Matthew 13 Blog

All Your Questions will be Answered

2011-09-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

It's no secret, to those who know me. I spend some time in front of the television. Well, maybe more than just "some". Many people would probably look at my definition of "some" and redefine it as "a lot". In a culture where the average person watches approximately four hours of television a day, I can honestly say, I'm above average. Which is almost always a good thing to be able to say, right? Truth be told, I enjoys me some TV, but I won't watch just anything. I have to be drawn in by either the story, or by the characters. There was one show, in particular, that drew me in. It had all the makings of a great story. There was a plane crash, a tropical island with polar bears, some sort of smoke monster, and people who were once in wheelchairs could walk again. Week after week I would watch this show and get more and more drawn in, as more and more mysterious things began to happen. After a few years there were those that became disillusioned with the program. Things weren't making sense, new characters seemed to appear from nowhere. Old characters, who were supposed to be very important, were no longer on the show, with no mention as to why they were supposed to be so important. The smoke monster made clicking noises. People became frustrated, but I hung in there and kept on watching. Why? Because of one promise the show kept making. All of your questions will be answered. Since week one, all of the actors promoting the show claimed that the writers had a plan. Everything would make sense, eventually. So I watched. Week after week, year after year, until six years had passed. Finally, it was time for the show to end, and after six years of flash backs, flash forwards, and flash sideways, they basically said, "weird stuff just seems to happen here".

I must tell you, gentle reader, I was not happy. I felt that I had invested a great deal of time over the last six years, and the payoff was quite low. The writers didn't answer all of the questions, and a lot of the questions they did answer only lead to bigger questions. As a faithful viewer, I felt that I had been strung along and lied to. I had been promised that all my questions would be answered, and they were not. Shame on you writers, shame on you.

Well, they say that whenever you point your finger at someone, there are always three fingers pointed back at you. That is the case here. It occurs to me that over the time I have written this blog there have been several events that I have written about, that I have not brought to a satisfactory conclusion. In order to escape some of the shame I so freely cast about at others, I thought I should answer any questions before moving forward.

So, what happened with that zombie movie you were working on, and did it ever get into Comic-Con?

I am pleased to announce that the genre redefining mega blockbuster "Zombies During Third Period...Again!" was in fact completed. It had a very successful home town screening at the State Theater in Modesto, with all primary cast, and writer/director , Neal Barlow, in attendance as well as a full crowd of over two hundred movie goers. To see the trailer, read more about the final film, or even pick up a copy on DVD or Blu-ray, just go ahead and click right HERE.

In my earlier writings about the film, I had told you that "Zombies" had not been completed in time to submit to Comic-Con 2010. But what about Comic-Con 2011? Well. let me put your troubled mind to rest and tell you, the film did get completed in time to submit to Comic-Con 2011 and was sent off to the selection committee. After having seen the finished film, my hopes were very high that the month of July would find me in San Diego getting my "geek" on in a major way. I thought that there was very little chance that we would not selected. I suppose that is the kind of confidence one should have about their work, but I am sorry to report that the selection committee, became more of a rejection committee for "Zombies". "Zombies" was not chosen to be a part of the 2011 Comic-Con Independent Movie Festival, and my dream of walking down isle after isle packed with wonders too great to be spoken, remains just that, a dream. Next question.

I see that you finished your film, but what happened with the "Big Break" contest? Did you finish your film in time?

That's a good question, gentle reader, but alas we are out of time. So let me encourage you to tune in next week, when I can promise you, all of your questions will be answered!

T2i Feature Film Wireless

2011-06-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

So here it is, gentle reader. The wait is over, even if you weren't aware that you were waiting for anything. I know I haven't seen you in awhile, but as a way to try and make up for my absence, here is my first feature length film available you watch for gratis. I hope you enjoy the show! If you really want to show some aspiring filmmaker love, you can buy the DVD by clicking HERE

The Grass is Always Greener

2011-04-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

We've all heard it before, gentle reader. "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence". It can't possibly be true. It's a cliche. But, even as I write this I am reminded of Dennis Miller's line in the workplace thriller "Disclosure" as he rebuffs a colleagues dismissal of his argument with, "Come on Hunter, how do you think a cliche becomes a cliche"? To which, I must answer with, touche Dennis Miller. Touche indeed.

Is it possible that these phrases get tossed around with so little thought because they are so very true? Is Dennis Miller right? Well gentle reader, I must confess while in the process of making "Wireless", I did find that the grass was greener on the other side of the fence, no matter which side I happened to be standing upon.

In the previous weeks you and I have talked, (or to be more accurate, I have typed and you have read) at some length, about how much I struggled to write my first feature length screenplay. I spent many a hour sitting in front of the computer, or pacing through my upstairs hallway, trying to come up with words to fill, what seemed like, an infinite vacuum of white screen, with little to show for it. While pacing the floor, typing a few words and then deleting them, or just banging my head against the keyboard, there was one thought that kept creeping back into my mind. "This is the hard part. Coming up with ideas is hard. I'm building a world from scratch, creating it from nothing, placing reality where there was just white space. Nothing could be harder than this". My mind said it, and I believed it. It seemed to be a perfectly reasonable notion. Surely shooting the movie would be easier than writing it. After all, when shooting the movie all I must do, is simply put whatever items are in the script in front of a camera and hit the "record" button. Sure, there are the questions of what angles look the most dramatic, what lighting will best set the tone, but those tasks are nothing compared to the monumental task of CREATING a whole world from scratch. Once the screenplay is written, all I really have to do is follow the instructions I've already written down. Following instructions is always easier than coming up with the instructions in the first place, right? Cliche or no, from where I stood, working on and struggling with, that screenplay, the grass on the other side of that proverbial fence was by far more lush, inviting, and yes, green. I could not wait to get to that side of the fence.

Then I began shooting "Wireless". I began to hear some metaphorical crunching under my feet. I looked down to see that the lush inviting landscape of shooting the movie, was much more brown and dry than I would have imagined possible. In disbelief I looked back over that ever present mental fence, to see that just on the other side of it lie the beautiful inviting vistas that I thought I would find on this side. I began to think to myself, "Shooting a movie is much harder than writing a movie. When writing a movie, there are no constraints like there are in the physical world. All I have to do is think of something and write it down. It doesn't get any easier than that! Here in the real world I have to actually find access to the things written down and then put them in front of a camera. 'Police Car' takes less than a second to type. FINDING a police car to use in the movie, so much harder"! Yes, from where I stood, shooting the movie, I would look back over the fence at the world of writing the movie, and the grass seemed much, much greener.

So all this is to say, gentle reader, the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. As I went about trying to shoot the movie, and get all the things that I needed to get, I found that nouns such as "police car, locker room, and night time" (it is so much harder to shoot during the night time) were much easier to write than they were to make materialize. In the case of the police car, despite the best efforts of all involved, we could not find one for filming. We can assume that Officer Weisemen had a car somewhere, but the audience will never see it. That also meant there were a few written scenes that had to be dropped from the final film, because we could not get the props or locations that we needed. Police uniforms themselves were also a challenge to duplicate. It seemed like it would be easy. I never thought twice when writing the script that it would be a problem. We all know what police officers look like, but despite knowing several people in local law enforcement, getting realistic uniforms took considerably more effort than I would have ever thought possible. Even a trip to the costume store yielded no rewards (unless I wanted my officers to come across as exotic dancers or as rejects from the Village People). However, there were also examples of scenes that took days to write, that were filmed in an hour or two.

So, as the shooting of the movie continued and the deadline for the "Big Break" contest got ever closer, I found myself thinking about a new metaphorical pasture. The lush green landscapes of post production. After all, once you get to that part, all the hard work has been done. All the ideas have been created. All the props have been secured. All the scenes have been shot. All the performances have been captured on film. Yes, all of my dreams will come true, and I can really start to take my leisure, once I make it over this next fence, to the paradise that is post production.

Let me tell you, gentle reader, it's not a cliche, it's the truth. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

3 Jobs in 1

2011-03-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well hello there gentle reader! It is good to see you again here on the road to honest to goodness, real live, filmmakerville. I'm not going to lie to you, at times it is a very lonely road, so I am quite grateful for the company. When last we met, round the ol' proverbial campfire, I spun the yarn of how I went about casting my "no budget" film. So after getting all the casting pieces into place, it was time to get to work and start making words printed on pieces of paper into a motion picture. The motion picture that the world will come to know as "Wireless".

It seems to me, in my somewhat limited experience, that there are three main phases to getting a film made, (after the screenplay has been written). Phase One - Pre-Production. As near as I can tell, this is when a lot of the decisions about the film are made. Locations are scouted and selected. Costumes are made or purchased. Crew is hired. A schedule is made. Rehearsals with actors take place. Basically, as many of the details as possible, concerning the production are taken care of. I remember producer Chris Moore, of the independent film contest Project Greenlight, stating "if pre-production goes good, the shoot goes good. If pre-production goes bad, the shoot is a disaster". I think this is really sound advice from a man who has produced a good number of movies at the top level. One would do well to follow said advice. However, in my particular situation, with the deadline for the "Big Break" contest getting closer by the second, I did not have the time to heed such advice. I had actors to play the parts. That was all the pre-production I was going to be able to do. It was time to stick those actors in front of cameras. I had some ideas as to costuming, but due to the "no budget" part of the phrase "no budget film making" the actors were providing their own clothes. I gave them an idea of what I would like, and then we were going to go ahead and shoot whatever it was they showed up wearing, (as long as it wasn't a bunny costume or something). There would be no rehearsal. There would not be so much as any kind of "meet and greet". The actors were going to meet each other on set, and say the lines together for the first time while being filmed. All I could do was hope that I was the exception to Chris Moore's rule.

Phase Two - Production, or the actual shooting of the movie. In a perfect world, this would be when you simply follow through on the decisions you made during pre-production. Shooting on "Wireless" was made somewhat more stressful due to the fact that many of those decisions had not been made. While shooting the movie, we were still looking for locations, props, and costumes. Among other things, this made our "schedule" a very fluid concept. We could not shoot actors for whom costumes had not been made, and locations had not been secured. So, I went about shooting the scenes for which I did have locations and costumes. This became a bit of a balancing act. While there were scenes that could be easily shot with just one actor, when it came to coordinating schedules things became much more complicated. Even if I had "scheduled" to shoot certain scenes on a certain day, the lack of costuming and props required that I bump those actor's scenes to a later date and find something else that could be shot. Rolling these two jobs into one, made the process much harder than if they had been done properly. Not only was I concerned about finding the best shots for the day, and making sure the actors gave their best performances, I was running around trying to secure everything that was needed for the scene before shooting it. Very little had been pre-planned or laid out, so everything had to be done at the last minute. I don't know if I would describe it as a disaster, but it certainly was stressful, and a major divider of my attention.

