Movies - The Astronaut Farmer
The Production
The Line Between “Dreamer” and “Crazy”
“Charles Farmer is a little bit eccentric, but that’s because he’s doing what he wants to do,” says “The Astronaut Farmer” director and co-writer Michael Polish. “Any time you contrast that with people who seem to have a normal life, who are likely not doing what they want to do, you’re going to see someone who looks a little bit out on the edge.
“Everybody’s allowed to dream,” Polish continues. “Hopefully, the dream isn’t so big that the ride to achieve it will kill you. But anyone who is chasing something has to give something up. There’s always a sacrifice involved. I think what holds people back from fulfilling their dreams is that sacrifice.”
Charles Farmer has already sacrificed plenty and is willing to go the distance in pursuit of his dream of space flight, even after circumstances and expulsion from NASA seem to have closed that door to him forever. Billy Bob Thornton, who stars as Farmer, puts it pragmatically: “Once you get something stuck in your craw, you gotta do it. What else can you do? Do you sacrifice everything to achieve that dream or do you crawl in a hole and give up? One way or another, the people who try are the ones we care about.”
Award-winning independent filmmakers Mark and Michael Polish first earned critical attention in 1999 with their debut drama “Twin Falls Idaho,” which they wrote, directed and starred in. They followed with the 2001 feature “Jackpot,” which earned them an Independent Spirit Award, and “Northfork,” which premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. The Polish Brothers understand the power of conviction and the value of pursuing a goal, as well as the compromises and losses that are often required along the way.
“What’s most important is that Farmer does everything he can to succeed,” offers award-winning producer Paula Weinstein. “Then, even if he doesn’t, he can still live with himself. That’s something he feels is vitally important to show his children. It’s what America is founded on and it’s the message of this movie: if you do your best, if you dream high enough and let nothing stop you from climbing all the way to the top of your particular mountain, then, even if it doesn’t work out, you are still fulfilled as a human being for having done your absolute best.”
Personally inspired and fascinated by the 1960s space race that culminated in Neil Armstrong’s historic walk on the moon, the Polish Brothers gave their hero a similar passion. “Charles Farmer is a guy who watched the first man step foot on the moon and that was probably the single most dramatic moment of his childhood,” suggests Mark Polish, who co-wrote and was a producer on the film.
Adds Michael, “The story was sparked by our interest in space exploration, but beyond that, it’s about a need to dream of adventures, whether it’s Neil Armstrong or Lewis and Clark. I think that, as a society, we’ve stopped dreaming about exploration. With space being the contemporary frontier, we got to thinking how would a common person do this? What if you don’t have the means or you’re not in the military or the NASA program?”
Farmer starts out on a conventional path, paying his dues and rising from the Air Force ranks to NASA’s astronaut training program, but, unfortunately, life intervenes. When his father dies unexpectedly, Farmer makes the tough choice to return to the family farm to make the necessary arrangements and, ultimately, to pay off a mountain of debt, knowing that it means losing his position in the space program and his dream of piloting a rocket. “But, rather than give up what he was so close to achieving, he decides to take it into his own hands and build his own rocket,” says Mark.
Farmer’s quest not only costs him his savings and strains every professional relationship in his life, it regularly puts him at odds with his neighbors, local law enforcement, his children’s school and the community at large. He faces ridicule, bankruptcy, arrest and even some hilariously misguided attempts at psychoanalysis, and, eventually, the unwelcome attention of a cadre of humorless government officials, from the FBI and CIA to the FAA and even a former NASA colleague—all bent on convincing him that what he’s doing is impossible. Still, he perseveres.
“The Astronaut Farmer” isn’t necessarily about space travel, notes producer Len Amato. “As a story about overcoming obstacles, it can apply to any accomplishment where there’s always a certain amount of doubt and a chorus of naysayers—people who call you crazy because they don’t understand—and you have to push through with your own vision to make something where there was nothing before.
