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Lisa Haselton’s interview with writer Leo Adam Biga
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Interview with writer Leo Adam Biga
Writer Leo Adam Biga joins me to chat about his film book–
“Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film”:
Bio:
Author-journalist-blogger Leo Adam Biga resides in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. His articles appear in various newspapers and magazines as well as on his popular blog, leoadambiga.com, and Facebook page, My Inside Stories. His work has been recognized by his peers at the local, regional and national levels. He was the 2015 recipient of the Andy Award for international journalism from his alma mater, the University of Nebraska at Omaha. That grant supported his reporting mission to Uganda and Rwanda, Africa in the company of professional world boxing Terence Crawford of Omaha and Pipeline Worldwide director Jamie Nollette.
Biga is the author of several books, including “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” and “Crossing Bridges: A Priest’s Uplifting Life Among the Downtrodden”. Biga’s reporting and writing about Payne has made him a recognized expert on the Oscar-winning filmmaker (“Sideways“, “Nebraska”) from Omaha. His latest book is “Nebraska Methodist College at 125: Scaling New Heights” – a history of the Omaha-base college of nursing and allied health celebrating 125 years.
The writer is developing the Nebraska Screen Heritage Project as a multimedia celebration of native Nebraskans in the film and television industry. He is also developing a book about Omaha’s Black Sports Legends.
Welcome, Leo. Please tell us about your current release.
Articles and essays take you deep inside Alexander Payne’s creative process. This second edition includes significant new material related to his last film “Nebraska” and his highly anticipated new film “Downsizing,” It also features the addition of a Discussion Guide with Index.
Payne fans will appreciate the extensive interviews-stories that follow the arc of the writer-director’s career from brash upstart to consummate filmmaker at the head of the Indiewood movement.
Film historian Thomas Schatz (“The Genius of the System”):
“This is without question the single best study of Alexander Payne’s films, as well as the filmmaker himself and his filmmaking process. In charting the first two decades of Payne’s remarkable career, Leo Adam Biga pieces together an indelible portrait of an independent American artist, and one that’s conveyed largely in the filmmaker’s own words.”
Leonard Maltin:
“Alexander Payne is one of American cinema’s leading lights. How fortunate we are that Leo Biga has chronicled his rise to success so thoroughly.”
Alexander Payne:
“Throughout many years of being interviewed, I find Mr. Biga’s articles about me to be the most complete and perceptive of any journalist’s anywhere. They ring true to me, even in critique, in a way that reveals the depth of his talent in observation, understanding and expression.”
What inspired you to write this book?
In covering Alexander Payne more than a decade and a half I accumulated a large body of work about someone I saw go from a promising newcomer few heard of and whose first two films were not much seen to an accomplished filmmaker recognized around the world. The book collects my journalism about Payne and his journey in film, thereby preserving my work about him in an enduring, hard-bound fashion and thereby contributing my take on this important film artist.
Excerpt from “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film”:
Even though Alexander Payne demonstrates time and again that commercial considerations mean very little to him, following the breakaway success of The Descendants (2011) there was every reasonable expectation he might lean a bit more again in the direction of mainstream with his next film. I say again because I count The Descendants as a conventional, even mainstream work even though its protagonist rails against his comatose wife and sets out to wreck the life of the man she was cheating with, all the while trying not to lose it with his two grieving daughters in tow.
Payne soon quashed any notion of playing it safe when he announced the small, insular back roads comedy-drama Nebraska (2013) as his new feature project. It did not help its bottom line chances that the film is set in rural Nebraska, which for most filmgoers may as well be the dark side of the moon for its unfamiliarity, remoteness, and perceived barrenness. Indeed, if Nebraska conjures any image at all it is of endless cornfields, cows, and monotonously flat, uninspired scenery. When the story laid over such a setting features a confused, depressed old cuss alienated from family and friends and wandering around in a bleak wasteland made even bleaker by black and white photography and desolate late fall, post-harvest locations, it does not exactly engender excitement. The prospect of a dour, feel-bad experience devoid of life and color does not get tongues a-wagging to generate the all important buzz that sells tickets.
Of course, anyone who has seen Nebraska knows the film is not the downer it may appear to be from glimpsing a thirty second trailer or hearing a thirty second sound bite, but that it is ultimately a sweet, deeply affecting film filled with familiar truths amid its very Nebraskaesque yet also quite universal archetypes.
