Chad Taylor's Blog

[jackryder2]

Wooo!!!

[Hill Valley Entertainment]

Decided to create a new account to keep things easier to keep track of. When pitching an idea to HVE, send it to this account. I also wanted to go a bit more into detail about the kind of works that HVE are looking to help develop.

On Meirad's question of what constitutes as "original" or "out-of-the-box", there are a few different things that we take under consideration. On the story level, is this concept something that hasn't been seen before? On a broader level, one of the things we aim for is to tackle genres, characters, stories, and film modes that aren't often covered in LRF. This could even mean some experimentation with form as well (although that is ultimately up to the studio regarding what is acceptable). But at the same time, we aren't looking for something that is creative solely being for the sake of being creative - it needs to have potential as a full-length story. As previously mentioned, we will not be able to accept every pitch so we will be selective in what we choose to help develop. Some of the reasons we'll turn down a project include the limit to how many projects we have at once, lacking compatibility with our vision, or overlapping with another project in development (HVE aims to keep a diverse slate of films). There's only so much we can do at one time so there is a chance we'll get in contact about an idea that was initially rejected.

Services provided by HVE, if accepted:
-Advice and feedback on story, casting, directors, FYC forms, etc.
-If English is not your first language, we can help in the translation process if this is something that interests you.
-Marketing materials for your film (such as secondary posters)

[Chad Taylor]

Just wanted to make a few brief notes about Run For Your Life but not a huge blog post.

This project was an intriguing for me as I don't do remakes often and Run Lola Run is a film that admire a lot for some of the things it tries. Imperative above all is that I wanted to translate the breakneck pace of that film into this format. In order to accomplish that, I set up a challenge for myself: complete the story in ten paragraphs, one for the intro and three each for the three sections of the film. This was not easy but I kind of enjoyed having a task like that in front of me.

Another key element of the original film is its techno soundtrack that is almost nonstop throughout. Since I set this film in an earlier era (I just generally dig 70s NYC), I wanted to build the soundtrack out of era-appropriate uptempo songs that have can provide the film a pulse. I also chose to make it nine songs, with each track corresponding with paragraphs 2-10. So if you haven't read it yet (or ever want to re-read it), I'd recommend maybe trying it with the songs playing as you read.

Hope you enjoy and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

[Chad Taylor]

A return is in order :

chadtaylorlrf.wordpress.com/2022/01/16/coming-soon-south-end/

[Chad Taylor]

Some notes on my upcoming Season 22 releases:

chadtaylorlrf.wordpress.com/2022/03/02/broadway/

[Chad Taylor]

May I interest you in a deep dive into the production process of Broadway?

chadtaylorlrf.wordpress.com/2022/03/19/inside-broadway/

[Chad Taylor]

Let's take a trip back down the complicated road to the big screen for Booster Gold: Back in Time: chadtaylorlrf.wordpress.com/2022/07/27/booster-gold-back-in-time/

[Chad Taylor]

Hey all! Just wanted to a post dedicated to Monaco. First and foremost, I'm very relieved that audiences and critics alike seemed to enjoy the film. When I was consciously writing a big melodramatic sports soap opera, I knew that I was writing it to my own tastes but wasn't sure if that would translate to others.

I come to F1 as a relatively new fan. As I'm sure is the case for a lot of recent American fans, the Netflix show Drive to Survive was a major catalyst in my fandom. While that show can feel contrived at times, the appeal was obvious from the get-go: high drama featuring an international cast of good-looking athletes set across the globe. And just the kind of movie I'd like to write.

Funnily enough, my main interactions with Formula 1 were through the Ron Howard film Rush and the John Frankenheimer classic Grand Prix from 1966. While both have their melodramatic elements, the latter is really what I was wanting to go for with an all-star ensemble. So when I saw a film titled "Grand Prix" on the future release schedule I was curious. The studio got me in touch with All New Matt Parker, who I'd already been working on a Fall Guy sequel with (coming soon!), and we talked about the idea for his Grand Prix remake. He gave me his blessing to move forward with an F1 project of my own and helped me think through directors. I knew it would be difficult to land the right tone. I wanted someone who could do a big scale sexy drama while also drawing in big names. Baz Luhrmann, Michael Bay, Ridley Scott were some names discussed. But ultimately I was drawn to finally getting to work with my favorite directors in Martin Scorsese, mainly on the back of his work on The Color of Money and Wolf of Wall Street.

