nelsons vocal tracks. During the campfire scene I noticed that some of the flames were shaped like little angels which I would imagine were done with CGI, but done with restraint.
I think it's interesting that the soundtrack is being released on vinyl a month ahead of the CD. I'm looking forward to hearing it as it was the most memorable aspect of this film. Most of us who have followed Neil's career know that when it comes to movie making, Neil has a style all his own, and this film is no exception. I look forward to watching it again to catch some of it's subtleties that I clearly missed the first go around.
Peace
.......no script......well that explains everything.
No script Incomprehensible to me film with interesting music As a film maker / participant Neil is a great guitarist with a strange sense of humor
I enjoy watching the film. Very interesting. The music is very good. However I do hope and believe that one day Neil will step out of the black and into the blue.
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