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- Film: Cause To Be Uneasy
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Blue_Mango_Films
Friend Since: June 20, 2006
Last Online: 11:11 pm, April 26, 2007
Film Production Blog "ctba"
A few updates...
Oct 08, 2006 08:10AM
Hello, Film Friends and Fans.
I haven't scheduled a viewing of the rough cut yet because I've been too busy working on my new Halloween play, Witch's Ransom. It will be performed at the Yellow House in West Plains, Missouri on October 27th and 28th. Later, we will turn it into audio theater just like we did with our "jewel in the crown," Fever Dream. If you've got five bucks and you're looking for something cool to do on the weekend before Halloween, please come to see Witch's Ransom! The link to Keagan's trailer for Cause To Be Uneasy is currently not active... I'm working on posting a trailer on THIS website. I'll let you know when it's done. Scott Heidy (our technical advisor and the guy who lent us the terrific camera two summers ago!) has agreed to do the final edit of the film if Keagan doesn't have time for it because of his film school projects. Keagan recently told me he DOES have time for it, and that he'll begin working on it later in the month... I told the Without A Box people that the text in our film summary box is "bleeding over" the side. They said it's a problem lots of people are having, and it's on their "to fix" list. All for now.
I hope to see a lot of you at the play.
Michael
I haven't scheduled a viewing of the rough cut yet because I've been too busy working on my new Halloween play, Witch's Ransom. It will be performed at the Yellow House in West Plains, Missouri on October 27th and 28th. Later, we will turn it into audio theater just like we did with our "jewel in the crown," Fever Dream. If you've got five bucks and you're looking for something cool to do on the weekend before Halloween, please come to see Witch's Ransom! The link to Keagan's trailer for Cause To Be Uneasy is currently not active... I'm working on posting a trailer on THIS website. I'll let you know when it's done. Scott Heidy (our technical advisor and the guy who lent us the terrific camera two summers ago!) has agreed to do the final edit of the film if Keagan doesn't have time for it because of his film school projects. Keagan recently told me he DOES have time for it, and that he'll begin working on it later in the month... I told the Without A Box people that the text in our film summary box is "bleeding over" the side. They said it's a problem lots of people are having, and it's on their "to fix" list. All for now.
I hope to see a lot of you at the play.
Michael
Sometime in August... Okay, Maybe September...
Aug 12, 2006 02:22AM
I'll let you guys know as soon as I have a screening place and time for the "rough cut..." hopefully, Keagan will be working on the final cut very soon. He should be back from Alaska and on his way back to film school any day now.
Michael
Michael
Sometime in August...
Jun 24, 2006 09:12PM
Sometime in August... between the National Institute for Teaching Shakespeare and the beginning of the School year (so, sometime between August 7 and August 14th), I will be showing the rough cut of Cause To Be Uneasy to a small group of people involved in the film.
There will be a discussion afterwards about post-production elements that are being developed -- the musical soundtrack, fine editing, etc. We will also discuss the festival submission "strategy" that will be used when we finally do begin submitting the film.
Everyone DIRECTLY involved with the film is invited, but I kindly request that no spouses, significant others, or close friends attend. I also want to warn you that, although I really like the rough cut version (because I can see in my mind's eye what it's going to become), it could be a rather discouraging experience if you don't bring your imagination along with you to the screening.
The details (time, place, etc.) will be posted on this blog. Please pass along the address of this blog to anyone who was involved in the film, so they can keep up with our occasional updates.
Michael
There will be a discussion afterwards about post-production elements that are being developed -- the musical soundtrack, fine editing, etc. We will also discuss the festival submission "strategy" that will be used when we finally do begin submitting the film.
Everyone DIRECTLY involved with the film is invited, but I kindly request that no spouses, significant others, or close friends attend. I also want to warn you that, although I really like the rough cut version (because I can see in my mind's eye what it's going to become), it could be a rather discouraging experience if you don't bring your imagination along with you to the screening.
The details (time, place, etc.) will be posted on this blog. Please pass along the address of this blog to anyone who was involved in the film, so they can keep up with our occasional updates.
Michael
A New Entry... I mean a REALLY NEW Entry!
Jun 20, 2006 10:47PM
Today, as I was traveling around town helping out with the National Audio Theater Festival, I happened to encounter two young ladies who were actresses in the film. The first said, "I went to the link for the film, but it was only old blogs. When can I find out something new?" I told her to scroll down to the bottom (first) entry, and she would be about to read about the current editing status of the film. I also promised to tell her about any progress we were making.
Later in the day, I saw another young lady who said, "Hey, I saw a trailer on the Internet for our film, and it looks pretty cool!" I was puzzled, because although I knew a trailer existed, I didn't know it was available for viewing anywhere.
It is on Keagan's "My Space" page. Here's a link to it if you'd like to check it out: Keagan's Cause To Be Uneasy Trailer. It requires Flash Media Player 8 (a free download) to view it, and high-speed Internet works much better than dial-up (of course), but it is a pretty good trailer.
So, although there's been no real progress on the film... there is something to get excited about.
Michael
Later in the day, I saw another young lady who said, "Hey, I saw a trailer on the Internet for our film, and it looks pretty cool!" I was puzzled, because although I knew a trailer existed, I didn't know it was available for viewing anywhere.
It is on Keagan's "My Space" page. Here's a link to it if you'd like to check it out: Keagan's Cause To Be Uneasy Trailer. It requires Flash Media Player 8 (a free download) to view it, and high-speed Internet works much better than dial-up (of course), but it is a pretty good trailer.
So, although there's been no real progress on the film... there is something to get excited about.
Michael
Patience
May 27, 2006 03:28AM
[This entry is from my production diary, October 16th, 2004.]
My friend Catherine -- a fellow Speech and Debate coach -- worked on an honest-to-God actual film a couple of summers ago. Her sister is a professional filmmaker, and Catherine was recruited to go out to California and work as the production coordinator (or some such thing -- whatever her title was, she pretty much ran the business/human resource side of the entire production). I saw Catherine this weekend at the first Speech and Debate tournament of the year. When I told her we finished the filming this summer, she said, "So you're editing now." I said, "Yeah... but it's slow... it's whenever I find the time..." Catherine said, "Oh yes, it took my sister a year." I'm pretty sure the shock registered on my face as I stammered, "A year?" The ever-enthusiastic Catherine nodded ever-enthusiastically and said, "Yes... it's especially hard when you're editing it yourself... she knows the film by heart now, though, after going over and over each scene... and going back over them, and back over them..."
I was strangely comforted by this conversation. It reinforced the idea that taking my time is the right thing to do -- that other filmmakers feel the need to be patient and careful in the editing process.
I am excited about the prospect of getting to "know my film by heart."
Be patient, my friends... and let patience have its perfect work...
Michael
My friend Catherine -- a fellow Speech and Debate coach -- worked on an honest-to-God actual film a couple of summers ago. Her sister is a professional filmmaker, and Catherine was recruited to go out to California and work as the production coordinator (or some such thing -- whatever her title was, she pretty much ran the business/human resource side of the entire production). I saw Catherine this weekend at the first Speech and Debate tournament of the year. When I told her we finished the filming this summer, she said, "So you're editing now." I said, "Yeah... but it's slow... it's whenever I find the time..." Catherine said, "Oh yes, it took my sister a year." I'm pretty sure the shock registered on my face as I stammered, "A year?" The ever-enthusiastic Catherine nodded ever-enthusiastically and said, "Yes... it's especially hard when you're editing it yourself... she knows the film by heart now, though, after going over and over each scene... and going back over them, and back over them..."