The casting process was then its own beast entirely. I started with descriptions of each of the three teams I wanted to focus on and the drivers and principals for each. Most quickly got whittled down to two options. Henry Golding or Dan Stevens. Alexander Skarsgard or Michael Fassbender. Mads Mikkelsen or Antonio Banderas. There were a few that were pretty firmly locked in from the start, that being Oscar Isaac (our first collab since An Honest Mistake), Jude Law, and Rachel Weisz. It then became about unlocking the right combination.

There are a few more people I'd like to thank at this time. The drivers for Verducci Motorsport were the most difficult to figure out. Dev Patel was another person I'd wanted to work with and then my pal jackryder2 helped me select who would play his billionaire backer, leading to the LRF debut for superstar Shah Rukh Khan. For what would become Petitjean, I then put out a casting call for lesser-known actors in their 30s who were European or Australian. dgallo really answered the call and helped give me some good names to choose from for what would be one of the most important supporting parts in the movie. 

All in all, it's one of the favorite things I've ever written. I know it's a bit unconventional with the narration throughout but I wanted to make sure that the backstory was integrated within the plot itself and easy for the reader to pick up. Hopefully that was a successful endeavor. As I've mentioned previously, I have considered returning to this world if there is a demand for it. Whether or not Marty would be willing to return as director I don't know but I'd at least bring him on as a producer if not. In terms of a sequel, the main question would be: where to next? 

[John Malone]

Nov 1, 2022 13:39:00 GMT -7 Chad Taylor said:

Hey all! Just wanted to a post dedicated to Monaco. First and foremost, I'm very relieved that audiences and critics alike seemed to enjoy the film. When I was consciously writing a big melodramatic sports soap opera, I knew that I was writing it to my own tastes but wasn't sure if that would translate to others.

I come to F1 as a relatively new fan. As I'm sure is the case for a lot of recent American fans, the Netflix show Drive to Survive was a major catalyst in my fandom. While that show can feel contrived at times, the appeal was obvious from the get-go: high drama featuring an international cast of good-looking athletes set across the globe. And just the kind of movie I'd like to write.

Funnily enough, my main interactions with Formula 1 were through the Ron Howard film Rush and the John Frankenheimer classic Grand Prix from 1966. While both have their melodramatic elements, the latter is really what I was wanting to go for with an all-star ensemble. So when I saw a film titled "Grand Prix" on the future release schedule I was curious. The studio got me in touch with All New Matt Parker , who I'd already been working on a Fall Guy sequel with (coming soon!), and we talked about the idea for his Grand Prix remake. He gave me his blessing to move forward with an F1 project of my own and helped me think through directors. I knew it would be difficult to land the right tone. I wanted someone who could do a big scale sexy drama while also drawing in big names. Baz Luhrmann, Michael Bay, Ridley Scott were some names discussed. But ultimately I was drawn to finally getting to work with my favorite directors in Martin Scorsese, mainly on the back of his work on The Color of Money and Wolf of Wall Street.

The casting process was then its own beast entirely. I started with descriptions of each of the three teams I wanted to focus on and the drivers and principals for each. Most quickly got whittled down to two options. Henry Golding or Dan Stevens. Alexander Skarsgard or Michael Fassbender. Mads Mikkelsen or Antonio Banderas. There were a few that were pretty firmly locked in from the start, that being Oscar Isaac (our first collab since An Honest Mistake), Jude Law, and Rachel Weisz. It then became about unlocking the right combination.

There are a few more people I'd like to thank at this time. The drivers for Verducci Motorsport were the most difficult to figure out. Dev Patel was another person I'd wanted to work with and then my pal jackryder2 helped me select who would play his billionaire backer, leading to the LRF debut for superstar Shah Rukh Khan. For what would become Petitjean, I then put out a casting call for lesser-known actors in their 30s who were European or Australian. dgallo really answered the call and helped give me some good names to choose from for what would be one of the most important supporting parts in the movie. 

All in all, it's one of the favorite things I've ever written. I know it's a bit unconventional with the narration throughout but I wanted to make sure that the backstory was integrated within the plot itself and easy for the reader to pick up. Hopefully that was a successful endeavor. As I've mentioned previously, I have considered returning to this world if there is a demand for it. Whether or not Marty would be willing to return as director I don't know but I'd at least bring him on as a producer if not. In terms of a sequel, the main question would be: where to next? 

Really enjoyed Monaco. Hollywood doesn't make a lot of A-List ensemble films these days, so it felt like a modern update to a throwback style/format. With the Monaco Grand Prix being an annual event, you basically already have a built-in format for future films as well. Where are these characters the next time around?