Deep Dive "Art of A Hit" Film
A Deep Dive is a list of resources meant for you to look through on your
own and learn more about this film.
Enjoy!
Directions for The Deep Dive
1. First Watch The Film
(Can be purchased $12.99 on most V.O.D and is cheaper then renting as you'll want to watch it at least twice)
2. Then look through the Deep Dive (take a note or two if you'd like)
3. Watch the Film (Again)
4. Then Look through the Deep Dive (More notes if you wish)
5. Wait a week or so and watch again
(You will get the connections, see the deep references, and realize what a smart and well thought out film this is)
(Can be purchased $12.99 on most V.O.D and is cheaper then renting as you'll want to watch it at least twice)
2. Then look through the Deep Dive (take a note or two if you'd like)
3. Watch the Film (Again)
4. Then Look through the Deep Dive (More notes if you wish)
5. Wait a week or so and watch again
(You will get the connections, see the deep references, and realize what a smart and well thought out film this is)
V.A.A ART OF A HIT Official Film Podcast
10 INTERVIEW SERIES
Out 8-20-24
(New Episode Each Week)
GUESTS
Gaelan Draper (Director/Producer/Writer)
Charlie Saxton (Actor/Producer/Writer)
Adam Lasus (Music Director)
David Valdes (Actor)
Joe Simon (Director oh Photography/Cinematographer)
Shakira Kibirige (Make up/prosthetic)
James Earl (Actor/Musician)
Tim Jo (Actor/Musician)
Allie MacDonald (Actor)
Ryan Donowho (Actor)
APPLE PODCASTS
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-official-art-of-a-hit-podcast/id1763174573
SPOTIFY
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/12146016738
ABOUT THE FILM
With their careers on the line, a late-90s rock band journeys to a French chateau to record with an elusive super-producer. But as tensions rise and tempers flare, they realize they're up against more than just the pressure to succeed.
Film Reviews
psychological-terror-of-art-fame-and-industry-review
https://uclaradio.com/art-of-a-hit-film-review/
https://www.thehorrorrevolution.com/art-of-a-hit
https://www.moviejawn.com/home/2024/8/20/art-of-a-hit-mixes-horror-rock-and-roll-and-2000s-nostalgia
psychological-terror-of-art-fame-and-industry-review
https://uclaradio.com/art-of-a-hit-film-review/
https://www.thehorrorrevolution.com/art-of-a-hit
https://www.moviejawn.com/home/2024/8/20/art-of-a-hit-mixes-horror-rock-and-roll-and-2000s-nostalgia
"Art of a Hit" Film Playlist and Related Songs by Vintage Annals Archive
"Art of A Hit" Video Playlist (trailer, interviews, film premiere, and more..)
ALL REFERENCES
Marouatte Castle
About The Castle (where the film was shot)
Miles Copeland owns the castle. See below.
www.idocoach.com/blog/2017/2/16/25th-anniversary-the-original-songwriters-retreat
rocabertiwriters.com/castles/marouatte-castle/
castleist.com/meet-miles-copeland-owner-of-marouatte-castle-france/
Miles Copeland owns the castle. See below.
www.idocoach.com/blog/2017/2/16/25th-anniversary-the-original-songwriters-retreat
rocabertiwriters.com/castles/marouatte-castle/
castleist.com/meet-miles-copeland-owner-of-marouatte-castle-france/
Miles Copeland III (Castle Owner/Music Producer)
Biography
Miles Axe Copeland III is an articulate and charismatic businessman, entrepreneur and influencer, with a track record of being at the forefront of innovation in the music and entertainment industries. His constant focus on evolution and revolution is dominant throughout his varied and successful career, which spans five decades and is littered with household names.
From being at the centre of the British ‘progressive rock’ and ‘punk rock’ scenes in the late sixties and seventies, to launching record labels and managing hugely successful bands and musicians such as The Police, Sting, Squeeze, REM and The Bangles, Miles spent over thirty years working with artists who dominated the charts in the US, the UK and across the world.