I was strangely comforted by this conversation. It reinforced the idea that taking my time is the right thing to do -- that other filmmakers feel the need to be patient and careful in the editing process.
I am excited about the prospect of getting to "know my film by heart."
Be patient, my friends... and let patience have its perfect work...
Michael
Separated At Birth?
May 27, 2006 03:24AM
[This entry is from my production diary, October 6th, 2004.]
Much has been said about my physical similarity to Kevin Smith, but I never thought of us as artistically similar, until I watched an interview last night on an A & E show called "Action!"
He said the reason he became a film director was so that he could see his written work come to life -- he said he was really a writer at heart. He became a director because he didn't think anyone else really wanted to turn his scripts into movies.
He said the least interesting part of the process is the directing -- the writing is the heart of it for him, and he really enjoys the creative aspects of editing.
Kevin Smith, a man after my own heart... never thought I would've said that...
Michael
Much has been said about my physical similarity to Kevin Smith, but I never thought of us as artistically similar, until I watched an interview last night on an A & E show called "Action!"
He said the reason he became a film director was so that he could see his written work come to life -- he said he was really a writer at heart. He became a director because he didn't think anyone else really wanted to turn his scripts into movies.
He said the least interesting part of the process is the directing -- the writing is the heart of it for him, and he really enjoys the creative aspects of editing.
Kevin Smith, a man after my own heart... never thought I would've said that...
Michael
Keagan Fuller's Shorts
May 27, 2006 03:17AM
[This entry is from my production diary, September 18th, 2004.]
Today Chris (my assistant director) is going to help me move a massive monitor into my library/temporary editing suite/office. This monitor will give me a much better idea about the look of the film. While moving stuff around to make room for this monitor, I came across the CD-ROM that Keegan (our brilliant camera operator) gave me as a sample of his work way back in January.
The words written on the disk made me laugh out loud. It says, "Keagan Fuller's shorts can be viewed on most PCs." I'm sure he meant to put a dash or something between the words "shorts" and "can."
But he DIDN'T, and that's what makes it funny.
Keagan Fuller's shorts can be viewed on most PCs.
I'm sure that phrase will make its way into the end credits somewhere...
Michael
Today Chris (my assistant director) is going to help me move a massive monitor into my library/temporary editing suite/office. This monitor will give me a much better idea about the look of the film. While moving stuff around to make room for this monitor, I came across the CD-ROM that Keegan (our brilliant camera operator) gave me as a sample of his work way back in January.
The words written on the disk made me laugh out loud. It says, "Keagan Fuller's shorts can be viewed on most PCs." I'm sure he meant to put a dash or something between the words "shorts" and "can."
But he DIDN'T, and that's what makes it funny.
Keagan Fuller's shorts can be viewed on most PCs.
I'm sure that phrase will make its way into the end credits somewhere...
Michael
In Loving Memory
May 27, 2006 03:12AM
[This entry is from my production diary, September 14th, 2004.]
"Dedicated to the Memory of Loretta Poarch."
These words will be found at the end of our film, before the end credits roll. A couple of days ago, Loretta died.
Loretta was the wife of Robert Poarch, one of the actors in my film "Cause To Be Uneasy." When Robert auditioned for our film back in January, he demonstrated a unique and powerful presence. He didn't exactly fit any of the parts in the original screenplay, but his screen persona was so powerful I decided to write a part just for him. His natural manner and abilities merged perfectly with the mobster-ish part of Mario. Robert is a treasure on-screen.
In order for Robert to be a part of the crazy 11 p.m.-to-5 a.m. shooting schedule this summer, my sister (who works as a nursing assistant) came to West Plains to take care of Robert's wife every night during his absence. Robert's wife suffered from partial paralysis and Alzheimer's disease, and she needed round-the-clock care. Having someone there to help her was the only way Robert could take part in the movie.
I first became acquainted with Loretta through this care-giving arrangement. Loretta was very frail when I met her. She was wheelchair-bound, and it was hard to understand a good deal of what she said... but the things I WAS able to understand made me feel guilty. I felt bad, because she said she was mad at Robert for leaving her every night, and she was mad at me for "taking him away." I could see the hurt and fear in her eyes whenever I "took Robert away" from her for the night. She wanted him there all the time. She loved him so.
He loved her, too. He waited on her without complaint, as though she were his queen. I only heard him speak lovingly to her -- to my knowledge, he never became impatient with her. I never heard him speak an unkind word to her, and he was always making decisions in life based on her best interests.
At some point during each night of filming, I wondered what must be going through Robert's mind as we played out scene after scene in this movie about someone suffering from senile dementia.
Robert was great to work with on this project. He never complained, and he always did whatever I asked. He waited around patiently, seeming to enjoy the long hours of working and waiting each night. Other cast and crew members would sometimes grumble and gripe about the inconvenience the shooting schedule was causing them in their daily lives, not realizing that Robert's life was probably filled with more pain and burden than the rest of us.
My last memory of Loretta is a sweet one -- Robert and Loretta invited Pamela and me to be their special guests at the NHC Nursing Home's annual luau this summer. We had a great meal, then the Red Apple Trio played. I cried a little, seeing Loretta so happy. She was singing to the lively old tunes from the thirties and forties the trio was churning out, singing out with a clear, sweet voice. I know she would've been dancing if she had been able to get out of her wheelchair. She and Robert were so happy together that night.
I'm sorry Loretta won't be with us to see Robert's big screen debut, but I'm sure she'll be watching with great satisfaction from Heaven. Someday she'll get to tell Robert how proud she is of him... someday, she'll whisper her praise in his ear, when they're dancing together again.
Michael
"Dedicated to the Memory of Loretta Poarch."
These words will be found at the end of our film, before the end credits roll. A couple of days ago, Loretta died.
Loretta was the wife of Robert Poarch, one of the actors in my film "Cause To Be Uneasy." When Robert auditioned for our film back in January, he demonstrated a unique and powerful presence. He didn't exactly fit any of the parts in the original screenplay, but his screen persona was so powerful I decided to write a part just for him. His natural manner and abilities merged perfectly with the mobster-ish part of Mario. Robert is a treasure on-screen.
In order for Robert to be a part of the crazy 11 p.m.-to-5 a.m. shooting schedule this summer, my sister (who works as a nursing assistant) came to West Plains to take care of Robert's wife every night during his absence. Robert's wife suffered from partial paralysis and Alzheimer's disease, and she needed round-the-clock care. Having someone there to help her was the only way Robert could take part in the movie.
I first became acquainted with Loretta through this care-giving arrangement. Loretta was very frail when I met her. She was wheelchair-bound, and it was hard to understand a good deal of what she said... but the things I WAS able to understand made me feel guilty. I felt bad, because she said she was mad at Robert for leaving her every night, and she was mad at me for "taking him away." I could see the hurt and fear in her eyes whenever I "took Robert away" from her for the night. She wanted him there all the time. She loved him so.
He loved her, too. He waited on her without complaint, as though she were his queen. I only heard him speak lovingly to her -- to my knowledge, he never became impatient with her. I never heard him speak an unkind word to her, and he was always making decisions in life based on her best interests.
At some point during each night of filming, I wondered what must be going through Robert's mind as we played out scene after scene in this movie about someone suffering from senile dementia.
