01 July 2009
MC
24 June 2009
Last Year
At this time last year it was official that Christopher and I were making END. It was a scary thing for me. I had a still-new job I’d only been at for about four months, a new car payment because my old car had just blown up (literally), and it finally meant that I was going to have to put my passion and education to the test.
Most of June through August of last year is a blur for me. I can’t even remember the shooting days too clearly – they all seem like one long day. What I do remember is a constant state of exhaustion. The one huge saving grace of it all was that the downtime for my job is the summer. This meant not only that my exhaustion did not affect my work days but that while working I could also do pre-production. END would not have happened in 6 weeks if work had been slamming me.
Typically, I would do my day job, get everything done and use any and all downtime at work to do what I could for the movie; things like researching equipment, casting notices, schedules, script breakdowns, and all the other odds and ends would get done at work, and then I would commute home, sit down at my computer and do the exact same thing until it was time to go to bed and do it again. Thank God that He gave me such an opportunity.
Again, I am in the down season for my job. The difference is that this year I do not have a movie in pre-production that requires my constant attention. No, this year I have a finished movie. A movie that as I type this is in consideration for multiple film festivals. The most I do with it is complete submissions, send it out and then pray that God gets my little movie into the right festivals, to be seen by the right people, and hopefully help all of my cast and crew onto that career path we all want so much.
Shockingly this is much more nerve wracking than trying to cram 6 months of pre-production into 6 weeks.
Most of June through August of last year is a blur for me. I can’t even remember the shooting days too clearly – they all seem like one long day. What I do remember is a constant state of exhaustion. The one huge saving grace of it all was that the downtime for my job is the summer. This meant not only that my exhaustion did not affect my work days but that while working I could also do pre-production. END would not have happened in 6 weeks if work had been slamming me.
Typically, I would do my day job, get everything done and use any and all downtime at work to do what I could for the movie; things like researching equipment, casting notices, schedules, script breakdowns, and all the other odds and ends would get done at work, and then I would commute home, sit down at my computer and do the exact same thing until it was time to go to bed and do it again. Thank God that He gave me such an opportunity.
Again, I am in the down season for my job. The difference is that this year I do not have a movie in pre-production that requires my constant attention. No, this year I have a finished movie. A movie that as I type this is in consideration for multiple film festivals. The most I do with it is complete submissions, send it out and then pray that God gets my little movie into the right festivals, to be seen by the right people, and hopefully help all of my cast and crew onto that career path we all want so much.
Shockingly this is much more nerve wracking than trying to cram 6 months of pre-production into 6 weeks.
13 June 2009
This Week
Applying to film festivals is a lot of work (and $$$). I don’t know what I would do without withoutabox.com. If I had to fill out the full entry form for each and every film festival we want to apply to my patience would be completely shot.
This week has been eventful. I designed temporary cover art for the DVD screeners (temporary because I think someone with better graphic design skills than mine should design it) and am having a bunch of DVD’s made. This will help me a lot so I don’t have to personally burn, label, and put together each DVD and packaging I have to send to a festival for submission purposes. I also think I finally found all of the errors in the press kit and corrected them, it only took about four different people proofing it.
Friday Christopher and I also potentially booked somewhere for the screening. Should be exciting to show it to everyone even though my director’s nerves kick in and I get all nervous when I think of everyone finally seeing it. Even though I am incredibly proud of the film it is still so incredibly nerve wracking to think about. I don’t think I will ever get over that as an artist; it’s been a part of my process since I was a kid. I used to be horrifically shy too, maybe that also has something to do with it.
I digress, Christopher and I are coming up with a list of film festivals to apply to, and here’s hoping we have the luck to get into so many that we end up with scheduling conflicts – that would be one scenario where I would be very glad to be busy.
I am slowly starting to catch up on the sleep that I’ve been missing because of the schedule this past year has forced me into, and this seems to be making me goofy again. I kinda missed being goofy.
This week has been eventful. I designed temporary cover art for the DVD screeners (temporary because I think someone with better graphic design skills than mine should design it) and am having a bunch of DVD’s made. This will help me a lot so I don’t have to personally burn, label, and put together each DVD and packaging I have to send to a festival for submission purposes. I also think I finally found all of the errors in the press kit and corrected them, it only took about four different people proofing it.
Friday Christopher and I also potentially booked somewhere for the screening. Should be exciting to show it to everyone even though my director’s nerves kick in and I get all nervous when I think of everyone finally seeing it. Even though I am incredibly proud of the film it is still so incredibly nerve wracking to think about. I don’t think I will ever get over that as an artist; it’s been a part of my process since I was a kid. I used to be horrifically shy too, maybe that also has something to do with it.
I digress, Christopher and I are coming up with a list of film festivals to apply to, and here’s hoping we have the luck to get into so many that we end up with scheduling conflicts – that would be one scenario where I would be very glad to be busy.
I am slowly starting to catch up on the sleep that I’ve been missing because of the schedule this past year has forced me into, and this seems to be making me goofy again. I kinda missed being goofy.
Time for an UPDATE
Thought I would let everyone know what I have been up to. I mean, heck, it's been almost a year since we started the film. In that time, I got an agent got a national commercial an international commercial and joined SAG, AFTRA, and ACTORS EQUITY. Couldn't be happier.
I did a comedy bit on TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN and just last week, I did a comedy bit for the new TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN. It hasn't aired yet, I have to keep my eyes peeled for when it does. I have been going out on a ton of audtions, hopefully one of these days, I will get booked on something EXTRODINARY!
I did do a spec tv pilot, called SATAN SAM. Fox television is interested in it, hopefully that will lead to something.
Currently I have a eight commercials running on the spanish language channels. They are for ARIANA'S INSURANCE. I don't speak a word of spanish. So I have no idea what I was saying, but they wanted someone who didn't speak the language. It was a grueling eight days, but a lot of fun.
I also have a ton of billboards, and busstops all over Orange County, with my face on it for the insurance company. It's a strange feeling to drive by, and think...oh wait, THAT'S ME ON THAT BILLBOARD!
11 June 2009
Relief
For the first time since we've had a complete film I sat and watched it all the way through today. I had gotten so used to seeing bits and pieces of the film out of sequence or repeated so much durring post production that it was a huge relief to watch the movie the way it was intended.
Even though I know that is going to happen beat after beat in the film it grabs me, at some point about half way through I was able to let go an just enjoy. It's difficult as a director to just let go because all my brain sees are things to keep pushing at or nit picking to death - but I was able to let go.
After watching I think we made a dang good movie and hope those that watch it enjoy it just as much as I do.
Even though I know that is going to happen beat after beat in the film it grabs me, at some point about half way through I was able to let go an just enjoy. It's difficult as a director to just let go because all my brain sees are things to keep pushing at or nit picking to death - but I was able to let go.
After watching I think we made a dang good movie and hope those that watch it enjoy it just as much as I do.
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