Hello there! So, one of the things that I love the most about living in Los Angeles is that there are so many film related things that are just at my disposal. My buddy Chris told me today that he signed me up for an advanced screening of Spike Lee's "Oldboy". Just another free screening of a movie before it comes out. Yippee!
Another thing that is always happening is some sort of film festival. Well it just so happens that AFM (American Film Market) comes to Santa Monica every November, and people come from all over the world to buy and sell films. Today I met someone from: Germany, France, England, Australia, and Austin. I'm forgetting the others, but these are the places that stood out. I'll go into more detail about AFM tomorrow. Right now, I have to tell you what happened when Chris and I were leaving AFM.
Chris and I were walking to my car when we heard a BUMP. It sounded exactly like someone got hit by a car. We walk a couple of feet and see a bicycle laying in the street. Our gaze was immediately carried to the cyclist who was already at the side of the car, kicking and punching it. That's right, this guy got hit by a car, jumped up and proceeded to beat the car - VIOLENTLY! He was punching the driver's window like he intended to break it out. I was so scared for the poor driver who had pulled over with every intention of checking on the cyclist, but instead was in the car calling 911. The cyclist then proceeded to climb ON TOP of the car, I'm talking about the roof of the car, and jump up and down on it.
Chris and I kept walking because there was another biker with the guy and he was taking it upon himself to yell at every car that stopped to ask if they needed help. "Just go! Mind your f***ing business! Stop causing a scene!" Yep, that's what he was yelling while his friend was attacking a car. So no, we didn't try to help. We stayed on the other side of the street and minded our own f***ing business.
Then, the friend stops yelling at cars and makes his way to our side of the street, where he proceeds to get in a yelling match with a guy who was on foot. The guy jumps off his bike and starts acting like he's about to fight this bystander. I don't know if he punched him or what, because we got to my car and turned around and saw the police pull up. That's about the time that they both jumped on their bikes and got out of there. So we see the cops speed off after them, but we don't know what happened. From our vantage point, it looked like they were trying to run from the cops.
So…I spent my day meeting people to help with the advancement of my career, and I finished it with witnessing biker rage. What a random day! And guess what, I'm going back tomorrow. Can't wait to see what the day brings. Khimbia, you're right, maybe I should carry a taser!
Still a lot of work to be done to get this movie off the ground. I met some good people today, and it was only the beginning. Tomorrow, I will have my game face on. After all, what would James Franco do?
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
That's A Wrap!
I spent the last week and a half on the set of an indie film called Memoria. James Franco wrote a book called Palo Alto stories that includes a series of short stories. Three of the stories are being made into features. There was an Indiegogo campaign to raise the funds for the film, and since I don't have any money to contribute, I sent an email asking if they needed any help on set. A month went by and I forgot all about Memoria until I received an email from one of the producers asking if I was still interested. The next day I had a phone interview, and a week and a half later I was on set as the Camera PA.
Having your movie come to life is freaking hard work! One of the reasons that I wanted to be on that set was to see how a professional set operates. Until this point, I'd only been on my classmates sets. I wanted to meet more people, build relationships, and learn all that I could learn. It was such an amazing experience! These people are really good at what they do.
The directors in the trunk of the car so they could ride along in the car and look at the monitor.
We wrapped yesterday morning at 5am, and I'm still recovering. Apparently my body doesn't like night shoots, but what can you do? Being on set got me amped up and super charged for my film. I had a meeting today with my producers and everyone left with their to do list. It was great to be on that set, but I'm happy to get back to my routine and get back on track for Collectible Items!
Monday, September 2, 2013
Dodger Days
You guys know I'm still in school, right? I'm getting my MFA in Filmmaking. Well, a few weeks ago we got an email saying that the school was gonna buy some tickets to go to the Dodgers game and who wanted to go. Needless to say, we were all over that! Free tickets? Ummm...yes please!
Like I said, this email came a few weeks ago, and there is no way of knowing where you'll be at that point in your life. Of course I woke up this morning thinking I'd much rather stay home and work on my script, but I didn't want to waste the free Dodger's ticket that I already had, plus I knew I'd have fun once I got around my friends.
This was my third time going this season. I like Dodger Stadium a lot. It's a nice, fun place, with people who are having a great time. That being said, the only other baseball stadium I know is Citizens Bank Park, where the Philadelphia Phillies play. I lived in Philly for four years and used to go to Phillies games quite regularly. No offense to the fun times with the Dodgers, but I had a blast with the Phillies!
Today I went to the game with my buddies Chris, Miguel, Mikey, Joey, Rayne and Luke. We were pleasantly surprised when our friends Kitanan and Sangjin showed up. Now, allow me to tell you how I saw none of the game, but still managed to have a great time. I tell people all the time that I only go to baseball games to do two things: eat hot dogs and do the wave. In the third inning we witnessed a guy trying to get the wave started. I was instantly on board and down to help. It took a few tries, but he was determined and I was amused. The payoff came when the wave went around three times! I was so engrossed with the wave that you would've thought I orchestrated the whole thing! So I checked the wave off my list. Then I went to get my hotdog. It was delicious, as usual. Check. This next thing was bonus, because remember, I only show up for two things. There were several beach balls being tossed around the stadium. I watched them with a longing that only a child could know. One came close, but someone sent it soaring in another direction. Finally, when I least expected it, a beach ball flew my way. My reaction was all off and I missed it. I wasn't sad though, I was happy it had come so close. Then, as if fate were giving me another chance at happiness, the ball came back to me. This time I was ready, it was my time to shine. I knew what I had to do, I couldn't hit it too hard and send it over the edge. We'd seen our share of people getting booed for doing that. So I hit the ball with just the right amount strength that I could still be respected by the crowd. And that is why I saw none of the ball game. I was too busy watching beach balls and waiting for my turn in the wave.
Now, after a hard day of being at the ball park, I'm at home, working on my script. Actually, I'm taking a break to tell you about my day. Tomorrow is a brand new day, and since I took some time to relax today, that means I have to work extra hard tomorrow. So while you're at a BBQ, eat some for me and think of how I'm working instead of hanging out. Have a safe and fun Labor Day!
Like I said, this email came a few weeks ago, and there is no way of knowing where you'll be at that point in your life. Of course I woke up this morning thinking I'd much rather stay home and work on my script, but I didn't want to waste the free Dodger's ticket that I already had, plus I knew I'd have fun once I got around my friends.
This was my third time going this season. I like Dodger Stadium a lot. It's a nice, fun place, with people who are having a great time. That being said, the only other baseball stadium I know is Citizens Bank Park, where the Philadelphia Phillies play. I lived in Philly for four years and used to go to Phillies games quite regularly. No offense to the fun times with the Dodgers, but I had a blast with the Phillies!
Today I went to the game with my buddies Chris, Miguel, Mikey, Joey, Rayne and Luke. We were pleasantly surprised when our friends Kitanan and Sangjin showed up. Now, allow me to tell you how I saw none of the game, but still managed to have a great time. I tell people all the time that I only go to baseball games to do two things: eat hot dogs and do the wave. In the third inning we witnessed a guy trying to get the wave started. I was instantly on board and down to help. It took a few tries, but he was determined and I was amused. The payoff came when the wave went around three times! I was so engrossed with the wave that you would've thought I orchestrated the whole thing! So I checked the wave off my list. Then I went to get my hotdog. It was delicious, as usual. Check. This next thing was bonus, because remember, I only show up for two things. There were several beach balls being tossed around the stadium. I watched them with a longing that only a child could know. One came close, but someone sent it soaring in another direction. Finally, when I least expected it, a beach ball flew my way. My reaction was all off and I missed it. I wasn't sad though, I was happy it had come so close. Then, as if fate were giving me another chance at happiness, the ball came back to me. This time I was ready, it was my time to shine. I knew what I had to do, I couldn't hit it too hard and send it over the edge. We'd seen our share of people getting booed for doing that. So I hit the ball with just the right amount strength that I could still be respected by the crowd. And that is why I saw none of the ball game. I was too busy watching beach balls and waiting for my turn in the wave.
Now, after a hard day of being at the ball park, I'm at home, working on my script. Actually, I'm taking a break to tell you about my day. Tomorrow is a brand new day, and since I took some time to relax today, that means I have to work extra hard tomorrow. So while you're at a BBQ, eat some for me and think of how I'm working instead of hanging out. Have a safe and fun Labor Day!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
I Love It When A Plan Comes Together
Well hello there! I know, I know, it's been a while. I have my reasons, but none of them are good excuses. So let's move past all of the side dishes and get to the meat!
