This is going to be relatively short and sweet. I am filming today at approximately 5:45 pm a 30 second short film entitled "Epic Writer". It's basically about a guy sitting at a coffee shop who has writers block and sees a attractive woman crossing the street and begins to write her actions. The ironic part is that everything he writes she does, right up until the end when he thinks she is going to kiss him and she asks him to plug in her phone.
The top ten finalists will be judged by Michael Bay to see who is the Grand PRIZE winner of $25,000.00! More importantly if your in the top 20 MB gets to see your project. Considering the personal experience I just had with a certain famous director I think this would be most fortunate if MB then saw something I directed.
More about this later, am still fighting a cold, and still have not heard anything back from the studio about the pitch.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
In the mean time....
"What do I do in the mean time?" Right, all of us at one point or another are waiting for something. Either a call back, a meeting, a script to be written, or and executive to care(snowball and a hot place). So what do you do while you wait for the inevitable "no" that you've been waiting for to shut the door on this project so you can emotionally detach yourself and move on to the next one. The answer I am afraid is not simple or easy.
Like so many things in this industry there are copious layers to getting things done. So, if you have a pitch that is supposedly "out" and your waiting for Monday so you can harass the PA at the production office some more. What do you do with the intervening hours? By the way this is not just for the weekends it more often than not speaks to months of dead time in which you have no major projects and no major money(if you had the money you could "play" like the people who do do. I think I just typed dodo.)
Moving on, staying busy with some sort of Entertainment Industry anything is usually the first best option. If it is in the industry and will not threaten your current project obligations I say it's a "must". The only cure for being "on-the-set" is being ON THE SET!
It does not matter which set, just being on one usually does the trick for me.
The real problem comes when being on a set is not an option. Now what...this is the tricky part.
If you have vices, like you drink too much, or you smoke pot a little more than a little, or you go clubbing 3x per-week not including weekends. For me I have done most of these at one time or another and none of it fills the void. Some people are fortunate enough to be able to figure out how to manage a family and/or a serious relationship in the middle of the career chasing and can occupy them selves with that.
If that is not the case, or if you've done that already and your freaking out waiting.....then this next part is for you.
There is no perfect answer because every person is just enough different even though we got bit by the same but that this is VERY subjective.
The best thing that I have found, is to exercise(like running, nocturnal activities with another person don't count) something that gets your cardio up and allows you to be in your own head.
Then, I work on pre-production or the grand finale write.
Writing is the real answer, or taking some sort of writing class(which kind of is in the industry work category, that is part of any education which usually takes some time and money so I count it as industry work for this example).
But really, writing, story-boarding an existing script, working on a new pitch for a project. These are all things that keep your juices flowing and help keep your mind off of "THE project" of the moment.
Keep in mind that I am writing right now.....yes this is keeping me sane.
Like so many things in this industry there are copious layers to getting things done. So, if you have a pitch that is supposedly "out" and your waiting for Monday so you can harass the PA at the production office some more. What do you do with the intervening hours? By the way this is not just for the weekends it more often than not speaks to months of dead time in which you have no major projects and no major money(if you had the money you could "play" like the people who do do. I think I just typed dodo.)
Moving on, staying busy with some sort of Entertainment Industry anything is usually the first best option. If it is in the industry and will not threaten your current project obligations I say it's a "must". The only cure for being "on-the-set" is being ON THE SET!
It does not matter which set, just being on one usually does the trick for me.
The real problem comes when being on a set is not an option. Now what...this is the tricky part.
If you have vices, like you drink too much, or you smoke pot a little more than a little, or you go clubbing 3x per-week not including weekends. For me I have done most of these at one time or another and none of it fills the void. Some people are fortunate enough to be able to figure out how to manage a family and/or a serious relationship in the middle of the career chasing and can occupy them selves with that.
If that is not the case, or if you've done that already and your freaking out waiting.....then this next part is for you.
There is no perfect answer because every person is just enough different even though we got bit by the same but that this is VERY subjective.
The best thing that I have found, is to exercise(like running, nocturnal activities with another person don't count) something that gets your cardio up and allows you to be in your own head.
Then, I work on pre-production or the grand finale write.
Writing is the real answer, or taking some sort of writing class(which kind of is in the industry work category, that is part of any education which usually takes some time and money so I count it as industry work for this example).
