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MY BIG BREAK is a one-of-a-kind documentary about five roommates trying to make it in Hollywood who face the unexpected effects of fame. While popular shows like ENTOURAGE offer a fun, fictionalized view into the workings of the film industry, MY BIG BREAK shows the good times along with the unsettling reality. Whether you're an actor, filmmaker, writer, musician, artist or movie lover, you'll want to see this rare, raw look at life in Hollywood that reveals what can happen if your dreams unexpectedly come true.
The movie is in the final stages of post-production. MBB has been created from nearly 200 hours of footage that was shot since 1996. Right now we’re tweaking picture, sound and music. Some of our favorite tunes are composed by long time friend Alex Ebert; other tracks are by David Ben Shannon in England, Ima Robot, Brian Jonestown Massacre and more.
We’re also working on the DVD material that includes interviews, short films, scenes that didn’t make the cut and a great commentary.
We will be adding movie clips and more to this site in the near future. Send us your questions and suggestions and revisit this site for updates.
In 1995 I moved to Hollywood with the intention of making movies. Despite the obstacles, I managed to make a low-budget feature but it ended up being a disaster. I lost everything and wound up living on the street.
Within a few months I was back on my feet and ready to give it another try. I found a job and a place to live with a bunch of struggling, rowdy actors in a house we called “Masselin”. I got to crash on the living room couch. Masselin was its own world. Sure, the carpet had dirt stains that matched the sidewalk, the bathrooms were decorated with mold spots and faded wallpaper and maggots were dangling from the kitchen ceiling, but it was one of the most amazing places I ever lived. At Masselin you were never alone. Not only was I living with four roommates but at least ten more people had keys. There was never a down time. Something was always happening: someone was either telling a story, reading a poem, playing a new song, cracking jokes, acting for the camera or burning their food. The best part of the house was the fireplace. That’s where we always hung out and burned phonebooks to save some cash. Hanging at Masselin was a tribal ritual -- Hollywood style. For me, living there was like living inside a can of film. You had real characters and crazy stuff happening all the time. There, I saw memorable scenes buried in the chaos of daily life and heard the best dialogue you couldn’t dream of writing.
Then one day it came to me: why not make a movie about the house? It’s not like I had a lot of options. All I needed to make my idea work was a camera, time and lots of patience for as long as it took. I knew eventually I would end up with a story to tell but what I didn’t know at the time was that something incredible would come out of it. The camera caught the whole ride and for that I’m thankful. Not only did I get to capture amazing footage, I bonded with good friends and went on a hell of journey with them.
At the time I had no intention of including myself in the movie but luckily I kept a video log of my experiences over the years. Today, I’m grateful to have this footage because it allowed me to tell a complete story about a group of dreamers who had no idea what the future had in store for them…
And that’s how the whole thing got started.
More soon…
TWZ
years in the making
step inside
a dream that became reality
my big break
are you ready?
now in post-production
coming 2007
WES BENTLEY
T.W. ZIERRA
CHAD LINDBERG
BRAD ROWE
GREG FAWCETT