His inspiring ability to manage and grow talent, identify and influence changes in the market, and develop highly creative and innovative promotional strategies has resulted in countless hit singles and albums, Grammy Awards, and Gold and Platinum records, as well as some surprising but hugely successful collaborations. Meanwhile, his latest series of live touring projects has focused on creating a brand that can operate successfully with whatever artists might be available at any given time, creating both ownership and longevity for each concept.
Miles’ entrepreneurial approach has enabled him to find solutions when routes to market were closed, or evolve his business model when the internet fundamentally changed the industry. His experience and vision have led to numerous speaking engagements for companies including Motorola, HSBC Bank, Vanderbilt University, The University of California, The Grammy Organization and a host of music associated media.
Miles spent his childhood and adolescence moving between the US, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. His mother worked for British intelligence and his father was in US Army counter intelligence as well as being a founder member of the CIA. Miles’ cultural awareness and global outlook have been a common theme throughout his career, which has included boosting the popularity of Arab music and dance in the US, as well as advising the Pentagon on how to ‘win hearts and minds’ following the invasion of Iraq.
https://milescopeland.com/
Miles Axe Copeland III is an articulate and charismatic businessman, entrepreneur and influencer, with a track record of being at the forefront of innovation in the music and entertainment industries. His constant focus on evolution and revolution is dominant throughout his varied and successful career, which spans five decades and is littered with household names.
From being at the centre of the British ‘progressive rock’ and ‘punk rock’ scenes in the late sixties and seventies, to launching record labels and managing hugely successful bands and musicians such as The Police, Sting, Squeeze, REM and The Bangles, Miles spent over thirty years working with artists who dominated the charts in the US, the UK and across the world.
His inspiring ability to manage and grow talent, identify and influence changes in the market, and develop highly creative and innovative promotional strategies has resulted in countless hit singles and albums, Grammy Awards, and Gold and Platinum records, as well as some surprising but hugely successful collaborations. Meanwhile, his latest series of live touring projects has focused on creating a brand that can operate successfully with whatever artists might be available at any given time, creating both ownership and longevity for each concept.
Miles’ entrepreneurial approach has enabled him to find solutions when routes to market were closed, or evolve his business model when the internet fundamentally changed the industry. His experience and vision have led to numerous speaking engagements for companies including Motorola, HSBC Bank, Vanderbilt University, The University of California, The Grammy Organization and a host of music associated media.
Miles spent his childhood and adolescence moving between the US, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. His mother worked for British intelligence and his father was in US Army counter intelligence as well as being a founder member of the CIA. Miles’ cultural awareness and global outlook have been a common theme throughout his career, which has included boosting the popularity of Arab music and dance in the US, as well as advising the Pentagon on how to ‘win hearts and minds’ following the invasion of Iraq.
https://milescopeland.com/
Rick Rubin
Charlie Saxton's character Charlie is modeled after Rick Rubin and the title of the film
is a reference to the book that Rick put out in 2023
Rick Rubin is a nine-time GRAMMY-winning producer, named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time and the most successful producer in any genre by Rolling Stone. He has collaborated with artists from Tom Petty to Adele, Johnny Cash to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys to Slayer, Kanye West to the Strokes, and System of a Down to Jay-Z.
The Creative Act - A Way of Being
“A gorgeous and inspiring work of art on creation, creativity, the work of the artist. It will gladden the hearts of writers and artists everywhere, and get them working again with a new sense of meaning and direction. A stunning accomplishment.” —Anne Lamott
From the legendary music producer, a master at helping people connect with the wellsprings of their creativity, comes a beautifully crafted book many years in the making that offers that same deep wisdom to all of us.
“I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be.” —Rick Rubin
Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed expectations in order to reconnect with a state of innocence from which the surprising becomes inevitable. Over the years, as he has thought deeply about where creativity comes from and where it doesn’t, he has learned that being an artist isn’t about your specific output, it’s about your relationship to the world. Creativity has a place in everyone’s life, and everyone can make that place larger. In fact, there are few more important responsibilities.
