Smalltimore the Movie

Red Rover, Red Rover

2010-01-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

Hey! Why are you still reading this? Come over to the new blog, www.steelcorsetproductions.blogspot.com! Please become a follower (eww, that sounds kinda creepy) and RSS it! Happy New Year!

Moving On

2009-12-26T22:41:00.000-08:00

Wow. Two years! Two years since I threw myself into all this, full force. Five years since I wrote the first draft of the script. 16 months since production on "Smalltimore" began. One year exactly since I screened the rough cut. 8 months since the (near) finished product (made a few small tweaks since then). 7 months since our first festival. 5 months since our first award. And four years exactly since my friend Thom, whom "Smalltimore," is dedicated to, died.

I am exhausted, and this is going to be very short. I have been sleeping like a log for the last several nights, now that my plate is nearly cleared. Giving myself a little break before the next big push forward, pursuing distribution, begins. Big screening is past, DVD is available for sale, almost 200 are already in circulation! Christmas is over, have low-key plans with friends for New Year's Eve... time for a little breather.

This afternoon I took my Mom and my brother to see "Dreamgirls" at the Hippodrome for their Christmas present, and I just got back from spending a couple hours at The Havana Club for Kelly Coston's birthday. My hair smells like cigars, but it was worth it to hang out with Kelly and Cheryl for awhile. I really do love that they turned out to be such great friends to each other, as well as friends of mine.

Tomorrow night I will see some more Smalltimore friends, Tucker and the boys et al will be playing at the Cat's Eye Pub in Fells Point for the 4th Annual Thom Hickling Memorial Party, and Phil Calvert promised to meet up with me there. You should join us!

Sorry this is a rather boring post, but it truly is just me winding down after a very long haul. There is still a lot more that lays before me, many miles to go, many challenges to overcome, and I hope you will keep following me through them. Thanks to those who have become my regular readers, and thanks especially to those of you who have been with me from the very beginning (or have gone back and read from the very beginning to catch up!). I look at my blog stats every day, and it is very gratifying to see so many repeat viewer, and viewers that spend a long time on the site. Eases any guilt I have for being long-winded :)

This is my final post on this blog. I have holiday company for a few more days, but soon I will make my first posting on the new blog, www.steelcorsetproductions.blogspot.com. Please add it to your RSS feed and continue on my journey with me. Two years into it, I still learn something new every day, and I am not expecting that to change, ever. I absolutely love that!

I hope all of you are having a fantastic holiday season, and whether 2009 was good to you or if you cannot wait to lay it to rest, I hope you all have big things to look forward to in the New Year, I hope that you have created or are creating great opportunities for yourselves. I myself am looking forward to laying my head on the chopping block - over and over again. Hold my hand?

What's Your (Guilty) Pleasure?

2009-12-21T11:49:00.000-08:00

Soooo, let me just preface this by saying this was not my fault. I blame the blizzard. See, Channel 23 was SUPPOSED to be broadcasting the Steelers game at 4:15pm. BUT, since the Ravens game got pushed to 4:15 so the Chicago Bears had time to get to town, I couldn't see the Steelers game (except for the amazing last two minutes of it!). So, I was innocently flipping channels and landed on - "Top Gun". The Volleyball Scene, no less. Gay, straight, whatever, you all know what I am talking about, don't even lie.

I remember very specifically the first time I saw "Top Gun", in the theater. It must have been the summer after my brief stint at the University of Pittsburgh (having already received the highest honors in my double-major, Pool and Quarters). It was two of my best friends, Lauren and Ace (both of whom I am very happy to say I am still in touch with), and I, and I think we went to a weekend matinee at the dive-y theater in a strip mall on Route 30 in Latrobe. Volleyball Scene on the big screen? Oh, yeah... If they re-released it I admit I would go pay to see that.

Not too bad on my 42" screen neither. So I lingered. They were all there... Iceman, Hollywood, Wolfman, Maverick... Goose, thankfully with his shirt ON... I was transported back to my slack-jawed youth.

This, however, was the first time I was seeing the movie as a filmmaker. Since I had come in late, it wasn't much longer until the worst part - when Goose dies. It still makes me cry. Say what you want about "Top Gun". Yes, in retrospect it was quite possibly the most homo-erotic movie ever made. Brokeback Mountain has nothing on Fightertown. But Goose's death scene still holds up, the montage that follows is heart-wrenching, and no matter how much I hold it together up until that point, when Meg Ryan touches Tom Cruise's face while she smiles and cries at the same time and his jaw twitches while he tries not to lose it, I do. I honestly think it was the best acting either one of them have ever done.

Another movie from my young adulthood has been playing non-stop on the TV Guide channel - "Dirty Dancing". If I didn't know it backwards and forwards before, I do now. I do think it is a great movie, and there is a line that I have borrowed from it for 20 years:

"I carried a watermelon?"

Remember that? The first time Baby meets Johnny? She is so flustered, that is all she can think to say, and then he walks away and she repeats the line, incredulously berating herself. When I meet a hot guy and say something ridiculous, upon retelling the story to my girlfriends, I follow up with that line, and they all know what I am talking about.

Like "Top Gun", "Dirty Dancing" takes me back. I was living in a two-room studio apartment with my then boyfriend, later husband, even later ex-husband, in Pittsburgh. I don't think I saw it in the theater. We had HBO so we watched it probably ten times. Our relationship had some (loose, and non-dancing) parallels to Johnny and Baby's. He was only a year older than I was, but with more life experience. Even at 20, I was still pretty naive (I know, hard to believe, right?). We were very young and very happy. Not really worried about where life would take us. Just happy to be together, and not thinking that anything could ever be more important than that.

I could tell you lots of stories like that, about which movie makes me think about what period of my life, and I am sure you have many similar stories. These blasts from the past have made me think about how I, and others, will think of "Smalltimore," 20 years from now. It is already a little dated for me, as I wrote the first draft five years ago, and parts were based loosely on what was going on in my life at the time. Life is not as dramatic as that for me these days. Well, I guess it is, just in different ways.

When I was writing the script, I purposely left out any political remarks or other statements or scenery that might date it. The first draft had a reference to Murphy Brown, and someone who read the script, who was about ten years younger than I am, had no idea what that was about. While I was watching "Top Gun", it was the soundtrack that really dated the movie. Every other aspect of it could be taking place right now. Remember? "Highway to the Danger Zone," "Playing With The Boys," etc... It made me think about my own soundtrack. I think it is going to hold up over time. So much of it is rockabilly... a little techno, a little hip-hop... and some beautiful ballads, some of which I first heard ten years ago, so I think they will last.

Something in "Dirty Dancing" that made me smile and think, "80s", even though the movie was supposed to take place in the 60s, was Jennifer Grey's permed bob. Which, incidentally, looks remarkably like Kelly McGillis' 'do in "Top Gun"!

When I was teaching my pre-production class at the Creative Alliance a week and a half ago, I was talking about soundtracks, and how in this town there is no excuse for a bad one. I gave a few examples of bad soundtracks, like, "He's Just Not That Into You." One of my students asked me if I thought this, and other production value things we were talking about, really mattered to the average movie-goer, or if only filmmakers noticed these kinds of things. Yes, I certainly notice these things more now, but these are the types of things that can pull you right out of a movie. I explained it to her like this: I grew up in the restaurant business. When I lived in D.C. I managed a four-star restaurant in a posh hotel. It is easier now, but for years it was difficult for me to really relax when dining out, because I notice everything. To this day, I know when I am in a very good restaurant - when I don't pick up on things like mismatched silverware, or the waiters thumb touching the food on the plate as he serves it.

The devil is in the details. When I am so wrapped up in the story that I forget I am watching a movie, then I know it is a good movie. There are so many things that can pull you right out if that, though. Bad acting, bad lighting, blatant continuity issues, scoring that has nothing to do with the mood of the scene, dialogue that doesn't ring true... just everything.

Anyway, this is just pure stream of consciousness today. I did see snippets of "Dirty Dancing," again yesterday, and I did finally notice something that I have never seen before. When Baby first says, "I carried a watermelon," then it cuts to Johnny's face. He gives her a strange look, walks away, then it cuts back to her and she says the line again, to herself, "I carried a watermelon?" Between those two lines, while the camera is on him, you can see Baby's profile but you are focused on Johnny. Next time you see this scene, watch her instead - you'll see that she mouths, "I carried a watermelon?" before you hear/see her say it again. Now it is always going to bug me. And now it is always going to bug you!

Taking Stock

2009-12-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

Only nine days left of this blog, before moving on to the new one, www.steelcorsetproductions.blogspot.com. Don't forget to add it to your RSS list!

At the moment I am sitting in my office, waiting for a few more people to pick up their copies of "The Red-Headed Menace," the short we made this summer. Of the people who have picked up so far, 75% have also bought a copy of Smalltimore, and I got an email today for an order of 4 more copies. Nope, I haven't gotten any further in the Amazon/UPC mess, but I haven't tried, either. Probably this weekend when we're snowed in.

This time of year people get very strange. Everyone is stressed out in one way or another, and I think this year especially people are feeling the pinch. In the last couple weeks I have had friends who had their car broken into, one even had his car stolen, and last Saturday when I was walking out of the Creative Alliance after teaching my class there, I saw an actual fistfight. You always see strange people when walking around this town, but lately they have been coming out of the woodwork. It makes sense, though. Naturally this is the time of year that people take stock of their lives (and their bank accounts). Some people don't have much to be happy about, and being bombarded with this holiday crap probably doesn't make their lives any easier. That Lexus commercial where the voiceover guy debates whether the traditional big red bow on top of the car, you know, when you are GIVING SOMEONE A LEXUS, is passe or not, really gets on my last nerve. It doesn't annoy me because I want a Lexus, I think they look very boring and aren't half as hot as my 2000 Mustang convertible. It annoys me because it is flat out obnoxious.

I find this time of year a little tough, too, because so many people focus on what they don't have instead of what they do have, and I don't have a lot of patience for that crap. It's almost like everyone got all their gratefulness (is that a word?) out of the way over Thanksgiving, so now they have to focus on the negative. Most of the people I hear moaning and groaning don't really have it so bad. Are you healthy? Have a roof over your head? Friends? Then stop borrowing trouble and realize how blessed you are.

Personally, I am probably going to lose my job as well as my apartment in the next 6 to 12 weeks, through no fault of my own. Due to the movie, my credit cards are all maxed out, and I will likely find myself unemployed during the dead of winter, when people aren't hiring waitresses or retail employees, let alone anything that pays more than minimum wage. I just spent $600 at the vet, and one of my dogs is probably on his way out soon. He is 14, almost completely deaf, and more than half blind. Okay, that part makes me really sad, and now I am crying, but, I will enjoy his company for as long as I can and try to focus on the positive. As for the other stuff, I've been deep in debt before and I've pulled myself out. I have friends and family who won't let me end up living in a cardboard box. I always land on my feet. It is kind of exciting, actually, to see what happens next.

That's what I am likely looking forward to in the coming year, some good stuff, some bad stuff, some challenging stuff. I'll survive it all, I'm not worried. Looking back over the last year, well, the last two years since I really dove headfirst into this movie business, I can honestly say I don't regret a moment or a penny of it. There are events or periods of time, choices I have made or things that have happened beyond my control, that I can reflect on and see that when I came out on the other side of them, I was a different person and I could never again be the person I was before. Like after I moved from D.C. to Baltimore, or after 9/11, or after my Dad died. And definitely after making this movie. It might sound strange, but this experience has been as life-changing as any of those that I mention here. And in a very positive way.

There is not enough bandwidth in the internet to go into every detail of it, but if you have been following me along my journey, you already know a lot of what I am talking about. The bullet points are:

1. I made a frikkin' movie. After I decided I was going to do exactly that, every time I watched a movie and more importantly, all the credits at the end of a movie, my heart beat faster and I felt like someone was sitting on my chest. Look at all those names! How the hell am I going to get 100+ people to help me on this thing? How does anyone EVER make a movie? But, I did it. And there are over 100 names in my credits, too.

2. I'm not scared of anything anymore. Not that I was scared of a lot to begin with (hairy spiders, deep water, and Ann Coulter not withstanding). If there is anything I am hesitant to believe I can accomplish, there is a DVD case within reach that says otherwise. The most surprising benefit of all this is that I am SO much better at meeting and talking to strangers. It's exciting and has opened a lot of new opportunities to me.

3. I accomplished exactly what I set out to do with this movie. I know that not everyone in the world is going to "get it". This is a different side of Baltimore. To outsiders they might think it is the "underground" Baltimore, but if you live here you know it is the every day. My friends as well as strangers I have met at the screenings, the people who are artists, writers, musicians, the creative community of Baltimore - they love it. They tell me I did them proud. I don't have delusions of grandeur that this movie will ever receive a theatrical run (unless I am renting out the theater). But through all the changes the script went through, what I wanted to manifest onto that screen was all there. I am so proud and lucky to know these incredibly talented people, and this very special place where we gather, and I wanted to show that to the world. I believe I did.

4. And most importantly, I found my calling. I had no idea. But now I have no doubt. This is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. And I can't begin to explain how exciting that is.

Anyway... my holiday advice, for what it's worth... try to focus on the positive. One thing that drives me a little crazy about a lot of people in this town is that they would rather complain about their lives than get off their butt to do anything to change it. No one is going to do it for you. Take some chances, be fearless, and don't think you're going to get anywhere without paying your dues. And probably maxing out your credit cards.

The Neverending Story

2009-12-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

Man! All I want to do is sell my damn DVD and NO ONE is making this easy for me. I checked out selling on Amazon.com, it SEEMED pretty straightforward. I thought I read all the fine print, but maybe I didn't. I did read the part where it says that they can cancel me for any reason at any time, but I can't cancel them for 90 days. So, fine, I committed to that, gave them my credit card number... all going swimmingly until I try to actually upload inventory. Then it is pages and pages of paperwork (I am trying to do this online because I HATE paperwork)... and the big news is, in order to sell DVDs, you have to have a UPC number. Great googly moogly. Can nothing ever be simple?

So now I am researching how to even GET a UPC (Universal Product Code). And the one universal thing about it is, no matter where you get it, you have to pay for it. The question is, how do I know I can trust the site from which I am purchasing it? Ugh.

I have a few musician friends who sell on CDbaby, I bet they know. I'll check with some of them.

I hate this stuff. I REALLY do. Reading instructions, filing forms, ack, it is like walking uphill through waist-deep mud to me. But, hey. I figured out how to make a whole freaking movie, I can figure this out. It's just not nearly as sexy as making a movie.

Recovery, and Hanging With the Talent

2009-12-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

[ My first marquee!!! Very exciting. And many thanks to Alvina Chu for taking this photo, as I barely had time to glance at it. I didn't even have a moment to take a photo of me in front of it! Oh, well... ]

Today was AWESOME. Got up around noon, guilt-FREE. Nothing that needed to be done right that minute. I could get used to this, what do you call it? Breathing? Yea, it's nice.

Yesterday was what I will consider my final big film-related obligation for the year, teaching my first pre-production class at the Creative Alliance. I had seven students and the class ran from 10am-4pm. I really had fun doing it, and everyone was very engaged, asked a ton of questions, and we crammed a LOT of stuff into 6 hours ( 5 really, with the lunch break). If I do it again I will try to have it go til 5pm, the last hour was pretty rushed just to squeeze everything in. I truly enjoyed it, and they seemed to also (hope so!), and I even sold Smalltimore DVDs to 5 of the 7 of them!

I got some dinner on the way home and made plans with Phil Calvert (Thom, in Smalltimore). Poor Phil was out of town for work during the screening Wednesday, so he missed it. Cheryl Scungio (Gracie) was having a gathering at her house last night, and had invited me when I saw her at the DVD release party. Since Phil hadn't been there, I thought it would be a nice surprise to bring him along, especially since Kelly Coston (Mel) was also going to be there. I picked up a couple bottles of wine (the internationally recognized price of admission for party crashers) and went home to freshen up.

Timing out how long it would take to brush my hair, feed my dogs, pick up Phil, and get to Cheryl's at a reasonable hour, I had exactly 15 minutes of time not allocated to anything. I had been up until 3am Friday night, after having attended Mob Television's Very, Very Special Christmas Special at the Creative Alliance and then spending a couple hours finishing work on my class itinerary. My sleep pattern has been screwed up for weeks, I am sure mostly due to the stress of putting together the screening & party, and then the class.

I jumped into my bed, fully clothed, laid down as perfectly as I could in order not to wrinkle my clothing, set my alarm for 15 minutes later, closed my eyes and I was out like a LIGHT. I was out so fast and so deeply that I actually dreamed within those fifteen minutes. All my huge (albeit self-imposed) responsibilities were behind me! For the moment, at least. Maybe through Christmas. New Year's if I am lucky.

Anyway, that catnap did me wonders, and I went to get Phil. On the way there got a call from Cheryl, and turns out she was having a formal dinner party until 10pm and we weren't supposed to come over until then, I had misunderstood (or more likely, forgotten) exactly what she had said at the party Wednesday. Which actually worked out fine because now I had time to stop by Henderson's Wharf in Fells Point, where my artist friend Charles Lawrance was having an exhibit, followed by part II of the exhibit at his gallery, Fin Art (which was filmed as Moxie Gallery in Smalltimore). Phil had never been there because he wasn't in any of those scenes, so it was fun to introduce him to Charles and show him around. Charles does a lot of different stuff, but the bulk of his work are these AMAZING paintings depicting all kinds of fish underwater, they are incredibly detailed and beautiful. And unfortunately, a little out of my price range. But his girlfriend Cherise, had some gorgeous photos of her own on display and I did buy one of those. And, need I say it in this town, I ran into a few people that I know but had not seen in quite some time, I also met some people who know Tucker, and another guy who said I looked familiar, who, it turns out, lives like 3 blocks away from me.

Oh, but a little earlier, I found out via Facebook (the most efficient method of spying on friends and acquaintances, unless, of course, they have a blog detailing the minutiae of their lives) that Johnny Benson (Bentley), who was also stuck at work on Wednesday, was off work and had no plans. So I called him and invited him to crash with us, though I didn't tell Phil so it would be a surprise for him also.

Cheryl's house, as described by one of her friends, looks like it is made of candy. It is simply adorable and perfect, white picket fence and landscaped pond included. Her shed, which of course, looks like an equally adorable miniature house, is heated, so that she can put her cats out there when she has company that may be allergic to them. She thinks of everything.

Phil and I arrived at ten on the dot - and they (about 15 guests) were just about to START eating. Oops. But we brought wine, so they let us in. As expected, everything was perfect. Tablecloths and center pieces and gold liner plates and, I am absolutely not joking, very detailed hand-painted wooden Christmas tree ornaments, each a different holiday scene, tied around each set of silverware with a matching ribbon. And when I say hand-painted, I mean hand-painted by Cheryl. As I marveled at all this, Cheryl's friend James who was visiting from England asked me, "Did you see the pine cone?" I had not, so he brought it to me. What otherwise would have been a strangely-shaped, fat, semi-rounded conical blob of cheese spread had been transformed into what indeed looked like a pine cone. Because Cheryl had painstakingly individually placed almond slices in vertical staggered rows around the cheese lump, from top to bottom. It looked beautiful and it tasted even better.

Kelly was there when we arrived, apparently she was helping Cheryl and James with serving dinner. She looked very pretty and was behaving so... demurely... that one of Cheryl's friends, Reggie, who has met Kelly under more normal (or rather, less normal) circumstances kept giving her a hard time. She held her composure, though. Everyone was rather dressed up, and Phil and I were passable. About 20 minutes later, Johnny shows up wearing a biker jacket, skull t-shirt, at least twice as much jewelry as I was and one of his many signature belt buckles. I love Johnny.

Did you ever see the movie The Fifth Element? It was kind of like that. Suddenly, it seemed, things took a turn. Kelly and Cheryl were being very grown-up before Phil and I got there. Phil and I tried to be as unobtrusive as possible, since we weren't really supposed to be here for dinner, though we were cutting up a bit in the kitchen with Cheryl and Kelly as they carried platter after platter out to the buffet. Then Johnny showed up, and now there were FIVE Smalltimorons in the house, and it was all over but the crying. You know, the crying that happens after you laugh so hard it is the only thing left to do.

We had a fantastic time, and I was really happy to be able to spend an evening with the four of them, especially since Phil and Johnny had not been able to make the show. I know they were feeling little left out, and though they missed a few minutes of the limelight, I think the five of us being able to spend some quality time together instead of in a throng of almost 200 people made up for most of what they felt they missed. It certainly warmed my heart.

Pre-Pro 101

2009-12-10T19:46:00.001-08:00

With all the hullabaloo, I have forgotten to mention it lately - if you are interested in seeing how it all comes together (and sometimes how it doesn't), come take my one-day Pre-Production for Independent Filmmakers class THIS Saturday at the Creative Alliance!

http://www.creativealliance.org/events/eventItem1985.html

Holy Moses on Toast

2009-12-10T12:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry no pic today, last night was one long, incredible blur and I did not have a moment to take a single photo of my own. Luckily many of my friends did, including some of The Charles Theater marquee that said "SMALLTIMORE" that I barely had time to glance at (but it looked very cool when I did). I'll have some for you soon, here and on the "Smalltimore, the movie" Facebook page (link in the sidebar).

I don't think I could have had more fun last night if I tried. I was so wired I could not go to sleep until almost 5:00am, and then I woke up just after 9:00am and laid in bed for a couple more hours reviewing the whole night in my head. As I tried (fruitlessly) to go back to sleep, I became aware that as I lay there with my eyes closed I was smiling from ear to ear. Like I am right now!

Great turnout to the screening, over 200 people, which is superb considering that we also had over 200 people in the spring when Smalltimore premiered at The Wind-Up Space, and especially great considering that people had to fight rush hour traffic on a cold and windy weekday night to get there.

I met a LOT of new people that had heard my interview on Maryland Morning on Monday and came out not because they know me or anyone in it but just because it sounded interesting. Many of them (and almost all of my friends) came over to The Wind-Up Space afterwards for the DVD release party. Getting feedback, good and bad, from all kinds of people is important, but nothing is as gratifying as having total strangers go on about how much they love your movie. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE hearing it from friends and people I know, but you expect your friends to be supportive. An unbiased audience is a much harder, and truer, test.

The party was just... amazing. Could not have been better if it had been raining champagne. I can't believe how lucky I am to know so many talented musicians. And the BEST part was that since they each only played one set, I got to hang out with them! I love going to my friends' shows, but it is a little bit of a drag that I usually don't get to CONVERSE with them much. Even on their breaks between sets I have to battle their other friends and fans for a few minutes of their time. But last night I got to really spend some time with Jen Swartout, Lauren Young, Tucker and the boys, Reina Williams, Brynn McCoy, and Tom Boynton and The Remnants. And they got to show off their skills but enjoy the party also. And everyone of them was such a pro, I didn't have to direct traffic at all, they all stuck to their time limits and swapped out their sets smoothly and did not cause me one single second of stress!

And Russell DeoCampo (owner of The Wind-Up Space)... what a great guy. Not only a supporter of the arts, but a SAVVY supporter of the arts. It is such a fantastic space, designed specifically to be adaptable to all sorts of events, exhibits, and parties celebrating any media you can think of. Hard to believe it has only been in existence for a year and a half. I am really glad I was filming when I was, before they got so busy that they are open every night of the week (thanks to my friend Elizabeth for suggesting the WU as a location last year!).

Then there are my stars... Cheryl Scungio and her Tall Entourage ruled the roost, she must have had 20 people with her! Kelly Coston was a riot as always, even though she kept slipping away from the dance floor and I kept dragging her right back to it. Orlando Gonzalez came up all the way from Miami, and brought his own posse including Johnny Alonso and Frank Lama. Phil Amico was there, too, I can always count on him. And Kyle Holtgren brought all the cool kids. Darik Bernard made it to the screening but couldn't stick around for the party, but it was good to see him. I really love that my cast loves to get together whenever we have a chance. That truly means a lot to me. And OF COURSE Regina Guy was not only on board, but helped me run the show from setting up at The Wind-Up Space before the screening at The Charles, til breaking down after last call!

Director Steve Yeager came to the screening, as did my screenwriter friend Rob Pawloski. I met each of them when I took their (individual) film-related classes at the Creative Alliance, and from there we became friends. But friendship aside, I have so much respect for each of them within the field, and their support means a lot to me. Rob splits his time between L.A. and Baltimore, and I didn't even know he was in town, so that was a great surprise!

And last but not least, my loyal-as-the-day-is-long friends. Mikey B. hopped a train from NYC immediately after work yesterday, coming straight from Penn Station to The Charles Theater just in time for the show, staying at the party until almost the very end and even helping Regina unload the tables and supllies back at my house afterwards. We were up until after 3:00am and then he had to get a train back this morning before I even got up, he has to work this afternoon. Eric Thornett drove in rush hour traffic from D.C. and also stayed pretty late. He has been to all three Baltimore screenings, and made some comment about this being the last premiere of the same movie he is coming to :) . Michelle made it, just barely, as not only was she quite sick, but she had to push her friend Megan who was in a wheelchair with a broken leg!

My girl friends Lisa, Janet, Alvina, and Elizabeth each took a shift at the DVD table, and Lisa and Jan helped sell tickets at the theater also, freeing me up to schmooze it up. They, along with the rest of my Dougherty's Pub crowd (Jody, Michael, Allison, Rob...), set up shop at a large table near the door. So I always had a designated place to take a deep breath, get a hug, or have someone hand me a slice of pizza.

I am wiped out, but very, very happy with how everything went. Thanks to everyone who came out, and please know that even if I did not get to spend a great deal of time speaking to you individually, your support means the world to me and it keeps me doing what I am doing. Much love to all!

The Homestretch

2009-12-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

I am trying very hard not to lose momentum, but man, it isn't easy. Don't get me wrong, I am VERY excited about the screening Wednesday night at The Charles (7:00pm) and maybe even more excited about the DVD release party afterwards at The Wind-Up Space (9:00pm), but I am also excited about next week, when I can go five minutes without saying the word "Smalltimore" (and I am sure that a few of my friends will be glad when that time comes as well.

But, that's marketing. Blitz, blitz, blitz, repeat, repeat, repeat. It's not really my thing, but I think I am getting better at it.

By the way, WELCOME to all my new readers! Hope you stick around, maybe even sift back through a few posting and see how we got to where we are now. This morning's interview (Tom Hall on WYPR talking to me about "Smalltimore" - http://mdmorn.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/127093-smalltimore/ ) seems to have given the blog a big stats bump. Love it.

The interview was actually taped Friday afternoon, and what aired was only about half of it. I think when my Mom hears the podcast, she will be equal parts proud and mortified. I must have said, "you know," about a hundred times. Which is actually very unlike me, but, I was more nervous than I thought I was going to be. I have gotten SO much better about speaking in front of crowds (it used to terrify me), but now I am discovering that I still have, maybe not stage fright, but... media fright. If I know I am being taped (video or audio) I get butterflies. Oh well, one more thing to conquer. Just not this week. Anyway, apologies to my Mom, and to Sister Mary Agnes, my 10th grade English teacher. I am sure she is absolutely SPINNING. I had no idea I kept saying that until I heard it myself this morning. How embarrassing.

But hey, it got some of you here, so I am not complaining about the free press! Tom Hall and his producer Katherine were very nice and I was in and out of there in 20 minutes.

It is all coming together. Have to tie up just a few more details tomorrow. It is exciting. It is also exhausting and nerve wracking. I am this way before every big event, though. For a decade I was known throughout the land for my killer Christmas party. Friends that I would not hear from for 8 or 9 months would suddenly resurface, starting late September, just to say hi (i.e., make sure they were invited). People travelled cross-country and even internationally to be there! The last one was held two years ago, when I announced my intentions to become a filmmaker.

I used to do photography and I had several exhibits in Baltimore and D.C., and twice I organized group shows of 6 to 10 artists. To any such events I have had great turnouts, but there are always those moments in the days leading up to them, where I stress and wonder if anyone is going to show up. I know it is only natural, and every artist friend and party host I know has the same feeling before every show, no matter how many times they have had huge successes. Still, it doesn't get any easier. The larger the party the bigger the worry, and this is by far the largest party I have ever thrown! I know it is going to be great, though. I am so proud of the musical line-up at The Wind-Up Space I could practically burst. I promise, you do NOT want to miss this.

Well, I have to get going. Heading down to the Creative Alliance for the monthly Cinelounge meetup. If you are a filmmaker, or film lover, or actor, writer, director, musician, whatever... you should start coming to these things. They happen the first Monday of every month, it is always fun, great networking, and you get to see new films and works in progress before anyone else. And, most importantly, the cash bar is open. Click the link in the sidebar to check out all of the CA's film related goings-on, INCLUDING my one-day seminar on Pre-Production for Independent Films, this Saturday at the CA!

And to my new readers, hope to have you here again soon. This blog is usually less commercial and more whatever goofy-but-film-related thing is going on in my life, so after Wednesday (well, maybe after Saturday), it will go back to being a little more entertaining, when I am a lot less stressed. So bookmark us, and see you at The Charles THIS Wednesday, December 9th, 7:00pm! Tix to "Smalltimore" $10 at the door.

Turning the Page

2009-12-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

Writing offline again, while the computer is tied up printing DVDs. I won't even tell you how many I've printed. I'm almost done.

Talked to Michelle yesterday and I did tell her how many I printed. I forget what she said, something diplomatic, but I know that tone in her voice. It was her, "Don't be disappointed if it doesn't happen the way you think it will..." voice. In other words, she doesn't think I am going to sell that many DVDs. I like it when she doubts me. It makes it that much more fun when I prove her wrong. I sold sixteen yesterday, and I got an email from my friend Doug in Mississippi saying his check was in the mail for his own DVD. Seventeen! Plus Cheryl already ordered 5 extra... twenty-two. Well on my way. And, like I told Michelle, if I don't sell them all in one night, it's not like they are going to go bad!