“It’s also about taking calculated risks and overcoming your fear,” Amato continues. “In this movie, that fear is represented in a very tangible way. You have a guy essentially sitting on top of a gigantic metal tube, filled with jet propulsion fuel, that’s either going to launch him into orbit or blow him to bits.”
The Family Factor
Beyond Charles Farmer’s desire to orbit the Earth, “The Astronaut Farmer” is about family, depicted here, as Paula Weinstein points out, “in a very real and loving and sometimes combative familial relationship.” The entire Farmer clan is involved in and supports Charles’ one-man rocket program and he, in turn, uses it to teach his three children valuable lessons they might not otherwise learn about determination, courage and integrity.
This, actually, becomes more important to Farmer than launching the rocket, observes Mark Polish, who says, “He’s setting an example for them. That’s something we don’t often see anymore; we look for role models outside the family rather than within it. Here, Charles’ son Shepard is just as involved in the project as he is. He’s inspired by his father and aspires to be like him. You see the same level of determination in both father and son.”
“Farmer is absolutely determined to give his children the guidance that he didn’t have,” says Weinstein. “His own father was defeated by the world and by the economics of farming, and left a legacy of bitterness and regret. By pursuing his dream to go into space, Farmer is hoping to show his children that you must dare to risk, dare to succeed.”
Michael and Mark Polish drew on personal experience for portions of the story. As much as family dynamics are a focus of “The Astronaut Farmer” onscreen, an integral sense of family is a significant part of the brothers’ creative process as well, providing support, inspiration and the humor that threads through their work in myriad ways.
“Charles Farmer is based on our own father. We grew up watching him do and build anything he wanted,” says Michael. Mark agrees, adding, “He never underestimated what we could do if we set our minds to it. When I started making movies he never said I couldn’t. He wasn’t in the movie business but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he never once said ‘Hey, you can’t do that,’ or ‘Don’t try that.’”
In writing the screenplay for “The Astronaut Farmer,” the brothers honored the encouragement their father provided them by giving Charles Farmer a similar relationship with his young son, Shepard, who, at 15, is ready to take on the staggering challenge of helping send his dad into space. Although it seems absurd to everyone, in particular the head of the FAA, that Farmer would trust his fate to a teenager, Farmer never expresses the slightest doubt in his son’s abilities—abilities he has been nurturing for years.
As Weinstein notes, “Shepard’s schooling is limited. The curriculum is bound by certain rules. It doesn’t allow for dreaming and it doesn’t allow for nurturing extraordinary talent. Meanwhile, at home, Shepard is learning how to build a rocket. He’s charting orbits, calculating trajectories, stretching his mind. By giving him so much responsibility, Farmer encourages him to rise to a higher level.”
In another example of art imitating life, Mark Polish cites a scene from the film in which Audie Farmer goes to the bank and is stunned to find that her husband has wiped them out financially to fund his rocket project. “Something similar happened to my wife,” he admits. “I had withdrawn all the money because we were using it on a film, and when she went to the bank there was no money in the account. Suddenly I got a phone call: ‘What’s going on?!’” He laughs, conceding that making an independent film can sometimes seem as farfetched as building a rocket in your barn. “It’s a tough situation to be in, but it happens. My wife was like Audie in the sense that she understood the insanity I was going through at the time and supported me because she would rather have me be that way than have me not doing what I love.”
Casting: Because Every Astronaut Needs a Good Ground Team
Whether or not Charles Farmer is able to launch himself into space with his homemade rocket, it was his drive to reach that goal that resonated with Billy Bob Thornton, cast as the amateur astronaut and quintessential adventurer. “It’s a dream he had since he was five years old, to go up into space,” states Thronton. “He wants to see what this place looks like from up there. That’s what he set out to do and he decides he’s going to do it…even though it’s not particularly legal and it gets him into trouble with a lot of people, especially the FBI.”
