Richard Baratta (center) has been working on major motion pictures since 1985. Movies like “Big,” “Working Girl,” “Donnie Brasco,” all three Spider-Man films, “Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull” and a lot more. He recently worked as associate producer on “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” with Denzel Washington and John Travolta and serves as the UPM (unit production manager) on the upcoming “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” with Nicholas Cage. He’s currently prepping the big screen “Smurfs” movie with Neil Patrick Harris (who plays a human, not a Smurf).

Richard was one of eight Hollywood producers brought to Sarasota in October by Jeanne Corcoran, Sarasota’s dynamic film commissioner and tireless champion of bringing more big screen films to our city (big props to Jeanne!) We caught up with him recently and chatted about his work.

INSIDER: Tell us about your experiences on the set of “Across the Universe,” the acclaimed film that tells the story of the Viet Nam era through the music of the Beatles.

RICHARD BARATTA: From many people’s standpoint it was a very difficult show to work on because of the many elements involved: song, dance, dialogue, action. But there were certainly more days that when you arrived on the set you were in anticipation of something special happening simply because of the integration of those elements.

Some days stood out as sentimental or exciting, others were heart wrenching. Having lived through the 60s and being cognizant of what took place during those times (the Vietnam War era), I think of the scene where Evan Rachel Wood is coming home from school and sees her fiance’s mother being confronted by the two marines who notify her that her son was killed in action. The mother and Rachel acted it perfectly; it was very poignant.

Also very poignant was when we recreated the riot in Detroit. If you remember there was a young African American boy who sang “Let it Be” and was shot and killed in that scene. We had a choir from Harlem join in on the vocals… the crew had tears in their eyes listening to that choir, and the message was clear: we’d had enough of the senseless violence. At that time we were in the early stages of the Iraqi war, so there were many similar feelings and emotions to be felt.

There were happy moments, too. It was a pretty difficult movie, but it was magical, too.

INSIDER: You’ve become the “go-to” guy for big-budgeted action films like “Spider-Man” and “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” that come to New York. Tell us about what you do.

RICHARD BARATTA: “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was probably the largest single film ever to shoot entirely in New York. “I am Legend” was close.

These large ones are really quite challenging because of their sheer size, how many components are involved, then you add in the visual effects aspects that are coming into play more and more and it increases your responsibilities and your workload. The accounting departments have grown in the past ten years, there is more personnel in the location department, but not with what I do as a co-producer and as a production manager.

I’m not complaining but the workload is bigger than when I first started. The responsibility of making sure that everyone is hired and shows up, that the budget is handled properly, the movie is delivered on time, those are all very challenging aspects of the UPM job. The bigger the picture, the bigger the stakes. I kinda long to do a small one at some point!

Bottom line, you go to work in the morning planning on certain things and you get there and all of a sudden there’s another fire in the room that you have to put out and your whole day changes. So I’ve really learned to adapt to ever-changing situations.

I’m prepping the “Smurfs” movie right now and I’ve never shot anything like this with CG (computer-generated) characters interacting with live action actors. And we’re shooting it in 2D but with the capability to convert it into 3D. (Compared to the Alvin movies) the characters will be a little more developed and the technology used more advanced.

INSIDER: Tell us about your experiences in Sarasota. And if you had a project that had to shoot in Florida, would you come here rather than Orlando or Miami?

RICHARD BARATTA: The treatment of the film community and the government (in Sarasota) was A+, it really was. The fact that we know you’re welcoming that type of industry and that you probably would go out of your way to help a filmmaker be successful in their endeavors plays big into the decision. Miami has crews and a large film base, yes, but if Sarasota could work for the location, I wouldn’t hesitate at all if what we needed was available there!

There you have it! Keep watching this space for an interview with Carol Cuddy, executive producer of the Rob Pattinson film “Remember Me,” opening this Friday. And soon, very, very soon, SFF 2010’s line up will be announced and I will begin profiling movies playing at the festival.

Have you been to the festival before? What are some of your favorite memories? What aspects of the festival would you like to learn more about?
Let me know, you have a voice here.

I am—

THE INSIDER—wanted by motion picture executives for revealing industry secrets to a public with the Right to Know, “The Insider” has spent over 15 years working behind the scenes in almost every aspect of “The Biz” developing a secret network of contacts, spies, moles, and highly trained counter-intelligence operatives and movie ninjas whose only goal is to inform and entertain you—and help you make this the best year of the Sarasota Film Festival ever!

