Look at this short film starring Kevin Spacey. Very good film and awesome acting.

http://youtu.be/pOPJxBjHkgc

Alan Semok figures are really beautiful!
I enjoyed that...thanks for posting!

They certainly are. I've seen some pictures from this film, unfortunately, working in a public school, all the videos are blocked. But can't wait to see it when I get home tonight.

As much as I like Spacey...just another film about crazy ventriloquist and mean-spirited dummy. I like the film "Dummy" a lot better. The vent figure is sort of a deus ex machina in that one...and the most reasonable character in the whole film. Also: Brody does his own vent.

-Philip

That's disappointing to hear!

With all due respect to Philip, I don't think it's "just another" crazy ventriloquist story. Spacey plays a profoundly lonely man, and beautifully. Unlike other such movies, one feels great sympathy with the ventriloquist. And cheers, of course, to Alan for the great figure.

Bob

Well of course Spacey is lonely, and no question he's a wonderful actor. But the vent figure is a jerk, and a crutch, as it turns out. From the standpoint of the drama and the need for conflict, I appreciate that part, but it would've been a harder job for the person who wrote the screenplay to make the same points without taking the easy road. As for the Semok figure, I coveted it mightily.

-Philip

Read that last as if I am smiling and nodding, Bob.

-Philip

I just watched the film. I liked it. I thought Spacey was excellent, and I liked the story. As Bob said, Spacey played an extremely lonely man, with whom I sympathized. The dummy was weighing him down. When the dummy "left" he finally realized that he was free to be himself. Perhaps he found his true voice at last. The final scene was great when he removed his bow tie, which seemed to me to symbolize a noose. Anyway, I liked it. Of course, I LOVED the Semok figure!

Wow, what a 10 minutes film can project. I agree with Bob and and Keith, a lonely vent with a controlling dummy.

The ten minute running time was actually a requirement. And yes, "THE VENTRILOQUIST" packed a pretty good punch for such a short film.
The film is the result of a contest (Jameson First Shot) sponsored by Jameson Distillers (the Irish Whiskey folks) in conjunction with Kevin Spacey's production company.
The challenge to entrants was to write and submit a script and be able to tell a narrative story within a 10 minute running time. The top prize for three lucky writers was the opportunity to have Mr. Spacey's company produce the film as well as the opportunity to direct the film, with Kevin in the starring role.
There were over 700 entries, and three winners. Benjamin Leavitt (from Texas), who wrote "THE VENTRILOQUIST" , was the USA winner (the other two winners were from South Africa and Russia).

Earlier in the thread, someone mentioned the film "DUMMY"--- For that film, the same as for this one, I was hired as a consultant and was responsible for coaching the star concerning things ventriloquial. In Mr. Brody's case, I had two weeks prior to filming to teach him ventriloquism with the aim of him ultimately being able to perform all of the ventriloquism live with no ADR /post recording (I was actually hired as the vent coach before Mr. Brody was even cast in the role...the list of other actors under consideration was quite impressive!).

In the case of the Kevin Spacey film, the production schedules were so tight that a decision was made to post record the dummy's voice (which Mr. Spacey did, using an uncanny and spot-on impression of the late Jack Lemmon for the dummy's voice). Kevin did, however, do his own manipulation of the dummy in those scenes where the dummy was seated next to him. I feel that he actually learned the manipulation quite well, taking to it quite naturally...especially considering the comparatively short time I was able to work with him.

It was a great project to be on, and the audience response at the screening I attended only confirmed the fact that people are by and large still VERY fascinated by ventriloquism and it's practitioners. The film got quite an ovation, and I think that the character of 'Frank' (the vent) came off as very sympathetic. The fact that the dummy had a much more brash personality that allows him to say the things that the vent himself can't or won't say is just 'part of the territory'...Not to mention being one of the more 'fun' aspects of ventriloquism and ventriloquists. ;-)

Thank you for sharing all this information Mr. Semok. Now I admire this short film even more.

I liked it very much. Thanks for the back story Alan.

As of tonight (6/9/12) it has over a million views!

Interesting film. He liberates himself by losing the dummy.

I haven't seen the movie Dummy nor ever heard of it but thanks for the background Alan.

Yeah, I agree with Philip, the movie did fall into stereotypes like a lot of others. Still, it was fairly entertaining. I failed to watch the credits..who was controlling the figure behind the scenes (when Spacey wasn't doing it)? The manipulation in the bedroom scene was superb, and very expressive.

P.S. Can one see the film "Dummy" online?

I was not available for the two day shoot in Los Angeles because of a prior commitment in New York, so I recommended actor/puppeteer/ventriloquist Michael Ziegfeld for the job of providing manipulation for "Mr. Higgins" in that scene where Kevin Spacey was not operating him. And Michael did a fantastic job...his puppetry was very precise and nuanced. Hats off to him for that!
Michael's tenure with Jim Henson's Muppets certainly served him well here.

In my opinion, that short scene demonstrates just about the most perfect manipulation of one of my vent figures that I've ever seen, and it dramatically shows what is possible when you actually _think_ about what the figure is saying and use that to move the figure accordingly, rather than just flapping the jaw and wiggling mechanisms for their own sake.

Edgar Bergen's puppetry is another great example of that (his sensitive puppetry, acting ability, and innate sense of timing made up for his rather lax ventriloquial technique. LOL).

P.S. The 2003 feature film "DUMMY" starring Adrien Brody is available to view online, on NETFLIX.

I agree with this sentiment as well. It's disappointing to see films continue to perpetuate the stereotype.