Robert was great to work with on this project. He never complained, and he always did whatever I asked. He waited around patiently, seeming to enjoy the long hours of working and waiting each night. Other cast and crew members would sometimes grumble and gripe about the inconvenience the shooting schedule was causing them in their daily lives, not realizing that Robert's life was probably filled with more pain and burden than the rest of us.
My last memory of Loretta is a sweet one -- Robert and Loretta invited Pamela and me to be their special guests at the NHC Nursing Home's annual luau this summer. We had a great meal, then the Red Apple Trio played. I cried a little, seeing Loretta so happy. She was singing to the lively old tunes from the thirties and forties the trio was churning out, singing out with a clear, sweet voice. I know she would've been dancing if she had been able to get out of her wheelchair. She and Robert were so happy together that night.
I'm sorry Loretta won't be with us to see Robert's big screen debut, but I'm sure she'll be watching with great satisfaction from Heaven. Someday she'll get to tell Robert how proud she is of him... someday, she'll whisper her praise in his ear, when they're dancing together again.
Michael
The Sheer Math of It All
May 27, 2006 03:02AM
[This entry is from my production diary, August 17th, 2004.]
Well, school starts back tomorrow... which means all of my projects are going to have to take a back seat to my "real" job of teaching. I'll be working on my projects in my "spare time," whatever that is.
On the average, the ratio of work hours in a digital editing project is one hour for every minute of digital video to be processed.
One hour of editing for every minute of digital video.
Our film will have a running time of somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour. That means the minimum amount of editing work I have ahead of me is between 45 and 60 hours. In all honesty, I should probably double that amount of time because I've still got a lot to learn about the software. So...
Somewhere between 90 and 120 hours. If I were working full-time in a factory or some other business that has 8-hour shifts, that would equal somewhere between two and three solid weeks of work.
My tentative goal for a rough cut is Labor Day, September 6th.
Hmmm... that doesn't seem particularly realistic.
Ah, well... back to the editing suite...
Michael
Well, school starts back tomorrow... which means all of my projects are going to have to take a back seat to my "real" job of teaching. I'll be working on my projects in my "spare time," whatever that is.
On the average, the ratio of work hours in a digital editing project is one hour for every minute of digital video to be processed.
One hour of editing for every minute of digital video.
Our film will have a running time of somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour. That means the minimum amount of editing work I have ahead of me is between 45 and 60 hours. In all honesty, I should probably double that amount of time because I've still got a lot to learn about the software. So...
Somewhere between 90 and 120 hours. If I were working full-time in a factory or some other business that has 8-hour shifts, that would equal somewhere between two and three solid weeks of work.
My tentative goal for a rough cut is Labor Day, September 6th.
Hmmm... that doesn't seem particularly realistic.
Ah, well... back to the editing suite...
Michael
Day 12...
May 27, 2006 02:59AM
[This entry is from my production diary, August 15th, 2004.]
We actually, really, truly, honest-to-God finished filming today. We shot the final "insert" scenes that will tie up some of the loose ends.
For a few hours (a few more than we really wanted, actually) we transformed Dr. Mark Johnson's podiatry office into a mental health clinic. Thanks, Dr. Johnson! And thanks to Sharon Anderson for opening and locking up the office for us.
Jennifer Renshaw did some incredible work today. She was nervous, but she was able to use that to her advantage. Her character was vulnerable at every turn. Beautiful job, Jennifer (a little too giggly at times, but that's completely forgivable).
Nicole Smith also did a terrific job. Her razor-sharp wit lightened the mood at just the right times, and her acting was impressive. She turned in quite a frightening performance. It was really amazing, given the fact that these two ladies received these scripts just days ago.
Keegan didn't receive too many challenges today... we didn't make him scale three-story buildings or hang him from a 70-foot crane; we didn't pull him along the street in a wheelchair, or wrap him in pillows so he could do a falling shot. Because of the way these inserts were written, most of them were actually the exact same set up, so Keagan mainly got to stand behind a tripod and operate the camera. Keegan still did a great job, even without the spectacular challenges.
Now, the real adventure begins... editing!
And we're going to try to have the rough cut finished by Labor Day...
Michael
We actually, really, truly, honest-to-God finished filming today. We shot the final "insert" scenes that will tie up some of the loose ends.
For a few hours (a few more than we really wanted, actually) we transformed Dr. Mark Johnson's podiatry office into a mental health clinic. Thanks, Dr. Johnson! And thanks to Sharon Anderson for opening and locking up the office for us.
Jennifer Renshaw did some incredible work today. She was nervous, but she was able to use that to her advantage. Her character was vulnerable at every turn. Beautiful job, Jennifer (a little too giggly at times, but that's completely forgivable).
Nicole Smith also did a terrific job. Her razor-sharp wit lightened the mood at just the right times, and her acting was impressive. She turned in quite a frightening performance. It was really amazing, given the fact that these two ladies received these scripts just days ago.
Keegan didn't receive too many challenges today... we didn't make him scale three-story buildings or hang him from a 70-foot crane; we didn't pull him along the street in a wheelchair, or wrap him in pillows so he could do a falling shot. Because of the way these inserts were written, most of them were actually the exact same set up, so Keagan mainly got to stand behind a tripod and operate the camera. Keegan still did a great job, even without the spectacular challenges.
Now, the real adventure begins... editing!
And we're going to try to have the rough cut finished by Labor Day...
Michael
In Neon...
May 27, 2006 02:55AM
[This entry is from my production diary, August 12th, 2004.]
I had quite an adventure yesterday. I journeyed to Springfield to find a place called NEON NIGHTS (and no, it's not a disco, a gay bar, or a strip club... it's a place that makes neon signs).
As you may recall, Keagan quite inadvertently broke a piece of the Red Apple Grill's neon signage one night while tossing extension cords off the roof to give us external power for the camera, lights, and so forth. Apparently, the extension cord got snagged in the neon, Keagan pulled it loose, and the fragile glass that comprises the back of the "d" in the word "Red" shattered.
It would've been nice if someone had told me about it that night...
Anyway, when Jack, the owner of the Red Apple Grill, told me about the damage, and politely asked me to fix it, he told me about a company he uses called Missouri Neon in Springfield. I figured that's who I would use.
A few weeks later, after Joe Dan Caldwell -- our official movie electrician -- removed the light and confirmed that, yes indeed, it was busted, he told me that he used a place in Springfield called Neon Nights. He said it was better to go to them, because Missouri Neon actually farms their work out to Neon Nights.
Sooo... off I go to Springfield in search of Neon Nights.
I found Missouri Neon right away -- a big industrial building with big electric signs in front of it. According to the address, Neon Nights should be just down the street from it... within walking distance, in fact... but it was nowhere to be found.
Until I took a closer look.
A very small building, painted dark gray with absolutely no signage at all on it, sat just a few yards away from Missouri Neon's huge complex. It looked like a storage building or a garage, just an out building for the big complex.
Inside that building was the wonderland known as Neon Nights.
I walked in, placed the broken light on the worktable, and said to the man, "I accidentally broke a man's neon sign in West Plains, Missouri, and I wondered if you could fix it."
"How did you 'accidentally' break a neon light?' he asked, obviously expecting a recounting of a bar room brawl.
So I told him about our little film project. He grunted, stopped the big project he was working on, and said, "Let me take a look at it."
As he looked at the broken light, and I told him what I thought had been shattered, he said, "There's a lot more missing from this light than you think. An entire internal loop."
"How do you know that?" I asked, thinking for a moment he was looking to pad his bill.