I was going to go out again tonight, distributing posters, postcards, and see if there was anyone out and about, but it is disgusting outside and I am feeling something coming on, been sneezing all day, so I am playing it safe in my cozy apartment. Tomorrow is not supposed to be so gross, so I will spend some more time on my one-woman media blitz then. I have quite the hit list lined up.

There are still 8 or 9 festivals that I am waiting to hear back from, expecting notifications starting a couple weeks from now, spread out through March, I think. From early November through January there are very few festivals going on. After the screening next week, I will sift through Withoutabox.com and submit to a few more, and then that is it for festivals. The next step will be seeking distribution, which I have not even touched on one bit yet. Some filmmakers would not choose to self-distribute before seeking professional distribution. There are pros and cons to everything. I am too practical to think that some studio exec is going to show up on my doorstep with a distribution deal and a dozen roses. It may happen if I work very hard at seeking it out, but the word "distribution" isn't as big a deal as most people think it is. A lot of times, that means that the filmmaker signs over any and all rights to the film and never sees a dime. We've all heard how "Paranormal Activity," was made for a measly $11,000 and now it is a nationwide sensation raking in millions, right? Um, has anyone seen the filmmakers on any talk shows? If you have, I am sure they are not talking about the millions they made on it. That would be the studio that picked it up, possibly for less than $11,000. I haven't looked into it, but I will, and I'll get back to you.

People (i.e., filmmakers especially) get caught up in that word, "distribution". And it is nice to be able to say that, and don't get me wrong, I WANT to be able to say that at some point about "Smalltimore." But, like I said, I am practical, and the other thing is, it is not just my money. I have a responsibility to my Executive Producers to get them their money back. Well, in theory, or actuality even, I don't, because they each knew going in, I was very honest and painted as dark a picture as I could, that they may never see a dime of it back. But, in my actuality, I am not going to be able to rest until I do get them their money back, at least to break even. First of all, so I can sleep at night, and secondly, hell, I want to make another movie! If I can prove to my friends who were so generous with me the first time that I could get them their money back when I had no idea what I was doing, hopefully I can do a lot better the second go-round!

My decision to self-distribute was based on the old adage to strike while the iron is hot. Right now, people know about "Smalltimore." I meet someone new at least once a week who says, "That's you? I've been hearing about that! How can I get a copy?" Well, you can show up at The Charles Theater next Wednesday, December 9th at 7:00pm for the screening, then come to the DVD release party at the Wind-Up Space right after and buy one for yourself! I know some people who have been holding on tightly to their movie for years, waiting for that phone call or email with an offer of distribution. The longer they wait, in most cases, the less money (if any) they are going to get for it. I certainly don't know everything about this business, but I know my current demographic. And that is, all of my friends and current Baltimoreans that this movie represents, and all of the people who helped to make it. Those are the people who want their hands on it now, so why pass that up? I don't know where I am going to be five years ago, let alone where all these people who want my movie now are going to be. What am I going to do, Facebook them in 2014 and say, hey, do you still want to buy a copy? I am not going to let any moss grow on my feet. Over the course of the next year, if you run into me somewhere and you don't have a copy yet, I'll be happy to sell you one out of the trunk of my car. I am not afraid to make my investors' money (and mine) back for them $15 at a time. I am not going to let my ego get in the way of my responsibilities.

Anyway, moving on. Literally. Let's recap briefly, so you can understand what a huge process the whole thing has been. I wrote the very first draft of the script exactly five years ago. I didn't do much with it for two years, then I spent a solid year rewriting it. Two years ago, at my last big holiday party, I unveiled the rough trailer (click the video in the toolbar on the right, the one with me in it) that I had made in secrecy, and announced to all of my friends and family my intent to make a movie. At that time I started my first movie blog, www.charmcitythemovie.blogspot.com. I spent the next 8 months in pre-production, continuing rewrites up until only a month before we starting filming on August 1, 2008. Two weeks of production, a handful of pick-up days a few months later... and on December 27th, 2008, as promised, I screened a rough cut to cast and crew. At that event I also revealed that the true name of the movie was "Smalltimore," and started the new blog that you are now reading, www.smalltimorethemovie.blogspot.com.

In this past year, I have never stopped doing my best to make the movie better and just get it out there. Even after submitting it to more festivals than I care to admit, I continued tweaking and editing. It has been to festivals in England, Philadelphia, and California. It won "Best Director," at Indie Fest in Anaheim, where we screened at the AMC Theater smack in the middle of DisneyLand, even beating out a very good film that I saw there, "House of Fallen," which starred Corbin Bernsen and C. Thomas Howell.

Every time I watch, "Smalltimore," and believe me, I have lost count by now - especially lately, when I have been watching one from each batch to make sure they are burning correctly - I see things I would do differently, and things that, if I wanted to, I could still do to it to make it better. But, there comes a time when you have to say, that's it; it's done. Could it be better? Of course. "Gone With The Wind," could have been better. This is my first film. I can live with it as is.

Anyway, the point I am meandering to is, it is time to move along. I have kept you updated on here about any other movie-related things I have been working on, and just like I have done that while my main focus has been "Smalltimore," it is almost time to swap those priorities. Of course these last few weeks, and at least the next one, has been All Smalltimore, All The Time. But this is our last big hurrah, at least the last planned big hurrah. Like I said, I'll continue to get it out there, a few more festivals maybe, and strong pursuit of distribution. Maybe another Baltimore screening next summer, we'll see what the market will bear. I would love to show it at a drive-in, how fun would that be? But if I am to be serious about turning this into my next career, I can't be a one-trick pony. I need to expand my horizons, and move on to new projects, mine as well as working on other people's.

On December 27th of this year, I will retire this blog on its one year anniversary. Like www.charmcitythemovie.blogspot.com, (in theory) it will remain in cyberspace forever, so you can always refer back to it if you are so inclined. At that time, I will begin a new blog, www.steelcorsetproductions.blogspot.com. Still me, still doing what I do, just, you know, in a broader spectrum. I hope to be able to generate the degree of name recognition for Steel Corset Productions that I have been able to drum up for "Smalltimore". I hope to have a lot of new adventures, and take even bigger chances. And I really hope that you will come along for the ride.

UnchartED Waters

2009-11-30T22:23:00.001-08:00

[Me at Dingman's Falls in the Poconos, near Mikey's cabin. Just cuz.]

Well... this is a feeling I don't quite know what to do with. I am finding myself... relaxed. There is nothing at this very moment that I should be doing, or need to have already done. My computer is tied up right now, burning DVDs from the duplicator, so I can't get online. I am typing this as a text file and I will cut and paste it later. I am actually kind of bored at the moment. I don't have anything to... stress about. Except, you know, my credit card balances, but they are what they, and hopefully I can put a big dent in them and recoup some of that next week. But right now... the Charles Theater is reserved for the screening. The Wind-Up Space is reserved for the DVD Release Party afterwards. I don't think I mentioned it before, but when I first called Russell DeoCampo, owner of The Wind-Up Space, about a month ago to see if the date was available, it wasn't. Another group who regularly holds events there had something scheduled for that evening. But, they are friends of Russell's so he did me a gigantic favor (he offered, I didn't ask) and called them and got them to reschedule on another night (since the date at The Charles was locked), which they graciously agreed to do. Russell is awesome like that.

All the graphic design stuff is done. That was A LOT. I drove Kyle crazy for more than two weeks. He put together the (two-sided) postcard, the poster, the DVD disc art, the DVD cover art, and the movie ticket stub art for me. His reward in Heaven shall be great. I just picked up the posters and postcards today, and ordered the DVD covers and tickets. They should be ready by Friday. Tomorrow I will start plastering the town with the posters and postcards.

I did put out a press release with a DVD screener at the beginning of the month to the local publications (The Sun, City Paper, Urbanite, Baltimore Magazine) but haven't heard anything back. I am sure it is too late for the magazines, but maybe the papers will still put out a review for me this week, so keep an eye out. Can't hold a gun to anyone's head. I hope at least one of them will come through for me. I do have an interview on Maryland Morning (WYPR) early next week, can't wait for that!

And most importantly, since this is a DVD Release Party, after all, I am well into the process of duplicating DVDs. Refer back to the maxed out credit cards. But, I have to believe I will recoup that. Filmmaking is like religion, there are huge leaps of faith at every turn. With all the people that were involved in the making of "Smalltimore," and others who have done me "Smalltimore" related favors since, I probably have to hand out about 200 DVDs just to keep my promises, before selling a single one. And based on all the people that have been asking me for months when they could buy one, I hope to sell a couple hundred more on top of that. So by the time I am up to around 400 or so DVDs necessary... only made sense to buy a duplicator myself. I still have to make 50 or so DVDs of The Red-Headed Menace on top of that, for the people who worked on that production and have been waiting to get their hands on a DVD. I'll admit I am a bit proud of myself for figuring this little machine out! It has become my new best friend. Sometimes it decides to stop cooperating, but if I am nice to it, most often I set it all up and then go about my business and I come back later to be rewarded with a stack of DVDs, burned, labeled, and ready to go. It's lovely.

So that's almost everything! When I get the DVD covers from the printer, Cheryl Scungio (Gracie) and Kelly Coston (Mel) have volunteered to come over and help me put everything together. Demanded to help would probably be more accurate. When Cheryl came over for the photo shoot for the promo art, she told me she would help and volunteered Kelly as well. This past Friday Cheryl stopped by to drop off payment for a slew of theater tickets (she recently told me that she had not allowed any of her friends to come to the May 3rd screening at The Wind-Up Space, because she couldn't be there), plus some DVDs and posters. She wagged her finger at me and said, "You better not let me find you buried under a mountain of jewel cases!" It'll be fun, having her and Kelly over. I'll get some wine and we'll knock the whole thing out pretty quickly and talk about boys.

I remember at the beginning of all this (two years ago now!), Sean Stanley, who was my rock, my consultant, and my sounding board throughout pre-production especially (but through to present day as well), asked me to answer a long list of questions honestly including, "How much are you willing to sacrifice for the project? Are you willing to max out your credit cards? Sell your belongings? Suck the proverbial dick?" I said yes, because I knew that was the right answer. I didn't think I'd actually have to do all of that, though. I was really good with my credit cards then, had good-sized limits but most of them had very small balances, and actually I only had a few at the time. So my credit was really good, which helped me to acquire a few more cards. And every single one of them is maxed out right now, and they lower my limits whenever they can. I had three yard sales over the summer, ruthlessly culling everything from my wardrobe to my book collection. And last year I even sold off my dark room equipment, every bit of it. No regrets. And the dick? Well, I don't know what to tell you about that. I've certainly kissed some ass. But that is necessary at some point in any area of business. I don't have to pucker as much now as I had to in the beginning, when I was largely dependent on the kindness of strangers. And that's nice. Most of it now is just making sure that I take the time, even if I have to make the time, to appreciate everyone who helps me along the way. I really do try very hard not to let any of that slip through the cracks, and let people know how much their support means to me.

I can tell you this, as I sit alone in my apartment, staring at stacks of DVDs and hoping I can find a $20 bill in an old coat pocket so I can go out for a couple beers at some point this week: I am happy. I mean, I am usually a pretty happy person anyway, but, above and beyond, I am really, really happy. I can't go anywhere without people hounding me about the screening, and everyone seems genuinely excited about it. If there is one thing I love to do, it is to throw a great party, and I know that next Wednesday night is going to blow anything I have ever done out of the water. I can't wait.

The other evening I thought to myself, is it maybe just a little sad that I don't have one special person (i.e., boyfriend) to share this with right now? I mean, it is just a whole lotta happy and that would make it even better, wouldn't it? But, funny enough, I knew right away, no, that wouldn't make it better, I've just seen too many sappy holiday commercials lately. This is way too big to share with just one person. This doesn't just belong to me. It is a triumph (yea, I said it) for so many people that worked so hard to make this happen, and I am especially proud of the artists and musicians and cast who gave everything of themselves to help me manifest this image of our Baltimore. The finished product is so close to what I wanted to show the world, the Baltimore that I love, that I would be hard-pressed to tell you what I would do differently. When my friend Adam from L.A. saw "Smalltimore," he actually got misty because he said, "While I was watching it, I was thinking, wow, that must be what it is like to have a big group of friends. You don't have that in L.A." Last week I was on the phone with one person from my big group of friends, my friend Ken, who was helping me to make some beer connections for the party. Ken had seen "Smalltimore" at the May 3rd screening at The Wind-Up. He said, "I never got a chance to say... so proud," (Ken gets misty, too). He paused for a moment and then said, "It's... us!" That was probably the best review I possibly could have asked for.

I have had a few people, very few, but they are out there and their opinions are valid, who did not like the movie, and even a few who did not like it a whole lot. That's okay. It would be statistically impossible for that not to be the case. Sometimes it is hard to shake off a scathing review when you have put all of your heart and soul into something, but it is part of the whole that cannot be avoided. What makes me able to shake it off is that I don't have one special person to share this with; I have hundreds (literally - watch the credits - and that's just the tip of the iceberg) of special people to share this with, because they are all a part of it. They are the people that made me fall in love with Baltimore. And they are the same people that sometimes make me remind them why they themselves love Baltimore. And that's why I made this movie. It's... us!

Cold Reality

2009-11-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

[DVD label designed by Kyle Holtgren. I have 82 of these babies hot off the press!]

In the immortal words of Roseanna Roseannadanna, "If it's not one thing, it's another..." Yesterday before heading to my uncle's for the family feast, I finally figured out how to work my very expensive DVD duplicator. It can make up to 50 in a batch, and once it gets rolling it only takes about 7 minutes to burn a disc. It was so nice to come home after several hours and have a lovely little stack of them waiting for me! I burned 70 yesterday, and it prints the labels (above) at the same time. I already had a dozen made, sans label, that I had burned from my laptop because I was starting to panic that I would never figure out the DVD duplicator. So last night I was so proud of myself, set the duplicator up to run another batch of fifty, made sure the first one went through correctly, and fell asleep very shortly thereafter to the sound of the next few finished DVDs dropping into the basket-holder-thingie. Then I woke up this morning to a grand total of FOUR completed DVDs and a message on my screen saying, "THE PRINTER IS NOT RESPONDING TO COMMANDS." Oh, AND no heat in the building. The very old, very draughty building.

So I decided to let the duplicator have a few hours off while I attend to the heat and some emails I needed to send out, including one more print job (the DVD covers) to the printers. Started making phone calls at 8:30am and just now received word from Pepco (who is supposed to have a 2 hour response time, under our contract, and who has a kinipshin fit if anyone else touches the boiler) that they will be here an hour from now. My fingers, toes, and nose are literally ice cold.

Plus I am still waiting on the delivery of my posters and postcards. I know the job is completed, and I was hoping to receive them on Wednesday. I use Grove Printing and they usually turn jobs around so fast it makes my head spin, but maybe the holiday this week has thrown a wrench in that. I hope they show up this afternoon, I really wanted to get some posters up around town by tonight so they would be up for two weekends before the screening.

I do have some good news, though, in that I have already sold 15 tickets, 5 posters, and 5 DVDs! Cheryl Scungio (Gracie, my lead) stopped by to drop off payment for all of the above, as I put the word out to cast and crew that they have first dibs on everything. Not to worry, I should have enough of all of the above for everyone. If I can get my duplicator to once again cooperate.

I am planning on pre-selling the hell out of tickets, though, so watch this space and/or the "Smalltimore, the Movie" Facebook page to find out where I will be and when, selling tickets. Oh, and next Friday I will be taping an interview for Maryland Morning at WYPR! It will air on that Monday, Tues, or Wed right before the screening. Of course I will let you know when to listen for it!

I have to go chop some kindling now. Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend!

The People in Your Neighborhood

2009-11-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

[Smalltimore poster designed by Kyle Holtgren!]

I am really starting to get excited now that I have a few more things off my plate, and particularly because some of those things are the layout of the promotional postcard and poster for the screening, which I shipped off to the printers (online) yesterday. By the way, if you need stuff like this, you should use Grove Printing (www.groveprinting.com), they are cheap, their stuff looks great, easy as pie to order online (seriously, if I can do it...), and fast turnaround time. Anyway, Kyle Holtgren (David in "Smalltimore" - he is a man of many talents) is my graphic artist saviour, and if you are making a movie that you eventually intend to promote, you need someone like him on your team. For a living, Kyle designs beer labels for Fordham Brewing, and they are honestly the most gorgeous beer labels you can imagine!

So Kyle is a triple threat - a little acting, graphic design, AND he works for a brewing company! Soooo, when we were filming, Kyle helped land me a few cases of Fordham Brew to use as props in "Smalltimore". Many of the scenes take place in bars, because (a) it is a movie set in Baltimore and (b) it is my movie. So it was quite helpful to have bottles of beer on the bar and tables and not have to hide the labels - a dead giveaway of a low-budget indie.

Another person who came in quite handy in that regard was my friend Ken "Lord of the Beers" Dean, who also happens to be the husband of my Production Manager, Rebecca Clear Dean. Ken tended bar for many years at Sascha's, and he also helped out the production by procuring even more cases of beer from his buddies at Magic Hat. If you watch closely when you see "Smalltimore," you will notice that Gracie always drinks Magic Hat No. 9, Bentley Always drinks Circus Boy (my Magic Hat fave), and Melanie always drinks Lucky Kat.

When making a movie, I am always thinking about production values, and using anything at my disposal - friends who are stunt men, gorgeous mansion homes of people I know, children, animals, artwork, music, whatever... but you also need to think about the people you have in your arsenal for behind the scenes stuff like graphic design, and alcohol supplies. Very important.

Don't be afraid to ask your friends if they would like to lend their special talents to your project. Most often people are not only willing to do so, but thrilled to be asked, because you know what? Making movies is cool. I'm not gonna lie, it is. I can tell you, and I have, about all the little crappy things that go into making a movie that most people don't think about, but even with all that stuff, it is cool, and fun, and I have yet to meet the person who doesn't think so. I used to feel guilty asking people to do things like come be an extra for 12 hours, which probably entails 2 to 3 hours of rolling cameras and the rest of the time just sitting around, often not being able to talk. I still feel a tiny bit guilty, but that usually goes away after we wrap for the day and I tell those people, sorry that took so long, hope you weren't bored to death, and they look at me with their eyes a little wider than usual and their cheeks sometimes a little flushed even and they almost always say the same thing, something along the lines of, no, that was really cool, I had no idea how much goes on behind the scenes, call me the next time you are doing something!

So when you are planning to shoot a movie, even a little one, think about those things, the talents of your friends, and put them to work. My neighbor Joe, a hairdresser, helped me out a couple days on Smalltimore, my friend Lisa, a cosmetologist, did make-up for me on my short The Red-Headed Menace, and a million other examples I could give you. You can't do it all yourself. Just ask Regina Guy, who has no less than FOUR credits in "Smalltimore". I work her ass off every chance I get, and she loves it, loves being on the set, being a part of the collaborative effort, loves being appreciated for the things she does well. If you don't believe me, ask her yourself on the night of the screening, as she will be helping me sell tickets at the theater and then selling DVDs at the party! Because she is awesome like that, as are Kyle, Ken, Joe, Lisa, etc, etc, etc... You probably have friends almost as awesome, put them to good use!

p.s. there will be a VERY limited run of 150 of the above posters for sale at the party. They are 13 x 19 and will be $5 each, so if you want one, snap them up fast at the party, when they are gone, they're gone!

And Even More Awesome News...

2009-11-18T13:42:00.001-08:00

[Will Lurie as Andrew in a scene from filmed in Fin Art, a.k.a. (in "Smalltimore") Moxie Gallery]

Yet another hot happening you are invited to:

Charles Lawrance exhibit at Henderson's Wharf & Fin Art in Fells Point, Saturday, December 12, 6:00pm-9:00pm. Come to an art exhibit in the real gallery (Fin Art) that serves as "Moxie Gallery" in "Smalltimore," just days after the "Smalltimore screening on December 9th!

Here is a production secret just for fans of "Smalltimore, the Movie" Facebook page and the faithful readers of this blog: in one of the Moxie Gallery scenes in "Smalltimore" (filmed in Charles Lawrance's Fells Point Gallery, Fin Art), Gracie says to Bentley, "Do we still have any Charles Lawrance pieces?" The room they are standing in is floor to ceiling paintings - every one of them a Charles Lawrance. Just my little inside joke and "thank you" to Charles for allowing me to film in his gorgeous gallery. Come see for yourself, and meet Charles. I'll be there, too!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=181078869572&index=1

The Mother of All Line-Ups

2009-11-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

[Very happy Madame Director]

I have thrown some KILLER parties in my time, ask anyone, but Ladies & Gentlemen, I have outdone myself.

I am ecstatic to announce that the SWEEEEET line-up for the Smalltimore screening post-party at the Wind-Up Space (Charles & North Ave) on Wednesday, December 9th(immediately following the 7:00pm screening of "Smalltimore" at The Charles Theater) is:

9:15-9:40pm Jen Swartout
9:50-10:15 Lauren Young
10:30-11:15 T.T.Tucker & the Bum Rush Band
11:30-11:55 Reina Williams
12:10-1:00am The Remnants

Don't be late! NO COVER!!! CDs for sale!

Onward & Forward

2009-11-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

[I hope to shoot my next short in this building, a creepy old Civil War-era jail. Am I the only one who sees the face of a bald inmate staring me down in this photo?]

Just a short one today, I have loads to do and have been distracted by Facebook and the Pittsburgh Steelers all day, nope, don't wanna talk about it.

The Poconos shoot is shelved probably until March. I need some distance from the piece right now. It is like in football, when your team is rolling down the field on an incredible drive and just as everyone knows you are about to score, the other side calls a time out and it messes up your whole groove. If I tried to immediately regroup and get it done, it wouldn't be good, and I just don't have time to do it well before the "Smalltimore" screening on December 9th, and after that the weather is probably going to make it too difficult, along with some scheduling issues.

So, gotta shake it off. I recently visited a Civil War-era jail that is under renovation. It is a very cool location and I have an open invitation to shoot there. The script has been stewing in my brain since I saw the place, and I believe I will get started on it soon. Just a short, but very different from things I have done so far.

Tomorrow I will be announcing here the final line-up for the "Smalltimore" screening post-party at The Wind-Up Space. If you are a fan on the "Smalltimore, the movie" Facebook page, though, it is old news to you because those fans get the info first. If you haven't become a fan yet, please click the link in the sidebar and get in the loop!

And now, I am off to tackle something I have been dreading but also am very excited about: setting up my brand-new DVD duplicator. There are a lot of instructions. I HATE reading instructions. But I am going to take my time and read them word for word and get this thing rolling. Miles to go before I sleep, piles (of DVDs) to burn before I screen...

Failure to Launch

2009-11-12T09:57:00.000-08:00

[Bar Louis in the Hotel Fauchere in Milford, PA. Sushi pizza here is the ultimate comfort food for me, and it is a good thing. See below.]

I can't even tell you how upset I am. Or rather, was. At least I can see straight now. Couldn't do that for almost three days. Ahhh, so many lessons learned this week. And absolutely nothing else accomplished.

I am still in the Poconos, staring at a sinkful of dishes and a mountain of food, much of it that will go bad if I don't give it away. Less than a week ago I was so far ahead of the game! This was going to be the smoothest shoot ever! Only two actors, instead of my usual cast of thousands, only 10 pages, only three locations, but the majority of it taking place in one house. I had had two great rehearsals with the actors, including blocking, and they had it down pat. I had gone to Sam's Club and put $350 worth of groceries on my card, the only one that isn't maxed out. 3 of the 6 people that were going to be on the shoot are vegetarians, but two eat fish, so what I saved not buying meat I spent on crab cakes and shrimp scampi. Had my car packed to the roof with all of this food, plus props, computer, dogs, suitcase, me... Got up here Saturday night, unpacked all of it by myself, took me about an hour and a half. Eric arrived a couple hours after I did, he needed to shoot some B-roll of a little town up here for his movie. We did that on Sunday, I talked to the grip, Kit, while she was on her way up, and when she was only a few miles away, I got a call from Michelle's girlfriend that she was sick and was not coming up.

No DP.
No gear.
No movie.

No kidding.

I don't really even want to talk about it, but this blog is for you, to show you the downs with the ups. I'm not going to go into detail about how I feel about the whole thing because I haven't really sorted it all out in my head myself yet. People get sick, can't do much about that. Kit was a good sport and I took her sightseeing the next day before she headed home. I was able to reach the actors before they got on the road. They were disappointed, of course. Disappointed doesn't begin to describe how I felt.

Eric had his camera with him but no mic or lights. He would have made the 7-hour+ roundtrip home and back if I had asked him to, he's a good friend like that, to get the gear, but it really didn't matter without a DP, and he couldn't take the next 2 days off work.

After Kit left on Monday, I felt like I needed to stay up here another day just to calm down, regroup, maybe come up with an alternate plan. But after thinking about it, I really have no time to do this all over again before the "Smalltimore" screening on December 9th. It is just too much. The DVD release is the priority now and I can't take my eye off that ball.

I got some emails taken care of and some other stuff related to the screening done, including final confirmations of the musical line-up at the post-party. Details coming soon, I'll save that for when I am in a better mood and can give you the news with the excitement it deserves. I'm calm now but quite depressed about the whole thing, and at the prospect of reloading the car with all this food. Giant pain in my ass. And nothing to show for it. Absolutely nothing.

I haven't felt this terrible since I was in the early stages of pre-production for "Smalltimore". I had been talking to someone about producing the movie for a couple months, I thought we were on the same page, and then he asked for money - money that I didn't have, and even if I did, couldn't see paying for production work. Production is hard work, it is a pain, and takes organization, connections, and patience, but it is not brain surgery. I'm not saying that producers aren't worth paying, I am just saying that I am capable of doing it myself. I wasn't sure of that back then, though, and I was terribly depressed because I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me. I thought this person wanted to be a partner because he believed in what I was doing, but it was just a job to him. I had gotten myself into the mindset that I needed him to get this done, and some of that was because he made me feel that way, that I didn't know what I was doing.

But after I got over being depressed about the situation, I got pissed off about the situation, and I was determined to get it done and get it done well, so I would never have to be dependent on someone like that, and so no one would be able to tell me that something takes longer to do or costs more than it does because if I did it myself I would know. And now, I do, and other people are asking me to produce for them. I never wanted to produce, I wasn't really interested in that end of it. But here I am.

And where here is, is that I am still dependent, too dependent, on people who know how to operate a camera. That has to change. And it will.

A Day in the Life of an Independent Filmmaker

2009-11-05T04:47:00.000-08:00

[Cheryl Scungio posing for cover art/marketing photo]

7:47am - wake before the alarm. Relieved I don't have to get up until 8:30am.
8:02am - give up on trying to go back to sleep, too many things on the "to do" list in my head.
8:10am - feed dogs. Feed self. Shower.
8:53am - start pulling food out of the fridge to arrange snack trays for actors for today's rehearsals for the short we are shooting next week. Decide to be generous and defrost some shrimp cocktail. Check shrimp and realize it is freezer burnt. Chuck it.
9:16am - Bring food upstairs to where we will be rehearsing. Rearrange chairs and tables to recreate the set so we can start blocking movements. Locate props and bring them to the set.
10:57am - actors arrive. Have an at-length discussion about areas of the script that they are not completely comfortable with yet.
11:12am - choose wardrobe from among the options they brought me.
11:31am - start rehearsal. Very heavy dramatic piece. End up chopping almost a whole page of dialogue. Work it all out until piece is very smooth and everybody is happy.
1:12pm - While showing the actresses how I want them to sit on the floor, I kneel on my skirt at the same time I am standing up and rip a big hole in it. Hike the waist up and pull my top down over the hole. carry on.
2:29pm - Nail the last scene. Everyone is emotionally exhausted. Decide not to over-rehearse, let the actors go half an hour earlier than scheduled.
3:03pm - order via phone the DVD duplicator that I researched online yesterday. Max out two credit cards in the process.
3:37pm - Cheryl Scungio, my lead in "Smalltimore", arrives for a brief photo shoot for DVD cover art and marketing materials. Hilarity ensues.
4:02pm - finally a moment to breathe. Haven't seen Cheryl in months. We catch up, talk mostly about filmmaking and boys.
5:13pm - Cheryl leaves. I hit the computer to email movie stills from "Smalltimore" to Kyle Holtgren. Kyle plays David in "Smalltimore" and he is helping me with the artwork/graphic design.
5:34pm - realize I forgot to plug in my Tom-Tom. Have to hand-write Mapquest directions to Kyle's office in Annapolis.
5:48pm - Cross several items off my daily "to do" list on the dry-erase board on my fridge. Smug sense of satisfaction until I get to the bottom that says "Balto Sign". I was supoosed to take a photo of a sign that says "Baltimore" for the cover art. It is now pitch dark out. I curse daylight savings time, and myself.
5:55pm - change into a skirt that isn't torn.
6:01pm - gather camera, directions, purse, phone, house keys, car keys. Exit house to drive to Annapolis. Cold air hits my feet and I realize I am still wearing my comfy sandals that were fine for rehearsal but have nothing to do with the rest of my outfit.
6:02pm - go back inside, change shoes. Realize I haven't eaten lunch, let alone dinner. Suck down some Bolthouse Farms protein drink. Go back to car.
6:04pm - realize I don't have the cord that connects my camera to the computer to retrieve the photos of Cheryl. Go back inside to get it.
6:06pm - Enter car. Realize that I left the paper with directions on it in the house when I went back in to change shoes. More swearing. Go back in house.
6:08pm - finally leaving parking lot.
6:27pm - stuck in traffic only three blocks from my house for 20 minutes. Somebody drove their car through a railing and onto the light rail tracks. MLK is blocked off. Traffic is a mess.
6:29pm - call Kyle. We decide to scrap meeting in person and instead he will rough it out and send me a proof. Need a drink.
6:45pm - call my friend Elizabeth. She is stuck in traffic also. Also needs a drink.
6:49pm - have made an 8 block circle and I am back home.
6:55pm - It's too cold to walk 4 blocks to Dougherty's pub in a skirt. Realize I have no nice clean clothes because I have been too busy to do laundry lately. Have to choose between cute & cold or comfy & cozy. Opt for the latter and throw on my Steelers sweatshirt hoodie and black jersey pants that usually don't leave the house.
7:07pm - arrive at Dougherty's. Regale my friends with stories of my filmmaking-related financial woes and make them all promise to come to the screening of Smalltimore on December 9th at the Charles Theater at 7:00pm, and also buy several DVDs. Each.
7:40pm - my neighbor arrives with a copy of the press release I sent him because my printer isn't working.
5:59am - wake up on my sofa, TV on. Grab my dogs and go to bed.
6:27am - give up on going back to sleep. Too many things on my "to do" list running through my head.
6:52am - blog.

