'Bashment Granny' expanded for big screen
Published: Sunday | August 2, 2009
File
A scene from the original 'Bashment Granny' play.
Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer
The play Bashment Granny has had a phenomenal run so far, playing to thousands of persons across and outside Jamaica. However, when Angel, Shebada, Mr Bashment, Half-a-Dog and the rest of the gang put on an expanded version of the show at various locations across Kingston recently, there were no hoots of laughter and picking up on popular lines by an enthusiastic audience.
Since July 12, Bashment Granny (the 2007 original) has officially been in movie mode, Stages Films working on its first feature production. Director Paul Beale told The Sunday Gleaner that shooting will wrap up in August and, if all goes well, the movie should be out in December.
So Bashment Granny has been to Green Gables, New Kingston, Norbrook and Long Mountain, with some very familiar faces.
"All the characters in the play are in the movie, plus more," Beale said. The familiar characters are played by the same actors and Beale said "the cast has been expanded quite a bit".
Additions to cast
Among the additions are the comedic duo Apache Chief and Sarge, not as comedians, although "their skills as comedians were fully employed". Trudy Bell, Donald Thompson and Patrick Smith are also new faces as Bashment Granny moves from the stage to the screen.
Beale, who adapted the script from Bad Boy Trevor's (Garfield Reid) story, says "it is essentially a movie for Jamaicans". So although parts were shot in New York and England, it was not an attempt to put in 'foreign' scenes to widen appeal.
"It's not like we had any crowd scene. We just told a part of the characters' story," Beale said.
Still, he opines that this makes Bashment Granny the first indigenous movie to be shot in three countries.
Extra pep
Those who have seen the play will recognise not only characters but also the plot when they see the film. However, just as there are additional characters, the story has also been given some extra pep.
"It follows the storyline and has been expanded," Beale said. This has been done with a watchful eye on satisfying the audience, Beale saying this has been done "to justify people who have seen the play coming to the movie, knowing they are going to be seeing quite a bit of new stuff".
Adapting Bashment Granny for the big screen has not been particularly difficult for Beale, as "once you are a storyteller you can always tell the story". And Beale is looking at longevity for the film, telling The Sunday Gleaner that "even the lines I use. I look at that line and ask if this will last".
Beale is very happy with the team that is working on the movie. Tanya Hepburn is script supervisor and Chris Browne is director of photography. "We are taking it that seriously, to get him (Browne) on the project," Beale said.
The film Bashment Granny is an independent effort, being done with "no sponsorship, no donations, no grants - so far".
"The funding would be nice, but we wanted to move the project forward without having the hindrance of someone telling us if they are coming on board. Probably in the future," Beale said.
A proposal was sent to one company, which "did not say no, though they did not say yes".
With no sponsorship or grants, Stages Films is banking on gate receipts to make the movie Bashment Granny financially viable. As director Paul Beale puts it, the approach to the screen is the same one taken towards the stage - develop a quality product and people will come.
They have been coming to Bashment Granny, which has been all over Jamaica, to England, Canada and across the Caribbean. It has exploded way past dedicated theatre venues, one double bill at Cable and Wireless Golf Academy (with Money Worries) pulling in an estimated 10,000-plus audience.
Marketing for film
And the response has played a major role in the making of the movie.
"When you're going to take on a film, you have to think of the marketing first," Beale told The Sunday Gleaner. "Based on the popularity of the play, we thought this was the way to go."
The decision was not based only on the audience turnout, but also informal surveys done at performances of Bashment Granny. "We spoke to a number of persons and they said yes," Beale said.
However, when the movie is released, those who have seen the play at numerous open-air venues across Jamaica should not expect the same experience, as "one has to consider issues like piracy. All venues must be under control."
So cinemas are the outlet of Bashment Granny choice.
In addition, while the play has kept thousands entertained for two and a half hours ("We did not hear anyone complain," Beale says), the movie will be about half-hour shorter. "You can tell a story more efficiently (on film), so you can knock 20 to 30 minutes off it," Beale said.
- Mel Cooke
