L.A. story: traffic monster devours time

Aussie sees traffic as a player in every life in L.A.

By Lisa Mascaro, Staff Writer

When budding actor Matt Valenti landed in Los Angeles, he was so astounded by its traffic that he did what any Hollywood player would do: He set out to make a movie.

His Web site, www.trafficdocumentary.com, is now scouting the region for the film's "stars": those who can tell about the best traffic shortcuts, the worst traffic nightmares and the most dramatic traffic encounters.

Is the 405 Freeway ready for its close-up?

"(Traffic) governs so much of our life: who we date, where we go, who we socialize with. Something that impacts our lives to such an extent - I would like to know more about it," said Valenti, who came to L.A. six years ago from his native Australia.

"By hearing these people and their stories and weaving them together, it's not just sitting in traffic. It's bigger than that."

The Aussie has come to the right place to study traffic. Angelenos suffer the nation's worst gridlock, wasting 90 hours a year in stalled traffic and $10 billion annually in lost fuel and productivity.

That's equal to more than two 40-hour workweeks just sitting in congestion on the region's famously clogged freeways. It's more than the annual two-week vacation that most working folks get.

Valenti - no relation to Hollywood's Jack Valenti - noticed soon after he arrived that traffic is the talk of the town at dinner parties, political gatherings and almost everywhere else.

He has heard the city's new mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, promise to fight traffic as a cornerstone of his agenda.

"It surprised me. It didn't matter who you are, where you went. Everybody talked about it," Valenti said. "And emotional - people would be really upset.

"All these hours and hours spent on the road. ... It's really this profound thing."

But about the only thing as dependable as unrelenting traffic in Los Angeles is the constant flow of aspiring young actors and filmmakers trying to make it in Hollywood.

Producing a film, especially on a shoestring budget, is tough work. The drive to turn www.trafficdocumentary.com into the next blockbuster documentary, like "March of the Penguins," will be a long one.

Valenti, who pays the bills designing Web sites and providing computer support, has recruited help from his brother, Jordan Valenti, a director of photography, and a friend, Deb Hiett, a writer-actress.

The three want to move quickly but figure it will take a few years and up to $300,000 to get the film from concept to reality.

Still, experts say the idea has merit.

"We can all relate to the issue, so I think it has universal appeal to people who live in Los Angeles (and) battle traffic every day," said Mark Jonathan Harris, a three-time Academy Award winner as a documentary filmmaker.

"Now, whether or not it's going to be a success, that depends. ... It all depends on the stories he'll be able to unearth and his skills as a filmmaker," said Harris, who teaches at the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television. "Is it a subject that would interest people? Yes."

Veteran character actor Warren Venders has pushed Valenti, his former acting student, to be sure to capture the drama behind the wheel.

"A plain documentary about traffic is as boring as sitting in traffic," said the acting coach, who has shown up in TV shows from "The Waltons" to "Judging Amy" and recently produced a short film with Valenti that they're now shopping to festivals.

"Matt, if you personalize this, give us half a dozen people who are coping with traffic," Venders said he told Valenti. "Make it personal with characters. If it's informative, entertaining, that will be a victory."

That's where the Web site comes in. Valenti and his partners have ideas about how the movie might unfold, but first they need their stars.

They're looking for the best stories deserving 15 minutes of fame and want Angelenos to send in their thoughts.

"That's really where we're going to find the film - the stories that other people have," said Hiett, a New York transplant who's had stints on "Desperate Housewives" and "Real Time with Bill Maher."

The documentary makers also want the lowdown on how traffic got so bad and what's being done to fix it. They see roles for traffic engineers, policy gurus and political leaders.

And they want to find the answer to the question on many Angelenos' minds: Will traffic get any better?

"When I came to L.A. six years, ago traffic was incredible. I never saw anything like it," said Valenti, who's been to Singapore, Hong Kong and London. "If you're in traffic every day, that's a huge part of your life. Because it is a huge part of your life, there's so much happening on the road to share."

Lisa Mascaro, (818) 713-3761

lisa.mascaro@dailynews.com