In Hollywood, everything’s better if it starts with a “re”!

Olive Production’s current release “Saint John of Las Vegas” (starring SFF alum Steve Buscemi) is a “re-envisioning” of Dante’s Inferno.

Film roles get recast all the time, look at the character of Jack Ryan going from Alec Baldwin to Harrison Ford to Ben Affleck. Or all the Batmen we’ve had since 1989.

Some remakes end up with unique identities of their own that do not take a thing away from the originals, like Scorcese’s Robert DeNiro-driven rethink of “Cape Fear”.

Occasionally Hollywood sparks outrage among movie goers with threats of remaking one of a kind classics. “Wizard of Oz, but we get it right this time, the whole thing’s in color—and 3D!” (Uh-oh, look out. Almost just veered off into the fine art of the pitch, a topic for another day.)

On the other hand, sometimes Hollywood produces a miss, or near-miss, with a rough concept that really rocked (three times fast again, people) but a picture that didn’t quite—or at all—fulfill that concept’s promise.

Later this year we get Tron: Legacy, more of a sequel than anything, with 2010 Oscar winner for best actor Jeff Bridges back in action and joined by Michael Sheen (Frost in “Frost vs. Nixon”) and Olivia Wilde (“House” & Jon Favreau’s upcoming “Cowboys and Aliens”).

We have a new “Clash of the Titans” coming at the end of March and it looks kind of great, actually.

Horror icon Freddy Krueger has been re-imagined in the guise of Oscar-nominee Jackie Earle Haley when “A Nightmare on Elm Street” resurfaces in April.

“Piranha 3D” hopes to unleash a feeding frenzy at the box office in April as well, with Richard “We’re gonna need a big boat!”) Dreyfuss literally onboard. And did you know that the underwater unit for that flick was helmed by Sarasota resident and feature film director of photography Erik Curtis? And he also worked on Terminator: Salvation and many other reboots and re-somethin’ or anothers, I believe.

But I digress.

Later this year we get “Let Me In,” an American version of the sensational Stockholm set original directed by Matt Reeves (“Cloverfield.”) Gotta say, this and the planned American remake of “The Orphanage” are going to be tough sells for me. The originals of both set the bar wicked high.

We have new versions of “The Wolfman” (with Anthony Hopkins and Benicio del Toro, pictured), Robin Hood (Russell Crowe under the direction of Ridley Scott), another “Wall Street” from Oliver Stone, a new take on “Predators” from Robert Rodriguez starring Adrian Brody, and a lot more coming this year. And you’ve gotta admit, that picture’s pretty darn scary, no? Benicio all furred out and—oops. That was him as the Dog-Faced Boy in “Big Top Pee Wee’.” My bad!

And just to end the week with a moment of Zen, we give you the star-studded “Ballad of G.I. Joe” featuring Julianne Moore, Olivia Wilde and a cast of thousands. (Well, not really, but it is fun. Whoa, was that Ben Stiller???)

Sorry, embedding isn’t possible, you’ll need to click here to see it!

So here’s our topic for the day. Tell me how you feel about Hollywood’s many remakes, re-boots, re-imaginings, and so on. Can you think of any movies that could use the redo treatment and might be elevated into something so special it could run at SFF?

Post your replies or give me a holla at insider@sarasotafilmfestival.com.
(Man, I hope I don’t get rebooted!!!)

I am—

THE INSIDER—wanted by motion picture executives for revealing industry secrets to a public with the Right to Know, “The Insider” has spent over 15 years working behind the scenes in almost every aspect of “The Biz” developing a secret network of contacts, spies, moles, and highly trained counter-intelligence operatives and movie ninjas whose only goal is to inform and entertain you—and help you make this the best year of the Sarasota Film Festival ever!

The Jewish Film Festival kicks off in just two days! Click here to visit their site and learn all about it or here to read my overview of the festival. Either way you’ll learn the lineup of films and have the chance to buy tickets and watch trailers for the featured films. I’ll be there for sure—and watch SFF’s Facebook and Twitter pages for updates on the festival. Those dates again are March 7th through 10th at the Beatrice Friedman Theatre on the Federation Campus. Questions? Call Gisele Pintchuck at 941.371.4546 x121.

