The Storm Is Here

It happens. In any sort of transition. There is friction, there is some discomfort, stress, pressure, and clashing. Such is the weather. Right now, Winter is transitioning into Spring. As one season moves in and another takes it's place, there is a small clashing in the transition. The lightning, the thunder, the rains, and the winds.

For a philosopher there is much to ponder, and for the local news, there is much to report. And boy does the local news love local happenings.

Anyhoo.

I am in a time of transition. It's not going to be pretty. Moving towards a life that you want to lead, and away from a life that has nothing left for you.

Simply put, I'm trying to make my living making movies.

It's been hard so far, and I only expect it to get even harder. But I'm confident I can get through this transition.

One obstacle I realize I must overcome, is that I am obviously not making it clear enough what it is I'm trying to create, and more so, just how driven I am in making this project happen.

It's obvious that I have to do something drastic in order to get the help I need to make this happen.

I'm not just talking about making a movie. I'm talking about making something amazing. I'm talking about making something mind blowing.

I've watched alot of indie movie trailers lately, and they look exactly like not so great. Amateurish, bad performances, bad direction, horrible writing. I hate to dog some of my fellow indies. It takes alot to get it all together and make something happen. I've been there before. And I know what it's like to struggle to create something when you have neither the time nor the money.

But alot of these trailers I've seen are from people who were able to raise $50,000, $100,000, $500,000. What that money was spent on? I do not know. Because the quality, the production, the magic, it just wasn't there.

I'm trying to keep costs low. I'm doing this bare bones. The budget I require is $11,730. And I'm still trying to refine it. I'm trying to put this together realistically, what is it that I need to make this happen. No trailers for amateur actors you've never heard of. No $15,000 Dolly system to give you smooth professional shots that I know I can do for less than $300.

If I had some of the money these folks have been able to raise, I would make something that would not only be a "good movie", I would create something that was on par with any professionally made Hollywood extravaganza. And I don't need $100,000. I don't even need $50,000.

Just get me that $11,730. Heck, to make it, I'm aiming to get the first round of funding, which is $7,280. That's what I need to actually shoot, edit, and produce this feature film. The rest of the money I'm confident we can raise after we have a finished product.

I don't know how else to convey how far I'm willing to go to get this made. I am literally at the end of my rope. I cannot let another year pass where I have NOT made a movie. I WILL make this movie IF IT KILLS ME.

And I think that's pretty much where I'm at. Either a movie will be made this year or I am going to die. Because it already feels that way. When you feel like you're born to do something specific, and you don't get to do it, then you're already dying. Little by little, you do things that you don't want to, and at the same time you know what you're supposed to be doing, a little bit of you dies. And dammit I'm ready to live. I AM READY TO LIVE! I am ready to create with all my heart and soul, and if no one will help me then I'll just have to keep doing what I've always done, help myself.

But there is only so much I can do with no money. I'm tired of no money. I don't want wealth, I don't want a million dollar budget, I just need this little bit to get me what I need, to do this properly, and I will take care of the rest.

I'm tired of holding back. If you're out there and you've been planning on doing something amazing, why are you holding back? If you're an investor and you've wanted to contribute, but you just haven't for some reason, why are you holding back? I will make this the best way I can for no money, but I need HELP.

I've done what I can for now, with CREEPMOVIE.NET. I plan on adding more and more to help display what this movie is and what I am trying to create. But please feel free to look it over. Tell me what you think, what else should I add, how else can I better explain, how else can I better get people to contribute?

Feel free to CONTACT ME. Or you can leave a comment on this blog.

I'll do more to start letting people know about the movie and about this site as I add more to it, but if you're reading this then please feel free to check out the site. There will be more soon. More videos to explain every bit of the movie and the site. I plan on shooting that first scene and posting it for all to see, maybe that will help generate more buzz.

Pardon my dramatics, but I'm so focused on this I cannot think of anything else. I need to do this. I'm ready to burst if I cannot do this, and I am determined to make this happen.

So please, go and check it out, CREEPMOVIE.NET

Help me make something AMAZING!

Let's Talk Geek

I'm so amazingly happy someone had posted this video. This is from Harry Anderson's act from back in the day. I was a kid when I watched this and it made me absolutely love Harry Anderson more. I loved him on Cheers as Harry The Hat, and later on Night Court as Judge Harry T. Stone, but even more so I respected him as a magician and showman.

I memorized his book, watched his act on TV every chance I got, and when I saw the Needle Through the Arm trick, I had to learn how it was done. I actually found the trick at a magic shop and I just had to have it. I still have the kit with the instructions and the needle in my super secret magic stash somewhere round here. I pull it out and look it over every so often.

I don't know why, but for some reason, Harry popped into my head today. Got me to looking up old quotes of his, and searching for videos of him on YouTube. I needed to find that video and I didn't even realize it. I needed to see it. It was a reminder of my childhood, what I dreamt of back then, and how I'm still working towards that very dream today.

I also needed to be reminded of the one thing Harry would ever really teach me. It's about showmanship. It's about putting on a great show. And probably one of the most important quotes that applies to my current goals:

"If you put on a good enough show, people will be more than happy to pay the price of admission."

I wanted be Harry. Because of him I wore a hat, from my freshman year to my last year in college. I still have that hat around here somewhere. I don't wear the hat anymore, but I still think of how he shaped me and my ideals about my own goals.

Thanks for that Harry.

Ok, back to the grind. Updating CREEPMOVIE.NET getting it just right before I go round getting everyone on board to fund this movie. Also working on Monster Cops today as well. Tomorrow I'll hopefully finish the Werewolf and get started on REDD.

Getting My Stuff Together

NOTE: Be careful what you're unconsciously pretending to be, because you just might become it.

So here's where I attempt to use my blog as a to do list. Perhaps if I blog about it, it will happen.

1) Continue to update MONSTERCOPS.COM upload new episode and a new minisode.

2) Prep Monster Cops Pilot for submission to Hitvidi.

3) Prep One Spartan Pilot for submission to Hitvidi.

4) Update CREEPMOVIE.NET with videos, blogs and vlogs.

5) Begin Crowdfunding at CREEPMOVIE.NET once you feel confident that you have enough material to express your vision for the movie CREEP and that the website does a good job of communicating this movie.

6) Finish Re-Writes for Creep.

7) Shoot first scene for Creep.

8) Finish doing Recon.

9) Pre-Production Concept on Secondary Show.

10) REDD

It's an exciting, strange, glorious, and scary time. Right now, anything can happen, one thing's for sure. I'm going for it. For real.

You've Been LOST ROLL'D

I've been making birthday videos for my wife for a while now. Started a few years back when I realized I had no money and nothing else but editing skills and a random sense of humor. The videos always contained inside jokes and themes for whatever fandom, celebrity, or show me and my wife were into that year. One year me and some of our friends did our version of SNL's DIGITAL SHORT "Dick In A Box"

I hadn't done one in a couple of years we've been so busy. This year I knew she wouldn't be expecting it, so I put one together. This time it was LOST themed. Using Sony Vegas 9 and several stolen photos, I animated several LOST characters lip syncing to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. A few guest appearances from some of her fav celebs as well as some of our friends.

This won't mean much if you don't watch LOST. But you may find it mildly amusing if you like Star Trek, Conan O'Brien, The Office, or Rick Astley.