Part of movie making on the independent level is raising the funds to actually shoot your movie. J'Vanne and I have been working to secure money to film Collectible Items, and one of the things we decided was to start an Indiegogo campaign. I called up a few buddies, Rich Lester, Miguel and Joey and grabbed some equipment from school.
We loaded all of the equipment in my new house, and everyone looked at me, waiting for my plan. I didn't have a plan. My plan was to grab a few friends and camera equipment and shoot a video. Now, this is the part that I love. We started throwing out ideas, and next thing you know, we had something incredible in our minds, and we set to work. I'd also like to publicly apologize to Cody who relocated several times so that we could film in the different parts of the house. Thanks Cody for your patience with us!
I think about all that has happened over the last couple of years, and one thing holds true; I love making movies! We're all so busy at this point in our lives, but it feels good to know that I can call up a couple of friends to help me with a project and not only will they show up, they'll help me write it, act in it and help me edit. We shot this film so quickly that I had a few moments of insanity when I started thinking that I should film a webseries. Then I reminded myself that I'm shooting a feature film in two months and have more than enough work cut out for me without trying to add a webseries to the To Do list. But rest assured, when Collectible Items is done, I'll crank out a webseries!
I spent last night editing the video and it looks great. Visually it looks great and the story line is quite amusing. And the music, I reached out to my buddy James (not Franco) and he whipped something up for me and it works great with what we shot! My pal Shawn did some graphics. Overall, it's a nice piece of work! Once all of the fine tuning is done, the Indiegogo site will go live and you'll be able to check it out!
Thank you for your continued support of Collectible Items and the process it takes for this film to come together.
I know what you are all thinking, James Franco would film the webseries and still work on getting the feature up and running. Well...I'm not there yet, but I'm working up to it.
#WWJFD
Part of movie making on the independent level is raising the funds to actually shoot your movie. J'Vanne and I have been working to secure money to film Collectible Items, and one of the things we decided was to start an Indiegogo campaign. I called up a few buddies, Rich Lester, Miguel and Joey and grabbed some equipment from school.
We loaded all of the equipment in my new house, and everyone looked at me, waiting for my plan. I didn't have a plan. My plan was to grab a few friends and camera equipment and shoot a video. Now, this is the part that I love. We started throwing out ideas, and next thing you know, we had something incredible in our minds, and we set to work. I'd also like to publicly apologize to Cody who relocated several times so that we could film in the different parts of the house. Thanks Cody for your patience with us!
I think about all that has happened over the last couple of years, and one thing holds true; I love making movies! We're all so busy at this point in our lives, but it feels good to know that I can call up a couple of friends to help me with a project and not only will they show up, they'll help me write it, act in it and help me edit. We shot this film so quickly that I had a few moments of insanity when I started thinking that I should film a webseries. Then I reminded myself that I'm shooting a feature film in two months and have more than enough work cut out for me without trying to add a webseries to the To Do list. But rest assured, when Collectible Items is done, I'll crank out a webseries!
I spent last night editing the video and it looks great. Visually it looks great and the story line is quite amusing. And the music, I reached out to my buddy James (not Franco) and he whipped something up for me and it works great with what we shot! My pal Shawn did some graphics. Overall, it's a nice piece of work! Once all of the fine tuning is done, the Indiegogo site will go live and you'll be able to check it out!
Thank you for your continued support of Collectible Items and the process it takes for this film to come together.
I know what you are all thinking, James Franco would film the webseries and still work on getting the feature up and running. Well...I'm not there yet, but I'm working up to it.
#WWJFD
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Hindering My Creativity
I told you that Cody and I are moving, right? We're not doing anything drastic, just moving to a bigger place for less rent. Sounds like a win, win situation. It is, except that it's completely interfering with my ability to work on my script.
We started looking for a place back in March, and since we didn't have to move in rush, we took our time finding the perfect place. Now that we've found the perfect place, there are a lot of unforeseen complications. Our new place only comes with one parking spot. So one of us will have to park on the street, which isn't a problem, until you factor in that there is no over night parking without a permit. Okay. So we get a permit. That's not a problem...except it is. This parking permit has become the bane of my existence and a huge part of why I can't write.
In order to get a parking permit you simply have to show up at one of the many conveniently located LADOT offices. You see, when you're buying your first annual permit, you have to do it in person. And all you have to bring with you is a lease agreement and utility bill. Easy! We already have the lease, we only need one more thing.
So, on Tuesday, Cody and I went to the LADOT office with our lease agreement to explain to them that we won't have another form of proof until after we've moved in, and then it'll be too late to get a permit without getting a parking ticket. Clearly, it was going to be that simple. Alas, I was wrong. The lady told us that we need to call the utility companies and set up our switch over, and then bring in a notification of our new service. Okay, that's easy. I'd do that while Cody was at work on Wednesday. And we decided to get two annual parking permits, and put one on each of our cars.
On Wednesday, I called the cable company...only to find out that they aren't the ones who service our new area. Not a problem, I simply set up a cancellation date with them and found out who the new cable company is. Moving right along; I looked up the electric company, and as I was doing so I became disheartened. Burbank Water and Power, sigh. We're moving from Burbank. So I cancelled that service. So far, all I was doing was canceling service, and I still had no proof of residency for the new place. Not to mention, that I needed to put Cody on all the bills too, so she could get a permit for her car.
Next call was to the gas company - SoCal gas. Piece of cake! We're staying in Southern Cali, I'll just transfer that service right on over and add Cody to the bill. Not that easy. Apparently you can't have roommates on the bill, only spouses and domestic partners. Just another setback, but I wasn't discouraged, yet.
Time Warner is the cable provider for the new area. I called to set up our internet and cable, and I was able to get Cody on the bill. All was going well, until the fight with CBS and Showtime and the random upfront fee of $89.99. So....we didn't sign up with them. We still have no proof or residency AND we found out that in order to have the annual permit, the car must also be registered to that address. The car registration also must be done in person. Ugh!
Figuring out this parking situation has been an ongoing process for the past two weeks, and it seems as if it is no where near being resolved. This move was a great idea because we'd be saving a ton of money and have a bigger living space, but with the parking pain lingering on my mind, it is severely hindering my creative abilities. I need an assistant. What would James Franco do?
#WWJFD
We started looking for a place back in March, and since we didn't have to move in rush, we took our time finding the perfect place. Now that we've found the perfect place, there are a lot of unforeseen complications. Our new place only comes with one parking spot. So one of us will have to park on the street, which isn't a problem, until you factor in that there is no over night parking without a permit. Okay. So we get a permit. That's not a problem...except it is. This parking permit has become the bane of my existence and a huge part of why I can't write.
In order to get a parking permit you simply have to show up at one of the many conveniently located LADOT offices. You see, when you're buying your first annual permit, you have to do it in person. And all you have to bring with you is a lease agreement and utility bill. Easy! We already have the lease, we only need one more thing.
So, on Tuesday, Cody and I went to the LADOT office with our lease agreement to explain to them that we won't have another form of proof until after we've moved in, and then it'll be too late to get a permit without getting a parking ticket. Clearly, it was going to be that simple. Alas, I was wrong. The lady told us that we need to call the utility companies and set up our switch over, and then bring in a notification of our new service. Okay, that's easy. I'd do that while Cody was at work on Wednesday. And we decided to get two annual parking permits, and put one on each of our cars.
On Wednesday, I called the cable company...only to find out that they aren't the ones who service our new area. Not a problem, I simply set up a cancellation date with them and found out who the new cable company is. Moving right along; I looked up the electric company, and as I was doing so I became disheartened. Burbank Water and Power, sigh. We're moving from Burbank. So I cancelled that service. So far, all I was doing was canceling service, and I still had no proof of residency for the new place. Not to mention, that I needed to put Cody on all the bills too, so she could get a permit for her car.
Next call was to the gas company - SoCal gas. Piece of cake! We're staying in Southern Cali, I'll just transfer that service right on over and add Cody to the bill. Not that easy. Apparently you can't have roommates on the bill, only spouses and domestic partners. Just another setback, but I wasn't discouraged, yet.
Time Warner is the cable provider for the new area. I called to set up our internet and cable, and I was able to get Cody on the bill. All was going well, until the fight with CBS and Showtime and the random upfront fee of $89.99. So....we didn't sign up with them. We still have no proof or residency AND we found out that in order to have the annual permit, the car must also be registered to that address. The car registration also must be done in person. Ugh!
Figuring out this parking situation has been an ongoing process for the past two weeks, and it seems as if it is no where near being resolved. This move was a great idea because we'd be saving a ton of money and have a bigger living space, but with the parking pain lingering on my mind, it is severely hindering my creative abilities. I need an assistant. What would James Franco do?