Dog Days

2009-10-31T13:12:00.000-07:00

[This is my Max. You can tell he is asleep because he is not licking my hand. Or arm. Or foot.]

The last 24 hours or so have really sucked and it is both sucking my motivation to get movie-related things done and propelling me towards doing just that. I seem to do the best, and the bulk, of my work at night when no one can bother me. And since it is Halloween and everyone will be out, my phone should not be ringing and I should be able to get some stuff done. I was supposed to go to a party tonight (and last night, for that matter), but I am just not up to it.

It all started Thursday afternoon, and I am not going to get into the details of it, but work at my day job is really stressing me out, to the point that I couldn't get to sleep until almost 4:00am that night. Too much to explain, but one way or another, I am probably going to be out of a job, AND my apartment, by the end of January. Basically I am trying not to get myself fired before I get myself laid off. But they aren't making that easy.

So Friday morning I hand to have a confrontation with a few people. I had already had this confrontation two months ago, on the phone. This time it was in writing. It seems to have quieted down for the moment. We'll see.

Then in the afternoon I was googling to see how much word is out there about "Smalltimore". The good thing was, there is a lot, and it is popping up on other people's sites and pages and that's great. But also I stumbled across a review by someone who saw it at a festival, and this person ripped it apart, though they at least conceded that the production values were good. And I do agree with that person that the credits are too long and I am going to try to speed them up. But still, it was really brutal and it further soured my mood. This review was followed by someone else's review who saw it at the same festival, and that one was quite the opposite, that person loved it, so that was nice to read. But the wind was still sucked out of my sails. It is to be expected, not everyone likes everything. There are some movies out there that people go on and on about that I despise. Part of the game. Whatever.

What else... I thought my bulk shipment of DVDs and cases would have come in yesterday, and it is still not here. This is worrying me.

I was supposed to go to a costume party last night but didn't have a costume. I don't really like dressing in costume but I think it is also lame to go to a costume party without a costume. Turns out the decision was made for me. I was cat-sitting for my friend Greg (Greg generously loaned his house to "Smalltimore," it was Tony's house in the movie). I went over there to make sure Buddha had food and hang out with him for a bit. When I got there he seemed out of it, and long story short, I called Greg and ended up taking Buddha to the emergency vet. He didn't improve and they had to euthanize him this morning. Greg just lost his other cat a couple months ago, and the whole thing really sucks, though I am glad I was there to take care of Buddha.

So I get home from that ordeal and I find a man sitting in the dark in a parked car in my parking lot. I asked if I could help him and he got belligerent with me immediately. Which, of course, was EXACTLY what I needed to be coming home to at this point. He lied to me and said he was a driver for a guest at the inn. I knew this wasn't true and told him, "You need to leave, now." He replied, "YOU need to leave!" The only reason I was sure this guy wasn't TWELVE YEARS OLD was because he was a behemoth. So yea, that all makes sense, right? Park on someone else's property, and when a woman half your size who informs you she is the manager of the property asks you why you are there, become threatening. Makes perfect sense. Then I said I was calling the police. He said go ahead, call the police. Then he said HE was going to call the police. Then, I called the police. Then I called my neighbor to come over and wait with me for the police, because I just realized the guy may be nuts as well as being an asshole. The police came, and told the guy to get off the property. Sometimes I just hate people. Seriously, this guy had to be close to 50 years old and acting like that. WTF?

I'm just exhausted. Just been going non-stop for weeks now. I just need a couple nights to myself, to get things in motion for the December 9th screening, and to finish organizing the Poconos short that we are doing a week from Monday. I am not going anywhere tonight. Well, I am going across the street to help my neighbor Philip do his make-up before he goes to the party I was supposed to go to. But then I am hibernating and getting stuff done here. Just not in the mood to talk to people.

Which is why I posted this picture of Max. Max and my other Yorkie, Timmy (both can be seen in the opening scene of "Smalltimore"!), keep me sane through these kind of days. A little dog-snuggling goes a long way. Excuse me now, I need to get back to doing exactly that.

"No Rest For the Wicked...

2009-10-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

...and the good don't need it!" That's what my old boss used to tell me, anyway. Though I think he was just trying to get me to laugh about working 70+ hours a week. To imagine I want to get out of the hotel business and into the movie business! It isn't any less work, though it is more fun, and usually does not involve making beds (though even that comes into play from time to time when dressing a set - hotel management experience really does lend itself to moviemaking!).

The above photo may not LOOK like work, and it wasn't really, but it is still movie-related and I am still doing my part to promote Baltimore as The Place To Be for indie filmmakers. The guy checking out Orpheus' bum at Fort McHenry is my friend & fellow filmmaker Adam Bronstein ("My Movie Girl", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7gQ2mCu-PE), who was visiting from L.A. Well, actually he lives in L.A. but was on the east coast because his film screened in NYC last week and he has family over here and had been visiting his Dad in NYC and his Mom & sister in Philly, so he was almost here already, but it sounds cooler to say he was visiting from L.A. than he was visiting from Philly. Though now I've gone and ruined that.

Anyway. I've mentioned Adam before, I met him at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival in June. We stayed in touch and when "Smalltimore" screened in Anaheim he drove 2 hours through hellacious traffic to see it and did that again to come to the awards ceremony where I won Best Director. Then his movie screened in NYC last week so I went up there for that, then he came to Baltimore for 3 days to hang out. It was really fun showing him the locations where we filmed "Smalltimore" and he even got to meet and hang out with 3 of the actors.

While I was in NYC, in addition to seeing Adam I also got to see Mikey B, one of my Exec Producers, and another filmmaker, Vagabond Beaumont (http://www.machetero-movie.com/MACHETERO/Welcome.html). I had met Vagabond at my very first festival, The Heart of England FF, in June, and hadn't seen him since so that was fun. Also I went to see the Broadway show "Oleanna" starring Bill Pullman, and got to see him for a few minutes afterwords. If you go waaaay back to the near beginning of this blog (actually, the previous blog, www.charmcitythemovie.blogspot.com) you can read about Bill's influence on "Smalltimore". Too much to go into right now. Bottom line, he is a great guy, and has been a great cheerleader and very supportive of my efforts as I elbow my way into this world.

The day before getting to NYC I went up to Mikey's cabin in the Poconos with Michelle and her girlfriend/AC/right arm Megan, to do some pre-production for the new short we will be shooting in November. That was both fun and very productive, and we are all feeling really good about this project. In less than 3 hours from the time I am writing this, the two actresses in the short are coming to my place for our first read-through. I love this part of the process. Not everyone does this. I like to have this time to give my actors some input. I believe it strengthens the characters if the actors are given a chance to tweak them just a little, to work out any dialogue that might not come across as naturally in life as it does on the page, and to give the actors time to question me about the background of the characters. It helps them to own the part, as well as giving them a sense of ownership in the entire process. When we were doing the table read of "Smalltimore" last summer, several of the actors commented to me that it was very cool to have their opinions considered. That doesn't mean I changed everything they suggested, it is just that actors so rarely are asked for input, and they appreciated being heard. As a director it gives me a better handle on where they are coming from, and for the actors it gives them a chance to become comfortable with me and my style.

Of course there is a whole lot more going on on top of that. Last night was the Members' Committee meeting at the Creative Alliance, where we screen films that have been submitted for the next 4 months of programming and weigh in on if we think they are a good fit. Tonight I am going to go over some materials that were sent to me by Li Zhu, who I have worked with on a couple other projects and I will be helping her with casting her new short. I really love casting. It is like Christmas shopping to me, finding the perfect actor for the part is like finding the perfect gift for a friend. When it is perfect, you just know it, and there is such a satisfaction in that.

The big deal, of course, is the "Smalltimore" screening at The Charles Theater six weeks from now. I have to get together with Kyle Holtgren ASAP, he is going to help me design some marketing materials and cover art for the DVD, and I will probably have to get Cheryl Scungio to come in for a photo shoot so we can slap her smiling face on the cover and posters, since she's my lead.

Then there is figuring out how many DVDs to make and how to make them. I ordered the DVDs and cases in bulk yesterday, and dropped off the check for the theater rental the day before that... it is no joke that you have to spend money to make money. Actually, the saying should be, "You have to spend money to have a snowball's chance in hell of breaking even," but I guess that is not as catchy and slightly discouraging. Economics is so very... inconvenient. If I want to make 600 duplicates of the DVD, I can pay someone else to do it and spend $700-$1,000. Or I can buy a low-end DVD duplicator for about $1,300, not including ink cartridges. Or I can buy a better one for about $2,000. Or I can try to burn 25 DVDs a day from my laptop for the next month and hope that that doesn't kill my very expensive laptop. Which is the only option that at this moment I can actually AFFORD.

Buying the duplicator makes the most sense and it would pay for itself if I sell enough DVDs in the not-too-distant future. I just don't have the money to do it, not even on credit right now. So the best I can come up with for the moment is, start off burning DVDs from my laptop for the next 3 weeks, make only the minimum payment on my credit cards this month from my first paycheck and then with the remnants of my first November paycheck and pretty much all of the second November paycheck, buy the duplicator and I'll have it about 2 weeks before the screening date and have time to make a couple hundred on that, before killing my laptop. And then everyone I have ever met needs to buy at least two DVDs of "Smalltimore". This means you.

I am not saying all of this to complain, and it will work itself out, I always find a way. I am just saying this because that is what this blog is for, to let you know everything that goes into all of this, not just the fun and sexy parts that result in a decent final product or big event. There is a lot of elbow grease, and a lot of cold, hard cash, that go into both.

Not to mention time! Somehow in the month of November I have to pull all of this off, including casting for Li and shooting this short for 3 days in the Poconos. Oh, and on December 12, three days after the screening, I am teaching a pre-production class at the Creative Alliance (http://www.creativealliance.org/events/eventItem1985.html), and I need to prepare for that.

Well, I have to go get ready for the table read now. Put some snacks and drinks together for my actors (Megan Rippey and Julia Broder, if you're curious), and read over the script again to mentally prepare myself. It is a heavy drama and it will be interesting to me to see the difference in this type of table read. The one for "Smalltimore," was a blast, 15 people sitting around the table laughing our heads off. This time, just three of us, and one of the actors (Julia) I haven't even met in person yet, I cast her from seeing her at the Stonehenge auditions.

I think if I ever decide to get out of the filmmaking circus I might... join the circus! It is sort of like that, so much going on at one time, making sure each ring is under control and operating smoothly. Either that or firefighting. Lord knows I have enough experience putting those out! I probably wouldn't meet the height requirement, though.

More semi-incriminating photos of Adam Bronstein will soon be posted on the Smalltimore, the Movie Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Smalltimore-the-movie/54159809709?ref=ts. Keep up to date with Smalltimore happenings both there and here!

SMALLTIMORE DVD Release & Screening!

2009-10-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

[Cheryl Scungio, Johnny Benson, and Kelly Coston in "Smalltimore"]

I have been ridiculously busy and surprisingly productive lately, speaking at the film class at UMBC, applying for some local film-related fellowships, writing my film resume, finishing the script for the new short, going with Michelle to Mikey's cabin to do some pre-production for that short, scouting locations for the short AFTER that short (not yet written, still brewing), going to New York to see my friend Adam's film, "My Movie Girl", at the CMJ Festival (I submitted, too, didn't get in :( but very happy to be there to support Adam!), but most importantly, nailing down the big screening and DVD release of "Smalltimore" at The Charles Theater!

"Smalltimore" Screening & DVD Release
Wednesday, December 9th
7:00pm at The Charles Theater
1711 North Charles Street, Baltimore

RSVP here via Facebook to the Social Event of the Season! All are welcome!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=191001070349&index=1

There will be an EPIC post-party very close by, immediately following the screening. Details to be announced soon. Hope to see you there!

I am exhausted, but will write more when time permits. Enjoy my brevity for the moment, we both know it won't last :)

Racking Up the Credits

2009-10-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

[Mikey's cabin in the Poconos, the location of my next short film, being shot later this month.]

How did I get so busy? Ya know, I have to stop asking myself that. I accepted a long time ago that at this point in my life there is really no such thing as "down time." If I am NOT busy, then I am in trouble...

Earlier this year, though don't ask me to pinpoint exactly when, I decided that, in addition to pushing "Smalltimore" at any festivals I could get it into (3 so far, all of which I attended this summer, one at which I won "Best Director"), I decided that I would dedicate the rest of this year to working on other people's projects in order to bulk up my resume with screen credits. Well, I got my wish. And no, I am not going to say, "Be careful what you wish for," because I am very glad to have gotten my wish, even though every moment that I take to breathe these days leaves me feeling a little guilty that I am not busy working on something.

So, what have I been up to? Well, you already know about my short, "The Red-Headed Menace," that we filmed in July and won the Judith Reinart Independent Spirit Award for in August, at the 29 Days Later Film Festival. "TRHM" screened again this past Monday at the Creative Alliance at the monthly Cinelounge meeting. That was really fun. Great turnout, loads of great feedback. After we screened, along with 2nd ("Tiny") and 3rd ("Apnea") place winners from 29 Days Later, I had to go up to the stage with the other two filmmakers for a short Q & A. It was only later that I realized that not only was this the first time I went up to a stage for something like this without my heart beating faster in a bad way, but I actually felt very comfortable and really enjoyed it. I never thought I would get to the point in my life when public speaking did not terrify me, but here I am.

Along those lines, but skipping ahead, this weekend I am preparing to speak at a class at UMBC next Tuesday taught by Kimberly Moffitt on the subject of Film in Baltimore. She is giving them the link to this blog today so thought I'd give them a little shout out. Look forward to meeting you guys! Last year Kimberly found me after reading something about "Smalltimore" online, and asked me to speak at her class last December. That was pretty nerve-wracking at first, but it turned out that I really enjoyed it. When I left that day, which was their last class before final exams, she told me that some questions on their final would be about my presentation. How cool is that? I was glad to get another call from her this year, looking forward to it. There was a time when I would have only thought of standing in front of a class like that to be pure torture, and here I am wishing I could do it more often. That is the beauty of filmmaking. You can't even imagine all the amazing lessons and personal growth that come with putting yourself out there like that until you actually do it.

But, as usual, I digress.

So, to update you on the other projects I have my hands in: last weekend I got back to work on the feature, "The Rosens," with Director Steve Yeager, though this time in addition to being Assistant Director I have also taken on the responsibility of Co-Producer, which basically means I do a bit more leg work in between filming days to help find locations, props, personnel, etc., that make the operation run more smoothly. Such as, I got Regina Guy on board to do Craft Services during the weekend shoot. Always great working with her, and partaking of her famous homemade chili :)

You already heard about "Please God, Someone Normal," so I won't recap that again. Other projects I have been asked to participate in but as they are still in early pre-production I have yet to get my hands very dirty, but will before year's end: one of my Production Assistant interns from "Smalltimore", Shernay Williams, is producing a short with her writer/director brother, and I will be doing some consulting with them next week and possibly through the length of the project, due to be shot in November. Another PA intern, but this one from "Ju-Ju: The Witch Doctor Chronicles,", Li Zhu, who also served as Assistant Camera on "The Red-Headed Menace" is preparing to shoot her thesis piece for Stevenson University and I will be doing some consulting and likely some production work for her. Normally, I would not be excited about working on a student film, but Li is such a perfectionist and I know that she has such a sharp eye that she will make certain that her piece is flawless, and I know the final product will be something that I would be happy to have my name associated with. Shernay's project as well. I read her brother's script and I think it has great potential.

So, there are a couple more screen credits. I wouldn't do just anything for screen credits, though, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't let my name be put on something unless I was proud to be a part of it. Another project that is very early in the works is an untitled short by Craig Herron. It will be heavy on the computer-generated effects and I haven't worked on anything like that before and I am looking forward to that getting off the ground. I will likely help with the script and on the production side.

Production isn't really what I want to get into, but I am good at it and there is a demand for those who are. It is problem-solving, creative thinking, event planning, and putting out fires. Pretty much exactly what I have been doing in hotel management for the last 20 years.

And finally, once again I am creating my own slew of screen credits by writing, producing, and directing another short, tentatively titled, "Skeletons." Michelle Farrell and I are teaming up again to shoot this at my friend (and one of my Executive Producers from "Smalltimore") Mikey's cabin (above photo) in the Poconos. "Skeletons," is a very heavy, dramatic piece with only two actors, so it will be very different from my previous work. I am looking forward to the challenge, and to challenging Michelle (i.e., driving her crazy) to make this no-budget short look like a million bucks.

On top of all that, I have been writing up proposals and filling out applications for a couple of local fellowships that could, if they so choose, award me with film gear and work space. Don't want to go too far into that and jinx it, so I'll let you know the outcome.

But the thing about those fellowships, and about the big hopes I have for what will be going on in my life a year from now (more on that after January, don't want to jinx that either), is this: bottom line is, it doesn't matter. I want these things, I really want them, I feel I deserve them and I could do justice to the people who might award me these things by giving back to them a quality product which is really their goal, to help an artist to do exactly that, and they would make meeting my own goals a whole lot easier, but the bottom line is: I will do it with or without them.

I am not saying that in a way to thumb my nose at anyone, that is not what I mean. What I mean is that, if you are going to do something like this, you just have to freaking do it, and you can't depend on anyone to help you get it done. I spent over a year, after deciding to make "Smalltimore" a reality on screen, thinking that I was dependent on other people who knew more than I did helping me to get it done. It was not until several people along the way did not live up to my (possibly ridiculous) expectations did I say to myself, screw this, I AM getting this done, one way or another. And I did.

Once I did that, as I have talked about before, other people that I had not expected to help me stepped forward and gave me support that I could not have dreamed of asking for. That's the way it goes. But you can't count on that either. You just have to move forward. None of this is brain surgery. All of it is hard work, and getting your hands dirty. The trick is to be above nothing. That is what gets people's attention, and respect.

Big in Japan

2009-09-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

[At the Indie Fest Awards with Sotu a.k.a. the CannibAlien, whose short "CannibAlien" also won]

I promised on the STM Facebook page that the next posting would be about the photo on this link:

http://ameblo.jp/cannibalien/image-10344096510-10255080138.html

I can't seem to copy & paste the pic, which sucks because I really love this pic! It is even better than the one above. Everything on the page is in Japanese, though, so I can't tell if there is a way to do it that I can't figure out.

Well, ALMOST everything is in Japanese. The caption of this photo reads "CannibAlien Can't Eat Rat". I was quite taken aback by this. I thought maybe Sotu thought it was a page I would never see and he was outright insulting me! This hurt my feelings, because he was very nice at the film festival and I talked to him several times. But finally I found that using one of the buttons that are in Japanese, I could scroll through other pictures of him with the mask at the awards night, and in all of them, he was pretending to eat some screaming person, and under each, the caption was, "CannibAlien Can't Eat Rat." Maybe it is a generalization about Americans, or maybe this is a ridiculously funny joke in Japan that just doesn't translate. Couldn't tell you.

Without rehashing everything I have already told you about Indie Fest and how weird it was to be in freakin' Disney Land by one's self, I do want to tell you a little about Sotu (as I only know a little about him). I believe he is the writer/director on CannibAlien, but I am not sure because his English was limited (though 100% better than my Japanese), and that is not the name on the credits.

I think Sotu was the only other filmmaker at the fest who was traveling by himself. The first day, he asked me where the sign-in table was and I pointed it out to him. The second night, I was standing in front of the theater waiting for the nightly Disney fireworks to start. He was nearby and kept looking at me. I knew he wanted to talk to me, but since for the first day and a half no one was really socializing, I was sliding dangerously deep into solitary mode. All these things were going through my stupid head,

Jeanie, for pete's sake, just talk to the poor guy, he obviously wants to talk to you, and I don't think it is in a hitting-on-me way at all, I am not getting that vibe, he's just alone, like you, in this weird place, which is even weirder for him because it is a foreign country, just give him the green light to say hello, you are probably looking like a stuck-up bitch right now, just SAY SOMETHING,

He kept lurking about and finally started talking to me, and I think we were both relieved. After that, it was all good and when we would run into each other at the fest we would smile and chat for a minute, and I was very happy for him when his short won because it was honestly REALLY good and he seemed to relax and have a lot of fun that night.

I just flipped back through the posts I wrote from Indie Fest, and I can't believe I didn't mention Bob Keiper. He is an actor who had a short in the fest. I met him at the Opening Night Party, while we were in line waiting to go into the ballroom at the Disney Hotel. He is an older gentleman, and asked if he could cut in line with me, his family was already inside. We exchanged vital movie-related stats while we shuffled slowly to the door, and once inside, he invited me to sit at the table with him and his wife and the director and producer of his movie, "A Dance of Two". Bob lives in Northern Virginia and we had a lot to chat about, and I spent a good bit of time talking to his very sweet wife, also. They both talked about how Bob was not usually very outgoing in a crowd of people that he doesn't know, so it is hard for him to force himself to network. Of course I said, me, too! Later, Bob and I walked around a little bit and did exactly that. It was easier to do it with someone who felt the same way. I've taken that walk sometimes with people who are VERY good at schmoozing and I can sometimes become a shrinking violet in that situation. But here was Bob, who has not only got a few years on me but is also SAG, and he is just as shy as I can be when I am out of my element! To have a compatriot in that situation made it a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable.

When I first got my feet wet in the biz, I thought I was the only one who felt that way, but in talking to a lot of filmmakers, I have found out that it is really the norm. We're all in the same boat. We are in an unfamiliar city, sometimes even in an unfamiliar country, putting ourselves on display via our films, waiting to be judged, hoping for the best and almost constantly just wishing someone would talk to us.

At the Heart of England Festival, my first, it was cool because everything was so contained, and none of the other filmmakers had brought a traveling companion, and most of them were American, so we just automatically hung out together. In Philly, I was a bit overwhelmed, it was much larger, much more spread out, social gatherings every night, and everyone was rabidly marketing themselves. Mikey was there with me, and in retrospect, I will admit I used him as a crutch and was not nearly as social as I should have been, though I did meet several people there with whom I am still in touch.

But Indie Fest really sealed the deal for me in a way, and it is frustrating to me now to not have another festival lined up because now I think I've got it. I met some people there who made some GREAT movies, and some of them had rather large groups with them, but they seemed really happy when I would make the rally call, "Let's go have a drink at the House of Blues!" Winning Best Director gave me more confidence in my abilities in that capacity, but attending these festivals has given me immeasurably more confidence in my self, and I am finding myself to be comfortable more and more often in situations that not that long ago would have completely stressed me out.

Some filmmakers put WAY too many expectations on the festival circuit, and others think it is a load of crap and there is little to be gained from it. The people who keep their respective faiths at those opposing extremes are missing much of the point and most of the fun, in my opinion. I went into this with no delusions of grandeur, and personally, I think they were worth every penny.

....But It Wouldn't Mean Nothin'...

2009-09-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

[Top, A.C. Abbott, writer/director of "Disowning Claire," one of the funniest and best films I saw at Indie Fest 2009 in Anaheim; Below, Indira Somani, who won Best Documentary for "Crossing Lines" at the Heart of England Film Festival, my female compatriots within the Boy's Club of filmmaking.]

[p.s. new pics of Indie Fest 2009 can be seen on the Smalltimore, the Movie Facebook page. Click the link on the right, and become a fan if you haven't already!]

Wow, it has been really nice to have a few days without having, as in, being obligated, to do anything movie-related. And yet, I keep doing movie-related things. Sunday I attended the Stonehenge auditions at the Creative Alliance, Monday I attended the CAmm Cage Happy Hour at the Creative Alliance, and last night I attended the premiere of the new Kevin Kangas film, "Bounty," with my filmmaker friend Eric Thornett, who I do not see nearly enough of these days.

After the movie, which I did enjoy, for the record, Eric and I caught up with each other as well as some of the Usual Suspects, a.k.a. fellow filmmakers, producers, and actors that we know, over drinks at the Club Charles. Eric knows Kevin fairly well but hadn't seen him in ages. Eric actually "appears" in Kevin's new movie, albeit via a "Wanted" poster, and a deranged voicemail message on an answering machine (Eric's screen credit reads, "The Taunter").

In keeping with the Zero Degrees of separation that is the Smalltimore tradition, particularly in the microcosm that is Baltimore indie filmmaking, Johnny Benson ("Bentley" in Smalltimore), also "appears" in "Bounty," and funny enough, also only via his voice. Johnny was present at the screening in his signature Vampirate regalia.

Now Eric and Kevin have been doing this movie stuff a LOT longer than I have been, but I couldn't help but be a little jealous of their rapport and camaraderie, with each other and with other actors and producers there that I know or know of through various channels. It is like a fraternity, complete with lots of crazy war stories. Fun to listen to, but somehow I felt a little left out.

It reminded me of when I first got to know Eric and his entourage, and for that matter, even before that when I got to know Sean Stanley and his crew. It amazed me then, and still does, how much people will do for someone else (for free) when they believe in that person and their vision. I think I have talked about that here before, but I really wanted that, I really wanted to build that for myself, and I still do.

The other thing is that, filmmaking, no matter where you go, is largely a Boy's Club. I'm not crying about it, I am just telling it like it is. And sometimes, as a woman traveling in those circles, it can feel a little lonely. It isn't easy to explain exactly what I mean, but I'll try.

The thing is, it is not even about how men and women relate to each other. It is that men relate to other men differently than women relate to other women. Guys who are filmmakers are like... guys who are football fans. Or guys who play guitar. Or World of Warcraft. Guys who share a common and all-consuming passion like that develop bonds that can make someone who is not yet fully vested, so to speak, feel like an outsider. Like you're the only one in the room that doesn't know the secret handshake.

And women... we're (a) just wired differently, and (b) there are far fewer of us in the mix. Although there were a couple - and by couple, I mean that literally: there were TWO, besides myself - female filmmaker types at the post-party, namely Stacie Jones-Gentzler and Elena Moscatt, two super-smart women who are very cool to boot.

I hadn't thought about it before, but I think it does say a lot for a woman to be able to keep her footing in this industry. Now that I think about it, I can honestly say that I don't know any half-assed female filmmakers. The ones I know are very strong, smart, visionary women who don't take any shit, and also, unlike a lot of men that I meet in this realm, do not have delusions of grandeur, and don't let their egos get the better of them. At the festivals I have attended over the summer, with only one exception (ask me in person and I'll tell you what movie NOT to see if it comes to a festival near you), the pieces by female filmmakers were often the cream of the crop. But I have seen a lot of mediocre (and worse) films and shorts by the same men who pat me on the head and tell me how much I have to learn. And I silently thank them, for I do indeed learn from them - what NOT to do.

I do feel that my own "entourage" is beginning to gel. People like Regina Guy, who I know I can count on for absolutely anything, and Michelle, of course. The three of us working together is what gave me the idea for the title of our short, "The Red-Headed Menace." Michelle and I are going to shoot another short soon, I can't WAIT. And I have a lot of both male and female actors that I know I can call on at any time and they will give me their all, and production assistants, too.

Anyway... do NOT get me wrong, I have met some amazing men who have bent over backwards for me, such as Eric, Sean, and Charlie Anderson. And most of the time I don't mind being a woman in this man's world of filmmaking. I have always liked standing out in certain ways. I was always the shortest person in my class in school, and I liked that. I like having the name Jeanie, because there aren't that many of us, and very few in my age group. I always liked having green eyes. And I've liked having red hair... um, since 2003.

And really, I am not complaining, just observing, while I have a few minutes to breathe and reflect on the whirlwind that has been this summer. I am happy to be where I am, and even though I might have had a few girlie "moments" after Kevin's premiere, you know what? There were people there who had never met me who knew who I was and knew about "Smalltimore," though they hadn't even seen it. Move over, boys. I'm not leaving anytime soon.

Somewhat Normal

2009-09-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Another long-ish period of silence, but with good reason. I was pretty beat when I got back from California, plus had to catch up on the Day Job. On top of that, just before I left for Cali, I had agreed to take the position of Production Manager/Assistant Director on a short film called, "Please God, Someone Normal," filming in Arlington over Labor Day weekend. That meant that while I was in California trying to promote "Smalltimore" and meeting as many people as possible, I was also doing pre-production for PGSN. I was in contact with the Director, Jonathan Reed, almost daily, plus Michelle, who was DP and referred me to Jonathan for the job.

Friday, September 4th was the first day of filming. Jonathan treated me and Michelle like gold, even putting us up in a very nice hotel the night beforehand so we didn't have to face the hellish weekday morning drive between Baltimore and Arlington. He even found us a pet-friendly hotel so I could bring my dogs and not impose, again, on my neighbors Phil & Ron, who had just finished dogsitting duty while I was in California for 10 days.

The script was 15 pages, and is a comedy. I thought it was cute when I read it, but I wasn't sure if we could pull off all the big shots Jonathan wanted to really pull out the laughs. But it turned out to play out even funnier than it read, and Jonathan was really flexible with the actors and when he or Michelle would think up something funny on the spot, we would throw it in and give it a try.

Jonathan had flown in two friends of his from L.A. who are comedians, Steve (I never got his last name), and Noel ElGrably. They were a lot of fun and kept everyone rolling. There were so many takes during which it was nearly impossible for people not to laugh while we were filming. It is going to be a long time before any of us can think of a quesadilla without hearing techno music in our heads and picturing Noel (in the gayest voice ever) chanting, "Quesadilla, quesadilla," while sashaying and trying not to let his junk fall out of his booty shorts. You had to be there.

