If I blog about it, maybe it will happen

It's a short film I've been thinking about for a while now. I'm going to commit myself to saying that I'll do this later this year.  Yes my plate is full, but something is telling me that I really need to do this one.

We'll see what happens.

The Dallas Mavericks

"This series proves that a TEAM is much bigger than individuals.” – Magic Johnson

The Dallas Mavericks have won their franchise's first NBA Championship

by beating the Miami Heat, 105-95.

Photo from Reuters

I am so very proud to be from Dallas right now.

I really miss my brother.

Shine a Light

The second feature film I've ever made is also the first installment of the MONSTER COPS franchise.

MONSTER COPS: THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL is back on DVD.

You can buy it on DVD for $12 or you can download or rent it to watch on your PC, HDTV, Bluray, XBOX, or Roku through Amazon Instant Watch.

And remember, $1 from every DVD sold will go to the American Cancer Society.

Click here to find out more about THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL.




It was originally on DVD back in 2007. In 2009 I pulled it off shelves because I intended to re-edit it and put out a newer version. Then I realized that I was being a bit too George Lucasy. The movie is perfectly fine the way it is. Recently I had been messaged by a few folks about how they could get a copy.  So here it is back on DVD. In all it's No-Budget glory.

It was the first step towards what I wanted Monster Cops to be. It lacked the kind of FX we have now, and it really could've used more Monsters. But I think it's good nonetheless. It's endearing, it's creative, and I'm very proud of the writing and the performances. And it still cracks me up how frickin funny it is.

With the newer episodes I had created (Shadow Company and Monsters Vs. Cops) I would get closer and closer to that full vision of what I wanted Monster Cops to be.  I'm hoping by late this year I can fully execute that vision with the newer episodes of Monster cops, and put that out on DVD in a Series 1 volume of episodes.

Redd is our other production, as you may know. Plugging along nicely I might add, but with my schedule getting fuller, we may need to extend shooting into Fall.

A winter release will probably be more likely.

I really can't wait to finish this one. It's going to be a great one.

If you haven't yet, check out the fight clip below.


April Crum as Redd fighting Bryan Sloyer as The Monk.



I'm extremely impressed with everyone's performances so far. It's been a blast to shoot. Still need to do a bit more fundraising for it, but I think we'll be fine.

I'm proud to say that the first 4 minutes of REDD on Youtube have reached well over 50,000 views. Hey, maybe it's not 1 million like I wanted, but at least it's alot, and the majority of the comments are positive, so YAY!

If you get a chance check out the front page at REDDMOVIE.COM, look for the comment box towards the bottom, and leave a nice comment about how excited you are to see the movie. Go on, DO IT!

The Yamaha Ad I made, NO ORDINARY PAPER BOAT, was top ten finalist for Yamaha. Earned me a Poptent medal. Quite proud.

Aside from the occasional breakdowns (ala last post) things are good.  And now I work to make them better and even better.

Today's lesson boys and girls? Keep moving forward. Don't dwell on your past accomplishments, move on to bigger and better ones.

Just keep swimming.

Further

It was bad last night. The thought that my brother was gone really hit me. Although he'd been gone for over a week now, the reality of it didn't truly hit me until last night.

I lost it.

I'm ok. I really am. It's just been a roller coaster of emotions. That combined with all the normal irritations that have been bothering me, and my tendency to look at all that depresses me when I'm already depressed. I'm not in a great place right now.

Alot of other things have been happening. And although it's taking it's toll on me, I think it's necessary. It's all forcing me to really look at what needs to be done, who I associate with, and how I go about things personally and professionally.

I was already in a very driven and determined state. I was already motivated to work towards my dreams and goals. I thought I couldn't push myself any further.

I was wrong. I don't think I've ever been here before. This feels different somehow. As vulnerable as I feel, as weak as I am right now, on some level I also kinda feel invincible.

Like nothing can stop me. Like if I can go through this kind of pain, and burn in this kind of fire, then what else could hurt me. I have nothing left to lose.

I don't know if this makes any sense. I don't know. Maybe I'm just talking out of my ass.

I do know that I am so very happy that I have my wife. I love her so much. I couldn't possibly go through any of this without her.

I have to work on this video slideshow featuring pictures of my brother Robert. But I can't bring myself to finish it yet. I can't look at all those pics just yet. Especially those old pics of me and Robert as kids. It's too hard right now.

