{"id":230928,"date":"2021-04-20T03:19:13","date_gmt":"2021-04-20T00:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/26-things-we-learned-from-jake-kasdans-zero-effect-commentary\/"},"modified":"2021-04-20T03:19:13","modified_gmt":"2021-04-20T00:19:13","slug":"26-things-we-learned-from-jake-kasdans-zero-effect-commentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/26-things-we-learned-from-jake-kasdans-zero-effect-commentary\/","title":{"rendered":"#26 Things We Learned from Jake Kasdan&#8217;s &#8216;Zero Effect&#8217; Commentary"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2da07aab76a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2da07aab76a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/26-things-we-learned-from-jake-kasdans-zero-effect-commentary\/#Zero_Effect_1997\" >Zero Effect (1997)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/26-things-we-learned-from-jake-kasdans-zero-effect-commentary\/#Best_in_Context-Free_Commentary\" >Best in Context-Free Commentary<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/26-things-we-learned-from-jake-kasdans-zero-effect-commentary\/#Final_Thoughts\" >Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#26 Things We Learned from Jake Kasdan&#8217;s &#8216;Zero Effect&#8217; Commentary<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\">\n                <\/aside>\n<p><!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 3.7.9--><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">Welcome to\u00a0<\/i><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\"><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">Commentary Commentary,<\/i><\/b><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> where we sit and listen to filmmakers talk about their work, then share the most interesting parts. In this edition, Rob Hunter revisits a comedy\/mystery gem that deserved a bigger fanbase and an ongoing franchise, Zero Effect<\/i>.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a> may be a cesspool for numerous reasons, but it has its highlights \u2014 one being good people talking about great <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">movies<\/a>. Someone mentioned Jake Kasdan\u2019s brilliant and shamefully underseen <strong><em>Zero Effect<\/em><\/strong> (1997), and as you\u2019d expect that forced me into a rewatch. The film remains a witty, surprising, and charismatic riff on the private eye genre with terrific performances from all involved. It\u2019s silly, but Kasdan manages to shape the tone in some serious and seriously entertaining directions.<\/p>\n<p>That rewatch, of course, led me to rewatch it again with Kasdan\u2019s commentary track on, so keep reading to see what I heard on the commentary for <em>Zero Effect<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"graf graf--h3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Zero_Effect_1997\"><\/span>Zero Effect (1997)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Commentator: Jake Kasdan (writer, director)<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\"><strong>1.<\/strong> Kasdan has \u201calways suspected\u201d that he might be the only person who actually listens to commentary tracks, so let me state unequivocally right now\u2026 Jake? You are not alone. That said, I am obviously a few years late to participate in the sweepstakes he\u2019s devised to test if anyone actually listened to this particular commentary. Throughout the track he says a series of single words that when combined will form a complete sentence. \u201cIf you ever see me in the world and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach me on the street and utter this sentence, I will personally donate $5 to your favorite charity in your name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>2.<\/strong> They went through a few ideas for the <em>Zero Effect<\/em> opening credits sequence with some people suggesting variations on \u201czero\u201d logos and illustrations, but he eventually settled on one that plays around with Daryl Zero\u2019s (Bill Pullman) multiple identities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3.<\/strong> He wishes in retrospect that the film had \u201cgotten into the plot\u201d a bit earlier, but at the same time he can\u2019t complain about the opening sequence thanks in part to Ben Stiller\u2019s performance as Zero\u2019s assistant, Steve Arlo.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4.<\/strong> Arlo drinking in the bar and complaining about Zero was not only the first thing they filmed but also \u201cthe very first moment of my directorial career.\u201d He adds that \u201ci was violently ill.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>5.<\/strong> He credits cinematographer Bill Pope (<em>Baby Driver<\/em>, 2017; <em>The World\u2019s End<\/em>, 2013; <em>The Matrix<\/em>, 1999) with making <em>Zero Effect<\/em> \u201clook like one coherent movie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>6.<\/strong> The song that Zero is singing upon his introduction was written in the script, but Pullman and Kasdan devised the melody together.<\/p>\n<p><strong>7.<\/strong> When he first started thinking about who would play his two leads he looked specifically at a few key moments in the script. \u201cWho\u2019s the actor who\u2019s gonna make all of these moments real?\u201d You\u2019d be a fool to think he didn\u2019t nail both.<\/p>\n<p><strong>8.<\/strong> There\u2019s a boom mic shadow briefly visible in the scene where Arlo and Zero talk in the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>9.<\/strong> They shot two days in Los Angeles, but 95% of the film was shot in Portland, Oregon where most of it is set.<\/p>\n<p><strong>10.<\/strong> He asked The Greyboy Allstars to score <em>Zero Effect<\/em> and loves the results. \u201cThey had never scored a movie, I had never directed a movie. A lot of people would have counted that as a bad idea.\u201d Kasdan credits the folks at Castle Rock for trusting him on this matter (and others).<\/p>\n<p><strong>11.<\/strong> The big pink \u2014 \u201cI dare say sort of ugly\u201d \u2014 building seen at 29:42 is The US Bancorp Tower in Portland, and they refused to grant the filmmakers permission to film it. \u201cWe stole that first shot. Outright theft. Come and get me.\u201d It\u2019s seen again later as Kasdan rubs it in Bancorp\u2019s face.<\/p>\n<p><strong>12.<\/strong> He wrote the script specifically to be set in Portland, and his appreciation of the city is clear in the montage sequence of Gregory Stark (Ryan O\u2019Neal) driving through its streets. The St. Johns Bridge is captured well which, no big deal, but I lived right next to it for a few years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>13.<\/strong> An audio clip from Rob Reiner\u2019s <em>Misery<\/em> (1990) can be heard playing at 36:00 during the motel scene. Reiner, of course, co-founded this film\u2019s production company, Castle Rock Entertainment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>14.<\/strong> The Chinese restaurant glimpsed at 37:21 caused a four-hour delay in filming because they refused to keep their front door open during the camera\u2019s dolly turn. The closed door caught the camera\u2019s reflection, but they were finally given permission to open it for a few minutes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>15.