It wasn’t just the role and its message that appealed to Thornton, it was the tone and sensibility of the story itself, reminiscent of favorite films from the past. “It doesn’t matter when you were born, at some point in your life you’ve seen movies from the 1940s and 50s, you know the emotions they evoke, and I feel this movie delivers in much the same way. I think the movie business was created to move people, to take them out of the worlds they live in and put them into another world for awhile, and that’s what happens here. It’s a good old-fashioned movie, but in a modern setting.”
“Thornton brings undeniable charisma to the role,” Mark attests. “He’s truly one of the greats, a real star, but he also has that working-class quality of a guy you’d just naturally want to be around, like a buddy. He’s strong, subtle, endlessly impressive—it’s a rare blend.”
For the role of Farmer’s wife, Audie, the filmmakers cast Virginia Madsen. “People always say that behind every successful man is a strong woman,” says Michael. “It can be a cliché, but in this case it’s completely appropriate. Audie is supportive, but she’s also an individual who has not lost herself in this marriage. She can stand on her own and she has her own questions.”
Audie’s commitment to the project grows from her love for her husband. As long as it’s something he believes in and wants to do, she is right beside him. That rings true with Madsen, who drew inspiration for the role from her sister’s nearly 30-year marriage, acknowledging that, “Audie and Charles are real partners. They have weathered the storms together, and when you have a real partnership you can do just about anything and survive just about anything.”
But there comes a point when Audie has to wonder if he has gone too far. Says Madsen, “Maybe the difference between pursuing a dream and turning that dream into a dangerous obsession is when it starts to become destructive. This is Audie’s dilemma. She realizes they may lose their house to foreclosure and Charles is truly putting his family at risk, and she needs to take a stand.”
“Audie is the heart and soul of the movie, as both the loving and supportive wife and a fierce advocate for her family,” says Weinstein. “She’s not willing to have a marriage without criticism. She’s tough on Farmer. She may believe that this dream they share makes the family strong and unique, but her children should not suffer for it. When he takes them out of school she gives him hell.”
Meanwhile, Audie’s father, Hal, played by Bruce Dern, takes a positive approach to his son-in-law’s lofty ideas as long as Audie is happy. He sees how Farmer’s dream has united and inspired the entire family, which is more than he himself was able to do as a father, and in that way he admires him. As Dern sees it, “Hal is a booster; he’s with the program. He loves his daughter and his grandkids, he’s learning to love his son-in-law and genuinely wants him to succeed, though he might have his private doubts. It’s a fantasy, sure, but that doesn’t make it impossible. When you think of it, it’s not any crazier than some other things people do. People say goodbye to their families all over the world on the first week of May to go climb Everest. How crazy is that?”
Offering more than moral support is Charles Farmer’s lawyer, Kevin Munchak, who defends his longtime friend and client against an increasingly hostile and vocal group of government agencies that want to put him out of the rocket business.
Munchak is played by Tim Blake Nelson, who feels “The Astronaut Farmer” defines and celebrates individualism—not only in the character of Charles Farmer but in the supporting characters, including his own. “Munchak is a good lawyer, so the first thing you wonder is why is he here in this small town when he could easily be at a fancy law firm in New York City, making a lot more money? In talking with Mark and Michael, we decided that he did exactly that, then grew tired of it and came back to a place where he could live without cynicism. He is part of Farmer’s support system, but he also has his own dreams, which you imagine could be equally rich.”
Max Thieriot, a 2006 nominee for a Young Artist Award for his role in “The Pacifier,” is 15-year-old Shepard Farmer. Bright, analytical and mature beyond his years, Shepard (named in honor of Alan Shepard) idolizes his father and has developed, under his tutelage, not only an encyclopedic knowledge about the space program but an expertise in engineering and physics far beyond anything he could get at Merriweather Lewis High School. For years he has been helping Farmer prepare for this launch and he will be a vital participant when the big day comes.