Enjoy the randomness. This is the edited version minus all the Bday greetings at the end from some of our friends.

Standing in the garage. holding my wife, watching the rain come down. This is living.

Drink in hand, watching the sun go down. Happy to be breathing. Excited about the future.

Time to indulge in Brazen Gazing

bra·zen (brzn)
adj.
1. Marked by flagrant and insolent audacity. See Synonyms at shameless.
2. Having a loud, usually harsh, resonant sound: "sudden brazen clashes of the soldiers' band" (James Joyce).
3. Made of brass.
4. Resembling brass, as in color or strength.
tr.v. bra·zened, bra·zen·ing, bra·zens
To face or undergo with bold self-assurance: brazened out the crisis.

gaze (gz)
intr.v. gazed, gaz·ing, gaz·es
To look steadily, intently, and with fixed attention.
n.
A steady, fixed look.

I don't really feel like holding back anymore. But is it wiser for me to hold back when my instincts think it is necessary, or perhaps to indulge flagrantly. I'll just have to play it by ear. In the mean time, I feel like picking a fight with fate.

Now if only I wasn't so damn sleepy. This project is about done. Two more to work on, then I can give my feature film the full attention it deserves. Purchased the domain name for the movie, but I haven't put much up on it yet. I'll put the word out once I have my shit together.

In the meantime I've been instructed to indulge in some brazen gazing. And it sounds like a great idea.

EDIT: 1:16 am. DONE! This super secret Birthday Video is done.

Yes that's what I've been working on. It's my wife's 30th Birthday today (Friday March 19th) and I made her a super special Birthday Video. I'm rendering it now and I will show it to her hopefully in the next hour.

Whew. I'll post more details later, but now, I'm going to faint.

I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me...

I wasn't really a HUGE John Mayer fan. My wife is the big John Mayer freak. It was my fault because back before anyone knew who he was I was jamming to Why Georgia. Since then my wife really took off with it. Went to one concert of his a couple years back. Really great show, but I wasn't yet a true fan.

I didn't even want to go to this one tonight. But my wife bought the tickets months ago, and it is her birthday, and the only reason I was dragging my feet at all is because my mind is completely on making this feature and trying to save as much money as possible. Which means if I have a day off from work it's going to be working towards doing this movie.

 But it's her birthday. She's excited about it, I knew she'd love it, and she deserves all things great for her. And I knew deep down that I was going to enjoy it. How can any decent open minded human being not enjoy any kind of live professional performance? I get inspiration from everything, and the last time I say John Mayer I got a bit of inspiration from those first few opening blues riffs. Throw in the light show, and the overall energy of a good excited crowd, and you have no choice but to be inspired.

And I was right. Tonight was amazing. I feel sorry for anyone that has never been to any kind of live performance. And I mean anything. I've been to Broadway shows, comedy shows, seen garage bands play, even sporting events. Never underestimate the power of a crowd of like minded individuals united in the want and need to be entertained, and the spirit that rises when they get that need filled.

 John Mayer in general is an amazing guitarist, and his last few albums I've really gotten a more adult bluesy vibe. One of his latest singles "Assassin" is one of my favorites. The song really feels like it came from the end credits of a late 80's action spy flick starring Burt Reynolds or even Wings Hauser. Yes that's right, I just mentioned Wings "Mother Effin" Hauser. Bet you never read that name in blog, bet you don't even know who he is!

Anyhoo.

I was blown away by the great music of course. I could write volumes about the amazing sounds, what it all meant to me, what I feel like God and The Universe was communicating to me through the energy and feel of the moment on a powerful transcendental state of euphoric mind bullets and some shit, but I digress. It was really amazing stuff. But as always, as a former techie/grip, I truly appreciate all the stage theatrics and lighting.

What an amazing setup. Some great ideas with video projection. The lighting was phenomenal. I was especially taken with the setup for Assassin. A graphic and video background of house layouts, cross hairs, gun sight scopes, very Mission Impossible. All of it matching the very bluesy rock groove of the song. If Jason Bourne was live and in concert this is what it would've felt like.

Here's a sample of that performance I took with my little panasonic 6.0. Note the great light cues and cool background.

(John Mayer. Live. Greensboro, NC. 3/15/2010)



I think it's safe to say that I'm a pretty big John Mayer fan now. I don't really give a shit about any personal crap I hear about in the news. I don't read US Weekly. I'm not into gossip or entertainment buzz. All I know is, this guy really knows how to bring it in a live show.

I also want to point out the drummer. STEVE JORDAN. What an amazing performance. I've seen some truly great drumming, but this guy blew my mind. Seriously on his solo my mouth was open the whole time. I really felt his performance. What an amazing drummer. Even got to talk to him for a bit after the show, let him know how amazing he was. It was really awesome for him to even acknowledge me. He really let me know he appreciated it.

And of course the movie maker in me not only noticed the number of camera phones, but also the high number of DSLR's. Many of them equipped with mics, led lights, and LCD screens. Alot of high quality HD footage was caught tonight, and as many people were screaming at John Mayer, I was drooling over the HD gear. Can't wait to play with a DSLR.

I wish I could go into more detail about everything that blew my mind, but I'm so tired. I will mention that he did play Say What You Need To Say. A song that really speaks to me for some reason. It actually made me tear up a bit. The words of that song always feel like some power up there in the heavens are communicating with me, telling me it'll be ok. Saying not to worry, you'll get there, you'll make your movie, and you'll get your chance to really say what you need to say. Hearing it live, it was like the mouth of God was speaking directly to me. As many times as I've heard that song and felt what it was saying to me, tonight, live, it was being burned into my brain, my soul.

"Say what you need to say." I needed to hear it, to feel it.

Also John Mayer covered a song that has always inspired me, always driven me, and has always come on right when I needed to hear it. Journey's Don't Stop Believin. That song hits me like nothing else. You hear of people getting caught up in the spirit at church, or even seen people possessed by the beat of a song at a club. This song hits me like that. It always has. It brings me to tears, because those words don't just speak to my ears, it speaks to my soul.

And that's what we all sort of look for in those large auditorium experiences, at church, at a comedy show, at a theatrical performance, at a concert, and even at the movies. We need to stand in a room full of strangers and feel something that is bigger than us, speak to our souls to remind us, we're all in this together. We're all just shadows searching in the night, searching for something to recognize the pain in us all.

And that's the kind of movies I hope to make. Sure they may sound like amusing B movie throwaways. Monster Cops is about soldiers that make jokes and kill monsters. The log line for Creep is: "A gun slinging super detective, a young blonde escape artist, and a guy in a giant teddy bear outfit have to solve an ancient mystery and fight vampires." It all sounds ridiculous, like some sort of direct to DVD piece of crap, but somewhere in there, I hope to create something that speaks to your soul. Something that not only recognizes your pain, but reminds you that greatness, great storytelling, enlightenment, and inspiration can come from anywhere and most often from where you least expect.

Tonight I stood with a crowd of people and experienced an amazing show, where we felt the things we were all hoping to feel and had our souls ID'd by the powers that be, to remind us of the greatness that is humans being human. I needed it. I needed to be reminded what it is I am working towards.

To make something amazing.

So back to work on making that something amazing. Got rehearsals coming up this Wednesday, so one of the first VLOGS for Creep should be coming up soon.