#WWJFD
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Yep, I love Cali
I thought about blogging yesterday, but it would have only been about food, which in retrospect might not have been so terrible. Maybe I'll do a combo post today. I'll talk about the delicious food from yesterday, coupled with why I love Cali. How's that sound?
My buddy, Chris, AKA C Chan, and I love Korean BBQ. It's safe to even say that is "our thing". Our lives were made even better, when we discovered the all you can eat for $9.99. But this happiness was put on hold when we became busy with our films. Remember the post about the tv pilot - Life's a Pitch? Well, that's his show. So he's busy working on that, I'm busy working on Collectible Items, and somehow, the KBBQ is what suffers. But not yesterday. No, yesterday we made the time to go and eat as much delicious, delicious BBQ as our bodies could hold. And sadly to say, we've done better. Clearly, not going for over three months has put our bodies at a disadvantage. But now that we're aware of our handicap, we will work to over come it.
Last weekend my cousin gave me some fresh mint from her garden. I got home and told Cody that we should make mojitos on Friday night. So I googled a pretty impressive mojito recipe and then decided that the proper pairing would be shrimp tacos. So I googled a recipe for that as well. Needless to say, I'm apparently a brilliant google user, because the recipes that I picked were the best! They were so yummy that we decided to have a repeat of that. I'm just saying.
http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2009/05/mojitos.html
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/grilled-shrimp-tacos-10000000635602/index.html
That brings us up to speed and puts us on today. While hanging out with C Chan yesterday, we decided we should go hiking today. Hiking is also one of our things, but it's not exclusive like KBBQ. For instance, I can hike with other people, and I often do, but neither of us is allowed to have KBBQ without the other. That's right, we're not allowed. I don't even know if it's something we talked about, or if it's just an unspoken rule, but either way, we found time to hike today. We hadn't done that since April.
The high today is 82 degrees. The sun is out, and the clouds look like they were painted. The hike was perfect. You should know that this was my first week back in the gym since May, so this hike started off kind of brutal. But, I got used to it and was able to enjoy myself. As I hiked, I thought about my friends scattered around the country. In Philadelphia it's been raining everyday. In Texas and in Vegas, it's too hot to leave the house unless you're going to the lake or a pool. I'm reminded every time I hike, just how much I love Los Angeles. The traffic sucks. It's expensive to go out. There's no parking in Hollywood. Yet somehow, in LA, I'm laying in bed with the window open and the breeze is blowing cool air on me in August.
I'm so blessed to wake up every morning and pursue the field that I love while living in a city that I love. Making movies and living in LA used to just be a dream. I think it's safe to say that I'm living my dream.
#WWJFD
My buddy, Chris, AKA C Chan, and I love Korean BBQ. It's safe to even say that is "our thing". Our lives were made even better, when we discovered the all you can eat for $9.99. But this happiness was put on hold when we became busy with our films. Remember the post about the tv pilot - Life's a Pitch? Well, that's his show. So he's busy working on that, I'm busy working on Collectible Items, and somehow, the KBBQ is what suffers. But not yesterday. No, yesterday we made the time to go and eat as much delicious, delicious BBQ as our bodies could hold. And sadly to say, we've done better. Clearly, not going for over three months has put our bodies at a disadvantage. But now that we're aware of our handicap, we will work to over come it.
Last weekend my cousin gave me some fresh mint from her garden. I got home and told Cody that we should make mojitos on Friday night. So I googled a pretty impressive mojito recipe and then decided that the proper pairing would be shrimp tacos. So I googled a recipe for that as well. Needless to say, I'm apparently a brilliant google user, because the recipes that I picked were the best! They were so yummy that we decided to have a repeat of that. I'm just saying.
http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2009/05/mojitos.html
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/grilled-shrimp-tacos-10000000635602/index.html
That brings us up to speed and puts us on today. While hanging out with C Chan yesterday, we decided we should go hiking today. Hiking is also one of our things, but it's not exclusive like KBBQ. For instance, I can hike with other people, and I often do, but neither of us is allowed to have KBBQ without the other. That's right, we're not allowed. I don't even know if it's something we talked about, or if it's just an unspoken rule, but either way, we found time to hike today. We hadn't done that since April.
The high today is 82 degrees. The sun is out, and the clouds look like they were painted. The hike was perfect. You should know that this was my first week back in the gym since May, so this hike started off kind of brutal. But, I got used to it and was able to enjoy myself. As I hiked, I thought about my friends scattered around the country. In Philadelphia it's been raining everyday. In Texas and in Vegas, it's too hot to leave the house unless you're going to the lake or a pool. I'm reminded every time I hike, just how much I love Los Angeles. The traffic sucks. It's expensive to go out. There's no parking in Hollywood. Yet somehow, in LA, I'm laying in bed with the window open and the breeze is blowing cool air on me in August.
I'm so blessed to wake up every morning and pursue the field that I love while living in a city that I love. Making movies and living in LA used to just be a dream. I think it's safe to say that I'm living my dream.
#WWJFD
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Networking!
I know that when I blog it leaves the impression that I go out and do fun things on a regular basis. Believe me when I say that is an illusion. I very seldom leave the house, which is why it's kind of a big deal when I do. Which is always why things like last night are so exciting for me!
There is a lounge not too far from here that shows independent films every Wednesday night. One of my teachers told me about it and said that we should go check it out. So Charlie and I went last night. Remember, I don't leave the house that often, so when a chance to get dressed up and meet new people presents itself, I'm super giddy about it. Charlie texted me asking what I was gonna wear. Okay, I bought these brown boots three years ago, and I'm like a four year old when it comes to these boots. I know that I'm wearing them, and then the rest of the outfit has to work with them.
I wore a long, flowing, black dress that is shorter in the front and longer in the back, a green belt and my brown boots. Whenever I get dressed up, I call it "playing dress up". So fun! The Xen Lounge, owned by Tisha Campbell and Duane Martin, was so swanky! It was classy and adorable. There's an outside area, and they set up a big screen for the films. Needless to say, the outside was packed, so Charlie and I found ourselves inside. But man, there were a lot of attractive people there. It was great people watching.
They showed four short films, and we met a few people from USC. Overall, it was pretty cool. I didn't do as much networking as I would've liked, but next time, I will. And of course, the goal is to have my last film, A Difficult Thank You, be screened there. I'll let you guys know when that happens. But for now, I got get back to writing. Collectible Items isn't gonna write itself! What would James Franco do?
#WWJFD
There is a lounge not too far from here that shows independent films every Wednesday night. One of my teachers told me about it and said that we should go check it out. So Charlie and I went last night. Remember, I don't leave the house that often, so when a chance to get dressed up and meet new people presents itself, I'm super giddy about it. Charlie texted me asking what I was gonna wear. Okay, I bought these brown boots three years ago, and I'm like a four year old when it comes to these boots. I know that I'm wearing them, and then the rest of the outfit has to work with them.
I wore a long, flowing, black dress that is shorter in the front and longer in the back, a green belt and my brown boots. Whenever I get dressed up, I call it "playing dress up". So fun! The Xen Lounge, owned by Tisha Campbell and Duane Martin, was so swanky! It was classy and adorable. There's an outside area, and they set up a big screen for the films. Needless to say, the outside was packed, so Charlie and I found ourselves inside. But man, there were a lot of attractive people there. It was great people watching.
They showed four short films, and we met a few people from USC. Overall, it was pretty cool. I didn't do as much networking as I would've liked, but next time, I will. And of course, the goal is to have my last film, A Difficult Thank You, be screened there. I'll let you guys know when that happens. But for now, I got get back to writing. Collectible Items isn't gonna write itself! What would James Franco do?
#WWJFD
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Fruitvale Station
A few weeks ago my friends, Dennis and Tif, invited me to see Fruitvale Station with them. I already had plans, so I wasn't able to go with them. Some free time presented itself today, so I went with a couple of my cousins to watch the movie. I remember hearing about the story when it happened, but watching this movie really raised my emotions.
When the premiered at Sundance, I knew that I wasn't going to be able to wait to see it. It lived up to its expectations in every way, especially story and cast. Octavia Spencer is amazing in the role, but I expected that. The writer, Ryan Coogler, did an amazing job of making the characters relatable. This is his first feature film, and look at what he was able to accomplish.
I don't want to say too much and ruin the movie for those who aren't familiar with the story. Just know that our country has a problem. Our country has a problem, and part of the problem is the amount of people who are unaware that there's a problem. Hopefully Fruitvale Station reaches enough people that our country is exposed. Something has to be done, y'all. There's really nothing else to say. This story will stay with me for a while.