Phase Three - Post Production, or the editing of the film. Once again, gentle reader, I found myself forgetting just how many different aspects there are to post production as well as how important each of those parts are to the final product. Along with just picking out which takes of which shots to use, there is sound design, color correction, and title sequences. Each one of these processes is truly its own art form and can greatly impact how the final film ends up. However, time was not a resource that I had in abundance. I was going to have to be doing the post production as I went along. I was going to have to roll all three phases into one. If I was to have any chance of turning in a film to the "Big Break" contest I was going to have to be editing as I shot. Once the last take of the final shot had been recorded and production was wrapped, I pretty much needed to have an assembly of all the footage that could be watched from beginning to end. Then I would have four days to try and polish that assembly as much as possible. That would be the time I would try and trim the shots, add music and sound effects and get all the titling and whatever effects I could pull off, done.

And so I was off. Nearly everyday seemed filled to it's limit of hours with either shooting, planning for the future day's shooting, or editing together what had already been shot. I knew when I decided to undertake the task, that it was going to be extremely difficult, but, as usual, I had underestimated.

Casting

2011-03-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

So, the first major milestone in my journey had been reached. If I wanted to be a real live, honest to goodness, filmmaker, I needed a real live, honest to goodness, screenplay. Mission accomplished. It may have been a little shorter than I had originally dreamed of, but at least I had some words typed out on sheets of paper. Now, to reach the next milestone in my journey, I was going to have to find some real live, honest to goodness, actors.

The casting process is one that I fear I have continually underestimated. In truth, I think I underestimate every aspect of the film making process, each and every time I film something, (yet somehow I'm always surprised). It's not that I am unaware of the importance of the actors. I know it is they, rather than I, who will be bringing the characters to life. It is they, the audience will bond with, and it is they, who will bear the brunt of the storm if the audience decides they hate my work. You can't make a live action film without actors and I don't know how to draw, so I am aware of their importance to the process. However, I fear I continually underestimate the amount of time it takes to get the casting ball rolling. In writing the script, I was just one man sitting alone in a room with a computer. That was all I needed to keep things moving forward. Now I was adding many, many more variables to the equation. With variables come complications, and complications are the bane of anyone fighting against an ever approaching deadline.

At the time I had finished my screenplay, I had roughly seven weeks left until the "Big Break" contest deadline. I wanted to have at least one week to concentrate on editing (which is to say, I wanted a week where editing was the only thing I was working on, my plan was to be editing the movie as I went along), leaving six weeks to cast and shoot the film. In a perfect world, when casting a film, one would hold auditions where they would meet all kinds of talented people who were just dying to be a part of this new and daring project. The director would sit back, pour over the head shots, and think upon which person, out of all the candidates, would be perfect to bring this or that character to life. After all, they say that ninety percent of directing, is casting. I would love to live in that world. Maybe someday I will, but that world does not even come close to the world I was living in. In my world, I was just trying to find someone who had acted before and would be willing to take on a role for no money. In truth whether they had acted before was really secondary to their willingness to participate. I needed people to say "yes", and I needed them to say it quickly.

In the past, when writing, I have always had certain ideas in my head, of people I knew that could play various roles. The same was true of this project. The problem was, I hadn't actually talked to any of those people. I hadn't dropped them a voicemail, email, or Facebook message to say, "Hey, it's me. I'm writing a film role that I think you would be perfect for. How's about you take a look at what I got and let me know if you'd be available". Nope, I waited until the screenplay was done to start talking to people, or even looking to see who might be available. Basically, though I had finished my screenplay a little early according to my schedule, I was still behind. I didn't use that time as efficiently as I could have. I should have been looking for cast while I was still writing. Even though the screenplay would have been unfinished, I still knew how many parts I needed to cast, and I could have used those weeks to seek out interested people. However, I didn't do that, so with six weeks left to do pre-production and actual production, I reached out to those around me to see what people might be interested in being in my movie.

In the two weeks that followed, I found nine people who were interested in being in the film. I had eight roles to fill. I did hold what could be described as "auditions", but in reality it was more of a "meet and greet". It was just a chance for me to hear the actors read and experiment a little a couple of them to see which one would be best for what part. Someone would have had to come in and literally wet themselves, or insisted on speaking all their lines in their own made up interplanetary language to have not gotten a role. Or I guess they could move out of state. One of the actors who came to the reading did that, all the others got offered parts. I had eight people for eight roles and that was all I needed.

Now I must tell you, gentle reader, that I was very lucky to get the cast that I got. If I could get in Mr. Peabody's "Way Back Machine", and do it all again, I would do it differently, but not in the hopes of getting a better cast. I'm very proud of my cast. However, if I had started reaching out two weeks earlier, there would have been time for some rehearsal. As it was, there was no time to get acquainted or practice. As soon as someone said "yes" to the offered part, I would say "Great! Now memorize those lines, feel free to call with any questions, and we'll see you on set"! The deadline was coming, so we were all just going to have to do our learning in front of the camera and hope for the best.

"Feature Length"

2011-03-09T17:22:00.000-08:00

When last we met, gentle reader, I was regaling you with the tale of completing my first screenplay, in the hopes of having a film to submit to the “Big Break” film contest. As I mentioned last time, I had given myself two weeks to complete the screenplay (which I had already started months earlier), in order to stay on target and complete the film. Now having completed a first draft a few days ahead of schedule, I was faced with one of those, all too familiar, good news, bad news situations.

The good news: I had actually sat down and completed something that a few months earlier seemed a near impossibility, shrouded in mystery. The bad news: I wasn’t sure that the screenplay I had finished was going to count.

As I have stated before, (but I will restate it again to refresh your memory, gentle reader), every screenwriting book that I have read talks about screenplay length as being one hundred and twenty pages. The reason for this being, most movies are two hours long and one page of screenplay is considered to be about one minute of screen time. One hundred and twenty pages of screenplay should yield a film of one hundred and twenty minutes, or about two hours. Now to be honest, I was never really worried about having a screenplay of one hundred and twenty pages, as there are many, many studio produced feature films that are way below the two hour mark. In recent years, ninety minutes has, in many genres, become more common than the more traditional two hour film. Of late there seem to be a growing number of films that have a running time closer to eighty minutes. One of the shortest movies I had seen boasting the “feature length” title was only seventy-four minutes.

With this in mind I had set a target goal of eighty pages. If I hit that goal, great, if I was under, I was hoping that I would at least have seventy-one pages. Why seventy-one you ask? I’ll admit it seems like a fairly arbitrary number. In my mind it was only three pages shy of the shortest “feature” I had ever seen, and it was at least eleven pages over sixty. Sixty minutes felt more like the length of a TV show. It must seem that way to others as well, being that there is a popular news program by that name. Seventy minutes, still seemed a little too close to sixty minutes. Seventy-one minutes, on the other hand, seems like it could be just long enough to move a piece of video content away from being a television program and start calling itself a “feature film”.

Of course, it is worth noting that the "one page equals one minute" formula is merely a rule of thumb. It is not a hard and fast scientific law. There are many things that can be written very briefly on the page, that have quite a bit more screen time. For example, “Dave chases Marie”. Three simple words that on screen could involve motorcycles burning down city streets, followed by helicopters tearing through the sky, topped off by a donkey ride down the Grand Canyon. My hope in all this was, that my project would be long enough to qualify as “feature length”, both for the purposes of entering the contest and in being able to market the film to other venues.

So, being, not only a gentle, but an intelligent reader, there is probably one question on your mind. How long was my finished screenplay? (Even if that question wasn’t on your mind before, I’m willing to bet that it is now). Well, my finished screenplay was over three times longer than anything I had written before. It stood tall, when printed out, being exactly sixty-five sheets of paper high, not counting the title page.

In other words, it was six pages shy of where I had set my minimum goal.

So, gentle reader, do we cut to a scene of me standing in the rain, lightning flashing around me as I raise my fist skyward shouting “Whyyyyyyyyy!!!”? Not at all. Because I’m such a well rounded person and have learned to look at every obstacle as a challenge to overcome and a chance to grow? Definitely not. I wasn’t freaked out for two reasons. First of all, there are the reasons listed above. Just because my screenplay was only six-five pages long, did not necessarily mean that the finished film couldn’t be over seventy minutes. Secondly, I had done a little research. The Academy of Film Arts, and Sciences has defined "feature length" as any film with a running time of FORTY minutes or more. So, according to the Academy, (from whom I hope to be accepting an award), my screenplay was feature length. I suppose it is worth mentioning that not all organizations follow the Academy’s example. There are contests and sites that have different minimum running times ranging from sixty to eighty minutes in order to consider a work to be "feature length". I haven’t found any that require more than eighty. However, when looking at my screenplay I realized I could add more pages to it, but I knew that would just be for the sake of adding pages. Those pages would not necessarily make a better film. Plus I had exceeded the Academy’s minimum requirement, and if it was good enough for the Academy, it was good enough for me.

I could by Academy standards say, in all truth, that I had, in fact, written a Feature Length (no need for quotation marks, because it is official), Screenplay. Now it was time to find some actors.

Deadlines

2011-02-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

I have always had a strange relationship with deadlines. Maybe because I am a procrastinator by nature. Especially in high school, I can remember instances where a due date for a term paper would be ever approaching on the calendar, but everything else in the world just seemed so fascinating. Sit down and write my paper? How could I possibly do that when my room is such a mess? Just look at the dust that has accumulated on those base boards! No, it’s not time to write, it’s time to clean. Almost anything would prove to be more interesting and important than the task at hand. Why write your paper when there is a riveting program on PBS about the manufacturing of drywall? Given the choice, I must say, gentle reader, there is no choice at all, it’s going to be drywall. Then there is the transition from procrastination to boredom. Once I would finally force myself to sit down, and write the term paper, there would be that all too brief feeling of relief and freedom, but five minutes later, the freedom to do all those things that seemed so engrossing when I had a paper to write, would turn into mundane chores that I realized I didn’t want to do at all. I just wrote a term paper, and my reward is cleaning base boards? I think not. Let the dust continue to gather, I want to do something else, anything else. Such is the life of a procrastinator.

One thing that I have always disliked about deadlines is they seem to be ever present. Even as I got older and learned to do things in a more timely fashion, I could always feel the deadline looming over me. If I put in a good days work on a project, and was finished for the day, or taking a well deserved break, I could never fully banish the deadline from my mind. It just sat there, growing ever closer, waiting to crush me. Even when indulging in procrastination, I could never fully relax. The deadline was out there, and it was coming for me. I could not escape it until the project was compete. Then relief would be mine, usually followed by boredom.