Oh and I have to say, the opening act was this amazing group. MICHAEL FRANTI and SPEARHEAD.


WOW! What an amazing performance! It's truly great when you can see someone new and get a show that really makes you want to buy their album. I was truly impressed, check them out here: http://michaelfranti.com/

Michael Franti is amazing. Its the closest ill ever get to a Michael Jackson/Nirvana concert.

In line at John Mayer. Observing the madness of large crowds.

First time at Smokey Bones. Quite nice. About to test the Bbq. John Mayer in 2 hours.

The Dog Days Are Over

First off I want to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes about my brother. He's doing fine.

Second I want to thank Marcellus Suber for helping me out with some post production problems I've been having. Thank you sir everything is working out nicely.

Also want to thank Brandon White for allowing me to use his Canon HF20. That's the camera I've been testing out, and the video above is comprised entirely of all that test footage. It's completely capable of delivering the kind of quality I need to shoot this next feature, and I'm grateful his allowing me to use it.

The video above was shot on Brandon's Canon Vixia HF20. I occasionally used my Kenko Wide Lens. I shot on 30 progressive and then cut and rendered in Sony Vegas Pro 9 to 24p. Tried out Vegas 9's masking tools at the end where I tried to clone both Deanna Kelly and Sarah Vroom. You'll see alot of shaky shots, quick zooms, etc. Wanted to really push the movement, see how it would all look. No scanlines, maybe a small bit of ghosting, but nothing you can't fix in post. Overall I'd probably use this camera to cover alot of static shots. But we shall see. Great camera though.

Technically the Dog Days haven't even begun. Dog Days usually refers to the hottest days in the summer. But the phrase "Dog Days Are Over" usually refers to getting through the toughest phase of something. It's the name of the song I used in the above video, performed by Florence and The Machines. I used it because I thought it went nicely with the first bits of HD footage I was shooting. I had no idea that it would end up really meaning something.

Slowly, carefully we put the pieces together to get to making this movie. I'm in the middle of re-writes. I'll have the official CREEP web site up soon, and I start rehearsals for one of the scenes this week. So things are going smoothly.

For now, I've set up a quick page on my site until the official site launches. Find out more about the plot and our progress there. http://www.patrickprejusa.com/creep

Here's a quick log line for the movie: "A gun slinging super sleuth, a cute blonde escape artist, and a guy in a giant teddy bear costume have to solve an ancient mystery and fight vampires."

Sounds like a heck of a plot. I know I'd wanna watch it. ;)

My big brother Robert is having heart surgery tomorrow morning. Thoughts and prayers for him are welcome.

Round 3: A little at a time

That's how it's going to have to be. Just a little at a time. If you wanted something badly, and you found out that you could have it, but it would take a very long time taking many long tedious steps to get to it, would you go for it? Or would you give up because it looked too hard?

If your answer was the latter, then you either don't deserve, don't really need or want it, or both. Me? With this particular goal I'm aiming for, I'm going for it. And it will take several excruciatingly long and tedious steps to get it. But it's still mine for the taking.

Anyone who has ever had to edit a video, or compose an effect that involves key frames, knows exactly what this is like. And the bigger picture of trying to create a worth while feature film, is exactly the same, especially when you're DIY on a 0$ budget. Sure we'll raise some money, but that's just to make sure those tedious steps are little less and a little shorter. But the steps are there to take nonetheless.

This is just yet another personal reminder to myself of just exactly how much work needs to be done in order to get this thing right where it needs to be. It's going to be hard, but it has to be, otherwise you're not doing it correctly. I was reminded of all this reading this little snippet from Rob Brezny.

From the window of my office I look down on a blackberry bush whose berries are now ripening. In the last 20 minutes, I've watched a sparrow figure out the best way to feast. At first the bird tried to land on the flimsy branches of the bush, but after a few tries it realized they couldn't hold its weight. Its revised strategy was to grab a single berry in mid-swoop and alight on the branch of a nearby apple tree so it could relax with its meal. It did this 10 times.

Are you willing to collect your reward a little at a time?

Yes I am and I will.

In the meantime here is a sample of what we've accomplished so far with the new equipment. This is pretty much the opposite of what I've just written.



Yeah, how's that for productive?

Practice

Today so far has been all about figuring it all out. What can be done? When can it be done? And how can it be done?

Doing a number of camera tests today. Trying out different filters in post. Also writing out the initial score. Yes this is for Creep, but sadly my brain is set on high, so I'm also contemplating another feature idea. Once again I'm walking that actor/director line. I think Creep will be great, but it does require me to play the lead, which I know I can do. But this new project that I am contemplating keeps me behind the camera, which is where I kind of want to stay just to make sure all goes smoothly.

Especially looking at the camera tests so far and working through this footage. This is going to require some real tender, love, and care. All my projects do (well most of em), but if I'm really trying to create something in the cinematical aces, then I really have to put extra care into the behind the scenes work.

Thankfully the internet provides some help with that. There are a slew of folks who've already done the work for you. Do a search on Vimeo or even Youtube for whatever camera you plan on testing, and chances are you'll find someone has already tested it for you. Light tests and all.

At some point today I will breaking to make a meatloaf. Then I will watch LOST. Then I will return to tests, scoring, and then re-writes. If you've been a previous cast member in anyone of my projects in the last few years, you may very well get a random message from me today or tomorrow.

Someday, it won't snow, so I can shoot outside. Someday .

My Indy Mogul episode is still getting me some great feeback. The episode itself is actually a recut of a video tutorial I did back in 2008. Since then a few folks have felt inspired to work on their own DIY Necronomicons, many of them blow mine out of the water. And that's what it's all about isn't it? To post your tutorial in the hopes that someone out there will be inspired and improve upon your techniques. Because of what I've seen in these vids, I'm going to revisit my prop and improve on mine.

Feel free to visit these videos, rate them high, and subscribe to these folks.

From SkullProduction97




From x0fx3




From ddexpress



Seriously great work guys!

We're Gonna Do What They Say Can't Be Done

It's a line from my childhood. The song is Eastbound and Down. The artist, Jerry Reed. The movie, Smokey and The Bandit. Kinda hard to be a kid in Texas in the 80's and not love that movie. Back then I didn't really know what it was all about. I just knew that Bandit was the hero, he drove a really cool car, and he drove fast. That's all that mattered to me.

Never really paid attention to the lyrics of this classic song. I was quite familiar with singing the lyrics. Although I knew the words, I didn't actually pay attention to them. My wife had loaded up her iPod with some new and old tunes. Occasionally we like to listen to random things in the car, just for a laugh or to reminisce of when we were kids. I was surprised to hear Jerry Reed blasting through the speakers. That old familiar banjo intro. My childhood came rushing back.

And for the first time in a long time I sung along with the lyrics. "Eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin. We're gonna do what they say can't be done. We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there. I'm eastbound just watch ol' Bandit run."

The lyrics refer to the plot of the movie, where Bandit and Snowman must deliver a diesel trailer full of beer to Atlanta from Texarcana in less than 24 hours. But hearing it now for the first time, in a long time. Those words meant something different to me.

No, I'm not trying to truck beer past old smokey. But I am trying to make a movie for practically nothing. The words, "We're gonna do what they say can't be done" really hit me. As always, it was yet another sign, a signal that often hits me right when I need to hear it. What I'm trying to do, I'm going to do.