When the premiered at Sundance, I knew that I wasn't going to be able to wait to see it. It lived up to its expectations in every way, especially story and cast. Octavia Spencer is amazing in the role, but I expected that. The writer, Ryan Coogler, did an amazing job of making the characters relatable. This is his first feature film, and look at what he was able to accomplish.
I don't want to say too much and ruin the movie for those who aren't familiar with the story. Just know that our country has a problem. Our country has a problem, and part of the problem is the amount of people who are unaware that there's a problem. Hopefully Fruitvale Station reaches enough people that our country is exposed. Something has to be done, y'all. There's really nothing else to say. This story will stay with me for a while.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Way Too Real
As I stood in the shower this morning, I couldn't help but think about my brush with death yesterday. Technically, it wasn't a brush with death, but as far as my mind was concerned, it was. I'll start from the beginning...
My buddy, Joey, and I were on our way to class yesterday morning. In our typical fashion, we were completely engaged in conversation about our upcoming films. Seriously, I have nothing else going on in my life right now, so all I have to talk about is my movie. Luckily, even though he has more going on, he's always down to hear about my film and talk about his. I was on autopilot on our way to class as I rambled on and on about my film.
There are certain things that happen in my day to day life that I look back on and point out as "foreshadowing". Well, there were several instances on our drive when people were honking. I would ask Joey, "Are they honking at us?" They weren't, but just to give you a sense of the foreshadowing.
Okay, so we're engrossed in conversation, driving to class, going over a bridge, when we hear a train horn. It was extremely loud and all my mind could conceive of was that this train was honking at us because it was about to hit us. There were only three things that ran through my mind in that instance. 1.) How did I not see the train? 2.) My negligence has gotten us both killed. 3.) I'm sorry, Joey.
For some reason, in the movies and on tv, they always say that your life flashes before your eyes right before you die. That wasn't the case for me. I told you what happened. I had time to think three things. When I thought, "I'm sorry", I couldn't even speak it. I thought it and it was directed at Joey. It was my apology to him for killing him when he had so much to live for and look forward to. I thought those three things and then I expected to be slammed into by a train. Never mind that I was on a bridge and the train was passing under me. For some reason none of that reality entered my mind. All that happened was the insanely loud train horn, those three thoughts, and BAM!
When we were not killed on impact, or should I say, when we continued to drive over the bridge as the train continued to drive under us, I looked at Joey and we laughed about how loud and scary that train was. I've since told several people of our near death experience and no one seems to fully understand how for a second there, I honestly thought my life was over. When I realized we were okay, I started to cry. I was so happy to be alive! I know I didn't almost die. I know I was out of harm's way, but it still scared me.
One of the things that I realized, and I'm actually really proud of this, but I wasn't afraid of dying. I thought it was about to happen, I expected it to happen, and I wasn't scared. Don't get me wrong, I was sad about it, but I had accepted it. I thought about it all day yesterday, and clearly, I keep thinking about it today. I think about what I'd leave behind. The unfinished projects. The people my death would effect. Who would my roommate, Cody, live with? Who would she kill bugs for? Would J'Vanne, my producer, make Collectible Items? Who would direct it? When was the last time I talked to my parents? My siblings? My extended family? My friends? Would I go to heaven? Have I lived my life in a way that's pleasing to God? It's a lot to think about.
You've all seen The Shawshank Redemption, right? Andy says, "Get busy living, or get busy dying." I've always felt that way, but now I feel like it's reinforced. Time to get double focused. What do you guys think? What would James Franco do? My guess is that he'd get busy living. I woke up today feeling happy to be alive.
#WWJFD
My buddy, Joey, and I were on our way to class yesterday morning. In our typical fashion, we were completely engaged in conversation about our upcoming films. Seriously, I have nothing else going on in my life right now, so all I have to talk about is my movie. Luckily, even though he has more going on, he's always down to hear about my film and talk about his. I was on autopilot on our way to class as I rambled on and on about my film.
There are certain things that happen in my day to day life that I look back on and point out as "foreshadowing". Well, there were several instances on our drive when people were honking. I would ask Joey, "Are they honking at us?" They weren't, but just to give you a sense of the foreshadowing.
Okay, so we're engrossed in conversation, driving to class, going over a bridge, when we hear a train horn. It was extremely loud and all my mind could conceive of was that this train was honking at us because it was about to hit us. There were only three things that ran through my mind in that instance. 1.) How did I not see the train? 2.) My negligence has gotten us both killed. 3.) I'm sorry, Joey.
For some reason, in the movies and on tv, they always say that your life flashes before your eyes right before you die. That wasn't the case for me. I told you what happened. I had time to think three things. When I thought, "I'm sorry", I couldn't even speak it. I thought it and it was directed at Joey. It was my apology to him for killing him when he had so much to live for and look forward to. I thought those three things and then I expected to be slammed into by a train. Never mind that I was on a bridge and the train was passing under me. For some reason none of that reality entered my mind. All that happened was the insanely loud train horn, those three thoughts, and BAM!
When we were not killed on impact, or should I say, when we continued to drive over the bridge as the train continued to drive under us, I looked at Joey and we laughed about how loud and scary that train was. I've since told several people of our near death experience and no one seems to fully understand how for a second there, I honestly thought my life was over. When I realized we were okay, I started to cry. I was so happy to be alive! I know I didn't almost die. I know I was out of harm's way, but it still scared me.
One of the things that I realized, and I'm actually really proud of this, but I wasn't afraid of dying. I thought it was about to happen, I expected it to happen, and I wasn't scared. Don't get me wrong, I was sad about it, but I had accepted it. I thought about it all day yesterday, and clearly, I keep thinking about it today. I think about what I'd leave behind. The unfinished projects. The people my death would effect. Who would my roommate, Cody, live with? Who would she kill bugs for? Would J'Vanne, my producer, make Collectible Items? Who would direct it? When was the last time I talked to my parents? My siblings? My extended family? My friends? Would I go to heaven? Have I lived my life in a way that's pleasing to God? It's a lot to think about.
You've all seen The Shawshank Redemption, right? Andy says, "Get busy living, or get busy dying." I've always felt that way, but now I feel like it's reinforced. Time to get double focused. What do you guys think? What would James Franco do? My guess is that he'd get busy living. I woke up today feeling happy to be alive.
#WWJFD
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Movie in the Cemetery....Only in Cali
Last summer, one of my friends introduced me to something super strange yet ridiculously amazing. She sent me a text asking if I wanted to go to a movie. I said yes, and I asked when. She responded with a date that was for three weeks later. Already, I was confused. Who plans to go to a movie three weeks out? So I asked what movie we were gonna see. She said we'd watch The Exorcist. Remember when I was already confused? Watching a movie that had been out for 30 years. And then, she said where we'd see it: in the cemetery.
Immediately I was intrigued. A movie in the cemetery? What in the world was this going to be like. I'll tell you what it was going to be like: AMAZING!
As we pulled up to the cemetery, the amount of people walking there, carrying blankets and picnic stuff is insane. So many people! And the line to get in - forget about it. It wrapped worst than amusement park rides. The line was incredibly long, and it just kept getting longer. We didn't have to wait in that line though, because we parked inside the cemetery. We picked our spot on the grass and I just stood there in awe as the people continued to migrate in and set up camp.
We proceeded to unpack our picnic and enjoy our dinner while a DJ played music. A movie in the cemetery is amongst one of the craziest phenomenons I've experienced. While there, I vowed to share the experience with anyone who'd let me. Today was that day.
Three weeks ago I sent an email to my local friends and told them that Taxi Driver was playing tonight and asked if they wanted to go. A few people expressed interest and bought their tickets. I was nervous that they wouldn't have the same experience that I did and that they wouldn't be as impressed. But I quickly learned that everyone has the same reaction the first time they go. No amount of description an prepare you for an amazing evening of bonding with 2,500 other people. Everyone is just outside having a great time. The mood is collectively chill, and once the movie starts - silence. Everyone is so respectful, which makes for a great movie going experience.
They only play the movies during the summer, from May-September. So far this is the only time I've gone this year. I'm hoping to get to at least one more. If you're curious about it, you should check it out. www.cinespia.org
If you're asking yourself why I wasn't working, the answer is simple. I stayed up til 4:30am working. I finished the website for my next film, Collectible Items. You should check it out: www.CollectibleItemsTheMovie.com. And when I finished that, I thought it would be a good idea to work on my website: www.edrei.com. When I finished that, I finally went to bed.
After a week of interviews and two website designs, I figured I could take a break and relax with friends. In keeping in the spirit of James Franco, I'll get a lot of work done tomorrow. I've been saying that I need to edit my director's reel. That sounds like a job for tomorrow!