I'm pushing forward though. Creatively and professionally. Still gotta work.

And so I push forward. With a heavy heart. I push forward.

I'm tired. Otherwise I'd continue to type about The Dallas Mavericks and why I'm really pushing for them to win the NBA Finals.

Another post perhaps.

Thank you, all of you, who've shown your support, given your condolences, and blessed me and my family with love, caring, and positive energy. I and we truly appreciate it.

Huge Electromagnet and Pit Balls.

Exactly what I would be doing if I had spare time.

Dallas Mavericks

Taken from Sports Day DFW.

Kuya

 

My brother passed away this morning.

My big brother. Robert Prejusa. I'm just so glad you don't have to fight this anymore.

I'm so sad I couldn't be there. But I am very happy I was able to come this past March.

Look, I know you were worried. About your family. About Tammy. About Matthew and Sarah.

I hope you can see now, there's no need to worry. They'll be fine. I'll do what I can to help them.

But they are strong and they will always have your love to warm them.

I know you're worried about Dad. So am I. But he's told me not too. He says he's ok.

Also, he has Mom there to keep him strong. He'll be fine.

And don't worry about our brothers Phillip, Noel, Dominic, and Dennis.

Like me, they have loving wives to support them, and a big family that they can count on.

Don't worry about Allan. I worry about him too sometimes, like I worry about everyone in our family.

But he is strong, whether he realizes it or not.

Allan, if you're reading this, you know you can call me whenever you need me right?

That goes for any of the Prejusa's. If you need to talk, you can call me.

And don't you worry about me. I'm ok. Well, I will be.

I have Juli. And as usual, I have my dreams and goals.

I told you. If you get better, then I'd finish this movie and you could make the premiere.

I guess you held up your end. I mean, honestly it's kind of cheating,

but I guess you're technically better now.

So I'll finish this, and you can see what I've been working on.

And I'll dedicate it to you. My Brother. My Kuya.

I always looked up to you.

Whether you realized it or not, you taught me so much.

You raised me just as much as Mom and Dad did.

You inspired me, and still do.

I will always be your little brother.

I know you know it, but I will say it here anyways. I Love You.

 

 

 

 

5 of the 7.

Re-post From Twitter.

My brother's condition isn't improving much. He's requested to stop treatment and head back home with hospice care. It's not what I wanted, or what any of us wanted, but he's had a long hard fight, and if he feels it's time, then it's time. He heads home Saturday. After that they say it'll be about a week and a half. Right now it's just about making him comfortable. Thank you all so much for your prayers and positivity. I appreciate it so much more than I can say here.

Just Keep Swimming

Have I used that title before? I think I have.

I'm a little Pixar inspired right now, well, actually I'm almost always Pixar inspired. I believe they are one of the few studios truly turning out great cinema and story telling right now. But I am more so than usual as I've watched the documentary THE PIXAR STORY for like the third time.

Pixar seems to really nail the essence of storytelling that I love in cinema. Something that I hope to really capture in my own movies. This is such a great documentary about the creation and evolution of Pixar Studios, and involves much talk about the making of Toy Story and Toy Story 2, and really delves into the creative process involved in telling great stories like they do.

Thank God for Netflix Instant Watch. Thanks to our brand spankin new Bluray Player, we're able to connect our big flat screen to the internet and watch anything off of Netflix Instant Watch. Technology just blows my mind.

It seems to be my only source of entertainment that I can squeeze into my hectic schedule. Well, that and my obsession with the Wii. I know, I know, everyone else has moved on to Playstation Move or XBOX 360 Kinect. Sue me, I'm not exactly a bit video game guy and as a newbie I'm blown away by the active fun of the Wii. I've even figured out a way to get a decent workout just by playing Wii Sports Resort.

My brother is ok, sort of. It's up and down right now. He can communicate. Some by speaking, but he can write notes perfectly well. I wish I could be there to see him, but I don't think I can make it back to Texas at least for a while. I am glad I was able to be there a few months ago.

That trip to Texas was an eye opener for me. I blogged about it once, and I wanted to get into more detail with another blog, but I've been too busy. Also, there was a sense of magic and mystic about that trip that I've been trying to hold on to, and I think I was partially afraid it would all go away if I spoke of it too much. Like making a wish, if I tell it, it won't come true.

I will say that I've been trying to hold on to those inspiring feelings, trying to combine it with the inspiration I already feel on a daily basis. Letting it fuel me and my work.

