Quo Vadimas

Well first off, special thanks to Dametria who was nice enough to nominate our movie on THE MOVIES MADE ME DO IT. Go HERE, register, sign in, and vote us UP!

We've also got a screening coming up in Charlottesville, VA, at The Gravity Lounge. CLICK HERE for more info.

I'm having problems updating monstercops.com, so I'm unable to update the screening page. Still says we've got that screening up at Balticon in May. Would've loved to have been there. Actually I'd love to have been at any of the screenings, but it's the penalty you pay for being a broke ass, no-budget moviemaker. It kills me, because in my opinion that's the best part, really getting to see that live audience react to your movie. See them laugh at the right parts, or even at the wrong parts. Get the real feeling of what you've laid out for the audience. One of these days. Heck I may catch the Dallas screening in September, that's looking like more of a possibility. Would be nice to see home for a bit as well.

I'm just glad the movie has been able to be on the big screen in different cities thanks to cooperative scifi conventions, indie screening events like The Lone Star Film Society in Fort Worth, Texas. Thanks to fests that love our movie like The Spooky Movie Film Fest in Virginia who has been able to give us exposure at other screenings as well, and thanks also to Brave New Theatres helping revolutionize how movies are distributed to the audience.

The movie is on DVD thanks to the wonderful service provided by CUSTOMFLIX. They have been an indies dream come true helping us sell the DVD through our own shop as well as on AMAZON.COM. They helped get us into the IMDB.COM. We've sold quite a few copies already and I have yet to REALLY market the movie.

Juli's doing so well. It's been close to 8 months since Brenda died and I'm happy to say the sadness has lessened. It hasn't gone away, don't think it ever will, but I'm getting passed it and Juli is coming to terms with it, which is my main concern. I'm so proud of her. Not just because she's shown great strength in dealing with her mom dying, but for other achievements like, her knitting has improved. Don't know if I've posted about it before but she knits, she loves knitting, and I recall a time when she didn't have a clue about knitting. Now she actually has a job where she teaches people how to knit. Very advanced stuff too. Stuff I didn't even know you could knit. I'm just amazed at what you can create with just two sticks and some yarn, not unlike no-budget moviemaking. She's also stepped back into painting as well, although the knitting has been distracting here. I'm just so amazed at how far she's gotten. Her mother would be proud, is proud.

So, all seems to be fine. So, what now? Where are we going?

Well, continue the marketing build up for the movie, meaning, get more screenings, post more bulletins, get as many people to know about the movie as possible. All of this building towards my little marketing ploy coming up closer to October and the Halloween season. I've got press releases to put out over the next few moths, getting in contact with the different media outlets related to the different genres having to do with the movie, asian american press, indie film press, horror, scifi, etc. We've gotta get the word out about raising money for Cancer Charities. So much contained in this little horror comedy or rather comedy horror. I've also got Video Blogs coming up that will fill the very empty Video Blog Section on monstercops.com.

But aside from the continued marketing of the movie, where exactly will I be headed next. I'm very much not done with Monster Cops, as I've said before I very much see it as a series, and a much improved version over The Midnight Special, meaning I'd need the money to really do what I wanted to with the franchise, like really show you some monsters and scares amidst the comedy and action. But my specific plan for what I have in mind on distributing this series is a little unorthodox, and there's no way I can do it without funding. And raising funds is much easier to do with a movie rather than an unorthodox series.

So I've dug back into the past and brought forth a storyline that I will turn into a feature. It's what I've been busting my ass on for two weeks now. Working on the script, trying to get together the conceptual drawings, and all the other necessary hubbubsp?) that go with pitching a movie. Hopefully before mid July I'll have the full pitch and package put together and online.

But as far as where I'm headed. Right back into production. Doing another feature and as planned The Midnight Special was my no-budget feature, so this will be my low-budget feature. I can't go back to no-budget again. Because The Midnight Special was no-budget the structure, the plot, the overall idea suffered. I didn't get to do what I really wanted and I had to settle for just trying to capture the essence of it. Don't get me wrong, I love my movie, I love The Midnight Special, but in my opinion it lacked a certain amount of horror and suspense. And I've been aching to really show what I can do so much so that I actually tried to put something together here last month and it just didn't work. When it's not a paying show people don't show up, locations disappear, and all the normal hassles of movie making are quadrupled. This one's gotta be a paying show, so a fundraising we will go.

That's where I'm at and that's where I'm headed. The process starts over again. Screenwriting, storyboards, and fundraising. The movie is everything I love in a movie, comedy, horror, action, thriller, drama. I won't discuss my timetable cuz I don't want to jinx it, but hopefully with past experience I can avoid most of the moviemaking trappings and pittfalls and make room for new ones. It's going to be interesting.

In other news, PIXAR does not disappoint. Brad Bird, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Joe Ranft, Pete Docter and everyone at Pixar, I owe much to you guys keeping my spirits up. And in helping me remember to Keep Moving Forward.

'Just keep swimming'


The Stranger: Do you feel responsible for the show failing?

Dana Whitaker: The show didn't fail. The man I work for, a guy named Isaac Jaffee... he took a chance on me, and I didn't rise to meet his... expectations. And there are people who work for me who needed me to be a better field captain. The *show* didn't fail. But I do feel responsible, and that's gonna have to be all right with you.

The Stranger: You know what would make you feel better right now?

Dana Whitaker: Really, nothing.

The Stranger: You don't want to hear what I think would make you feel better?

Dana Whitaker: I really don't.

The Stranger: In the three day history of our relationship, have I been wrong about anything?

Dana Whitaker: Look...

The Stranger: Dana, I'm what the world considers to be a phenomenally succesful man, and I've failed much more than I've succeeded. And each time I fail, I get my people together, and I say, "Where are we going?" And it starts to get better.

Sports Night Episode 22 "Quo Vadimas"
Written by Aaron Sorkin
Directed by Thomas Schlamme