“Shepard is truly inspired by what his father is doing. Max plays it as a very strong, serious kid who’s obviously proud of his father and who wants his father to be proud of him too,” says Len Amato. “Farmer has given him a lot of responsibility and expects a lot from him, and you can see how determined Shepard is to deliver that.”
Completing the Farmer family unit are Michael Polish’s seven-year-old daughter, Jasper, as the Farmer’s middle child, Stanley (named for Stanley Kubrick, another maverick and spiritual space traveler whom Charles Farmer would likely admire), and Mark Polish’s four-year-old daughter, Logan, making her film debut as the youngest Farmer child, Sunshine.
Jon Gries, a 2005 Independent Spirit Award nominee for “Napoleon Dynamite” who has appeared in all three of the Polish Brothers previous films, rejoins them here as the overly zealous and suspicious FBI Agent Killbourne, assigned to monitor Farmer once his rocket project is made public. It’s clearly not a plum assignment for the ambitious agent. “He doesn’t want to be there,” Gries admits. “He doesn’t think Farmer is going to get off the ground. He thinks it’s all a ruse and a waste of his valuable time—just another long, drawn-out assignment in the middle of nowhere.”
Killbourne and his partner, FBI Agent Mathis, played by Mark Polish, provide comic interplay as they attempt to determine whether Charles Farmer is really an astronaut, a terrorist, a media hound…or just some kind of nut.
On Location in New Mexico: Building a Mercury Rocket to Near-Scale, and the Barn to Hold It
Principal photography began in September 2005, with locations just outside Santa Fe representing the Farmer home and prospective launchpad, and Las Vegas, New Mexico, depicting the Farmers’ fictional hometown of Story, Texas.
On their previous films, the Polish Brothers supervised the production design themselves. “The Astronaut Farmer” marks their first collaboration with a production designer, Clark Hunter, whose credits include four films with Billy Bob Thornton, beginning with Thornton’s striking 1996 directorial debut, “Sling Blade.”
Working with Michael and Mark Polish proved to be one of the designer’s most energizing professional experiences, which he attributes to their level of involvement. “It’s a joy to work with them because they’re not only creative but they really understand where you’re coming from artistically when you’re trying to shape environments for these characters.”
For the Farmer homestead, Hunter returned to The Hughes Ranch, a spacious and beautiful site just outside Santa Fe. He and Thornton used the ranch for “All the Pretty Horses,” and it has been featured in a number of other films over the years because of its perfect combination of easy accessibility and middle-of-nowhere atmosphere. There was a farmhouse and barn already on the property, but both, says Hunter, “were empty hulls, built for another movie but only as exteriors. It was pretty much a wreck when we got there, with nothing inside.” He created all the interiors for the house and raised a brand new barn big enough to accommodate a 50-foot rocket, with roof panels that could be folded open in preparation for launch.
It was imperative that the rocket be built as nearly to scale as possible, “based on research and drawings of the Atlas-Mercury rockets and capsules, which are still very recognizable to many people,” says Hunter. “For the skin, we used a company that makes skins for 747s. We built it in sections, then stacked them up and fastened them together.”
Not only is the vintage design appropriate for the story’s timeline, it has become an iconic image. As Michael Polish explains, “That was the era when everyone was getting interested in the space program for the first time, and that was its primary image. Plus, from Farmer’s point of view, it’s easier to build a rocket like this than to build the Space Shuttle. If someone wanted to build a car for the first time he would go back to a simpler way of doing it, back to the original Ford design and the combustion engine.
“For Farmer, this is more than a fantasy. It’s a reality. He goes to great lengths to build a replica, based on the Atlas-Mercury model,” Michael continues, noting that Farmer is dedicated to, quite literally, the nuts-and-bolts of his dream. Given his engineering skill and assuming the availability of key parts, it seems…well…almost possible.