#WWJFD
Immediately I was intrigued. A movie in the cemetery? What in the world was this going to be like. I'll tell you what it was going to be like: AMAZING!
As we pulled up to the cemetery, the amount of people walking there, carrying blankets and picnic stuff is insane. So many people! And the line to get in - forget about it. It wrapped worst than amusement park rides. The line was incredibly long, and it just kept getting longer. We didn't have to wait in that line though, because we parked inside the cemetery. We picked our spot on the grass and I just stood there in awe as the people continued to migrate in and set up camp.
We proceeded to unpack our picnic and enjoy our dinner while a DJ played music. A movie in the cemetery is amongst one of the craziest phenomenons I've experienced. While there, I vowed to share the experience with anyone who'd let me. Today was that day.
Three weeks ago I sent an email to my local friends and told them that Taxi Driver was playing tonight and asked if they wanted to go. A few people expressed interest and bought their tickets. I was nervous that they wouldn't have the same experience that I did and that they wouldn't be as impressed. But I quickly learned that everyone has the same reaction the first time they go. No amount of description an prepare you for an amazing evening of bonding with 2,500 other people. Everyone is just outside having a great time. The mood is collectively chill, and once the movie starts - silence. Everyone is so respectful, which makes for a great movie going experience.
They only play the movies during the summer, from May-September. So far this is the only time I've gone this year. I'm hoping to get to at least one more. If you're curious about it, you should check it out. www.cinespia.org
If you're asking yourself why I wasn't working, the answer is simple. I stayed up til 4:30am working. I finished the website for my next film, Collectible Items. You should check it out: www.CollectibleItemsTheMovie.com. And when I finished that, I thought it would be a good idea to work on my website: www.edrei.com. When I finished that, I finally went to bed.
After a week of interviews and two website designs, I figured I could take a break and relax with friends. In keeping in the spirit of James Franco, I'll get a lot of work done tomorrow. I've been saying that I need to edit my director's reel. That sounds like a job for tomorrow!
#WWJFD
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
A Glimpse of My Future
Remember the other day when I told you that I put out a post for a producer? Did I tell you that I got a lot of hits? Well, I did. And they weren't just shots in the dark; there are some severely qualified people out there, and today I interviewed some of them.
J'Vanne, my producer, and I spent hours sorting through the resumes and IMDB pages that were sent to us. We compiled a list of: yes, no and maybe. Needless to say, as we sorted through the list, the people in the maybe pile quickly found themselves in the no pile. I was freaking out yesterday because I had no idea where I was going to hold the meetings with the potential producers, and figured that I would just wind up at a coffee shop or cafe or something. Just as I was giving up on life, not really giving up on life, but feeling lost about where to meet people, I got a call from my Director of Photography, Gonzalo. You know, I'm not even sure why he called. But long story short, the call ended with him saying that if I needed to have any meetings, that I could use his office space at his studio. Now, I will shamelessly plug his studio:
It is a green screen studio, but also has standing sets, or you can rent the space and build your own sets. It's called Glix Studios and is extremely affordable and located close to you!
http://www.glixstudios.com
I showed up this morning and had the first interview. The woman was amazing. All the while, I sat at the conference room table thinking that I could get use to this. I'm my own boss. I'm hiring someone to work for me and help advance my career. It was an amazing feeling. And at the end of the day, I didn't want to go home. I sat there thinking that I have so much work to do, that maybe I could just stay there and get some stuff done. I mean, I'm not insane or anything, so I came home. One of the people that I interviewed says she has access to a castle. I want a castle. What my movie needs is a castle. She told me I can come check it out tomorrow. I think I might do that!
I have a full day of interviews lined up again for tomorrow and Friday. I feel like a kid on the first day of school. I'm super giddy and ready to go back again tomorrow. I can't wait to see who else I'll meet and what kind of experience they can bring to the table.
As usual, I'll ask myself, What Would James Franco Do?
#WWJFD
J'Vanne, my producer, and I spent hours sorting through the resumes and IMDB pages that were sent to us. We compiled a list of: yes, no and maybe. Needless to say, as we sorted through the list, the people in the maybe pile quickly found themselves in the no pile. I was freaking out yesterday because I had no idea where I was going to hold the meetings with the potential producers, and figured that I would just wind up at a coffee shop or cafe or something. Just as I was giving up on life, not really giving up on life, but feeling lost about where to meet people, I got a call from my Director of Photography, Gonzalo. You know, I'm not even sure why he called. But long story short, the call ended with him saying that if I needed to have any meetings, that I could use his office space at his studio. Now, I will shamelessly plug his studio:
It is a green screen studio, but also has standing sets, or you can rent the space and build your own sets. It's called Glix Studios and is extremely affordable and located close to you!
http://www.glixstudios.com
I showed up this morning and had the first interview. The woman was amazing. All the while, I sat at the conference room table thinking that I could get use to this. I'm my own boss. I'm hiring someone to work for me and help advance my career. It was an amazing feeling. And at the end of the day, I didn't want to go home. I sat there thinking that I have so much work to do, that maybe I could just stay there and get some stuff done. I mean, I'm not insane or anything, so I came home. One of the people that I interviewed says she has access to a castle. I want a castle. What my movie needs is a castle. She told me I can come check it out tomorrow. I think I might do that!
I have a full day of interviews lined up again for tomorrow and Friday. I feel like a kid on the first day of school. I'm super giddy and ready to go back again tomorrow. I can't wait to see who else I'll meet and what kind of experience they can bring to the table.
As usual, I'll ask myself, What Would James Franco Do?
#WWJFD
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Set Life
Today I helped crew on my buddy's set. He's filming a Showtime-esq pilot called "Life's a Pitch", about the underbelly of the music industry. And guess what. He got Jason Richter (Jesse, from "Free Willy") as the lead! My job today was to be Production Manager.
I climbed into bed last night at 10:30, thinking that I would get a solid seven hours of sleep and be the biggest asset on set today. At 11:30, I rolled over and looked at my clock thinking that if I just got six hours of sleep, I could at least be a fully functioning member of the set. I guess that's around the time I drifted off, because the next thing I remember was waking up at 4:55 - a full 42 minutes before my alarm clock was scheduled to go off. Needless to say, I was sad. I maybe might have benefited from that almost hour of missed sleep. As Production Manager, my first job of the day was to pick up the coffee at 6am and be on set at 6:30 with breakfast set up. So I did that.
Our day started off rather smoothly. We were shooting on a street, so the staging area was in a parking lot a block away. It quickly became apparent that one of my jobs was going to be chauffeuring people back and forth to the bathroom. The place that the producer made an arrangement with didn't open until 10am, and when it did open...let's just say we found somewhere else to go. Part of my job was to problem solve, so...I shuttled people to a Jack in the Box around the corner.
Not only was I a bathroom taxi service, but I was also an ice machine. We had two ice chests: one at both camps. I don't know why, but the ice was melting faster than any ice I'd ever seen. It was magic melting ice. So I was back and forth to the 711 to buy bags of ice.
After lunch, the 2nd Assistant Director, Make-up and I had a treat. There was a guy riding up and down the street in a motorized recliner. That's right. He took an easy chair and put wheels and a motor on it. This guy was cruising down the street and Dennis yells out, "Hey man, can I take a picture?" The guy says, "Is there a sandwich in it for me?" Dennis told him that we didn't have any sandwiches, but we had other snacks. This guy took a sharp right turn and bee-lined it straight for us. He parked in front of our craft services table and asked what we had. We rattled off the list of snacks and he said, "give me a muffin, apple and granola bar." So we did. And then we proceeded to snap a paparazzi amount of photos.
Apparently this guy makes his on couch cars, and makes a new one every year. The model we were so fortunate to see was the 2013 edition. He said that the 2014 edition would blow our minds. I must admit...I'm a little curious. Check out his website: http://www.couchcar.com
Today was super long, but there is nothing like being on set. It's fun, Fun, FUN!!! Now, after my 15 hour work day, I'm doing homework for class tomorrow. A filmmaker's work is never done. But hey, What Would James Franco Do?
#WWJFD
I climbed into bed last night at 10:30, thinking that I would get a solid seven hours of sleep and be the biggest asset on set today. At 11:30, I rolled over and looked at my clock thinking that if I just got six hours of sleep, I could at least be a fully functioning member of the set. I guess that's around the time I drifted off, because the next thing I remember was waking up at 4:55 - a full 42 minutes before my alarm clock was scheduled to go off. Needless to say, I was sad. I maybe might have benefited from that almost hour of missed sleep. As Production Manager, my first job of the day was to pick up the coffee at 6am and be on set at 6:30 with breakfast set up. So I did that.