"See these markings?" he said, pointing to some scorings in the curves of the light. "These are my design marks. Judging from the electrodes here, I must've made it at least twelve years ago, 'cause that's when they stopped making that particular style of electrode. I don't remember this piece -- it was thousands of lights ago -- but I'm pretty sure I made it."
I asked him how expensive the repair would be, thinking hundreds of dollars. He said, "Pay me 40 dollars, and we'll call it good."
"Really?" I asked, surprised.
"You want me to charge you more?" he asked, smirking at me.
"No, no, that sounds great..." I stammered. And I sat and watched him work his magic.
I didn't ask him the names of the tools and equipment, so I won't get into the technical details. Basically, it worked like this: he would take a STRAIGHT tube of glass, connect a rubber hose to one end of it, blow into the hose while he put the glass into a VERY INTENSE HEAT, then he would bend the glass until it was CURVED glass. During this process he told me about the hundred-year-old tradition of creating neon lights, about inert gasses and phosphorescent paint, about the fact that he was the guy who did the neon manufacturing for nearly all the neon sign companies in the Ozarks... he told me about the job that almost killed him, the Shoji Tabuchi Theater in Branson. He said he worked day and night during that job, slept in the shop, hardly ate, didn't see his family...
When he was finished, I plopped down the 40 dollars, and picked up the curved and delicate loop of glass. "You've really got to be an artist to do this," I said.
"It's not art," he said. "It's all mechanical." Then he paused, smiled, and said, "Except for the part about knowing how to shape things. And designing things. And the combinations of colors. Other than that, it's all mechanical."
"Other than that, it's all mechanical," I said as I left that little place, knowing I had been in the presence of greatness.
I just hope the light survives being in my care until Tuesday morning, when Joe Dan installs it...
Michael
I had quite an adventure yesterday. I journeyed to Springfield to find a place called NEON NIGHTS (and no, it's not a disco, a gay bar, or a strip club... it's a place that makes neon signs).
As you may recall, Keagan quite inadvertently broke a piece of the Red Apple Grill's neon signage one night while tossing extension cords off the roof to give us external power for the camera, lights, and so forth. Apparently, the extension cord got snagged in the neon, Keagan pulled it loose, and the fragile glass that comprises the back of the "d" in the word "Red" shattered.
It would've been nice if someone had told me about it that night...
Anyway, when Jack, the owner of the Red Apple Grill, told me about the damage, and politely asked me to fix it, he told me about a company he uses called Missouri Neon in Springfield. I figured that's who I would use.
A few weeks later, after Joe Dan Caldwell -- our official movie electrician -- removed the light and confirmed that, yes indeed, it was busted, he told me that he used a place in Springfield called Neon Nights. He said it was better to go to them, because Missouri Neon actually farms their work out to Neon Nights.
Sooo... off I go to Springfield in search of Neon Nights.
I found Missouri Neon right away -- a big industrial building with big electric signs in front of it. According to the address, Neon Nights should be just down the street from it... within walking distance, in fact... but it was nowhere to be found.
Until I took a closer look.
A very small building, painted dark gray with absolutely no signage at all on it, sat just a few yards away from Missouri Neon's huge complex. It looked like a storage building or a garage, just an out building for the big complex.
Inside that building was the wonderland known as Neon Nights.
I walked in, placed the broken light on the worktable, and said to the man, "I accidentally broke a man's neon sign in West Plains, Missouri, and I wondered if you could fix it."
"How did you 'accidentally' break a neon light?' he asked, obviously expecting a recounting of a bar room brawl.
So I told him about our little film project. He grunted, stopped the big project he was working on, and said, "Let me take a look at it."
As he looked at the broken light, and I told him what I thought had been shattered, he said, "There's a lot more missing from this light than you think. An entire internal loop."
"How do you know that?" I asked, thinking for a moment he was looking to pad his bill.
"See these markings?" he said, pointing to some scorings in the curves of the light. "These are my design marks. Judging from the electrodes here, I must've made it at least twelve years ago, 'cause that's when they stopped making that particular style of electrode. I don't remember this piece -- it was thousands of lights ago -- but I'm pretty sure I made it."
I asked him how expensive the repair would be, thinking hundreds of dollars. He said, "Pay me 40 dollars, and we'll call it good."
"Really?" I asked, surprised.
"You want me to charge you more?" he asked, smirking at me.
"No, no, that sounds great..." I stammered. And I sat and watched him work his magic.
I didn't ask him the names of the tools and equipment, so I won't get into the technical details. Basically, it worked like this: he would take a STRAIGHT tube of glass, connect a rubber hose to one end of it, blow into the hose while he put the glass into a VERY INTENSE HEAT, then he would bend the glass until it was CURVED glass. During this process he told me about the hundred-year-old tradition of creating neon lights, about inert gasses and phosphorescent paint, about the fact that he was the guy who did the neon manufacturing for nearly all the neon sign companies in the Ozarks... he told me about the job that almost killed him, the Shoji Tabuchi Theater in Branson. He said he worked day and night during that job, slept in the shop, hardly ate, didn't see his family...
When he was finished, I plopped down the 40 dollars, and picked up the curved and delicate loop of glass. "You've really got to be an artist to do this," I said.
"It's not art," he said. "It's all mechanical." Then he paused, smiled, and said, "Except for the part about knowing how to shape things. And designing things. And the combinations of colors. Other than that, it's all mechanical."
"Other than that, it's all mechanical," I said as I left that little place, knowing I had been in the presence of greatness.
I just hope the light survives being in my care until Tuesday morning, when Joe Dan installs it...
Michael
An Open Letter, Sort of...
May 27, 2006 02:48AM
[This is from my production diary, July 26th, 2004]
Here's a portion of an e-mail I just sent to my cast and crew... it contains some interesting statistics. I thought some of you might find it interesting...
Interesting statistics
* After all the added scenes, deleted scenes, and combined scenes, we ended up filming 163 individual scenes;
* As you know, we did a LOT of takes of each scene -- we averaged 10 takes per scene. That means we filmed approximately 1600 takes. That's right.
1600 takes;
* We spent 11 nights filming. Most nights -- from beginning set-up to getting the Red Apple put back together -- were about 7 hours long, work-wise. That means (if my math skills are still working) we spent 77 hours "on location" making the film;
* We spent about 100 dollars on food altogether (excluding the donated food all of you brought); 200 dollars on miscellaneous odds and ends (adaptors, duct tape, the pole to make the boom, more duct tape, etc.); we'll pay Jack at least 100 bucks to reimburse him for Styrofoam cups, a few hot dogs, and SEVERAL fudge bars; Joe Dan should be fixing the Red Apple Grill sign this week, and I'm not sure how much that is going to cost...
So... our no-budget movie will probably (hopefully) end up costing less than a thousand bucks.
* The approximate amount of money we SAVED by borrowing equipment, facilities, and services from friends:
XL1 Camera -- 4,000 dollars
Rental of miscellaneous equipment -- 1,500 dollars
Crane Rental -- 500 dollars
Location Rental -- 1,500 dollars
Total Savings: 7,500 dollars
There. I hope that satisfies the "stat geeks" out there.
Michael
Here's a portion of an e-mail I just sent to my cast and crew... it contains some interesting statistics. I thought some of you might find it interesting...
Interesting statistics
* After all the added scenes, deleted scenes, and combined scenes, we ended up filming 163 individual scenes;
* As you know, we did a LOT of takes of each scene -- we averaged 10 takes per scene. That means we filmed approximately 1600 takes. That's right.