<\/strong> \u201cI always felt like, in a lot of ways, this is when the movie really starts,\u201d says Kasdan at 51:15.<\/p>\n<p><strong>16.<\/strong> The scene where Zero does Gloria Sullivan\u2019s (Kim Dickens) taxes came together through rehearsals where they all figured out how this love story would work. Her face, the smallest bit of exposed midriff, and \u201ceyes that threaten to see everything\u201d leave Zero uncomfortable in the best way creating \u201can usual kind of sexual tension.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>17.<\/strong> The shot through the car windshield from outside while it\u2019s rainy is Pope\u2019s favorite piece of photography in the film. It is not Kasdan\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p><strong>18.<\/strong> Zero\u2019s epic deduction regarding the origin of full-size mattresses is fictional. \u201cNone of this is true.\u201d The film\u2019s art department did research to try and blend some truth into the mix, but nope, it\u2019s all a lie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>19.<\/strong> The restaurant conversation between Arlo and Stark was filmed in Portland\u2019s Ruth\u2019s Chris Steakhouse. The grates separating the booths leave the pair looking like they\u2019re in a confessional booth which fits Stark\u2019s admission.<\/p>\n<p><strong>20.<\/strong> \u201cMy father shot the rodent-cam shot,\u201d he says, referring to Lawrence Kasdan filming the floor-level tracking shot through the restaurant. \u201cSome people, it\u2019s their favorite shot in the movie. Some people hate it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>21.<\/strong> A big part of the film\u2019s origin comes down to Kasdan\u2019s desire to \u201cdo a detective story about a hero who\u2019s not simply a hero.\u201d He thinks that people are far more than merely good or evil and are instead a complicated blend of it all. It\u2019s an omnipresent argument that\u2019s currently in pop culture <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> again thanks to shows like <em>The Falcon and the Winter Soldier<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>22.<\/strong> He refers to audience test screenings as \u201cthe nauseating process of showing it to a recruited test marketing audience to get their opinions, which is the last thing you want.\u201d The viewers are picked for demographic reasons, but since no one goes to a film randomly \u2014 ie they tend to seek out films that suit their actual interests \u2014 it doesn\u2019t come close to simulating a true audience for a particular film. Test audiences on <em>Zero Effect<\/em> were \u201creally confused\u201d by the diner scene between Zero and Sullivan.<\/p>\n<p><strong>23.<\/strong> The building at 1:37:21 is the Vista House at the Crown Point State Scenic Corridor in Oregon, and they use it for the exterior of a planetarium. \u201cIt is not a planetarium.\u201d They filmed the interiors at Portland\u2019s OMSI Planetarium, and it took some finagling to make it happen. \u201cThey didn\u2019t want to let us in, especially this guy named Mark. Mark, if you\u2019re listening [pause], uh, thanks.\u201d He goes on to say this whole sequence is sloppy and he didn\u2019t shoot it right, but I\u2019m going to hold Mark responsible for any issues.<\/p>\n<p><strong>24.<\/strong> O\u2019Neal faked that heart attack roughly twenty different times so they could film it at different speeds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>25.<\/strong> Kasdan\u2019s voice cameos as the bank teller talking about the safety deposit box. \u201cMy voice is too nasal,\u201d he says, adding that hearing that snippet reminds him he will never be able to listen to his own commentary track.<\/p>\n<p><strong>26.<\/strong> The little logo on the \u201cCase closed\u201d card at 1:49:34 was actually their working logo during production. It\u2019s only used one other place in the film, and if you can spot it \u2014 and then find Kasdan on the street some day and tell him along with the mystery sentence \u2014 he will donate another $5 to your favorite charity.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"graf graf--h3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_in_Context-Free_Commentary\"><\/span>Best in Context-Free Commentary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s the best with his face.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMay be the weirdest sequence in the movie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has the most finely honed comic instincts I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are the only film crew in history to go to the Pacific Northwest and not be able to get enough rain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery time you walk away with material that really works and everything matches and you covered it the right way and the actors are great, it\u2019s a miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like to think this might be the most dynamic shot ever of a Scrabble board.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father makes movies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere\u2019s a big mother of a scene.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote\">\u201cThat spooky rumbling is a distant timpani.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"graf graf--h3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span>Final Thoughts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\"><em>Zero Effect<\/em> remains an absolutely brilliant film that lands every beat of its mystery, comedy, and heart. Double feature it with last year\u2019s <em>The Kid Detective<\/em> for something truly special. Kasdan\u2019s commentary is a very good one as it delivers anecdotes from filming, thoughts on the filmmaking process, and explanations\/motivations behind various story\/character choices. It\u2019s an entertaining listen and a reminder that a better world would have gotten a whole Daryl Zero franchise by now. That said, it\u2019s not too late for a sequel\u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Read more Commentary Commentary from the archives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/zero-effect-commentary\/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=zero-effect-commentary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#26 Things We Learned from Jake Kasdan&#8217;s &#8216;Zero Effect&#8217; Commentary&#8221; Welcome to\u00a0Commentary Commentary, where we sit and listen to filmmakers talk about their work, then share the most interesting parts. In this edition, Rob Hunter revisits a comedy\/mystery gem that deserved a bigger fanbase and an ongoing franchise, Zero Effect. Twitter may be a cesspool&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":230929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/zero-effect.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[22447,102726,102727],"class_list":["post-230928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-commentary-commentary","tag-jake-kasdan","tag-zero-effect"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230928\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}