But wait, people, there’s more!

The Sarasota Film Festival kicks off on April 9th, a little more than a month from now. And before you know it, there will be announcements aplenty. Are you curious about what stars will attend, what films will play opening and closing night, what special events are in store for you this year? Well, you’ll have to wait just a little longer for official announcements, but know that come March 16th, a week from Monday, the Insider will be filling you in with profiles of films to play at the festival and much, much more.

Another big contest is coming—dinner and a movie anyone? More on that shortly.

And watch this space next week for interviews with producers with itsy-bitsy little flicks like all three Spider-Man movies, Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe, the latest Indiana Jones, and “Remember Me” (starring Edward Cullen his own self, Rob Pattinson!)

Lots there to sink your teeth into (gratuitous Twilight remark, just couldn’t resist) so bookmark our site and return often—the festival is nigh and the heat is on!

I am—

THE INSIDER—wanted by motion picture executives for revealing industry secrets to a public with the Right to Know, “The Insider” has spent over 15 years working behind the scenes in almost every aspect of “The Biz” developing a secret network of contacts, spies, moles, and highly trained counter-intelligence operatives and movie ninjas whose only goal is to inform and entertain you—and help you make this the best year of the Sarasota Film Festival ever!

Um… I guess I do. And that’s one of the reasons I’m here!

Here’s a look ahead at some nifty flicks you may not have heard of yet!

Bunraku: Hey, there’s SFF Alum Woody Harrelson. How can one resist that noir dripping ultra-stylized look, and Woody back behind the bar (is this the first time since “Cheers”?) We also get Demi Moore, Josh Hartnet, Ron Perlman, and an intriguing action-revenge tale. This one’s so fresh it doesn’t even have a release date yet, other than sometime this year!

Rabbit Hole: Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart cope with the grief of losing a child, adapted from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire. He has also given us Broadway’s “Shrek the Musical” and worked on one of the many scripts for “Spider-Man 4.” It is directed by John Cameron Mitchell (“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”) and also has no set date beyond 2010 TBA!

Rum Diary: I’ll just jump right to it. No release date, 2010 TBA. But on the upside, we get Johnny Depp once again teaming up with the works of the fascinating Hunter S. Thompson for the first time since Terry Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas.” Bruce Robinson, director of “Withnail and I” brings us this one, and Aaron Eckhart again co-stars.

Due Date: A-ha! One with a release date, November 5th, 2010. Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis co-star in director Todd Phillip’s first film since “The Hangover.” It’s a road trip movie with up-tight Downey’s character forced to accept a ride from habitually laid-back Galifianakis if he hopes to see the birth of his first born child.

Never Let Me Go: Keira Knightly stars in this adaptation of the literary thriller by Kazuo Ishiguro (“Remains of the Day.”) Screenplay by Alex Garland (author of “The Beach” and screenwriter of “28 Days Later.”)

Hereafter: Clint Eastwood directs, Matt Damon stars, in this December release with a supernatural edge. Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron’s daughter) co-stars and Steven Spielberg produces. Hmmm… wouldn’t it be nice to have something like a “Poltergeist” back in theaters?

A few more—“You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger,” Woody Allen’s latest, will be available to meet and greet in December. James L. Brooks and Jack Nicholson (“As Good as It Gets”) reteam on December 17th for “How Do You Know?” David O. Russell (“I Heart Huckabees”) brings us a gripping fight ring drama closer in tone to his “Three Kings” with “The Fighter” sometime in 2010. This one boasts Mark Walberg, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo in the true life tale of “Irish” Mickey Ward.

So here’s today’s pop quiz for you folks. No prizes except my gratitude. Tell me, of all the stars mentioned on this page, who would you most like to see come to SFF? Post on the blog or email me at insider@sarasotafilmfestival.com.

I am—

THE INSIDER—wanted by motion picture executives for revealing industry secrets to a public with the Right to Know, “The Insider” has spent over 15 years working behind the scenes in almost every aspect of “The Biz” developing a secret network of contacts, spies, moles, and highly trained counter-intelligence operatives and movie ninjas whose only goal is to inform and entertain you—and help you make this the best year of the Sarasota Film Festival ever!

