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.