However, not all deadlines are created equal. There is the deadline imposed by outside forces, (a boss, an instructor, or event) and then there is the self imposed deadline. I don’t know about you, gentle reader, but my brain knows the difference between these two. Outside deadline: ever approaching sense of doom that insures that all will be lost if not met. Self imposed deadline: meaningless. Who is going to know and who cares? Absolutely nobody. Nobody is going to come calling if the self imposed deadline is not met. Chances are, that no one even knows it exists. Thus, I have found it to be almost powerless in propelling me forward. However, the self imposed deadline does share one common characteristic with an outside deadline. It makes me want to procrastinate. Again, as if by magic, almost anything else sounds like way more fun than actually doing what it is I have set out to do. And without the power of the outside deadline to crush out all life, I have found that when I impose a deadline on myself, most often that deadline passes with the would be project remaining unfinished.

One of the things that the “Big Break” contest provided for me was a real live, honest to goodness, deadline... and it was coming. In fact it was coming so fast that I wasn’t sure I was going to be able have a film to submit. I had two months to finish my script, find actors, shoot, and edit a feature length film. I was pretty sure that was too big of a hurdle to overcome. So did superguy15847, and he said so. But "Beyond the Trailer" host Grace Randolph, felt that superguy 15847 could do it, so I decided that she thought I could do it too! (which may have been a little arrogant on my part. After all, I’ve never met superguy15847, maybe he is some sort of film making genius). The race was on.

Looking at my M&M calendar, I decided I would give myself two weeks to finish the screenplay. That would give me six weeks to shoot, provided I could get cast, and one week to edit. A daunting task with a real deadline, but I decided to go for it. If I edited the scenes as I shot them, one week of late nights, of fine tuning the film, should be enough to put together a decent project. However, the first mini deadline that I gave myself was to finish the script. If I did not have something to shoot, there was no movie. I figured I would give myself until the first week of September to have a finished script, if I couldn’t make that deadline, there was no way I was going to make the deadline for the contest.

Thanks, in no small part to the Srceenwriter’s Workbook, I already had a pretty solid outline and about twenty-five pages written. I now had two weeks to fill in the rest. It was my hope to have the screenplay come in at around seventy-five pages. Best case, I would get eighty, worst case seventy-one. Since the “Big Break” contest was for feature length films, I wanted to make sure the screenplay was long enough, and I wasn’t sure what the magic number was to qualify something as being “feature length”. In my mind I thought it had to be over sixty minutes, and seventy-one was where I wanted to set my minimum requirement.

I began to write. About three hours a day. Everyday. Pounding as many words into the keyboard as I could think of, to ensure that my script would be long enough. My page count began to grow as did my confidence with each passing day. I was actually going to be able to do this. Friday, August 27, found me typing in the final “Fade to black”. I had finished my screenplay. The first deadline had been conquered. Ahead of schedule, no less. Game on.

Seeing You Tube for the first time... Again!

2011-02-15T12:07:00.000-08:00

Greetings, gentle reader, I trust that all is well with you and yours. Today's post is going to be a little bit different. Instead of continuing to catch you up on the events that transpired during my absence from the Matthew 13 Blog, I thought I would share some recent thoughts I've had on DIY distribution. Last week as I was roaming the Inter Web I came across a blog post by independent writer, director, Mike Vogel. If you would like to read his post please feel free to do so, you can find it HERE. But to sum up, Mike is exploring the idea of using You Tube as the primary platform to distribute his independent film. Now, placing films on You Tube is certainly not a new idea for me, it was something that I had always planned on doing, but only as a last resort. My thinking about You Tube was more along the lines of, "well, if all else fails, I can always put the movie up on You Tube... to die".

As I read Mike's post it changed my perspective quite a bit. I've actually become excited about the idea of using You Tube as a platform to release a film. I was so excited in fact that I did something I have never done before, I started a thread on a discussion board! Okay, so maybe that isn't a life changing event, but baby steps, gentle reader, baby steps. Having taken those baby steps, I thought I would share that ground breaking post here with you as well. So without further a do, I would like to introduce you to the first ever discussion board thread started by yours truly. Tah-Dah!!

As I stated briefly on the Frugal Filmmaker wall, when I first read this post by Mike Vogel I was very excited. Mike makes some great points about You Tube that I had either forgotten, or taken for granted. I agree with Mike that You Tube is an amazing way, if not the best way, for a small filmmaker to get their films before the eyeballs of an audience. Some of the big pros are:

No more time restrictions (uploading a feature as one clip is now possible for all)

Transportability of the media (You Tube makes videos not only available to their audience, but you can post here on Facebook, My Space, a blog, in the comments of other blogs, send via email, almost any electronic forum can be used with a You Tube video)

You Tube is also the most versatile video medium in terms of smart phones, tablets, game consoles, and internet enabled Blu-ray players and tvs. If they do video, they do You Tube.

Oh, and You Tube is free.

Put those things together and you have a pretty strong distribution platform that should be taken seriously and is very real for anyone looking to self distribute.

But, there are still some challenges to overcome. My desire in discussing these challenges is to come up with some solutions to better inform those looking to use You Tube as a distribution platform, and help them be successful.

I don't have the answers, but I'm hoping that some good discussion might benefit all involved.

One big problem I've had on You Tube is getting discovered. You Tube makes your content available to world, but there is also a world of content available. There are plenty of videos on how to get "views", but those paradigms don't necessarily translate to longer content. Which brings me to...

Most successful videos on You Tube are short, like three minutes or less. As a matter of fact when trying to learn how to get views on You Tube, one of the most common pieces of advise is "keep your videos short". Is there a way to market longer content?

Do people watch movies on You Tube? This is an important question. I think people would be willing to, but I don't think that many do at this point. As of this writing, the major motion picture "Ghost Rider" is available for free viewing on You Tube. It has just over 15,000 views. Don't get me wrong, I would love to get 15,000 views for my soon to be released no budget film, but 15,000 views is pretty small compared to successful artists who get hundreds of thousands of views daily just talking into their flip cam. Regardless of how people might have received "Ghost Rider" it is a big budget movie with recognizable stars available to watch for free, and it has, relatively speaking, low traffic. How does the indie filmmaker try and fix this?

Anyway, I've gone on long enough, I just wanted to express some ideas to get the ball rolling. I hope there are some like minded people who are also interested in this idea, I look forward to the discussion.

So there you have it, my ideas and concerns about using You Tube to release an independent film. I'm pretty excited about these ideas, but so far, it seems, I'm the only one. So feel free to share and comment, gentle reader. Let those ideas flow, and let's see if we can overcome some of the obstacles to becoming a real live, honest to goodness filmmaker, together. And don't worry, when next we meet I will continue the tale of what happened as I pursued my "Big Break", until then may the path to your dreams be a straight one.

Your Big Break

2011-02-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

A break. Usually it's a good thing. Something to be desired, unless of course, the break being discussed involves a personal appendage. In that case most people will take a pass, unless of course the person in question happens to be an actor, and the appendage to be broken is a leg. But, in most cases, everybody needs a break. This includes the late Nell Carter, who would go so far as to ask for said break in no uncertain terms. One might even say she demanded one, singing loudly "Gimme a Break" on a weekly basis for several years back in the eighties. Now, as a person who dreams of going from an aspiring, to a real live, honest to goodness, filmmaker; I have always known that I would need some sort of "break". How that break would come, or what form it would take has always been a mystery, but if one is going to make it in the movie biz, eventually one's work is going to need to be seen by someone else who can help the first person to be seen at a theater near you, (or at least somewhere more prevalent than their parent's living room). You're not let into the business, you gotta break in! So, gentle reader, I'm sure you can only imagine my surprise when I found that my "big break" was just waiting for me one day on the Internet.

As part of my journey to become a real live, honest to goodness, filmmaker I find I watch a lot of shows about movies and the movie business. It makes me feel connected, like I'm "in the know". Which actor just got cast in what film, who's directing, and who wrote the script, is all information that makes me feel like a true Hollywood Insider. I must be a filmmaker, I knew who the next Spider-man was going to be a few hours before people who really don't care. To that end, there are several shows I watch on a regular basis, and being a true insider (and a bit of a geek) some of those shows are on the World Wide Web. One such show is Beyond the Trailer, hosted by Grace Randolph. If you've never heard of it, feel free to check it out HERE. On the show, Grace usually interviews movie goers after they have seen the latest movies and asks them to rate them on a scale of one to ten. It's interesting to see what certain people like or don't like about the different movies, and see what attracted them to the movies in the first place. But, what makes the show a must watch (at least for those pretending to be Hollywood Insiders) is the research that Grace does about the movies. Before talking with movie patrons, Grace does a monologue about each film, talking about the directors, the cast, and the producers. She gives information about how their previous movies have performed at the box office, what hopes have been placed on this latest movie, and any trends that might support or go against these hopes. In fact she does a special addition of the show every Sunday named Beyond the Trailer: Movie Math where topics such as these are discussed at more length. I really enjoy Grace's down to earth approach and insight into box office trends. Her show is a "must watch" for me each week. It just so happens that on August 13th, when I was clicking on what I thought was a new episode of Movie Math, Grace announced that AMC movie theaters were going to give me My Big Break, (and might I just add, it was about time)!

The announcement was, more specifically, for the "Your Big Break" movie contest that was being sponsored by Rogue Pictures, and AMC Independent. In a nutshell, the winner of the contest would have their finished feature length movie placed in fifty AMC movie theaters around the country. They were offering a way to get a completely obscure, no movie stars, made on a shoe string budget film, a chance to be played in real live, honest to goodness, movie theaters around the country! This was a contest that I could get very excited about... if were taking place six months down the line.

While The Screenwriter's Workbook had helped my writing process a great deal, and I was making forward progress on my screenplay, as I sat in front of my computer on August 13th I still only had twenty-five pages or so written. I had been doing a fair amount of writing, but a lot of that writing was in the form of exercises and outlines recommended by the Workbook. The deadline for the contest was October 15th. I knew there was no way I could have a finished film to submit by the deadline, given the fact I only had a first draft of the first act on paper.

Oh well, such is life. There would be other opportunities. A little sad that I was going to miss this one, I decided to read through the posted comments to see how others were reacting. Grace gets a lot of comments on her videos, but she usually takes the time to respond to the first several if they are made in the first hour or two after she has posted the episode. I happened upon a comment made by superguy15847 (I made that name up, I don't remember the actual screen name), where in he said something like, "Man! There's no way I could get my movie made in time to make the deadline"!!!!!

"Well said, superguy15847, you and me both.", I thought to myself. Then I read Grace's response.

"You've got two months, you can do it"!

Grace thought that superguy15847 could do it. Now, if she thought that superguy15847 could do it, that meant that I could do it too!! I looked a the M&M calendar hanging on my office wall and began marking down dates. If there was enough time for superguy15847, (and Grace seemed to think that there was), there was enough time for me. So you can be sure, gentle reader, that I wasn't going to let my big break pass me by without a fight.