I'm in awe still, of the positive comments and feedback I'm still getting from my Indy Mogul audition. On top of that, a few very wonderful things have happened just in the past few days. Due to a few good friends and supporters the budget for my movie has been reduced significantly, and I'm several steps closer to doing what needs to be done in order to make something great.

This past few weeks have been such a blessing, and it's been wonderful especially since the start of this year has been rather hard. I've gotten some unexpected help from some supporters, and I've gotten help getting a few of the things that I need to accomplish what I need to do. I thank those people whole heartedly.

Lessons In CREEP

First off I'd like to say how very flattered and still greatly overwhelmed I am by the response I'm still getting from my Indy Mogul Audition. Over a thousand comments on YouTube and the majority of them very positive. I've also gotten alot of messages from people with their support for me being the new host of BFX. Thank you all for that. It means alot. It's huge boost to my confidence in my own abilities.

My wife asked me if I was nervous about this whole Indy Mogul business. Honestly, I'm not. I think I've gotten pretty good at not expecting much anytime I submit to any kind of contest, or job interview for that matter. I'd love to be the new host, but in the end, they will pick who ever they're going to pick and I'll be fine with it. It's not the only thing I've got going on right now anyhow. Although I'd love to be the new host of BFX and I know I could do a great job, the only thing I can do is be proactive in my own goals. If it happens it happens. If not, hey, I'm still alive and I'm still on a mission.

That mission in question is.... Ok, well if by mission I actually mean project in which case I should say mission(s) as their are a few projects. The main thing on my mind right now is CREEP. I do need to work on REDD, but I had to push the Werewolf Costume fitting to next week, so right now I'm all about CREEP. Yes of course I need to work on Monster Cops so I can make that May deadline, but right now my head is on this feature film, specifically crowd-funding, more specifically producer rewards.

What are these words you use Patrick? Crowd-funding? Producer Rewards? Lemme splain.

I need to raise 12 grand to make CREEP. In order to do so I'm going to use every method in the book. I'm saving up much of my own money. I will be working extra hard and extra hours to earn the extra cash I need. I'm going to sell almost everything I have, including all my DVD's, my entire poster and banner collection, I'm even considering selling my car. I'm also going to make a big sign that says "TRYING TO MAKE A MOVIE, PLEASE HELP" and wear it around town while holding out a coffee can. No seriously. But one of the main ways I will raise this money is through a little something called CROWD FUNDING.

It's exactly what it sounds like. Instead of the usual approaching of a few investors to contribute large amounts of money, I will approach a large amount of people (everyone I know, and do not know) and get them to contribute small amounts of money. This method is called Crowd Funding and is being used by several different filmmakers to make their movies. I feel that this is possible if you can do the following:

1) Be clear about what you need the money for. Transparency is key. I will post the budget, how much we need, and what we need to spend it on.
2) Keep the budget low. Alot of moviemakers have been successful in raising 50,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. I only need $12,000.
3) Properly communicate the vision. Really let people know what it is you're trying to make. I'll post the plot, script pages, art work, vlogs, we will even shoot some scenes to communicate what kind of movie this is.
4) Create an experience. Get people excited about this movie. Get them to WANT to help you make this movie happen. Don't just sell the movie, sell the experience of making a movie, and the experience of the movie itself.
5) Producer Rewards.

AHA! There it is. There's that other phrase. What indeed IS Producer Rewards?

That's what I'm working out right now. If I'm going to ask you for $20 I want to be able to give you something for it. A copy of the movie on DVD? Of course. How about a Special Thanks credit in the movie? Why not? Producer Rewards is providing unique incentives to people that contribute money to your movie. Anybody will be able to buy this DVD or download it digitally when we distribute it. But if you contribute to the Crowd Fund, you'll get something no ordinary customer will get. Perhaps it's an autographed poster along with your DVD.

Right now I'm working out a list of different incentives matched with specific dollar amounts. The higher the contribution, the bigger the incentives. And I've been busting my ass on it for a few days now. I'm running out of unique incentives. Right now if you gave me 12 grand I think I would straight up just be your personal man whore.

I'm in the middle of working on the script for CREEP, and I'm so very excited about this. It's just one outrageous scene after another and really CANNOT WAIT for you to see this.

Already we're hitting some stumbling blocks. The make up artist I wanted to use has moved away (but is considering coming back for the shoot, so Yay!) My lead actress maybe moving as well. This might all work out if I can raise the shooting budget before summer. If not I'll be holding a casting call. Cest la vie.

I hope to have a script done in the next few weeks, along with the budget, the crowd funding plan, and full list of producer rewards.

I Believe In Indy Mogul

Indy Mogul is an online company that specializes in bringing you web videos and content dedicated to all things movies, especially moviemaking. Their flagship show is called BACK YARD FX. It's a weekly series where they show you how to create movie fx on an extremely low budget.

I've always loved the show and the very spirit of it. They did alot of tutorials on props and fx, much of which I myself had attempted before, and much of which I had never even thought of. It was nice to see someone put it all together in a 5 to 6 minute web series, where everything was explained properly and entertainingly so others may try to accomplish great fx on their own no budget movies. Shows like Backyard FX gave alot of wannabe, trying-to-be, and trying-to-be-better movie makers a chance to really make something great.

Erik Beck is both the founder of Indy Mogul and host of Back Yard FX. About a month and a half ago he had announced that he would be stepping down as host, in order to concentrate on improving the now very popular Indy Mogul. And thus a campaign would be set forth to find a new host for Back Yard FX. This person would need to submit a video that would show that they could do what Erik Beck had done every week for 3 years. Make a video explaining how to create a special effect or prop and then show how that effect or prop could be used in a test film.

As some of you know, I've been doing this for a while. I've always tried to create vlogs to detail exactly what it is I'm working on for different projects. Working on Monster Cops has been all about creating things for little to no money. The MKX300 Weapon which I made out of orange juice bottles, the Werewolf I'm currently building out of cardboard, and many, many others.  I decided to take my Necronomicon tutorial and cut it into an Back Yard FX video complete with a test film which I shot with the help of Ron Rice and Sterling Bollinger. I submitted it a few weeks ago.

I got an email from Erik Beck today telling me they're going to start showing some of the best video submissions, and they're starting WITH MINE!!!!! Also he thought my video was awesome and thought the test film was funny. How cool is that!?

They aired it on Indy Mogul and they put it on their YouTube Channel. And I gotta say, I am totally overwhelmed by such an amazing response from people. I was a little sick while I was working on the video, so I had cut some corners. Didn't use the external mics, didn't use ALL the lights, plus I was a bit pressed for time what with the day job and all. So I did the best in the condition I was in, but I knew I could've done SOOO much better. But I've been getting amazing messages and comments from alot of people. All of them impressed with the video and with me and I am totally humbled by this.

It's been a long day, and definitely it's been a long first month and a half of the year, so it was nice to get some positive feedback. Everyone's been so amazing. Even with my terrible little camera, and the mediocre compression on the upload. I was thinking the whole time I really need to upload in a higher quality, really wasn't expecting they would re-upload it to YouTube. But hey, it's watchable.

