Todays lesson, napkins are important and never underestimate the power of the audience.

No one said this was going to be easy.

The Mystery Box

I saw this a while back and I've actually watched it several times since then. J.J. Abrams speaking a TED (Technology, Entertainement, and Design). Alot of what he says here I believe in. Great presentation, and what a great story about the Mystery Boxes. This made alot of sense to me when I first saw it, but very much so now, since I seem to be working very closely with a Mystery Box myself.

Directed by John Hughes

Amazing Video Tribute created by Paul Proulx.

Really captures Hughes brilliance as a writer and a director.

John Hughes

I really can't believe it. You were a big influence on me and so many others. Your movies helped me through some tough times, and pretty much helped define the 80's. Without your work I would be nothing. I learned alot about comedy, about pathos, and certainly about life, all through your writing, directing, and producing.

Thank you for making movies that made me want to make movies.

Thank you John Hughes.

John Hughes dies age 59.

 

 
 

  

 

  

  

Don't You (Forget About Me)

This one's for John Hughes. You made my teenage years so much cooler, and the 80's one of the greatest decades ever. I won't forget. I promise.

Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)

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Magic

First off I'd like to congratulate April Crum. She is officially cast as the VAMPIRE HUNTER JADE in the feature film Bobby's Closet. She is also a very talented artist, and we'll be utilizing her talents in that regard as well. This movie is going to require alot of artwork, fake movie posters, faux comic books, etc.

I'm quite anxious to talk about Bobby's Closet. Many people have messaged me about it. I know I haven't explained too much about the plot, and I'm glad so many of you are curious to know what this feature is about, and what it is I've been writing. I'm working on a VLOG that I hope to finish soon.

This Vlog will hopefully not only fill you on the plot, but the look and feel I'm going for. In preparation for it, I've been watching and listening to Back To The Future and it's sound track. Although Bobby's Closet could be classified as horror, and does contain monsters, I want it to have that magic that Back To The Future had. Also BTTF had that complex classification. Sure it's a comedy, but there are strong elements of Sci-Fi and suspense. Those last 15 minutes always keep me on the edge of my seat. And boy what a cool ending. Bobby's Closet is also a comedy, with strong elements of sci-fi and horror and adventure that will hopefully keep you on the edge of your seat.

There was that specific feel from a lot of those movies from back then, The Goonies, Close Encounters, Raiders, Ghostbusters, etc. They all had this charm, this essence, this kind of Magic. Movies nowadays are still magical, of course, but back then movies really made me feel like anything was possible. I'm sure it's mainly because I was an impressionable kid, and much of this is about nostalgia. But I think that's what it kind of comes back to. We end up spending much of our adult lives trying to recapture and relive our childhoods. Why? Because I think we miss that feeling we knew before we grew up. That feeling that told us that anything was possible, and magic was real.

I believe that anything is possible. That the happiest, grandest, most magical visions are yet to be experienced. Movies make me feel that way, and I want to make movies that make you feel that way too. That's exactly what I'm going to do with Bobby's Closet.

The Incident

Nothing to see here. Just me obsessing over LOST. Season 5 ended months ago, and I'm going through withdrawals. I'm posting the cold open and the last scenes, just so I have a place to watch them over and over again, as I search for clues and insight into the enigma that is LOST.

January can't come fast enough, if the season does indeed start up by then.





I don't have the heart to post Juliet's end scene. It's so disturbing to me. I really love Juliet. I swear there better be a decent resolution for her.

Good preproduction meeting last night. Now working on Casting sheets and Set and Location sheets. Soooo much work to do for Bobby's Closet.

Back and Forth

I'm secretly a soldier in the Dr. Steel army. Love this song. And Nurse Gen is adorable.

Just wish there were more episodes from this web series, but then again, I'm sure someone else is out there saying the same thing for Monster Cops. Hey, we do what we can with the time and money we've got. When you're a no budget indie, it's always Back and Forth.



DR.STEEL'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Done and done. now at IHOP. later nap. then finish the script. start of business plan.

Im beginning to understand a little better what Monster Cops is and should be.

Up early. standing in line. woo hoo.

Trailer Round Up

A few trailers I saw recently that really impressed me.

I love Patton Oswalt. One of my fav Stand Up Comedians, loved him in King Of Queens, loved him in Ratatouille. Here he takes a dramatic turn in a movie with a great concept.

BIG FAN




Ricky Gervais is fucking brilliant.

THE INVENTION OF LYING





What if everyone in the world were Vampires? Great premise, and it just looks amazing.

DAYBREAKERS

Wisdom

My Wisdom teeth. Never had em taken out. Every few years it seems like they wanna act up and grow, and give me over all pain.

That is what is happening now.

I am finishing up the final draft of Bobby's Closet, I am starting on the business plan, and planning out the full package, working on vlogs for it, and thinking about the official website, all in an effort to create buzz and start raising money to shoot this massive production .... all while I am in agonizing pain.