We were only shooting 3-4 pages a day, but that allowed us (a) to have time to set up some AMAZINGLY gorgeous shots, and (b) to actually wrap each day in 12 hours (thought we worked EVERY minute of it). In "Smalltimore" I learned to love the jib-on-a-dolly shot. In "PGSN" I got to witness a jib-on-a-dolly-on-a-ramp-built-of-plywood&apple-boxes! Impressive.

Yesterday, last day of shooting, we were woefully behind schedule at a location, the L.A. Bar & Grill on Columbia Pike. Jonathan thought we'd be done by 3pm, which is what he had told the bar owner originally, but we didn't get out of there until after 5:00pm. I was stressed and trying to move it along but there were several shots we really couldn't live without. The owner didn't get upset about it, even when he had customers start coming in at 3pm. Since we were still shooting, sometimes a Production Assistant would hold his customers outside for a minute while we finished a shot. From 3pm to 5pm I tried not to sound apologetic but at the same time not sound bitchy when I yelled, "QUIET!" before every take. As PM/AD, though, it is definitely not my job to make sure everybody likes me. They just need to listen to me. I'm okay with that, and everyone was very cooperative. I have been in that same situation, on a shoot in a bar where we are still filming after real customers come in, and either people won't be quiet, or worse, they will not only NOT be quiet but will complain loudly about how they didn't come into a bar and pay for their beer so that they can be told to shut up.

But the customers were really cool, we did not have to do a single re-take because of customer noise. When we were about to do the last shot before shooting cutaways that didn't need sound, I announced, "This is our last take with sound! Thank you so much for your patience!" and I heard one customer say, "That's okay! It was kind of cool to watch."

I forget that sometimes, that people who have never done this always, always find it fascinating. That is one of the most fun things about filmmaking - everybody wants to talk about it, all the time! People who do it love to talk about it, people who don't do it love to talk about it.

I am a Gemini, as you may or may not know, and according to my horoscope, September 4th (first day of shooting PGSN) was supposed to be a banner day in my house of career, whatever that means, and supposedly a lot of doors to future successes were to be opened for me that day. It was a fantastic shoot, and I hope and expect it will lead to other great things. It was such a pleasure to work with Jonathan, Tina, Kerry, Eddie, Jack, Patrick, Scott, Ricky, Lexy, Kenny, Cindy, Skylar, Megan, Noel, Steve, Jasmine/Kate, Sara/Heather, Marcus, Edan, Travis, Erinn, Will, and as always, Michelle. Seriously, it is a rarity to work on a set where there isn't even one single person who was lazy or unpleasant. I was very surprised to find out that the lead actress, Kate, as well as the Chief P.A. (who was more like Assistant Production Manager) Tina, had never done this before. They were total pros and on point at all times, as was everyone. I SINCERELY hope we all get to do it again sometime, and sometime SOON!

House of Schmooze

2009-08-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

Last night was a blast, and I don't really know where to start, so I will just start with the big news: I won the Best Director Award for "Smalltimore" at the ceremony.

That still doesn't sound quite right, it is like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop, like they are going to call me and say it was all a mistake. When they were announcing the nominees I was shocked to hear my name even for that. I was up against some tough competition, including Kely McClung for "Kerberos". He seems to know the people at Indie Fest, and they had pursued him to screen his film there. Also they had invited him to be a speaker on the first day of the festival. I thought he had it in the bag. I saw the movie, a dramatic action flick with some great fight and chase scenes.

Another director I was up against was Robert Stephens for "House of Fallen". Of everything I saw at the festival, this far and away had the best production values. It also had two stars, Corbin Bernsen and C. Thomas Howell.

The other nominees were Kurando Mitsutake for "Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf", and Chip Richie for "Our Spirits Don't Speak English: Indian Boarding School," a documentary. I did not see either of these, though I wanted to see "Indian Boarding School" and I heard it was very good.

I didn't think I had a chance and was just happy to have been nominated, especially because this was an across the board sort of award, and there were about 160 films in competition. So for the 60 or so seconds between they announced my name as the nominee and when they announced my name as the winner, the thoughts flying through my head went something like,

wow, didn't see that coming, I wonder why they nominated me, don't even hope for it, Jeanie, you'll just be disappointed, but this is cool and at least I can say I was nominated and everyone who has something to do with "Smalltimore" will be excited, but what if I do win, what would I say, and would that make our chances of being nominated or winning Best Comedy better or worse, quit thinking about it, it is not going to happen, it doesn't matter, just have fun, OH MY GOD they just said I won, now what the hell am I going to say???????

Yep, pretty much just like that. Things moved very fast there for a minute as I walked up to the stage and accepted the award, and the first thing that came out of my mouth, I swear to God, right into the microphone, was, "Wow. At least now you know it's not fixed!" I'm sure the festival organizers LOVED that. I can be such a moron.

Then I said something like thank you several times, and that it was my first film, that I didn't go to school for it, and a bunch of people clapped. I don't know why I said that, it was just the first thing that popped into my head, and then I realized that might sound like showing off but that's not how I meant it, and I thought to myself, please stop spewing nonsense and say something good and get off the stage before you piss off or insult anyone else, and I said that I was sorry that no one from Baltimore could come out with me for this, but that one of the things about "Smalltimore" that I am most proud of is the soundtrack, 37 songs by 11 Baltimore artists, and one of them, Niki Lee, lives out here now and I was very glad she could be here at the awards tonight, then I think I said thank you a couple more times, grabbed the piece of paper that was on the podium with the nominees on it because I knew I would instantly forget who they were and I wanted to analyze this later, and then I FINALLY left the stage.

As I weaved my way back to the table, award in hand, it felt like that steadicam shot we have all seen in a million movies, people, strangers, in their seats, turning their faces to me and smiling and saying, "Congratulations," as I passed by them. It was very surreal, almost confusing, and I was very aware that I was unable to erase the, "WTF?" expression off my face for at least half an hour. This seemed to amuse Niki and my friend Adam who also attended with us. I met Adam Bronstein at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival in June (his film is "My Movie Girl"), and we've stayed in touch. It was REALLY nice to have him and Niki there with me, to have some friends there to be my cheering section and to share the moment with.

Also at our table, and in our corner, were Steve Belcher and Bill Rollins. Steve and Bill had a short in the festival called, "Unemployable". When I saw it, there were some scenes in it that were identifiable as Baltimore county, so I found a postcard of it afterwards and sent them an email inviting them to come to my screening, which they did. Nice guys. I think it was Steve (though it could have been Bill, I was still a bit dazed) who said to me, "I'm glad you won." It was sincere and nice to hear.

Rounding out our 10-top were some people from the movie, "Disowning Claire." Adam and I went to see this together, it screened right before "Smalltimore". It was hysterical and I loved it, the writing was very good and though the lead actress was great, I thought the actress who played the best friend, Ashley White, really stole the show. She was very nice in person, and funny, and her Dallas accent is as thick as Texas Toast. I need to write something for her. The woman who wrote it, A.C. (I can't think of her last name off the top of my head), was also very personable and funny. After the awards we all headed to the House of Blues for more drinks and to take some drunken photos, which I will post on Facebook after I get home, so if you aren't yet a fan of the "Smalltimore, the Movie" page, now would be a good time to rectify that.

This trip has been strange at times and lonely at other times, but all in all it was well worth it, and not just because I am coming home with an award (but that, as my friend and Executive Producer Tom would say, does not suck).

Before "Smalltimore" screened on Thursday, I went through the stack of business cards I had collected in the previous three days, and realized I had met a lot more people than I thought I had. I emailed them all to remind them to come to the screening, and although only a fraction of them showed, at least I have made initial contact and the doors are open to communication. By the end of the awards night, I had almost doubled that stack of business cards, including Jakob and Scott who made "Shades of Grey", and the lead actor of, "The Truth About Average Guys". This movie, and "Disowning Claire", were two that I would not have minded losing Best Comedy to. But since "Smalltimore" was not nominated for Best Comedy, it didn't matter anyway. The short "Cross-Eyed Dinner Theater Presents!", which screened with "Smalltimore," was nominated for Best Comedy, but "The Mel Bourne Ultimatum," another short, walked off with it. It was very funny, I saw it, but I didn't think it was quite fair that Best Comedy included both shorts and features. Oh, well. I should not be complaining.

I am thrilled to have won Best Director and I never would have imagined beforehand that this would even be a possibility. For me personally, I guess it is probably the best award I could hope for, but I would trade it in in a heartbeat for Best Comedy or even Best Music/Soundtrack. Though I may be the person who brought all the pieces of the puzzle that is "Smalltimore" together into one piece of work, it took a lot of amazing people with their individual amazing talents to make the movie as good as it is. I am very proud of them, and proud to share the credit for this award with them. Congratulations to all.

Finally!!!

2009-08-27T02:21:00.001-07:00

After several days of feeling like a freaking leper, or that I wasted a lot of money coming out here, finally I have various people talking/responding to me, including the guy that I thought was Jason Schwartzman. He's not. But he's still cute. Just with a smaller mole.

Besides I just found out that Jason Schwartzman just got married, so screw that guy (who has never met me and has no idea who I am) for not waiting for me.

Tonight was actually FUN. Karaoke (as a spectator sport only) at the House of Blues. I am fading so I will leave it at that. Can't wait to see (at a minimum) Adam, Steve, and Cindy tomorrow night; but I hope to see many others, including Vince, Patrick, Joe, Sato, Paul's friends, etc...

I gotta sleep. G'night.

Concessions

2009-08-25T00:31:00.000-07:00

Does a fake tan qualify as acquiescing to the superficiality of LALALand? Look, I was downright pasty. Something had to be done.

Actually, haven't even seen that many plastic people and certainly haven't met any. Since my ZZTop adventure, I haven't met anyone except film people (and the bartender at the ESPNZone), and since they are INDIE film people, they are all pretty cool.

I am not quite sure what is going on day to day here. There is no organized destination for the filmmakers to gather at the end of the day, which kind of, well, blows, because that is half the fun. But the day ends late here, last films aren't over until 11pm-ish, so that only leaves room for the hardcore to go out for a few... and apparently I haven't run into them yet.

This is my third fest and they have each been so different. Though Indie Fest has less films than the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival had, there is a far better turnout of filmmakers and their entourages. However, the audiences at each screening seem to be made up of only those same people - no locals. And though there is LOADS of foot traffic past the theater, we don't seem to be capturing any of it. The people who are walking by are here for Disney Land. And when you are paying $72 a day to go to an amusement park, you aren't going to spend any of that time (let alone extra money) in a movie theater.

And the majority of people who are here to support their films, much like the tourists, travel in packs. For many it is an excuse to come to "L.A.", though that is equivalent to being accepted to a film festival in Baltimore and using it as an excuse to go to D.C. I went to 4 screenings today (5 if you count the one I walked out of, but more on that in a minute). Most of the people that I met at the opening night party that I saw here today only went to their own screening and maybe one other.

I won't mention the names of the films I didn't care for, but I will tell you what I liked best. I started off with a foreign feature today that sounded interesting. Technically it was very good, but I could tell you the whole story in 3 to 4 sentences. It would have made a good 30 minute short. But it had two child actors who were wonderful, and initially I was very impressed by some of the steadicam shots. But then it ended up having a slew of steadicam shots, and even though those are difficult and impressive, if the film is a one-trick pony it is not as interesting to watch after awhile.

The second screening I went to was a shorts block. I did not originally intend to go to this block because none of the synopses struck my fancy, but the first buddy I made at the opening night reception was an older gentleman named Bob, who very kindly folded me into his own entourage at the party before I could even start to feel silly being there alone. I have not yet met ANYONE who has a film here who is here all by themselves. Bob is a SAG actor who lives in Fairfax, and I had a lovely conversation with his wife about a documentary on photographer Eddie Adams that we have both seen, called, "An Unlikely Weapon". Anyway, Bob plays, well, a sugardaddy, in a short called, "A Dance of Two". I also met the writer/director and the producer at the party, so I wanted to see it.

"A Dance of Two," was definitely the best short in the block. I enjoyed Bob's performance, although I felt very sad for his character. This block was a very strange mash-up, which made it difficult to get into any particular mood, so I think it is a tribute to his performance that I could get my head into the story. First there were four animated shorts. Then a mix of a few comedies and a horror, then Bob's short, which was a straightforward drama, and then the last short was a Samurai sword-fighting piece!

What I have seen quite a bit of at festivals that annoys me are shorts that are obviously more about practicing, or showing off, techniques and effects (especially with animation) rather than telling a story. I don't go to the movies to see someone's senior project, I want to get caught up in a story and forget that it is just a movie. I want to connect with the character(s), I want to love them or even hate them. I don't want to just watch them do things and marvel at how they did them. But maybe that's just me.

There was another short in that block that I really loved, an animated short called, "Skylight." I laughed my ass off at that, and when the projectionist wasn't paying attention and started running it a second time (which he did three times within the block), I was almost disappointed when he caught himself and turned it off.

The third screening was another shorts block, and this I wanted to see because at the opening night party I had also met some of these people. A short titled, "Boundaries of Attraction," had brought their own motley crew of eleven people all the way from New Hampshire. I would probably have to say this is my favorite so far, it was a very brave and very complicated piece, and had some very good performances.

Another very good one was called, "Captain." I had met a woman, I think she was the actress in the piece, at the opening night party. She was a machine. She swooped in on me and said something like, "You look like a dynamic female filmmaker that I need to meet," as she pressed a postcard of her movie into my hand. Then she said something about only asking one favor of me, and that was to see her movie. I was fine with all of that and was about to continue the conversation, but that was really all she wanted to say to me or hear from me, and she swooped onto the next person. I do admire her, I guess you'd call it, efficiency, but to be honest, I would not have felt guilty if I did not end up seeing, "Captain," because she made no real connection with me. Turns out, though, that it was VERY funny, and very polished, and I am glad I got to see it, even though it faked the death of one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen.

Also in that block was a short called, "The Cost of Living," which was very cute and starred Jim J. Bullock and Molly Hagan, who has been in a lot of stuff but I always remember her from the short-lived and underrated sitcom, "Herman's Head." She was one of the people in his head. She was actually in the audience, so a real celebrity sighting! She seemed very nice and I was within a few feet of her, but didn't really have anything to say, so I didn't speak to her. I thought I had seen Jason Schwartzman at the opening night party, but I was never quite sure it was him, and by the time I got up the (liquid) courage to go up and talk to him, he had disappeared. Which was probably best for everyone.

Part of this is my training from back in my D.C. days, dealing with celebrity clientele at the hotel that I worked in. I met loads of famous people, but I never asked anyone for an autograph, and very rarely was I ever impressed enough that they made me nervous. One exception was Adam Ant, but hey, it was the 80's, and though I could have probably beat him up, he was still hot. The other reason I don't bother celebrities unless I have something extremely pertinent to say, is that I always remember a story about a friend of a friend who ran into Dame Judy Dench (or was it the other Dame actress whose name I can't recall? Maggie Smith? I don't know...) outside of a theater in London. At a loss for words, my friend's friend blurted out, "I loved you in "Sister Act Two"! Not even "Sister Act ONE." She had to go with "Sister Act TWO." Needless to say, Dame Whomever completely ignored her, after visibly wincing.

The fourth screening... my first choice was a feature comedy, for a couple reasons. First, I wanted to check out the competition. I think there are 4 or 5 other feature length comedies besides "Smalltimore." Secondly, it was made by a female writer/director/and I think also actor. I like meeting people who wear a lot of hats. Plus, the female filmmaker thing. This is a boys club, believe it. Having been through it myself, I like to see what makes them tick. The interesting thing is that it is something different every time and I feel these are the people (multi-taskers, both male and female) I can learn the most from and I definitely receive the most inspiration from them, they impress me and so in my mind I think I pit myself and what I can do against them and their own accomplishments.

Wearing all of those hats, just FINISHING a feature length, and then having it accepted into a decent festival, that is a lot to be proud of. But, if it is supposed to be a straight-up comedy... and I have only laughed out loud (I am not that tough an audience!) maybe once in the first 20 minutes... when I reach that point in a movie, I give myself another ten minutes. If I don't laugh out loud or at least am dying to see what happens next, I leave. It has only happened a handful of times in my life, I hate to walk out of a movie. But it happened today. I was really bummed about that.

I walked down the hall to another theater where there was yet another shorts program. This was a fairly cohesive block of drama and horror. Could have lived without most of them, but they were well done. I don't like blood & guts, but even seeing a well made horror flick is better than seeing a poorly executed comedy. It has been a crapshoot so far, but that seems to be par for the course at festivals. Audiences have also been scant, though the later the screening time, the bigger the audience, so I am hoping since "Smalltimore" has the last time slot on the last night that (a) we will have a decent audience and (b) it means that the programmers thought it was a strong piece. Cross your fingers and knock on wood for me, and I'll let you know how it turns out.

The Kindness of Strangers

2009-08-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

I am writing to you from my hotel room in Anaheim, the Fairfield Marriott to be exact. A nice place, clean room, a pool, a Pizza Hut Express on the third floor. Too many kids running around for my taste, but what can you expect of Mouse Town? I am literally across the street from Disney Land.

I arrived yesterday afternoon, a day and a half before I can even register at Indie Fest, but I wanted to get my bearings and adjust to the time difference so I can hit the ground running. Since I flew AirTran and forgot that they don't feed you, I hadn't eaten since 8:00am east coast time and it was now eight hours later by the time I settled in to my hotel. Had a meal at the restaurant next to the hotel, Millie's, I think. McDonald's, IHoP, and Denny's abound here. Soooo many families with little ones. Found a mini-mart in a hotel half a block from me, so stocked up on some RIDICULOUSLY overpriced snacks and breakfast stuff to stick in my fridge. Still cheaper than eating out every meal, though.

In the early evening I decided to walk over to the AMC theater in Downtown Disney (where Indie Fest is taking place) to see what it was like. The next movie playing was "The Ugly Truth", which looked kind of cute, so I bought a ticket. Word of advice: wait to NetFlix it.

It wasn't horrible, but I can't say it was good. It had many of the attributes that I hate about typical romantic comedies, that I tried to avoid doing in "Smalltimore". For example, if you saw the commercial, you saw the movie. Absolutely not one single surprise. And then, of course, the charming rogue falls for her and has a change of heart about the existence of true love. Seriously, if any of you have ever met a man who has actually CHANGED, please put him under glass immediately, as he is the last of his kind and we need to perform scientific experiments on him. There are romantic men out there, I've met them - it's just that they've always been that way. And the manwhores start that way and stay that way as well. No offense intended, just calling 'em as I see 'em.

Though the film was disappointing, it made me feel better about "Smalltimore". I can't wait to see it again with a new audience. There are a couple things in "Smalltimore" that I was afraid would be obvious before the reveals, but based on crowd reaction at other screenings, apparently not everyone saw the twists coming, and I like that. Also feeling more confident about my sound, cuts, lighting and color. There were some glaring editing problems in "The Ugly Truth" that really surprised my for a "Hollywood" movie.

Afterwards, I walked across the promenade to the ESPNZone and had a cosmo there that was not too shabby. But everyone there, of course, was traveling in groups or couples and I felt like I stuck out, being alone. Traveling alone in Paris is wonderful, I love it. Traveling alone in Disney Land... I was starting to feel very awkward. And I didn't want to shake my confidence so early, I have a lot of schmoozing to do this week. So, with the plan of sneaking a couple cans of Bud Light from my room down to the pool and dangling my feet in the water, I headed back to the hotel.

I didn't get far when I saw a digital screen on the House of Blues that read "ZZtop!" I watched for a minute and then it said, "TONIGHT!" I thought, really? ZZtop at a bar in Disney Land? I watched it cycle through a few more times to make sure it was not some sort of ZZtop tribute band. Didn't seem to be, and didn't look that busy, so I walked up to the box office to see how much tickets were. Seemed like a random adventure, if it wasn't too expensive, why not?

There were only two people ahead of me, and I almost turned to leave, thinking there is no way this is going to be less than $40 or $50. Suddenly this man appeared out of nowhere beside me and asked, "Are you getting a ticket?" He looked to be in his 30s, short hair slicked back, a longish pointy beard, and more tattoos on his arms than I could count at a glance. He told me his girlfriend was sick and had to bail, he had an extra ticket and had paid over $80, would I take it for $40? He said he'd walk in with me and I could pay him inside, which was good cuz then I knew it wasn't a scam, but I really wasn't looking to pay more then $20-30. It was already showtime and I guess that was better then nothing, so he agreed to $20 and a drink, and we went in.

His name was Jason. He was super-nice and smiled all the time, he reminds me a little bit of Russell from the Wind-Up Space, if Russell was covered in ink. I had no cash on me and didn't see an ATM so I bought the first several rounds. But by the end of the concert I think Jason bought as many rounds as I did.

The concert was great, and I tell you what, those guys (ZZtop) are very, very smart. And very, very old. But the reason they are smart is because they have been doing this for decades and probably have another decade or so left in them, and they look and perform the same as they have from the very beginning. There is no acrobatics like the type a crowd expects from, say, The Rolling Stones or Aerosmith. You just have two guys in long full beards, playing guitar on stage. Once in awhile one stands behind the other and they swing their guitars in unison and the crowd roars. Brilliant!

On the way out, we stopped by the swag table to see if they had any ZZtop CDs. Inexplicably, they did not, and all the swag they did have was ridiculously overpriced. I strongly protested but Jason insisted on buying each of us a red bandana with an image of the ZZtop car in the center. It is a nice memento of a fun evening, but I won't even tell you what he paid for them. Then we went to get something to eat, as we had both had many beers and he still had to drive home. We found a cafe in Disney that was still serving food and split a few appetizers. After a bit I went to the restroom. When I came back, Jason was gone and our plates had been cleared from the table! I didn't know what to do. Had he really left without saying goodbye? I know he had to work in the morning but I didn't think I had taken that long in the bathroom, and we hadn't even really finished our meal. He had been too nice all evening to be this rude. Hadn't he? I sat down at the empty table, feeling idiotic. Maybe he had gone to the bathroom also. I'd wait a minute and see.

After what seemed a very long moment or three, he did indeed reappear, and yes, he had just gone to the bathroom also. I was quite relieved. "I thought you left!" I said. "And they cleared our plates." One of the apps had not even been touched, I couldn't believe they just ditched them. We talked for a moment, waiting for the waiter to bring the check. The waiter appeared, looking a little confused. "You... switched tables?" he asked. We looked to an empty table to our left - where our food was still sitting. I had sat down at the wrong table. We laughed our heads off.

Jason walked me back to my hotel, even though his car was parked several blocks in the opposite direction. He is a native and it was so nice to meet someone who totally shattered my pre-conceived notion of anyone living this close to L.A. He was very down to earth, generous, and hospitable, and actually would fit right in in Baltimore. He promised to come to the screening next Thursday with his girlfriend, and I really hope they show.

Tonight I am laying low, and have been living off the leftovers that we did end up having boxed up from the cafe. Tonight I am going to sift through all the movies screening at Indie Fest and figure out a game plan of what I want to see and any filmmaker panels I want to attend. I also am going to be breaking down a short script into a shooting schedule. Michelle will be DP and I will be PM/AD on a 3 day shoot in Arlington over Labor Day weekend. It looks to be a fun piece and I am looking forward to it. The nice thing about working on someone else's project is only having to wear 2 or 3 hats instead of nearly all of them. Well, I better get to it. All for now...

Countdown to Cali

2009-08-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

[This is a photo I took recently at Dingman's Falls up near Mikey's cabin. I just like the photo :) ]

Well, I have at least STARTED on the million things I need to do before I leave for California early Thursday morning. Burning a few extra DVDs of "Smalltimore", started some laundry and dishes. Keep forgetting to fake tan my legs, though. I am going to stick out like a sore thumb over there.

I went up to Mikey's cabin last weekend, because MICHELLE and her girlfriend were going to a Cyndi Lauper concert up there and she bugged the snot out of me until I agreed to go, and I bought tickets for me and Mikey, and they were going to spend the night at Mikey's even, and then JUST BECAUSE she got a really well-paying 4 day gig, she backed out and didn't go!

Mikey and I had fun without them anyway, and after the concert we ran into Cyndi Lauper getting on her bus in the parking lot and she invited us in for a drink. We waxed nostalgic over magenta fishnet stocking, oversized plastic jewelry, and the death of John Hughes. We invited her back to the cabin for a late-night feast of salmon & black bean cakes I had made from scratch, which we grilled on the back deck along with fresh corn on the cob, and then we crank called Rosie O'Donnell. Okay, none of that happened except for the salmon cakes & corn on the grill, but that's what I am telling Michelle, and you better back me up on this.

Mikey and I really did have quite the feast on the grill on Friday, we also grilled asparagus and eggplant, and downed half a box o' wine called "Angel Juice". Saturday he had to go back to NYC. After locking my keys in the trunk of car (so embarrassing to have to call AAA to let you into your convertible when the top is down...), I found an amazing winter coat for $25 at the flea market while waiting to be rescued from myself. Then went to the outlets in Tannersville to get some West Coast-worthy clothes. In my daily life I find that I am usually suitably dressed for Baltimore, usually overdressed for Pennsyltucky, and recently realized I had no decent clothes for L.A.-ish area. So I stocked up on some great bargains at Liz Claiborne, Jones New York, and Ann Taylor, even though I occasionally make fun of Cheryl Scungio for buying all her clothes from the latter. Have I mentioned that she is currently working with Charlie Anderson in a new feature titled, "Heaven Burns"? She plays a character who is addicted to oxycontin. I LOVE it. (Love that Charlie has her in such a role. Not love oxycontin.)

Anyway... brand new clothes always gives you an extra boost of confidence, don't they? Really psyching myself up to be as outgoing as possible, even though I am a little intimidated at the thought of... well, the West Coast in general. It is just very different there, I think. So many pretty, plastic people, or at least that is what I imagine. I have to remind myself that mostly I will be hanging out with other filmmakers, most of whom will be just as nervous as I am.

Winning the Judith Rheiner Independent Spirit Award at the 29 Days Later Festival last week pumped me up a bit, and I have to remind myself of that when I start to waver. Steve Yeager dropped by to see, "The Red-Headed Menace" today, as did Bobby DeAngelo, one of my actors in it. Steve had dropped in the day of shooting just to check it out. He was impressed (his word, not blowing smoke!) which was nice to hear, and Bobby seemed genuinely pleased. There are still some things I want to tweak but even without those things I am pretty satisfied with it myself. Even Michelle didn't have too much to say about it (as in, ripping it apart).

I will have free internet out there (yay, Marriott!), so I'll try to give you some updates from LALA Land. And if you have ANY friends, family, or acquaintances in the Anaheim/L.A. area, you better send them to see "Smalltimore", and please tell them to say hello to me. It screens at 9:30pm on Thursday, August 27th, at the Downtown Disney AMC Theater. They can check out the synopsis here:

http://indiefestusa.bside.com/2009/films/smalltimore_indiefestusa2009;jsessionid=A3EEC8BF3E6239B474001DDDB56E600A

and please click on this link as often as possible to boost our profile! Because it is screening with two shorts, it is unfortunately listed on the AMC site as "Shorts Block 15", but I am trying to get that straightened out. Well, have procrastinated long enough, going to go throw some stuff in the dryer and try to get some sleep so can get up early and take care of the 999,999 things I have left to do. Wish me luck and send me good vibes for Indie Fest!!!

Victory is Ours!

2009-08-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

[My first award, the Judith Rheiner Independent Spirit Honor! "The Red-Headed Menace" won 1st Place at the 29 Days Later Film Festival]

If you weren't at the Creative Alliance last night for the 29 Days Later Film Festival, you missed a great time. And not just because I won something shiny!

Dawn & Dean, the organizers of the event and the competition, did a fantastic job, as well as contributing shorts of their own to the evening's line-up, though they decided they were not personally eligible for an award. There were 10 films in the competition, plus Dean's and Dawn's, plus a bonus short from Mob Television, so attendees got to see THIRTEEN shorts for $8! There was drama, horror, and lots of comedy. No two were alike, and all were enjoyed by a very enthusiastic (and sold-out) crowd.

Forgive me my cheesy-ness, but it really did warm my heart to see so many of the people who participated in the making of "The Red-Headed Menace" in the crowd. Of course Regina was front and center, of course Michelle was late :) . Of the EIGHTEEN actors that had speaking parts in our little 8 minute short, nine of them were present, including Nicole Smith, who played the oldest of the three children in the movie. She looked excited and happy when she arrived, but after we won, I thought she was just going to burst! Other actors attending were Cheryl Scungio, David Thornhill, Jr. (who got more screen time than he bargained for, thanks to some funny improv he did with Megan Rippey), and my reluctant star/"Make-up Girl", Lisa Knoch. Also both of our stunt guys, Jeff Wilhelm and Mark Mosier and their wives were there, and they seemed very happy with the way the stunts came across on screen. They are already thinking about how we should kill/maim/ignite Mark for the next production. Many of my extras were in the crowd, such as Kelly Coston, Linda Gustafson (who snagged the primo spot I had slated for Kelly, but she arrived a few minutes after we were ready to shoot because she was coming directly from Philadelphia airport), Lois Tuttle, and Lois' fake date Gary Morin. Crew members Megan Reed, Fred Besche, Elizabeth Foks, and J.R. Maroney were there, and Craig Herron, who was not actually crew but an actor this time, but he also designed my logo for Steel Corset Productions that I got to use for the first time. Short story long, "The Red-Headed Menace" was well-represented.

As a bonus, dear old Mikey B (ONE OF my Executive Producers on "Smalltimore" - Hi Tom!) came down from New York for the big to-do, and we are heading to his cabin in a few hours for the weekend. I'll be taking my hard drive and laptop to do some more tweaking on the short before I turn a copy over to the Hampden Short Film Festival, so hopefully you will be able to see an even better version of it there on Saturday, September 12, and ALSO since we won first place, "The Red-Headed Menace" will screen again at the Creative Alliance on Monday, October 5, during the CAmm Salon/Cinelounge monthly event.

