Toiling for an Oscar ... or Not

The , but for the people who toil in the shadows of that annual pinnacle of recognition, there is work to be done. While some target that stellar stage as a career destination, others find satisfaction in their work and in the hope of at least reaching the launch pad. Their reward is something less than a golden statuette, and yet it is something much greater, too. 

I recently met with three such hopefuls and got some insightful accounts of their experiences in an industry usually more celebrated for its glamour than its sweat.

Scott Amour is a novelist who lives in Novato. His friend, John Hewitt from Mill Valley, is a documentary filmmaker and professor emeritus in the Department of Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts at San Francisco State University. Virginia Travers, also from Mill Valley, has a small film management and production company called Lunaventure.   

John is in the finishing stages of an 18-month documentary project titled Deadline Every Second that takes a look at 12 top photojournalists covering stories in eight  countries. It’s a real-life account of the photographers behind the stories. Their coverage ranges from war and politics to finance and sports. 

The project has reached a staged called “picture lock,” which means it only needs finishing touches like color correction and audio work. The next phase of the project is distribution, which is simultaneously under way. 

Like Amour, Hewitt finds this next phase of the work his least favorite. The artistry part is complete, but the business of the artistry is not. Hewitt, who also writes, recalled attending a writer's convention several years ago

“It was like speed dating with agents," he says. "You had three minutes to make your pitch to prospective agents and then you were done. That part of the business turned me off.”  

The New York Times once lauded one of Amour's works, Dreamer as a pungent novel of sharp and sophisticated writing with an explosive and unexpected finale. The screenplay for another one of his novels, East of Java, is now getting the attention of one of the most prominent talent agencies in the country.  

East of Java is a sequel and one in a trilogy that features the lead character in Dreamer. It is a fictional account of two men who get involved in an arms deal to smuggle weapons to the resistance in East Timor.  The story takes place against the historical backdrop of the social and political tragedies of that country (now known as Timor Leste) in the 1990s.  

Despite the recent attention, Scott doesn’t seem to be holding his breath.  A teacher of sculpture for 26 years, he must know something about patience. His drive to express himself artistically comes from a drive to create.  “It is not for money or fame or fortune,” he says.  “You either just do it or you don’t.” 

Scott loathes Vince Lombardi’s quote, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” He feels there is too much emphasis on winning and acquisition these days.  That said, Scott would tell you that any artist wants to get his work out there.  “You don’t paint or write to leave it on your easel or your desk.” 

Both Amour and Hewitt are affiliated with Lunaventure. “This industry is not for the faint of heart,” says Travers, the company’s founder. “There has to be a passion about the work and the subject matter. And that is something both Scott and John share.” 

Where Amour conjures up episodes of the human condition on paper, Hewitt captures it digitally. It’s Travers' passion to push and pull wherever she can to get their stories seen and heard. Recently she has been successful in earning attention for Amour's screenplay through contacts at the U.N., and most notably from the people that were affected by the story’s historical backdrop. 

Travers conveys her passion for her work through a story she recalls from her first day of working on the set for the movie Jack. Francis Ford Coppola had gathered every member of the crew and cast together for an all-hands meeting. Coppola told the crew that working on the film was like becoming part of a family in a travelling circus. He leveled the playing field for all those in the production. In his circus, all were equal regardless of pay scale or notoriety. All had a job to do, doing the work they loved to do, for a common purpose.  

Amour, Hewitt and Travers aren’t the types you envision doing a sachet down the red carpet in designer tuxedos and gown with an aura of ego to match. But I have to say that I’d love to see them there. They are as down to earth as anybody in this industry should be.

If they are a traveling circus, we can only hope we'll see them in the big tent.