Page 40 - Peter Farrelly Issue

“Truthfully, my initial concern was whether I would get a pressure sore. Because I am a quadriplegic, if my muscle tissue is pressed up against a piece of metal, and it’s like that for an hour or two, that could be the beginning of a pressure sore or another type of injury. And, I may not be aware of it because I don’t have feeling in my legs.”
ple, then at least we have the numbers and the statistics to back it up.”
As it turned out, Yellen had already thought to ensure Forrest’s safety while shooting with the rig. They mounted the rig onto the front of the wheelchair, allow- ing some really tight, up-close shots of Forrest during a couple of key scenes.
John Lawson has been acting for decades and is cau- tiously optimistic that authentic representation will eventually be accepted as the norm, not something that is cause for celebration.
“It was right in my face. And I was able to roll around with the camera in front of me. So, the camera became part of my chair at that point,” Forrest explained. He continued, “It’s not like they just threw a GoPro on the front of my chair. Instead, they decided to mount an extremely incredible, expensive camera in such a way that the audience is right there with me in some really important moments.”
“In the past 25 years the number of roles out there just haven’t changed much, except now there are more peo- ple becoming disabled who want to see themselves in the content they invite into their homes on a daily basis,” Lawson said.
The end result was well worth the extra time and atten- tion the rig required. “That was one of the most incredi- ble shots that we did in the film,” writer and creator Kelly McNeil said, “Alex, my husband, and our grip, Dan Misner did a fabulous job. Dan is a master key grip, and he built that rig on Toby’s wheelchair to give it a very subjective first person POV (point of view) in two different scenes.”
Lawson said, “We are denying 25% of the population the right to self- representation in entertainment We wouldn’t do that with females or any other race. But yet, we do it with people with disabilities.”
Dan Misner, a seasoned film professional in various roles since the late 1980’s, explained, “The rig we built in “Daruma” is one of many in my career. However, it was my very first reverse POV type of rigs mounted on a wheelchair, especially one that required complete 360- degree motion while being strong enough to enable the chair to tip over with Toby in it and still keep the cam- era stable.”
“I’ve been to every one of them speaking to producers and writers and directors to try and educate them about representation. That’s one of the lofty goals that we have with “Daruma.” The hope is that it can prove that there is a market out there,” Lawson said.
“The biggest challenge in building the rig around Toby was holding all the pieces in place and getting the cam- era framed, which is a trick within itself. It took a few extra hands, but we ended up with a quite solid rig,” Misner said.
There are some familiar faces in the cast of “Daruma”. Abigail Hawk, known primarily for her role as Lt. Abigail Baker on long-running CBS series, “Blue Bloods,” plays Anna, the leading lady and love-interest in “Daruma.”
Yellen discussed this shot and sequence with him, and Misner liked the idea and was very happy with the end result, “In my opinion, it created a kind of surreal, chaotic, helpless feel to the scene.”
Barry Bostwick takes on the role of ‘Horace’ in the film. Bostwick’s storied acting career includes the iconic character “Brad” in the cult-classic “Rocky Horror Pic- ture Show,” and his role as Mayor Winston on the seven seasons of CBS sitcom “Spin City,” where he appeared alongside Michael J. Fox.
The cast and crew of “Daruma” hope to show the industry that film productions with actors and crew with authentic disabilities can and will resonate with audiences.
As the first U.S. feature film, with its two leading roles portrayed authentically by actors with disabilities, there is some early buzz in the disability community surrounding “Daruma”. Some believe the film offers reason to hope that it will finally usher in a brighter future for authentic representation in the entertainment industry. The film has generated interest from several distribution companies— McNeil and Yellen are currently fielding offers and expect to have good news soon.
“Everyone knows that money is a great motivator,” Kelli McNeil said, “Somebody once told me the only reason anybody ever makes a movie is for the bottom line. So, I guess if that’s what it takes to incentivize peo-
darumamovie.com
25% of people identify with some form of disability and representation remains at less than 2 % in film and tele- vision.
Looking back over his legacy of advocacy, Lawson recalls his repeated efforts to educate industry decision- makers that there is a market for more inclusive content and authentic representation. He has spoken at every major studio from Apple to Disney to Warner Brothers and all those in between.
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