1600 takes;
* We spent 11 nights filming. Most nights -- from beginning set-up to getting the Red Apple put back together -- were about 7 hours long, work-wise. That means (if my math skills are still working) we spent 77 hours "on location" making the film;
* We spent about 100 dollars on food altogether (excluding the donated food all of you brought); 200 dollars on miscellaneous odds and ends (adaptors, duct tape, the pole to make the boom, more duct tape, etc.); we'll pay Jack at least 100 bucks to reimburse him for Styrofoam cups, a few hot dogs, and SEVERAL fudge bars; Joe Dan should be fixing the Red Apple Grill sign this week, and I'm not sure how much that is going to cost...
So... our no-budget movie will probably (hopefully) end up costing less than a thousand bucks.
* The approximate amount of money we SAVED by borrowing equipment, facilities, and services from friends:
XL1 Camera -- 4,000 dollars
Rental of miscellaneous equipment -- 1,500 dollars
Crane Rental -- 500 dollars
Location Rental -- 1,500 dollars
Total Savings: 7,500 dollars
There. I hope that satisfies the "stat geeks" out there.
Michael
Night Eleven: That's a wrap...
May 27, 2006 02:44AM
[This entry is from my production diary, July 25th, 2004.]
Are we finished filming? Are we really? Over 155 scenes... have we really captured every one of these scenes?
I say -- with the notable exception of the extra scene I've written that will be used to tie up a few loose ends in the story -- yes.
That's a wrap.
Keagan the perfectionist -- and thank God for his perfectionism -- thinks we should re-shoot several of the scenes on Roll 2 (the second night of filming). I believe most of it can be fixed in editing. Once we've edited the film together, we'll take a look at it... and if, indeed, we need pick-up shots, we'll do them.
But only if we can't fix it in editing.
Last night was one of the most extraordinary nights of my creative life. As I watched it all happening... harnessing Keagan -- a spider monkey in human form -- into the cage on top of a crane, then hoisting him up high into the night sky above West Plains... yelling "action," and seeing actors start to move and the crane operator pull the levers to propel Keagan through the air... blocking traffic so that vehicles didn't drive through the shot... transforming an abandoned apartment into the "den of doom" in which Jennifer beats the hell out of an off-screen tormentor... I got the distinct feeling that we were really, really, REALLY making a movie.
Now the fun really begins. EDITING. I'm going to be using Final Cut Pro 4, an absolutely extraordinary editing program (I know, that's the second time I've used the word "extraordinary" in this entry; it's time to break out the thesaurus) -- the same Emmy-award winning software that the folks in Hollywood use. I know it's going to be slow going, and that I'm going to be learning as we go along... but I believe the editing room is where this movie is really going to take shape.
Great job to everyone involved. I'll let you know when it's time for the private screening.
And about re-takes.
As for the rest of you... I'll keep you posted on the progress of our project as we submit the film to festivals throughout the country.
I believe we have done something remarkable. Something life-changing. Something important.
Michael
Are we finished filming? Are we really? Over 155 scenes... have we really captured every one of these scenes?
I say -- with the notable exception of the extra scene I've written that will be used to tie up a few loose ends in the story -- yes.
That's a wrap.
Keagan the perfectionist -- and thank God for his perfectionism -- thinks we should re-shoot several of the scenes on Roll 2 (the second night of filming). I believe most of it can be fixed in editing. Once we've edited the film together, we'll take a look at it... and if, indeed, we need pick-up shots, we'll do them.
But only if we can't fix it in editing.
Last night was one of the most extraordinary nights of my creative life. As I watched it all happening... harnessing Keagan -- a spider monkey in human form -- into the cage on top of a crane, then hoisting him up high into the night sky above West Plains... yelling "action," and seeing actors start to move and the crane operator pull the levers to propel Keagan through the air... blocking traffic so that vehicles didn't drive through the shot... transforming an abandoned apartment into the "den of doom" in which Jennifer beats the hell out of an off-screen tormentor... I got the distinct feeling that we were really, really, REALLY making a movie.
Now the fun really begins. EDITING. I'm going to be using Final Cut Pro 4, an absolutely extraordinary editing program (I know, that's the second time I've used the word "extraordinary" in this entry; it's time to break out the thesaurus) -- the same Emmy-award winning software that the folks in Hollywood use. I know it's going to be slow going, and that I'm going to be learning as we go along... but I believe the editing room is where this movie is really going to take shape.
Great job to everyone involved. I'll let you know when it's time for the private screening.
And about re-takes.
As for the rest of you... I'll keep you posted on the progress of our project as we submit the film to festivals throughout the country.
I believe we have done something remarkable. Something life-changing. Something important.
Michael
Night Ten: We're Almost Finished!
May 27, 2006 02:40AM
[This entry is from my production diary, July 24th, 2004]
What a night it's been...
Getting all of our scheduled scenes in...
Using a wheelchair for a dolly shot...
Testing out the wild "swoosher" contraption that Keagan's friend Michael (another Michael) built... a catapult-looking thing that swings the camera down from the second floor...
Duct-taping pillows all over Keagan so he could fall during a difficult point-of-view shot...
Tonight was the sort of stuff movie making should be about -- the scenes were fun, interesting, and inventive.
We've got 10 more scenes to go... 10 more... and tonight's going to be even more fun, 'cause we get to strap Keagan into a bucket truck and send him 70 feet up into the air...
Tonight was a very rich, satisfying experience. I think it has something to do with knowing a bit more about what we're doing.
By the time this thing is finished, we're going to know how to make a movie.
Michael
What a night it's been...
Getting all of our scheduled scenes in...
Using a wheelchair for a dolly shot...
Testing out the wild "swoosher" contraption that Keagan's friend Michael (another Michael) built... a catapult-looking thing that swings the camera down from the second floor...
Duct-taping pillows all over Keagan so he could fall during a difficult point-of-view shot...
Tonight was the sort of stuff movie making should be about -- the scenes were fun, interesting, and inventive.
We've got 10 more scenes to go... 10 more... and tonight's going to be even more fun, 'cause we get to strap Keagan into a bucket truck and send him 70 feet up into the air...
Tonight was a very rich, satisfying experience. I think it has something to do with knowing a bit more about what we're doing.
By the time this thing is finished, we're going to know how to make a movie.
Michael
A footnote to the previous entry
May 27, 2006 02:33AM
After I originally posted the previous entry on my (now-defunct) web site back in 2004, a young lady from Pennsylvania (who was for some reason an avid reader of my filmmaking exploits) posted a message explaining that she had always thought the song said, "Hold me closer, Tony Danza."
Michael
Michael
Hey! Look! Chad and I have the same mondegreens!
May 27, 2006 02:25AM
[This entry is from my production diary, July 19th, 2004.]
This weekend after Friday night's filming session, I found out something kind of fun... it has to do with something called a "mondegreen." In the event that some reader doesn't know what that is, here's a brief origin...
The word Mondegreen, meaning a mishearing of a popular phrase or song lyric, was coined by the writer Sylvia Wright.
As a child she had heard the Scottish ballad "The Bonny Earl of Murray" and had believed that one stanza went like this:
Ye Highlands and Ye Lowlands
Oh where have you been?
They have slain the Earl of Murray,
And Lady Mondegreen.
Poor Lady Mondegreen, thought Sylvia Wright. A tragic heroine dying with her liege; how poetic. Some years later, she found out that the lyrics were actually:
Ye Highlands and Ye Lowlands
Oh where have you been?