Payne’s insistence on shooting in black and white was a completely legitimate aesthetic choice given the storyline and tone of this stark, autumnal mood piece about an old man having his last hurrah. But it also meant a definite disadvantage in appealing to average or general movie fans, many of whom automatically pass on any non-color film.
Compounding the aversion that many moviegoers have with black and white is the fact that most studio executives, distributors, and theater bookers share this aversion, not on aesthetic grounds, but based on the long-held, much repeated argument that black and white films fare poorly at the box office. Of course, there is a self- fulfilling prophecy at work here that starts with studio resistance and reluctance to greenlight black and white features and even when a studio does approve the rare black and white entry executives seem to half-heartedly market and release these pics. It is almost as if the bean counters are out to perversely prove a point, even at the risk of injuring the chances of one of their own pictures at finding a sizable audience. Then when the picture lags, it gives the powerbrokers the platform to say, I told you so. No wonder then – and this is assuming the argument is true – most black and white flicks don’t perform well compared with their color counterparts. Except, how does one arrive at anything like a fair comparison of films based on color versus black and white? Even if the films under review are of the same genre and released in the same period, each is individually, intrinsically its own experience and any comparison inevitably ends up being a futile apples and oranges debate. Besides, there are exceptions to the supposed rule that all black and white films struggle. From the 1970s on The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon, Young Frankenstein, Manhattan, Raging Bull, Schindler’s List, Ed Wood, and The Artist are among the black and white films to have found wide success. It is admittedly a short list but it does prove black and white need not be a death sentence.
To no one’s surprise Paramount did what practically any studio would have done in the same situation, which was to fight Payne on the black and white decision. In no uncertain terms Payne wanted to make Nebraska in black and white and just as adamantly the studio wanted no part of it. He pushed and they pushed back. He would not compromise his vision because from the moment he first read Bob Nelson’s screenplay he clearly saw in his mind’s eye the world of this story play out in in shades of black and white. It just fit. It fit the characters and the settings and the emotions and as far as he was concerned that was that. No questions asked. No concessions made.
What exciting story are you working on next?
At any given time there are interesting journalism and other narrative-based projects that arise. Much of my work as a journalist entails writing about various arts-culture subjects. I also write a fair amount on social justice issues. On occasion I travel for my work. I once went to North Dakota to research a set of stories about a campus serving developmentally disabled individuals. I participated in a baseball tour of the Midwest that resulted in a first-person story I wrote about the tour group’s visits to various baseball shrines and stadiums in a five-state region. I spent a week on the set of Alexander Payne’s Sideways in the Santa Barbara region and wrote a series of stories from that experience. I traveled with a group of folks from Omaha to the first Obama inauguration in D.C. and filed a story about that. I have been out to Los Angeles a number of times related to my reporting on Payne and his films. In 2015 I received a grant for international journalism that funded my reporting mission to Uganda and Rwanda, Africa with world boxing champion Terence Crawford. This past summer I made my first visits to the American South and I wrote a number of posts about the experiences on my blog and Facebook page. In 2017 I hope to travel to New York or Toronto for the North American premiere of Payne’s new film Downsizing starring Matt Damon.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I suppose I began thinking that way in college, though I didn’t do all that much writing then. it really wasn’t until some years after college, having worked in public relations and then beginning to freelance as a journalist, that I identified as a writer. But it still took me a few years to say the words “I am a writer” without stumbling over them.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Yes, I do write full-time. Like most writers, much of my time is not taken up with writing per se, but rather with the different things that prepare me to write (interviews, research) and sustain my writing (pitching, marketing). There’s a fair amount of correspondence and phone conversation that takes place between myself and editors.
My writing schedule depends on what else I have going on in terms of interviews and such. It also depends on what kind of writing I’m doing . If it’s a book, I try to plan writing on certain days and even during certain times of the day when I know I’ll be able to devote some undivided attention to the project. If it’s an article, then it’s a bit more haphazard and directed in part by deadlines. If it’s a blog or Facebook post, then it’s much more in the moment and as the spirit moves me. With any of these forms of writing though, I might be at the keyboard in the morning, afternoon or evening.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
As a nonfiction writer I depend on primary interviews for my source material and I am a stickler for recording all my interviews and transcribing them myself.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I don’t recall ever really thinking in those terms as a child. I am also sure I would never have considered being a writer if not for some teachers in elementary and high school who encouraged me. There were a couple professors in college who also influenced me to follow this path.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Most of my original writing these days is actually done for my blog and Facebook page. But those sites also serve as an archive and new platform for my previously published work. If your readers want a real sense for who I am as a person and as a writer, I encourage them to visit those sites.