The companion piece to the rocket and barn was Farmer’s so-called Mission Control, the room containing all the computer and technical apparatus that his son Shepard would use to help launch and then monitor the craft’s orbit. “It was an old Air Stream trailer,” says Hunter. “Inside we packed in a lot of vintage gadgetry and 1960s technology intermixed with modern computer equipment in a kind of Rube Goldberg design, which is what it might realistically look like if he had collected and integrated everything in bits and pieces over the years.”
“When I first saw the rocket in the barn, finished and assembled, I was very impressed,” says Thornton. Asked if he would consider taking a trip into space himself, given the opportunity, he does not hesitate. “Absolutely. I’d love to go up in a rocket.”
Space Suits and Other Wardrobe Essentials
When Charles Farmer isn’t in standard work clothes, tending to his ranch or, more likely, hammering or welding the finishing touches to the rocket in his barn, he occasionally dons his old space suit for inspiration or to wow the kids on Career Day at his daughter’s school.
But it’s not just any old space suit, as award-winning costume designer Danny Glicker (“Transamerica”) explains. “It’s a detailed replica of the 1960s-era suit used for the Mercury missions.
“It’s important to the story that Farmer’s suit evokes a more innocent and exciting time in American history when space travel played significantly in the public’s imagination,” he says. “All its elements—the silver material, the globe helmet, the charmingly low-tech items like laces on the gloves—recall the romance of space travel.”
Although mercifully lighter than an authentic space suit, the garment’s challenge was in its “unconventional access,” notes the designer. “A full-body sideways zipper forces the wearer to contort into highly unusual poses in order to get the thing on and off. It was a time-consuming process at first, but, by the end of the shoot, Billy Bob was a pro and could make the change in seconds flat.”
Outside his NASA-issue suit, Farmer’s look is down-to-earth, consisting of the jeans, boots and jackets that are the staples of any rancher’s wardrobe and through which Glicker sought to convey both the warmth of his character and the sincerity of his work ethic. Citizens of the fictional Texas town where Farmer lives are similarly outfitted to be “familiar and real, yet timeless, incorporating elements of classic Norman Rockwell Americana,” says Glicker, who avoided modern fabrics such as polar fleece.
This contrasts sharply with the clothing worn by the various government officials who descend on the town to restrict and interfere with Farmer’s plans, a stylistic differential most striking in the big confrontation scene that pits the amateur astronaut and his legal counsel against a formidable collection of suited bureaucrats determined to shut him down.
But being shut down was never an option for Farmer.
Michael Polish reflects, “This story is about the fulfillment of dreams against all odds. I think that is something everyone might want to do, but not everyone is willing or able. Building a rocket in your barn might be a stretch but that’s the definition of dreaming.”
The Filmmakers
MICHAEL POLISH (Director/Producer/Writer) and MARK POLISH (Producer/Writer/FBI Agent Mathis), identical twins known professionally as the Polish Brothers, have previously written, produced, and directed three feature films: “Twin Falls Idaho,” “Jackpot” and “Northfork.”
The first film, “Twin Falls Idaho,” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999 to critical acclaim. Subsequently, “Jackpot” was named winner of the 2001 Independent Spirit Award’s John Cassavetes Award, given to the best feature made for under $500,000, as well as the 2001 Seattle International Film Festival’s New American Cinema Award; and “Northfork,” starring James Woods, Daryl Hannah and Nick Nolte, was an official selection of the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and garnered rave reviews.
The Polish Brothers directed the music video for the hit single “Sunrise,” from Duran Duran’s latest album, and created five original short films that will be seen on the legendary pop band’s upcoming DVD. They were also commissioned to create two TV spots for international insurance giant Aegon.
Recounting their artistic rite of passage for aspiring moviemakers everywhere, Mark and Michael Polish have written The Declaration of Independent Filmmaking, a practical guide to writing, shooting, editing, scoring, promoting, and distributing short and feature films, which was recently published by Harcourt.