The Creative Act is a beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow. It distills the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime’s work into a luminous reading experience that puts the power to create moments—and lifetimes—of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us.
Articles about Rick and The Book
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2023-02-06/can-rick-rubins-creative-genius-rub-off-on-you
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/10/1217613273/rick-rubin-book-johnny-cash-religion-creativity-spirituality
https://purple.fr/magazine/fw-2010-issue-14/rick-rubin/
https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2024/03/rick-rubin-the-creative-act-book-review/677865/?scrlybrkr=65fe7bbf
https://mattkaramazov.medium.com/legendary-music-producer-rick-rubin-spills-the-secrets-to-prolific-creativity-in-his-new-book-abebc311456
https://www.iconcollective.edu/rick-rubin-harnessing-the-essence-of-sound
https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/15185/rick-rubin-interview-the-creative-act-a-way-of-being-book-jefferson-hack
https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1217613273
Jets To Brazil/Jawbreaker
Jawbreaker to Jets of Brazil
(The Story of the films main character Ryan is inspired by the story of the transition of these two bands)
Jets of Brazil was founded by Blake Schwarzenbach, former frontman of Jawbreaker. When Schwarzenbach relocated to Brooklyn, New York, after Jawbreaker had disbanded, he reunited with friend Jeremy Chatelain and the two began working on four-track recordings aided by drum machines.
Jawbreaker
https://danozzi.substack.com/p/jawbreaker-dear-you-anniversary-interview
https://lamag.com/news/the-story-behind-l-a-band-jawbreakers-return-to-stage-for-dear-you
https://floodmagazine.com/104539/jawbreaker-dear-you-anniversary-tour-feature/
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/san-francisco-punk-veterans-jawbreaker-rewrite-their-story
https://unwinnable.com/2019/05/17/breakups-dear-you-and-jawbreaker/?scrlybrkr=65fe7bbf
Jets To Brazil
https://variety.com/2000/music/reviews/jets-to-brazil-1200464172/
https://www.vice.com/en/article/jets-to-brazil-orange-rhyming-dictionary-the-shape-of-punk/
https://www.punkrocktheory.com/interviews/turning-20-jets-brazil-revisit-orange-rhyming-dictionary
https://www.popmatters.com/jetstobrazil-2496084178.html
https://www.punknews.org/review/1344/jets-to-brazil-perfecting-loneliness#google_vignette
Blake Schwarzenbach
https://inthesetimes.com/article/jawbreaker-punk-blake-schwarzenbach-music-antifascism-emo
https://www.premierguitar.com/podcast/shred-with-shifty/jawbreakers-blake-schwarzenbach
https://bohemian.com/interview-blake-schwarzenbach-thorns-of-life/
https://floodmagazine.com/104539/jawbreaker-dear-you-anniversary-tour-feature/
https://www.missing-words.com/blog/2017/8/2/interview-with-blake-schwarzenbach-of-jawbreaker-full-transcript
(The Story of the films main character Ryan is inspired by the story of the transition of these two bands)
Jets of Brazil was founded by Blake Schwarzenbach, former frontman of Jawbreaker. When Schwarzenbach relocated to Brooklyn, New York, after Jawbreaker had disbanded, he reunited with friend Jeremy Chatelain and the two began working on four-track recordings aided by drum machines.
