I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

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

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!

Smalltimore's First Laurel

This is a good feeling. An accomplishment that feels even better in that I get to share it with my cast, crew, contributing artists and musicians, friends who loaned me their homes and businesses, and of course my executive producers. To all of you - take a moment, take a bow, brag on yourself. Enjoy!

Take Heart

(I took the above photo at the dog track in Galway, Ireland, in 2002. Read on to find out what the hell it has to do with anything.)

I woke up to some exciting news today. "Smalltimore" has been accepted at its first festival, "The Heart of England Film Festival"! Currently it is scheduled to screen on June 8th, the first day of the festival, in Tamworth, UK.

This festival just launched last year, but it is already attracting actors such as Marcia Gay Harden and Keifer Sutherland, who are involved in projects that will be screening there this year. And no matter how big or small it is, hey, we can say we screened internationally!

Acceptance at this festival also guarantees us screening, if we choose, at several other international festivals in places such as Ireland, Thailand, and South Africa. I'll be researching these a little more extensively to see if they are suitable to us. I know that the one in Ireland is a new one that if you pay the submission fee, you are guaranteed to screen there, which can mean the process is rather watered down. But then again, if you have a good product, it can easily stand out in a festival like this. The other reason I might do that festival is because it is in Galway.

I took an extensive 2-week tour of Ireland in 2002 that included Galway and it was one of my favorite towns. It is small and pretty, a working town, on the water, and they have a dog track. Our tour guide, Terry, told us that if we wanted to do something non-touristy to go there, it was locals (who are all pretty much regulars) only. Terry told us that if we wanted to really know the ins and outs, to ask the youngest person we could find there, as a lot of boys in the town more or less grow up at the track. I went, by myself, and sure enough there were lots of young boys scampering around, walking with a confident bounce in their step, head tilted back with an air of authority, and interacting with the well-weathered gray-haired regulars with such familiarity I wouldn't be surprised if they all went out together for a pint afterwards. The odds boards, unlike the electronic and computerized boards at Pimlico or Laurel, were actual boards - CHALK boards - each held up by an older man who would change the odds by hand as the bets came in.

The track was well lived-in, the age showing on the facility as well as (some of) the patrons. I made a bet, something I had never done before (this was well before I got hooked on the ponies here in Baltimore). For dog races, if you don't know, there is an electric rabbit on the rail that the dogs are trained to chase. SLAM!!! The gates open, the greyhounds take off like slim bullets with fur, maniacally chasing something they can never hope to catch. This was very exciting to me, a very new and different experience. The dogs are unbelievably fast. The track is not as big as a horse track, of course, and there were no TV screens so you could see the dogs up close as they ran. But the track was small enough that you could still see them yourself when they were running on the opposite side. As they approached the final bend, even from where I stood I could see that the dogs were slowing down. When they came into full view as they rounded the corner, they seemed confused and started running into each other, crossing each other's paths. I had never seen a dog race before, but surely this can't be how they all go? The dogs further slowed down and now were just bumping into each other, looking around, when the race caller announced: "Sorry, the electric rabbit has broken. All bets are off, please turn in your tickets for a refund at the window!" I looked and sure enough, there was the rabbit, still sitting on the rail at his starting position.

So, things like that, that may be why I enter some festivals that may or may not do me that much good. You never know who you are going to meet or what kind of experiences you are going to have when you travel. Even bad experiences later make for good stories. Throw the movie at a film festival into the mix, and who knows what might happen? In Ireland, I'M the one with the sexy accent ;)