PAULA WEINSTEIN (Producer) is a prolific producer, whose career spans more than 20 years and includes both film and television projects. Overseeing Spring Creek Productions, Weinstein most recently produced the action drama “Blood Diamond,” directed by Edward Zwick and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou.
Raised in Europe, Weinstein began her career as an assistant film editor in New York City. She then joined the office of Mayor John Lindsay as the Special Events Director. Moving to Los Angeles in 1973, she signed on as a talent agent, first for what would later be ICM and then at William Morris.
In 1976, Weinstein became Vice President of Production at Warner Bros. She later moved to Twentieth Century Fox, where she held the post of Senior Vice President of Worldwide Production. During her tenure, she worked on the hit comedy “Nine to Five,” starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton, and the prison drama “Brubaker,” starring Robert Redford.
In 1979, Weinstein joined the Ladd Company, where she collaborated on such films as Lawrence Kasdan’s directorial debut, “Body Heat.” Two years later, she was named President of the Motion Picture Division of United Artists, where she oversaw such diverse hits as “WarGames” and “Yentl,” to name only a few.
In 1984, Weinstein and Gareth Wigan partnered to form WW Productions. In 1987, she assumed the title of Executive Consultant for MGM’s Worldwide Division, while continuing to produce such independent film projects as “A Dry White Season” and “The Fabulous Baker Boys.”
Weinstein and Mark Rosenberg formed Spring Creek Productions in 1990. Their first feature was Peter Weir’s “Fearless,” starring Jeff Bridges and Rosie Perez, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance. Weinstein subsequently served as a producer on the films “Flesh and Bone”; Lasse Hallström’s “Something to Talk About”; Wolfgang Petersen’s “The Perfect Storm,” starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg; the comedy smash “Analyze This,” which paired Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal; and Barry Levinson’s “Liberty Heights” and “Bandits.” Weinstein’s more recent film credits include “Monster-In-Law,” starring Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez, and “Rumor Has It…,” with Jennifer Aniston and Shirley MacLaine.
Under the Spring Creek banner, Weinstein has also produced several award-winning projects for the small screen, including HBO’s “Iron Jawed Angels,” starring Hilary Swank; “Truman,” starring Gary Sinise, for which Weinstein won an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie; and “Citizen Cohn,” starring James Woods, which won three Emmy Awards.
LEN AMATO (Producer) is President of Spring Creek Productions, where he continues a longstanding relationship with Paula Weinstein. Under the Spring Creek banner, he recently served as a producer on Edward Zwick’s action drama “Blood Diamond,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou.
Amato began his career as a story analyst for various independent producers and studios. He went on to become a story editor for Robert De Niro’s then-newly formed Tribeca Productions, working with co-founder Jane Rosenthal on Michael Apted’s “Thunderheart” and Irwin Winkler’s “Night and the City.”
Amato began his association with Spring Creek Productions in the mid 1990s as Vice President of Development, running the company’s New York office for co-founders Mark Rosenberg and Paula Weinstein. In 1997, he made his producing debut with HBO’s “First Time Felon,” directed by Charles Dutton. The following year, he moved to Los Angeles to serve as Executive Vice President when Weinstein partnered with Barry Levinson to create Baltimore/Spring Creek Pictures.
In 1999, Amato served as co-producer on the hit comedy “Analyze This,” directed by Harold Ramis and starring Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal, and, in 2002, executive produced its sequel, “Analyze That.” He then executive produced Neil LaBute’s “Possession,” starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart, and produced “Deliver Us From Eva.” Amato more recently served as an executive producer on the award-winning HBO drama “Iron Jawed Angels,” starring Hilary Swank and Anjelica Huston, and the romantic comedy feature “Rumor Has It…,” directed by Rob Reiner and starring Jennifer Aniston, Shirley MacLaine, Kevin Costner and Mark Ruffalo.