I want to tell you about how happy I was to win this award and how much it meant to me, but I can't quite figure out how to tell you without sounding obnoxious about it. I put a LOT of work into this short, and it was nice to be recognized for that, but everyone who made a short can say the same thing. "The Red-Headed Menace" really was a group effort, and though I was at the helm, it would not have been a fraction of what it was without the incredible (and extensive) cast and crew - almost FIFTY people! I was even happier for them than I was for myself, because everyone worked very hard, took direction well, and it was a long day of shooting, but everyone did everything I asked of them, above and beyond. When Dean announced us as the winner, it was the shouts and squeals and (Regina's) screams that put a smile on my face more than the actual win did. It was an electric moment and I truly enjoyed it.

Michelle supplied the Grand Prize of a weekend's gear rental, but she was not one of the judges, none of whom I had ever met, so it was an impartial panel. I was talking to one of the guys from Mob Television (they took Second Place) afterwards, and he told me they didn't mind Second Place because that was the prize they really wanted, 8 hours of special effects work provided by Craig Herron/Herron Designs. Mob Television's short, "Tiny," was hysterical and my favorite (besides ours), and I would not have felt bad if they would have won. They always come up with funny shorts and I knew they would likely be my stiffest competition. "Tiny" will also be screening at the CA on October 5th.

The Judith Rheiner Independent Spirit Honor is named after a friend and mentor of Michelle's. Judith is battling cancer and was not able to attend. I've heard some amazing stories about her and hope to be able to meet her someday, and I am very proud to have received the first award in her honor.

Everything about this competition and the production itself was a lot of fun, and it is hard to pinpoint what "the best part" is. It is very satisfying to be recognized, it is good for the resume, it was an incredible feeling of camaraderie to have so many of the cast and crew there, excited and cheering for us. It was encouraging to have people who worked on "Smalltimore" want to be a part of it, and now to have those same people plus all the new people that worked on "The Red-Headed Menace" asking and offering to be a part of whatever I come up with next. That means more to me than I can explain in words, it makes me feel like I am doing something right, and it is more flattering than any award could ever be.

Last summer when I was shooting, "Smalltimore," which overlapped my friend Eric Thornett's shooting of his own feature, I was sort of jealous because Eric has his own sort of semi-permanent crew/cast/entourage, that work pretty well as a team, people he can count on, who will line up just to work with him for nothing but the glory of it. I also saw that on a monthly basis when attending CAmmSalon/Cinelounge at the Creative Alliance, with Mob Television setting the example of what a tight and self-sacrificing group of creative friends and cohorts can come up with. I wanted that. I really wanted that. But I had no idea how to go about getting that.

I think that probably the best part of making "The Red-Headed Menace" is that I feel like I have that now, or at least the beginnings of it. I do have people now, both cast and crew, who know that they can count on me to do what I say I am going to do, and to pull together a production that they can be proud to be a part of. And they reflect that back to me and give me their best, and that hand-in-hand effort is what results in a great production.

And I think the single most important thing that has come out of this that it has cast in stone both my friendship and working relationship with Michelle. We really were like a well-oiled machine the day we shot, and I know it is just going to keep getting better. If "The Red-Headed Menace" had not won, it was my evil plan regardless to talk her into doing another short with me before the end of the year. Now that I won the gear package for a weekend, that will definitely be happening - just with a bit less arguing about it.

(Under) The Wire

2009-08-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

[My good friend and very patient professional extra, "Pantsless" Pete Smak. Though you can see his back in "The Red-Headed Menace," I don't think he has actual face time, so I thought I'd give him some here!]

Yep, no doubt about it, still hate sound, and credits for that matter, though I am getting better at both of them. I left all of that until today, plus of course I had to burn the thing to a DVD, which takes some time (though burning a short is not nearly so excruciating as burning a feature!). The DVD finished burning at 5:43pm, about the time I jumped out of the shower, was in my car at 6:28pm, got a primo parking space on Thames street in Fells Point, ran into the Waterfront Hotel and handed in "The Red-Headed Menace" to the 29 Days Later Film Project with roughly 16 minutes to spare. You know that's how I roll.

It still, to my eyes and ears, needs some tweaking (which I will do before turning it over to the new Hampden Shorts Film Festival - mark your calendars for Saturday, September 12, especially if you can't make it to the Creative Alliance next Wednesday!), but overall I am pretty pleased with it, and the production values are outstanding, if I do say so myself.

I had forgotten to record some screams that take place, so Jeff Wilhelm and Mark Mosier saved my butt by recording them in an actual studio for me last night and sending me the WAV files. It is SO much better with the screams.

Michelle's all mad at me (in the joking way that we are always mad at each other) because we didn't have time to get together to tweak it and I didn't burn her a copy (mwah ha HA). She is actually IN the movie, and I want her to see it for the first time with an audience. She might be bringing her Mom to the screening, and she is keeping it a secret from her Mom that she is in it, so that should be fun. Michelle did really well, and somehow she was a good sport at the same time she was fighting me tooth and nail, she kept trying to weasel out of her lines and ENTIRE SCENES while we were shooting! Man, she drives me nuts sometimes. She kind of had us save most of her stuff for the end of the shoot (half-hoping I would let her out of it), which was fine with me because by then there would be less people on the set so hopefully she would be a little less nervous, and also because I knew she'd be tired by then and I'd be able to get her to do what I wanted so that I would let her go home. There's one little clip where she is carrying a camera, and two or three times she carried the damn thing right in front of her face while she was saying her lines. "CUT! The camera is in front of your face AGAIN. We're doing this until you get it right, so don't even THINK you are going to wear me down." I won. I always win.

For all her bitchin' she admitted it was a fun shoot and it went very smoothly. I feel that way, too, but if I write another script set in a fancy restaurant, someone please shoot me (and not with a camera) immediately.

I am very excited about the festival on Wednesday, I can't wait to see all the shorts of my competitors! Out of 15 teams we started off with, we ended up with 12 entries, so a 20% wash, which is pretty much what I had guesstimated to Dawn & Dean (the organizers) when we met to consult about the project. I would not have even been surprised at 30%, so 12 films is really fantastic!

This was my first short, and even though we had 29 days to make it, we really pulled it off in 18. I was having writer's block the first 10 days, even though I knew the general outline of the story, but I did not put pen to paper until July 20. Spent the next 5 days in a frenzy of pre-production, really only organizing cast and crew at that point, and there was probably 25-30 hours of work just dressing the set and preparing the meals for cast & crew (almost 50 people!) in advance. My feet were killing me well before I stepped onto the set to stand on them for another 13 hours (on Sunday, July 26).

I made the first pass at the edit that Wednesday, but didn't touch it again until 2 days ago. Then I got the video cut where I wanted it, and sent Jeff and Mark a semi-panicked email about the missing audio. While I was in jury duty (do NOT get me started) on Monday, I brought the file with everyone's signed releases (except Michelle's, refer back to, "Man, she drives me nuts sometimes"), and wrote out an organized list of the credits so (hopefully) I didn't miss anybody. I ALMOST forgot my own Mom, who spent many hours with me Saturday night, prepping the real food, the fake food (which was also real - frozen steaks leftover from our final day of production on "Smalltimore" last August - two of the extras ATE them!!!), and the flower arrangements.

I received the audio bits from Jeff last night, but had spent several hours on my neighbors' porch drinking wine, so I didn't touch them. I learned a long time ago not to edit or even WRITE after more than ONE drink. On the occasions that I have, it is always the same: I believe it is the most perfect thing I have ever created, and then the next morning I read it and ask myself, what the hell is this CRAP?! I HATE wasting my time (at least like that), so I don't do it anymore.

So that left me with today to correct all the audio (no small feat, audio is such a bitch, always), add the new audio and finesse that, and add the credits for the almost - say it with me - FIFTY people who worked on the movie.

I got it done. What I did not get done was a lot of work at my day job or cleaning my apartment or going to the store for dog food that I am out of - all of which needs to get done by 3pm tomorrow, as I am going out of town for the weekend.

But, in true Jeanie Clark Style, I shall further procrastinate and head next door with my laptop to show the movie to my friendly neighborhood Waiters in Tuxedos at the Prime Rib, because most of them (I had SIX in the film!) have to work next Wednesday so they can't come to the screening. I'm sure I'll have a drink or two while I am there also, but that's all right, because I have no problem doing laundry after a few belts. Makes it more bearable, really.

Perspective

2009-07-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

[Reviewing footage of the end piece for my new short, "The Red-Headed Menace" - photo by Regina Guy]

Almost back to normal. This weekend (er, last weekend, I guess, as tomorrow starts another one) was very intense. How the hell did I do this for two weeks straight last summer? Must have been pure adrenaline.

I did finish a rough cut sans credits last night. Worked for about 8 hours, right now it totals about 6 minutes of movie. It will be 7-8 with credits. I have to credit nearly 50 people! One of whom I neglected to mention in my last post is my new friend Billy Poe. Billy is an author and documentarian and we "met" when he sent me a message with some questions about the pre-production class I was supposed to teach at the Creative Alliance on June 6, that I had to cancel when I accidentally poisoned my dogs. (BTW, I will be teaching that class on December 12 at the CA, barring any rat poison debacles). We kept in touch via email for 6 weeks talking shop, and I asked Billy if he would want to film behind-the-scenes stuff on the shoot of "The Red-Headed Menace" for me. So that was the day we met in person for the first time, and I only had about 5 minutes, collectively, to actually speak to him all day. He was extremely unobtrusive and I'm sure he got some great stuff. Maybe some day we will have time to sit down for a drink or something.

Behind-the-scenes footage, or rather lack thereof, is one of my bigger regrets about shooting, "Smalltimore," last summer. I did have a handheld video camera on the set most days, but I didn't have anyone with any experience to assign to it. I would definitely recommend having someone do that for you for every shoot that you can. Especially if you are directing, you are so focused that you don't have time to really absorb the circus that is around you, it is all you can do to keep it under control.

I have to say again that Sunday's shoot went pretty damn smoothly. There was amazingly little to no tension, at least from my perspective. Apparently I did, "intimidate," a few people. That is never my intention, but I can't spend a lot of time worrying about it. I think even those that said that understood by the end of the day why I have to be like that on the set.

What was a little difficult was switching gears when it was time to direct the kids. Of course, that takes a gentler touch. I had two kids in "Smalltimore," but they are my little cousins, so they were already comfortable with me and I knew they'd listen and not get scared (though the younger one, Sean, sometimes gets nervous at first). For kids, you have to take extra time and care to make them feel comfortable, especially with so many people on the set. It is very difficult for them to NOT look at the camera, so I had to position myself behind whichever actor they were supposed to be addressing their lines to and told them to look at me. This seemed to work pretty well and put them more at ease.

Nicole, the oldest (12) was a champ, and for the most part I could direct her as I did any of the adults. Colleen (8) is a friend of my little cousin Sean, and she had a part in, "Juju." She was such a natural that I knew the next time I wrote something, I wanted to write a part in for her. In the first draft of, "The Red-Headed Menace," there was only one kid, a part I had written for Colleen. But at first I wasn't able to reach her, which is when I found Nicole, and then Charlie's mom emailed me with a picture and he was so cute I had to put him in there, and then Colleen's mom got back to me and I thought, what the hell? I GUARANTEE you that no other movie in the 29 Days Later Film Project is going to have THREE cute red-headed kids! Production value, baby!

And that is both my strength, I think, and my curse: Production Value. I just can't do anything half-assed. For my restaurant scene, I couldn't just throw spaghetti on a plain plate and put a glass of water on the table. My Mom and I were up into the wee hours the night before, arranging fanned slices of steak on my Lenox china ("Autumn" pattern, their most expensive) and steaming vegetables so they were nice and brightly colored. We filmed on Sunday, so the liquor stores were closed and as I dressed the set I realized I had no red wine! My neighbor Philip came to my rescue and sent half a bottle over, to be poured in real crystal wine glasses, also Lenox ("McKinley"). I washed the tablecloths just that morning so that I could put them on the tables AFTER the crew had rigged the lights, so they wouldn't mess them up, and wile they were still a little damp so they wouldn't be too wrinkled. My Mom made the flower arrangements for each table. When Elizabeth, one of the PAs, set the silverware, it took her extra tie to do so because I told her the settings had to match. Votives on every table. Some plates fresh, some half-eaten, some tables ordering dessert... I think about all these things and this is why I don't get around to other things I need to be doing, like a shot list.

I did, though, break down the script in the order which I wanted to shoot the scenes, and Unique numbered them for me and kept everything straight, and saved my ass several times with continuity issues. Having a script supervisor/continuity person was another luxury I really didn't have on, "Smalltimore." It was awfully nice to have it this time.

So, yea, I had all these people I didn't have on, "Smalltimore," an Assistant Director, a Scripty/Continuity, a Behind-the-Scenes guy... still, I need to delegate more of the pre-production and production work so I can better direct.

One luxury I DID have on "Smalltimore" that I did not have on "The Red-Headed Menace," was rehearsal time. I really wish I could have done that for this project, at least for the actors with the bulk of the lines, some of whom had never met so did not have established chemistry, some like me and Michelle who could have really used that to ease into putting ourself out on a limb like that.

I also should have scheduled a good hour and a half per page of shooting time (not including set-up or breaks). Or at least done one or the other (rehearsals + a shorter shoot, or if I know I can't have rehearsals, allow more time for shooting). To have done no rehearsals at all and scheduled a short shoot was just not how I would have liked to work. For "Smalltimore" I felt slightly guilty asking the actors for more of their time for rehearsals prior to production, but it was by far one of the best things I could have done. For a short like this, probably the best thing to do would have the actors come in at the same tie as the crew (4 hours before shooting began) to run the scenes and do blocking.

Sound is also an issue that continues to plague me, but the more I do it, the better I become at it, and to be able to finesse the sound yourself in post will save you THOUSANDS of dollars on a feature-length film. The best thing, of course, is to get it right while you are ON the set, but there are always glitches. If you can figure out how to fix them yourself, you'll be glad you took the time to do so. Next time I am doing a shot list if it kills me, INCLUDING Foley stuff (sound effects). Get it all done on the set and then you don't have to worry about it.

A filmmaker I was talking to recently, I think it was Ronnie Goodwin, I met him at the Heart of England Film Festival, made a suggestion to me that made so much sense I couldn't believe it had never crossed my mind. Every time he creates or records a specific sound (champagne popping, duck quacking, helicopter, rushing water, ambient sound in a crowded room, whatever, he keeps the clips altogether in a sound effects file for future use. If you shoot on a regular basis, you can establish a library of sound effects pretty quickly doing this. I am going to have to borrow ambient crowd noise from some "Smalltimore," footage, as we did indeed forget to record that while we had all the actors and extras on the set for TRHM.

I think those are my main regrets about this latest shoot, though they are negligible considering how well it all went. It was really fun, and it was amazing to me as I sat and edited last night, when the camera was rolling before I said, "Action!" or after I said, "Cut!" more than half the time we would be laughing about something. Even though it was intense and a lot of work, and a long day, it was relaxing in its way. Everyone was there because they wanted to be there, and as the day wore on, they seemed to get more excited about it instead of fading out on me. There were a lot of good photos taken that day, but the one at the top of this post is my favorite. It was about 8:30pm and we were reviewing the shot we just did, the stunt that wraps up the short, just before we are going to break for dinner (half an hour late), and after dinner we still have another two hours of shooting to do. That everyone in this photo is genuinely smiling and laughing makes me feel very good, like not only is the footage what I wanted it to be, but also they were just happy to be there and to be a part of the project. It was a great day, a great cast and a great crew, and this is the photo that spurs me on to think about the next project that I want to do, and within a few months, not a whole year from now. Who's in?

Short AND Sweet

2009-07-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

Geez. The bottoms of my feet feel like they are bruised. I was on them for 15-18 hours on both Saturday and Sunday for the shoot of my new short, "The Red-Headed Menace". Saturday was all prep work, changing two rooms in a Victorian mansion into a set that looks like an upscale restaurant, and then prepping food: for breakfast cooked off 3 dozen eggs, 4 pounds of bacon and sliced a ham, for dinner cooked up a triple-batch of my famed white wine & mushroom risotto, 3 different kinds of chicken, and sauteed asparagus. Roughly breakfast for 12 and dinner for 3 times that. It was ahuge pain, but made the food service the next day run very smoothly, so all my craft services (headed by Regina, of course, though I scrounged up several assistants for her) people had to do was warm everything and boil a mountain of corn on the cob that my Mom had given me.

The whole shoot went incredibly smoothly, actually. Granted, we finished at 11pm when I had told people I had hoped to be wrapped by 8pm, but we did manage to let everyone but a few essential people go by 9:30pm. And I should have said 11pm to begin with. To shoot 8 pages consisting of 6 vignettes (pieces each shot in a different room or part of a room, so requiring a lighting change), a steadicam shot, a fire stunt (actually 4 fire stunts, if you count each vignette that a fire stunt appears in, and 6 if you count how many times we had to do it because some scenes required two takes), another stunt, two scenes with three children, and three scenes each where Michelle and I each had to "act" (I can't really use the word without quotes around it, as that would be an insult to the real actors on the set)... to shoot that all in 9 hours including 30 minutes for dinner (plus the coordination it took to feed the almost FIFTY people who were on the set throughout the course of the day)... you better believe I am pretty damn happy with how well it went.

I was very glad to get back on the set with Michelle, and a year after shooting our first film together when we did "Smalltimore", now we know each other so well that we practically have it down to a science. Nearly all of our arguments were staged, and none of them were serious. Most were about her trying to weasel out of the scenes I had written for her, but eventually I got what I wanted out of her, and it is some pretty funny stuff.

I think the only day on "Smalltimore" that I had nearly as many people on set was the day we shot scenes with the band at the Wind-Up Space. That was a 15 hour day and one of the most stressful of the entire production. I've learned a lot since then.

It took a lot of people to make the day glide along so well. My Mom was down for a visit from Pennsyltucky, and I put her to work steaming and cutting vegetables, arranging prop plates of food (oh, yea - unless this is a magical restaurant where everyone is having after-dinner coffee at the same time, you better have plates of food in various stages of being eaten if you are going to make it look good), making flower arrangements, etc. I get my eye for artistic balance from my Mom and she is one of the few and possibly the only person I would entrust such tasks to.

Doing this short confirmed to me that I truly do not enjoy producing. I can do it, I've done it, and I seem to be pretty good at it. But I really don't enjoy it, and the next time I shoot something, I have to find someone I can trust to do it for me. The good thing about doing it myself is that I know that when it is time for the camera to roll, everything will be done the way I wanted it in the first place and I won't have to make adjustments. There are some parts that I like, like dressing the set, which in this case took a lot of time, and I really like when other people trust me to dress the set on their productions. But all the other stuff, breaking down the script, assigning tasks, trying to supervise oodles of people, grocery shopping and cooking... I know Regina would have helped me more with that stuff had I asked, but she had a sizable role in the short and I wanted her to be able to concentrate on that. She did help a lot, picking up some essentials (such as diet root beer for me and diet Mountain Dew for Michelle) beforehand, and she coordinated the crafty once I handed her the reins on that. Great to be working with her again also, and it was fun to direct her in a real speaking role this time. She rocked it out.

Lois Tuttle and Stephanie Refo rounded up the majority of the production assistants and extras, which was crucial to make the opening scene, and all of the scenes, look as good as they do. Lois was my Extra Extraordinaire, arriving early to help out and staying until the bitter end, and to Stephanie I assigned the role of Assistant Director. Whenever people ask me what I would do differently after shooting "Smalltimore," one of the first things I tell them is "HAVE AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR". That person takes care of some of the production stuff, like having everyone sign release forms, that I hate doing, supervises extras and crew who are not on the film team, and in a nutshell is the person that when the director says, "I need this..." they make it happen, as quickly as possible. It was Steph's first time doing anything like this, and she did a tremendous job, also sticking around until the very end of the night.

We had several newbies in as Production Assistants. Everyone did a great job though a couple mysteriously disappeared during the course of the day, never to be seen again. It happens. I am not sure what people really expect a movie set to be like. Maybe I am too practical. I love being on the set and I do think it is pretty cool, but even before I was ever on one I didn't have a glamorous pre-conceived notion about what it would be like. How could it NOT be incredibly hard work and long hours? Many are just not mentally prepared or cut out for it.

Li was a FANTASTIC Assistant Camera (AC), and by the end of the day, Michelle was letting her take the camera and do the B-roll footage of a group scene that I needed, plus Li was the cameraperson on the scenes that Michelle was acting, er, "acting" in. Li was a PA for me on "Juju." She is a very smart person and knows that the best way to learn things is by doing them on a set and paying your dues. The whole time she was working with me on "Juju" I was afraid she was going to get bored (we spent most of our day reshuffling the entire call sheet for the next day, as the production was often behind schedule - work that is both boring and frustrating) and defect or be drafted to the film crew. But she did seem to enjoy the hands-on learning of the production side of things and she stuck with me. It was great to work with her yesterday in her full capacity behind the camera.

I had some GREAT actors, who of course are only going to make me look that much worse. Still not sure how I am going to edit around myself, but I'll figure something out. Maybe I can have Craig Herron rotoscope me out in post! Craig had a few lines himself, and he did really well.

In addition to Regina Guy making a big splash in a role I wrote just for her, three of my actors from "Smalltimore" returned to me, Cheryl Scungio, Johnny Benson, and Kelly Coston. Poor Kelly had just flown in from Jamaica, flying into Philly, and hauled ass to get here but was just a few minutes late from when I had no choice but to film the opening scene, so she didn't get as much face time as I wanted to give her, but she's still in there as an extra. Cheryl had one bitter little scene which she pulled off really well. I love making her play roles that totally cut against the grain of her sweet self, it makes it that much more funny, if only to me. Johnny got held up and almost couldn't make it, which about gave me a heart attack because I knew no one could pull off the scenes like he could, but he made it in time. And true to form, he carried the lion's share of comic relief. His first take is unusable because everyone on the set, including me, burst out laughing when he read his lines. Also at the last minute he volunteered for a stunt that I had previously envisioned but didn't want to ask him to risk hurting himself. Then he came up with the same thing himself, and as luck would have it, since Jeff Wilhelm and Mark Mosier (the stunt guys for the fire stunt, I worked with them on "Juju" also) were there, they had the right pad in their car, and we did it! It was so hysterical that I have caught myself laughing out loud a couple times today just thinking about it.

I also borrowed several actors from the set of, "The Rosens," Steve yeager's latest project, which I have been working on as AD. Bobby DeAngelo has a broken ankle, so I wrote that into the script for him. His foot was really throbbing by the end of the day, but he was a trooper and stayed as late as I needed him in order to get all the essential parts. Megan Rippey and David Thornhill were great, and both stayed late to do one little three-line scene. I also had three child actors on the set, and I needed to shoot them as it was getting late and the younger ones were fading. I could have lived without that last scene between David and Megan, though I rather would have not, and they were good sports about it. By now we had been working so long that while we were doing the scene, at one point we had to hold for sound because an ambulance was going by. Megan and David started running the line over and over anyway, and it morphed into this funny improv bit. I nudged Michelle to roll the camera, and I let them run on for several minutes, while they cracked up the remaining cast and crew. We were all pretty punchy by then and it was a fun moment that gave us that little extra bit of juice to finish the little pieces I needed to complete the short.

Oh, and Steve Yeager and his wife Patty even stopped by the set to say hello! I'll soon be back on the set with Steve for more filming of, "The Rosens," can't wait.

I also got to work with Alex Hewett for the first time, though I see her in so many local productions that I almost feel as if I had worked with her before. Alex is the Resident Actor at The Strand Theater, and she has her hands in everything. She was another that stayed after almost everyone else had left, so I could get this little piece of her saying just two lines that I had added to the script while we were on the set. It was the answer shot to a little piece we filmed earlier in the day, where I threw my friend Lisa Knoch, who was our make-up artist for the day, onto the live set and made her say a line. Lisa was super-nervous and none too happy with me, but she was a good sport and she did it. I think it will be funny and if Alex hadn't been willing to stick around to film her part of it, I would not have been able to use Lisa's bit. Alex is a real pro and I look forward to working with her again, as well as all of the actors I have mentioned.

Another group of buddies that helped me out were my waiter friends from the Prime Rib restaurant. And for the record, I often say that the Prime Rib is pretty close to my idea of Heaven - hot men in tuxedos serving me amazing food and champagne. Seriously. Anyway, I went over there just last Wednesday night to see if I could talk any of them into coming over in their tuxedos to be extras and maybe have a line or two. I thought I was going to have to sweet-talk them into it, but they all jumped at it, and I ended up getting SIX real waiters in real tuxedos, and it added SO much to the production values in helping the set to look like a very posh restaurant. Three of them were also in one of the scenes with the fire gag, and that is another part that makes me laugh just thinking about it. My heartfelt thanks goes out to Danny, Brad, Mark, Pedro, Aaron, and Christopher! And extra thanks for letting me borrow the menus for props.

And the kids! Kids in a movie make Michelle nervous, because you never know if they are going to lose their nerve at the last minute. I've had kids in both "Smalltimore" and now in "The Red-Headed Menace" and it has worked out quite well both times. I like making Michelle nervous. I started off just needing one little red-headed kid, and ended up with THREE! Nicole (12), Colleen (8), and Charlie (6). They did such a good job! They played Regina's (who is also a red-head) kids, and some people on the set thought they actually were her kids. I know it was especially tough on the little ones when we ran late, but they were troopers. Charlie was negotiating with me. "How much longer do you think it will be?" I had to admit to him that it was going to be awhile before we could shoot his next scene. "But how long?" he politely demanded. "One hour? Two?" I was a little taken aback by this. "Um, probably an hour and a half." I told him if he was tired he didn't have to stay (though I REALLY wanted/needed him to). He thought about it a minute. "That's not too bad," he said. "We'll wait." It did indeed take at least that long and he was fading fast, as was Colleen, by the time we filmed his next scene with the three kids, but they hung in there. Charlie's line was, "Mom, I'm bored." He said his line, and when we cut the scene he told me, "I really AM bored." He was so cute I almost had to keep him.

Also want to thank specifically Joey Kasula (gaffer), Fred Besche (sound), and Megan Reed (Key Everything + Keeping Michelle In Line) for being such an awesome crew!

Oops, Michelle is at the back door, come to pick up the rest of her gear, so I gotta run. So many more people than I have mentioned to thank, but I have to get back to work cleaning up the set. Thanks again to EVERYONE for helping to make yesterday such a success, I can't wait to edit it! I'll post pictures soon on the "Smalltimore, the Movie" facebook page.

29 Days Later Film Project

2009-07-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Check it out: http://www.29dayslater.com/

Also, please become a fan on Facebook!

The Red-Headed Menace

2009-07-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

[Director of Photography Michelle Farrell, at the Baltimore premiere of "Smalltimore"]

Well, I think I am in pretty good shape but I still have LOADS more work today before filming our short, "The Red-Headed Menace," this Sunday. A few tweaks to the script, and then the heavy lifting - dressing the set. I have to create a restaurant dining room, pretty much from scratch. And a POSH restaurant dining room at that. It's not a problem, I've spent years in the restaurant business, grew up in it actually. It's just a lot of work.

Then I have to break down the script, which is also a lot of work, even for just 8 pages. Because we are trying to film 8 pages in 6 hours, including a very cool stunt, everything has to be timed out pretty perfectly, plotted and planned for every shot, so we can just bam bam bam knock it out.

But wow, I think I have a really great cast and crew assembled. Michelle, of course, plus Li as Assistant Camera, with whom I worked on "Juju: The Witchdoctor Chronicles", and Fred Besche on sound, I am working with him on Steve Yeager's new project, "The Rosens". Also from "Juju," is Unique Dowtin, as Script Supervisor/Continuity, and Jeff Wilhelm and Mark Mosier, who are doing the stunt work.

I am excited to be working with someone new, Stephanie Refo, who I have assigned as my Assistant Director. More than anything, I am just excited to HAVE an Assistant Director. I didn't know enough at the time to have one on, "Smalltimore," and boy did that make my life a LOT harder than it had to be. Stephanie, along with Lois Tuttle, helped me to round up over a dozen extras before I knew it! Steph seems to be a natural at organizing people, and that is really the gist of being an Assistant Director.

Of course, my trusty sidekick Regina Guy is never out of the loop. She'll be pulling triple duty - helping Michelle load the gear, craft services (though I have a couple of assistants for her that should handle the bulk of it), AND she has a major role in the short itself! Regina has gained quite a bit of acting experience since we shot "Smalltimore" last summer, but this will be my first time directing her.

On the acting side of things, Cheryl Scungio and Johnny Benson return to my set. Can't wait to work with a couple of my, "Smalltimore," stars again! And from "The Rosens," I am borrowing Bobby DeAngelo, Megan Rippey, and David Thornhill, Jr. The gorgeous blonde and resident actress of The Strand Theater, Alex Hewett, is on board, and even Craig Herron of Herron Designs is taking a turn in a small role! Craig is also in the process of designing an ANIMATED logo for my Steel Corset Productions, which I am VERY excited about, and can't wait to show you as soon as it is finished.

I am even borrowing some gorgeous guys in tuxedos from The Prime Rib restaurant (as well as a few menus, for props). And my friend Lisa Knoch is stepping in on her day off from wedding work and the salon to be my Make-Up Artist.

And then there's Michelle... not only is Michelle going to be my DP once again, but she is trying her hand at ACTING for the very first time. Granted, she has been in front of the camera for countless hours while making her award-winning documentary, "Unraveling Michelle," but that was Michelle telling Michelle's story. Though she is playing herself in, "The Red-Headed Menace," acting is a lot different. I, too, am playing myself, and believe me it is going to be a challenge for us both. We were talking about it on the phone the other night, and despite being nervous, she is being a good sport about it. "You stress me, Jeanie!" she whined, but I could tell she was smiling when she said it. "But I heard you when you said, when you took Steve Yeager's [Acting for the Camera] class last fall, that you were pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. I've never done that [acting]. But I will. I'll do it."