Links:
Thank you for being here today, Leo.
Posted by Lisa Haselton at 12:02 AM
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Labels: Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film, Arts, author interview,Entertainment, Film, Leo Adam Biga
About Lisa
Lisa Haselton
I’m a NH native and love New England. I love writing about the region, exploring it on foot, on my bicycle, and in my car. There are so many small communities and fun and interesting people in this area, that I could be here a lifetime and not do all it is I want to do. 🙂
I’m a writer because I have a passion for words. I write YA and adult fiction, favoring all flavors of mysteries and I enjoy dark fiction. I belong to Sisters in Crime and Sisters in Crime – New England (SinCNE) and I’m a regular contributor to the SinCNE blog. My favorite mystery writing conference is the annual New England Crime Bakeheld each November in Boston.
I interview authors at Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews. All reviews are my own opinion. For interviews, you can contact me at ReviewsAndInterviews (at) gmail (dot) com.
I’m a moderator at The Writer’s Chatroom that hosts live chats with guest authors on Sunday nights 7-9PM EST. Join the e-mail list to get notifications of upcoming guests, then stop in and join the conversation!
Links to check out
- Advice to Writers
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- Chris Brogan – Learn How Human Business Works
- Dallas Woodburn’s Writing Life
- Damnation Books
- Funds for Writers
- Jungle Red Writers
- Lisa Jackson, writer and editor
- Live Fearless
- Live to Write, Write to Live
- Married with Luggage
- New England Crime Bake Conference
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- Susan Nye – Around the Table
- The Graveyard Shift
- The Renegade Writer
- The Writer’s Chatroom
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Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film
Author Leo Adam Biga is pleased to present the new edition of his acclaimed book “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film”about one of cinema’s great artists (“”About Schmidt,” Sideways,” “The Descendants,” “Nebraska”). This second edition features expanded and enhanced content.
This is the time to get the book, too, because it recaps the Oscar-winner’s last film “Nebraska” and anticipates his new film “Downsizing.” Once “Downsizing” opens, his career’s likely to reach even new heights.
The book charts the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s rise to the elite ranks of his industry. It explores the arc of Payne’s career from brash new indie filmmaker to mature, consummate world cinema artist. Articles and essays take you deep inside the artist’s creative process. It is the most comprehensive look at Payne and his work to be found anywhere. This new edition includes significant new material related to “Nebraska” and “Downsizing” and the addition of a Discussion Guide with Index for all you film buffs, critics, filmmakers, educators and students. The book is also a great resource for more casual film fans who want a handy Payne primer and trivia goldmine.
Biga’s book explores the arc of Payne’s career from brash new indie filmmaker to mature, consummate world cinema artist.
The book has received strong praise and positioned Biga as an expert on Payne:
“This is without question the single best study of Alexander Payne’s films, as well as the filmmaker himself and his filmmaking process. In charting the first two decades of Payne’s remarkable career, Leo Adam Biga pieces together an indelible portrait of an independent American artist, and one that’s conveyed largely in the filmmaker’s own words. This is an invaluable contribution to film history and criticism – and a sheer pleasure to read as well.” –Thomas Schatz, Film scholar and author (“The Genius of the System”)
National film critic and best-selling author Leonard Maltin included “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” in his end of year movie book survey. He wrote, “In this revised edition of his book about one of today’s most gifted writer-directors, Biga brings the narrative up to date with a chapter on ‘Nebraska’ and Payne’s long-awaited ‘Downsizing,’ which has recently completed production. With the filmmaker’s participation and cooperation, this is certainly the definitive guide and companion to the works of Alexander Payne, who has given us such modern gems as ‘Citizen Ruth,’ ‘Election,’ ‘About Schmidt,’ ‘Sideways,’ and ‘The Descendants.’”
Leonard earlier wrote, “Alexander Payne is one of American cinema’s leading lights. How fortunate we are that Leo Biga has chronicled his rise to success so thoroughly.”
The new edition is from River Junction Press in Omaha, NE and sells for $25.95.
The book is a available at Barnes & Noble and other fine booktores nationwide, as well as on Amazon and for Kindle. In Nebraska, you can find it at all Barnes & Noble stores, The Bookworm and Our Bookstore in Omaha, Indigo Bridge Books in Lincoln and in select gift shops statewide. You can also order signed copies through the author’s blog leoadambiga.com or via www.facebook.com/LeoAdamBiga or by emailing the author at leo32158@cox,net. You can also call 402-445-4666.