The Screenwriter's Workbook

2011-02-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

So, when we were last together, gentle reader, I had fifteen pages and a severe case of writer's block, not exactly how I had hoped my first attempt at writing a feature length screenplay would wind up. But, truth be told, it was exactly what I had always feared would happen if I made an attempt to write something other than a short. Now that fear was proving to be a reality and every other form of fear and self doubt was beginning to find its own voice and shout from the rooftops. It was a discouraging place to be, but all was not lost. Help was on the way, via the United States Postal Service. Help was also taking its sweet time in arriving due to my desire to have everything shipped to me free of charge, but it was on the way nonetheless. One afternoon, five to nine days after I had placed my order, I was rewarded when opening my mailbox with not only two utility bills and an offer to get cheaper car insurance, but a small key. Oh yes, Christmas had arrived again. That small key would open the larger receptacle used for holding packages too large to place in my normal mailbox. It was my sincerest hope that inside that larger receptacle there would be another key. The key to my future! Dum-dum-duuuuuummmm!

Okay, the key to my future may be a lot of pressure to put on a paperback book that was purchased, at least in part, to avoid paying the shipping cost of some movies on dvd, but The Screenwriter's Workbook had arrived, and I was excited by its arrival. As had been the case with How to Write a Movie in 21 Days, I was once again ready, if not eager, to actually dive into the book and begin to put into practice the instruction within. I was moreover pleased to read in the "how to use this book" section, that author Syd Field recommended reading the book all the way through, then going back reading it a second time and doing the exercises. Since I was clay to be molded by his hands, I set off with that goal in mind and began to read.

I have read a few different screenwriting books over the years. I do not consider myself, nor represent myself to you, gentle reader as, an expert on the subject, but The Screenwriter's Workbook was far from my first book on the subject. It was however, the book that I had been looking for all along. Even in the early chapters, things that previously might as well been the mysteries of the universe, began to make more sense. For the first time, I was able to understand what I needed to do to make an idea into a screenplay, and how to make that screenplay work. I wasn't just reading this book, I was understanding it, and I was seeing how to do the things written in it. Now to be fair, there may be a couple of different reasons for this seemingly sudden revelation. It could be partly due to all of the previous reading I had already done. I had been introduced to a lot of the same information a few different ways, so it may just be that Syd Field was the author I just happened to be reading when this information finally got through my thick skull and into my gray matter. I'm sure this played a part. But, another key element of the book was its use of structure. Like I mentioned last week, a lot of people dislike structure and find it kills creativity. I, on the other hand, really need some structure in order to create. I've always been one to assemble my pieces before trying to put them together. I like to see all of the elements separately, and then try to put them together to form the whole. In reading The Screenwriter's Workbook I could begin to see what pieces I would need to tell the story, create them as pieces, then put them together as a screenplay. Previously I had been trying to create the pieces while creating the screenplay. I would get stuck on one piece and find myself blocked, not knowing what to do, or what should happen next.

So needless to say, when it came to The Screenwriter's Workbook, I was a believer. It wasn't long before I had finished reading the book and was going through it a second time doing the exercises. It had transformed the way I saw the world. What I had learned in the book was always on my mind. I would make mental notes of different plot points as I watched movies, testing the book's theories, and pretty much worked Syd Field and The Screenwriter's Workbook into every conversation that I had with anyone. Yep, I was one of those people. I had found something new that worked for me, and I was gonna tell the world. My writer's block was lifted, and my fifteen pages began to multiply and started to look like they might actually grow into a feature length screenplay. The words weren't exactly pouring out like magic, but I could finally at least see the potential of conquering this particular mountain. As I continued to work on my screenplay, little did I know that just around the corner was an event that someone actually described as "Your Big Break".

Super Saver Shipping

2011-01-23T14:49:00.000-08:00

I must admit, gentle reader, I'm one of those people. When shopping at a particular online store, named after a great river and rain forest, if I happen to hit the "check out" button and receive a message informing me that I must spend just a little more of my hard earned cash to qualify for free shipping, I spend the money. I spend it each and every time. Super Saver Shipping has got to be one of the most ingenious concepts that a retailer has thought of since some baker way back when asked himself, "What if, instead of selling these huge awkward loaves, we sliced the bread?". It does not matter if I have to spend ten more dollars or ten more cents, I will spend (or if I'm real honest with you, over spend) that extra amount to qualify for the free shipping. It's not just that I need an excuse to spend money on myself, I think it actually makes some sense. I tend to look at the situation this way. I could buy one item and pay the money to have it shipped, or I could buy two items and get them shipped for free. Since I would have had to pay shipping on the one item, I mentally deduct the amount that shipping would have cost from the second item. I would have had to pay the shipping price to get the one item, so I might as well put that money toward getting a second item, and in my mind, it's like getting the second item on sale. Like I said, gentle reader, I'm one of those people.

But, now I sense you wondering, "How could using free shipping as an excuse to buy more merchandise possibly help one on their journey to become a real live, honest to goodness, filmmaker"? Well I'll tell you. On one particular occasion I found myself going to checkout with my virtual cart and I needed a little something extra to qualify for the free shipping, so I decided to invest in another screenwriting book. This time I decided I would see what I could learn from the legendary Syd Field.

We have spoken many times before about my love for screenwriting books. I love to buy them. I'm always running out to the mailbox seconds after the postal truck has driven away to see if they have arrived. It's because of the potential they offer. The idea that somewhere in the pages of the book is the secret that will allow me to write the blockbuster movie that I know is inside of me. "How to Write a Movie in 21 Days" was the first time that I purchased a book with more than just the unrealistic hope that it contained some sort of magic within its pages. I bought it as part of a plan. That plan was to sit down at the computer and actually do whatever the book instructed. However, that plan did not work out the way I had hoped. After 21 days I did not have a feature length screenplay. I had fifteen pages and a crushing case of writer's block which had me doubting my ideas, talent, and ability to write feature. Now to be fair, I do not blame Viki King or her book for my situation. I read a lot of reviews for "21 Days" before purchasing it, and many people had a lot of great things to say about it. It just didn't work for me. I needed a little more structure than "21 Days" had to offer. Many people don't like structure. They find it confining and feel it can strangle their creativity with rules and boundaries. I, on the other hand, felt that I needed a few more guideposts to help me define my ideas. I thought that more structure would help me to mold my ideas into a good story. I was at a point in my screenplay where I didn't know what my character should be doing. I knew who they were, I knew what they wanted, I just didn't know what they were going to do, or where they were going to go. They were trapped, and I was blocked. Enter "The Screenwriter's Workbook" by Syd Fields. I think the description on the cover says it all. "Exercises and step-by-step instructions for creating a successful screenplay". I have only one thing to say about that... add to cart. And yes, it shipped for free.

21 Days Later

2011-01-15T07:51:00.000-08:00

Writer's Block. The two most dreaded words in the writer's lexicon. Never before have two words combined to cause so much pain, frustration, and self doubt. It's like quicksand. One minute you're strolling around the jungle looking at all the pretty trees and wildlife, the next, you are waist deep in muck that is pulling you down into the unknown depths with seemingly no way to get out of it. The blank page may be a mighty adversary for the writer to overcome, but writer's block is some monster out of the ultimate nightmare that literally kills many a story in almost any stage of development. It is the other silent killer, of dreams. Three days into my first attempt to write a feature length screenplay, I was face to face with it, and I was loosing.

On my journey to go from an aspiring, to a real, live, honest to goodness, filmmaker, I found myself stopped out on day 2 of what I had hoped would be a 21 day process. That process of course being the one found in the book, "How to Write a Movie in 21 Days". I was sincerely hoping that by purchasing, reading, and following the instructions of the book, page by page and day by day, that in a little over three weeks I would have the very thing that all aspiring filmmakers really need if they are going to be serious about their craft, an actual story to tell. I dare say, gentle reader, there is nothing as important to the process as that. As I have noted in earlier posts, purchasing new cameras with HD capability is extremely exciting. Looking at all the new software and what cinematic creations are possible with just a computer and some know how, can keep one awake at night as if it were Christmas Eve. But, the harsh reality is, before you can shoot a single frame with that camera, or import even one piece of footage into that powerhouse of a super computer, you must have a story to tell. On my personal journey, I'm finding that having a story to tell, may be one of the major things that separate those who are aspiring, from those who have reached real, live, honest to goodness status. The ability to take those dreams, aspirations, and ever elusive ideas and turn them into some sort of tangible reality. Making that happen starts with a screenplay, a screenplay that I found myself, for one reason or another, unable to write.

After finding myself blocked on Day 2 of the 21 day process, Day 3 found me doing something I had told myself I would not do. I looked ahead in the book. My hope in doing this was to find some sort of instruction or nugget of wisdom that would enable me to get back on track. Alas, I found none. Author Viki King, was as encouraging as ever, telling me that I could do it, and that there was a great movie inside of me just waiting to get out. She kept telling tales of how my hero was really going to be working hard to overcome evil in these next fifteen pages, and the fifteen pages after that, and the fifteen after that, but that didn't help me to write. I read the next day's reading, then the next, and yes gentle reader, even the one after that. Yet I found no weapon with which to combat the writer's block that held me in it's death grip. So, I went to the back of the book, hopes rising briefly when I remembered there was a section talking about writer's block, but still found nothing to help me move my story forward. The truth was, I had started telling a story that had two people chatting online, and after all of the clever dialogue, I had no way of moving them away from their computers. They were trapped in their respective rooms and I was blocked. All of Ms. King's encouragement and pats on the back did nothing to change the fact that I was stuck. Day 3 ended as I turned off my computer. 21 days went by, and at the end of it, I had no screenplay. But fear not, gentle reader, our story does not end here. Help was on the horizon and it came in the form of three very unlikely words, Super Saver Shipping.

Mole hills or Mountains?

2011-01-11T04:26:00.000-08:00

So, when last we met, gentle reader, I was basking in the glow of a successful first day of my 21 day schedule to write a feature length screenplay. But even I felt the warmth of success wash over me, I must admit I had a concern or two going into the second day. I knew that Day 2 was going to hold some challenges for me. However, I was unaware of how much of an understatement the word "challenges" was going to be.

While in the process of doing the prep work of writing a screenplay, author Viki King has the reader, (and in this case the writer), lay down some structure for the forth coming work of art. More specifically, she has the reader write down certain events, that will take place over the course of their movie, onto specific pages. For example, what event will happen on page 1? How about page 10 or on page 30? In this way, a type of outline of the movie is formed. Essentially, before the reader/writer types a single word, they are already aware of what page will hold which event. These pages will serve as guide posts, where in, the writer/reader need only to fill in the details between the pages that have already been written. My concern going into Day 2 was as follows. Though I had been successful in completing my page count in the time allotted for Day 1, I knew I had a problem. That problem being, the event I had written down as taking place on page 30, when doing the prep work, was in fact taking place on page 10. It seemed I was a scant 20 pages off of the pace.