Ok, not exactly agonizing. When the ibuprofen wears off it's really just a throbbing ache/annoyance. But enough to be distracting. Good thing is, I am so driven to do this project that it's really not stopping me. But it is putting me in a very serious focused state. And also rather grumpy. I already don't want to do anything but work on Bobby's Closet, and now I'm ready to tear into anybody that stands in my way or distracts me. Which I guess is somewhat of a good thing, unless you're in my way and or distracting me.

I've been doing a lot of research as well. Preparing for the full workflow of producing another feature length film. I remember the struggles of working on my first two features. I remember the pains, and I understand much better now, what pains were necessary and what pains could have been avoided. It's the pains you go through that later give you that wisdom. It's that wisdom that I have now that gives me the confidence to do this project. There's a difference between knowing and REALLY knowing. I've been through this process enough times to know what needs to be done. Bobby's Closet will be made, and love it or hate it, the audience will see it.

Here's a video of Harold Ramis talking about Ghostbuster's 3. Not only is there insight into the anticipated sequel, but good old insight in general. There's wisdom in much of his words. Especially when he talks about making something with REAL people, and how some Hollywood movies start to look the same. What I'm trying to do with BOBBY'S CLOSET is to make something real that you can grab on to. To make something that doesn't look or feel like everything else. I'm trying to make something magical, amazing, adventurous, and overall with a true sense of REAL human emotion. Not another fx heavy blur of a project. Something the audience can REALLY connect with.



Thank you Mr. Ramis. Thank you for the Wisdom.

This business plan is kicking my ass today.

They don't teach you crazy in film school. Crazy is exactly what you'll need to pull this off.

Residue Evil Part 2: THE MONSTER

The third and final ad for the Old Spice Everclear assignment.



Monster created by Richard Gaither. Destroyed by Chris Plouffe. The Monster was played by Darin Chamberlin.

Monster Vs. Cops Cold Open (Rough Cut)

This is the cold open for the next Monster Cops Episode titled MONSTERS Vs. COPS. It's about 5 minutes and is a rough cut, missing some shots, also parts of it will be reshot. The complete episode will be about 20 minutes long.



For more please check out http://monstercops.com

Baby Steps

It does get frustrating when you can see the final result so clearly.  I know exactly how to make this movie, how it should sound, look, feel, and how to make you love it. I'm just so anxious to get there.  But there are steps that need to be taken, and you can't miss one.

The Script.
Working on a 3rd draft. I have a better understanding of all the plot points and I hope to have a final draft that I'm satisfied with in July.

The Budget.
I have a preliminary budget breakdown. I actually have two. One for 125,000 dollars, and another for 60,000 dollars. This won't be finalized until the script is finalized. This is just an estimation to see how low I can go with a budget and still be able to make something high concept. I did 2 different estimations the 125,000 is what we will aim for, and is a number that will give us plenty of room to maneuver. the 60,000 is the bare minimum, it's the bare essentials to get the movie made, marketed and distributed.  Hopefully we can achieve somewhere in between.

The Funding.
This cannot be achieved without the Budget and the Script. But like I said, I hope to have the Script (and therefore the Budget) finalized in July. Then we put together a proposal, a website, some concept art, the cast, and anything else that will help exhibit what this movie is about, and then we can approach people and sponsors for money. I really have no doubts in raising money. It's about being able to show what the movie is about, show that it is something that is worth investing in, and show how the money will be made back. That's what the following is for ...

The Package.
The Package (AKA The Proposal) Is everything we just named above. Everything that can be achieved to display the true passion about this story. To show that this will be a great movie, made by great and talented people, and show how it can and will make money. Once you've got as solid of a package as you can, you can start approaching investors. Which is really all just about numbers.

The Numbers Game.
That's exactly what it is, a numbers game. Approaching as many people as possible about trying to get your movie funded. Now the lower our Budget the less money we have to raise, and the easier it will be to get money back to the investor. And the more investors we approach the more the odds are someone will say yes to writing us a check. I figure you may get 1 out of every 10 people to look at your Proposal. Which means you'll need to approach 100 people just to get 10 interested. Out of that 10 you'll probably only get 4 who will actually write you a check. If we can get those 4 to write us a check for 15,000 each, then we'll have our 60,000, and we're off to the races.

In the end it's about presistence of vision. It is what keeps the movie rolling. And it is what will get our movie rolling.  If we don't get the money to make this movie, it will be noone elses fault but my own.

So, off I go to work on the script some more, and then to look at the budget and see what we can cut down, or possibly get for free. If we can find a large indoor location, with power and air that we can use as a makeshift studio, and build a whole set on, that would save us a ton of money. So if anybody in the Winston, Triad, area of NC knows of anything, please let me know.