Purchase the book at–
For more information. visit–
https://www.facebook.com/pg/AlexanderPayneExpert/about/?ref=page_internal
Purchase your signed copy of “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” directly from me
Purchase your signed copy of “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” directly from me. I know several of you planned on attending my book events and talks last fall, and so if you’re still without your signed copy of edition number two, then contact me directly here, through a Facebook inbox, by email at leo32158@cox.net or by calling 402-445-4666. I will be happy to put one in your hands. If you’re out of town, I’ll be glad to ship one to you.
Leonard Maltin included “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” in his end of year movie book survey. He wrote, “In this revised edition of his book about one of today’s most gifted writer-directors, Biga brings the narrative up to date with a chapter on ‘Nebraska’ and Payne’s long-awaited ‘Downsizing,’ which has recently completed production. With the filmmaker’s participation and cooperation, this is certainly the definitive guide and companion to the works of Alexander Payne, who has given us such modern gems as ‘Citizen Ruth,’ ‘Election,’ ‘About Schmidt,’ ‘Sideways,’ and ‘The Descendants.'”
And here is what one of America’s leading film historians says about the book:
“This is without question the single best study of Alexander Payne’s films, as well as the filmmaker himself and his filmmaking process. In charting the first two decades of Payne’s remarkable career, Leo Adam Biga pieces together an indelible portrait of an independent American artist, and one that’s conveyed largely in the filmmaker’s own words. This is an invaluable contribution to film history and criticism – and a sheer pleasure to read as well.” –Thomas Schatz, Film scholar and author (“The Genius of the System”)
Also available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Bookworm, Our Bookstore and select other booksellers and gift shops.
$25.95, plus tax.
Tribute to educator who fired my passions for writing and film
Tribute to educator who fired my passions for writing and film
©by Leo Adam Biga
Author of Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film
Most of us, I suspect, end up doing what we do and loving what we love in large part because someone showed us the way or encouraged us to step out on a certain path that ended up being our calling or passion. In my case, the same person is responsible for nurturing the two deep heart streams that run hard and fast in my life: my love for writing and for film. His name is Michael Krainak. The retired high school teacher now serves as the art editor for The Reader. If you follow my work, then you know that I have a long, strong relationship with The Reader as a contributing writer. Thus, Mike and I are colleagues today.
As most of you know by now, I make my living as an author-journalist-blogger. As a lifelong film buff I have never felt compelled to make a movie, though I would like to try my hand at a documentary one day. Instead, my cinema fix comes via watching movies and reading and writing about movies and the people who make them. While I am not a full-time film journalist, I write enough about the subject to qualify. My book “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” is now in its second edition. Before I ever began writing on film for pay, I was a film exhibitor-programmer-publicist at three nonprofits: the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where I received my journalism degree; the Joslyn Art Museum; and the New Cinema Cooperative. The latter, which also went by New Cinema Coop, was sort of the precursor to Film Streams in Omaha.
I took English, journalism and film from Mike at Holy Name High School in North Omaha. The high school closed years ago but the elementary school, which I also attended, is going strong after some struggles. Some years after I graduated Hold Name, Mike went on to teach at North High and just as Holy Name’s journalism program and student newspaper fared well in statewide competitions under him so did the program and paper at North.
Mike taught my two older brothers before me at Holy Name. Greg and Dan had him strictly for English. I was the only writer in the family and it wasn’t until I came under Mike’s influence that I gave any thought to the idea of pursuing writing as a field of study, much less a career. While my brothers and I all enjoyed movies growing up, I pushed that interest in some unexpected ways as a result of Mike opening a world of cinema possibilities to me I never knew existed.
Mike came into my life at a critical juncture. As a kid I rarely went to see movies at theaters. Virtually all my cinephile stirrings happened at home watching whatever was available on the three commercial networks, the three local network affiliates as well as on PBS and NET. Even with those seemingly limited options, I availed myself of a pretty wide sample of old Hollywood and foreign films in addition to more contemporary pictures from the 1960s and 1970s.
I remember the strong feelings and awakenings that particular films evoked in me.
“On the Waterfront”
“It’s a Wonderful Life”
“The Manchurian Candidate”
“The Red Shoes”
“Spartacus”
“Odd Man Out”
“To Kill a Mockingbird”
“A Thousand Clowns”
“The Producers”
“Bonnie and Clyde”
“The French Connection”
“The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”
“The Quiet Man”
“Lonely are the Brave”
“Cape Fear” (the original)
And hundreds more.