So here's the episode which they've decided to air on Indy Mogul and on YouTube:



Special thanks to Ron Rice and Sterling Bollinger for helping me out with the test film, excellent job guys! Even if I don't get picked for the job, it's always a blast to work on any video project, and definitely more so for Indy Mogul. Thank you to the great Erik Beck for the opportunity.

Now, I spend this week working on that giant Werewolf, which you can see my progress on at The REDD page.

I inch towards finishing up Monster Cops stuff, including the series proposal, so hopefully the money men will bless us with an actual budget to make more of this ...



Then there's the all important feature film that we will shoot this summer.

Much more on that later.

HELP MONSTER COPS WIN!

How's that for a straight forward title.

Bigstar.TV has yearly video contests where they give away $1,000 to high rating videos in different categories. I've entered one such video, and I would love your help getting it rated.

I cut together a new Monster Cops promo. And I've submitted it to one of the contests. So PLEASE check out the video HERE:
http://www.bigstar.tv/film-contest/open-subject-2009/1778/recent/1

Slide the rating slider over to 100% and HELP US WIN!!!!

And if you can please spread the word. The more views and high ratings the better!

I Write Big

Can't help it. I started with a cast list of 7 and now it has grown to 20. Yes, yes, of course I'm going to cut it down. No choice. I'm only going to have a budget of around 7 grand. Although now I'm contemplating going for 10. I mean the key here is to make it look HUGE with an immensely small budget.

Whatever it is, be it 7 or 10 grand, it's gotta look like it's somewhere in the hundreds of thousands.

Yeah, I'm in it right now. That place where I have to somewhat stifle the high concept creativity so I can keep it to no to low budget logistics.

This will be easier if I had an office. Literally, it would be my location, my studio, a place for rehearsals and then a place we would shoot at. And I've only budgeted around 2 grand for it. Wait no $1,500. I went on a budget cutting spree and that's what I ended up with.

Ahhhhhh. I'm driving myself nuts. Mainly with these scenes. Right now I'm trying to achieve these specific scenes, in the right pacing, so I can execute proper character arch, and all under budget.

So I'll cut out the cast completely and I'll use sock puppets. Not that the cast is actually getting paid much up front. This is all about deferred payment baby! But I wouldn't have to feed sock puppets.

Also, I hate pitching the script to everyone before it's done. I know many of you in this production want to know what it's all about, so I'll just say that it's a murder mystery comedy injected with action and horror. And it's got Vampires.

So yeah, it's pretty typical of me.

What is this epic no budget flick called? CREEP

It's called CREEP.

So yeah, it better be a horror movie, right? Well not to worry, it is. Now I go back to finishing this script so we can raise the $15,000. SEE! It went up again.

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Ok so if I go through and cut out the gold toilet in my trailer, I think we'll be fine.

Don't do it from need. Do it from strength and specifics.

Round 2

Feb 1st peeps. So how did round 1 go?

January was hell. But I'm glad to say I was able to knock out one project on the list. Unfortunately noone will be able to see it for a few months. It has gone to where it needs to go and sits with who it needs to sit with, as I await the results of all that hard work.

So I have until February 28th to finish this next one on the list, and then a I have to get moving on this Monster Cops episode so it'll be done before April. Well, actually May, but I always aim to finish far ahead of any deadline.

The next video involves a scene from REDD, and I will be immensely happy to finally get some movement on that. Which means I need to complete the Werewolf soon, and organize a Saturday shoot in mid February. And hopefully this winter weather will let up, because I need a nice sunny day shoot.

On the Monster Cops front. I'm going to try to get some funding for it, which would mean completion of this episode and finishing the full proposal. The money men love that kinda stuff. But also I know I have people asking about new stuff, so I'm going to try to throw up some short webisodes to appease the (not so) masses.

But the big picture for this year is to make that movie. Maybe it'll be Bobby's Closet, of which I'm still trying to raise money for. But the budget is still big even though it is low budget. So I'm working on a script for a movie that's budget is around $3000 to $5000. Raising that will get started once I get a few concept pieces done as well as finish that script and that business plan. This movie will utilize much of what I've talked about in the past. A full indie package including self distribution on a special edition DVD with plenty of extras and merchandise items.

I'll also utilize torrent sites. Try to generate some buzz through free downloads and supposed "pirating" of the film. Trying to stick with the concept of "Giveaway the movie, sell the show."

This will also take on some transmedia elements transcending just the movie and going into viral videos, comic books, short stories, and whatever else I can come up with like games, board games, video games. Transmedia means telling your story beyond just your initial low budget indie movie. Creating a universe instead of just one story. Much like what I've aimed to do with Monster Cops. One day I'll complete that Universe with MC, but it's just too big what I have in my head right now.

This all comes back to the one thing that has always stayed true in entertainment. Make a GREAT product. Create a truly great movie. Hollywood wonders why it loses money to pirates. The key is to not make CRAP and over charge people for it. Make something so great that it makes people want to pay you for it. As I've stated previously, make it an EVENT.

Like my hero Harry Anderson says, "Give em a good enough show, and people will be more than happy to pay the price of admission."

Those old street performing rules apply. Perform your heart out, stick out your hat, and get paid. So many opportunities coming up to make some great things happen. Gotta fight for it, make something AMAZING, stick my hat out and see what happens.

Welcome To The Party Pal!

It's been a rough week, no doubt, but to look to the positive side, there have been fun moments. Besides, as an experienced human being of nearly 35 years on this planet and existence, I should already know that with the bad comes the good, and so on and so on and ....

So we've gotten past some of the bad and hopefully heading into some good, possibly even into some great. Personal matters seem to be correcting themselves, and I'm finally getting back into some production work. Trying to beat that late February deadline for this one video project of which I will continue to be vague about. I mean, ya know, if I talk about it then it won't come, true right?

Anyhoo.

Forces Of Geek reports this: AC/DC Sets The Tone For IRON MAN 2

Today, Marvel Studios and Columbia Records have announced plans to release the CD compilation AC/DC: IRON MAN 2 on April 19, 2010. The album features 15 AC/DC tracks, many of which will be used in this summer's Iron Man 2. The songs include:

Shoot to Thrill, Rock 'N' Roll Damnation, Guns for Hire, Cold Hearted Man, Back in Black, Thunderstruck, If You Want Blood (You've Got It), Evil Walks, T.N.T., Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be, Have a Drink on Me, The Razor's Edge, Let There Be Rock, War Machine, and Highway to Hell.

Here's a promo video for AC/DC and Iron Man 2.




This put a smile on my face. I really enjoyed Iron Man and I think Jon Favreau has a good sense about moviemaking, much of which seems to harken back to the marketing sensibilities of the 80's.

As I've talked about with much glee before, I do love the 80's and movies from the 80's. I'm sure much of it is because I was an impressionable kid from back then, but I always felt like there was this sense of fun for movies back then, even in the marketing.

Putting out an AC/DC compilation CD that ties in with a summer blockbuster reminds me of Prince recording pop songs for the Batman soundtrack, or Billy Ocean doing a music video for Jewel Of The Nile and Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas, and Danny Devito making an appearance. Or even Tina Turner singing "We Don't Need Another Hero" for Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.

All the cross over music and movie marketing still goes on today, of course, but back then it felt much cooler and much more fun. Like everyone who performed or made movies back then were all just having one big party. I sense alot of that in Iron Man 2. Kinda makes me feel like a kid again.