J. GEYER KOSINSKI (Executive Producer) is the Chairman and CEO of Media Talent Group. He got his start in the mailroom of the William Morris Agency in 1992 and became an agent within a year. Working in the motion picture department for five years, he represented such talents as Billy Bob Thornton, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, and Robert Downey Jr., among others. He also packaged such movies as “Sling Blade,” written and directed by, and starring Billy Bob Thornton; “Albino Alligator,” directed by Kevin Spacey; and “Gia,” written and directed by Michael Cristofer and starring Angelina Jolie.
In 1997, Kosinski left the William Morris Agency for Addis-Wechsler. Addis-Wechsler evolved into Industry Entertainment and Kosinski became a managing partner and co-owner of this management/production company. Industry Entertainment revolutionized the entertainment industry by combining management and production under the same roof, handling more than 150 clients, including award-winning actors, writers, directors, producers and musicians, while producing motion pictures and television shows. Their films included “Quills,” “Requiem for a Dream,” “25th Hour,” “Fifteen Minutes,” “Fierce People,” “Beyond Borders” and “North Country.”
Kosinski was an executive producer on the hit sitcom “Hope & Faith,” starring Kelly Ripa and Faith Ford. His other television credits include “Becker,” “Threat Matrix,” “Haunted,” “War Stories,” and “Going to California.”
In 2004, as a manager and producer, Kosinski formed Media Talent Group. As chairman and CEO, he and his staff continue to cultivate the careers of actors, writers and directors. His production company has produced a remake of “The Bad News Bears,” starring Billy Bob Thornton and Greg Kinnear; “School For Scoundrels,” written and directed by Todd Phillips; and “45,” written and directed by Gary Lennon and starring Milla Jovovich and Stephen Dorff. In addition, Media Talent Group has approximately 40 feature films and television shows in active production or development.
Kosinski was also involved in packaging such movies as “Mr. Woodcock,” staring Billy Bob Thornton, Susan Sarandon and Seann William Scott; “Bad Santa,” directed by Terry Swigoff; “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” directed by Doug Liman and starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt; “Taking Lives,” directed by D.J. Caruso and starring Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, and Oliver Martinez; Marc Forster’s “Monsters Ball”; “Tomb Raider,” starring Angelina Jolie; and “Original Sin,” starring Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas under the direction of Michael Cristofer.
Kosinski sits on the board of directors for SKECHERS USA, one of the fastest-growing and largest shoe companies based in the U.S. He was a member of both the Cultural Alliance of Washington D.C. and Junior Achievement of Southern California while also working with Habitat for Humanity. Prior to working in the entertainment business, Kosinski worked in Strategic Planning and Change Management for Anderson Consulting in Washington, DC.
M. DAVID MULLEN (Director of Photography) studied filmmaking and cinematography at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where he received his Master’s Degree. Since then, he has photographed more then 30 independent feature films.
Mullen was nominated for the IFP Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography in 2000 for “Twin Falls Idaho” and again in 2004 for “Northfork.” Both films were written, produced and directed by the Polish Brothers.
He also has photographed a number of features in high definition video, including the Polish Brothers’ “Jackpot,” the first 24P HD feature released theatrically in North America. His other 24P HD features include “The Quiet,” “When Do We Eat?” and “D.E.B.S.”
In 2004, Mullen became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.
His most recent project released in theaters was “Akeelah and the Bee.” Mullen also updated the classic textbook Cinematography, with original author Kris Malkiewicz, and has written a number of articles about his own work for various filmmaking magazines. Currently, he is shooting the HBO series “Big Love.”
CLARK HUNTER’s (Production Designer) feature credits include the hit comedies “Road Trip” and “Old School,” for director Todd Phillips, and three films directed by Billy Bob Thornton: “Sling Blade,” “All the Pretty Horses” and “Daddy and Them.” Hunter also served as production designer on the action drama “The Badge,” starring Thornton. Most recently, he was the production designer on the comedy “Beerfest.”
