RE Log Fall 2019

FALL 2019 Ransom Everglades LOG 13 Lord and Miller moved on to tackle Spider-Man while simultaneously creating a sequel to The Lego Movie . They were determined to find a new angle for the well-known superhero, who had been the subject of countless movies. The idea of making the Afro-Latino Miles Morales character the story’s centerpiece, with an aging Peter Parker his mentor, felt crazy and perfect all at once. It wasn’t just a twist on an old storyline, it took an implicit stand on race, ethnicity and identity during a time of unquestioned cultural unrest. Annie Lord loved it long before the critics did. “Spider-Man in particular shows your values,” she told Phil. “Equity was such an important thread through the movie.” The super-charged idea set the course for a film that would eventually employ hundreds of animators in Vancouver, who communicated mostly by conference call with Lord and Miller. “It’s a very low-tech thing, then it becomes very high tech – there’s like 800 people around the world working on it,” Lord explained. “But the bottom line is very simple. It’s just people in a room trying to think together.” After Spider-Man When the Academy Award for the Spider-Man movie was announced, Phil Lord barely cracked a smile. He finally got emotional after checking his smartphone and watching the frenzied and loud celebration captured by a bobbing camera at his parents’ house. Family and friends had gathered to watch. “That was the best part of that night,” Lord said about watching the video clip. “I thought it was the most moving thing. That’s the only time I cried. The rest of the time, I was just freaked out.” “The day you won the Oscar was one of the best days of my life,” Annie Lord told her brother. “It’s the most fun. The best. “I always have a lot of elation with respect to Phil’s work,” she added. “I always feel super-inspired. It’s just joy.” Little has changed in the months since Phil brought home his Oscar, placing it on a shelf near a toy unicorn. He and Miller got back to work to try to figure out their next project, an anxiety-filled part of movie making that is remarkably solitary. For weeks, they revert back to the dynamic that inspired their intense friendship and partnership – just two buddies trading ideas. They park themselves in coffee shops with laptops, completely anonymous among L.A.’s latte drinkers. Or they take walks around Culver City to brainstorm. It never feels relaxing. The beginning of any project always feels, Lord explained, like “I’m banging my head against a desk. “The last one doesn’t help you make the next one,” he said. “It’s just as mysterious. We feel as daunted today as we felt at the start of any project … It’s a lot of mistakes. It’s just endless. We’re just trying to chip away at an outline.” In those moments of creative distress, whenever Phil returns to Miami, he finds affirmation and encouragement from his family. Or, at least, they will all end up laughing about something. The Lords assembled for a family photo in the backyard in May, but the sun, poking in and out of the clouds and messing with the lighting, caused stops and starts in the shoot. “You look great,” the photographer said, encouragingly. Phil: “Do we look as good as the Sayfies*?” Annie: “No, we don’t. We don’t look that good.” Phil: “How about the Stadlers**?” Annie: “We definitely don’t look that good.” Phil: “The Chartounis***?” “We look,” interjected their father, “like the Simpsons.” *Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard ’88, Nicole Sayfie Porcelli ’89, Lisa Sayfie ’91, Amy Sayfie Zichella ’93 **Christopher Stadler ’88, Allison Hendrix ’90, Jennifer Krueger ’93 ***Vanessa Chartouni-de la Serna ’90, Sandra A. Chartouni de Salvat ’92, Christina Chartouni de Calle ’99 Wally Lord, Phil Lord ’93, Annie Lord ’97, Carmen Lord