I know we'll both be fine, though. In a lot of ways we are cut from the same cloth. I am not always the best party guest. If I don't know anyone at a party, I tend to crawl into my shell. But if it is my party, instinct takes over and the quintessential hostess in me knocks herself out making sure that everyone at my party is comfortable and having a good time. Being on my set is like being at my party (except I'm bossier on the set), so I know I will be fine because I will be setting an example. I don't have the luxury of getting nervous, because since I am also directing, there is no one there to talk me down but me! I had even considered asking Steve to co-direct with me, but I felt like that would be cheating a bit, as the 29 Days Later Film Project is supposed to be more for non-pros, but more so I did not ask him because this is a challenge, and I want to face it. I am really excited that Michelle and I are going to do this together, and proud of us both, too. I think this experience is not only going to make us both better at what we do, but it is going to strengthen both our business-related partnership and our friendship. It means a lot to me that she trusts me enough to put herself out on this limb, with me. Let's hope the bough doesn't break!

All Systems Go

2009-07-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

I am sure I am not the only one who works this way, but I just have to do things when all of a sudden I can't NOT do them anymore. I've been having a very hard time writing this short for the 29 Days Later Film Festival. I've never written a short before and it is HARD, it is hard to decide what to make your story about, and it is very hard to try to squeeze a whole story into 3 to 8 minutes.

The hardest part for me is inventing characters out of thin air. Usually I base my characters on a real person, or more accurately, a combination of real people, OR if I know specifically who will be playing the part, then that makes it a lot easier to write for them, if I know their mannerisms or how they would naturally react to something. Up until yesterday, though I had some ideas, in that I knew the people that I wanted for certain roles, but I had not yet contacted them so I didn't know if they were going to play that part. After a flurry of emails, phone calls, text messages, and Facebook postings, I am happy to report that every single person I set out to get for the principle roles were available, willing, and excited to be a part of it. So now I can really hone the script to them and it is a HUGE weight off me shoulders.

Not only that, but my fellow Baltimore Socialite of the Artistic Circles, Lois Tuttle, put the word out for me as well and set a chain in motion that has rounded me up almost a dozen extras already! Extras are such a tough thing to deal with. Though I know a few people who do a lot of extra work and enjoy it, mostly it is a lot of hurry up and wait for them on the set, and for the director it is an anxiety factor in that you never know if they are actually going to show up. Having little to no extras in the background in scenes that SHOULD have a good number of people is a dead-giveaway that you had no budget to speak of. Having bodies milling about in the background is a lot like having proper lighting: you only notice it if it is absent, AND there is no way to fake it. No one ever looks at a scene and says, wow, look at all those extras in this restaurant, this looks so professional, they must have had a huge budget! But if there is an empty restaurant save for the speaking characters, it can look so fake and terrible, and it stands out like a sore thumb. So I am very happy and send out major thanks to Lois and her friend Steph for rounding up these folks for me!

Also I am psyched that some other people I have worked with on other projects are on board. Fred Baeshe (sound) who is working on the Steve Yeager project, "The Rosens," with me, and Unique Dowtin (script supervisor/continuity), Craig Herron (special effects/CG), Jeff Wilhelm and Mark Mosier (stunts), who all worked with me on the set of "Juju: The Witch Doctor Chronicles"). Plus, of course, my staples, Director of Photography Michelle Farrell and craft services manager Regina Guy, who will also have a nice-sized role in the short. For a small, last-minute, no-budget short, I could not be more pleased with the cast and crew I've assembled. It is such a great feeling when someone says that they really want to work with you, or even better, that they want to work with you again! Makes me feel like I must be doing something right. Can't wait to get back on the set!

A Few More Days of Radio Silence

2009-07-17T06:17:00.000-07:00

[Dingman's Falls, near Dingman's Ferry, PA]

Hey. I know, Bad Blogger. I have been both busy and goofing off. At first I was busy-busy, the last few days I have been goofing off-busy. I went up to Mikey's cabin in the Poconos with the intent of getting some writing done, but I convinced Bentley to come with me, so I accomplished nothing in the writing department, but did hit the trifecta of waterfalls on Route 209 (Bushkill, Raymondskill, and Dingman's Falls).

I am SUPPOSED to be writing and directing a short for the 29 Day Film Project, but am having a little trouble writing under pressure. Maybe it is not enough pressure, since it is not the last minute, but since I still have to cast, schedule, shoot, and edit it, I better get a move on. Deadline's August 6th for the finished project. Michelle is shooting for me, and I think I have the key players but will need more soon and when you are scheduling people who are workig for free, it can get rather nighmarish and you have to give yourself a lot of lead time. Sooo, I will not be blogging for at least a few more days, but when I start again, you will get to hear about the new project!

Mikey is working on getting me a graphic artist to design postcards and posters for Smalltimore so I will have marketing for the Indie Fest in California next month. We did not get into Red Rock or Rhode Island, rather bummed about that. I really wanted to go to Red Rock just for the super-cool venue, and Rhode Island was a long shot but I tried it anyway. Some women and comedy festivals have recently opened for submissions, so I sent a few more out. Now that the movie is very,very close to its final tweaks I feel much more confident in the DVDs I am sending out. I think the sound quality may have really hurt us for Red Rock and Rhode Island, but it is MUCH better now. I am pretty proud of the sound, actually, considering I did it all myself. Can't believe how far I have come from the first version!

Okay, really gotta get to work. Have a great weekend!

Flow

2009-07-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

[ Bentley at the Dirt Church. No particular reason, other than the plaque on the door behind him is Oh So Bentley.]

Feeling good today. Got a lot of little nagging things off my plate yesterday, but most importantly (1) got the form & photos I need to renew my passport, and (2) a script problem that I had cleared itself up, and I will soon be putting pen to paper.

The passport thing is pretty significant to me. I look at the one I am about to turn in, and I know there are novels crammed in those tiny, dog-eared pages. It was my first passport, issued July 9, 1999. The photo... I was blonde then, and - my friends will find this hard to believe, I know - it was a period in my life when I had absolutely no style whatsoever. My uniform was jeans, tennies, and polo shirts from the gap. Ew, I know.

Traveling, especially to Paris, now my second home, changed me for good. The things I have seen and the people I have met in my two dozen or so trips to Europe... I don't even recognize the person in that photo. It is hard to remember what was important to me back then. I thought I had it together, I thought I was confident. I didn't even know I was stepping off the precipice.

I feel that I am entering another ten-year cycle, and I am in some ways in that place again, but now I am aware. This time, I am leaping off that precipice, knowing that everything is going to change, again, and ten years from now I will look at the photo that today is new, and smile at how innocent I was. I think somehow that my progress in life is not in spite of my naivete, but because of it. Since I rarely think in terms of, "there's no way I could ever do that," it doesn't occur to me until I've finished whatever it was that I shouldn't have been able to do in the first place, that it doesn't make a lot of sense that I got it done, and most often someone else has to point this out to me.

I try very much to appreciate what I have while I have it, and I have these moments once in awhile, when things are going very well, that I soak it all in, recognize how lucky I am, and understand that this will not last. I don't mean that being happy won't last, for the most part it is unnatural for me to be any other way. I mean that this, this exact daily existence, in this town, with these people, in these circumstances, is fleeting.

I had one of those moments last night. I was out in Fells Point with Bentley, who is here for a few weeks from Toronto, again. I was just starting to get used to having him around and he'll be gone by the end of the month, probably until late fall. We got some sushi and then met up with my friend Christie for a drink on the open-air upper deck at Harry's. It was here that I had that moment. Here I was, looking out over a crowd of people on the wharf watching the free movie that had been set up there, a perfect night breeze blowing the fake tropical music through the bar, hanging out with my semi-unemployed artist friend and my self-employed yoga instructor friend. The bar was decently busy but we got a table right away, the waiter was friendly, everything was just so... relaxed. I took it all in, and I consciously said to myself, someday, sooner than I think, this, Baltimore, will just be a fond memory. I need to etch every detail of this into my brain.

I don't know what comes next, but I know I will be fine, I always am. I love Baltimore so much, more than anyplace I've ever lived, but I just have the feeling that by this time next year I will be elsewhere. That's a little scary, but in a good way, that keeps my blood pumping. Just as traveling changed the way I look at everything, the way I think of and carry myself, the way I interpret... everything... making this movie has reinvented me as well. I like it, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Sunrise, Sunset

2009-07-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

[Dawn in Philly, as seen from room 2516 of the Loew's Hotel. You can see all of my Philly and U.K. pics on the "Smalltimore, the Movie" Facebook page - click the link in the right-side tool bar]

Philly already seems like a dream. How is it possible that I was there less than ten days ago?

I did have a great time and I REALLY want to go to that festival again, because I know next year will be even better. I have a few regrets, but they were mostly my fault. I wasn't organized enough before I hit the ground there, didn't have a plan as to what films I wanted to see and which filmmakers I wanted to try to meet, and I didn't have any marketing materials with me, which was a big mistake. Everywhere I went and everyone I met was pure randomness, if that is a word. Usually that works for me, and it was fine this time, but especially because the venues were a little scattered, I would have gotten more accomplished had I mapped things out a bit better. But then again, maybe not. Mikey and I had a really tight but reasonable schedule worked out one day, but the evening before we met some filmmakers whose movie we had not planned to see, and they talked us into it ("Sex. Drugs. Guns."). So we changed our schedule and then in the middle of the next day, we met the filmmaker, O'Shea Read, whose film ("Shipping and Receiving", a short) we had switched out to see the other one! He was very nice and happened to have a DVD of it with him and gave it to us, so in the end it did work out fine.

For that one, anyway. Another movie I wanted to see was Adam Bronstein's, "My Movie Girl." I met Adam at the Opening Night Party. I think he is the first guy I have met that made a feature-length romantic comedy. The plot sounded intriguing, and hysterical, and Mikey wanted to see it also. We blocked it out and showed up at the venue on time, to find out it hand been switched to another time slot (in fairness to the festival, that was at Adam's request). I ran into Adam later and found out that it was rescheduled at 10:00am on Sunday. As much as I wanted to see that movie, that just was not going to happen.

But Adam, and O'Shea (though they have not met), both live in L.A. and said they would try to come to my "Smalltimore" screening next month, so it is all good!

Another filmmaker I met on the first night was Philip Maglieri ("The Alley" - short doc). As it turns out, his film was screening at the same exact time as mine, the venues rather far apart. That was the one I was most disappointed not to see. When Philip and I started talking at the party the first night, I asked him if it was his first festival. He said no, he had just been to one in England. I smiled, as I kind of figured what was coming next. Turns out, "The Alley," screened at Swansea Bay Film Festival in southern England, just a week or so before I was in Tamworth for the Heart of England Film Festival. The two festivals are related and had a lot of cross-over movies. In fact, Nick Hudson, the Director of the HOEFF, had met Philip at Swansea Bay and invited him to screen, "The Alley," in Tamworth. Philip was tempted to come up, but didn't, though Nick still screened the film (I didn't see it). But Philip had met in Swansea some of the same people I made friends with in Tamworth, such as Kent Wall ("Shotgun Jesus") and Vagabond ("Machetero"). It was a very Smalltimore moment. Also, Philip lives in Toronto, where dear old Bentley resides (when he isn't here, which he is now, cuz he just called me).

I did manage to see Jesse Bernstein's short, "Us One Night," since it screened right after mine in the same venue. He is using it as sort of a pre-trailer, he wants to make a feature out of it. It was funny, I hope he does! Met some other cool cats, you can check the pics on Facebook.

I have to admit that though I am trying to concentrate and give you the skinny on Philadelphia, my mind is elsewhere. I am getting (a little too) excited about Indie Fest in California next month. I'll explain in a minute.

During one of my conversations with Philip, I told him that I may be losing my job, and therefore my residence, by the end of the year. He asked me, "Are you worried? Are you a worrier?" I said, "Not really. My life always seems to work out the way it should." And it does, though I think part of that is me not fighting battles for the sake of fighting them, but rather making lemonade when presented with the ingredients. Another case in point is the succession of these festivals. I had a great time in Tamworth, and have been in touch with a few of the filmmakers I met there since I got back. But the audiences were negligible. I was in a fairly good schmoozing mode, though, because I am used to traveling abroad by myself, and I didn't have to deal with big crowds. I know it is ridiculous that I am more at ease in a foreign country than in Philadelphia, but that's just how I am.

Philly was a sizable but not insurmountable step up from Tamworth. Only in its second year, they have some bugs to work out, but it was much larger and much better attended, and the filmmakers had a destination meeting point every evening. I had not psyched myself up to schmooze, though, and I watched others work the room like nobody's business. I hated myself for it, but Mikey was there, and I used him as a crutch. That's my fault, I know better. But I was a little overwhelmed , I guess. It made me determined to make sure that doesn't happen again.

And now comes Anaheim, California. West Coast, baby. Funny thing? Heart of England was its First Annual, Philly Independent was its Second Annual, Indie Fest is its Third Annual. I tried not to get too excited about Indie Fest, because there are SO many fests in California, and this one is rather young. HOEFF, I think, accepted the majority of films that were submitted (don't get me wrong, I saw some great stuff there, but I think percentage-wise, that is the case). Steve, the director at the PIFF (Philly), told me that they had about 400 submissions (including shorts) and accepted about half of them. That gave me a little extra confidence, but still, I guess you could say I had a 50-50 chance of getting in, which is a lot better than most fests. Mine was one of about 65 feature-length, though they seemed to be heavy on the documentaries.

Before I go to a fest, I pick it apart so I can know what to expect and avoid disappointment. How many years has it been running, how organized is the communication, I research the venues, I consider the screening times... Some people that I met in Tamworth and Philly were disappointed in some things, but I managed to avoid that because I didn't have any delusions, and I enjoyed the festivals for what they were.

However... Having gone through the schedule of Indie Fest, out of their 140 selected films, only about 38 of them are feature-length, 8 of those are listed as documentaries, 4 as comedies (including "Smalltimore), and the rest (of those 38) are listed simply as features. Especially considering that "Smalltimore" has the final time slot (coinciding with two other non-comedy feature screenings), and the screening venue is the AMC Disney... I'm starting to feel pretty good about this one. Which means I have to start psyching myself up IMMEDIATELY. So I'll talk at cha later.

The Oracle

2009-07-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia: An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion; an infallible authority, usually spiritual in nature.

[ANOTHER of my Executive Producers, Tom Kyte, offering me a cherry bomb at the Mount Royal Tavern, a.k.a. The Dirt Church, in Baltimore - photo by Melanie Caffrey]

Okay, I WAS going to write more about my experience in Philly in this posting, and I will get to that eventually, but apparently my last post, or more specifically, the photo caption on my last post, got me into some trouble and I have to make amends.

If you are a regular reader of the blog, you know that there are several Executive Producers (i.e., people who gave me money to make the movie) for SMALLTIMORE. Granted, I do talk about Mikey the most, because, well, I SEE him on a regular basis, even though he lives in NYC, which, if you need a reference point, is much further away, than say, Leesburg, Virginia.

The caption of the previous post starts off with, "Executive Producer Michael Bordenick..." According to another Executive Producer of mine, Tom Kyte, this caption implies that there is only ONE Executive Producer. Of course that was not my intention, and I don't necessarily think that [general interpretation] to be the case, but I see how he could. Tom said I should be talking about him, too, and directing people to his website. I said, "I thought I wasn't allowed to talk about your work?" Either I was wrong, or he changed his mind, so this posting will be All Tom, All the Time.

You see, Tom is a bigwig at Oracle. As in, he is literally the world's leading authority on Oracle. If you are a database engineer, whatever that means, he is a god to you. He is, "Ask Tom." (www.asktom.oracle.com) He has also written 3 or 4 books on the subject, that, to someone like me, may as well be written in Chinese.

I met Tom at a party at Pitt when I was a senior in high school. The following year, I enrolled at Pitt and went to countless parties at Tom's place, dated his roommate, worked for him at the student union cafe (Tom was Student Manager), and spent most weekends on his couch because my roommates were big fat C-words. Tom taught me how to play Quarters by rolling the quarter off my nose (we kicked major ass together), and he also taught me how to play pool. In effect, these subjects turned out to be sort of a double-major for me, as they were about the only things I learned at college, and skills that I retain to this day.

Tom was my best friend at Pitt. He was, and is, my big brother. He took this position very seriously. He let me take home leftovers from the cafe when I was poor, he made sure no one messed with me when I was on the losing end of a game of quarters, he let me ruin his shirt with mascara when his roommate dumped me and I cried all over him. He also made endless fun of me at any opportunity, kicked my ass at pool relentlessly, and a favorite past-time was locking me in the service elevator at the cafe and turning the light off. He also loved to embarrass me in front of anyone I had a crush on, such as Kip, a gorgeous specimen who worked with us at the cafe. Though I probably couldn't pick his face out of a line-up, Kip's abs were perfection carved in milk chocolate. When we locked up at night, it was Kip's job to mop the floor. This coincided with a daily decline in my level of productivity. Tom addressed the situation. "Kip," he said, "I'm going to have to ask you to mop with your shirt on, so Jeanie can get some work done."

In short, Tom made sure that no one harassed me, except Tom. To this day he likes to tell people I introduce him to that, "Believe it or not," (as soon as I hear this, I know exactly what is coming out of his mouth next), he says, grinning maniacally at me for effect, "I knew Jeanie all the way back when she was a virgin."

Tom and I have stayed in touch all these years, though granted it was pretty loose for a long time. Still we managed to get together once a year or so. A few years ago, when he was going through his divorce, we got in closer touch and ended up hanging out a lot again. Tom's mom was a little worried. "Be careful about the rebound," she said. I am screwing up my face just thinking about that, and I am sure he did the same at the time. "Mom, Jeanie is like the little sister I never had." This did not go over so well when his mom repeated that sentiment to his actual little sister.

Before any aspiring filmmakers out there get any ideas about asking Tom for money for your project, I'll tell you that I don't believe for a minute that he contributed to the making of "Smalltimore," because he gives a flying rat's ass about being involved in making a movie. I'm not even entirely convinced that he was convinced, at the beginning, that I would even get it done. He just did it for me. It is as simple as that, I think.

A lot of people ask me how I was able to get people to hand me the generous checks (3 to 4 zeroes on the end) that Tom, Mikey, and Dan did. Each of them had very different motivations for doing so, but our strong friendships were the common thread. I am extremely lucky and blessed to have these people in my life who love and believe in me as much as these guys do. It is a trust that we have established over many years, and I have other friends who are just as wealthy that I did not approach because I wasn't sure that it would not effect our friendship if I couldn't get them their money back. With Tom, Mikey, and Dan, I know that is not the case. Though of course I am going to make every effort to see that that (getting their money back) happens.

So, my advice is, make friends with the most intelligent people that you can when you are young, because those are the people who will be wealthy when you are older! But mostly, just always put good karma out there, it will come back to you when you need it most, and also don't rely on anyone else's assistance to accomplish your goals. For the most part, I think my guys know that I would get this thing done one way or another. They saw that I was sincere in my vision, and though in some cases I was asking for their help, under no circumstance was I flat-out expecting it. Life is not on a sliding scale, and you should never think that someone should hand you money just because they have a lot more of it than you do. That right there is bad karma, and that will come back to you, too.

Anyway... one of the funniest things about Tom is that, though he loves to try to embarrass me, there is no one that I can make blush faster than him. The above photo is by his standards downright scandalous, and my new favorite. This was taken just this Friday night, when he and his girlfriend visited me in Baltimore (she snapped the photo). Happy now, Tommy? I hope this drives LOADS of people to your websites!

Four Days In Philly

2009-06-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

[Executive Producer Michael Bordenick a.k.a. Mikey B., gesturing towards some Historic Stuff in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia]

Just got back last night and need to wrap my mind around some (day job) work issues as well as burning a bunch of DVDs to send in for some last-minute deadlines (you know that's how I roll), so I am not going to make this a very long entry. I'll do that soon, though. Bottom line is, Philly was great, fun town, GREAT people (those who live there as well as those visiting for the fest), horrible, horrible pizza.

This is no joke. I think Philly has an inferiority complex about NYC in the same way Baltimore has the same in regards to D.C. This is the only theory I can come up with to explain why the pizza is so very bad. I figure that Philly wants to set itself apart, so at some point the city as a whole decided, if New York is known for its pizza, we can't do it the way that they do it, we have to make it completely opposite! Unfortunately for Philly, NY makes their pizza very GOOD. So the opposite of that would be... well, you get the point. Opt for the Philly cheese steak. Even chain restaurants there do it well.

I'll get more into it later, but as a whole I was very happy with the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, and it was far better than I expected a fest in only its second year to be. Several bugs to work out, but that's how it goes, and you have to have reasonable expectations at these things. My objectivity may be slightly clouded by the presence of many good-looking male filmmakers (several of whom you can check out in my photos from the fest on the Facebook page, "Smalltimore, the Movie" - click on the link on the right). But - men being my favorite vice and all - who's complaining?

Press Release for Philly

2009-06-24T16:43:00.001-07:00

I know I've already shown you the laurel, but it's so pretty, isn't it? Leaving tomorrow, no time to write anything else, so thought I'd share:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"SMALLTIMORE," a new romantic comedy by first-time filmmaker Jeanie M. Clark, will screen at 7:40p.m. on Saturday, June 27, at Yards Brewery, 901 N. Delaware Avenue, as part of the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival.

Tagline: Baltimore may not be known as an artists' haven to outsiders, but the people who live here know that the pertinent question is not, "What do you do?" but rather, "What ELSE do you do?" Struggling art gallery owner Gracie finds herself in a romantic dilemma when she forgets the Golden Rule of Charm City, "Don't judge a book by its cover."

"I am ecstatic that SMALLTIMORE's first domestic festival will be in Philadelphia," says Writer/Director Jeanie Clark. "Philadelphia and Baltimore have a lot of similarities, and I am certain the humor will translate flawlessly from one city to another. Plus, I am a Pennsylvania native, so I am personally glad to be here."

SMALLTIMORE serves as Ms. Clark's love letter to her adopted hometown of Baltimore. Originally from the Pittsburgh area, Ms. Clark has lived in Baltimore city for more than a decade. It was here that she discovered a strong creative community that was both tight-knit and inviting, after a fashion. "I did have to prove myself," she says. "I knew no one when I moved to Baltimore, and coming from 10 years living in Washington, D.C., people here [in Baltimore] were suspect that I was not so much an artist as a wannabe."

Baltimore has proven to be a desirable location for both film and television, but has suffered from an identity crisis for years. If you haven't visited the city, you may only know of it from crime dramas such as, "The Wire," "Homicide," or, "The Corner." Of course, Hollywood heavyweights such as Barry Levinson and John Waters repeatedly return to Baltimore to make their (respectively) nostalgic and quirky films. "John Waters' films are a lot closer to reality than people think they are," Clark says. "People here really are that weird, and that is one of the many things I love about this town. But still, this isn't an entirely accurate representation of my Baltimore, the Baltimore I see every day. I haven't seen a movie that really portrays that Baltimore."

"The majority of my friends in Baltimore are artists: painters, sculptors, poets, musicians, writers, and filmmakers," Ms. Clark explains, "but we all have day jobs." Indeed, "SMALLTIMORE," showcases a dozen local visual artists' work, and the soundtrack is comprised of a whopping 37 original songs by 11 Baltimore artists. This includes triple-threat and nationally renowned artist Joyce J. Scott, who stars as the eccentric wealthy widow Mrs. Talford, displaying several of her own paintings, and singing three of her own songs on the track. Native Baltimorean T.T.Tucker and his Bum Rush Band also play themselves in the film, and contribute 8 songs to the soundtrack. Even ceramic sculptor Caren Shelley and jewelry artist Wayne Werner made commissioned pieces for the film.

There is a lot more to "SMALLTIMORE," than what meets the eye, or ear, however. "People ask me what made me decide to make this movie," Ms. Clark says. "And the bottom line is, I was tired of seeing horrible movies, especially romantic comedies. People like what they can relate to. Getting knocked on the head or drinking a potion that gives you supernatural powers might be entertaining, but it is not going to happen to you. And your jackass of a boyfriend is not going to turn into Prince Charming, either."

The diverse ensemble cast and overlapping story lines reveal even more sides of Baltimore. In this small town masquerading as a big city, the social circles are small - and they all cross-pollinate. No one bats an eye at the gay or inter-racial relationships, let alone a delusional cross-dresser. "I had to do some work to woo Joyce Scott, who is African-American, onto the project, mostly due to her own busy schedule," Ms. Clark says. "She liked the script, but after reading the whole thing, she had some concerns. Her character's personal assistant is Italian-American. Joyce said to me, not asking me to change the script but just wanting to make sure I was aware of this, that 'traditionally speaking', black people and Italians have not always gotten along so well. I really wanted Joyce for the project, and I did give what she said a lot of thought, because I wanted everything about the story to ring true, and I didn't want her to feel it was a stretch." Soon after, Ms. Scott signed on to the project, with no changes to the character of her assistant, Tony. "I knew what she was saying, but she knew what I was saying: I understand that is how it is, in a lot of places. But it just isn't that way in my Baltimore. Those aren't my friends. My friends don't give a flying rat's ass about that kind of stuff. And I know that Joyce doesn't either." Sure enough, once on the set, Joyce and Orlando Gonzalez, who plays the character of Tony, got along famously. Their chemistry onscreen is a direct reflection of their true personal chemistry. "It got to the point that I was afraid to leave them alone in a room together," Clark says. "I'd come back and within five minutes they would have come up with some ridiculously funny and COMPLETELY un-PC comedy sketch - entirely instigated by Joyce."

Romantic comedies can be a hard-sell at festivals. SMALLTIMORE's first festival was earlier this month in the Heart of England International Film Festival in the United Kingdom. "By the time the film screened on the third day, I was more than ready for a laugh," says Clark. "So many filmmakers, and festival programmers, think that if it is funny it can't be good, it can't be art. That is absolutely untrue."

SMALLTIMORE has also been accepted to Indie Fest in Anaheim, CA, in late August. In addition to Ms. Clark (who not only wrote and directed, but also produced and edited the film), Director of Photography Michelle Farrell ("Unraveling Michelle", which screened at Firstglance Festival 2008), Executive Producer Michael Bordenick, and leading actor Cheryl Scungio will be in attendance for the screening on Saturday. Ms. Scungio also starred in, "Public Interest," which screened at the first Philadelphia Independent Film Festival in 2008, and took home the award for Best New Director.

More info:
On Facebook: Smalltimore, the Movie
Trailers available on YouTube and www.smalltimorethemovie.blogspot.com

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

2009-06-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

And I'll breathe in mid-July. Maybe.

Got home about 8:30pm Tuesday night. Took my neighbors who dog-sat for me out to dinner an hour later. Worked all day Wednesday, plus had fellow filmmaker Brian Morrison ("One Down") help me figure out some compression and burn (making a DVD of the movie) problems, and took him across the street to meet my friend Phil ("Mrs. Simpson" in Smalltimore). Brian is renting Philip's fabulous Corvette convertible for a music video he is shooting this weekend for Lazerbitch (who is on the Smalltimore soundtrack - click their link on the right to check them out!).

Wednesday night went to The Charles to see Steve Yeager's premiere of, "Crystal Fog." I knew Steve had won an award at Sundance for his documentary on John Waters ("Divine Trash"), but I learned something I didn't know from the woman who introduced him: Steve is still Maryland's only award winner at Sundance. Of course, Eric Thornett won an award at Slamdance, and Michelle is winning awards left and right, so I am always in good company!

"Crystal Fog," was great. I wasn't sure what to expect but it turned out to be a very sweet and well-told story. Was NOT expecting the sweet part. Which is great, I HATE going into a movie and knowing everything that happens before it even begins.

It is the story of a drag queen (Crystal Fog) and an allegedly straight man who falls for her. The story is loosely based on a true relationship that happened to Steve's brother. I am always impressed when someone can write for a character that is very different from themselves and have the dialogue be believable, like men writing for women, crossing ethnic lines, an older person writing for a younger character, or a straight man writing for a drag queen. Steve did an amazing job, and it is an impressive tribute to his brother.

The after-party at Nick's Fish House (which was featured prominently in the film) was a great time. I ran into several of the actors and the DP that I have worked with on Steve's new feature (currently in production), "The Rosens". I spotted (actor) Johnny Alonso there near the end, but didn't have a chance to say hello. He has been in so many Baltimore productions, and mostly works in California now. I don't know him really, but met him briefly last year on the set of "Good People," which was the second time I had met Michelle but the first time I had seen her in action on a set.

Yesterday more work at the Day Job, then dropped by the Creative Alliance to pick up some DVD screeners from Kristen to review before our Members Committee meeting on Tuesday. A small panel of film-related people watch films that are in consideration for the next cycle of events. It's fun, I think, and always nice to have your opinion asked.

Today I have dreaded paperwork for the Day Job (god, I HATE paperwork! This is why I have never held a 9 to 5 job), and email/Facebook blasting about the Philly fest, and have to send some materials out to them and also try to get together a press release. That is SORT OF paperwork, but more of a creative kind and it can be emailed, so no real paper is involved and I don't mind it so much.

Tomorrow I have a small walk-on part for the Lazerbitch music video, and am going to try to catch The Degenerettes (also on my soundtrack - also click their link on the right) play a set at 8:25pm at the Pride festival stage on Eager Street (in front of the Hippo). And I know there are at least three other things I have to do tomorrow that I am forgetting about. Sunday is the second installment of my neighborhood yard sale:

Monthly Mother of All Yard Sales!
1 0 Households!
Sunday, June 21, 9:00am-2:00pm
Rear parking lot, 1125 North Calvert Street

Jewelry - glassware - antiques - oddities -
books - clothes - appliances - furniture -
decor items - dolls - kitchenware

Spread the word!!!