At home, spellbound by the reverie of film’s magic, the intensity with which I felt movies often overwhelmed me. I didn’t yet possess the emotional maturity and the necessary vocabulary to articulate or even identify what I was feeling and thinking. I just sensed that these were important works of art that were somehow affecting and changing me. They were a huge part of my education about the world and about the human condition, though as I would come to find out no adequate replacement for actual lived human experience and interaction. I couldn’t really express to my parents, try as I might, the revelations and inspirations that films were feeding me. My brothers were both out of the house by the time I came of age through film and so I really couldn’t share these things with them either. Mike’s teaching affirmed for me that the very films I was reacting so strongly to were indeed essentials and that confirmation opened new horizons to my intellectual curiosity. He also challenged some of my assumptions and that process alone made me a more rigorous thinker and writer.
Mike’s film class was remarkable for any high school in America but especially for an inner city parochial school in Omaha, Nebraska. For starters, he screened an amazingly diverse mix of films that included pictures with very adult themes and R-rated content such as “Point Blank” and “Walkabout” and groundbreaking older Hollywood films only just being rediscovered then:
“Paths of Glory”
“Touch of Evil”
“Night of the Hunter”
It was important that I got exposed to these work when I did. It was equally important that Mike first introduced me to the vocabulary of film language in a focused way. I was so caught up in the whirl of cinema that within a couple years of starting at the University of Nebraska at Omaha I did something radical for someone as insular and insecure as I was by applying to be the chairperson of the Student Programming Organization film series. I ended up chairing or co-chairing that series for four years as a student and then continuing on as an unpaid graduate consultant for another eight or nine years. It meant programming, booking and publicizing the films as well as supervising their exhibition. In my 20s and despite my shyness I was appearing on radio and TV and giving print interviews to promote the series. It was a big program by the way. At its peak, we screened something like 75 to 100 films a year, showing a wide range of content from American and foreign classics to more contemporary pics. The reason I felt confident in doing it was the foundation that Mike laid for me in high school, which I made stronger by seeking out film books and magazines at the UNO Library and at the Omaha Public Library in order to advance my education about the art form. I once subscribed to three film magazines. I accumulated a fairly large private collection of film books. I also began paying close attention whenever a filmmaker or film actor was interviewed or profiled on television. All of it was an education for me, greatly informing my appreciation and understanding of cinema, past and present.
Mike ended up teaching film studies coursse at UNO. I took one of the courses and it was again a seminal experience, though not quite the revelatory rite of passage that his high school class had been. A fellow film buff friend and I would also sometimes attend private screenings Mike would hold at his home of some film he was passionate about us seeing. In that formative time in my young adulthood from ages 20 through 35 I more and more identified as a film buff and my circle of friends and I shared similar interests. In the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s I saw a whole lot of movies in theaters and on television – far more than I see today, though with Netflix I’m beginning to get back in the groove again.
I eventually evolved the SPO film series into a very different program that exclusively screened newer American and foreign films. many of them independent productions. We actually brought several films into town for their Omaha premiere screenings.
My efforts with the film series complemented and eventually supplanted my journalism studies at UNO. The assignments I wrote for class and for the UNO Gateway were not nearly as helpful to my development as a writer as were the many press releases and public service announcements I wrote and the brochure copy and film notes I wrote in support of the series.
Mike’s influence on me as a writer wasn’t as profound because that development came long after high school and even college. But thanks to Mike, I overcame my doubts and did follow his advice to study journalism. And if it wasn’t for that push, I would never have embreked on a career as a writer. My first real writing job was as head of public relations at the Joslyn Art Museum ,where fate reunited us because Mike ran a film series for the museum that I helped publicize. I also did some special film programming at the museum, including a Western film series in conjunction with River City Roundup. As my career transitioned into freelance writing, Mike continued to be an influence because I would attend some of the museum film screenings he presented and he attended some of the screenings I put on at the New Cinema Cooperative.
It was in the last year of the New Cinema Coop’s existence that we screened, on my recommendation, a student thesis film by a the unknown Omaha native and recent UCLA grad named Alexander Payne. His “The Passion of Martin” was showing at festivals around the nation and the world and getting high praise, not to mention getting him a deal with a major Hollywood studio. It was the first time I heard of him. We booked and exhibited his student film and five years later I did my first interview with him. Dozens of interviews have followed. 2017 will mark 21 years that I’ve written and reported about Payne and his work. During that time I’ve interviewed many other film artists from Nebraska and from well beyond Nebraska, including several legends and Oscar-winners.