They have slain the Earl of Murray,
LAID HIM ON THE GREEN.
Wright was so distraught by the sudden disappearance of her heroine that she memorialized her with a poem.
So... at breakfast on Saturday morning (at the Junction 14 Truck Stop... yummy!) we somehow started discussing Elton John songs. I told everyone that growing up, I thought the lyrics to a particular song were, "Hold me close, I'm tired of dancin'." Of course, if I had actually known the name of the song (TINY DANCER), I might not have had that confusion. I always pictured this guy who had danced all night, and now he was worn out, so he wanted his partner to hold him tight before he fell down... "Hold me close, I'm tired of dancin'." (I know, it sounds like I'm mentally deficient... I also thought the Eagles' "Life in the Fast Lane" was "Life in the Vaseline..."). But here's the funny part...
Chad Lockard, one of my incredible actors, ALSO thought Elton was singing "Hold me close, I'm tired of dancin'." So, sometime in the distant past, in two different parts of the country, there were guys who thought that's what the song was about.
Chad and I apparently have similar audio processing problems.
Well... this entry wasn't about any of my projects... but I hope it was amusing...
Michael
This weekend after Friday night's filming session, I found out something kind of fun... it has to do with something called a "mondegreen." In the event that some reader doesn't know what that is, here's a brief origin...
The word Mondegreen, meaning a mishearing of a popular phrase or song lyric, was coined by the writer Sylvia Wright.
As a child she had heard the Scottish ballad "The Bonny Earl of Murray" and had believed that one stanza went like this:
Ye Highlands and Ye Lowlands
Oh where have you been?
They have slain the Earl of Murray,
And Lady Mondegreen.
Poor Lady Mondegreen, thought Sylvia Wright. A tragic heroine dying with her liege; how poetic. Some years later, she found out that the lyrics were actually:
Ye Highlands and Ye Lowlands
Oh where have you been?
They have slain the Earl of Murray,
LAID HIM ON THE GREEN.
Wright was so distraught by the sudden disappearance of her heroine that she memorialized her with a poem.
So... at breakfast on Saturday morning (at the Junction 14 Truck Stop... yummy!) we somehow started discussing Elton John songs. I told everyone that growing up, I thought the lyrics to a particular song were, "Hold me close, I'm tired of dancin'." Of course, if I had actually known the name of the song (TINY DANCER), I might not have had that confusion. I always pictured this guy who had danced all night, and now he was worn out, so he wanted his partner to hold him tight before he fell down... "Hold me close, I'm tired of dancin'." (I know, it sounds like I'm mentally deficient... I also thought the Eagles' "Life in the Fast Lane" was "Life in the Vaseline..."). But here's the funny part...
Chad Lockard, one of my incredible actors, ALSO thought Elton was singing "Hold me close, I'm tired of dancin'." So, sometime in the distant past, in two different parts of the country, there were guys who thought that's what the song was about.
Chad and I apparently have similar audio processing problems.
Well... this entry wasn't about any of my projects... but I hope it was amusing...
Michael
Night nine: Flying Blind
May 27, 2006 02:21AM
[This entry is from my production diary, July 18th, 2004.]
Well...
We really shot a pretty massive amount of scenes last night... the 6 we missed from the night before... plus 11 more... so we got in 17 scenes!
That means we filmed 30 scenes this weekend!
That's the good news...
The bad news, of course, is the fact that we were scheduled to shoot 40 scenes this weekend. So we're 10 scenes behind. That adds at least another weekend to the shooting schedule. And it can't be the first weekend in August, because I have plans that I can't break... and I'm sure my actors are going to need a break...
Well... the way I like to look at it is this: 155 scenes in the movie, minus the 137 that we've filmed equals 18.
Only 18 scenes to go. Maybe 20, with some additional scenes we've created.
The point is, we've almost finished the filming part of things.
Last night was hard, because we didn't have a monitor. I had to trust Keagan's instincts as the camera operator. Don't get me wrong -- I don't have trouble trusting Keagan, I would just rather view the shots as they're filmed. "Flying blind" makes me nervous.
I'm sure the shots are all wonderful... I haven't looked at them yet, but I'm sure I'll have a positive report once I've reviewed them. I have to keep telling myself, "It's just like the first night of shooting -- I didn't have a monitor the first night... I didn't even think about having a monitor the first night, and those shots all turned out to be excellent."
I think Keagan felt bad throughout the night, because the reason we didn't have a monitor is... well... because he accidentally smashed it just before we started shooting last night. He was trying to rig up the media cart (an office chair to which he has duct-taped the monitor, the sound board, an electrical outlet hub with a retractable extension cord, etc.) to make it more efficient, and the monitor tumbled out of the chair to the floor.
After which it understandably didn't work.
I tried to contain my annoyance, but I don't think I did that very well.
I calmed down about 3 in the morning.
Michael
Well...
We really shot a pretty massive amount of scenes last night... the 6 we missed from the night before... plus 11 more... so we got in 17 scenes!
That means we filmed 30 scenes this weekend!
That's the good news...
The bad news, of course, is the fact that we were scheduled to shoot 40 scenes this weekend. So we're 10 scenes behind. That adds at least another weekend to the shooting schedule. And it can't be the first weekend in August, because I have plans that I can't break... and I'm sure my actors are going to need a break...
Well... the way I like to look at it is this: 155 scenes in the movie, minus the 137 that we've filmed equals 18.
Only 18 scenes to go. Maybe 20, with some additional scenes we've created.
The point is, we've almost finished the filming part of things.
Last night was hard, because we didn't have a monitor. I had to trust Keagan's instincts as the camera operator. Don't get me wrong -- I don't have trouble trusting Keagan, I would just rather view the shots as they're filmed. "Flying blind" makes me nervous.
I'm sure the shots are all wonderful... I haven't looked at them yet, but I'm sure I'll have a positive report once I've reviewed them. I have to keep telling myself, "It's just like the first night of shooting -- I didn't have a monitor the first night... I didn't even think about having a monitor the first night, and those shots all turned out to be excellent."
I think Keagan felt bad throughout the night, because the reason we didn't have a monitor is... well... because he accidentally smashed it just before we started shooting last night. He was trying to rig up the media cart (an office chair to which he has duct-taped the monitor, the sound board, an electrical outlet hub with a retractable extension cord, etc.) to make it more efficient, and the monitor tumbled out of the chair to the floor.
After which it understandably didn't work.
I tried to contain my annoyance, but I don't think I did that very well.
I calmed down about 3 in the morning.
Michael
Night Eight: That damned cricket...
May 27, 2006 02:15AM
[This entry is from my production diary July 17th, 2004.]
Well, we tried to get 19 scenes filmed last night.
We got 13 filmed instead.
Very good work, though. Quality over quantity.
We're planning on starting an hour early tonight, so that maybe we can "catch up" on those 6 scenes (6 scenes? 1 hour? Impossible, you say? Yeah, I think so too, but we might as well try).
There is a great feeling of harmony "on the set," or "on location," whatever we're supposed to call it. Everyone seems to be more comfortable with each other. The cast members are all going out of their way to be pleasant. Last night's work was truly a pleasure. Everyone was having fun.
One of the things that caused us a great deal of distress last night was a cricket. Y'see, there are certain environmental factors inside the Red Apple Grill that add to the heavy ambient noise that we simply can't control -- we just have to live with them... like refrigerators, freezers, and icemakers making their electric hums. Those sounds will work out fine in editing, because the heavy ambience is ALWAYS THERE. If it's always there in the background, it's not a problem. But if a NEW sound is introduced, that WILL cause problems, because the background sounds won't match from one scene to another.
