Valley Director Makes Feature Debut with Elvis Film

ENTERTAINMENT – Mark Madler Up to this point in his filmmaking career, John Scheinfeld has been all about documentaries —on musicians, baseball, and the concept of heaven. The Sherman Oaks resident now is making the transition to feature films with a new project on the friendship between Elvis Presley and Sonny West, a member of the singer’s “Memphis Mafia” for more than 15 years. Scheinfeld, a theater major in college, said various career roles have prepared him to make the jump to feature films — from writing television scripts to featuring the subjects of his best-known documentaries. He said the opportunity to take on a feature project presented itself after RLF Victor Productions Ltd. saw his John Lennon and Harry Nilsson films, and “liked my story-telling skills and appreciated my knowledge of iconic music and everything that comes along with that.” A rewrite for the feature script “Fame & Fortune” was completed late last month. Scheinfeld said he will take one more pass before hiring a casting director. By taking on a feature film project, Scheinfeld follows in the footsteps of other filmmakers who have done both documentaries and narratives. Werner Herzog comes to mind, as does Martin Scorsese, who Scheinfeld counts as one of his heroes. Morgan Spurlock of the move “Super Size Me” recently announced he will film his first feature this summer. Scheinfeld said documentaries and feature narrative films both start with the dramatic three-act structure. The difference between the two types of films, he said, is how the story gets told. For example, documentaries don’t require having to direct actors; they rely on archival film and video footage, still photos and interviews. But Scheinfeld said he’s more than ready to give actors direction in his role with the Elvis bio-pic. “I know how to talk with actors to bring the characters to life,” he said, noting his own experience, combined with a talented director of photography and casting director will be helpful in that regard. As if making a film about Elvis isn’t daunting enough, “Fame & Fortune” will be the first theatrical portrayal of the King of Rock and Roll. Scheinfeld said his preference is to have an experienced, but unknown actor playing Elvis. The goal is to draw the audience into the story without them getting distracted by a well-known actor. In other words, Scheinfeld said, he wants to avoid what he saw as a weakness in last year’s “My Week with Marilyn,” starring Michelle Williams. “I had trouble stepping back and believed she inhabited Marilyn Monroe,” Scheinfeld said. It’s unclear when cameras will begin to roll, as the cast still must be settled. RLF Victor originally eyed an August release date to coincide with the 35th anniversary of Presley’s death, but that is not going to happen now. And however successful “Fame & Fortune” turns out to be, Scheinfeld will continue to work in the documentary genre. He secured a distribution deal for “Heaven” — his look at how five religions view the hereafter. “I have started a new one; it’s the mystery doc at that moment,” Scheinfeld said. “I do have a slate of things for the future.” Film Stock Deal After a 15 year break, Hollywood Film Co. in Sun Valley is back to being a distributor for Fujifilm in the U.S. Hollywood Film processes orders for all Fuji negative film stock for the studios, cinematographers and film schools throughout the country. The film programs at University of Southern California, University of California, Los Angeles, and the American Film Institute are repeat and satisfied customers, said Vincent J. Carabello, president of Hollywood Film. Even in the digital age there are filmmakers who prefer to use film when shooting their movies. With rival Eastman Kodak having filed for bankruptcy this year, Fuji is in a position to pick up more business. “There are a lot of people who see a difference and there is nothing like using film,” Carabello said. Hollywood Film first began distributing Fuji film stock under its original owners in 1967. The company dropped the brand in 1997, when it became a distributor of Agfa film products. Agfa has since pulled out of the North American market leaving Hollywood Film open to re-establishing ties with Fujifilm. Sharing Standards Testronic Labs in Burbank has joined Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem LLC, the consortium behind the UltraViolet format of distributing movies and television shows for viewing on multiple devices. The consortium of Hollywood studios, retailers, consumer electronics manufacturers, systems integrators and others is developing standards for sharing purchased digital content. Testronic, which provides quality-control testing for home entertainment products and digital master files used to create DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and online downloads, will contribute to the testing and certification protocol for UltraViolet, said CEO Seth Hallen. “With our deep expertise and experience in over a dozen certification programs, we feel we are uniquely positioned to fill a vital information need for the organization,” Hallen said in a prepared statement. Staff Reporter Mark Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or by e-mail at [email protected]