Entandem Productions

Entandem Productions
Original, astonishingly good, socially conscious

Saturday, April 28, 2007

RAISON D’ETRE – Christine’s personal view

Koffeeheads is a locally owned chain in Fresno. They are beautiful coffeeshops with dramatic colors everywhere – on the furniture and on the walls, fun and interesting original art, coffee knick-knacks, fun music and darn good coffee and egg-scrambles-in-a-cup. Who could ask for more?

Well, apparently some of us, as citizens of Fresno, chose to go across the street to the less tasty, out-of-town ownership, homogenized, don’t know which outlet you’re in because they all look and sound the same, Starbucks. As four of us sat having coffee and eggs during our meeting at the Koffeeheads in River Park, the kind owner, Jack Weldow, apologizes profusely for making us move to another table because ours has been sold. Everything must go!

I’m heartbroken. I’m heartbroken for many reasons. Firstly, because this was a “mom and pop” operation: locals who put their money and hearts into a local business for locals, to keep the money locally. Secondly, because it makes it seem as if Fresnans prefer to support a mass produced, soulless chain more than something authentic. Thirdly, it was my favorite hang out; it was where I conducted so many of my meetings that led to this wonderful company called “Entandem Productions”; it was where I introduced others to this fabulous place, and they told their friends… but not enough! Fourth, as a small business owner, former and present, I hate to see small businesses go under, because I believe they’re the future; large, faceless conglomerates will end up owning everything if the small business isn’t allowed to remain.

Now that I’m off my soap box…

This is just one of the many reasons why “Fresno”, the documentary, is being created. It captures life in Fresno as it happens, good or bad, happy or sad, beautiful or hideous. It will make you laugh and cry, anxious, angry, happy and question your reality. In so far as Koffeeheads, we were the lucky ones to have been able to sit inside among the colors and aromas of coffee and tea, or to have sat outside under palm trees or awnings in the morning sun, or at night with our friends and loved ones sharing wonderful conversations.

That is change. It happens whether we like it or not. But, in Fresno, there are incredible people doing amazing things, some of which you might not agree with, and for some, our hearts go out to them, and we’re capturing them on film to share with you.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

OCD, Meeting and Film

No one invited him, the scruffy man with the two-day beard and large, black glasses. He finds his seat, his regular seat, no matter how many people have already claimed the aluminum tables at the rear, and begins. He ignores us, dressed in suits, not smelling at all like him or his belongings, and much more flowery than the brewing coffee and baked goods.


He leans to one side to slide his hand into his fatigue jacket pocket and pulls out his prize: a small bottle of hand sanitizer. He shakes three, four, five times close to his ear. Yes, it’s still quite full. He prepares as if for a magic act, stretching out his arms so his sleeves will pull up a little, showing us he has nothing to hide. But it’s more than that. It’s the ritual that will pacify him, but only temporarily.


He holds his head tall, throws back his shoulders, and with one quick movement releases the cap and pours a liberal amount of the transparent gel into his hand. Then, without pause, he briskly applies the gel between the palms of his hands, the insides of his fingers, the back of his hands, and then between, in masterful movements that are smooth and virile like a conductor in front of his symphony during a particularly energetic piece, lyrically allegro and forte.


Then, the final measure: he quickly presses his folded hands against his nose and takes in a deep breath that drowns out the steaming and frothing of milk, and takes in the perfumed alcohol and collapses giddily into his chair.


Now, he can take another bite of his yogurt, but only after stirring it robustly, letting the spoon clank against the white stoneware bowl at least fifteen times before taking the overflowing spoon into his mouth and sighing, “Aaah”, because it is a wonderful tang and he licks his lips to get every droplet of nourishment from it. We ignore his little grunts and his occasional laughter at something none of us heard. We ignore how he opens his banana, so unlike anything we’ve ever seen – from the middle.


He clears his throat when one in our party hits a particularly dry patch in the conversation, sounding just like him. But we never look at him. We ignore his repeated rituals, his joyous play with the two wooden sticks he keeps close by or folds into his hands when doing nothing else but thinking. We ignore his multiple gulps of water after every sip of coffee and his many trips to the trash. We ignore the many times he looks through his old man’s sun glasses, black and wide, and cleans them in his shirt. We ignore the flipping of his hat, releasing the stale air beneath it, and out of our periphery catch how he quickly crushes it back down on his head.


But at the end of the meeting when all rise and say farewell and “thank you for your time”, “it was so nice to meet you”, the man finishes his ninety minute rigid breakfast ritual and clears his throat in a most persistent manner, mumbling his services as well, asking for our card.


It’s Entandem’s meeting with the Fresno Film and Entertainment Commissioner completed and we’ve learned much from a fascinating and elegant man with much experience. Fresno has such a wonderfully enticing future and we can’t wait to delve into it! Thursday we launch our documentary…