Thanks to Mike, my cinephile leanings merged with my journalistic skills and I have since created a huge body of work that I have already turned into the book “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” and that I intend to turn into another book about Nebraska’s Screen Heritage.
It took me a long time but I came to a point of ever more identifying as a writer and associating myself with fellow writers. I enjoy interviewing and profiling writers. Just as an exercise, I recently culled through my mental and digital files to chart the number of writers of all types I have interviewed and written about over the years. Though the list I came up was surely incomplete I was rather startled to find thatIi have made something like 75 or 80 writers the subjects of stories. Some of these writers I consider colleagues and friends and they include leading literary lights.
The blessing and curse that has been my life as a lover of films and words is something I attribute to Mike. I told him that myself just the other night at a book event I was a part of and he reminded me that we ultimately all choose our own path. Yes, but it does take someone to nudge or guide us onto or along the path. Thanks, Mike, for seeing something in me and giving me a direction to follow. I don’t know where I would be without these two constant passions coursing through my life. You helped me find dual magnificent obsessions that have enriched me and given me my livelihood.
Signing “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” at Our Bookstore Holiday Party
Hope to see you at Our Bookstore’s Annual Holiday Party on Monday, Dec. 5 from 5 to 7 pm. I will be among a group of local authors signing books. It would be my pleasure to sign a copy of “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” for you or for the film lover in your life. It makes a great gift. $25.95
FROM OUR BOOKSTORE:
Celebrate the holiday season with us at our annual gathering.
Meet local authors:
Eileen Wirth, author of “From Society Page to Front Page and Images of America : Omaha’s Historic Houses of Worship”
Leo Biga author of “Alexander Payne: His journey In Film”
Michael Kelly author of “Uniquely Omaha”
Also attending:
Kira Gale, Connie Spittler, George Haecker,
John Prescott, Mark Langan, David Harding,
Jon Blecha, Joe Broghammer, Joan Fogarty
and Vicki Krecek
Come for libations, nosh, and a great collection of new books!
1030 Howard St, on the lower floor of the Passageway in the Old Market.
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Signing “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” at Our Bookstore – Monday, Dec. 5 from 5 to 7 pm
Thank you, Our Bookstore, for featuring “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” on your Facebook page. I will be among the local authors signing at the store’s annual Holiday Party from 5 to 7 pm on Monday, December 5. Our Bookstore is located in the Passageway of the Old Market. It is a cozy literary corner with a great, curated selection for such an intimate space. Hope to see you there. My book sells for $25.95. Hope to sign one for you.
“This is without question the single best study of Alexander Payne’s films, as well as the filmmaker himself and his filmmaking process. In charting the first two decades of Payne’s remarkable career, Leo Adam Biga pieces together an indelible portrait of an independent American artist, and one that’s conveyed largely in the filmmaker’s own words. This is an invaluable contribution to film history and criticism – and a sheer pleasure to read as well.” –Thomas Schatz, Film scholar and author (“The Genius of the System”)
“Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” is a must-have resource about one of America’s and the world’s leading cinema artists. I have been in the unique position of covering the Oscar-winning filmmaker from Omaha for 20 years, The book is the culimination of all that reporting and writing about the acclaimed writer-director and his work. Through interviews, articles and essays I take you through the journey of his feature filmmaking career from “Citizen Ruth” to “Election” to “About Schmidt” to “Sideways” to “The Descendants” to “Nebraska” and even looking forward to his upcoming “Downsizing.”
The new edition is from River Junction Press in Omaha. It makes a great gift for the film lover in your life.
The book charts Payne’s rise to the elite ranks of world cinema and takes you deep inside his creative process. It is the most comprehensive look at Payne and his work to be found anywhere. This new edition includes significant new material related to “Nebraska” and “Downsizing” and the addition of a Discussion Guide with Index for all you film buffs, critics, filmmakers, educators and students. The book is great for more casual film fans who want a handy Payne primer and trivia goldmine.