Makes me long for something from back then to surface now in something new. The Ghostbusters had Ray Parker Jr. Back To The Future had Huey Lewis and The News. And now Iron Man 2 has AC/DC. I'd love to see more marketing like this from more movies in the future. Where it's not just about telling people about a movie premiere. It's about announcing that a MOVIE EVENT is about to happen. It should make you feel like if you miss this movie, then you're missing the party.

I think that's something Indie Moviemakers need to keep in mind, even before you start working on that script. Think about the marketing. How can I make this into something more than just an indie movie? How can I make this into an EVENT? How can I make this so people will WANT to see it?

Don't just make a movie. Make an EVENT!

LOST / 24

This won't mean much unless you're a fan of LOST and perhaps even 24.

Someone took several episodes of LOST and cut them together to show exactly what happened when Flight 815 Crashed. Amazing editing. Done in the style of 24 with sound fx and everything. Genius work.

Amazing Things Will Happen

Originally written Friday January 22nd. But not posted til now. Because that's how I roll.

For reasons passing understanding, this has been a very difficult past 8 days for me. I can't even begin to describe how terrible it was. All the while I tried to keep things in perspective. Compared to those helpless souls in Haiti and in so many other parts of the world, even on my worst day, I've still got it great.


With that said, it was pretty terrible. I don't like it when I'm on a mission to accomplish something, and not only do I not accomplish it, but I don't even get the chance to try, because sometimes, life just fucking happens. I don't like being put in a position where I am weak and helpless, but shit happens. You do what you need to and deal with it as best you can. Right now, I'm kind of still in it, but I'm hoping that's light that I see at the end of this tunnel. And as down as one can get, you do strive to pull yourself up from your boot straps. You pick yourself up. But sometimes you need a little boost to get you there.

Tonight I saw several celebrities work together to give a helping hand to a country in dire need of one. That by itself was both saddening and inspiring. I'm always moved by the efforts of others to help each other.

Tonight was also Conan O'Brien's final broadcast as host of The Tonight Show. It does seem silly to speak of something so trivial as a talk show in the same post as Haiti, but I must.

The events that unfolded with NBC over the late night shows was an important one to me, simply because I truly do love Conan O'Brien. I watched him from the beginning of Late Night after he took over for David Letterman, respected him even more when I learned he was a writer for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, and cheered him on as he got to live his dream as host of The Tonight Show.

We all know the details of what went down, and we all have our different takes on it. Me personally I was rooting for O'Brien. Not once did I feel sorry for him. I knew he'd leave NBC and he'll end up doing an even better show on another network, I mean you just can't stop talent like that. I was happy to join the bandwagon of fun rooting for Conan. I joined all the groups and pages on Facebook. Team Conan, I'm With Coco. Watched every piece of news footage on the subject and all the videos from the rallies. Warmed my heart to see so many people cheer for Conan and to know so many others are fans like me.

I knew his final broadcast would be bitter sweet. A truly great show with some surprises. Tom Hanks was there. The man who originally created the name Coco. The entire show was full of fun and energy. Then it came time for Conan to speak seriously about the situation. Towards the end he started to tear up, which made me and I believe most people watching tear up. But in that final sentence of his entire statement, he said EXACTLY what it was I needed to hear. And when he said it, it almost felt like he was talking directly to me. Here is his final statement on his final broadcast as host of The Tonight Show.

"Before we end this rodeo, a few things need to be said. There has been a lot of speculation in the press about what I legally can and can't say about NBC. To set the record straight, tonight I am allowed to say anything I want. And what I want to say is this: between my time at Saturday Night Live, The Late Night Show, and my brief run here on The Tonight Show, I have worked with NBC for over twenty years. Yes, we have our differences right now and yes, we're going to go our separate ways. But this company has been my home for most of my adult life. I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible.

Walking away from The Tonight Show is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Making this choice has been enormously difficult. This is the best job in the world, I absolutely love doing it, and I have the best staff and crew in the history of the medium. But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian dreams of hosting The Tonight Show and, for seven months, I got to. I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second. I've had more good fortune than anyone I know and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-11 parking lot, we'll find a way to make it fun.

And finally, I have to say something to our fans. The massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming. The rallies, the signs, all the goofy, outrageous creativity on the internet, and the fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain to be in our audience, made a sad situation joyous and inspirational. To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I'll think about it for the rest of my life.

All I ask of you is one thing, I'm asking this particularly of young people that watch: please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism -- for the record it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."

I know it's not the end of Conan, but a part of my heart for media and entertainment is broken. But as I said, it's not the end. THANK YOU CONAN O'BRIEN. Thank you for entertaining us for so long on NBC. And thank you so much for saying what you said. I needed to hear it.

In 7 months I look forward to Conan's return on a yet to be determined network. To be continued indeed.

As for me, I now return to my regularly scheduled fight. A fight where I am determined to make amazing things happen.







;)

Sometimes

it's tough to know what to blog about.  How honest should I be in a blog? I mean I'm certainly not one to go on and on about myself, and I do like my privacy.  There have been many tales that I've told where I have changed the names to protect the innocent and not so innocent.  Heck I don't want you to know EVERYTHING about me.

Today was great day, with some really hard spots.  Some tough things to ponder.  But it was all worth while because I was with my wife. My Juli. I couldn't live without her and don't ever want to. But I started out the day not feeling my best. More emotionally than physically. I know it was partially because yesterdays workout had really beat me up.  The rest of it was all because of others subjects that I don't really want to think about anymore, but I can't help it.

What's really disturbing about all this is that it makes it harder for me to concentrate on the things I want to concentrate on.  And that really pisses me off because I feel like I've got so much work to do and I'm facing some deadlines.

But that's just how it goes. Once you decide you're going to achieve a certain thing, the exact opposite has to appear to help define your situation of not having that thing. Makes the achievement even sweeter.

Wish I could say what this was all about, but all this best left on my mind and on my shoulders.  It'll workout, I hope soon.

In my pondering of such negativity, I find myself listening to alot of house progressive music while I play Bejeweled Blitz. The constant rhythm and the motions of matching and exploding cubes some how helps me process what I need to process.

I need to set up some sort of production site to get everyone on the same page of what's going on.  I've got a May deadline and a Feb 22nd deadline. I'm going to attempt to get alot done Thursday of this week, and I hope I can keep distractions at bay.

Some days are harder than others. Today, this is hard. Not too hard. But it still makes me feel like crap.

111th

His name was Abdul Baser Wasiqui. He was the only runner representing Afghanistan in Atlanta at the 1996 Olympics. His hamstring was injured before the race, but he ran anyway.

At the time, I was working on my first feature film. Vampire Killer.  I distinctly remember watching TV that day when the cameras caught a glimpse of this one lone man trying to finish a race that had  long ended for everyone else.

Soon everyone would take notice of the man who was about to finish dead last at 111th place. I watched as Abdul headed towards the finish line, at the stadium where workmen were already clearing out the area for the next events.  They noticed Abdul and quickly made a make shift finish line for him with some masking tape.  Everyone, including myself were in awe of him as he crossed the line and broke through the tape.