And then it's Monday again already? Argh!

Winding Down

2009-06-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

Good lord. This is why it is good to travel alone. This morning I got up at a reasonable hour and was packed and ready to leave Tamworth at 10:30a.m. The train I originally planned to take was at 12:42p.m., but since I was moving, I figured there had to be one a little earlier, right? Not really. There was one at noon, so I still had an hour and a half to kill. So, after walking 1/2 mile to the train station to find this out, and there being no place at the train station to store my bags (by the way, can't blame Bin Laden for that. The IRA was blowing up things in London long before him, which is also why trash cans are very difficult to find in train stations), I had to walk halfway back into town to get a soda and sandwich, then afterwards back again.

When I did return, I found that I was on the same train and changing at Birmingham with Amir, one of the other filmmakers in the festival. He was the one who told me he'd watch my movie even though it would not be his cup of tea. Which, incidentally, he did not. He sat through about 15 minutes before walking out. I have since forgiven him but will admit I was annoyed at the time. I know it is my first festival, but still, there is a sort of etiquette between filmmakers, and once you establish some sort of rapport it is unspoken that you expect, want, and reciprocate support, i.e., watch each others movies.

But, we had a nice chat while traveling to Birmingham, and I know he did not have any malicious intent. I had to walk out of a couple films myself, though that was due to some very graphic footage. I remember images and I can't watch certain things that I find disturbing. I know seeing my neighbor Philip in a dress is somewhat disturbing; perhaps it was just too much for Amir to take.

Last night was the screening of "Radio Cape Cod," by American Andrew Silver. It was a sweet little love story, and a nice event. They served small sandwiches, satay skewers, and canapes during the meet & greet beforehand, so that was dinner. But other than Andrew, I was the only filmmaker still in town (except Amir, who did not attend), so it was a little lonely. I did talk quite a bit with John Welles, a councilman and former Mayor of Tamworth, who I met the first night at the castle, and his wife and son David as well. Really nice people, as was everyone in town, and as I said to John after the movie last night, I need to make another movie so I can come back!

It was a long day of travel today. To get to Matthew's I had to take five different trains, and very few of the stations I had to transfer at had escalators, so I had to drag my big case up and down the steps myself. In these situations, some man almost always grabs it from me without even asking and does it for me, but not today. It is Sunday so no one seemed in much of a hurry and the trains were less crowded, so maybe when they help me like that it is just to get me out of the way from holding up traffic.

I am looking forward to having dinner with Matthew tonight and catching up. He hasn't been over to Baltimore in quite awhile. Since New Year's, I think? Then tomorrow with Jim & Deb. This is just about the time that I really start missing my dogs and home, so it will be nice to spend it with friends.

The Heart of England Film Festival was a terrific experience, and I think a very suitable "starter" festival for me. I truly think that the networking I was able to do with other filmmakers will prove to be to my advantage down the line. I am going to try to help Amir with some casting for his next project; Ronnie said he'd DP for me if I made a short, and the wheels in my head are already spinning on that; if I ever make a documentary I would certainly consult with Indira, and she said if she ever made a feature she would consult with me; I really want Vagabond to meet Al Letson at some point, I think they would hit it off and creative sparks would fly; plus Vagabond and Maya both live in NYC, so hopefully I will see them again soon. Plus so many other great people I met... never know, might run into them again at another festival soon (knock on wood!).

Many of us being Americans, and traveling alone, I think added to the intensity a bit, and how well we hit it off. It starts off being a little lonely, and a little scary. So I think when you meet other people who are in the same circumstance, there is a moment that each is sort of thinking of the other, "Please don't be a jackass, so I have someone to hang out with," and in most cases they are not a jackass, and then the fun begins!

"...first, drunk, and shy!"

2009-06-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

Of course that partial quote does not pertain to moi. Last night was the Heart of England International Film Festival Awards Banquet, and my fellow filmmaker Indira was the first to win an award for her documentary "Crossing Lines". She did not make any sort of speech and as other awards were being handed out, she realized she should have, but, as she said of herself, "That's what happens when you are first [winner], drunk, and shy!" She is hysterical after a few drinks, she is far more bold and far less self-conscious. I have a few friends that I love to watch get drunk (Donna, Lisa) because they get so funny so quickly, and Indira is now on that list.

I had SO much fun last night, it was wonderful. I was seated with many of the new friends that I made this week, though unfortunately the Scots, Ronnie and Paul, were not at our table. They won also, for "Shooter" (as well they should have!), so we screamed and cheered for them. Actually, every single filmmaker at my table won an award - six in all, making our table the most trophy-laden in the room - except me. Wasn't even nominated. I knew this all along, that the people I was hanging out with were all nominated, and I knew that they were likely to win as well, and though I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it, I wondered how I would feel during this event. Turns out I probably had more fun that way, as there was no pressure and no competition for me. I was truly happy for all of my new friends and we had a ridiculously good time. On each table was a centerpiece made of a gold heart. I whipped out my retractable Sharpie and turned it into my own award, writing on the heart, "SMALLTIMORE - Award for the Only Film at Table 3 Not to Win an Award". I then had everyone at my table - Vagabond, John & Alba, Carlos & Sallie, Rafael & Claudia, Isaac, and Indira - sign it, plus Ronnie and Paul (the Scots), Richard and Karen (local Tamworth filmmakers), Nick Hudson (festival Director), Jordan (Nick's assistant, John Welles (former Mayor of Tamworth), his filmmaker son David, and - I am not making this up - the actor who plays Boba Fett in the Star Wars films. Jeremy something, I can't make out the signature. I love my trophy and it makes me smile to look at it. I actually like it better than the ones that were awarded!

I am exhausted and dehydrated and need to go find some water now. All my friends have left and I got up too late to go out to Bosworth Battlefield where they were screening today. One more event tonight, a screening of "Radio Cape Cod," I will likely go to that. Then off to London tomorrow!

More Good News!

2009-06-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

Got word yesterday that "Smalltimore" has been accepted to the IndieFest in Anaheim, CA! That takes place the last week of August. I just looked at the schedule, and "Smalltimore" is screening on the last night, in the last evening slot. That is pretty primo and I am VERY happy about that.

Also was sent notice that "Smalltimore" has made it through the second round of the Red Rock Festival. I really want to get into that one. Though it is a newer festival, the venue looks absolutely amazing and I very much want to see my film on that screen.

"Smalltimore" screened here on Wednesday to a small but enthusiastic audience. My friend Jim (on whom the character of Jack was loosely molded) came up from London to see it. It was his first time watching any part of the movie, and something that made me happy is that he laughed at a lot of the little things that some people don't notice. My favorite movies are those of the true Silver Screen era, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Fred & Ginger, Mae West... and in those movies if you don't pay attention you can miss a lot of the laughs. I think in 2009 we are quite... I don't know if desensitized is the right word, probably not... I don't know, I think audiences expect to be handed everything. Here's an explosion, here's a car chase, here are some breasts, try not to think too hard. I like movies you have to work at a little bit.

I am so glad I have stayed for the whole week, I continue to meet very interesting fellow filmmakers. Last night I met two Scottish chaps named Ronnie and Paul who made a 4-minute film titled "Shooter". It is beautifully made and I was quite impressed - as was Cannes. They head to Edinburgh next. I am more than jealous. I love Scotland and I haven't been back there for far too long. And of course I would like to be in a festival there! Ah, well. At least I can listen to their lovely accents for a few days, and make a few contacts.

Tonight is the awards dinner which I am looking forward to. There were some very heavy films being shown today and I had to escape for a bit. Other than "Smalltimore" I have only seen one comedy and that was a short. Why do so many people think that in order for a film to be good it has to be depressing? I have seen some very good documentaries, though, and they each had a bit of humor in them. One was called, "Crossing Lines" which was very good, and another was an excellent doc about photographer Eddie Adams. My library computer session is about to end, sorry I have no time to give more details than that!

Hello, Dahlings!

2009-06-09T05:18:00.000-07:00

Greetings from jolly olde England! Tamworth Library, to be exact. I've been here for two (gray, cloudy, sometimes rainy) days and am quite enjoying it. Festival attendance, as I feared, is negligible, but until Saturday the films are showing from 10am-5pm, and most people are at work. So it is mostly visiting filmmakers watching each others' films! Not that there's anything wrong with that. I have met some very cool people and the program director, Nick Hudson, is very hospitable. He arranged a LOVELY reception for the filmmakers at Tamworth Castle last evening, with wine, delicious canapes, and not only the Mayor, but three former mayors as well!I chatted it up with the current Mayor and guess what? I absolutely love this - he has a cousin in Baltimore. I am not making this up.

One of my fellow filmmakers also has relatives in Baltimore. His name is Kent, I am going to see his film this afternoon. It is called "Shotgun Jesus" and it is a documentary on truck stop evangelists. It sounds very interesting and I can't wait to see it.

I am glad to have met these other filmmakers (most of them are American) so I believe I will at least have a small audience for "Smalltimore". The event venue, the Csa Bar, which is sort of similar in size and layout to the Wind-Up Space, but it is more of a square than a rectangle and has a dozen leather sofas that are almost TOO comfortable. The manager there, Carl, is very nice and helped me to find a place to make some flyers to hopefully draw a few more people in. He also told me I might get a bit more of a crowd than some of the other screenings because there is a very important football (aka soccer) match that evening, so perhaps I will get some pre-gamers. Also my friends Matthew and Jim are coming up from London tomorrow to see it.

So, it is a mixed bag but I am enjoying it and now that I have met these other filmmakers, I definitely have something to look forward to each day, as their films are spread throughout the week. I can't remember all the names of them so I will try to check back here in a few days and tell you about them as I see them, perhaps Thursday. Tomorrow I will be busy with my London visitors and seeing one of my fellow filmmaker's screening that happens just before mine.

After the reception at the Castle last night, program director Nick treated half a dozen of us filmmakers to dinner at a very good Indian restaurant. Seated next to me was Amir, who lives in Berlin. I think his film shows on Friday. He seems a rather serious chap, but nice. I gave him a flyer for "Smalltimore". He looked at it for a moment and said quite bluntly, "This does not interest me. But you interest me, so I will see it, so that I can better know you."

Some people may have been offended by that, but I thought it was great, and I could say the same about some other movies. But from what little I have seen of each of these people I have met so far, even if the subject matter doesn't sound like I'd like it, I think I will be pleasantly surprised.

Last night was really nice. Sitting with these people, and realizing we are all in the same boat. Each traveling alone, putting our work in front of strangers, not really knowing what to expect of this week. There is a camaraderie in that.

And as I walked out of the Castle on our way to dinner, I snuck around onto the ramparts and took a few pictures of the beautiful green landscape below and the high stone wall that banks the path up to the Castle entrance. In between pictures I took a moment and a deep breath and looked out at this beauty with my naked eye, and I smiled and even had a little laugh to myself. Coming over here I was so worried about how many people would be seeing my movie. You know me, I HATE to have a small turnout, I am known for great parties! But here I was, in England, coming out of a reception held in the honor of me and my fellow filmmakers, in a thousand-year-old castle, with the Mayor. Who can complain?

A Dog's Life

2009-06-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

Two dogs, really. Timmy and Max, my yorkies. I had a medical emergency with both of them last night that I really don't want to go into. The important thing is that they are fine, though I am still rather traumatized, and only hours before I get on a plane to be away from them for 10 days. Luckily they will be in very good hands with their "Uncles" Phil and Ron. If I didn't have such good friends to leave them , with, I probably would be canceling my whole trip right now.

As it stands, I had to cancel my Pre-Production for Independent Films class at the Creative Alliance at the 11th hour. That was supposed to be today. I do feel terrible about that, and hope to make it up to the people who enrolled. But I am sure any of them who has had a pet with a near-death experience will understand.

So last night was a complete wash and now I am behind schedule again, haven't even packed, though for me, as you know by now, that is par for the course. I have so much to do today, I'd better get moving in a minute. But just wanted to throw a quick post on here before I leave for 10 days, as I am not sure how much internet access I will have over there.

The dog in the photo above is not one of mine (the dog is not mine, the photo is), but this is one of my favorite photos that I have ever taken. This dog's "name" was George (we dubbed him this, as in, "I will love him and squeeze him and call him George", old-school Warner Brothers cartoon reference ). He was a stray that a friend of mine found near Patterson Park. He was a mutt with a very cool personality and hypnotic golden eyes. He didn't seem stressed or freaked out about anything. It was summertime and none of us had much to do, and George fit right in. I practically expected him to make a suggestion as we discussed where to go get a cold beer and sit outside. We were in another friend's convertible driving in Highlandtown near the park when I took this with a fish eye lens. I was in the front passenger seat, George was in the back seat with the friend who found him. A few days later, George got loose and ran away and we never saw him again. But, he was one of those dogs that you just know will be fine. That was at least 5 years ago, and I still smile whenever I look at this photo and I remember everything about this little guy. He seemed like the canine equivalent of a happy wanderer. He just drifted into our lives for a few days, hung out and had a few adventures, and then hit the road, undoubtedly on to the next adoptive group for more good times. I'll try to take a page from George's book as I spend a week in Tamworth.

Heart Attack Averted

2009-06-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Good lord... went to make some changes to the movie yesterday, and I COULDN"T FIND THE FILE. Somehow I had accidentally moved the master file to the TRASH! Thank goodness I hadn't emptied it! I think I was trying to get rid of old versions that were taking up a lot of space but I knew I wouldn't use again. Seriously, I was almost in tears, because the only full version I had left was the latest DVD version, which is somehow all squished because I must have done something wrong when rendering and burning it to DVD. I am still having palpitations just re-living the moment. Ack.

I am about 1/3 of the way through the movie, making some tiny changes here and there, tightening up a few pauses and even cutting down a few more lines. Anyone who has seen the movie will probably be happy to know that I have cut the Golden Twat line from the sushi scene. I still think it was funny, but nobody else seemed to, and I'll admit it makes the scene more palatable to a wider audience. I also swapped some things around in the first few scenes to step up the pace. There is more I would have liked to cut, but since I did not do a great job during production of making sure I had enough cutaways (little snippets to cut to, a hand on a bottle of beer, a close-up of someone's wrist as they look at their watch, etc), to cut the lines I wanted to cut would screw up continuity, which I have worked VERY hard to make as perfect as possible. Also I now open directly with the first scene, THEN to the opening credits with the song "Bohemia" by Niki Lee. That is something Eric suggested a long time ago, and it definitely works better, plus then people are paying attention by then instead of talking through the credits, and I think the song is very pertinent to the movie, which is more obvious after you watch the first scene.

I am so excited to be heading to England on Saturday, though I really have no idea what to expect. I have booked my reservations in a sweet little B & B called The Peel Hotel, which apparently is anywhere from one to ten minutes walking to anyplace in town I would possibly need to be. Rest assured I will be making mental and physical notes throughout the trip, as I have the feeling that the entire experience has "screenplay" written all over it. When I made my reservations at the hotel for an entire week, the kind lady I spoke to told me that after I had seen the sights in town, that it would be easy to take a train to Birmingham, a larger city, and from there I can go to anywhere in England quite easily. The way she said it was almost as if she had said "after you have seen the sights in town - which should take all of about five minutes..."

Though it may happen, I have no intention of leaving Tamworth that week. As stated, my goal the first few days is to meet as many people as possible and invite them to the screening. I also intend to get some writing done, and RELAX. I do my best writing and relaxing when I am VERY far away from home and have absolutely no daily responsibilities and limited internet access. Plus, though the pound is a lot weaker against the dollar than it has been in recent years, it is still not in my favor, and I see no point in wasting valuable pub money on train travel.

I am also so psyched about going to Philly later this month! I was starting to panic that "Smalltimore" would not get into any domestic festivals, though I have only been turned down by a few so far, and those were mostly long shots. There are some other festivals I will be hearing back from soon that I think the film is more suited to, so fingers crossed. I'd really like at least one more, so when the time comes to package the DVD I can have at least three lovely laurels to display on the cover!

Re-Gifting

2009-05-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me! It is midnight, the clock just turned to May 31st, and I am mumblemumble years old! I just got home a few minutes ago from hanging out with Eric in his neck of the woods, for what could be called a mutual birthday dinner, as he is a fellow Gemini, but what was basically just hanging out because we hadn't seen each other in awhile. I have done a complete turnaround from last night's rotten mood, which you don't know about because I was in too rotten of a mood to write, but trust me. Before I went to bed last night, I happened to check my horoscope online (Susan Miller is the best), and it said that come morning, Mercury would go direct (no longer be in retrograde). Now, I don't know exactly what "retrograde" means, as far as the physical sense of what happens to my ruling planet of Mercury, and just maybe after I finish writing this post I will Google it and tell you later (though of course if you are reading this, you either do know what it means or are probably Googling it yourself right now, so I may not bother). But what I DO know is that when Mercury is in retrograde, it not only screws things up for those signs like Gemini who are ruled by that planet, but for EVERYONE.

And Mercury has been in retrograde all month! So, if you have been in a bad mood, gained weight, lost a job, missed your flight, had a fight with your partner, kicked your cat, or gotten a speeding ticket - not your fault! Mercury was in retrograde!

But, finally, no mas! I'm in a good mood, all is right with the world, everything is coming up roses, and I can prove it! I had a VERY nice gift in my inbox when I got home (and NO, that is not a euphemism! Minds out of the gutter, please), and I am about to share it with you, and as you are such faithful readers, I am telling you FIRST. I am not calling Eric or Michelle or emailing all my actors, I am putting it out to you, right here, right now, right after I received this gift myself, I give it to you (and if those people love me anyway, they should have this blog wired somehow that a deafening alarm goes off on their cell phone every time I post something here):

"Smalltimore," has been accepted to the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival!

I can't tell you how excited I am about this! Best birthday weekend, and it has barely begun! Today I received a gorgeous floral arrangement from dear Mikey B., a box with gifts from my Mom, all from her recent trip to Russia, which included a fridge magnet, a bar of dark Russian chocolate, a silver ring, and best of all, a jar of real Russian caviar, of which I just indulged a celebrational spoonful! Plus got to hang out with Eric all evening, and tomorrow I am going to Charles Town Race Track with half a dozen friends for the Third Annual Duchess Stakes, a.k.a. Jeanie's (a.k.a. the Duchess of Mount Vernon) birthday, and have been promised several compilation CDs (my favorite birthday gift from my friends)!

AND my movie has been accepted at its second film festival!

Seriously, I need a moment (fans face with hands). And maybe another spoonful of caviar.

What is super-great about this, I hope, is that Philly is close enough that some of my cast, crew, friends, family, and fans can come to Philly and see "Smalltimore" in a festival atmosphere. I am leaving on Saturday for England, to go to our first fest, The Heart of England Festival, but unfortunately no one from the production could join me due to schedule and/or the expense. My friends Matthew and Jim are coming to Tamworth from London to see it with me, though, and I am looking forward to that.

But now I also get to look forward to seeing the film and having other people from the production (fingers crossed, I hope many of you will attend!) at a fun event that makes them feel like their efforts are appreciated by people other than me and our hometown fans.

There is something very special about having strangers approve of your creative work. Certain things in life you can only know if you experience them. There are some incredible, wonderful, exhilarating experiences that I will likely never have, and I know that no matter how much someone describes them to me, I won't get it - the birth a child, jumping out of an airplane, driving a race car 200+ miles an hour, winning the lottery... I can try to imagine it, but you just have to experience it. That doesn't make me jealous, I don't feel like I am missing out on anything, because those are things that, well, if you haven't done them then you don't know what you're missing so in effect you're not really missing out, in my opinion.

But, as an artist, I can tell you, if you are not an artist you will never know the joy of having a stranger "get it". It is wonderful to have your friends and family, all the people who love you, support you and tell you that you are wonderful and talented, and of course that counts for a whole lot. However, even if they are right, they are biased. They just are. But to have someone that you don't know from Adam tell you that whatever you created made them laugh, cry, or it somehow move them... feel it once, and you will live for those moments.

When I had my first B&W photography exhibit, my Dad wanted to be able to boast that he bought my first piece ever. He lived in Florida so he couldn't come to the show, so he had me pick out something that I thought would suit him. I chose an image of a stray black dog standing alone on a cobbled street in Pompeii, looking back at me over his shoulder. Something about his sad eyes, close to me in proximity but isolated, on some plane a world away, reminded me of my Father. It meant a lot to me that Daddy bought that picture. Over the phone I told him what the show price was and then told him the "family discount". He mailed me a check for the entire listed amount.

That was a special moment in my life, just like when my Mother more recently mailed me an unsolicited check to contribute towards the making of "Smalltimore". Those are things you never forget. But also are the moments you are totally unprepared for, like the first time a stranger bought a photograph of mine. Or the time that an artist, a good artist but someone I had never met before, bought a painting of mine, told me he loved it, had to have it. Within that exhibit I thought it was the worst of the bunch and was afraid it would out me as an imposter. Honestly, I don't even consider myself a painter. I couldn't believe it. I felt guilty taking his money, like I almost wanted to say, when you get home and realize it is a piece of crap, you can bring it to me for your money back. But I didn't say that, and I never saw the guy again.

I think most artists feel that way at first, and most artists have their first "stranger" sales burned into their brains. It makes you feel legit. At the "Smalltimore" premiere on May 3, in addition to all the love and energy that was created in that room by the people who know me and know how much I have put in and continue to put in to this production, I also got a charge and very much fed off of the good vibes I received from all the unfamiliar faces, many of whom approached me after the screening with warm, genuine smiles and handshakes.

So now I sally forth to Jolly Old England, not sure of what awaits me there. Will they get it? Will the American humor translate? I am excited, but also nervous. My game plan is that I arrive in Tamworth on Sunday, June 7th. This gives me three full days and nights to drink with as many locals as possible and bribe them to come to the screening. Marketing is a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. And since I will be the only Smalltimore rep there, I am the only one to do it!

I am so glad that the first (of many, knock on wood) domestic festival that "Smalltimore" will be screening in is in Philadelphia. I haven't spent a lot of time in Philly, but when I have been there, it seems to me to be a mash-up of both the best and worst parts of Pittsburgh and Baltimore. An observation, not a judgement. I like Philly, what I have seen of it. I am comfortable there and have always wanted to spend more time there, and now I have a chance to. That being said is simply a lengthy way of saying that, in addition to its geographical proximity to Baltimore, I think the mindset of people there is also similar, and I think (hope, pray) that a Philadelphia audience will "get it".

But I am fully prepared to get there early and drink with the locals in order to hedge my bets.

The Philadelphia Independent Film Festival is the weekend of June 25-28. Mark your calendars!

Break Over

2009-05-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, sorry for the radio silence. I needed a serious break from both All Things Movie and All Things Computer. I have been so close to "Smalltimore" for so long that I needed to step back for a little perspective, and I had been spending so much time at the computer that I was on the verge of major carpal tunnel syndrome. My arms tingled from my wrists all the way up to my shoulders, especially in my right arm, which is the hand I use more when typing and exclusively for editing, and I was starting to feel sharp pains as well. This post is the last thing I plan on doing on the computer today, as I am starting to tingle again after being on the computer catching up with email etc. for the last hour or so. My friend Matthew and my Mom have both had surgery for carpal tunnel, and it is something I am most interested in avoiding.

SO, what is new in MovieLand? Well, last Friday I was interviewed by Tiffany Ariany (Angela) on a television program called "Media Matters" which focuses on international finance and media arts. We talked about how I found my investors and how "Smalltimore" managed to get into an international film festival. It was fun, and great to see Tiffany, I had not laid eyes on her since the screening of the rough cut in December. She and her Mom, Farah, both look like a million bucks, as always. Tiffany is co-producing and editing the program in addition to hosting it. I think she is barely 20 years old! Can't wait to ask her to hire me for something when she's 30 and ruling the world.

I have booked my plane ticket for England, to attend the Heart of England Film Festival in Tamworth, where "Smalltimore" screens on June 10th. I plan to be there a few days early to spend my evenings liquoring up the locals and convincing them to attend the screening. I am hoping that at least one of my stars will join me, but haven't had anyone confirm yet.

Found out that my job-job seems to be semi-secure at least until the end of summer (knock on wood). Really hoping I can stretch that out until the end of the calendar year and pay off a few more credit cards.

Waiting to hear back from some more film festivals. There are a few that I am REALLY hoping to get into, even though it may be tough to scrape the $$$ together to actually attend them. Had a huge yard sale last weekend that made enough cash to cover the rest of my hotel expenses in England, so that was good. And so successful that my neighbors and I plan on doing it monthly! Next sale, Sunday, June 28th, 9am-3pm, so mark your calendars!

Also of course I am teaching a one-day pre-production class at the Creative Alliance on Saturday, June 6th, 10am-4pm. If you are planning your own production soon, I promise you will learn enough in this class to save you enough time and money that the class will more than pay for itself - AND allow me to eat in England!

Wrist really starting to hurt, so signing off for now...

300!!!

2009-05-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

is the number of fans we now have on our "Smalltimore, the Movie" Facebook page! I love milestones.

Press/ure

2009-05-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

[Johnny Benson, Kelly Coston, and Phil Calvert at the sold-out Smalltimore premiere at the Wind-Up Space - photo by Richard Payne, who just covered the White House Correspondents Dinner - how 'bout them apples!]

I was quoted in this month's Baltimore Magazine, along with director Steve Yeager and Steve Ruback, with whom I am currently working as Assistant Director on Steve Yeager's movie "The Rosens":

http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/article.asp?t=1&m=1&c=30&s=487&ai=82629

Currently on my plate, I have to fix some sound glitches in the movie that are still driving me crazy, correct a few titles in the credits, cut a few lines that are dragging some scenes down, and swap a few scenes to make the pace a little better. Oh, and a couple more scenes need more attention to color correction. Then I SWEAR to GOD I am going to be finished with this damn thing.

THEN I have to flesh out my pre-production class that I will be teaching on Saturday, June 6, at the Creative Alliance. If you are planning to shoot your own feature or short, I hope you'll sign up! There is SO much that I wish someone would have told me before starting all this, a lot of things that I am very glad that I did that not everyone does, and some things that I didn't do that I wish I would have. And I'll be happy to tell you all about them! Sign up here:

http://www.creativealliance.org/events/eventItem1791.html

And THEN, I have to make my travel arrangements to go to England to attend the Heart of England Film Festival where Smalltimore will be screening. Did I mention that I have to leave Saturday, June 6? So I get to teach an all-day class, run home, walk the dogs and hand them over to my neighbor, grab my suitcase and get my butt to BWI!

Confusions of Grandeur

2009-05-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

The Bentleys: Keith Bentley and Johnny Benson, who plays Keith Bentley - photo by Richard Payne at the "Smalltimore" premiere]

9 movies in 3 days at the Maryland Film Festival... I am about cinema'd out. Saw a couple flicks I REALLY enjoyed: "Stingray Sam," I think was my favorite, but "The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle," was also very good and absolutely hysterical. Since that one started 25 minutes late, I missed the first 25 minutes of "The Overbrook Brothers," but I went in anyway and I liked that one also.

I saw two documentaries, "Invisible Girlfriend," and "Rocaterrania." There were a few things about both of them that bugged me, but I thought they were both very good as well. I don't know if I would ever be interested in making a documentary. I think it would be a very difficult undertaking, and most documentaries, if you think about it, are about subjects that are somewhat sad, or politically controversial, or both. Those are exactly the sort of things that put a beat-down on my spirit. It takes so much blood, sweat, and tears to make any sort of movie. I don't know if I could (or would want to) put myself through an emotional wringer while trying to do that. I am too empathetic to people with problems, I don't know if I could make an objective production in those circumstances.

What else did I see... "Daytime Drinking," was good, but a bit too long, and I enjoyed, "Modern Love is Automatic," the closest thing the MFF had to a local production. I saw the John Waters' pick, "Love Songs," which was just okay in my opinion, and not nearly as good as "Sleeping Dogs Lie" two years ago (available at Video Americaine - RENT IT).

"Somers Town," was good. "Lightning Salad Motion Picture," not so much. I was really psyched to see this one, it sounded very "Kids in the Hall", and the creators of it were there and said a few words beforehand and they were cute and funny and energetic and I really WANTED to like this movie. I sat through the first half hour, laughed a few times but not nearly as many times as I think I was supposed to. I know I still have some sound issues to take care of in "Smalltimore," but the sound issues with "Lightning Salad" were beyond forgiveness. As the movie began painfully corkscrewing towards a major crash and burn, I kept trying to hang in there, but finally told myself, if I don't laugh in the next five minutes, I'm outta here. I don't know if I have ever walked out of a movie before, but five minutes later, that's what I did. I felt bad because those guys were in the audience, but it was seriously more than I could take. Maybe it is one of those movies that you need to be high for.

It was a good example, however, of a universal truth I am learning the hard way: when it comes to festivals, being weird is FAR more important than being good. I like seeing weird movies, but they have to be GOOD weird movies. OR I have to be very, very drunk.

Another thing that bugged me is that so many movies "Modern Love...", "Somers Town," "Invisible Girlfriend," seemed to put little to no thought into the ending of the film, they just sort of trail off... I don't think that is "artsy" any longer. I think it is played out. An ending to a movie doesn't have to be happy to be satisfactory. Make me laugh, make me cry, make me think, or leave me with a great big cliffhanger that makes me go, "GAH!!!", but make me feel SOMETHING.

Anyway... all in all, I had a good time at the MFF, and I saw 9 1/3 movies for $50 (I am a Friend of the Festival, so I got into any movies before 6:00pm on Friday for free), so you can't beat that. But it also showed me the difference between movies made for festivals and movies made for widespread distribution. I mean, I sort of knew that before, and Eric talks a lot about it, as he made a movie ("23 Hours") specifically for festivals, and did very well with it, including at Slamdance. But this was the first film festival I have attended since MAKING a movie. So it really brought it home.

