Filling In The Blanks

Casting will begin this Friday and might go on for a couple of days. Jaime, my wife and a couple of trusted friends will help me in this respect.

I've never conducted auditions before, so this will not only be fun, but very uncharted territory. I was fortunate to find a couple of sites with postings by other directors who have had similar experiences and was able to pull some tips from them.

I figure that it will take at least two weekends to do the casting. I want to find the right people for the gig. Even though this will be a non-paying event, I think that there could still be a decent amount of talent willing to work for a resume piece. Not to mention the fact that if it all goes well, maybe we can acquire funding for a bigger production later.

Still, I can't help but be a bit nervous about the process. I use to know a ton of actors, years ago in Corpus Christi. They were always willing to act for free and more than willing to be involved in other aspects of production. I hope I can make lots of connections on this first run.

I did some acting years ago. They were only stage plays in junior high, but I was able to get a lot of parts. I'm gonna dig deep and use that for the benefit of the cast and hopefully be able to draw some good performances.

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Inspirations: The Hire - BMW Films

I find inspiration in a lot of films and shorts. A few years ago, BMW enlisted the help of some A-list filmmakers to promote their vehicles. The films were all tied together by one actor, Clive Owen, and featured the directing talents from the likes of Ang Lee, John Woo, John Frankenheimer and Tony Scott, among others.

The stand out film, for me, is done by Wang Kar Wai. His credits include Chungking Express, In The Mood for Love and Happy Together. His most recent work is a film called 2046, which, frankly, I'm not sure I can explain. Just drop his name into IMDB and get the details there.

Anyhow, I wanted to share my favorite BMW Film here. I was lucky enough to find it on YouTube.com.

Stand out line: "There's always something waiting at the end of the road. If you're not willing to see what it is, you probably shouldn't out be there in the first place."

Enjoy the film.

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Let The Real Work Begin

Well, that elusive first draft of the script is finally done!

Everything is going better than I had expected. I figure that as I get more momentum on this project, and with reasonably good planning, I'll have something I can really be proud of.

I'm getting some trusted friends to give me feedback on what I have now. I need the input to help me chisel out the final shape. I know that I'll have to do some rewrites during filming, but I'm more worried about coming into the shoot with a script that I won't have to punch too many holes into.

This is exciting stuff.

I did some tests with the new equipment and we're well on our way. Once we get the casting going, then I'll sit with Jaime, my DP, and do some video storyboarding.

I'm going to keep the crew thin. I'll be doing the location scouting, the score, editing and any PR work that needs handling. I'll need to fill a few behind the scenes posts, but I'll worry about that in a week or so.

On to the rewrite.

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Can you hear me now?!?

Been a while since my last post. Lets get to it.

My microphone arrived yesterday. I ordered it from B&H Photo and Video. Good reputable company, reliable products and fair prices. It's an Azden SGM-1X. Works well with the Azden portable mixer that pipes right into my Sony MiniDV. The sound is amazing. I've had a couple of "shotgun" mics, but this is new one is pro-gear. I bought one from Sony, which worked well for just basic, home movie type stuff. And I even bought one from Wal-Mart. Neither one can do what this new one can. Wow. It sure does make a difference. Even if the plot sucks and the acting is bad, at least the picture and sound will be great!

The script is nearly completed. I'm just a few pages away, in the middle of the 3rd rewrite. Mind you, nothing has been really corrected. I'm just working on the dialogue and the story. I'll get some help with the proof reading later. And, of course, I'll adjust things here and there until I have actors to read for the parts. I'm looking forward to adjusting things during rehearsals. I'm not looking forward to doing it during shooting. I mean, I know it has to be done sometimes, but I hope to have things ironed out before we ever start rolling one frame of film.

After nearly 7 years of waiting on a new project, all the pieces are really starting to fall into place. Not like before. I'm not attacking this like I did before.

Testing the mic and camera this weekend with a small project. I might post it if it looks good. Shit, I'm not even sure what the Hell it will be.

Stay tuned.

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Check, check, check one...sibalence, sibalence.

Well, the microphone has been ordered. I expect it will arrive sometime next week. Actually, I know it will. 'Bout the 23rd, UPS said.

I need to get a good set of headphones and figure out how to make a boom pole. They want $100 some places for a fuckin' boom pole. Necessity is the mother of invention.

And speaking of inventions, my wife, Tonya, found me a very interesting contraption.

I own a Steadicam JR. My folk bought it as a birthday gift for me just before I started my ill-fated feature, 'Caught In The Rain.' It was a fucking dream. I mean, it was wonderful. Fluid shots, running or walking. Just fantastic. While trying to adjust it in the middle of a shoot, I overextended a joint and SNAPPED the thing in two. I was devastated.

Well, Tonya found a website where a guy offers his take on camera stabilization.

Little Great Ideas' Steadycam

The inventor has test footage on the site, so you can see what you're getting if you build it yourself or buy his kit. I'm not sure if I'm hip on it, especially since I've seen how fluid the motion is with the real deal. He does say that the footage was shot before he had a real handle on the rig. Practice does make a difference. Even when my rig was solid, it did take me a while to get the hang of it.