So how could I go to bed after Day 1 feeling successful, you might ask. Well, I won't lie to you, gentle reader. I knew there was a problem on Day 1, but I wasn't sure how big of a problem. "How to Write a Movie in 21 Days" assumes that you are writing a 120 page screenplay, and as I was trying my best to follow the book's instructions to the letter, a 120 page screenplay is what I set out to write. But, deep down inside I knew that I would be more than happy with a screenplay of only 80 pages. After all, my longest script to that point had been only 18 pages, so to jump up to 80 pages seemed quite the leap. Now, if I'm completely honest with you, gentle reader, (and I think that you have earned it), my minimum goal for this first feature length attempt was really only 71 pages. So, since I would have been satisfied with 71 pages, I figured I would shoot for 80 pages. I would be beside myself with joy if I reached 90 pages, and if "How to Write a Movie in 21 Days" had the magic I was looking for and I ended up with a full 120 pages, so much the better. If the screenplay were to be too long, I knew I could always cut down a bloated script. However, I was much less confidant in my abilities to pump up an emaciated one.

So my event for page 30 arrived on page 10, not ideal I grant you, but not my undoing. I was more than prepared to settle for a screenplay a little over half the size of the one Ms. King was looking for, so my plan was to continue following the instructions of the book and see if Day 2's assignment would offer some instruction that would help make up the difference.

On Day 2 the time limit was expanded from two hours to three hours, the longest that any assignment should take, and the page count was upped from ten to fifteen pages. However, there were no magic writing tips presented in the reading for Day 2. Still, I had made it through Day 1, beaten all of the odds, dug down deep, and had emerged mostly victorious. I could handle Day 2. I sat down and began to write. I took all of my ideas and threw them down onto the computer. I typed out every twist, every turn, all the clever lines I could think of, and then I thought of some more. I was a story telling machine and I was on a mission. I kept my head down and my shoulder placed firmly to the proverbial grindstone until I realized I was all the way up to the story event that should take place on page 60 of my screenplay. It was then I looked up to discover I was only on page 15. Now at this point, what had been a concern at the beginning of the day, started to feel a little more like panic. Arriving at page 10 instead of page 30 could be overcome. Arriving at 15 instead of page 60, and being out of ideas, was an ice burg sized problem to my Titanic of a screenplay. I thought that perhaps sitting and staring at the computer screen would help. No help there, panic definitely rising. Maybe if I were to walk around the room? Nope. Still panic. So there I was, gentle reader, Day 2 of my 21 days found me stopped out on page 15 of my screenplay, and mired down deep in the depths of writer's block.

The First Day of the Rest of My Script

2010-12-28T23:40:00.001-08:00

Here we are, gentle reader. The year 2011, and still no sign of personal jet packs anywhere near the horizon. I thought this was supposed to be the future? Alas, maybe someday, but I digress. I hope that your New Year was a pleasant one, and that the past few days find all of your resolutions still firmly in place and moving you forward to a brighter future. Speaking of resolutions, I am reminded of the time when I had resolved to see if it was possible to write a movie in 21 days. Gather round gentle readers, as I recall the tale.

After having successfully completed all of the exercises and the pre-work, I was excited when Day 1, of my 21 days, finally arrived. My momentum was strong and I was ready to keep right on rolling. Now once again, I should note that the idea I was working on was not a new one to me. I had a firm grasp of the general story, characters, and plot line, so as I was doing the pre-visualization and placing my "story markers", I was able to do so with relative ease. Day 1 was going to be my first real challenge during the process. Mainly because I was no longer putting onto paper, (or more accurately, storing as bits of data on my hard drive), ideas I had already spent time thinking about, I was actually going to have to do some writing. I knew this day would come eventually, but as I have stated numerous times, I had hoped that somehow the screenplay would write itself as a result of going through the book. Yet here I was, faced with the tyranny of the blank page, (or again to be more accurate, the blank screen and its partner in crime, the ever blinking cursor). The assignment for Day 1, write the first ten pages of your screenplay.

As a part of following the instructions in the book, all writing assignments were to be timed. Meaning that author, Viki King, only allowed for a certain amount of time, during which, each assignment was to be completed. Day 1 was no exception. I must say, I think that this is nothing short of genius. It makes the task much less daunting to know there is a definitive end in terms of time spent. The time limit for Day 1 was two hours. The book is quite clear that the reader is not to take any longer than two hours to complete this assignment. Even if you as the reader, (the reader of the book, but I guess you too gentle reader), should want to take all day to write the first ten pages, you are not to do so under penalty of death or worse. At the two hour mark you are to be done. What's more, the book states that if done properly, the first ten pages could be done in as little as ten minutes. And that gentle reader, is what I am talking about! Ten pages written in ten minutes, is exactly the kind of fairy dust I was looking for! At the very worst it would take two hours, but if it could be done in ten minutes, well then, that is what I was gonna do! Oscar night here I come!

I sat down to write. After 45 minutes or so I took a break. My ten pages were not done. I sat down again and tried to write without editing myself, just throwing down ideas. 40 more minutes roll by, not done. It was time to go have dinner with my family, so I left home with my task incomplete and my spirits a little low. When I got home later that night there was a part of me that just wanted to call it a day. So what? I didn't quite get it done. Maybe I could finish doing Day 1 as part of Day 2 and catch up tomorrow. After all, it sure didn't get done in ten minutes. I'd been lied to, why should I continue to finish the process? Who was going to know? But alas, gentle reader, I knew in my heart, I was going to know. I had not put in the full two hours and my work was not done for the day. Though the hour was late, I sat down and in the 30 or so minutes I had left, I finished writing the ten pages that were required to complete Day 1. There was a great sense of accomplishment that went along with completing those pages. To know how much I struggled, how badly I wanted to give up for the day, but that I dug down and did what it took to complete Day 1, in the time allotted, made me believe that in 21 days I really would have my first feature length screenplay. I held on to that thought as I went to bed that night, not knowing that it was going to be torn away from me on Day 2.

How to Write a Movie

2010-12-27T12:33:00.001-08:00

Season's Greetings, gentle reader! As I write this, I'm hoping your Christmas was a merry one, and that your new year is poised to be full of the excitement of great things to come. It seems hard to believe that 2010, the year we make contact, is almost over. As the new year rapidly approaches it seems like a good time to reflect, and catch you up on, the last year's adventures. It seems like only yesterday that I set out to write my first feature length screenplay. However, it was in fact the second month in the year of our Lord two thousand and ten, that I sat at my desk and began to type. Come close, gentle reader, as I recount the tale of writing a movie in 21 days.

As I have mentioned before, (but since it has been quite some time I will take a moment to mention it again), I have had a revelation about myself and what I truly want from "How to" books. If I am absolutely honest with myself, and by extension, you gentle reader, every time I buy a book, I do so in the hopes that contained with in its pages is some magical formula which will enable me to crank out the perfect story that I know is deep down inside of me. Not only do I wish for the story to magically flow out of me, it is my true desire that it do so quickly. By quickly I would not be exaggerating in saying that overnight would suit me just fine. Now being a reasonable person I know, in my head at least, that this is not going to be the case. My head knows that I will need to actually read the book in order for it to do anything other than keep dust from gathering on the space it occupies on the shelf. I have further more been enlightened to discover that just reading said book will also fail to produce a screenplay. In order to write a screenplay, I would need to read a book on how to do it, then put into practice what I had read in the form of doing some actual writing. It seems like a simple concept, I know, but I can now say with a great deal of certainty, these are the steps that need to be taken to have some chance of success. I have tried the other methods extensively. They do not seem to work. It was with this concept firmly in mind that I set out to do whatever the author of How to Write a Movie in 21 Days said to do.

Upon opening the book and reading the first few pages, it became obvious that author ,Viki King, was on my side. She really believed that I could write this screenplay. If she didn't believe it, she sure knew how to fake like she did. Either way, she was very encouraging and I decided to buy in. Drink the Kool-aide? You bet, and how about another glass, cause I'm still kinda thirsty. I was on board for this experience and very hopeful that I had found the map that was going to lead me to the promised land of actually finishing a feature length screenplay. I didn't even mind that there was some work to be done before the actual "21 days" began. When it was time to read, I read. When it was time to put the book down and write, I wrote. When she asked me to roll my eyes into the backs of their sockets and flutter my eyelids so that I could picture my master piece in my head, I batted away, without the least bit of resentment for the mild headache it caused. I was a believer.

I should say at this point, I had already developed a fairly strong grasp of the story that I wanted to write. As a result, a lot of these exercises came easy to me. I wasn't making up ideas from scratch. A lot of the things she was asking me to picture, I had been picturing for a little while already. But, the time did come when I found an exercise I felt I could easily skip. However, I thought to myself, "No self. It's not fair to the process to skip any of the exercises. You want this to work, and maybe this exercise is an important part of this process. So you need to do it"! So following my own advise, (which let's face it, is not always easy to do), I counted out one hundred and twenty pieces of paper, numbered them all by hand in pencil, and stacked them up. This was all so I could visualize what my finished screenplay would look like. It took a little time, and an Oscar worthy screenplay did not magically appear on those pages, but I did feel somewhat satisfied, knowing I had completed a task I was very tempted to skip. After a few days of prep work, I had completed all the exercises and it was time for my 21 days to officially begin.

And that is where I shall leave you for now, gentle reader. Hopefully wanting more, and not having to wait too long for additional tales about my journey to become a real, live, honest to goodness filmmaker. Until then, have a wonderful and safe holiday, and I shall see you here, in the new year. (Always leave them wanting more, and if they don't want more, at least end on a rhyme).

So... How've You Been?

2010-12-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

We’ve all been there before. You meet a new friend, or run into an old one at some place or another. You have a good time, share a few stories, maybe a couple of laughs, and your hopes for the future. Eventually it becomes time to part ways, and that’s when it happens. You make the inevitable promise to stay in touch. Sure, it sounds easy enough, and the words just roll off the tongue as you say, “I’ll give you a call sometime”, or “Let’s get together soon”. It’s not a lie. You mean it. We all do. In that moment we actually believe that a call will be placed at a date that is in the relatively near future. But, something happens. Time begins to go by, and that call that you meant to make, or that card that you needed to write, doesn’t quite get done. Then the pressure begins to mount. After a certain amount of time, the call you should have made, or the card you meant to write, doesn’t seem like enough effort to justify the time that it has taken to do them, so they don’t get done. After all, it is going to take something spectacular to dazzle said hypothetical friend into forgetting that so much time has gone by since your last meeting, and that fateful promise was given. The pressure continues to mount as even more time goes by, thus necessitating an even larger display of of wit and creativity, or at least a death in the family, to serve as an acceptable excuse. Yet the epiphany never comes. Nor does a family member depart. So, the call is never placed, the card is not written, and so great is your embarrassment, that you secretly hope to never run into said hypothetical friend again. We’ve all been there before. I’m actually there right now.