Bleah. It's kind of confusing. It's like, what are your choices? Make a weird movie and have a better chance of getting into a film festival but little chance of getting real theater distribution. Make a normal, even watered-down movie that tries to please everyone and spend the majority of your budget to hire an A- or B-list actor so it has a chance at distribution. Or make a good movie with no major actors and have little chance of getting into festivals or widespread distribution!

Don't get me wrong. I'm proud of "Smalltimore," and given the chance, I don't think I'd do much differently. I'm still all over it and I think good things lie ahead. It just makes me think about what I want to do next.

Smalltimore Soundtrack Details Released!

2009-05-07T20:48:00.001-07:00

[Soundtrack artists T.T.Tucker and Jen Swartout - photo by Richard Payne]

For all those who have been asking, here is the detailed list of the soundtrack and the artists' sites that you can find (most of) the songs on. Currently I have no plans to produce the soundtrack on CDs as that takes time and money I don't have at the moment. Plus, I'd like the artists to be able to get all the money themselves, and you can find some more of their songs that you like in the process! I will also try to keep you posted on the fan page as to when these bands and solo artists are performing locally. They are all even better in person, so please get out there and support them. A lot of them are on Facebook and MySpace, friend them so you can keep up with them also.

Here you go, the info you need to create your own soundtrack! I've identified the scenes so that I don't release any spoilers, but if you have seen the movie you will know what I am talking about. Enjoy!

T.T.Tucker & the Bum Rush Band
www.tttucker.com
Natty Boh (opening scene at Dougherty's)
That Was Then/This Is Now (1st scene at Wind-Up)
How Did We Survive (2nd scene at Wind-up)
Garden of Stone (3rd scene at Wind-Up)
See You On the Other Side (not yet released)(driving scene)
Move It Along (background at party)
Looking at You, Looking at Me (background at party)
America Is One Tough Town (not yet released)(final Tucker song at party)

The Remnants
www.theremnants.com, also on FB and MySpace
Nobody Home (Wind-Up background into 1st scene at gallery)
Wastin' Time (1st date scene on couch)
Save The World (Dougherty's scene with the Voice of Reason)
Small Circles (background song at Dougherty's)
Easier (confrontation scene at Gracie's house)
Everything's Good (Drew & Thom's heart-to-heart into Monument scene)
I'm a Man (Tony's front porch)
Ain't Got a Lot (Wind-Up Space background, Darik exits)
One Horse Town (Wind-Up Space background, Gracie & Thom talk)
Stand My Ground (Wind-Up Space, band exits)
Take This Ride (Courthouse ext into party scene)

Jen Swartout
www.myspace.com/jenswartout (also on FB)
Tell Her This (Darik & Gracie talk at Dougherty's)
She's So Beautiful (Gracie arrives at Mel's apartment)
Easter Sunday (post-fight montage)

Joyce J. Scott
(no website but I can connect you if you'd like her CD)
Breathe (Mrs. T's discovery)
Ho, Sally (Mrs. T's snack)
Crimes (Committed in the Name of Love)(finale)

Niki Lee
www.nikilee.com
Bohemia (opening credits)
Patterson Place (background song at party)
Triolets (slow dance at party)

Lawnchair
www.myspace.com/lawnchair
Top Down (background at 1st scene in Dougherty's)
Hard to Swallow (parking lot fight)

The Degenerettes
www.thedegenerettes.com
Get Out (first date dinner)
Baltimore (sushi restaurant)

Lauren Young (also on FB)
www.myspace.com/laurenyoungmusic
Second Best (pool room at Dougherty's)
Pretty Girls (Tony's front porch,morning)

Lazerbitch (also on FB)
www.myspace.com/lazerbitch
Do Me Wrong (Dionysus scene, Angela arrives)

Reina Williams
www.myspace.com/reinawilliams (also on FB)
Just Move (Wind-Up scene into Bentley's apartment)

and

Brynn McCoy
(contact Reina for this one, as she produced it)
Fuck You (Angela and Drew talk at Dougherty's)

Afterglow/Aftermath

2009-05-07T09:06:00.001-07:00

[Sold-out crowd at The Wind-Up Space for Smalltimore Premiere - photo by Richard Payne]

Breathing is... nice! And so very foreign to me these days. Monday morning, post-premiere, was not all that rough though I did sleep in until it was time to go to lunch with my friend Shawn (a.k.a. prom date). When he hit the road, I had only a couple hours before going to the CAmm Salon/Cinelounge at the Creative Alliance. If you are a filmmaker, actor, musician, crew member, anyone involved whatsoever (or wants to be) in the filmmaking community of Baltimore, you really need to start going to this. It happens the first Monday of the month, and it is a great way to network and to keep your finger on the pulse of what is going on in the community, plus you get to see several shorts, and who doesn't love shorts!

Yesterday, Tuesday, I finally just BREATHED DEEP. Wrote a few quick emails, avoided the phone, and watched about 6 episodes of Law & Order, and also two episodes online of Rescue Me that I had missed while I was in Seattle. Damn, I love that show.

It was nice, just to chill, not to be on a crushing deadline or feeling guilty because I don't have time to hang out with friends. Just take a day to myself. Today will be a bit more of that, but have to do some real work at my day job, too. I'd like to keep that for awhile longer!

Last night I spent some time seriously slogging through the Film Guide on the website of the Maryland Film Festival, which kicks off tonight. I have to admit, they have some really interesting flicks in there and I am looking forward to seeing several of them. Still stings a bit that I wasn't invited in, but I am pretty well over it, especially considering that I met my goal of being able to cover my flight to London for The Heart of England Film Festival with my take at the door of the "Smalltimore" Premiere. Wouldn't have seen a dime if it had premiered at MFF instead. I do know some other local filmmakers (lots of them actually, since only one local-ish feature film is in the MFF, out of about 90 time slots) who are also disappointed in not getting into the MFF, and some of them are boycotting it because of this. I understand that and I won't deny I considered doing so myself. But once the bruises to your ego heal, you have to look at the big picture. MFF never claimed to be a festival about Maryland films. They even make a point of saying exactly that on their website. It is simply a film festival that happens to take place in Maryland. They are bringing some amazing films to Baltimore, many of which have already done well in the big three, Tribeca, Toronto, and Sundance. I am not going to cut off my nose to spite my face and miss what is likely my only opportunity to see these films on the big screen. Also I have some friends that work for the festival that have been very supportive of me (who were not decision-makers regarding my entry) and they have worked really hard to make this a great event. I've been to it before and it gets better every year. Sometimes you just have to get over yourself, and see the blessing in disguise. I had a SOLD OUT premiere on a night that was mine and all mine; and I'm going to England.

I got an email this morning from the Red Rock Film Festival of Zion Canyon, saying that "Smalltimore," had made it through to the second round. Red Rock is only in its third year, and before finding it on withoutabox.com I had never heard of it. But there are several reasons I submitted to it: 1) I have never been to Zion National Park, where the festival is held; 2) when I saw the outdoor screen when I clicked on their website (http://www.ophilia.com/), I really, REALLY wanted to see my movie on that screen, and 3) it was super-cheap to submit. Like, two cosmopolitans, not including tip. I didn't go out last night, so it just paid for itself!

Smashing Smalltimore Success!

2009-05-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

My goodness. I am still on a high, last night was SOOOOOOOO much fun! What was equally great was seeing loads of faces that I know and loads of faces that I don't know, but everyone seeming to have an equally good time. It was the first time I have shown the movie to an audience that was not entirely biased. That's the real test. Of course my friends, my family, and the cast and crew who helped me to make the film are going to say nice things about it, and that is always good to hear, but the ultimate goal of any artist is to have a total stranger love your work. And I had a lot of strangers come up to talk to me after the film with smiles on their faces.

The two questions asked most often were, "When can I buy it on DVD?" and "How can I get the soundtrack?" The answer to the first question is, probably about six months from now, but definitely in time for Christmas, so start thinking about all your Baltimoron friends, here as well as scattered about the country, who would love to have this movie in their Christmas stocking!

The answer to the second question is: click on the links to the musicians websites on the right side of this very page you are reading, buy their music and create your own soundtrack! Some of them have downloadable clips, and some are on CDbaby so you can buy just the songs you want or their whole CDs. Of course I recommend doing the latter!

I can't even count how many compliments I got on the music as well as the movie. During the screening, I heard someone behind me say to her friend, "This music is REALLY good." It is one of the things I am most proud of about the film, and I love that people are both surprised and excited about it all being original music by Baltimore artists. 37 songs! That's a box set.

Speaking of music, as in "music to my ears," another thing I heard from a lot of different people was that they loved that it was SO Baltimore. Again, I was glad to hear this from the people who live here and feel it was authentic and I did them proud, but also from people who came in from out of town to see the movie, people who don't know much about this city, who said to me that from the film they had a very clear sense of the Baltimore that I was trying to show them, and they liked it. That made me very happy.

There were a few sound glitches that surprised me, because I literally got done burning the DVD at 6:35pm and we started the film around 7:15pm! I keep telling you I am an 11th-hour kind of gal, but this was extreme even for me. Eric came to the show, and afterwards I was kind of joking about it, but I was upset that the last song, where Joyce sings, was partially screwed up. Eric kinda yelled at me, not real yelling, but my procrastination annoys him a little, I think. Since I didn't have time to proof the DVD, it bit me in the ass because, "You ALWAYS do this!" he said. Yea, I said, but I always seem to pull it off. Almost every friend of mine that is an artist of any walk of life is the same way. If we didn't have deadlines, we'd never get anything done. Anyway, I think the gag reel saved me a bit because then everyone had a good laugh at the end while the credits rolled, and I think that helped them to forgive the glitches. I hope so, anyway.

I will fix them soon, but I gotta tell ya, I am SO glad to not look at it for at least two weeks. The premiere was a big step and a big event, and I am ecstatic at the turnout as well as how well it was received. I did feel badly that there was not enough seating for everyone and that I couldn't reserve seats for everyone who worked on the film, but I DID tell everyone a million times to get there early, and I am just glad that Russell didn't make me turn people away at the door. The Wind-Up Space's capacity is 240 people, and we were VERY close to that mark, and that head count doesn't usually include dozens of folding chairs.

So, like I said, I am glad to step away from it for a bit, but there was so much fantastic energy in that room that I do look forward to the fall when I can have the DVD release party. I don't know the venue yet, but I promise to have it at a proper theater with seating for all!

Thanks once again to everyone - the cast, the crew, the artists, the musicians, and my friends who loaned me their homes and businesses as locations, and thanks to everyone who came out last night and made the evening such a success! Is this a great town or what?!?!

W to the O to the WOW!!!

2009-05-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

FANTASTIC turnout last night. Over 200 people crushed into the Wind-Up Space for the premiere!!! I am exhausted but so, so happy :) WIll write lots more later, going to have lunch with my prom date soon.

KFJ

2009-05-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

That would be me - cuz I am FRIED. And yet wired! Spread myself waaaay too thin this weekend, but didn't have much of a choice in the matter. How could I resist being A.D. (Asst Director) on a Steve Yeager project? It has been a lot of fun, but there is a familiar ache in my feet. 10 hours yesterday, another 10 today, smack after getting home from Seattle. Really should not have said I could work in the morning tomorrow also, but I did, so I will. I would never back out on a commitment like that.

Two of my most FAVORITE friends from HIGH SCHOOL are on their way to my place at this very minute!!! Going out to dinner with them shortly. It really means the world to me that they are coming all the way to see me and the premiere. One of them, Shawn, was actually my prom date! I haven't seen him in (mumblemumble) years! The other, Mark, a.k.a. Acey Baby, I saw in March for the first time in almost as many years, though i did see him more recently than Shawn. It was as if no time had passed at all. Ya gotta love those kinds of friends the most.

SO looking forward to the premiere tomorrow and SO have no idea how I am going to find the time to pull it off! Somehow I always seem to manage, though. I work best with deadlines, and I am more likely to stay out of trouble when I am busy. So I certainly have nailed those two criteria this weekend!

See YOU tomorrow!!!

Miss Me?

2009-04-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been slackin', but hey, I'm on vacation! I am waaaaaaaaaay over in Sunny Seattle, been here for a week, got a couple days left. It really is sunny, too! Has been every day since I got here. I have always had Unusually Good Vacation Weather Karma. Out here visiting my friend Tobey. Went up in the Space Needle, ate at a great little place called How To Cook A Wolf, hung out at the Public Market down on the water, saw Carrie Fisher in her one-woman show, "Wishful Drinking" (she is my favorite author, if I have never mentioned that), saw a Mariner's game (nice park, but the Mariner's got their asses handed to them by the Devil Rays), sang "When Doves Cry" at a gay karaoke bar (Tobey sang "Brilliant Disguise" by The Boss), met loads of Tob's friends and drank relentlessly on all but two nights, but my FAVORITE thing we did was we went on a whale watching trip on Saturday and saw LOADS of whales. That was super-cool, and something I always wanted to do.

I have been checking in on the RSVP list for the Premiere on Sunday, have a little over 70 via Facebook, and close to another 100 via email, so it is going to be quite the party! Can't wait!

While I was out here I got an email from Steve Yeager. I've mentioned him before, he is a Baltimore filmmaker who made the award-winning documentary on John Waters, "Divine Trash". I took a class of Steve's at the Creative Alliance back in November. Anyway, he asked if I could AD (Assistant Director) for him this weekend when I get back, and of course I said yes! I like Steve and had told him recently if he needed a hand on anything to let me know. I was an extra for him a few months ago and it seems like he is a pretty laid-back director, plus he is well-connected within the community and one thing often leads to another. Plus, another screen credit for moi! Unfortunately, however, this means I can't attend the premiere screening of "The Mystery Date," on Saturday, a short that I worked on as Script Supervisor last March. I am bummed about that, there are some people who will be there that I'd like to see. But sometimes you just gotta make choices, ya know? But I am psyched to be working with Steve.

While out here in Seattle, we had a little screening of "Smalltimore" for Tobey and a few of his friends, since Tob can't make it to Charm City for the premiere. It was well-received, and a fun night, but his friend Jesse who screened it for us has a sick stereo system and I could hear where I've not done such a great job on the sound in some patches. Sound is SO. DAMN. HARD. But I don't have the $$$ to get it mastered. Grrr. I'll figure something out.

In other news, I may be losing my day job soon, but amazingly enough I am not all that stressed about it. In a perfect world, I won't lose it until I get a sizable chunk of my credit-card debt paid off, but this world ain't all that perfect. We'll see. If it does happen sooner than later, it will give me more time to work on the next script. I have written a four-page outline and have a good idea of what I want to do, but that is as far as I have gotten. Thought I'd get something done on it while I am out here, but Tobey has kept me busy having too much fun. Maybe on the plane home on Thursday!

I guess I am not worried about the job thing because (a) worrying won't change anything, and (b) my life always seems to work out the way it is supposed to. I sort of just trust the wind that carries me, and when I need to make something happen, I find a way to make it happen. I have friends that will make sure I never have to live in a cardboard box. Storage unit, maybe, but not a cardboard box! Nah, Mikey would never let that happen to me. I keep telling him, if only I could find a straight man that treats me as well as he does, I'd be set! Whenever I say this, he just rolls his eyes, shakes his head, and says, "NEVER gonna happen..."

I was in a store here today, flipping through some art prints, though unfortunately I can't remember the name of the artist. They were crude and colorful figurative drawings with very short vignettes written on them. One that particularly caught my eye seemed to precisely sum up what might be considered my own philosophy and why things that might throw other people into a panic or depression don't get to me so much:

"Everything changed when she realized that there was exactly enough time in this life to do all of the things that were very important to her."

If I wasn't soon-to-be-unemployed, I would have bought it.

Flyer:

2009-04-20T17:13:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Kyle Holtgren a.k.a. "David" for the design! LOVE the snowglobe!

Official Press Release:

2009-04-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

STEEL CORSET PRODUCTIONS, LLC PRESENTS “SMALLTIMORE”

An independent romantic comedy feature film
shot on location exclusively in Baltimore City

(Baltimore, April 20, 2009) -- Steel Corset Productions, LLC is premiering the new independent feature film “Smalltimore” on Sunday, May 3, 2009, at The Wind-Up Space, 12 West North Avenue.
Doors open 6:00pm, screening at 7:00pm, $7.00 cover, cash bar. "Smalltimore" will also be screening in Tamworth, UK, on June 9th, where it has been accepted to "The Heart Of England Film Festival."

Shot on location exclusively in Baltimore City, this ambitious romantic comedy features local legend Joyce J. Scott and National Public Radio host Al Letson, as well as a stellar ensemble cast starring local actors Cheryl Scungio, Orlando Gonzales, Kelly Coston, Johnny Benson, Will Lurie, Darik Bernard, Phil Calvert, Tiffany Ariany, Phil Amico, Tommy Divinti and Kyle Holtgren.

First-time Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Jeanie M. Clark offers her love letter to Baltimore with “Smalltimore,” highlighting local artists, musicians, sights and watering holes. The soundtrack features 37 original songs by 11 Baltimore artists.

"I've never seen a movie that portrays MY Baltimore," Ms. Clark says. "The art scene here is not underground whatsoever, Baltimore is just one big art scene! Most of the friends I have made here do one thing for a paycheck, and something else that better represents who they really are. The creative energy in this city is overwhelming, and it brought me back to the artist that I forgot I was."

Michelle Farrell of Absolute Independent Pictures is Director of Photography for “Smalltimore.” A Highlandtown native, Ms. Farrell has been cinematographer for over 10 feature films, various documentaries, and has worked for networks such as NBC, Sony, BET, A&E, Fox and many more. She has won several prestigious awards and
has written, produced and directed other award-winning projects, such as “Unraveling Michelle,” which is currently running the film festival circuit, and is in the distribution process.

Rebecca Clear Dean served as the Production Manager for “Smalltimore.” Mrs. Dean has more than 15 years of film, television and advertising production experience. Her producer credits include both multiple Emmy-winning PBS series “Adam Smith” and “Wall $treet Week With Louis Rukeyser,” PBS and A&E documentaries, live theater and overseas telecasts, and local ad production for nationwide distribution.

An all-female management team - led by a female writer/director/producer/editor — is
virtually unheard-of in the industry, particularly among Indies.

Principle photography of “Smalltimore” filmed August 1 through 14, in locations such as Mount Vernon Square, Federal Hill, Dougherty’s Pub, Dionysus Bar, Baltimore Theater Project, Fin Art Gallery in Fells Point, the Wind-Up Space, and several private homes in Hampden, Waverly and Mount Vernon. Local artists whose work is featured in the film include Joyce J. Scott, Ellen Burchenal, Linda DePalma, Oletha DeVane, Caren Shelley, Charles Lawrence, Jillian Jenkins, Allison Pasarew, Dr. Leslie King-Hammond—who currently has a major piece on display in the Reginald F. Lewis Museum—and Jeanie Clark herself. Jewelry has been provided by local artists Wayne Werner, Caren Shelley, and Anna Zep.

Local musicians starring in the movie are T.T. Tucker and the Bum Rush Band. The soundtrack is strictly comprised of all original music by Baltimore bands and solo artists, including T.T. Tucker AKA Tommy Divinti, Joyce J. Scott, The Remnants,Jen Swartout, Lawnchair, The Degenerettes, Reina Williams, Niki Lee, Lauren Young, Brynn McCoy, and Lazerbitch.

The overlapping stories in “Smalltimore” include gay and interracial romances. “I didn't have any particular race or ethnicity in mind for most of the characters when I wrote it," says Clark. "I just cast the best actors I could find, and it worked itself out - perfectly."

Finally, a romantic comedy filmed completely in Baltimore, completely about Baltimore!
# # #

You Should Be Reading This Blog

2009-04-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

This other blog. In ADDITION to mine, that is. If you read this blog regularly, then there is a new blog I think you would be very interested in:

http://50in50.wordpress.com/

This is a new experiment by a guy I know named Brent Rose. Brent was one of the actors with Bill Pullman's "Expedition 6" group that stayed with me for 3 weeks in the summer of 2006. Brent has been living in NYC since then.

I'll let you read his blog instead of me reiterating it in detail, but bare-bones basics, he has decided to create a new character once a week for 50 weeks, and make a short film of it. I think it is an incredible exercise as an actor, and as a director I am enjoying reading about his "process". It is also very ambitious in that so far the shorts have each been about 5 minutes long, which Brett has been editing himself. Since each short has involved multiple scenes/locations, that is a WHOLE lotta time! Creating a character, acting, shooting, editing... it is really impressive if you think about it.

Brent is in his third week, and I have been meaning to mention his blog on this blog from the beginning, but I have been busy. I liked the characters the first two weeks, it seemed light and fun, but this week, "Al Griffin Goes Outside," really blew me away. I am not being facetious when I say, I laughed, I cried. It was so well done, so touching, so believable... and all without a word of dialogue. If this is only week 3, I can't wait to see what comes next.

Kyle Holtgren, as David

2009-04-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

[Kyle Holtgren as David, in Minato Sushi Restaurant]

It has been awhile since I profiled any of my actors, and I really need to wrap this up before the big premiere at The Wind-Up Space on May 3rd! Finally, I am getting around to profiling Kyle Holtgren, who plays David. I think he was more excited about being profiled than any of the others, though everyone so far has seemed to enjoy their moment in the spotlight.

The character of David is based loosely on a friend of mine. The real David is one of those people who never stops smiling, but he smiles in such a way that you feel like he is going bring up a secret that you made the mistake of telling him, or, if you happen to be a cute guy, he might just grab your crotch.

I thought casting this part would be a lot of fun and people would be lining up for the chance to steal the show, even though it is a relatively small part. However, as I have mentioned in earlier posts, I was quite surprised to find the number of male actors who would much prefer playing a homicidal child-molester than a friendly, funny gay man. And since I had no part for a homicidal child-molester in this romantic comedy... I found myself with slim pickings among the actors willing to try out for the part of David.

Even after the second round of auditions and checking out over 100 actors at the Stonehenge auditions at the Creative Alliance, I was coming up empty. How could it be so hard to cast an outrageously funny, over-the-top gay man in Baltimore? In Mount Vernon, no less?

But there I was, my only options being a few guys who, god bless them, just seemed to me to be straight men playing a gay man as some straight men seem to see gay men - almost as a caricature.

Granted, in "Smalltimore," we don't delve very deeply into the character of David or his background. And in real life, my friend David is at once an open book and an enigma, and I know there are a million things I don't know about him. But he is still a person, not a cartoon character. He is still my friend, and even when he is trying to steal men away from me, it is really just his way of looking out for my best interests. There have been a few men in my past that it would have saved me a WHOLE lotta wasted time if I had introduced them to David right off the bat! But I digress...

So there I was, stuck, with production starting in less than 8 weeks. Kellie Stevens (who was dying to play the part of Angela, but had just taken a job that was moving her to Austin, Texas) suggested her friend Kyle, who I had met several times when we had all been at Dionysus for cocktails. Kyle, especially after a few libations, is hysterically funny in real life, and I could certainly picture him in the role. So, I rolled the dice and offered him the role without even auditioning him.

Kyle's first encounter with anything to do with "Smalltimore," was at the table read of the script with the entire cast, the bulk of whom had had to fight tooth and nail for their parts. They didn't know anything about the circumstances of Kyle's casting, but they did have the advantage of already having some amount of rapport with each other, as all of them had worked hard through the second round of auditions with each other, with the exceptions of Joyce Scott, and Tucker. I don't think anyone else noticed, but knowing Kyle a little bit at that point, I could tell he was very nervous, and I heard a little quiver in his voice more than once as we read the script aloud. He did a good job, though, and by the end of the read seemed more comfortable and extremely enthusiastic about the whole project.

Soon after it was time for rehearsals. I will be the first to say that for those with smaller roles, like Kyle, Tiffany, and Phil Amico, this sort of sucked. Because their scenes were scattered, and sometimes only with a line or three, they sometimes needed to be in rehearsals for a long day of nothingness, occasionally interrupted by 20 to 30 minutes of rehearsing a scene. This held especially true for Kyle. But he not only showed up, off-book and with a smile on his face, but even came on a day or two where I told him if he couldn't make it, he didn't have to, since he only had a few lines. He took it very seriously and really seemed to enjoy the interaction with the other actors whenever he had the chance.

Then, there was wardrobe... Kyle always looks good and I thought for sure I'd just be able to cherry-pick a few goodies from his own clothing. I went to his place one evening, and he had laid out a bunch of things for me to look at. I had never noticed it before but, for as outrageously funny as Kyle is, his taste in clothing is on the conservative side. Nothing too wild, nothing overtly sexy, things that look good on him, but largely in neutral colors, and some with logos so we couldn't use those. The part I thought that would be easiest to dress, and there was not one shirt in his wardrobe that I could use. Time for shopping!

The actors had all agreed to supply their own wardrobe, and if they didn't own the right stuff, we went shopping, and they paid for those clothes themselves. Welcome to the glamorous world of acting in low-budget indies! Those that I did go shopping with were very flexible and very patient, and Kyle was no exception. If memory serves, it was a Sunday, and we tried to hit the thrift stores I had scouted with Cheryl, Kelly, and Phil Calvert, but they were closed. So, we headed to Hampden, specifically, Mina's. Which is exactly where we should have started to begin with.

Now, though I was able to pay my ensemble cast a tiny bit each, it was really nothing more than what I call pain-in-the-ass money, and also it was on a sliding scale. So, since Kyle had a small part, it really wasn't much to speak of. I agreed to cover the cost of whatever wardrobe we picked out and deduct it from this future pay.

At Mina's, we found some very fun stuff which was exactly what I was looking for for David. A couple of graphic tees that if you look close during the movie, are pretty hysterical, or at least interesting. I loved the Joan of Arc tee so much that I went back later and bought one for myself. The outfit we threw together for the finale scene at first seemed absurd as I found one piece at a time, but once we put it all together, I have to say, I love, love, love this outfit. Kyle looks adorable in hats and should wear them much more often. And Kyle himself was ecstatic about the find of the day - a wide-collared polyester shirt with photos of birds screened all over it (seen in the scene in Minato, the above photo).

We found everything we needed right there at Mina's, and when they totaled up the 4 shirts, vest, and hat... at the end of the production I would then owe Kyle a whopping $30. I'll say again, he was a VERY good sport about the matter.

As he was, and is, about everything. He is one of the actors I remain in closest touch with, and he is constantly offering help with marketing, spreading the word to everyone he can, beating the drums about becoming a fan of the Facebook page, reading the blog, attending the premiere, etc. All very important, of course, but most importantly, I think he pulled off the character of David delightfully, and I SO hope that the real David can be at the screening to check out this very cute, very funny version of himself. In real life Kyle has a similarly devilish smile, the same harmless yet sinister twinkle in his eye, and he did a fantastic job of providing comic relief while portraying a believable character.

Comedy of Errors

2009-04-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

[Tiffany Ariany as Angela, goofing around on the set]

Sorry about the break, just been busy, AND tired of sitting on my hindquarters (my ass actually HURTS from sitting so much). I drove up to Mikey's cabin last Friday, it is a 200-mile hike. The next day Mikey and I ran around scouting locations for a future project, and in the process logged another 200 miles. That Sunday, Mikey returned to NYC and I only put 140 miles on the car running around without him, then Monday drove 200 back to Baltimore - after an editing session of 9 hours straight from 9:00pm Sunday night to 6:00am Monday morning. That is a LOT of sitting.

But all worth it. I have been so holed up in my cave, editing or doing other movie-related stuff, it was nice to see the light of day, trees, people, etc. And equally importantly I did get a lot done in that nine-hour session - the GAG REEL!

I think it must be everyone's favorite part of a movie. Don't you always hope that you get to see the clips of actors messing up while the credits roll? I don't care if it is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Actually, that makes it even more funny to see the behind-the-scenes.

I was afraid I wouldn't have much to work with. Because we were shooting with the P2 (digital) cards, we did have a limited amount of recording time per day, and there were a couple days where we used up almost every second. So, as soon as I yelled, "cut!" Michelle would turn off the camera to preserve space on the cards. Therefore, when we did have a screw-up, even a funny one, we didn't have the luxury of letting the camera roll to capture it.

Another lesson learned. On the pick-up day that Eric served as DP, we shot on MiniDV tapes, so we could fool around and keep the camera rolling no matter what. Tape is pretty cheap. However, downloading is a bigger pain with tape, as you download in real time (one hour of tape = one hour of downloading), whereas offloading the P2 digital cards is much faster, something like 1/6 of the time. Also the great thing about the cards is that every time you shut the camera off, it stores that bit as a separate clip. With tape, it is one continuous stream and you have to chop it up yourself in post-production. Some people still prefer doing it this way, but I well prefer working with the cards. SO much easier in my opinion.

Except that you can't just let the camera roll. I know (yet another) something I would do differently next time to alleviate that problem, though. There was one day where we were literally down to the last take because the cards were full. If we didn't get it right on that take, we would have had to have gone back and erased some earlier footage to get another take in. An easy solution would have been to have the hard drive on the set and had one of the Assistant Camera people offload what we had recorded so far onto the drive during lunch. That is definitely the way I will work it the next time.

But, turns out I had PLENTY to work with. Everybody screws up sometime, thank goodness! If it hadn't been so funny, I never would have stayed up until 6:00am working on it. I think it turned out really well. I am soooo ready to be done with editing, but I am glad I made myself do this. Sometimes in retrospect it is hard for me to remember how much fun production was, because I was so focused and wearing so many hats at the same time. I didn't have that much time to enjoy it while it was happening because I had to keep myself and everyone on track. But in the gag reel you can hear me laughing at every single screw-up, and it brought it all back to me that I did have fun, every single day, even the days that I wanted to kill someone (or myself).

The gag reel will run at the end of the movie, with the credits. NO ONE has seen it except me, and no one will before the premiere. So you better be there!

Sunday, May 3rd
SMALLTIMORE PREMIERE!!!
at the Wind-Up Space
Doors 6:00pm
Screening 7:00pm
Cover $7
Cash bar