Supporting Characters

Supporting Characters is a film directed by Daniel Schechter. It was written by Schechter and Tarik Lowe. It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 20, 2012.[2] The film follows two New York film editors trying to balance their personal lives while reworking a film.

This article is about the 2012 American film. For the performing arts function, see Supporting character. For the 1989 Cuban film, see Supporting Roles.

Supporting Characters
Promotional Poster
Directed by	Daniel Schechter
Produced by	Alex A. Ginzburg Tim Duff Adam Der Aris
Written by	Daniel Schechter Tarik Lowe
Starring	Alex Karpovsky Tarik Lowe Melonie Diaz Arielle Kebbel Sophia Takal
Music by	Jordan Galland
Cinematography	Richard P. Ulivella
Edited by	Daniel Schechter
Production company	Let It Play
Distributed by	Tribeca Film
Release date	April 20, 2012 (2012-04-20) (Tribeca Film Festival)
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$4,917[1]

Production

Dan Schechter: "When I started, I just wanted to make a film, a really good film, for under $50,000, and that was the main goal (and we ended up incredibly close to that number). The editing thing was an arbitrary choice at first. This film was about two best buds and their respective relationships, and we just needed to give them some career to do together so they could bitch at work to one another. So I chose editing because I had some good experiences I could draw from, and perhaps we could get away with not being a "film about making films” because, really, that storyline is about specifically being an editor and what that day job is like."[3]

Schechter and Lowe based the semi-autobiographical film on incidents from their personal lives, crafting a simultaneously offbeat and naturalistic New York story. Schechter's own experience as an editor is evident in the script, which blends intimate relationships with humorous details of life in an editing room.

Schechter had a number of his indie movie associates perform in this movie, such as Melonie Diaz. Lena Dunham and Alex Karpovsky, both of Girls fame also starred.

Reception

The film opened to positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives a score of 86% based on seven reviews.[4]

Jason Bailey of DVD Talk had the following evaluation to make: Lowe and director Daniel Schechter's script is fast and witty--the Nick/Darryl duets (which make up a good chunk of the picture) have a sharp, conversational style and tempo, as well as the sense of a long-time friendship, articulated by ball-busting and one-upsmanship--and it got an insider's knowledge of the business, what with the metaphorical act of partioning drives and labeling bins, or the escalating flirtations at an ADR session. (Between this and the hot foley recording scene in Nobody Walks, it's a big year for sexy sound nerds.)"[5]

Vanessa Martinez, a critic with Indie Wire discusses the powerful rapport of the main characters of the film: "you will enjoy witnessing this duo’s connection, and even co-dependence to a degree, as they find a way to remain loyal to each other through life's highs and lows aside from their very different personalities, thanks to naturalistic and engaging performances. Also, the twists and turns of the film’s plot prevent the film from becoming predictable and ordinary, much like life itself."[6]

Brandon Harris a reporter with Filmmaker (magazine) said:" Daniel Schechter’s Supporting Characters surprised me. I was prepared to hate it. Excited to, even. It charmed the pants right off me. It might as well be TV, the way it’s shot (of course that means a lot less than it did ten years ago since TV is art now), and it couldn’t be more built to play Tribeca, but it’s genuinely written with feeling, humor and friendship that feels true and complicated."[7]

"Supporting Characters -- Part bromance, part ode to '70s comedies like Modern Romance, director Daniel Schechter has a witty sense of humor that's delivered perfectly by leads Alex Karpovsky and Tarik Lowe. Its honest and smart look at relationships and friendship inside the bubble of NYC would work as a perfect double-feature with Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture (who also makes a cameo in Characters)."—Jason Guerrasio of Fandango.[8]

Soundtrack

Again drawing on his friends in the Indie movie business, the soundtrack is by friend Indie director and musician Jordan Galland.[9] In exchange for doing the soundtrack for the movie, Schecter edited the trailer for Alter Egos, Jordan Galland’s movie.[10]

Track listing

• The Fight
• She was my First Love, man
• Times Square
• Baxter's Theme
• This is my Girlfriend
• Can't Say Why
• Cab Ride Home
• A Friend is a Friend
• New York Romance
• We have one life
• 10 years

References

1. "Supporting Characters (2013)". Box Office Mojo. 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
2. "Daniel Schechter on Supporting Characters and Jackie Brown Prequel". WorstPreviews.com. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
3. "Geoff Gilmore on Venice, Toronto and the Changing Nature of the Marketplace". Tribecafilm.com. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
4. "Supporting Characters". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
5. "Supporting Characters : DVD Talk Review of the Theatrical". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
6. "Tribeca 2012 Review: "Supporting Characters" Explores Work Partnerships & Friendships w/ Clever Authenticity | Shadow and Act". Blogs.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
7. "The Magazine of Independent Film". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
8. "Tribeca Film Festival: Check Out Our Favorite Films So Far". Fandango.com. 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
9. "Jordan Galland Scores Tribeca Film Supporting Characters : SonicScoop – Creative, Technical & Business Connections For NYC's Music & Sound Community". Sonicscoop.com. 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
10. https://web.archive.org/web/20150410114951/http://goodshowdan.com/alter-egos-how-i-cut-film-trailers/. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)