When last we were together, gentle reader, there were a couple of questions left hanging in the balance that I can now answer. Will the movie event of the year which is Zombies During Third Period... Again! be completed in time to premiere at Comic-Con? As you have been waiting almost a year for this answer, I will keep it simple and answer succinctly. No, is the answer. It turns out that the best movie to be made in 2010 will most likely be completed in 2011. This is due to the laws of nature which only allow 24 hours to be present in a single day. Since no large corporation or other financial benefactor could be seen coming in with buckets full of cash to free up those hours reserved for working in exchange for money to buy food, the film remains unfinished. However, the project is not lost. The director has assured me that progress is still being made (and we all know there is no stopping progress), and there is really a good chance that the film will be finished sooner rather than later. Until then, if you haven’t had a chance to see it, you can whet your appetite by watching the trailer HERE. As for Comic-Con, my eyes have yet to behold it, and all it’s geeky wonder, but alas 2011 will be a new year. Who knows what it will hold?

Also at the time of our last meeting, I had just embarked on the next leg of my journey to become a real, live, honest to goodness filmmaker. I was attempting to write my first feature length screenplay using the wisdom and guidance of the book How to Write a Movie in 21 Days. “How did that go?”, you may be asking yourself. “Did the book help you to write your first feature length screenplay”? These are great questions, gentle reader. Questions that I will happily answer... but just not right now. I will say that I was able to take the next step in my journey, but the road to becoming a real, live, honest to goodness filmmaker is a windy one and there have been a couple of twist and turns along the way. I look forward to telling you all about them. But until then, it was really good to see you again, gentle reader, we’ll have to get together again soon!

Buy the Book

2010-02-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are in the second month of a brand new year. There is still more than enough time to make 2010 a great year in which countless dreams come true... just not quite as much time as there was a month ago. Nonetheless, gentle reader, the road to become a real live, honest to goodness filmmaker beacons, and waits for no man, (or me either for that matter). Principal photography on future box office record holder Zombies During Third Period... Again has been completed and is even now being shaped and molded into celluloid artistry. If you want a peak at some of the work that went into said artistry feel free click right here. With a job well done (or at the very least.. done) behind me, I am left with one fundamental question. What's next?

When I first began to chronicle my journey to become a real live, honest to goodness filmmaker I stated that my goal was to try and undertake a feature length project. I have completed a few different short projects (a couple of which can be seen here and here), and I felt that, for better or for worse, I was ready to attempt something longer. My hope has been to write a script that would yield a finished project that is no fewer than seventy-five minutes, and could be as long as ninety minutes. It was my thinking that I would be writing said script while I was working on Zombies. The idea being, that I would have some fun and gain some momentum while working on Zombies, and then upon wrapping Zombies, I would be ready to just shift gears and start production on my feature. It seemed like a good plan. I love good plans. They look so great typed out and sitting there on paper. They're so fun to look at and dream about. However, they do have one fundamental flaw. In order to truly be effective, even the very best plan requires some sort of execution, or else they do nothing. So, now I know. And we all know, gentle reader, that knowing is half the battle. Nonetheless, I find myself at the end of one project with my feet firmly planted in what can only be described as square one.

While I have not put pen to paper, so to speak, or finger to plastic key, to be more accurate, I have made a couple of investments toward getting my feature length script written. I have recently purchased "How to write a movie in 21 Days" by author Viki King. However, this is not the first screenwriting book that I have purchased. I have in my possession "The Screenwriter's Bible" by David Trottier, "The Screenwriter's Problem Solver" by legendary author Syd Field, and also "Story" by Robert McKee. I find I am aquireing a fairly decent screenwriting library. Even so, I could not wait for my latest book to arrive, certain that it would hold the key to the chains that have been holding me back. That is when I made a discovery about myself. If I'm really honest with myself, I have to admit I get excited about these books because I hope that simply buying them will give me an Oscar worthy feature length script. That through some sort of literary magic, the book will arrive on Tuesday, I will open it up and be instantly encompassed by some sort of warm welcoming glow, and when I wake up Wednesday morning and boot up my computer there will be a cinematographic masterpiece waiting for me. Now, realizing that this is not likely to happen, I have moved onto the second stage of delusion. Hoping that by actually reading the book, somehow the script fairy will visit my computer and I will have a finished script provided for me. I have, to my dismay, found this line of thinking to also be faulty. So, with my latest purchase I am committed to buying the book, reading the book, and then (and I'm sure this will make some sort of difference) putting into action what is written in the book. To make this book purchase different than all of the purchases that preceeded it, I am actually going to take the twenty-one days and day by day do what the books says. Will I end up with a script at the end of three weeks? I hope so, but if not I will certainly have more than I have right now, and that would be a big step forward in and of itself. We'll just have to see what these next seven days have in store. Until then, keep on keeping on gentle reader, and I will do the same.

Every New Beginning

2010-01-23T15:31:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are, gentle reader. The year 2010. The year we make contact. A fresh new year, or at least most of one, is spread out before us full of endless possibilities. A new beginning. But, as was stated so eloquently by alternative rockers, Semisonic, "every new beginning comes with some other beginning's end". And so it is with me, gentle reader, and my efforts to become a real live, honest to goodness filmmaker.

When we were together last, way back in the year of our Lord two thousand and nine, I was working frantically to wrap both my Christmas presents and principal photography on up coming mega blockbuster, and instant classic, Zombies During Third Period... Again! Well, it gives me great pleasure to announce that both have been achieved. All packages to my loved ones were placed under the tree with care, and shortly after the new year began, the final scenes of Zombies were captured in gorgeous 24p High Definition. For those of you interested you can see some of the behind the scenes footage here. After having completed over thirty days of shooting, spanning over six months, the movie is, as those film types would say, in the can. It's a good feeling... mostly.

I must confess that this beginning's end has been a little bitter sweet for me, and somewhat strange. Part of that is due to the fact that principal photography ended on more of a whimper than a bang. That is not to say the footage we shot that day did not turn out well, or was particularly difficult, it was just somewhat anti climatic. As it turned out the final day of shooting found us shooting a scene that we had already shot, but who's footage had been lost due to a computer error. It was a cold day, and many of the key cast and crew, who had been permanent fixtures during the duration of the shooting schedule, were not able to be there for one reason or another. Present were only the essential actors, two extras, the director, and myself. As the final shot was filmed and verified, there was no "Ladies and Gentlemen, That's a wrap!!", with the prerequisite thunderous applause, champagne corks exploding, and smiles and hugs for cast and crew alike. It was more like we looked at each other and said "Well... I guess that's it" (insert the sound of silence as we look at each other and the word "it" faintly reverberates through a cold, dark, empty school hallway). It was not the end of the world by any means, just a little anti climatic. This project has also been a little strange for me, in that it is the first time that my part in a film has been completed without the film itself being completed. I have the satisfaction of knowing, or at least hoping, that we did a good job capturing performances. I have a reasonable expectation that the scenes will cut together into an entertaining, well produced film, but yet I don't know exactly what that film will look like. My part in the film is done, but the film itself is not. I'm now as much of a spectator to events as you are, gentle reader. Whether or not the film is finished in time to make the deadline for Comic-Con is something that we will learn together.

So that is this beginning's end. However, with this beginning's end come new beginnings. The beginnings that I thought would begin while still shooting Zombies, but didn't begin. Those beginnings are about to begin. How do those beginnings end? Well gentle reader, that is also something we will find out together.

Christmas Wrapping

2009-12-23T14:41:00.000-08:00

Alas, Christmas time is nearly upon me and I don't have a single thing wrapped. This includes all of my purchases for loved ones to be opened Christmas morning, as well as the principal photography for the up and coming mega blockbuster, Zombies During Third Period... Again. Despite the best efforts by cast and crew alike, shooting on the movie is one thing that will not be wrapped in time for Christmas. I guess that Zombies really are the gift that just keep on giving. However, to say that we will not be able to finish shooting the movie on the date that has been typed on our schedule, is not to say that things are not going well. I am confident that the images that we have captured (in brilliant 24p High Definition), are going to cut together and form a picture that everyone involved will be quite proud of. And despite all indications to the contrary, we have been able to answer one of the most important questions that has been plaguing us on this shoot. "Will there be any actual Zombies in this Zombie movie"? I am very happy to tell you, gentle reader, that the answer to that question is "Yes". There are going to be Zombies in this Zombie movie. I've seen them with my very own eyes. I've even seen a couple of them get, well, melted, for lack of a better word. The only thing slowing down the production is that, as it turns out, filming Zombies under combat situations, is a lot more challenging and time consuming, than filming teenagers talking about Zombies. A good example of this can be seen from last Monday's shoot. Cast and crew put in a very long nine hour day, in the dark for most of the day, in a large unheated space, to capture a sequence that is just over three minutes long. In the world of stop motion animation, where an eight hour day yields somewhere in the neighborhood of two seconds of finished film, this would be considered moving at light speed. However, in the world of Zombies During Third Period... Again, where dialogue scenes have been the order of the day, this seemed a bit slow and somewhat painful. However, as someone who wishes to be a real live, honest to goodness filmmaker, I must admit that there is something to be said for actually seeing a battle take place on screen, rather than just placing someone in front of the camera to talk about said battle. No matter how much easier and expedient of a choice that may be. And there is the matter of the footage itself. It may have taken nine hours in a very dark and cold room to capture those three minutes, but those three minutes look pretty good. I suppose when all is said and done, that is all any of us will remember, and that is what will make it all worthwhile. So, while we may not have reached our first goal of having the film shot by Christmas, the larger goal of making a film that everyone can be proud of, is still very much alive. Comic Con is ever approaching and is still in our sights, and our new hope is to have all of the Zombies "in the can" before the start of the new year. I may not have been able to get everything wrapped in time for Christmas, but it still looks to be quite Merry nonetheless. So with that, I say Merry Christmas to you, gentle reader, and I look forward to seeing you in the new year.