More strong praise for the book:
“Alexander is a master. Many say the art of filmmaking comes from experience and grows with age and wisdom but, in truth, he was a master on day one of his first feature. Leo Biga has beautifully captured Alexander’s incredible journey in film for us all to savor.” – Laura Dern, actress, star of “Citizen Ruth”
“Last night I finished your wonderful new book and I enjoyed it so much! Alexander Payne is such a terrific director and I loved reading about his films in detail. Congratulations.” – Joan Micklin Silver, filmmaker (“Hester Street,” “Crossing Delancey”)
“Alexander Payne is one of American cinema’s leading lights. How fortunate we are that Leo Biga has chronicled his rise to success so thoroughly.” – Leonard Maltin, film critic and best-selling author
“I’d be an Alexander Payne fan even if we didn’t share a Nebraska upbringing: he is a masterly, menschy, singular storyteller whose movies are both serious and unpretentious, delightfully funny and deeply moving. And he’s fortunate indeed to have such a thoughtful and insightful chronicler as Leo Biga.” – Kurt Andersen, novelist (“True Believers”) and Studio 360 host
“Alexander Payne richly deserves this astute book about his work by Leo Biga. I say this as a fan of both of theirs; and would be one even if I weren’t from Nebraska.” – Dick Cavett, TV legend
“Leo Biga brings us a fascinating, comprehensive, insightful portrait of the work and artistry of Alexander Payne. Mr. Biga’s collection of essays document the evolution and growth of this significant American filmmaker and he includes relevant historical context of the old Hollywood and the new. His keen reporter’s eye gives the reader an exciting journey into the art of telling stories on film.” – Ron Hull, Nebraska Educational Television legend, University of Nebraska emeritus professor of broadcasting, author of “Backstage”
“Perhaps the most intriguing feature of the book is Biga’s success at getting Payne to speak candidly about every step in the filmmaking process. These detailed insights include the challenges of developing material from conception to script, finding financing, moderating the mayhem of shooting a movie, and undertaking the slow, monk-like work of editing.” – Brent Spencer, educator and author (“The Lost Son”)
“This book became a primer for me, and introduced me to filmmaking in a way that I had never experienced in my years at film school. The intimacy and honesty in Biga’s writing, reporting and interviewing– and Payne’s unparalleled knowledge of cinema introduced me to filmmaking and film history from someone I quickly came to respect: Mr. Payne.” – Bryan Reisberg, filmmaker (“Big Significant Things”)
Biga Signs “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” at The Bookworm
Biga Signs “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” at The Bookworm
From 1 to 2 pm on Saturday, Oct. 29 I am the featured author at The Bookworm’s Holiday Book Fair. I will sign copies of the new edition of my book “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film.” ($25.95)
Hope to see you at this great independent, family-owned bookstore in Omaha located at Loveland Centre, 90th & Center Streets
402-392-2877
info@bookwormomaha.com
Strong praise for “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film”–
“This is without question the single best study of Alexander Payne’s films, as well as the filmmaker himself and his filmmaking process. In charting the first two decades of Payne’s remarkable career, Leo Adam Biga pieces together an indelible portrait of an independent American artist, and one that’s conveyed largely in the filmmaker’s own words. This is an invaluable contribution to film history and criticism – and a sheer pleasure to read as well.” – Thomas Schatz, Film scholar and author (“The Genius of the System”)
This labor of love project is the most comprehensive study of Payne and the culimination of 20 years covering the Oscar-winning filmmaker. Contains original articles and essays about Payne and his work, The book makes a great resource for film buffs, critics, filmmakers, educators and students as well as more casual film fans who want a handy Payne primer and trivia goldmine.
This second edition is from River Junction Press in Omaha and features new content current to Payne’s “Nebraska” and “Downsizing” projects and the addition of a discussion guide and index. Make sure to get yours in advance of Payne’s new film “Downsizing” promising to be the most talked-about movie of 2017.
Looking forward to signing your copy of the book on Oct. 29.
Let us know you’re coming by visiting the Facebook event page at–
https://www.facebook.com/events/181824015601959/
Also available at Barnes & Noble, Our Bookstore, via Amazon and for Kindle.
Read more about the book and “Downsizing” at these links–
Intimate Book Talk-Signing for “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” – Saturday, Nov. 5 @ Indigo Bridge Books in Lincoln
Intimate Book Talk-Signing for “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” – Saturday, Nov. 5 from 3 to 4:30 pm @ Indigo Bridge Books in Lincoln, NE
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3 PM – 4:30 PM
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701 P St, Ste 102, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508
Saturday, November 5 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Indigo Bridge Books in The Creamery Building
701 P Street, Suite 102, Lincoln, NE
1 (402) 477 7770
“This is without question the single best study of Alexander Payne’s films, as well as the filmmaker himself and his filmmaking process. In charting the first two decades of Payne’s remarkable career, Leo Adam Biga pieces together an indelible portrait of an independent American artist, and one that’s conveyed largely in the filmmaker’s own words. This is an invaluable contribution to film history and criticism – and a sheer pleasure to read as well.” – Thomas Schatz, Film scholar and author (“The Genius of the System”)
Join me in conversation about the filmmaker and his body of work, what we can expect from his new feature “Downsizing” and the making of my book based on 20 years covering Payne. The book makes a great resource for film buffs, critics, filmmakers, educators and students as well as more casual film fans who want a handy Payne primer and trivia goldmine.