But really, writing, story-boarding an existing script, working on a new pitch for a project. These are all things that keep your juices flowing and help keep your mind off of "THE project" of the moment.
Keep in mind that I am writing right now.....yes this is keeping me sane.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Transitions: Part 1
This is just a quick note to start off the segment but it's important. As a filmmaker you life is in a constant state of flux. Especially it would seem when your attempting to make your way in the early stages. Part of this is because of a couple of different things:
One: What ever baggage you have from any other part of your life has to be either contained or eliminated. Film is not an escape, it's a magnifying glass.
Two: Everybody else. That means, your family and friends that you have know forever but are not part of the film world. They will do anything and everything that you don't want/need either separately or as a group. The bottom line is you get one, maybe two people in your whole family who will really get it, keep in mind some people don't even get that. EVERYONE else will diminish, belittle, dismiss, belittle, or outright laugh at what your doing. Even if your getting paid, it does not matter unless your driving an Italian sports car or something they WILL NOT treat any of it like a real job or career.
Some thoughts on the subject. As far as I can tell it is a temporary illness on the part of our families. By the way families is including everyone who is part of your "important people" circle. Anyway, it believe that our families have two choices, accept us as some sort of "artist" and always look at us with a mild kind of distaste, or come around two what is really happening.
Here is the other part, this is for all of you and myself the hard part. "What if our families are right?"
They aren't, it's not possible to be right about your opinion of something that you don't understand. Keep in mind, if your working in the industry your winning. If you have a game plan and your working it your winning.
The last part, you have to cut them out. If ANYBODY, girlfriend, wife, mom, dad, cousin, or even your own children(obviously I mean grown children). You have to decide two things one, if they are on board or not. If they are not they WILL sabotage your work. If your undecided about whether or not they are on-board then give it time and your career will get in the way of their agenda eventually and you will know.
Then if they are in the way you have to get the out of your life, as cleanly as possible. Not forever necessarily but they cannot be apart of the decision making process for you in anything that you do. If you have little one's and are in film adjust this accordingly, because I can't say, I don't have kids but I believe while they are still young you don't have a life except for them. Your dreams will have to wait(that is my opinion, unless you can do both. If for instance the child is in the industry but that is another topic all together.)
Eventually they can come back, eventually they will see you on TV, or something you've done. Maybe enough time will have passed in which you did not call them asking for some kind of help and they will begin to believe by default.
At the end of the day, we the filmmakers hold all of the cards. When we make it and how we make it is up to us. WE are the one's who define how all of this plays out, we just HAVE to define it. We have to make a jump. Ultimately it is all up to whether or not we believe that we have what it take's to do this or not.
Now I have to go rake leaves, or my "family" is gonna get pissed.
One: What ever baggage you have from any other part of your life has to be either contained or eliminated. Film is not an escape, it's a magnifying glass.
Two: Everybody else. That means, your family and friends that you have know forever but are not part of the film world. They will do anything and everything that you don't want/need either separately or as a group. The bottom line is you get one, maybe two people in your whole family who will really get it, keep in mind some people don't even get that. EVERYONE else will diminish, belittle, dismiss, belittle, or outright laugh at what your doing. Even if your getting paid, it does not matter unless your driving an Italian sports car or something they WILL NOT treat any of it like a real job or career.
Some thoughts on the subject. As far as I can tell it is a temporary illness on the part of our families. By the way families is including everyone who is part of your "important people" circle. Anyway, it believe that our families have two choices, accept us as some sort of "artist" and always look at us with a mild kind of distaste, or come around two what is really happening.
Here is the other part, this is for all of you and myself the hard part. "What if our families are right?"
They aren't, it's not possible to be right about your opinion of something that you don't understand. Keep in mind, if your working in the industry your winning. If you have a game plan and your working it your winning.
The last part, you have to cut them out. If ANYBODY, girlfriend, wife, mom, dad, cousin, or even your own children(obviously I mean grown children). You have to decide two things one, if they are on board or not. If they are not they WILL sabotage your work. If your undecided about whether or not they are on-board then give it time and your career will get in the way of their agenda eventually and you will know.
