T Takes
Encyclopedia
T Takes is a 2008
Internet
-exclusive 12-part series of two- to three-minutes episodic film series, each episode starring a different actor improvising for the camera. Shot during the 2008 Sundance International Film Festival
by the emerging New York
writer and director Brody Baker and produced by KnowMore Productions exclusively for The New York Times T Style Magazine web site, these 12 short films were conceived to be viewed sequentially and feature performances by Hollywood’s bright young things, including Josh Hartnett
, Josh Lucas
, Michael Pitt
and Lukas Haas
.
T Takes is followed by T Takes: Brooklyn ‘09.
two days before the 2008 Sundance International Film Festival
started on behalf of The New York Times T Style Magazine with the goal of enlisting mainstream and indie film actors to take a break from the screenings and the slopes in Park City
, Utah, to improvise a series of linked, episodic short films. They scouted the Viking Lodge their first day in Utah. A few nights before and during the shoot, Baker stayed there to write. The motel was always very, very quiet, eerily quiet. The placidity of the silence of the Utah mountains gave the New Yorker Baker anxiety. While he was at the motel, he always felt like he was waiting for something he could not define. The anticipation Baker felt influenced the narration and tone of the shorts. Baker was also influenced by Robert Plutchik
’s study of the "eight primary emotions" - sadness, anger, fear, disgust, curiosity, joy, surprise and acceptance - and used this study for reference. The lensing of T Takes lasted about six or seven shooting days. At the most four shorts were shot in a day, sometimes one a day. Baker and his crew generally had an hour at most with each actor. The actors were never on set at the same time. Baker wrote script outlines for each short prior to shooting. He wanted the process to be an equal collaboration between the actor and him. "When each actor arrived to the set, we would talk about my ideas and go from there, back and forth until we started shooting. As they improvised they might change something from what we originally spoke about and then lead the story in a different direction. It was basically like a relay race. I give them the baton, tell them where to run, then they’d hand it back and tell me where to run."
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
-exclusive 12-part series of two- to three-minutes episodic film series, each episode starring a different actor improvising for the camera. Shot during the 2008 Sundance International Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
by the emerging New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
writer and director Brody Baker and produced by KnowMore Productions exclusively for The New York Times T Style Magazine web site, these 12 short films were conceived to be viewed sequentially and feature performances by Hollywood’s bright young things, including Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
, Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
, Michael Pitt
Michael Pitt
Michael Carmen Pitt is an American actor and musician. Pitt is best known in film for his role in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers, and in television for his portrayal of James "Jimmy" Darmody in the hit HBO series Boardwalk Empire.-Personal life:Pitt was born in West Orange, New Jersey, the...
and Lukas Haas
Lukas Haas
Lukas Daniel Haas is an American actor, known for roles both as a child and as an adult. His career has spanned more than 25 years during which time he has appeared in more than 36 feature films, as well as a number of television shows and theater productions.-Early life and career:Haas was born...
.
T Takes is followed by T Takes: Brooklyn ‘09.
Production
T Takes director Brody Baker's inspiration for this series of short films came from his personal experience at the motel where the series was shot, the Viking Lodge in Heber City. Baker and his crew traveled to UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
two days before the 2008 Sundance International Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
started on behalf of The New York Times T Style Magazine with the goal of enlisting mainstream and indie film actors to take a break from the screenings and the slopes in Park City
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
, Utah, to improvise a series of linked, episodic short films. They scouted the Viking Lodge their first day in Utah. A few nights before and during the shoot, Baker stayed there to write. The motel was always very, very quiet, eerily quiet. The placidity of the silence of the Utah mountains gave the New Yorker Baker anxiety. While he was at the motel, he always felt like he was waiting for something he could not define. The anticipation Baker felt influenced the narration and tone of the shorts. Baker was also influenced by Robert Plutchik
Robert Plutchik
Robert Plutchik was professor emeritus at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and adjunct professor at the University of South Florida. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and he was also a psychologist. He has authored or coauthored more than 260 articles, 45 chapters and eight...
’s study of the "eight primary emotions" - sadness, anger, fear, disgust, curiosity, joy, surprise and acceptance - and used this study for reference. The lensing of T Takes lasted about six or seven shooting days. At the most four shorts were shot in a day, sometimes one a day. Baker and his crew generally had an hour at most with each actor. The actors were never on set at the same time. Baker wrote script outlines for each short prior to shooting. He wanted the process to be an equal collaboration between the actor and him. "When each actor arrived to the set, we would talk about my ideas and go from there, back and forth until we started shooting. As they improvised they might change something from what we originally spoke about and then lead the story in a different direction. It was basically like a relay race. I give them the baton, tell them where to run, then they’d hand it back and tell me where to run."