Bob Costas stated correctly, observing that although Abdul was finishing dead last, his determination to finish the race was the very essence of the spirit of the Olympic games. I was impressed by that. I identified with Abdul Baser Wasiqi. I was running my own marathon. Trying to finish my first feature film. Trying to reach my own cinematic finish line.

I was working at a video editing place at the time. I took my VHS copy of Abdul Baser Wasiqi I had recorded (yes I'm kind of an Olympics fan/nerd). We had a video deck that could print out pictures of a freeze frame from a video tape. I printed one out of Wasiqi crossing the finish line.  This image would always help me to remember that crossing your finish line, no matter what kind of a race you're running, it is possible.

And I think of him now. I think of the pain he endured. His struggle. The only man representing his country. Not the first to cross the finish line, but a winner nonetheless. Where so many others would have just given up, and probably did give up, he finished.  He finished.

I'm going through a bit of my own struggle right now. Trying to reach my finish line. It's hard. Yes, I've been through more difficult times, but it's still hard. Trying to get what's in your head out into reality.

I need to remember this. Remember this pain. Remember how it's all my own doing. Any trouble here is only my fault. And any success will be because of some very hard work. There are somethings going on right now, and it's up to me whether or not they're good or bad, or maybe even bad or AMAZING.  I'm working towards amazing.

Remember this pain. Remember that as hard as you work there is a part of this that is not up to you.  All you can do is your very best, and as much of it as you can.

If Abdul Baser Wasiqi can cross that finish line, so can we all.

I need to envision the greatest most amazingly brilliant out come possible, and make it happen.


Ok, this is going to sound crazy, but in the midsts of writing this blog, God just talked to me. He said only two words.

No blocking.



Ok, so the last part of this blog won't make any sense to anyone, but damn, everything just fell into place just now.

Turn Off The Lights

and light a candle.

With everything that's been going on in my life and in the world, I just haven't had a chance to pay homage to the great and amazing Teddy Pendergrass.  I was reminded just a few moments ago that I needed to post about this because an infomercial had come on about R&B songs from the 70's.  They played "Turn Off the Lights."  And my heart sank.  It really hit me, Teddy's gone.  He passed away a few days ago.

My ringtone is actually one of my fav songs of his. Love TKO. It's one of my fav songs of all time, and it's been my ringtone for the about 2 years now.  When my phone rings I'll always get a little sad, but it'll be my little tiny personal way to remember and pay tribute to the great Teddy Pendergrass.

Thank you for the music Mr. Pendergrass.

"Simplicity is the key to brilliance"
- Bruce Lee

Try to fail. Don't fail to try.

It's one of those days. I woke up with a sinus headache that just would not go away. The day started off crappy and I just felt like giving up and going back to bed.

But I can't. I've got too much to do. I could just do nothing today, but there's so much more that needs to be fought for, and the battle has barely begun. So you buck up, say screw it, and dive in anyways.

It's easy to look passed my headache when I see what's going on in Haiti. I'm blessed to have the life I have and the opportunities I've been given. My house is still sturdy, my loved ones are safe, and I only have a headache from stopping me from working on my dreams to day. When you really look at it, your problems end up being better than a whole lot of other people's.

I read somewhere once "If we all threw our problems into a big pile and saw everyone else's, we'd take ours back instantly." Don't remember where I saw that.

Problems are a part of life. It's what makes life interesting, keeps your brain functioning, and our bodies moving. And one of the biggest problems I think people in general have is that alot of their problems aren't really problems. Just excuses.

Me? I have no excuses. I don't really have problems either, when I compare it to real world perspectives. I'm doing fine and I'm working towards being great.

So we continue to try. And alot of the times we fail. But failure is good too. Failure is also a part of life. It makes achievement mean more, keeps you awake, and teaches you to do better. One of the biggest failures I think people in general have, is the failure to recognize that failure is actually opportunity.

And I'm thankful for all my failures and opportunities. As long as I keep trying I'll never truly fail.

Oh, whaddya know, my headache is gone. I'm going to finish my green tea, go work out, and run some errands. I'm going to continue to be thankful that I have the opportunities to try and fail and try again.

And then at some point I'm going to eat some chicken.

Conan

Conan's statement concerning his leaving The Tonight Show.  I'm posting it here, because I admire Conan, I think he's making the right decision, and I think he explains it with class and eloquence and his classic brand of comedy.

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me.  For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky.  That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009.  Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me.  I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future.   It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule.  Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance.  After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35.  For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news.  I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting.  The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show.  Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot.  That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this:  I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it.  My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction.  Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter.  But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next.  My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.

Yours,
Conan

I could read that all day. It's almost poetic.

My heart broke the day Carson left The Tonight Show. I grew up watching him. When Jay took over, it didn't feel quite right, but I gave it a chance. I never once thought the writing on the show was all that great and the show itself went from truly classy to completely terrible. For some strange reason Jay's ratings were good although everyone I had ever talked to disliked Leno, with the exception of one or two people that thought he was alright.

I was happy that Conan took over.  I knew he would do something great with it. But to be honest, I missed him in New York.  L.A. never really felt right.  But hey, I'll watch Conan where ever he goes. I hope he goes to FOX. Don't know what the hell's going on over there, but NBC's really been missing the boat lately.

Powering Through

First off I'd like to say that Aunt Jemima makes THE WORST WAFFLES in existence.

Secondly, I'm not feeling very well.  And of course I have so much that needs to be worked on NOW.  I've got to knock out scripts and pages out to everyone for REDD and for MONSTER COPS. I need to finish up the Werewolf build and knock out shots for the next couple of Monster Cops Episodes. First I need to knock out this video project that needs to be knocked out ASAP.  A whole lota knocking out needs to be done.

Still searching for a location. I need a studio space or someone's living room that has alot of room. It's hard to concentrate on anything when I'm feeling like this, but I'm hoping I can get past it in the next few days.

Some exciting things transpiring, can't wait to find out how things will work out over the next few weeks as well as the next few months.  Getting in a new camera soon, and hopefully I can get my test shots done when I finally get the Werewolf built.

So much I wish I could go into more detail about, but I don't want to jinx or spoil anything.

Meanwhile, the TV geek in me is anticipating the return of several shows including the start of the final season of LOST.  Do I think they will answer all the questions that they've posed in passed seasons? No. Do I think they're just making it all up as they go along? Yes. Am I excited about the final season? You bet your ass.

I can only hope to produce a show as popular and as intriguing.  I'm hoping I can continue to TRY to produce good stories and entertaining media with Monster Cops.  I've barely touched the surface of what I'm trying to achieve and express with it. Comedy, Horror, Action, Drama, Empathy, Pathos, but mostly Gravitas.

Like I've said before, it's that depth and endearment that helps make all those horrifying, comedic, and action packed elements mean even more. Gravitas is that thing that makes it real, makes it defined, and gives the final product a soul.  I'm inching my way there with Monster Cops, and hopefully will really be able to achieve that with these next few projects, especially with that super secret spectacular and amazing no-budget feature film I'm quietly working on.

Wisdom is knowledge applied.

Learn to over prepare, but also to go with the flow.

Make a plan, but learn to improvise.

Round 1: FIGHT!

It's like a fight, a war almost. The battle to strive to reach those goals. A new year's promise to give you another chance to make this year better than the last.