He received an Art Directors Guild nomination in 2006 for his work on the Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie “The Magic of Ordinary Days.”
Hunter’s additional film credits include “How High,” “Clay Pigeons,” “Break Up,” “Sweet Jane,” “Suicide Kings,” “Niagara, Niagara,” “It’s My Party,” “The Prophecy” and “No Way Back.” He also designed the television movies “Oprah Winfrey Presents: Amy and Isabelle” and “Oprah Winfrey Presents: David and Lisa.”
As a producer, Hunter worked on the feature “Sweet Jane,” starring Samantha Mathis, and the documentary “Athens, Ga.: Inside Out.”
JAMES HAYGOOD (Editor) began working with David Fincher in San Francisco in 1985 when Fincher left ILM to direct music videos. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1989, Haygood continued working on music videos with Fincher and other directors for such artists as Madonna, Aerosmith, Paula Abdul, and The Rolling Stones, receiving two MTV Awards, a Clio Award and numerous other industry accolades.
In 1992, Haygood launched Superior Assembly, a commercial editing company that created TV spots for clients including Nike, Coke, AT&T and Nissan. He left the company in 2001 but continues to edit commercials at Spot Welders, an editing company in Venice, California.
In 1997, he edited his first feature film for Fincher, the action thriller “The Game,” and continued his collaboration with the acclaimed director on the hit films “Fight Club” and “Panic Room.”
Haygood then worked as an additional editor on “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”; edited six episodes of the HBO series “Unscripted,” for director George Clooney; and cut the independent feature “Lies & Alibis,” for directors Kurt Matilla and Matt Chekowski.
Haygood is currently working as an additional editor on “Where the Wild Things Are.”
STUART MATTHEWMAN (Music) is best known in the music world as the songwriter/musician/producer for R&B singer Sade—and the group of the same name. Since its conception in the early ‘80s, Sade has sold over 40 million records and collected three Grammy Awards.
Matthewman also writes and produces for the singer Maxwell and the group Sweetback. In addition, he records and produces underground dub/dance music under the pseudonym Cottonbelly, and remixes the songs of recording artists such as Janet Jackson and Gregory Isaacs.
Matthewman branched into films by scoring the Polish Brothers’ debut movie, “Twin Falls Idaho,” and went on to provide the score for their next two films, “Jackpot” and “Northfork.” He also composed the score for the Eric Roberts short “The Double.”
He will continue his creative collaboration with the Polish Brothers by serving as the composer on their upcoming science fiction feature, “I.D.,” which is currently in production.
DANNY GLICKER (Costume Designer) received the 2006 Costume Designers Guild Award for Excellence in Contemporary Film for his work on the drama “Transamerica.”
He gained his first costume experience while still in his teens on such Broadway shows as “The Secret Garden,” “Nick & Nora” and “Grand Hotel.” While still an undergraduate at the Rhode Island School of Design, he landed his first film job, assisting costume designer Kathy O’Rear on Robert Redford’s 1994 Oscar-nominated “Quiz Show.”
Glicker went on to design for Michael Cuesta’s celebrated and controversial drama, “L.I.E.” He then began his ongoing collaboration with the Polish Brothers on “Northfork,” which starred James Woods and Nick Nolte. He proceeded to design a number of acclaimed films that include Craig Lucas’ drama “The Dying Gaul,” with Patricia Clarkson, Peter Sarsgaard and Campbell Scott; and Marcos Siega’s dark satire “Pretty Persuasion,” starring Evan Rachel Wood and James Woods.
Glicker’s recent credits include “We Are Marshall,” set in the early 1970s; Jason Reitman’s Golden Globe-nominated “Thank You for Smoking,” starring Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Robert Duvall and William H. Macy; and the horror hit “The Hills Have Eyes.”
His work will next be seen in the as-yet-untitled project written and directed by Academy Award winner Alan Ball and starring Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Toni Collette, and newcomer Summer Bishil.
