GIRLTRASH Blog

GIRLTRASH: ALL NIGHT LONG by Angela Robinson
WRITING THE SCRIPT BLOG #7
… was kind of a blur. It happened really fast. And was really fun. But now that I’m writing about it I realize it is the story of how a webisode became an ensemble comedy and then a rock musical. In the span of about six weeks.

Okay… so… the script for GIRLTRASH: ALL NIGHT LONG started as part of the web series. In it’s original inception, the web series of Girltrash was going to be a series of 2-3 minute webisodes telling an open-ended story of a group of women involved in an unfolding crime story. Once the narrative was established, we were going to add buttons where viewers could see spin-off videos that gave context to the current action. So I wrote a bunch of mini-scripts one of which was – “CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW COLBY AND MISTY FIRST MET.” It was 30 pages and took place before the events of the webseries. The story involved the comic misadventures of Colby, a co-ed graduating from USC, who wanted her sister, Daisy, a low-level criminal and wannabe rock star, to take her to a gay-bar because she wanted to talk to a girl, Misty, who was WAY too cool for school for her.

Alex and I decided to re-purpose the 30 pages into an ensemble coming of age comedy that took place on one insane night like GO or SUPERBAD. It was tonally very different from the web-series, but doing a movie of the crime-story version of the web-series was going to be too expensive. Plus, I was interested in exploring what the characters in the web-series did on their time off from crime.

Next, I had to flesh out the stories of the other characters (Daisy, Tyler, Monique, etc.) and figure out where the night would take them. Then a funny thing happened. Lisa Rieffel who played Daisy in the web-series is actually in a rock band named Killola. And Alex and I had always thought it would be fun to do a Josie and the Pussycats type of thing and write Killola into the script. So, we came up with the idea that Daisy and Tyler were in a band and that they were trying to make it to a Battle of the Bands but would keep getting diverted by Colby/Misty/Monique, etc. So we asked Killola if we could use some of their songs so the rock band in the movie (Allota of Flame) could have something to play on-screen. I kept listening to all of Killola’s songs on a loop and then ONE DAY I was writing a scene where Daisy was pining away for her ex-girlfriend and I was listening to Killola’s song, “Traffic” and I had a vision of Daisy walking through this party and singing this song that reflected her emotional state, but nobody would notice her, like from “Hair” or a kind of “Hopelessly Devoted to You” type thing. I pitched the idea to Alex and she loved it. We were off to the races! Girltrash: All Night Long, our ensemble coming-of-age comedy, had just morphed into a rock-musical.

I’d send scenes to Killola and they would send me back the scene two days later as a song, with lyrics and a scratch track. It was frickin’ awesome. It was a really fantastic and very creative way to work. I pounded out the script in 6 weeks and by December they were shooting it. Alex and David the editor are madly cutting now – can’t wait to see how it all turns out! — Angela

POWER UP films (ITTY BITTY TITTY COMMITTEE, D.E.B.S.) celebrates 10 years with big bonuses for members, new revamped website, the announcement of the 10 Amazing Gays in Showbiz award to be presented on November 7th in Hollywood, CA, and the near completion of its second feature film GIRLTRASH: All Night Long.
…SEE WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU!!! http://www.powerupfilms.org/

In March 2009, Lisa Thrasher and I decided to greenlight “GIRLTRASH: All Night Long — the movie.” Like we had done before with “ITTY BITTY TITTY COMMITTEE,” we started with an idea.  Angela Robinson called Lisa and me to a meeting at her office with her and her wife, Alex Kondracke, who was 5 months pregnant at the time. They pitched us the movie.

“We have all the same actors ready to go and we want to make it a musical that takes place in all one night,” Robinson spouted off.  “Ok, where is the script?” I asked. Robinson, who is one of the most prolific writers assured me that, when she wrote it, I would love it. Oh, and one more surprise, she wanted Alex to direct.  Robinson, by then, had become a major player in television and was a co-executive producer on HUNG – created by POWER UP filmmaker Colette Burson – and was therefore unavailable to direct the feature.  For many producers this would have been a deal breaker, but for me, the self-proclaimed “queen of the virgin” that was no big deal. In my professional career, prior to launching POWER UP, I was considered an expert in (or maybe crazy for) working with first time directors.  In my own defense, this was not done by choice but rather circumstance.

Stacy, Rose, Kate, Alex, Angela and Mandy

OK, so here we go: With our money in the bank and a script to be written from an idea based on characters created in a successful web series by Angela, we agreed to move forward.  Our original plan for production was to be late summer 2009. This would give Alex a chance to birth her baby and get back on her feet. It would also give Angela a chance to write the script. Of course it also meant we would have to do contracts, negotiations and a lot of pushing and explaining back and forth.  Over the next several months, we would hook up and discuss, negotiate and concede. More time would pass, again discuss, negotiate, and concede. Early November, Angela called with good news and bad. Good news: we had a script that she felt ready to share. Bad news: we would have to start production right away due to actors’ schedule conflicts in early January.

Ok so now, our obstacles are: agreement between parties, not signed; we had less than our needed 6 week pre-production; a first time director; and of course our biggest obstacle a tiny budget for an extremely ambitious production schedule.  OR, what the fuck, we are out of time!  A few days spend on the phone and in meetings with attorneys, and the four main players, Stacy, Lisa, Angela and Alex and the 8 months of negotiations finally comes to an end.  Contracts signed.

Pre-production in half the time we’d planned. With casting already in place, we did breathe a sigh of relief in the hopes that we’d be able to do the impossible: prep in 3 weeks.  Johnny and Lisa – of rock band Killola – had been writing music for the film since the summer and their awesome songs were pre-recorded and ready to go. Our script was ready, charming, funny and fun as expected. The director had been working on her shot lists and developing her vision. Our work was cut out for us. Crew, locations, design, style, rehearsal, equipment, insurance, permits, vehicles, hair cuts, catering and of course more negotiations, points, concessions, arguments with all parties concerned.

Principal Photography started December 1, 2009.

Next week:
El Niño – aka how an 18-day shoot became 28.