Then if they are in the way you have to get the out of your life, as cleanly as possible. Not forever necessarily but they cannot be apart of the decision making process for you in anything that you do. If you have little one's and are in film adjust this accordingly, because I can't say, I don't have kids but I believe while they are still young you don't have a life except for them. Your dreams will have to wait(that is my opinion, unless you can do both. If for instance the child is in the industry but that is another topic all together.)
Eventually they can come back, eventually they will see you on TV, or something you've done. Maybe enough time will have passed in which you did not call them asking for some kind of help and they will begin to believe by default.
At the end of the day, we the filmmakers hold all of the cards. When we make it and how we make it is up to us. WE are the one's who define how all of this plays out, we just HAVE to define it. We have to make a jump. Ultimately it is all up to whether or not we believe that we have what it take's to do this or not.
Now I have to go rake leaves, or my "family" is gonna get pissed.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Casting Issues Part II
So I just pushed production back on my sort film "picket fence". Why, you ask, well casting. The production has had many bumps along the way first; we lost our DP(Director of Photography, the guy who makes the movie look like a movie and not a home video), and then we lost our Editor( the gal in this case who helps the move flow and make sense) the second week of official production. Neither one of those catastrophic changes caused any movement in the production schedule. We have had several financial issues' when it comes to our locations, again did not cause any change in the schedule.
I have now rescheduled production 3 times, and every-time it is the same reason, casting.
I have my leads hand picked, so that is a blessing, what I don't have are the characters that those leads interact with. I have seven speaking roles to fill and about nine-twelve extra's to cast. So I need twenty people. If you just want your friends and family and whom ever to be in your film then that is fine. If you want real life "I-want-to-do-this-because-I-love-it" actors, then you had better get really prepared.
Nuts and Bolts:
Rates vary from place to place, but check out between $50.00 to $100.00 dollers for the first hour with an additional $10.00 every additional hour.
As you can see not cheep. So try to find something through a friend or relative.
The location should have:
On a final not I will say that it has been my biggest struggle to give the actors/casting persons, enough lead time before the audition.
You can kind of procrastinate on many things, but casting is not one of them. Give the people time ,and you will be amazed at the difference it makes in your casting response.
I have now rescheduled production 3 times, and every-time it is the same reason, casting.
I have my leads hand picked, so that is a blessing, what I don't have are the characters that those leads interact with. I have seven speaking roles to fill and about nine-twelve extra's to cast. So I need twenty people. If you just want your friends and family and whom ever to be in your film then that is fine. If you want real life "I-want-to-do-this-because-I-love-it" actors, then you had better get really prepared.
Nuts and Bolts:
- Cast through your local SAG office.(Screen Actors Guild)
- Find a casting location for your non-union auditions
Rates vary from place to place, but check out between $50.00 to $100.00 dollers for the first hour with an additional $10.00 every additional hour.
As you can see not cheep. So try to find something through a friend or relative.
The location should have:
- Men and Women bathrooms separately(no one bathroom situations that is usually bad)
- A place for the next audition to wait while your casting if your doing a large call(usually for extras and not for main roles. Be sure to buffer your auditions for primary roles by 15 so the person doing the audition does not run into their competition on the way in or way out of the audition. That can lead to all sorts of problems.
- Room, for:
- A camera and tripod
- Some one to read with the actor
- enough room for the actor to move around comfortably
On a final not I will say that it has been my biggest struggle to give the actors/casting persons, enough lead time before the audition.
You can kind of procrastinate on many things, but casting is not one of them. Give the people time ,and you will be amazed at the difference it makes in your casting response.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
I just have to say something....the pitch
I today, just sent the email. The person that is supposed to have the pitch now has it in her email in-box. For sure, my short film is suffering because I am so distracted by this pitch. It's 7:46 pm and I am exhausted like I just ran a marathon.
If this happens, it will not be a small thing. I will begin the work that will change the rest of my life, my families lives(yes that is plural un-purpose), and the lives of every friend/person in my life.
So many stories to tell, so much film that needs to worked on. It's like, if I can just become the person I need to be, if I can just get to the position to make these things in my mind happen then I truly have a hope for a great tomorrow.
Ha, ha, maybe I am more tired than I think.