This is the new edition from River Junction Press about the Oscar-winning filmmaker from Omaha. It features new content current to his “Nebraska” and “Downsizing” projects and the addition of a discussion guide and index. A perfect gift for yourself or the cinema lover in your life. Sells for $25.95. Copies will be available for purchase and signing.
Looking forward to signing your copy.
Also available at Barnes & Noble, Our Bookstore, via Amazon and for Kindle.
Let us know you’re coming by visiting the event’s Facebook page– https://www.facebook.com/events/2140541916172028/
Read more about the book and “Downsizing” at these links–
Spread the “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” gospel at Kiwanis Club of Omaha today
Spread the “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” gospel at Kiwanis Club of Omaha today
Many thanks to the fine folks at Kiwanis Club of Omaha for having me speak at their weekly meeting today at UNO’s Scott Conference Center. I presented on Alexander Payne and even sold 7 or 8 copies of the new edition of my book “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film”. Though the number of regular club members present was relatively small, there were some special guests on hand whose presence helped make the event a nearly full house. Those guests included an award-winning Swedish journalist covering the U.S. presidential election and a large group of students from various southeast Asia countries. Thanks to John Wehrle for inviting me to present and to Andy Bradley for introducing me. What a nice bunch of people they and their fellow Kiwianians are and what good work they do.
SOME KIWANIS FACTOIDS
Kiwanis Club of Omaha
Hosts a weekly meeting every Friday at the Scott Conference Center, 6450 Pine Street at 11:45 a.m.. There is always a speaker with a relevant topic of happenings in the community or in the nation. The Club is proud to have welcomed Tom Osborne, Nebraska Governors and Lt. Governors, K.C. Federal Reserve President Esther George, as well as many local CEOs and presidents.
Mission
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.
CONTACT INFO
Call (402) 330-0777
kiwanisomaha@cox.net
MORE ALEXANDER PAYNE: HIS JOURNEY IN FILM NEWS
Look for announcements in the near future about new Alexander Payne book events I will be having at The Bookworm, Indigo Bridge Books in Lincoln, the two Barnes & Noble stores in Omaha and Our Bookstore in the Old Market’s Passageway. Hope to see you at one of these.
If you would like to book me to speak to your group, organization or club about Alexander Payne and the book, contact me at leo32158@cox.net or 402-445-4666 or Inbox me on Facebook. I have other topics areas I present on as well, including Nebraska’s Screen Heritage and Omaha’s Black Sports Legends.
Anyone up for hosting a private Alexander Payne book event at their home? If so, then contact me at the above email or phone number or Facebook me.
Scenes from a book talk-signing…More to come…
Scenes from a book talk-signing…More to come…
Thanks to those who came to my Sept. 21 book talk-signing at the KANEKO-UNO Creativity Library for “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film.” It was a cozy, intimate evening. Wish more of you from social media land and from Nebraska’s film community made it out. Hope you attend one of my upcoming fall events. We plan to do a weekday, lunchtime talk-signing at the same venue in coming weeks. Watch for details. And look for announcements about additional talks-signings I will be doing at The Bookworm, the Oakview Barnes & Noble and other sites.
Special thanks to KANEKO-UNO Creativity Library Manager Melinda Kozel for hosting last night’s event and for snapping photos of it.
“Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film”
$25.95
Available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kindle, select bookstores and gift shops. You can also order it from me via my blog leoadambiga.com, inboxing me on Facebook, emailing me at leo32158@cox.net or calling me at 402-445-4666.
This comprehensive primer on the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s work is current to his “Nebraska” and “Downsizing” projects and features a discussion guide and index.
A perfect gift for yourself or the cinema lover in your life.
Strong praise for “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film”–
“This is without question the single best study of Alexander Payne’s films, as well as the filmmaker himself and his filmmaking process. In charting the first two decades of Payne’s remarkable career, Leo Adam Biga pieces together an indelible portrait of an independent American artist, and one that’s conveyed largely in the filmmaker’s own words. This is an invaluable contribution to film history and criticism – and a sheer pleasure to read as well.” – Thomas Schatz, Film scholar and author (“The Genius of the System”)
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