Last night, there was a cricket who started his "singing" about the time we started filming. For a few minutes, we looked like the band members in that scene from the Buddy Holly Story -- the scene where they were trying to hunt down the cricket that was ruining THEIR recordings.
We narrowed it down to one wall of a storage closet. Mike Topliff -- and eventually my dear wife -- became "cricket wranglers," making noise on the wall to shut the cricket up long enough for us to film scenes.
They had to do that all night.
What a weird problem...
Hopefully that cricket will have moved on by tonight... but I doubt it. I think we'll need cricket wranglers for the rest of the project.
Tonight will present at least one interesting artistic challenge -- an exterior shot from the point of view of an injured man... it will basically be a handheld shot with a lot of movement. I look forward to seeing how it all works out.
I'm really chomping at the bit to start editing... but I don't want to start until we have everything filmed. Next weekend presents real challenges... the crane shots that we're going to do with a borrowed bucket truck; the dolly shots we're going to do with a borrowed electric wheel chair; more big scenes with everybody...
There is one final thing I want to say before I go... something I will write much more about at some later time...
I have it on good authority from members of my cast and crew that the Opera House is haunted.
And so is the Red Apple.
I'm not joking. More on that later...
Michael
Well, we tried to get 19 scenes filmed last night.
We got 13 filmed instead.
Very good work, though. Quality over quantity.
We're planning on starting an hour early tonight, so that maybe we can "catch up" on those 6 scenes (6 scenes? 1 hour? Impossible, you say? Yeah, I think so too, but we might as well try).
There is a great feeling of harmony "on the set," or "on location," whatever we're supposed to call it. Everyone seems to be more comfortable with each other. The cast members are all going out of their way to be pleasant. Last night's work was truly a pleasure. Everyone was having fun.
One of the things that caused us a great deal of distress last night was a cricket. Y'see, there are certain environmental factors inside the Red Apple Grill that add to the heavy ambient noise that we simply can't control -- we just have to live with them... like refrigerators, freezers, and icemakers making their electric hums. Those sounds will work out fine in editing, because the heavy ambience is ALWAYS THERE. If it's always there in the background, it's not a problem. But if a NEW sound is introduced, that WILL cause problems, because the background sounds won't match from one scene to another.
Last night, there was a cricket who started his "singing" about the time we started filming. For a few minutes, we looked like the band members in that scene from the Buddy Holly Story -- the scene where they were trying to hunt down the cricket that was ruining THEIR recordings.
We narrowed it down to one wall of a storage closet. Mike Topliff -- and eventually my dear wife -- became "cricket wranglers," making noise on the wall to shut the cricket up long enough for us to film scenes.
They had to do that all night.
What a weird problem...
Hopefully that cricket will have moved on by tonight... but I doubt it. I think we'll need cricket wranglers for the rest of the project.
Tonight will present at least one interesting artistic challenge -- an exterior shot from the point of view of an injured man... it will basically be a handheld shot with a lot of movement. I look forward to seeing how it all works out.
I'm really chomping at the bit to start editing... but I don't want to start until we have everything filmed. Next weekend presents real challenges... the crane shots that we're going to do with a borrowed bucket truck; the dolly shots we're going to do with a borrowed electric wheel chair; more big scenes with everybody...
There is one final thing I want to say before I go... something I will write much more about at some later time...
I have it on good authority from members of my cast and crew that the Opera House is haunted.
And so is the Red Apple.
I'm not joking. More on that later...
Michael
My Heroes
May 27, 2006 02:08AM
[This entry is from my production diary, July 13th, 2004.]
The people who are helping me to make my film are truly heroes, every one of them. Here are some examples:
Jennifer, waiting patiently for weeks before she is able to do the big aerial shot beating scene, then having to endure an entire evening covered in sticky stage blood. She also had to endure my "mother hen" attitude when it came to who was going to apply the blood all over her pretty body (she had a guy in the cast who seems to know a lot about stage blood lined up for the job, but I asked that she secure a female assistant... I'm a married person myself, and I was just trying to be sensitive to what a spouse might think of the situation...). She also had to endure being coached through her scene by nearly everybody on the set...
Robert and Joey, who wait patiently for hours, playing cards until I call them to be in the background of some scene... then they return to their card game without complaint...
Vivian, who always seems to have to wait and wait and wait... I don't think we've ever gotten to a scene with Vivian before 2 o'clock in the morning... God bless Vivian... she, Mike and Brett have also committed to show up for filming AFTER they finish a grueling evening of performing live on stage in Robin Hood...
Chad, who drives back to West Plains from Kansas City every weekend to continue his involvement with this film... and Alicia, who interrupts her new life in Springfield occasionally to work on our movie...
Mike Topliff, who is always there to keep my spirits up... and to be an assistant cameraman, or a grip, or an assistant director, or whatever I need...
Wendy, who is just so damned upbeat all the time... at least in my presence, which is what really matters to me during this project...
I know I've only mentioned half of the cast, and none of the crew -- the attitudes and incidents that are standing out in my fuzzy mind right now -- but all of my cast and crew --Michelle, Nyze, Chris, Billy, Keagan, Paul, Heather, Ben, Jem, Robert, and Randy are my heroes right now.
Knowing they are behind the project keeps me going.
Thank you ALL!
Michael
The people who are helping me to make my film are truly heroes, every one of them. Here are some examples:
Jennifer, waiting patiently for weeks before she is able to do the big aerial shot beating scene, then having to endure an entire evening covered in sticky stage blood. She also had to endure my "mother hen" attitude when it came to who was going to apply the blood all over her pretty body (she had a guy in the cast who seems to know a lot about stage blood lined up for the job, but I asked that she secure a female assistant... I'm a married person myself, and I was just trying to be sensitive to what a spouse might think of the situation...). She also had to endure being coached through her scene by nearly everybody on the set...
Robert and Joey, who wait patiently for hours, playing cards until I call them to be in the background of some scene... then they return to their card game without complaint...
Vivian, who always seems to have to wait and wait and wait... I don't think we've ever gotten to a scene with Vivian before 2 o'clock in the morning... God bless Vivian... she, Mike and Brett have also committed to show up for filming AFTER they finish a grueling evening of performing live on stage in Robin Hood...
Chad, who drives back to West Plains from Kansas City every weekend to continue his involvement with this film... and Alicia, who interrupts her new life in Springfield occasionally to work on our movie...
Mike Topliff, who is always there to keep my spirits up... and to be an assistant cameraman, or a grip, or an assistant director, or whatever I need...
Wendy, who is just so damned upbeat all the time... at least in my presence, which is what really matters to me during this project...
I know I've only mentioned half of the cast, and none of the crew -- the attitudes and incidents that are standing out in my fuzzy mind right now -- but all of my cast and crew --Michelle, Nyze, Chris, Billy, Keagan, Paul, Heather, Ben, Jem, Robert, and Randy are my heroes right now.
Knowing they are behind the project keeps me going.
Thank you ALL!
Michael
Night Seven: ...the night is finally over...
May 27, 2006 02:04AM
[This entry is from my production diary, July 11th, 2004.]
Wow...
We tried filming the most difficult sequences in the entire film last night.
We had 15 scenes to do, and actually filmed 8 (actually, 8 and a half, because we sliced one of the scenes into two, saving the more difficult half for another weekend).