January 2010 = Round 1

What are we fighting for exactly? Improved income, improved lifestyle, and to make a kick ass bunch of videos and movies that will not only help in achieving those improvements, but to inspire and entertain the world as a whole, and hopefully change things for the better.

I'm excited actually. I really see the previous years as preparations for this one. 2005 I moved here to NC. 2006, 2007 was all about healing and grieving after my wife's mother died. 2008 was about getting back on our feet. 2009 was about solidifying what the goals are and preparing to move towards them. Which brings us to 2010. The move towards those goals.

The ball dropped on the first year of a new decade on the night of a Blue Moon. Sounds magical doesn't it. Like the beginning to what should be a magical and adventurous story. Like Once Upon a Time. Which only makes us all pine for a happily ever after.

Oh, but you gotta fight for it. Work must be done to reach that next level. Gotta climb that hill to get to the top. If you want to succeed you have to rise from your failures. How many more ways can I state this?

Oh I've got a few more.

You gotta drive right if you wanna make it down that freeway of life.

You wanna win it, then you gotta get in it.

No guts, no glory.

No fish, no fowl.

No cheese, no sandwhich.

yeah I lost it.

Bottom line is, there is much work to be done, and I'm ready for it.

Production wise we've still got the same goals:

First up, it's MONSTER COPS. Now that the holidays and hectic schedules have settled down, I have more time to work on our little monster killing web series. I hope to make enough episodes and webisdoes to warrant a pretty nifty DVD to put out. I'm finishing up editing on this next episode and we'll start shooting for the next one and the next few webisodes this month.

REDD. My little Red Riding Hood short. I'm aiming for it to be a mind blowing 5 to 10 minutes. Will start back to work on finishing the Werewolf body and stilts. Already finished the head and hands. Not quite sure when we'll wrap this one up, cuz I'm kind of holding out til I get the new camera in.

BOBBY'S CLOSET. In early pre-production. Going to continue to fill out the official site with art work, may even try to shoot some sample scenes from the script. Not going to go into principal photography til we get the full budget, and we are still fundraising. 53,000 for actual production, and 20 to 40,000 for marketing and distribution. And I don't feel at all comfortable going into it without the money for either. I'm confident we can get the movie out there and make money back as well as raise money for Cancer Charities, as long as we get the full budget. We shall see.

PATRICK'S SUPER SECRET SPECTACULAR AND AMAZING NO-BUDGET FEATURE FILM.

Bobby's Closet was supposed to be a high concept on a low-budget. Something we can make with little money. A million dollar film for less than 100,000. And while I haggle with investors and go out begging for money, I'm still itching to make a truly filmic cinematic feature. So as I was ready to dive into low-budget moviemaking, turns out I'm not quite done with no-budget moviemaking just yet. So this project will only require the new camera, and utilize resources we already have (as per usual.)

Not going to say what it's about, because it is ever evolving. If you recall I wanted to make an Untitled Vampire Movie, then it was a Paranormal Film (which was turned off of when I saw Paranormal Activity), then it was that one about Russian Hookers and Filipino Pimps. Just kidding. Or am I? (muwahahaha)

I'm half way through the script, and I'm very excited about it, but I'm not going to tell anyone about it til it's done and ready to be xeroxed and given to the respective players and crew members. Just know that it's going to take a TON of preparation, and it's going to kick my ass. But it's something I'm confident we can shoot before the fall.

Any other projects will be Video and Commercial work. (Gotta support that green tea habit.)

Oh yes, and I'm working on another screenplay. This one I don't plan on shooting, it's just I've been missing the contest and festival circuit for a while and I kinda wanna throw my hat back in the ring. Came up with a nice concept and I'm writing through it. So many more opportunities and resources for script writer's have developed in the passed decade, why not try em out. Besides I miss getting those rejection letters from Endevour, Paramount, Warner, and Village Roadshow. There must be a ton more companies now that I can get rejected from.

I've been such a script hog for the passed decade. I didn't want to part with any of my scripts for a while, because I was intent on shooting them all. Now I'm wise enough to see that is impossible, so why not let my babies out into the world, let them grow, and evolve into the movies they're meant to be under other filmmakers effort. Or at the very least options that pay up but never get a green light. Dare to dream.

So let the fight begin.

right after I take this nap.

Dan O'Bannon

Dan O'Bannon. Not a household name. But a name in Sci-fi and Horror that I put right up there with George Lucas, Stephen King, George Romero, and many others. You may not know him, but you've undoubtedly seen some of his work. He passed away last week. And while everyone is talking about the death of Brittany Murphy (god rest her soul) Dan O'Bannon was someone that actually and directly influenced me, and whether you know it or not, he influenced Sci-Fi and Horror.

I remember the first time I saw this poster. It was 1985, and I went to see a movie at the General Cinema Six Flags Mall. Back before asbestos would shut the theater down and back when Six Flags Mall was the place to be.

Not sure what movie it was I went to see. I just remember coming out of the theater and seeing this poster. I was 10 years old and I hadn't quite yet started my obsession with horror movies. That wouldn't come for another 2 years. This poster scared the crap out of me. It was strange and avant garde, and it made me wonder what kind of people would go see a movie like this.

The commercials for it scared me as well. Running Zombies! Punk music, or what I thought at the time was Punk. Alot of chaos and people being chased down by cannibalistic moving corpses.

By the time I was deep into my horror obsession, this movie was on VHS. I rented it often and then eventually owned it.

It was this odd blend of humor and scares. Til this day I'm actually not sure if it's straight up horror or comedy. It was one of the first times a movie featured running zombies. And although it is somewhat connected to Romero's Dead Trilogy, these zombies just couldn't be killed AT ALL. Oh unless of course you burned them, then the fumes would go into the air, then it would rain into a cemetery, then you'd get more unstoppable running zombies.

Dan O'Bannon was the writer and director of this movie, and it further pushed the zombie genre into popularity. It would be the first time I would really hear the name, and later I would realize that this was the man who wrote one of the scariest movies of all time. ALIEN.

If you research Dan O'Bannon, you learn he worked for Lucas doing some visual fx and animation for Star Wars, he wrote and directed Night Of The Living Dead, and he wrote Blue Thunder, Invaders From Mars, and Lifeforce, and he made the merger of Sci-Fi and Horror popular with Alien. Alien got the ball rolling on strong female leads in movies, thanks to O'Bannon making the characters in the script non-gender specific.

Back in the day me and my friends actually got a copy of O'Bannon's first movie that he worked on with John Carpenter, a sureal Sci-Fi comedy called Dark Star. O'Bannon also starred in it as the character Pinback.

Watching Dark Star helped me as an indie. To see where it all started with John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon. To understand what could be done on such a low budget. To see how the greats like Carpenter and O'Bannon could start out with something smaller like this, and then blow up big enough to make the great movies they made.

O'Bannon specifically always felt like one of us. Like a guy I'd hang out with and talk to. If this guy can make it then so can the rest of us. Not only did he create a cult classic that helped further the zombie genre, but he started the Sci-fi / Horror ball rolling with Alien, a true movie classic that would help change the genre movie landscape. I think mainly for me, Dan O'Bannon helped make my dreams of making movies seem more accessible.

Thank you for that Dan.

KICK ASS!

The name of the movie is Kick Ass. And I am beyond excited about it. Clips and trailers below.