Sea Cows in the Mirror

2009-12-10T12:51:00.000-08:00

I can well remember one of my all time favorite bits done by comedian Dennis Miller. It was a part of his opening monologue on his HBO talk show. The topic of this particular show was overeating in the American culture. Without wanting to get on a "rant", the phrase which would proceed every rant in his monologue, Miller talked about how super sizing, extra large portions, and the ready availabilities of Cinnabon in this country, were causing the population of this great nation of ours to have increasingly generous portions themselves. Of course, the people themselves were unaware of the effects of their over indulgence. Until one day while walking in the mall they happen to catch a glimpse of themselves in a full length mirror and think, "Well, that's odd. Not only has that sea cow learned to walk around upright, but it's wearing the exact same clothes that I put on this morning". I laughed and laughed. It's a good bit. Bravo, Mr. Miller, bravo indeed. Well just today, I was editing some of the behind the scenes footage from the upcoming mega hit Zombies During Third Period... Again, and I saw myself in some of the footage. I'm not laughing anymore.

To be honest, gentle reader, there were a couple of things wrong with that picture. First, and most obviously, was seeing someone who looked a lot like me, but who also looked as if they had eaten me. There is no way that just one of me should be taking up all the space that the person I saw on tape occupying. When I dream of becoming a real live, honest to goodness filmmaker, all of those dreams include a perfect me. In my mind's eye, as I'm strolling down the red carpet, I don't dream of my need for a walker because my knees can no longer support the weight that is me. I dream that I am in the shape of my life. After all, it's a dream that I wish to come true, why cloud the issue with realism? However, seeing myself in a fat suit, minus the fat suit, is not the worst part of what I have allowed to, (or have actively participated in making) happen to myself. Far more alarming than my need to work on multiple facets of myself to make my dreams come true, is my increasing inability to work towards those dreams. During the last week I have felt tired, all the time. It's hard to push ahead, and blaze trails, when deep down inside you just wish that someone would declare that it's officially nap time. With the deadline to enter the film into Comic Con drawing closer by the day, the cast and crew of Zombies has really stepped up in an effort to make the deadline. I find that I am struggling a bit to keep up the pace. Now, when running down school hallways, pushing a camera rig in front of young people almost twenty years my junior, I expect to be tired. But, when kids are asking me if I am trying to show them the perfect Zombie shuffle, and I'm just walking to the next location, I know that something is, how do you say... amiss. For the first time in my life, I'm finding I may have to start exercising and eating better, just to make it through the day and still be standing at the end of it. Who knew that in order to pursue something as outrageous as becoming a real live, honest to goodness filmmaker, one would have to do things as practical and ordinary as eat right, go to bed at a decent hour, and get a little exercise from time to time. As unbelievable as it may have seemed at the time, it turns out, Mom knew what she was talking about after all.

Comic Gone?

2009-12-02T13:06:00.000-08:00

I must confess to you, gentle reader, that ever since I have entered this crazy game of filmmaking, I have had but one goal. To win an Academy Award and make boatloads of money. However, recognizing that this goal is a tad to the lofty side, I have learned to settle for smaller, more realistic goals. One such goal is to have a film screen at the independent film festival at Comic-Con. You say that you have never heard of this....... how do you say, Comic-Con? Well, to put it in the simplest of terms, it is a very large comic book convention. To explain it using the terms of a comic book fan, it is nothing short of paradise, or so I am told. You see, I have never had the pleasure of attending Comic Con. Since I am being honest, and confessions seem to abound in this particular blog, part of my desire to participate in the Comic-Con independent film festival, is to have a semi adult reason to go to this giant playground. Only at Comic-Con could I truly let my inner geek go absolutely hog wild, and still be one of the most normal people in the room. It is the one place in the world where one could look at a life sized Spider-man statue, crouched and ready for action, say out loud "that is the coolest thing I have ever seen", and have those within ear shot nodding their heads in agreement, instead of shaking them in disgust. Over the years Comic-Con has grown from a few booths of people selling their old comics, to a full blown event. Now there are major celebrities who participate in the convention, to promote their latest films. It is a place where one can see classic comics, collectables, celebrities, get the latest news on upcoming films, hear the directors and actors talk about them, and so much more. Like I stated earlier, paradise.

Well, it was in the year of our Lord two thousand and four, that the great festival of geeks that is Comic-Con was brought to my attention. It came to my attention through my long time, childhood friend, Neal Barlow. Neal and I had both developed an interest in filmmaking and had been talking about working on a project together. We had discussed several different ideas, both original and fan based. In the end we decided that we would make a fan film based on the character of Nightwing. You say you're not sure who Nightwing is? Ah, gentle reader, you make me smile. I have so much to share with you. For those who don't know, Nightwing is the superhero alter ego of Dick Grayson, who was formerly Robin, of Batman and Robin. As the story goes, as Dick Grayson got older he felt a need to strike out on his own, and break free from the image of being a side kick. It was this story that Neal and I wanted to capture on film, or actually video in our case. Our goal was to make a film that resembled the comic book as closely as possible, and where better to show such a work of art to the world, but at the independent film festival at Comic-Con. So off we went, facing the unknown, learning as we went along, and dealing with drunk people who happened to wander into our alley shots crying "I want to be in the thing! I want to be in the thiiiiiinnng"!! Even the heat of the coming summer couldn't stop us, though it did nearly melt our lead actor who had to do actions scenes wearing a wet suit even as the mercury climbed well into the nineties. After much dreaming, planning, and hard work the film was finally finished, but the dream was crushed. You see, gentle reader, the year of our Lord two thousand and four was the first year that films depicting trademarked characters were not accepted into the festival. Comic-con had alluded me.

It was Neal again, who now, over five years later, put Comic-Con back on my radar. This time with an original screenplay that he had written and was directing. Zombies During Third Period... Again, was going to be my shot at being a part of the Comic-Con Independent Film Festival... Again. However, just between me and you, gentle reader, (and anyone else who has internet access and knows how to read), I'm beginning to fear that we may again miss the mark. We are halfway through the shooting schedule, having shot 15 of 30 days. I am confident that the footage we have shot will no doubt cut together and form a film worthy of Comic-Con. The real question is not one of quality, but one of time. Despite valiant effort by cast and crew alike, we have fallen three days behind, with Christmas right around the corner. The Comic-Con window for accepting submissions to the film festival opened yesterday, and will be firmly shut on March 15th. Will the film ever be completed? Without a doubt. Will it be in time to make Comic-Con 2010? I don't know. Will you keep reading this blog in order to find out? Well, that in and of itself, gentle reader, would be enough of a dream come true for me.

If a Tree Falls in the Forest

2009-11-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

At some point or another, gentle reader, we have all been asked the age old question. "If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound"? It is supposed to be a thought provoking question. It's purpose is to make us think about the way we view the world around us, and give that world view a closer look. Now, being the son of a science teacher, I always thought the answer to that particular question was a fairly obvious "yes". Sound is produced by vibrations moving through the air. Those vibrations are then sensed by the inner workings of the ear and are in turn, processed by the brain which then categorizes and interprets them. The fact that no one is close enough to the falling tree to sense the vibrations it's falling creates on their eardrum, does not mean that the vibrations weren't present. So, yes it makes a sound. The true question is not whether or not the tree makes a sound, but rather, what purpose does the sound it makes serve? The most obvious answer to this question is one of simple survival. If one is walking through the forest and the distinctive cracking sound of a tree trunk breaking under the weight of an unbalanced tree can be heard, perhaps one should take a quick look around to insure that said falling tree is not falling in their direction. The sound it makes serves as notice to those close enough to hear, that they may want to get ah steppin' before tragedy overtakes them. Not close enough to hear the sound? No problem. Walk on gentle reader, you're going to be just fine. So while this hypothetical tree, in this speculative forest, does make a notional sound, if no one is there to hear it, the sound does not serve any actual purpose.

When thinking about the art of filmmaking, and what it takes to become a real live, honest to goodness filmmaker, I think that a similar principal applies. Often times the budding filmmaker becomes so focused on their project, they forget the purpose of their project. The purpose being, to get seen. Presumably, that would be the purpose of most art forms. While I am sure there are those who paint, write, and play music for the pleasure that the actual experience affords them, I would think the majority of artists want their work to been seen, read, and listened to by others who are not themselves, or their moms. I would think this to be especially true when it comes to making films. The only real purpose for capturing a story in some sort of visual medium, is so other people can watch it. This is a fact that can escape the young maker of films. I think it is an easy thing to forget when faced with the prospect of undertaking a film, of any size. There are so many things to do, and think about just to get the film finished, that the thought of what will happen once the film is finished becomes an afterthought. As you know, gentle reader, I have stated before (and still hold it to be true) that a finished film is the most important aspect to becoming a real live, honest to goodness filmmaker. That must be priority one. There is no sound in the forest if there are no trees to fall in the first place. Also there is no forest. That being said, under most circumstances, the purpose of making a film is to show it to others. If a film is projected on a screen and there is no one there to see it, did it still get made? Yes. But what purpose does it serve? On this level of filmmaking, it does serve as practice, experience, and the development of perseverance, but ultimately a film is made to be seen. The upstart filmmaker would do well to remember that fact from day one. It should be as present a thought as the script, locations, and actors. To use another popular saying, one does not want to place the cart in front of the horse. Likewise, one does not want to be dragged behind the horse because no one took the time think about needing a cart either. Now, should that horse begin to drag one through the forest, well, one would also be advised to keep an ear out for falling trees.

I See Dead People

2009-11-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

The road to becoming a real live, honest to goodness filmmaker can often seem like a lonely one. To many people, the idea of making a film, writing a book, recording a CD, or most other artistic endeavors for that matter, seems like a magical process that only certain people with certain magical skills can achieve. As a result, when the aspiring filmmaker tells those around him about his aspiring dream, many people don't know how to react. Some furrow their brow in genuine confusion. "You want to what?......... Make a film you say? Are you allowed to do that"? Other people laugh. Not because they are trying to crush one's spirit, but because they think that said one, must be joking. Others who might have been tempted to laugh, but can tell by the now struggling filmmaker's face that this is not in fact a laughing matter, will just nod and say how interesting that is before quickly changing the subject. It is not that those around the budding filmmaker have decided they will become the gatekeepers of happiness and the crushers of dreams, they just don't understand. Recording artists, authors, and filmmakers are all famous people, and I, gentle reader, am not famous. So, in their minds they think "How could he possibly become a filmmaker? He's just..... well, him". Most folks don't take the time to think that Steven Spielberg is just little Stevie from down the street to someone. Most forget that he too picked up a camera for the first time, with no idea how to use it. So when faced with the idea of someone they know reaching for what seem to be impossible heights, they are unsure of how to respond. The result can often be a sense of isolation for the filmmaker to be. Some, when faced with this isolation, give up their dream and take up a new dream of being an accountant (and probably make more in a year than I have in the last three). Others decide to go it alone. The lone wolf. El Lobo Solo.

