We’re all stunned by the passing of Hollywood good-guy Bill
Paxton at the early age of 61. I remember him particularly from Apollo 13, where he played astronaut
Fred Haise, and of course from TV’s Big
Love. But his obits remind us that he started out in the business working
for (who else?) Roger Corman. Like so many in Hollywood, Paxton was an alumnus
of the unofficial Roger Corman School of Low-Budget Filmmaking.
Paxton’s first film assignment, back in 1974, was in the art
department for Corman’s Big Bad Mama,
a Depression Era romp starring Angie Dickinson at her sexiest and most deadly.
Frankly, I don’t remember him. As the production secretary on that film, I was
responsible for cast and crew getting paid. But most of my efforts were
directed at the department heads, like art director Peter Jamison. I wouldn’t
have had much to do with a lowly set dresser, which was Paxton’s credit on this
film.
Those outside the film industry may not be quite aware of how
many people it takes to make a movie. They see (if they bother to stick around)
the long strings of names listed in a film’s end-credits, but they don’t
understand the implications of the jobs we call “below the line.” A film crew
is in fact something like an army going into battle. There are numerous
departments, hierarchically arranged (e.g. the cinematographer holds sway over
the camera and lighting crews), and department heads are largely responsible
for hiring and overseeing those who work in subordinate positions. Even in the
famously down-and-dirty Corman world, a certain discipline is imposed by this
arrangement. If Paxton had not moved into acting with a tiny role in Corman’s
1975 Crazy Mama (a Cloris Leachman
flick not to be confused with Big Bad
Mama), he might have climbed up the chain of command into crew positions of
greater responsibility. As it was, he continued to accrue art department
credits until 1987, though a relationship with fellow Corman alum James Cameron
moved him into big-time acting roles by way of 1984’s The
Terminator and 1986’s Aliens (“Game
over, man!”).
Working production on
Big Bad Mama, I discovered the life
of a crew member. I’ll never forget an eager-beaver PA (production assistant)
who was clearly raring to make his mark in the movie game. No youngster, he was
rapidly going grey, and had a wife and kids whom he’d moved to L.A. in pursuit
of his filmmaking dream. I wondered at his choice of vocation. If, in his
forties, he was willing to take the lowliest of positions on a non-union Roger
Corman crew, I didn’t see how his family would survive. Fortunately, I think he
wised up. The IMDB lists his credits only on two Corman films. I’m hoping he went back where he came
from and fulfilled his career goals some other way.
Also on Big Bad Mama
I met Teri Schwartz, a young woman both efficient and good-humored. As the
film’s second assistant director, she was a steady, calming presence. For those
who don’t know, an assistant director is never going to make it into the directorial
ranks. Rather, the job is largely administrative, involving taking care of
actors’ paperwork. The A.D. also ushers actors and extras to the set at the
right moment and makes sure to avoid snafus. Teri was so good at this that she
became a producer on hit films like Sister
Act. And now she’s the much-respected dean of the UCLA School of Theater,
Film and Television. Some below-the-line folks make it to the top with a
vengeance.
No comments:
Post a Comment