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to audition for a Broadway musical—a Broadway musical that is, in fact about auditioning for a Broadway musical—then go no further. This is your film. Head spinning yet? Don’t worry, this is not an episode of “Lost,” check this out!

The documentary follows the trials and tribulations of actors auditioning for the 2006 revival of “A Chorus Line,” the longest running musical on Broadway. It examines all the backstage struggles involved in finding a new voice for an established classic and the heartbreak both onstage and off during the casting process. If you have fond memories of the original “Fame” or have students at any of the performing arts high school or college programs in this area, you’ll want to check out this ode to talent, joy and perseverance in the arts.

So now, since a past winner suggested that perhaps I make these questions a bit too easy, let’s step it up (hah, dance reference, see what I did there) and ask, “What current Sarasota resident who has attended SFF in the past played a featured role in the 1985 film of ‘A Chorus Line’?”

That’s all I’m givin’ ya… but if it proves too hard then let me know on Facebook and I’ll give you some more hints. Email your answers to insider@sarasotafilmfestival.com.

I am—

THE INSIDER—wanted by motion picture executives for revealing industry secrets to a public with the Right to Know, “The Insider” has spent over 15 years working behind the scenes in almost every aspect of “The Biz” developing a secret network of contacts, spies, moles, and highly trained counter-intelligence operatives and movie ninjas whose only goal is to inform and entertain you—and help you make this the best year of the Sarasota Film Festival ever!

How can you resist that? This film has won 15 festival awards. David Henry Hwang, author of “M. Butterfly”, calls it, “A breathtaking achievement—touching, humane, uplifting and ultimately inspiring in its bittersweet lyricism….it resonates with the force and poetry of a fable.”

“Children of Invention” is now playing a limited theatrical engagement in Boston then it moves to New York and Los Angeles on March 12th. But the filmmakers have been selling DVDs of the film themselves, and you can purchase one of several editions directly from their website—right now! Click here to check it out!

The film has not been MPAA rated because that organization charges filmmakers a high fee for their service. However, the filmmakers feel the movie would rate a PG as it has no “foul language, violence, nudity, or sexual situations,” and is therefore suitable for viewing by young children. Some of the editions available are filled with extras, including audition tapes and a short film by director Tze Chun. So check it out!

And tell me, what other SFF films would you like to learn more about? Do you want to see “where are they now” profiles on writers, directors and stars whose work has played here? This is your forum, so post here and tell me all about it. Or email me at insider@sarasotafilmfestival.com.

I am—

THE INSIDER—wanted by motion picture executives for revealing industry secrets to a public with the Right to Know, “The Insider” has spent over 15 years working behind the scenes in almost every aspect of “The Biz” developing a secret network of contacts, spies, moles, and highly trained counter-intelligence operatives and movie ninjas whose only goal is to inform and entertain you—and help you make this the best year of the Sarasota Film Festival ever!

Your very own SFF was just reviewed in Variety—the film industry’s premiere publication worldwide—by writer Shane Danielsen.  Here’s what Shane had to say!

“Regarded by many as the acme of a regional American film fest, Sarasota possesses virtues that run both sides of the podium. On the one hand, a team of informed, passionate programmers; on the other, an intensely loyal, slightly older-skewing audience who turn out in numbers and stay for Q&A’s and master classes. Visitors praise the sense of community the fest fosters, with a high number of filmmakers flown in.”

Well there you go!  After briefly dropping in to a few events at SFF 2009, this is my first year working with the festival, and from where I stand, Shane is one-thousand percent on the money with his appraisal.  This is a festival with a twelve-year history of running exquisite and fascinating films meant to appeal to a variety of audiences, and the staff here is second to none.  To mention only a few for the moment, well-deserved shout-outs to our fearless leader Mark Famiglio who has been with the festival from day one and brings a fierce passion and determination to the goal of making this festival the best one yet; the extraordinary Tom Hall and Holly Herrick who choose the films you will see (and do so much more); Kathy Jordan, Gail Silverman, Allison Koehler, on and on… I’m a guy who’s been on the sets of high-stakes hundred-million dollar films and heartfelt indies, yet I have never seen such a dedicated bunch.

Back to our regularly scheduled program of watercooler news and snark tomorrow.  This was simply too great an opportunity to pass up to say ‘thank you for having me onboard’ and a pat on the back for a job well done.