Our day started off rather smoothly. We were shooting on a street, so the staging area was in a parking lot a block away. It quickly became apparent that one of my jobs was going to be chauffeuring people back and forth to the bathroom. The place that the producer made an arrangement with didn't open until 10am, and when it did open...let's just say we found somewhere else to go. Part of my job was to problem solve, so...I shuttled people to a Jack in the Box around the corner.
Not only was I a bathroom taxi service, but I was also an ice machine. We had two ice chests: one at both camps. I don't know why, but the ice was melting faster than any ice I'd ever seen. It was magic melting ice. So I was back and forth to the 711 to buy bags of ice.
After lunch, the 2nd Assistant Director, Make-up and I had a treat. There was a guy riding up and down the street in a motorized recliner. That's right. He took an easy chair and put wheels and a motor on it. This guy was cruising down the street and Dennis yells out, "Hey man, can I take a picture?" The guy says, "Is there a sandwich in it for me?" Dennis told him that we didn't have any sandwiches, but we had other snacks. This guy took a sharp right turn and bee-lined it straight for us. He parked in front of our craft services table and asked what we had. We rattled off the list of snacks and he said, "give me a muffin, apple and granola bar." So we did. And then we proceeded to snap a paparazzi amount of photos.
Apparently this guy makes his on couch cars, and makes a new one every year. The model we were so fortunate to see was the 2013 edition. He said that the 2014 edition would blow our minds. I must admit...I'm a little curious. Check out his website: http://www.couchcar.com
Today was super long, but there is nothing like being on set. It's fun, Fun, FUN!!! Now, after my 15 hour work day, I'm doing homework for class tomorrow. A filmmaker's work is never done. But hey, What Would James Franco Do?
#WWJFD
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Apartment Hunting, Producer Hunting and 24 - Oh My!
I have a list of things to do: practice my pitch, build my website, polish my ripomatic and finalize my business plan. Guess how much of that I did yesterday and today.
roommate and I have been searching for a house since March. Apparently, so has everyone else in southern Cali, because we looked and came up with nothing. Or we looked and someone beat us to it. Yesterday, we had some hits, so I went to check out four places. The entire time I was looking at potential homes, I was thinking, "I need to work on my pitch, ripo, website and biz plan." When I finally returned home, I had a text from my producing partner saying she was ready to Skype.
My producing partner and I made the decision that we need someone with feature experience to help us out on our film. So I wrote up a blurb and posted it on some sites, and we got an amazing response! However, that meant our workload was enhanced. And then there we were, sorting through emails of resumes and finding ourselves in the best situation possible. We spent several hours on Skype and we finally settled on some incredibly qualified people to meet with us next week for an interview.
Last night, I found myself sitting in living room, in my chair, after a hard day's work, having accomplished so much, but nothing on my list. It was after midnight. There was only one thing to do: watch 24. I didn't watch it when it was on television, and my buddy, Miguel, swears by this show, so I started to watch it. It was episode 24 of season 1 that hooked me. Now, if I have 45 minutes of down time, I like to fill it with a little Jack Bauer.
Anyway, I'm on my way to making a movie! Today I bought the domain name for the film, so be sure to check us out at www.collectibleitemsthemovie.com. It's not up yet, but I'll keep you posted. As you see, it's on my list of things to do.
Here's to having an even more productive tomorrow than I did yesterday or today. After all, what would James Franco do?
#WWJFD
roommate and I have been searching for a house since March. Apparently, so has everyone else in southern Cali, because we looked and came up with nothing. Or we looked and someone beat us to it. Yesterday, we had some hits, so I went to check out four places. The entire time I was looking at potential homes, I was thinking, "I need to work on my pitch, ripo, website and biz plan." When I finally returned home, I had a text from my producing partner saying she was ready to Skype.
My producing partner and I made the decision that we need someone with feature experience to help us out on our film. So I wrote up a blurb and posted it on some sites, and we got an amazing response! However, that meant our workload was enhanced. And then there we were, sorting through emails of resumes and finding ourselves in the best situation possible. We spent several hours on Skype and we finally settled on some incredibly qualified people to meet with us next week for an interview.
Last night, I found myself sitting in living room, in my chair, after a hard day's work, having accomplished so much, but nothing on my list. It was after midnight. There was only one thing to do: watch 24. I didn't watch it when it was on television, and my buddy, Miguel, swears by this show, so I started to watch it. It was episode 24 of season 1 that hooked me. Now, if I have 45 minutes of down time, I like to fill it with a little Jack Bauer.
Anyway, I'm on my way to making a movie! Today I bought the domain name for the film, so be sure to check us out at www.collectibleitemsthemovie.com. It's not up yet, but I'll keep you posted. As you see, it's on my list of things to do.
Here's to having an even more productive tomorrow than I did yesterday or today. After all, what would James Franco do?
#WWJFD
Monday, July 8, 2013
Not So Pitch Perfect
Okay, so it is now time for me to start working on my pitch for my film. If you're wondering what a pitch is, it's a quick spiel about my movie and what I plan to have happen, and all that jazz. Well, I wrote it up and when I was going over it, I realized that it was not nearly as good as I want it to be.
I know that they're certain points that I need to hit when pitching:
Introduction
Logline
Protagonist Introduction
Production
I thought that it would be a piece of cake, seeing as how I'm a natural orator and all, but no. That Protagonist Intro part was hard! Who would have known that summarizing 99 pages into 3 paragraphs would be so difficult? I was told that it should be about five minutes long.
I practiced it and let's just say that underwhelmed is an understatement. That sucker needs work! And as I'm reading over it, looking for ways to make it better, I get a text from my friend, Joey. He later took a screenshot of our conversation and sent it to me, and that's what you're about to read. He's blue...
If he can talk to himself for ten minutes, then I've got more work to do. Time to get back to it! I have meetings lined up for next week. Practice makes perfect, and there's not such thing as being too prepared!
#WWJFD
I know that they're certain points that I need to hit when pitching:
Introduction
Logline
Protagonist Introduction
Production
I thought that it would be a piece of cake, seeing as how I'm a natural orator and all, but no. That Protagonist Intro part was hard! Who would have known that summarizing 99 pages into 3 paragraphs would be so difficult? I was told that it should be about five minutes long.
I practiced it and let's just say that underwhelmed is an understatement. That sucker needs work! And as I'm reading over it, looking for ways to make it better, I get a text from my friend, Joey. He later took a screenshot of our conversation and sent it to me, and that's what you're about to read. He's blue...
If he can talk to himself for ten minutes, then I've got more work to do. Time to get back to it! I have meetings lined up for next week. Practice makes perfect, and there's not such thing as being too prepared!
#WWJFD
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Off the Grid
I woke up Friday morning with a brilliant idea - I would leave LA and go spend some quiet time in the country. It was a fool proof plan. I would spend some time with my Big Mommy, while also having some quiet time to get some work done. Everything was going smoothly, until...
I arrived at my Big Mommy's house and saw several cars. It seems that I wasn't the only one who had the brilliant idea to escape. My aunt showed up with her seven grandchildren, her son and her best friend. Plus, another one of my cousins was there, even though I'd spoken to him the day before and he said he was leaving. So I went from thinking I would have quiet time, to being surrounded by family.
Needless to say, I found myself being engrossed in fun conversations, taking a nap, being well fed and riding a go cart up and down the street with my teenage cousins. I managed to get about three solid hours of work in though, but I guess that was enough. I didn't have internet access, so I wasn't able to blog. Sorry if you missed me yesterday!
After hanging out with my family yesterday, I formulated a plan for today. Again, it was simple: I would leave early, come back home and do work. At 3:00pm, I said my goodbyes. I was prepared for my peaceful two hour drive. I had my music, my water and my alone time. I was ready. 15 minutes later, I was stopped on the highway, stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. My ice had already started to melt in water and suddenly, my peaceful ride was anything but. Fast forward an hour, and I still wasn't where I should have been at that time. Fast forward another hour, and I found myself stopped in traffic again. This time, there were helicopters circling above, and they were dropping water on wild fires. The heat was almost unbearable, but I knew that I couldn't turn on my air conditioner. I've made that drive several times, and it never fails, there are always people pulled over on the side of the road with the hood of their car up because it over heated.
This is a PSA - if you are driving in the dessert, do not run your air conditioner in your car, because your car will overheat. Okay, don't say you didn't know; you've been warned.
