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

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

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

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

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.

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

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