Jawbreaker
https://danozzi.substack.com/p/jawbreaker-dear-you-anniversary-interview
https://lamag.com/news/the-story-behind-l-a-band-jawbreakers-return-to-stage-for-dear-you
https://floodmagazine.com/104539/jawbreaker-dear-you-anniversary-tour-feature/
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/san-francisco-punk-veterans-jawbreaker-rewrite-their-story
https://unwinnable.com/2019/05/17/breakups-dear-you-and-jawbreaker/?scrlybrkr=65fe7bbf
Jets To Brazil
https://variety.com/2000/music/reviews/jets-to-brazil-1200464172/
https://www.vice.com/en/article/jets-to-brazil-orange-rhyming-dictionary-the-shape-of-punk/
https://www.punkrocktheory.com/interviews/turning-20-jets-brazil-revisit-orange-rhyming-dictionary
https://www.popmatters.com/jetstobrazil-2496084178.html
https://www.punknews.org/review/1344/jets-to-brazil-perfecting-loneliness#google_vignette
Blake Schwarzenbach
https://inthesetimes.com/article/jawbreaker-punk-blake-schwarzenbach-music-antifascism-emo
https://www.premierguitar.com/podcast/shred-with-shifty/jawbreakers-blake-schwarzenbach
https://bohemian.com/interview-blake-schwarzenbach-thorns-of-life/
https://floodmagazine.com/104539/jawbreaker-dear-you-anniversary-tour-feature/
https://www.missing-words.com/blog/2017/8/2/interview-with-blake-schwarzenbach-of-jawbreaker-full-transcript
Films that influenced the movie and reference Playlist
YOUTUBE PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh4zYKaPKme6CfxCKDSMJUF_qsIs3NKMR&si=MOQLuq31Ok4CJ5r2
Dig! (2004) - inspired us tonally
The Machinist (2004) - inspired us tonally
Waves 2019 - Steadicam camera work inspired some of the movements in the film, as well as the focus on getting rid of traditional coverage and having the camera focus only on the
Bring On The Night - background documentary on Sting recording an album in a chateau in France
Tár - inspired the tragic narrative arc
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - overhead sequence where Ryan wakes up was our ode to the 70s vibe
8 1⁄2 - inspired hallucinations in the film
Chocolat - moment where we cut to Cher on the poster was an ode to the moment the count smiles at the end of Chocolat (which Director Gaelan Draper also was in when he was 10 years old) 1:08
Moonlight - camera work in the infamous jukebox scene inspired the camera work in the final Ryan bar scene.
Interesting Things About The Making of The Film
INFO PROVIDED BY GAELAN DRAPER (Director of the Film)
Cher - wrote songs in the literal castle we filmed in!
Elija Wood - loosely inspired David’s Wardrobe
Carson Daly - inspired the late 90s era of bands on MTV and the opening scene
Ben Kweller - early 2000s artist who we were able to use a song when the band arrives in Dordogne
90s MTV Spring Break - inspired the scene in which the bands re-watch their old performance + Kings of Leon - sonically inspired some of the early 2000s music vibe
The anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis - inspired the anechoic chamber + Taco Bell
The singer in the bar is singing in Occitan, the native language of the region
Bon Jovi, Van Halen and others stayed in the castle at some point
Most of the cast uses their real names in the film
Charlie, Tim, Ryan and Gaelan all met on Bandslam (2009), another (very different) film about bands.
The Pigeonniere is the second largest one in Dordogne. When Gaelan and Charlie saw it, they immediately wrote it into the script.
Magret de canard, which is what the band eats for their dinner scene, is one of the most famous dishes of the Dordogne region of France.
Todd Graff the director of Bandslam has a cameo as Alan the agent.
Cher - wrote songs in the literal castle we filmed in!
Elija Wood - loosely inspired David’s Wardrobe
Carson Daly - inspired the late 90s era of bands on MTV and the opening scene
Ben Kweller - early 2000s artist who we were able to use a song when the band arrives in Dordogne
90s MTV Spring Break - inspired the scene in which the bands re-watch their old performance + Kings of Leon - sonically inspired some of the early 2000s music vibe
The anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis - inspired the anechoic chamber + Taco Bell
The singer in the bar is singing in Occitan, the native language of the region
Bon Jovi, Van Halen and others stayed in the castle at some point
Most of the cast uses their real names in the film
Charlie, Tim, Ryan and Gaelan all met on Bandslam (2009), another (very different) film about bands.
The Pigeonniere is the second largest one in Dordogne. When Gaelan and Charlie saw it, they immediately wrote it into the script.
Magret de canard, which is what the band eats for their dinner scene, is one of the most famous dishes of the Dordogne region of France.
Todd Graff the director of Bandslam has a cameo as Alan the agent.