So after watching the fires be extinguished and passing all of the people who's cars overheated, I finally made it home, a mere four hours after I started. And needless to say, I was so exhausted from the hot, sweaty ride home, that I was unable to do work. Now, here I am, three hours later, well rested and ready to work.
You'll be happy to know that I just posted an ad on Mandy.com, Craigslist and Stage32, looking for a Producer for my film. Here's hoping to get some replies and some good resumes! It's movie making time!!!!!
#WWJFD
I arrived at my Big Mommy's house and saw several cars. It seems that I wasn't the only one who had the brilliant idea to escape. My aunt showed up with her seven grandchildren, her son and her best friend. Plus, another one of my cousins was there, even though I'd spoken to him the day before and he said he was leaving. So I went from thinking I would have quiet time, to being surrounded by family.
Needless to say, I found myself being engrossed in fun conversations, taking a nap, being well fed and riding a go cart up and down the street with my teenage cousins. I managed to get about three solid hours of work in though, but I guess that was enough. I didn't have internet access, so I wasn't able to blog. Sorry if you missed me yesterday!
After hanging out with my family yesterday, I formulated a plan for today. Again, it was simple: I would leave early, come back home and do work. At 3:00pm, I said my goodbyes. I was prepared for my peaceful two hour drive. I had my music, my water and my alone time. I was ready. 15 minutes later, I was stopped on the highway, stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. My ice had already started to melt in water and suddenly, my peaceful ride was anything but. Fast forward an hour, and I still wasn't where I should have been at that time. Fast forward another hour, and I found myself stopped in traffic again. This time, there were helicopters circling above, and they were dropping water on wild fires. The heat was almost unbearable, but I knew that I couldn't turn on my air conditioner. I've made that drive several times, and it never fails, there are always people pulled over on the side of the road with the hood of their car up because it over heated.
So after watching the fires be extinguished and passing all of the people who's cars overheated, I finally made it home, a mere four hours after I started. And needless to say, I was so exhausted from the hot, sweaty ride home, that I was unable to do work. Now, here I am, three hours later, well rested and ready to work.
You'll be happy to know that I just posted an ad on Mandy.com, Craigslist and Stage32, looking for a Producer for my film. Here's hoping to get some replies and some good resumes! It's movie making time!!!!!
#WWJFD
Friday, July 5, 2013
It Finally Happened
I've lived in Burbank since Sept, 2011, and I was convinced that I was safe. Friends would come and visit and tell me of their horror stories, and I would say, "Oh, we don't have that problem." We didn't have that problem, until last night. Last night was when my world was forever changed.
Allow me to recap the evening for you.
As you recall, I'd just finished eating cake for dinner. So it was only normal for me to go to the kitchen to wash my bowl. (There may have been some ice cream involved...who's to say really?) I walk into the kitchen and flip on the light, and there, to my right, on the side of the wall, crawling like he had a reason to be there, was the first roach that I've seen in my apartment since moving to Cali. I immediately started yelling for my roommate, Cody. I was completely useless at this point. I might as well have been hit, because I was out for the count. Imagine me, standing there, screaming, while Cody scurried around to do all the work. I knew that where there was one, there were 1,999 more. Then, are you ready for this, we lost it. That's right, the roach just vanished and was gone.
The next two hours were as follows: Cody sitting on the couch looking scared, while I sat in my chair looking scared. Then, she suddenly got a surge of anger. This roach was not going to bully us in our own house. She was going to find that roach and kill it. And I was totally behind her - in spirit - because the physical me was standing in the middle of my bed, in my room, with my door closed.
Now, to have Cody tell you the story, she'll say that she looked under the sink and there it was. But I think she's downplaying it. I think it was more like:
There she was, face to face with the beast. The creature squinted its many eyes at her, and she didn't flinch, though a bead of sweat ran across her forehead. Determined to not let her fear show, Cody knew she only had seconds before the gigantic creature would eat her alive and then come for me next. She did what any caring roommate would have done. While staring the creature in the eyes, she waited for a moment of weakness and lunged for the can of Raid. Spraying almost as instantly as she grabbed it, she slid across the floor like a baseball player sliding into home plate. That gigantic creature didn't stand a chance that day. He picked the wrong house and the wrong gal to mess with. I, on the other hand, stood on my bed, yelling through the door, "Are you okay? Did you kill it? Can I come out now?"
This is all to say, that I'm alive and well today because of one brave roommate. Her selflessness allowed me to stay up almost all night writing. I completed Collectible Items and registered the screenplay with the copyright office today. Woohoo! Moving making time!
#WWJFD
Allow me to recap the evening for you.
As you recall, I'd just finished eating cake for dinner. So it was only normal for me to go to the kitchen to wash my bowl. (There may have been some ice cream involved...who's to say really?) I walk into the kitchen and flip on the light, and there, to my right, on the side of the wall, crawling like he had a reason to be there, was the first roach that I've seen in my apartment since moving to Cali. I immediately started yelling for my roommate, Cody. I was completely useless at this point. I might as well have been hit, because I was out for the count. Imagine me, standing there, screaming, while Cody scurried around to do all the work. I knew that where there was one, there were 1,999 more. Then, are you ready for this, we lost it. That's right, the roach just vanished and was gone.
The next two hours were as follows: Cody sitting on the couch looking scared, while I sat in my chair looking scared. Then, she suddenly got a surge of anger. This roach was not going to bully us in our own house. She was going to find that roach and kill it. And I was totally behind her - in spirit - because the physical me was standing in the middle of my bed, in my room, with my door closed.
Now, to have Cody tell you the story, she'll say that she looked under the sink and there it was. But I think she's downplaying it. I think it was more like:
There she was, face to face with the beast. The creature squinted its many eyes at her, and she didn't flinch, though a bead of sweat ran across her forehead. Determined to not let her fear show, Cody knew she only had seconds before the gigantic creature would eat her alive and then come for me next. She did what any caring roommate would have done. While staring the creature in the eyes, she waited for a moment of weakness and lunged for the can of Raid. Spraying almost as instantly as she grabbed it, she slid across the floor like a baseball player sliding into home plate. That gigantic creature didn't stand a chance that day. He picked the wrong house and the wrong gal to mess with. I, on the other hand, stood on my bed, yelling through the door, "Are you okay? Did you kill it? Can I come out now?"
This is all to say, that I'm alive and well today because of one brave roommate. Her selflessness allowed me to stay up almost all night writing. I completed Collectible Items and registered the screenplay with the copyright office today. Woohoo! Moving making time!
#WWJFD
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Red Velvet Cake for Dinner
I took a break from writing this afternoon and went to my buddy's BBQ. I don't know why it never occurred to me to take a burger to go. Here it is, six hours later, and I'm hungry, but by no means do I feel like cooking anything. I already see where this going...
Last night I texted my friend, Mira. She's out of town for work right now and has been working crazy hours. Our conversation was this:
Me: I just ate cake for dinner...
Mira: I'm eating blow pops haha
Me: We're the poster children for nutrition!
Mira: Haha. You're right.
Mira: Sleep deprived and eating candy for dinner. It's like we're 6.
Me: True!
Me: 6 and unsupervised!
Mira: At grandmas
You might be asking yourself how this conversation happened last night if I'm going to eat cake tonight...Yeah, you just figured it out. I'm about to have a repeat of last night's dinner.
Sunday was the Dexter premier for the new season, and my roommate, Cody, loves baking...and themes. So she baked a Dexter cake. It's just the two of us, and the cake is gigantic. Well, every time I walk into the kitchen and try to figure out what I'm going to make, the Dexter cake is just sitting there, looking at me like, "Are you seriously trying to tell me that you're going to spend time making something when you could just eat me? I'm already here. I'm already made. You love red velvet, and you bought milk yesterday." Then I sigh heavily, because the cake is right. I'm not going to spend time making something. I'm going to eat it. So for the 2nd night in a row, I, Edrei Hutson, am going to eat cake for dinner. Sigh. And then I will continue working on Collectible Items! I wonder if I can see the fireworks from my living room...
#WWJFD
Last night I texted my friend, Mira. She's out of town for work right now and has been working crazy hours. Our conversation was this:
Me: I just ate cake for dinner...
Mira: I'm eating blow pops haha
Me: We're the poster children for nutrition!
Mira: Haha. You're right.
Mira: Sleep deprived and eating candy for dinner. It's like we're 6.
Me: True!
Me: 6 and unsupervised!
Mira: At grandmas
You might be asking yourself how this conversation happened last night if I'm going to eat cake tonight...Yeah, you just figured it out. I'm about to have a repeat of last night's dinner.
