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When Anthony Ciardulli and Alex Zavaglia set out on their filmmaking journey, they knew they wanted to do more than just make a movie. They wanted to change the way people looked at movies. They wanted to do something that no one else had ever done. But first they needed a premise so radical, so unique, so daring, that it would be impossible to ignore by film audiences. The only problem was coming up with something that hadn't been done already.
Anthony – "We understood that there was 80 years of film history that we were contending with. Almost everything has already been done. And with the recent boom of Independent films, it was nearly impossible to think of something completely new."
The team of Anthony and Alex spent months of intense brainstorming sessions, trying to ignite that spark. That one elusive idea that would shake the film industry to it's very core.
Alex – "It was an extremely difficult three months. I mean on the one hand we wanted to do something completely new, but it also had to have some kind of Universality to it. It had to be something that people could connect with. And that was a difficult combination. By the fourth month I started to lose hope.
Tension within the creative team began to grow as the months rolled on. Relations became strained, as Alex tried to convince Anthony that they were chasing an impossible dream.
Anthony – "I can remember Alex coming in one morning and suggesting we give up on this. He thought we should just do a genre picture. He pitched an idea about a magician and a third baseman who set up an underground society of sewer dwellers in Iowa. But I told him that there was no way I was going to sit through another derivative magician/ballplayer-buddy-movie, let alone make one.
Alex – "I was a little embarrassed pitching the sewer movie. But after months of writer's block, I thought trying something more traditional was better than doing nothing at all. I didn't want to sell out, but I was growing frustrated."
It was a cool morning in March when the miracle they were waiting for finally arrived. But the idea that would be the seed for the groundbreaking film, "First Time Caller", came not out of intense discussion, but in the form of a dream.
Anthony – "I can still remember the morning it happened. I had gotten very little sleep the night before. I had some bad burritos, and the sound of my stomach kept me up most of the night. But as I woke the idea came down to me like a gift from heaven. It was a revelation. There's just no other way to describe it."
Realizing how revolutionary and original this idea was, he wasted no time telling his partner.
Alex – "I remember going numb from the feet down. There was no doubt that this was the groundbreaking idea we'd been looking for. But now that we were face to face with it, I admit that I had one overriding emotion. Fear. I was afraid. Were audiences ready for such a bold idea."
Anthony – "I could tell he was hesitant. Hell, so was I. But I knew that if we didn't act on this idea, we'd regret it for the rest of our lives. After a little convincing Alex was able to see thing from my perspective."
There were no doubts by either filmmaker that this was a startlingly original idea. But still there were concerns. Was the premise so far-fetched that nobody would be able to understand it? Would audiences feel alienated never having to confront themselves with anything like this in their own life? But here it was. The idea of a lifetime. A premise to rival any in history. And what was it? Three simple words: BOY MEETS GIRL.
Alex – "I went to bed that night repeating those three words over and over to myself. Boy meets Girl. Boy meets Girl. It was painfully simple and yet incredibly complex. It just raised so many questions. What happens when a boy meets a girl? How does a boy even get the opportunity to meet a girl? Were audiences ready to tackle such highly charged questions? While initially reluctant, as the night went on, I knew we couldn't pass up on this idea. It was something people needed to talk about. It was an issue that had to be brought to the forefront."
Once they made the decision to go ahead with the script, this creative dynamic duo pushed the edges of the envelope even further. Not content to rest the film on this one, admittedly brilliant idea, they took the next bold step, A plot twist that would rival The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense.
Anthony – "Alex came in one morning walked directly to me and without saying anything else, three simple words came out of his mouth: BOY GETS GIRL. I couldn't believe what he just said. To say that I was a little taken back would be the understatement of the year. I told Alex that now I was Mr. Reluctant. I told Alex that I thought we were trying to do too much. That we were getting out of control. Fortunately Alex is a great communicator. And after a brief conversation he helped me understand his vision."
Alex – I don't want to be cocky, but when you have the incredible gift that both of us have, it's hard to stay grounded. With that second ingredient in place we knew we had a winner. It's that kind of daring originality that separates men from boys. The hunters from the hunted. Great filmmakers from average ones. When they go left, you go right. When they zig, you zag."
Anthony – "I knew we were opening up a real can of worms with this film. Raising philosophical questions we weren't sure we could answer. But that's what avant-garde filmmaking is about. Alex compares filmmakers to fighter pilots, and it's an apt comparison. We take risks. It's at the heart of everything we do."
Alex – "Like Viper said to Maverick in the movie Top Gun: 'Up There We Got To Push It. That's Our Job.' Amen Viper, amen"
The making of the film we went smoothly as the entire cast and crew were excited and inspired by the groundbreaking film they all knew they were working on. Only one crew member had to be let go after he refused to sign a release form promising the production company that he wouldn't share the ideas presented in the film with anyone outside of the production. Other than that one exception, people were fighting to get on board at every stage of the production. It was the one project everybody wanted on their resume. And for good reason. Before the film was even finished, the buzz surrounding the film world was electric. And now on the eve of it's release, everyone has only one question: Where can I get tickets for the premiere?
Alex – "Well there it was. Boy Meets Girl. Boy Gets Girl. We had reinvented cinema. It took us a few days to cut our 4 and a half hour film down to a more manageable 87 minutes. But in the end we knew we were adding a new chapter to the ongoing history of cinema. Much like Citizen Kane and The Karate Kid had done before us, we changed all the rules. We'd invented something new. A hybrid of romance and comedy that Anthony likes to call a "romantic comedy." Personally, I think we need a catchier term, like a "romedy or a comed-ance.
Anthony – "It's a satisfying experience when you achieve all of the goals you set forth at the start of a project. People ask me all the time if I'm worried that audiences won't be able to digest all the ideas we lay out in this movie. My answer, however, is always the same. They will eventually. Of that I have no doubt. I just hope it's sooner rather than later."
Alex – "Our only worry now is that lesser filmmakers will take this formula produce some cheap knock offs. But that's an unfortunate consequence of greatness. The host of pretenders that follow you. But at least we'll be able to say one thing, "We were the first."