B&H Photo & Video, Steadicam JR

I spoke to the Tiffen guys, the official repair shop for Steadicam products, and they said it was about $165 to fix the rig, plus the $20 for a whole new package of accessories (I somehow lost most of the counterweights and cables).

Not sure yet what I'm gonna do about all that. I want the video to be smooth, not Hill Street Blues style.

I'm just glad I have the mic on the way.

What's on tap next? Finishing the final 9 pages of the script. That's the most important. Location scouting comes next. I have a couple of places in mind. Then casting. I'll do revisions and corrections on the script along the way too.

Momentum continues.

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Money

Well, if all goes right, once my wife and I get our taxes back, I'm gonna spend a few bucks getting much needed equipment. My Steadicam JR needs fixin' and I have to have a good microphone and boom, so I'll probably spend nearly $300 bucks on that. Beyond that, I hope I don't need much more.

Script changes are going slow. Haven't had a chance to sit down and hammer away at it like I want. I'm also gonna do a quick treatment for it. I figure this will help me after the film is in the can.

Optimisim as high and I'm feeling extremely hopeful. I think this project will not only reach completion, but it looks like with all the help and input I'm getting, that it will be a good one.

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Keep Flowin'

My wife and I were discussing the script yesterday and she pointed out a few incredibly helpful things. Sometimes, sitting inside the bubble, you can't really appreciate it for what it is. Her insight (or out-sight, lol) has helped me a great deal. The story will seem much more rounded and sincere. It was an aspect that it lacked.

I shot a trailer for the film, something just to keep myself busy, a few weeks back. I wasn't happy with it; I'm still not. It was badly lit, poorly voiced over and, thematically, it just sucked ass. But I figured that it was a good way to kick start the creativity machine. I filmed a few bits for a new trailer, which I'm still doing a concept for.

And earlier, I managed to squeeze out a couple more ideas on how to improve the flow of the script and some details that were still unresolved.

I watched 'Hustle & Flow' this week and it inspired me. It's a great film. The dvd extras were good too. Gave me some fuel for my film.

More to come.

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Momentum

I got in contact with the guys over at Futureme.org about using their site in the film and they gave me their seal of approval.

I had been tinkering with the idea for the script for a while until I ran into their site. It made it all gel.

If you've got an e-mail address you suspect you'll have for many years to come, send yourself an message...into the future!!!

Future Me

Enjoy.

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Breakthrough

I tend to write better at night. Ideas flow easier. If I wake up and grab some coffee, I can't crank things out as easily as if I get home, decompress, spend time with the family and then write. I'm just not a morning writer.

Last night, I was able to break the block I've been having on this script. I managed to get the body of the plot worked out and I managed to squeeze in the idea I had about the multi-verse. It's gonna be good.

What I've been really worried about was having to invest too much time and money into having special effects or complicated stunts or anything that might require a big production. What I've done, effectively, is found a way around them with a few decent plot devices.

I think I might go over 30 minutes, but not by much. 35 maybe. I need to finish the script and then figure in how long the credit sequences bookending the film are gonna be. But that won't be until I've got a cleaned up copy of the script.

Felt good to break through. Hope to keep up the momentum.

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Can't Tell The Players Without A Program

Well, I've decided against being in my own film. My wife, who can see right through me, is right: I do want to act. But I've decided against this being my time to do so. With all the crap I have to do, I don't want to worry about my performance being stilted because I had a thousand things to worry about.

My wife and my director of photography are gonna help me cast the film. I consulted with a friend who's wife is an indie director and he's gonna give me leads on where to scout for talent. I figure that we'll go through a couple of dozen actors before we find what we want.

It's exciting to think of my wife helping me on this. She's got a keen eye for details and she's much more organized than me, so it will be a great help.

The few people whom I've told about the film concept have been really receptive, so I'm thinking I'm on the right track. I think that the film will fair well and might even have feature possibilities if we can get it all done in time and it finds a proper home (distribution wise).

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"I'm having...trouble." - Robocop 2

The script is giving me a bit of trouble. I can see the feature possibilities and it makes the scope grow bigger. I only want 30 minutes, with credits at both ends.

Also, I've been doing some reading on string theory and the concept of multiple universes (two very pertinent things to the subject matter) and it's making me think of all kinds of possibilities for the resolution of the plot.

I'm already 1/3 of the way into the script and it's rolling nicely. I think that with some work, I can have this ready in a week or so. But I have to hammer away at it with great resolve.

I'm concerned with rushing through it, but at the same time, I want to be able to finish it and polish it later. I think that's the way to go. Either way, I don't want any aspect of the script to suffer, so I'm gonna take it easy.

I feel good. Very good. The Austin Film Festival will be the launching pad for the film. I entered a script a couple of years ago to Project Greenlight. Sadly, I didn't make it past the first round. But I got a 90 page script out of it that I still plan to develop more.

Things are looking up.

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What Came First?