Speaking of work, REDD is moving along. I still need a few bucks, and I don't know where it's going to come from, but I'm gong to continue to get whatever footage I can. We shoot again this Friday and Saturday. I'm REALLY hoping we can get a good chunk of footage shot. I'm going to get back into more fundraising efforts soon for REDD, especially as we collect more impressive footage.

Been working on Ad jobs. Here's the latest Ad I shot for Yamaha Motors. Yes it involves paper crafts again. Seems to be my lucky charm.



Got a bunch more ads and projects to shoot, and this Saturday is going to be rather hectic. We've got the REDD shoot, The Dallas Mavericks are in game 3 against the Oklahoma Thunder (GO MAVS!), It's Judgment Day, AND Justin Timberlake is hosting Saturday Night Live. And if you have never seen JT host SNL, then you don't know what you are missing. FRICKIN HILARIOUS!

The following Weekend we're having a HUGE garage sale, in an effort to clean out clutter, make a few bucks, but for me really, it's about cleaning out that clutter.

Ok, now I have to think about making a commercial for DISCOUNT TIRES.

Oh and if anyone knows of a Cave area and an Air Conditioned Warehouse we can shoot in (in and around the Winston Salem area) please let me know.

We got him

To the men and women who fight to protect out country, To those families who have lost loved ones on 9/11, my love, my support, and my deepest respect go to you.

And I know this is the big news story right now, but I do want to say that I am thinking of those in the south who were hit hard by the storms. So much damage and still so many people missing. If you can, please make a donation to the Red Cross.

http://www.redcross.org/

We started shooting this past Saturday for Redd, and my brother is improving. I'll be posting more about all that later.

Feel free to head over to the official site for REDD.

http://www.reddmovie.com

Check out the blog or the photos section to see some of the new pics from the shoot. Like this one:

Working and Practicing

I am just blown away by the death and destruction in all of the towns hit by the tornadoes, especially in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Juli and I use to stop there when we drove cross country. We stopped and spent the night there, got dinner, and drove around half joking about how we should get a house there. It kind of became our 3rd home. 1st and 2nd going to NC and TX.

It's been heart breaking to see the footage of the devastation, and even more so to keep seeing the body count rise.

On happier news, my Brother is improving. Yesterday, April 30th, was his birthday, and I'm just so happy he's still around to celebrate it. He's got a ways to go, but it's looking good for him. Thank God.

And speaking of God, I get the feeling a bunch of people may have been a little freaked out about my last video on MAY 21st being Judgment Day. I think some folks see the title, and just don't watch it, and then make assumptions about me. When really it's a comedy piece, and I thought it was hilarious.

No I do not think that May 21st is judgment day. Yes the video I made kind of makes fun of that. Watch it, I think it's hilarious. But I guess it would help if you were a fan of 80's movies. Some very 80's references in that vid.

Yesterday, April 30th, we started officially shooting for REDD. And it's all coming back to me now. The tiring hours of rehearsal, dealing with the props,. the costume bits, the lighting, the camera, and dealing with the overall awkwardness of shooting outdoors. Thankfully the weather was nice, but I know it won't be like that alot of the time we are shooting this movie. I'm anticipating heat in the future.

I am terribly sleepy. I'm going to lay down now. I'll do a proper update later.

Something's not right. I'm going to need to ponder this for a bit.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

MAY 21st. JUDGMENT DAY?

I've made a video about the controversy surrounding this supposed date for God's Judgment Day / End Of The World.

Sadie says it

If I were to sum up and express my beliefs, it would be equal to this video. Thanks Sadie.

April Rundown

Great weekend. Hotel, Sinatra, Steve Lippia, Prime Rib, Mavericks game, brunch, and my brother is able to speak now. I'm happy things are working out and anxious to work on things to continue make things better for ourselves.

Part of me feels the more I can work on things movie wise, the better my brother will get, and the better life will get in general.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

YES!

Just got an update on my bro. He's improving greatly. Breathing on his own and everything. Big sigh of relief. He's even smiling. YES!

I'm so very thankful for all that I have and all the opportunities available to me. Despite the ups and downs, I'm doing alright.

Sorry, just sitting here eating lunch and it hits me how lucky I am. I really appreciate this life.

And now I kinda want a smoothie.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

ROUGH ROAD

This post is from the Blog for my current production REDD. I'll most likely be posting a more in-depth blog about my trip to Texas soon. But for now, enjoy.


