In “Blue Collar Bastards,” three men--Mike, Oliver, and Tony--are co-workers who share in the tedium and the good times associate with working a dead end job in a small town. “Blue Collar Bastards” is presented in five episodic installments. Each episode has some thread from the previous episode, but each is able to stand alone and chronicles little snippets of a life that we all, at one time or another, have experienced.
Writing is the place where every good film must start. The writing in “Blue Collar Bastards,” while at times feeling slightly forced, largely feels honest and real to life. It is sometimes difficult to capture in a script the feel of a real life experience, but it is done well here. The camaraderie amongst the co-workers, the frustration and regret of having to “do what you HAVE to do” instead of following your real dreams, and the humor that can be found in everyday life (even in the middle of difficult circumstances) are all captured very well in these episodes.
With that said, some of the dialogue did seem a little bit scripted which has a tendency to distract from the heart of what’s trying to be communicated. This didn’t take me out of the story and it is an easily remedied issue in the future. After you’ve got the dialogue written, sit down at a table with a couple of actors (they don’t have to be your cast) and read through the script. This will give you a great idea of how it will play out in a real-life conversation. If there is anything that doesn’t feel/sound right you will know it right then and there and can fix it. Granted, sometimes a perfectly fine line can be stinted by the delivery of an actor, so be aware of that on set, too, so you can try to adapt on the fly, if need be.
This read through is something that I try to do on every film because I know that what I wrote sounded great in my head at the time I wrote it, but…I’m the only one in my head and the important thing is how it reads to someone else. It takes a little extra time to organize a sit down/read through, but your story is worth the extra time. Remember, this is the foundation of everything else you will do. People will forgive lighting, editing, and even sometimes bad acting if you have a great, compelling story.
Acting is living truthfully through imaginary circumstances. That’s a definition I was given in an acting class once and I love it. The best compliment actors can receive (in my opinion) is to be running through a scene and have someone, especially the director, interrupt them and have to say, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were rehearsing.” When the director believes that you are behaving naturally you have achieved a wonderful thing as an actor. Good acting is born out of your real experiences and must come from a real place inside of you.
In film, more so than in theatre, it is easy to tell when someone is “acting.” Typically it comes off as over the top and super theatrical and doesn’t feel “real.” All that to say, that while I saw that happen a couple times in “Bastards,” I also saw some real shining moments where I totally bought into, believed, and sympathized with the characters. Nice work in those instances. It’s hard to find actors to bring that to the table at all on a small budget. So, the fact that they are finding it from time to time is a good sign. Encourage it, look for it, expect it, and your performances will become outstanding.
There is a scene where Tony is on the phone with his estranged wife. The dialogue and performance was so heartfelt that it seemed to be coming from a real place within the actor and wasn’t “conjured” up. Good work! This is what you want consistently from your cast in whatever scene they're in, regardless of mood. Push them to dig into themselves to really bring that performance to life.