Series
- Episode 1 - T Takes: Lobby
- starring: Josh HartnettJosh HartnettJoshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
as Josh, the unexpected guest - release date: March 17, 2008
- running time: 3 min. 23 sec.
- starring: Josh Hartnett
- Episode 2 - T Takes: Room 111
- starring: Morena BaccarinMorena BaccarinMorena Baccarin is a Brazilian-born American actress most widely known for roles in several American science fiction television shows: as Inara Serra in the series Firefly; as Adria in the series Stargate SG-1; and as Anna in the 2009 version of the series V...
as the guest in room 111 - release date: March 18, 2008
- running time: 4 min. 04 sec.
- starring: Morena Baccarin
- Episode 3 - T Takes: Room 128
- starring: Andre RoyoAndre RoyoAndre Royo is an American actor. He is best known for his role as "Bubbles" in The Wire , and has had guest starring appearances in Fringe, Party Down, and How To Make It In America.-Career:...
as the guest in room 128 - release date: March 19, 2008
- running time: 3 min. 02 sec.
- starring: Andre Royo
- Episode 4 - T Takes: Room 225
- starring: Brady CorbetBrady CorbetBrady James Monson Corbet is an American actor. Corbet is known for playing Mason Freeland in the film Thirteen, Brian Lackey in the film Mysterious Skin, Alan Tracy in the 2004 film Thunderbirds, and Peter in the 2008 film Funny Games...
as the son of the guest in room 225 - release date: March 20, 2008
- running time: 3 min. 14 sec.
- starring: Brady Corbet
- Episode 5 - T Takes: Room 102
- starring: Michael Stahl-DavidMichael Stahl-DavidMichael Stahl-David is an American actor, perhaps best known for his television role as Sean Donnelly on The Black Donnellys and his lead role in the J. J. Abrams-produced film Cloverfield.-Early life:...
as the guest in room 102 - release date: March 21, 2008
- running time: 2 min.26 sec.
- starring: Michael Stahl-David
- Episode 6 - T Takes: Room 117
- starring: Saffron BurrowsSaffron BurrowsSaffron Dominique Burrows is an English actress and former fashion model, who starred as Det. Serena Stevens on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Lorraine Weller on Boston Legal.-Early life:...
as the guest in room 117 - release date: March 24, 2008
- running time: 3 min. 19 sec.
- starring: Saffron Burrows
- Episode 7 - T Takes: Room 108
- starring: Lukas HaasLukas HaasLukas Daniel Haas is an American actor, known for roles both as a child and as an adult. His career has spanned more than 25 years during which time he has appeared in more than 36 feature films, as well as a number of television shows and theater productions.-Early life and career:Haas was born...
as the guest in room 108 - release date: March 25, 2008
- running time: 4 min. 02 sec.
- starring: Lukas Haas
- Episode 8 - T Takes: Room 207
- starring: Mark WebberMark Webber (actor)Mark Allen Webber is an American actor, screenwriter and director known for his roles in the films Snow Day and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.-Personal life:...
as the guest in room 207 - release date: March 26, 2008
- running time: 4 min. 59 sec.
- starring: Mark Webber
- Episode 9 - T Takes: Room 23
- starring: Jason RitterJason RitterJason Morgan Ritter is an American actor, son of the late actor John Ritter and actress Nancy Morgan. Ritter is probably best known for his role as Kevin Girardi in the television series Joan of Arcadia and as Sean Walker in the NBC series The Event.-Early life:Ritter was born in Los Angeles,...
as the guest in room 23 - release date: March 27, 2008
- running time: 2 min. 17 sec.
- starring: Jason Ritter
- Episode 10 - T Takes: Room 115
- starring: Josh LucasJosh LucasJosh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
as the guest in room 115 - release date: March 28, 2008
- running time: 3 min. 40 sec.
- starring: Josh Lucas
- Episode 11 - T Takes: Room 113
- starring: Michael PittMichael PittMichael Carmen Pitt is an American actor and musician. Pitt is best known in film for his role in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers, and in television for his portrayal of James "Jimmy" Darmody in the hit HBO series Boardwalk Empire.-Personal life:Pitt was born in West Orange, New Jersey, the...
as the guest in room 113 - release date: March 31, 2008
- running time: 2 min. 28 sec.
- starring: Michael Pitt
- Episode 12 - T Takes: Room 107
- starring: Athena Currey as the guest in room 107
- release date: April 1, 2008
- running time: 2 min. 32 sec.