It's been a rough road indeed. I've been doing preliminary work on this production. Working on props, re-writes, still doing a bit of casting, and securing locations.

My family in Texas informed me that my big brother, Robert, was having health issues and he was admitted to the hospital in late February. I was worried about him of course. Later in March they told me he had a heart infection. Things were getting serious. My family was worried, and I was distressed being so far away from home. I'm in North Carolina. Me and my wife were planning a trip back to Dallas in May. I hadn't been home or seen my family in 6 years. I was hoping that our first trip back wouldn't be because of bad news. So I waited day by day for updates on Robert's condition.

Late March I had reconnected with my old friend and usual set photographer, Julie Keels. We discussed REDD and the details of her involvement, and how I needed her talents as a photographer. Literally the next day, she would wreck her car in a horrible accident. The following week she would pass away.

I was already distressed about my brother, and now a close friend has suddenly been taken.

The day of her funeral my brother Phillip called. He said I needed to come home as soon as possible. Things were not looking good for my Big Brother. I wouldn't get to go to Julie's memorial service. We packed up and headed for Dallas asap. My worst fear had come true. I was headed home to say goodbye to my brother.

I was in Dallas from March 26th to April 3rd. It was a roller coaster of emotion. The surreal familiarity of coming home after so long. The heart break of seeing my brother in that hospital bed. The ups and downs, going from very profound dramatic moments all the way to the goofy comedy that still exude from my family, even in times of pain.

In my first visit to see him in the hospital, it was rather rough seeing him in such bad shape. He couldn't speak, and because of the meds his reactions were slow. The best you could hope for as a response would be eye blinking, and movement from his right hand.

I let him know he was a big part of what inspired me to make movies. We would watch movies and he would explain things that I as a kid wouldn't understand. He would be a strong part of my long history as a movie fanatic. I told him he had to start getting better. If he did, then I'd finish this movie and he could make a full recovery and come to the premiere.

He looked at me. I could see in his eyes he could hear me.

It was looking bleak. One day we had a meeting. We discussed Hospice and then Funeral Arrangements.

The next day, he started to show signs of improvement.

All of a sudden things were looking up. Thank God.

The rest of my time there was very profound and moving. Lots of nostalgia. Being with family, seeing my old hometown, walking the very streets I ran around in shooting my first feature film. Seeing locations from my second feature film. Driving past the old movie theater where I spent years as a projectionist.

I realized I needed to be here, at that exact time, to experience exactly what I had experienced. To remember where I came from and how I started making movies.

It was the shot in the arm that I needed. To feel that, to reminisce and be with my family, and to tell my brother what I needed to tell him. With everything starting to look more positive, I was ready to get back to work on REDD. To get back to work on making a movie.

As it stands now my brother is not out of the woods. There are still some hurdles for him, and it may be a long fight, but he's still in this. He's not done yet. And the best I can do is root for him, stay positive, and keep my promise. He'll get better, and I'll make a movie.

As for the great Julie Keels, I'm sad she is gone. But I'll celebrate her by doing what she and I always connected on. The movies. I respected her talents as a photographer and in her honor I'll do my best to make every shot of this movie cinematic and picturesque.

I want to thank everyone who has shown this production support. And to those who knew what was going on with me, thank you for your kind and caring words and your prayers, it is greatly greatly appreciated.

The first round of funding on Kickstarter is done, but we will be starting up another round very soon.

Production wise, re-writes are about done, we still have a bit of casting left, and props to finish. We start shooting this month and we're on schedule to finish up this summer with a fall premiere in North Carolina and in Texas.

Please like us on Facebook for more details:
http://www.facebook.com/reddactionhorrormovie

Feel free to check out my blog post about my friend Julie Keels.


Seriously, thank you, all of you.

- Patrick A. Prejusa

HOME

Home in NC. Got back from Texas last night. What I thought was going to be a depressing trip turned out to be pretty awesome. My Brother is not completely out of the woods, but he is improving, and he looks alot better. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support. I believe your positivity has made a world of difference.

I'll post in detail of our full adventure back to my home town in a bit, but right now I've got MUCH organizing, unpacking, and regrouping to do.

More soon.

There is a lot of love in this family. It feels wonderful to feel it again. At this point, anything can happen with my brother. No matter what, in the end, It's going to be about love.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7