I've written scripts and stories based on a title. Nothing more. I have a script, my first, failed feature film, "Caught In The Rain." I had the title before I had the script. In fact, the title existed almost 8 years before the script idea was ever conceived. It started out as a poem. I use to write a lot of poetry. I was very tortured in my late teens. I had a bunch of notebooks just crammed with one liners and all sorts of nonsensical crap. I took the Jim Morrison approach to my early work one night, while still living with my parents. I attempted to burn all my work in a garbage can, dousing it with some lighter fluid. I was purging my creativity. I didn't make it very far. My mother had her sights set on preserving my work.

Before and after the poetry bit, I wrote short stories. My high school buddies and I made up a fictional CIA team of mercenaries called, "The Death Squad." There were four of them. My character was the linchpin of the group. They all used aliases, but later faked their deaths and returned to the real world, under their real names, to run their team off the reservation. They used money they'd collect during their black ops to fund their intricately devised hideouts and fancy weaponry. They all had specialties and very distinct personalities. Each one of us created our own characters and later, I did most of the writing. But we all did one chapter in this incredibly long epic where we went after the mob bosses in our respective cities and then introduced our character's replacements, who would turn out to be their sons. It was wild. When my friends and I split off, after high school, the storyline broke into two timelines. In one, I was killed by two of the other members of the team and in the other, we split off, amicably and led our own lives. I wrote the latter. A very disgruntled buddy of mine wrote the timeline where I got killed. He killed me. Our friendship was very fractured.

I wrote as much and as often as I could. I carried notebooks for most of my life. My dad bought me a computer early in my teens, an Apple, and I really started to go at it. I started my first novel when I was 17. I never finished it. But there were other false starts. Lots of them.

I didn't always keep a journal, but I threatened to start one frequently. There are fractured bits of time, saved on floppy discs and type written pages all over the place. One could make a fairly accurate progression of my work and my personality with them.

Eventually, when I realized that I wanted to be involved with film, I decided to take the novel and just write a screenplay. It would be easier. I started looking up script formatting and checking out books on filmmaking from the library. Once I got the basic gist of it, I began to dream up ideas for scripts. "Caught In The Rain" came about just before "Boondock Saints" was released, but I didn't move on it then. I waited until I had a video camera and even bought a Steadicam rig to shoot it. I made it about a quarter of the way before the rig broke, my cast bailed and I lost inspiration. I've managed to piece together a scene not too recently during a shoot at the house of my production assistant's cousin. It was the end of the script where the bad guy gets owned. I have to say, for my lack of planning and the bad blocking, it wasn't half bad. I shot the scene myself, had three actors, one with a real gun and managed to get myself in the scene via a VHS tape. It turned out great. I was really hyped that night. I still have the video of the first reading of the script we had at the bar I worked at.

I've done a few things since then. I've written a bunch of stuff and pieces of things I'll include in scripts to come. I still think about writing a novel. I think I've got one good one in me. I've got dozens of scripts that are just ready to be written.

One thing at a time.

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Fire Inside

There are countless films that feed this fire I have to be a writer/director. I could go into a rant that would take me a few hours and I could drop a hundred titles. But I credit Richard Donner's "Superman" with being the film that ignited the fire.

If you know me, you know my feelings about Superman. I love Superman. But it wasn't the hero that made me love film, it was the tag line on the poster. "You Will Believe A Man Can Fly." I believed. Without a doubt. Now, I want to make other people believe.

I collect posters, ticket stubs, press kits, the tear-away part of my Netflix rentals, dvds, VHS tapes and anything else I can get my hands on. I've recently started writing down, on the tear-away parts of my Netflix rentals, the movies that I saw and my rating. I keep a film guide on my living room table and tell my wife and kids to always keep it there. IMDB is a fixture on my Firefox toolbar bookmarks at home and work. And I try to learn all kinds of inane trivia about the making of movies, actors and Hollywood in general.

My friends say things that I write down in a notebook that I carry in my back pocket. I work the dialogue into my scripts. I've got all kinds of ideas.

I carry my miniDV camera everywhere I go. I've got stock footage coming outta my whazoo. I mean to use every bit of it too.

Some nights, I just stay up and write, watch a movie and research some obscure movie on the internet- all at the same time.

Am I addicted. You bet your ass I am.
But all of this is nothing if I can't do three things:
First and most importantly, share it all with my wife. She shares her passions with me and revels in my love of mine.
Two, to write and direct movies in Hollywood. No one should knows this much crap about movies and not try and make some.
And finally, to make my parents proud. They've supported me, like my wife, in this insane endeavor to become a filmmaker since I was a kid.
I am truly blessed. Now I just gotta get up off my ass and do this.

"Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted-One moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?" - Eminem

Gotta get crackin'.

My Mission

I'd like to get as much down about the inner workings of this film I'm working on, not just for others to read, but as a sort of catharsis. I find that when I get thoughts jotted down, it flushes out some of the blockage that I experience.

I also want to keep a record of this, and of future projects, so that I can look back and say, "What was I thinking?" or "I'm a freakin' genius!!" or "Random thought here!!"

This is gonna be fun!

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