Since the road from aspiring filmmaker to actual filmmaker can be a lonely one, when I was given the opportunity to help my friend with his latest film project, I jumped on board. As you well know gentle reader, getting started can often be one of the most difficult obstacles for me. Here was a project that was written and ready to go. A chance to be behind the camera with actors in front of it, saying lines and being recorded. Sounds a lot like movie making to me. This represented a chance for me to stop dreaming about shooting a project, and actually go help shoot a project. While the project is not my own, and the name read following "and the Oscar goes to......" will not be mine, it does feel good to be working on something tangible. Working with someone who shares a similar dream and faces the same odds. It feels good to have a little company on the road less traveled. So gentle reader, that is how I came to find myself working on the set of the moving picture, with the working title, Zombies during third period..... Again!

The Problem of Perfection

2009-11-03T11:33:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems like only last week that I was sitting here musing over the laws of physics and how they could effect the filmmaking process. Overcoming the inertia of sitting still and turning filmmaking dreams into filmmaking nightmares....... I mean realities, is one of the most difficult obstacles for the fledgeling filmmaker to overcome. A contributing factor to this most diabolical of phenomenon, is none other than "The Problem of Perfection".

I can hear your voice even now, gentle reader. "What is this, how do you say...... problem of perfection"? Simply put, the problem of perfection comes into effect when said would be filmmaker, is paralyzed into inaction by the fear that their would be film, will not be perfect, or great, or pretty good, or even watchable. When faced with the idea of making something bad, some filmmakers will opt instead to make nothing. Such action, will in turn take away one of the key ingredients necessary to becoming a filmmaker. That pesky little business of making a film. Nonetheless, I myself, gentle reader, find that there have been several occasions that I stop before I start, because I'm afraid the resulting piece of work will not live up to my own, possibly too high, standards.

"So, should the owner of a camcorder who looks to be a filmmaker not worry about having standards? Should they make something that they know is not going to be worth the Mini DV tapes that it has been shot on"? No, gentle reader, not at all. I feel that in the pursuit of filmmaking one does need to do their best, and maybe even have a slight naive perspective when it comes to their projects. If you don't believe that you can do good work, why should anyone else? The aspiring filmmaker must believe that their film can change the course of cinema, and that their already written Oscar acceptance speech will be making it's public appearance very soon. It is those dreams that will help push the film forward when facing the overwhelming odds that one must face when getting any kind of film finished. However, the problem of perfection can come into play when newbie filmmakers hold their newbie projects up to the blinding light of those dreams and watch them turn into dust. They turn to dust because the reality is, they do not measure up. Then said newbie filmmaker finds themselves doing nothing because each idea, outline, and draft seems short of box office dominance and Oscar gold. The desire to make a perfect project stops them from making any project at all. In order to become a real live, honest to goodness filmmaker, one must make films. There is no way around that particular requirement. In light of that fact, gentle reader, I would venture to say that a less than great project that is finished, is always going to be more productive than a perfect film that lives in one's head. In reality, one's head is probably the only place that a perfect film can live. As I continue on my journey to become a real live, honest to goodness filmmaker I am trying to hold onto my innocent naive notions (that success can be mine), while at the same time realizing that I will not be making Citizen Kane every time I set up my camera and press record. I think the secret lies in shooting for the stars, but being prepared to handle it, if you only get two feet off the ground. I think that Johnny Depp said it best in his portrayal of filmmaker Ed Wood in the film by the same name. "Really?! ........... Worst film you ever saw?......... Well, my next one will be Better"!!

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

2009-10-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

As Frankie Laine sat, putting pen to paper, telling the tale of what it was like to herd cattle across the open plains, I doubt that he had the art of filmmaking in mind. However, that doesn't mean there isn't something to be learned from his old west ballad /theme song. To use another old west phrase, "There's gold in them there..... song".

As I continue on my journey to become an honest to goodness, real live filmmaker, I have noticed that I often fall victim to the laws of physics. To make matters worse, you and I both know, gentle reader, you cannot change the laws of physics. Scottie said it all the time to Captain Kirk on Star Trek, so you know it has to be true. "What laws of physics?", you might ask. "And what does that have to do with driving cattle"? Good questions all, gentle reader. Let me explain. To date, the largest obstacle that I have had to overcome in my journey to become a honest to goodness, real live filmmaker is my own inertia. Webster's Dictionary defines inertia thusly, "a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force." In other words, an aspiring filmmaker at rest, will tend to stay at rest until he is prodded off his backside into action by some outside force. This can be a serious problem. The reason being, at this level of filmmaking (i.e. a guy with a camcorder, computer, and delusions of grandeur) there is very little in the way of any kind of outside force to get one moving. No production meeting to prepare for, no movie stars to get scripts to, no deadline for any drafts, and no foreseeable paycheck anywhere near anything that could even be described as a horizon. No outside force is coming to push the dream forward, it is entirely up to the aspiring filmmaker to keep moving. Unfortunately, just as there are few outside forces to get a stalled filmmaker moving, there seem to be an infinite supply of forces to slow a moving filmmaker down. Silly things, like rent, the need to eat, and the annoyance of trying to keep warm in the winter. So how does one ever become an honest to goodness real live filmmaker when faced with the Mr. Scott proclaimed unchangeable laws of physics? Simple, just keep rollin', rollin', rollin'.

Boys and their Toys

2009-10-13T11:35:00.001-07:00

Welcome back gentle reader, has it seemed as long for you as it has for me? Okay, probably not, but it is still good to see you. A long time ago I heard the phrase, "The only difference between men and boys, is the price of their toys". Well, I have come to tell you, gentle reader, that after much consideration I think that statement might be true. The only thing I would add is, after a certain age, the items we seek after cease to be called "toys" and start to be called "tools". These tools can take many different forms. For many men, their expensive toys are actual tools. They take the form of drills, compressors, nail guns, and this really cool saw that cut a car in half as I was watching it on TV. For the aspiring filmmaker, tools can come in the form of cameras, lights, and computer software. Technology is constantly improving and singing the siren's song to any filmmaker within earshot. It promises the aspiring filmmaker that major studio production value is just within reach. The filmmaker can't help but dreaming of what their project would look like in glorious HD, and how the world would have no choice but to accept their work as the piece of art that it is. Audiences would laugh, at all the jokes, and cry, at all the sad parts, and be swept away by the superb storytelling, without ever realizing that it was all produced from someone's spare bedroom. This is the potential that these toys offer, and this is what often stops projects from ever getting made.

If you're like me, gentle reader, the quality that technology promises is a powerful distraction. I spend a lot of time dreaming of what would be possible if I just had this camera, that microphone, and those lights. I think that if I just had those things, my next stop would be success beyond my wildest dreams. I get caught up in the toys which always seem just out of reach. With a little effort, and perhaps a new credit card, I could have these toy..... I mean tools, and then I could make my dreams come true. The problem is, I spend so much time daydreaming about that new HD camera, that I don't spend anytime dreaming about what exactly it is I would put in front of the camera once I got it. Now, this is not to say the toys are bad, (if loving them is wrong, then I don't want to be right), but if one is not careful one could spend a lot of time and money assembling an impressive cinematic workshop, capable of doing just about anything, and then find that they have nothing to for it to do. If there is no one in front of the camera, the lines of resolution and number of pixels become somewhat less important. The truth is, gentle reader, while it is a lot less fun to dream about, the story must come first. In film making, a great story filmed with a less great camera is always going to win out over a blank wall filmed in HD. It's easy to get swept away by dreams of what could be, if this or that piece of equipment was mine, but the bottom line is this. A good project is always going to be more about the story, than it is about the toys. The good news is, the act of writing can be done quite cheaply. When it comes to this part of the process, money, or the lack there of, should not prove to be any kind of obstacle at all. Don't let the dream of your desired toys overcome the dream of the story you want to tell. The toys mean almost nothing without the story. So, with that in mind and taking my own advise, I will endeavor to spend as much time writing as I do looking at the latest and greatest that technology has to offer. But alas, I must go now. There is an auction ending on ebay and I want to see what that HD camera sells for.....

The Chicken or the Egg (An introduction to Matthew 13 Blog)

2009-10-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

Hello. Let me first start by welcoming you, gentle reader, to my blog. My name is Matt, and this blog is going to be an account of my efforts to become a real, live, honest to goodness filmmaker. Kevin Smith was once quoted as saying that you become a filmmaker by "Being a filmmaker". Now, while that advice appears a little vauge, and may seem to vere toward the useless side, at least on the surface, I think that what he was trying to say was, in order to be a filmmaker you must believe that you ARE a filmmaker. There is no degree, no certificate, nor power ring that you can achieve that will suddenly make people stand up and take notice that you not only are a maker of films, but have in fact achieved the title of "Filmmaker"tm. If you think of yourself as one, you are one. It does not matter the quanity, or maybe even the quality of your work. No matter whether you shoot on 35mm, Super16, MiniDV, or VHS, if you have the desire to tell a story through the use of moving pictures, and are working toward that end, you are a filmmaker. There you have it. Of course with that title, even if it is that easily attained, there does come the assumption that you will, at some point at least, you know..........make a film.
Which brings us back to me and my desire to "become" a filmmaker. I have, to date, completed a couple of small short form projects. A short film loosely based on the Old Testament book of Hosea, which you can see here, and another short fanfilm based in the world of Smallville (the TV show about a pre Superman Clark Kent) which can be watched here. However, even with those projects under my belt I still have great difficultly calling myself a filmmaker with a straight face. I feel I still lack. I am sure there are plenty who would agree. So, I am trying to do something on a larger scale. Something those film types might call a "Feature". Well, to be honest some of those film types can be rather critical at times, so I have no idea what they would call a Seventy-five to Ninety minute piece of video written, shot, directed, and edited by me, but I, gentle reader, would like to believe that they would call it a "Feature". But what, if anything, does that have to do with chickens and eggs?
Well, I have noticed with my smaller projects, that while this here new internet thing, really does offer boundless potential as far as making one's work available to literally millions of people, that does not mean one's work will be seen by millions of people......or thousands........or hundreds.....or anyone who isn't gathered around the ol' computer screen at my parents house when I ask if they want to see my latest stroke of genius. You need people to actually care about your content if you want them to view it, read it, talk about it, and (if everything goes right), someday pay for it. You need to build a following. So when that next master piece arrives it will be met with the open arms of a loving public that has been waiting on pins and needles for it to be available. Once you have created something, you can't garner anticipation, or excitement for it's arrival. It has already arrived. However, how do you create anticipation for something that has not yet been created? How do you get people interested in something that is little more than an idea coupled with a large helping of ignorance that makes one believe that said idea could actually blossom into something tangible? Answer, you start a blog. So here we are, gentle reader. On the begining of a jouney together. My journey to become a real, live, honest to goodness filmmaker, and your journey of reading about me becoming a real, live, honest to goodness filmmaker. Let the excitement begin.