I am—

THE INSIDER—wanted by motion picture executives for revealing industry secrets to a public with the Right to Know, “The Insider” has spent over 15 years working behind the scenes in almost every aspect of “The Biz” developing a secret network of contacts, spies, moles, and highly trained counter-intelligence operatives and movie ninjas whose only goal is to inform and entertain you—and help you make this the best year of the Sarasota Film Festival ever!

INSIDER: Please tell us what you can about the story of the upcoming “I’m Not Me”:

ZAK & RODRIGO: ‘I’m Not Me’ is a film about how a man struggles with the death of his wife only to realize that they may have another chance at life together. It’s a drama with a sci-fi element. Our protagonist Josh Morgan begins shifting between parallel universes. The shifting is triggered by stress caused by the loss of his wife, Samantha. While in the alternate universe Josh meets his dead wife. She’s alive and well but married to someone else.

INSIDER: How did this project come about?

ZAK: Rod and I started making what we call ‘doodles’ about a year and a half ago. These doodles were short films that we’d make up while we were shooting other features. It was really a lot of fun. If we both had a free day we’d grab my Red camera and drive out of the city and just make up a story as we went along. Eventually these doodles began to take form and we had enough of a story that we thought it best to sit down and write it.

ROD: Zak and I wanted to work on our craft as much as possible so we made a promise to shoot every weekend. It didn’t really matter what it was, nor did we have any idea what we would shoot. So we rented a car and took a drive to Bear Mountain. On the way up we thought about ideas. After shooting a few scenes we realized that with all the information we had we needed to go back and write a script.

INSIDER: You are co-writer and co-director of this project. Rodrigo Lopresti, your co-writer and co-director, is also—I believe—the film’s star. What was your relationship on the set as co-directors? Did you divvy up the work, directing his scenes so that he could concentrate on acting, or collaborate on all shots and all aspects of the film’s direction?

ZAK: Luckily Rod and I share a very similar aesthetic and we’ve both collaborated with many other people, so by the time we teamed up it was very easy to work through any disagreements or issues. Some of our duties are very specific, I’m the Cinematographer and Rod is the lead actor, but everything really seems to blend together.

ROD: We were both doing more than one job on set so it was a true collaboration in that sense. We did a serious amount of prep before the shoot. Working on the script together helped tremendously with figuring out what the film would look like, what the characters would be, the mood, the feel. When we got on set it was a matter of rediscovering those things with what we had available.

INSIDER: There is a long and distinguished history of Directors of Photography moving to the director’s chair. Did you enjoy co-directing this film, and is a solo directing project on the horizon for you?

ZAK: I enjoy collaborations immensely and also love being a Cinematographer and will continue to do those things. There are a couple solo projects taking shape but it’s too early to be very specific. There’s just so many things that happen to a project in it’s early stages… I’ll have more to report this spring!

INSIDER: Zak, you also served as the film’s cinematographer. What look were you going for with this one?

ZAK: There are three main threads in this film: the original universe, the alternate universe and a series of flashbacks. Each element has a slightly different look so as to orient the viewer in time and space. The lighting throughout is very naturalistic but with a slightly darker almost spooky edge to it. The score was made to compliment this idea and I think when you see the film that tone really comes across.

INSIDER: When will the movie be ready for release?

Zak: We’ll most likely be hitting the festival circuit but we haven’t decided on where and when to premier it yet.

Well, there you go! A film that will certainly have a shot at playing SFF 2011—and you’ll be able to say you heard about it here, first!

Give me a shout out, people! Post here or email me at insider@sarasotafilmfestival.com.  This is your forum to tell us what you’d like to see at the festival in the future, what might convince you to attend if you’re on the fence, what interests you. Are you interested in “genre” films—science fiction, horror, fantasy—if they provide deeper explorations of love and loss like this one? What would you like to see? Post here and let’s get some serious discussion going!

I am—

THE INSIDER—wanted by motion picture executives for revealing industry secrets to a public with the Right to Know, “The Insider” has spent over 15 years working behind the scenes in almost every aspect of “The Biz” developing a secret network of contacts, spies, moles, and highly trained counter-intelligence operatives and movie ninjas whose only goal is to inform and entertain you—and help you make this the best year of the Sarasota Film Festival ever!