The Watermelon
Encyclopedia
The Watermelon is an independent feature film
penned by Michael Hemmingson
and directed by Brad Mays. It is produced by Lorenda Starfelt
at LightSong Films in North Hollywood.The Watermelon is Michael Hemmingson
's first produced full-length screenplay, and director Brad Mays' fourth feature film.
and Kiersten Morgan. Mike Ivy, who plays Homer, is a regular on The Sarah Silverman Show. Bob Golub
, who plays Creon, has been seen in Goodfellas
and Art School Confidential.
and I, Robot
. "Hemmingson is one of the best screenwriters out there," Romano has stated, "only no one in this goddamn town knows it." Interestingly, an intimate beach scene was fashioned by director Mays into an homage to the famous "bullocks scene" from Ken Russell
's 1969 film Women In Love
, with Kiersten Morgan dancing and singing I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
, parodying actress Glenda Jackson
's dancing to the same tune sung by co-star Jennie Linden
.
Other scenes were shot in Pasadena
, Beverly Hills
, and North Hollywood
, although the film is supposed to take place in an unnamed beach community in southern California, a cross between Encinitas
and Ocean Beach
in San Diego.
Director Brad Mays gave as much time to rehearsing the actors as the production budget would bear, and encouraged the actors towards inventiveness in exploring their roles. The actors were also directed to memorize their lines "down to the semi-colon". The film itself was shot in the summer of 2007, over a roughly three week period. By most accounts, the set was very pleasant for both cast and crew. Post production on The Watermelon took the better part of a year. A great deal of attention was given to the soundtrack. The original live vocal performances were very carefully worked, in order to avoid overdubbing, which would have destroyed the immediacy of the actors' performances. Peter Girard was engaged to write the original score at a point about six months into post production, and the final musical cue was laid in roughly ten days before the San Diego Film Festival, where the film premiered.
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
penned by Michael Hemmingson
Michael Hemmingson
Michael Hemmingson is a novelist, short story writer, literary critic, cultural anthropologist, qualitative researcher, playwright, and screenwriter.-Publishing History:...
and directed by Brad Mays. It is produced by Lorenda Starfelt
Lorenda Starfelt
Lorenda Starfelt was an award-winning independent film producer, as well as a committed political activist and blogger who famously dug up president Barack Obama's in an August 1961 edition of The Honolulu Advertiser while researching her documentary on the 2008 presidential election...
at LightSong Films in North Hollywood.The Watermelon is Michael Hemmingson
Michael Hemmingson
Michael Hemmingson is a novelist, short story writer, literary critic, cultural anthropologist, qualitative researcher, playwright, and screenwriter.-Publishing History:...
's first produced full-length screenplay, and director Brad Mays' fourth feature film.
Description
The Watermelon has been called "a story without seeds" and "a film about how really weird stuff can happen." It is a metaphysical comedy about a fellow who receives a mysterious inheritance from his long lost alcoholic stepfather: a ratty old trailer painted like a watermelon. This draws in a number of odd characters who bug him, including a romantic interest, a woman on the run from her psycho drug-addict criminal husband. The quirky love story stars Will BeinbrinkWill Beinbrink
William Bates Beinbrink [aka W. Bates Beinbrink and Bill Bates] is an American actor who starred as Achilles Pumpkinseed in the romantic comedy The Watermelon, directed by Brad Mays and written by Michael Hemmingson. He has also appeared in supporting roles in Cellular as an L.A...
and Kiersten Morgan. Mike Ivy, who plays Homer, is a regular on The Sarah Silverman Show. Bob Golub
Bob Golub
Bob Golub is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and filmmaker of Polish descent, whose work is largely inspired from his true-life childhood experiences of growing up in a dysfunctional home located in the steel-mill town of Farrell, Pennsylvania.-Career:Bob Golub began his career as a...
, who plays Creon, has been seen in Goodfellas
Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
and Art School Confidential.
Background
Beach scenes were shot in Malibu, on the property of Tony Romano, executive producer of Catch Me If You CanCatch Me If You Can
Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 American biographical comedy-drama film based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor...
and I, Robot
I, Robot
I, Robot is a collection of nine science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines Super Science Stories and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950. The stories are...
. "Hemmingson is one of the best screenwriters out there," Romano has stated, "only no one in this goddamn town knows it." Interestingly, an intimate beach scene was fashioned by director Mays into an homage to the famous "bullocks scene" from Ken Russell
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
's 1969 film Women In Love
Women in Love
Women in Love is a novel by British author D. H. Lawrence published in 1920. It is a sequel to his earlier novel The Rainbow , and follows the continuing loves and lives of the Brangwen sisters, Gudrun and Ursula. Gudrun Brangwen, an artist, pursues a destructive relationship with Gerald Crich, an...
, with Kiersten Morgan dancing and singing I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
"I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" is a popular song which debuted in 1918 and was first published in 1919.-Creation:The music was written by John Kellette. The lyrics are credited to "Jaan Kenbrovin", actually a collective pseudonym for the writers James Kendis, James Brockman and Nat Vincent...
, parodying actress Glenda Jackson
Glenda Jackson
Glenda May Jackson, CBE is a British Labour Party politician and former actress. She has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, and currently represents Hampstead and Kilburn. She previously served as MP for Hampstead and Highgate...
's dancing to the same tune sung by co-star Jennie Linden
Jennie Linden
Jennie Linden is an English film and television actress.Linden was born in Worthing to Marcus and Freida Fletcher, an architect and housewife. She attended the Central School of Speech and Drama at the age of 17 on a scholarship...
.
Other scenes were shot in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
, and North Hollywood
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, along the Tujunga Wash. It is bounded on the south by Moorpark Street and the Ventura Freeway, on the southwest by Burbank Blvd...
, although the film is supposed to take place in an unnamed beach community in southern California, a cross between Encinitas
Encinitas, California
Encinitas is a coastal beach city in San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego in North County and about south of Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 59,518, up from 58,014 at the 2000 census. Encinitas is...
and Ocean Beach
Ocean Beach, San Diego, California
Ocean Beach is a beachfront neighborhood of San Diego, California.-Geography:Ocean Beach is located in San Diego on the Southern California coast. It lies on the Pacific Ocean at the estuary of the San Diego River, at the western terminus of Interstate 8. It is approximately from Downtown San...
in San Diego.
Director Brad Mays gave as much time to rehearsing the actors as the production budget would bear, and encouraged the actors towards inventiveness in exploring their roles. The actors were also directed to memorize their lines "down to the semi-colon". The film itself was shot in the summer of 2007, over a roughly three week period. By most accounts, the set was very pleasant for both cast and crew. Post production on The Watermelon took the better part of a year. A great deal of attention was given to the soundtrack. The original live vocal performances were very carefully worked, in order to avoid overdubbing, which would have destroyed the immediacy of the actors' performances. Peter Girard was engaged to write the original score at a point about six months into post production, and the final musical cue was laid in roughly ten days before the San Diego Film Festival, where the film premiered.
Release, distribution, award
The Watermelon received its World Premiere at the 2008 San Diego Film Festival. It was subsequently acquired by Celebrity Video Distribution and released to the public on July 7, 2009. In January of 2011 The Watermelon was the recipient of the California Film Awards' prestigious "Diamond Award" for feature film.External links
- Turner Classic Movies catalog listing.