Sunday was the Dexter premier for the new season, and my roommate, Cody, loves baking...and themes. So she baked a Dexter cake. It's just the two of us, and the cake is gigantic. Well, every time I walk into the kitchen and try to figure out what I'm going to make, the Dexter cake is just sitting there, looking at me like, "Are you seriously trying to tell me that you're going to spend time making something when you could just eat me? I'm already here. I'm already made. You love red velvet, and you bought milk yesterday." Then I sigh heavily, because the cake is right. I'm not going to spend time making something. I'm going to eat it. So for the 2nd night in a row, I, Edrei Hutson, am going to eat cake for dinner. Sigh. And then I will continue working on Collectible Items! I wonder if I can see the fireworks from my living room...
#WWJFD
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Paying it Forward
Today I had a lunch meeting with the actor that I had in mind while writing Collectible Items, Joshua Adkins. We can even go so far as to say that I wrote this movie for him. He's not the protagonist, but he is the protagonist's love interest.
So, anyway, we met at our favorite Indian food spot in Studio City and spent some time catching up. He starred in a music video recently, was offered the role in a short film and is going on tons of auditions. He asked me what was going on with me, and I told him that I've been busy writing and that I'm so in the writing zone right now that I don't even want to think about doing anything else. However, that's not a luxury that I can afford, so in addition to spending the majority of my time writing, I'm also working on my business plan, looking for investors, working on my friends movie sets, researching films like mine, etc.
From there, we started talking about how busy we are, but it's a good busy. I told him that my buddy is having a BBQ tomorrow for the 4th, and I don't even want to go. I honest to God just want to stay home and work on Collectible Items. People keep telling me that I need to relax and have some down time. But I feel like even though I'm working all of the time, I still have a lot of downtime. It may not be the same type of downtime that other people have, because it is work related, but it's still downtime.
Right now, I'm writing in my blog. I classify this as work and downtime. I'm heading off to a meeting in 10 minutes: work and downtime. Tonight, I'll work on the character breakdown for my Casting Director. If you guessed that it's gonna be work and downtime, then you are correct!
So I was telling my friend this, and he totally got it. He commented on how funny it is that no matter how hard you work, you can always work harder. That was when I introduced him to the What Would James Franco Do philosophy. I find myself working hard, but I'm not working nearly as hard as I could be. There are 24 hours in a day. Granted, it is physically impossible for me to utilize all of those hours, but I could use way more than what I do use. I elaborated a little more and told him that my plan is to work harder than I've been working to make sure that everything is in place in November so that I can make my movie. And you know what? I inspired him. He said that he liked my WWJFD mentality and he felt moved to adopt that philosophy as well. And just like that, the word began to spread. What Would James Franco Do? - motivating one person at a time.
#WWJFD
So, anyway, we met at our favorite Indian food spot in Studio City and spent some time catching up. He starred in a music video recently, was offered the role in a short film and is going on tons of auditions. He asked me what was going on with me, and I told him that I've been busy writing and that I'm so in the writing zone right now that I don't even want to think about doing anything else. However, that's not a luxury that I can afford, so in addition to spending the majority of my time writing, I'm also working on my business plan, looking for investors, working on my friends movie sets, researching films like mine, etc.
From there, we started talking about how busy we are, but it's a good busy. I told him that my buddy is having a BBQ tomorrow for the 4th, and I don't even want to go. I honest to God just want to stay home and work on Collectible Items. People keep telling me that I need to relax and have some down time. But I feel like even though I'm working all of the time, I still have a lot of downtime. It may not be the same type of downtime that other people have, because it is work related, but it's still downtime.
Right now, I'm writing in my blog. I classify this as work and downtime. I'm heading off to a meeting in 10 minutes: work and downtime. Tonight, I'll work on the character breakdown for my Casting Director. If you guessed that it's gonna be work and downtime, then you are correct!
So I was telling my friend this, and he totally got it. He commented on how funny it is that no matter how hard you work, you can always work harder. That was when I introduced him to the What Would James Franco Do philosophy. I find myself working hard, but I'm not working nearly as hard as I could be. There are 24 hours in a day. Granted, it is physically impossible for me to utilize all of those hours, but I could use way more than what I do use. I elaborated a little more and told him that my plan is to work harder than I've been working to make sure that everything is in place in November so that I can make my movie. And you know what? I inspired him. He said that he liked my WWJFD mentality and he felt moved to adopt that philosophy as well. And just like that, the word began to spread. What Would James Franco Do? - motivating one person at a time.
#WWJFD
You Will Have A Productive Day...In Bed
I woke up today with one goal - finish this latest draft of my script. And guess what; I did! And I did it all from the comforts of my bed. I got out of bed and moved to the living room, but it didn't have the same vibe as the bed, so I went ahead and set up shop there. My bed gets a gold star for stepping up as an A+ office for the day.
As of today, I've completed four drafts of Collectible Items, and each one is better than the last. I guess that's the point though, so...success! I also managed to do two loads of laundry and flirted with the idea of cleaning the bathroom. That bathroom idea was short lived. It sounds like a job for Future Edrei.
Unfortunately, the one thing I've learned is that once you finish one draft, it's time to start another. I finished the last 25 pages of the script (Act 3), and in that process, I found things that I needed to go back and set up in the beginning. For example, if my protagonist is going to outrun a swarm of angry, killer bees at the end of the film, then I need to go back in my story and show her being a runner. That way the audience buys that she can outrun the angry swarm of bees. Also, the moviegoers who like to solve movies ahead of time will see the angry swarm of bees and say to themselves, "She'll be fine. She's a runner. She can get away."
So now, I'm going back to the first Act and working my way through. Setting up these little gems is going to be difficult, but it's fun to discover them and see how they'll affect the overall story. I just discovered that clocks/time is a theme in my film. I had no idea. I'm very interested to see what I discover next! Don't worry, I'll keep you posted.
#WWJFD
As of today, I've completed four drafts of Collectible Items, and each one is better than the last. I guess that's the point though, so...success! I also managed to do two loads of laundry and flirted with the idea of cleaning the bathroom. That bathroom idea was short lived. It sounds like a job for Future Edrei.
Unfortunately, the one thing I've learned is that once you finish one draft, it's time to start another. I finished the last 25 pages of the script (Act 3), and in that process, I found things that I needed to go back and set up in the beginning. For example, if my protagonist is going to outrun a swarm of angry, killer bees at the end of the film, then I need to go back in my story and show her being a runner. That way the audience buys that she can outrun the angry swarm of bees. Also, the moviegoers who like to solve movies ahead of time will see the angry swarm of bees and say to themselves, "She'll be fine. She's a runner. She can get away."
So now, I'm going back to the first Act and working my way through. Setting up these little gems is going to be difficult, but it's fun to discover them and see how they'll affect the overall story. I just discovered that clocks/time is a theme in my film. I had no idea. I'm very interested to see what I discover next! Don't worry, I'll keep you posted.
#WWJFD
Monday, July 1, 2013
I'm Back!
I haven't blogged in almost two years. Let's just say that film school has been extremely time consuming. Whoever said that getting an MFA in Filmmaking is easy was ill informed!
As some of you may be aware, I should be wrapping on my thesis and preparing to graduate in September, but I elected to stay in school for an extra semester and shoot a feature film as my thesis. The choice to go the Feature route seemed like a no brainer to me at the time; I knew I wanted to shoot a feature film eventually, so why not do it when I could still utilize my school's resources as well as the support from the teachers. Needless to say, everyday since I announced I would be doing "Thesis Option B: Feature Track", the work load has continued to grow. This is not like Pre-Production for a short film. I'm not even in Pre-Production yet! I've been developing this movie since this time last year, and I'm still only in the Development phase.
I'm currently working on the fourth draft of my script. I plan to have this draft finished by Friday. Collectible Items is a thriller that I came up with while I produced a film for my friend Jacob. I wrote the first script and was surprised by how easily it flowed. I had my first table read on May 14 and received amazing feedback. I'm overwhelmed with excitement and nervousness all at the same time. I just need to keep focused and keep trucking along. I'll look to this blog as relief when I get stuck in my script or I just need a break. Stay tuned! Collectible Items goes into Production in November. You don't want to miss it!
#WWJFD
I'm currently working on the fourth draft of my script. I plan to have this draft finished by Friday. Collectible Items is a thriller that I came up with while I produced a film for my friend Jacob. I wrote the first script and was surprised by how easily it flowed. I had my first table read on May 14 and received amazing feedback. I'm overwhelmed with excitement and nervousness all at the same time. I just need to keep focused and keep trucking along. I'll look to this blog as relief when I get stuck in my script or I just need a break. Stay tuned! Collectible Items goes into Production in November. You don't want to miss it!
#WWJFD
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