It's ironic, I am sitting here with only pennies to my name, waiting on an email or phone call that could begin the journey that I have been waiting to take my whole life. I am not sure what the right thing is to even say. No one is reading this but I feel like, ya know someday somebody will. To that person I don't know what to say, this feeling is like nothing else. It's not like love, it's a dull ache but in a good way. It's like I am drunk but happy and scared at the same time. It's way harder then I though it would be. If your like me then what you want to know is nuts and bolts, "how do I". To that I say...
What I did right:
Learn how to talk on the phone
There, hope some of that is useful, now I am going to bed....hahaha its 8:01
If this happens, it will not be a small thing. I will begin the work that will change the rest of my life, my families lives(yes that is plural un-purpose), and the lives of every friend/person in my life.
So many stories to tell, so much film that needs to worked on. It's like, if I can just become the person I need to be, if I can just get to the position to make these things in my mind happen then I truly have a hope for a great tomorrow.
Ha, ha, maybe I am more tired than I think.
It's ironic, I am sitting here with only pennies to my name, waiting on an email or phone call that could begin the journey that I have been waiting to take my whole life. I am not sure what the right thing is to even say. No one is reading this but I feel like, ya know someday somebody will. To that person I don't know what to say, this feeling is like nothing else. It's not like love, it's a dull ache but in a good way. It's like I am drunk but happy and scared at the same time. It's way harder then I though it would be. If your like me then what you want to know is nuts and bolts, "how do I". To that I say...
What I did right:
Learn how to talk on the phone
- Don't hang up till the person on the other end gives you something you can use
- When you hang up leave on a pleasant not
- When something pisses you off make yourself smile on the phone.
- ALWAYS call back right away if you missed something, never "do it later"
- ALWAYS call back, and ALWAYS keep calling
- Learn how to watch what is going on around the production and time your calls
There, hope some of that is useful, now I am going to bed....hahaha its 8:01
Casting....
It's amazing to me how all of the little parts of film that it takes to make a film don't mean anything to me until I imagine the film with out them.
For example: A casting director
This part of the business is a huge pain in the production binder. I mean this job is normally an entire department of it's own, that is usually sub-contracted by the film. Also this person, will sub-contract another company to take care of getting extra's needed for the film.
On an independent/short/student film with no money it falls to the director/producer/casting director/film student to do all of this and not suck at it.
First you have to have an idea of what roles you need to cast in three separate catagories.
One: Main Cast- usually should be the best talent you can get your hands on.
Two: Supporting Cast- same rule for main cast, but if that does not happen, it won't destroy your film.
Three: Extras-anybody who has a pulse, can stay quiet and do what they are told.(but be nice to them, if you don't have them your film will look stupid.)
More later, is now a thunderstorm and huge risk of a power failer so more later, maybe....
For example: A casting director
This part of the business is a huge pain in the production binder. I mean this job is normally an entire department of it's own, that is usually sub-contracted by the film. Also this person, will sub-contract another company to take care of getting extra's needed for the film.
On an independent/short/student film with no money it falls to the director/producer/casting director/film student to do all of this and not suck at it.
First you have to have an idea of what roles you need to cast in three separate catagories.
One: Main Cast- usually should be the best talent you can get your hands on.
Two: Supporting Cast- same rule for main cast, but if that does not happen, it won't destroy your film.
Three: Extras-anybody who has a pulse, can stay quiet and do what they are told.(but be nice to them, if you don't have them your film will look stupid.)
More later, is now a thunderstorm and huge risk of a power failer so more later, maybe....
Oh NO....somebody stole my pitch, er maybe not.
It's another stormy day in Chicagoland and I awoke with a mild sense of urgency to be about the things that I needed to get done today. I turn on my computer as I often do in the morning, and what do I see on www.youtube.com in the ad banner? An ad for a contest that is part of (or was part of) the pitch I had discussed with certain person at a certain production office.
My first reaction: Blind RAGE! Second reaction: I must share my pain with Rob! Third Reaction:(hmm maybe I should look at this thing more, and so I do) Next reaction: Oh wait this is the part what I was talking about with the woman that was kind of her idea.
Final Reaction:No worries, if anything this augments what I want to do.
My first reaction: Blind RAGE! Second reaction: I must share my pain with Rob! Third Reaction:(hmm maybe I should look at this thing more, and so I do) Next reaction: Oh wait this is the part what I was talking about with the woman that was kind of her idea.
Final Reaction:No worries, if anything this augments what I want to do.
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