Pretty amazing, considering the fact that we weren't ready for filming until about 1 a.m., and we had aerial shots and complicated scenes including the entire cast.
I would really, REALLY like to address the frustration that goes along with working with difficult people... but I can't really go into that right now.
Suffice it to say there will be a LONG journal entry -- or possibly even a book -- about certain frustrations once this project is completed.
For right now, I'm just glad we made some progress this weekend.
Michael
Wow...
We tried filming the most difficult sequences in the entire film last night.
We had 15 scenes to do, and actually filmed 8 (actually, 8 and a half, because we sliced one of the scenes into two, saving the more difficult half for another weekend).
Pretty amazing, considering the fact that we weren't ready for filming until about 1 a.m., and we had aerial shots and complicated scenes including the entire cast.
I would really, REALLY like to address the frustration that goes along with working with difficult people... but I can't really go into that right now.
Suffice it to say there will be a LONG journal entry -- or possibly even a book -- about certain frustrations once this project is completed.
For right now, I'm just glad we made some progress this weekend.
Michael
Night Six: Beautiful Like A Diamond
May 27, 2006 01:57AM
[This entry is from my production diary, July 10th, 2004. It originally contained some very negative -- but accurate -- commentary about some extreme difficulties I had with a cast member. At the request of that cast member, the negative comments were removed.]
Last night was beautiful... beautiful like a diamond. The call sheet had 17 scenes, and we filmed 18 scenes. For the first time, we filmed MORE than we set out to film. It was wonderful... and the quality of the acting was wonderful...
Everyone arrived just in the nick of time... Darren showed up with his tripod and audio board just when we were about to use "alternate" (ULTRA LOW TECH) methods to get filming started... Chad showed up (he drove in last night all the way from Kansas City to be here with us!) about 30 minutes before we needed him on location...
Wow, everyone was so "on-target" last night, so focused...
Adam came with me to the shoot (Adam is my youngest stepson). I think he was beginning to believe that all we ever do is just wait around (and it DOES seem that waiting takes up the majority of what we do)... but we finally got up and running. He stayed for several hours. Pamela came to watch after she got off work.
I was glad to have my family there.
We had some bizarre technical difficulties at the end of the shoot last night (these blue orbs of light kept appearing in the shots... yet more evidence that Chris Herbolsheimer is possessed, and God doesn't want him wearing clerical vestments), but all-in-all, things went very well...
Michael
Last night was beautiful... beautiful like a diamond. The call sheet had 17 scenes, and we filmed 18 scenes. For the first time, we filmed MORE than we set out to film. It was wonderful... and the quality of the acting was wonderful...
Everyone arrived just in the nick of time... Darren showed up with his tripod and audio board just when we were about to use "alternate" (ULTRA LOW TECH) methods to get filming started... Chad showed up (he drove in last night all the way from Kansas City to be here with us!) about 30 minutes before we needed him on location...
Wow, everyone was so "on-target" last night, so focused...
Adam came with me to the shoot (Adam is my youngest stepson). I think he was beginning to believe that all we ever do is just wait around (and it DOES seem that waiting takes up the majority of what we do)... but we finally got up and running. He stayed for several hours. Pamela came to watch after she got off work.
I was glad to have my family there.
We had some bizarre technical difficulties at the end of the shoot last night (these blue orbs of light kept appearing in the shots... yet more evidence that Chris Herbolsheimer is possessed, and God doesn't want him wearing clerical vestments), but all-in-all, things went very well...
Michael
A Very Long Entry About God, the Movie, and Other Stuff
May 19, 2006 03:29PM
[This entry is from my production diary, June 23rd, 2004.]
What if God was a senile old man?
What would the world be like?
Would it be chaos?
Would it be exactly as it is now?
These are the sorts of questions that led to the screenplay of the film, "Cause To Be Uneasy."
For those of you who don't know my writing, I am best known for my stage plays and audio dramas. I have even achieved a bit of fame in the world of audio theater, with the critically-acclaimed horror tale "Fever Dream," and the supernaturally-based audio series "Tales From Tombstone." I am now a nationally-recognized "expert" in the field of audio theater, according to the folks at the National Audio Theater Festivals, Inc.
But now I really, REALLY want to make a film.
Why?
Mainly because I believe the things I write deserve a larger audience. I am -- and will forever be -- grateful for the appreciative audience that has enjoyed my plays throughout Southern Missouri and Northeast Arkansas.
But that audience is quite limited.
And, although there is a national base of audio theater fans, that is also a very limited audience. How many people really listen to audio theater anymore? Books on tape, yes. Audio theater? I'm not sure.
So, I wanted to create something that could be accessed and enjoyed by people nationwide.
Hence, a film.
I wanted to keep it a local project, using actors I had come to know and trust in the local theater community; however, I wasn't sure that "stage actors" would be able to translate their styles very well to the screen.
Then I met a guy named Frank Sherry.
Frank is a writer who "retired" to the Ozarks from New York City a few years ago. He has written several works of fiction and nonfiction -- mostly nautical tales. You can check out more about Frank and his books by clicking on this link: Frank Sherry
Frank has done some terrific live theater for us here in West Plains, and, quite frankly, when I saw him acting, I thought, "There's a stage actor who could actually translate well to film. There's my star."
What story could I tell with that "star?"
I quickly came to believe it needed to be something about God.
I was reading C.S. Lewis's amazing book "Mere Christianity" one day, and I was thunderstruck by one of the chapter titles:
WE HAVE CAUSE TO BE UNEASY.
The first few chapters had laid out the idea that #1: there is a God; #2: there is a Moral Law; and #3: we all break God's Moral Law; therefore, WE HAVE CAUSE TO BE UNEASY.
I began thinking about it... and I realized that Lewis's idea didn't really make me uneasy. God + Moral Law + Human Failure was my theological bread and butter growing up.
Instead... an idea that would truly make me UNEASY is this: #1: there is a God; #2: there is no real Moral Law -- God just rules by whim and random attitude changes; #3: we can't please God, because what He wants from us changes from minute to minute; therefore, WE REALLY, REALLY HAVE CAUSE TO BE UNEASY.
So... the idea for a screenplay began churning...
In an all-night diner, populated by a group of "regulars," strange things begin happening... things that indicate the outside world is changing, becoming chaotic...
Into the diner, out of the storm, comes an old man... he's in pajamas, and rain-soaked. He's completely disoriented...
He claims to be God.
Basically, the rest of the movie is about the folks in the diner trying to decide whether or not he's telling the truth... based on the limited information we get from the outside world.
At the end, the audience is left with the question, "Was he really God, or just a senile old man?"
So... I wrote draft Number One.
It was a short film... 25 or 30 minutes long.
We were going to make it LAST summer.
Then a strange thing happened -- I had a conversation with Simon Jones.
If you don't know who Simon is, you can follow this link: THE GUY WHO WON'T BE IN MY MOVIE Click it, and it will take you to the Internet Movie Database Page about Simon. He's a terrific actor, and he's been in some great films.
Simon Jones was at last year's National Audio Theater Festival workshop in West Plains. He's famous in audio circles for his work as Arthur Dent in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the audio series and the TV series from BBC). The part was actually written for him by his best friend, Douglas Adams. It was an audio theater series before it ever became the wildly popular books.
At the "after party" at the Yellow House (a big drunken blow out celebrating another great NATF show), I asked Simon what it would take for him to be in our film. He said, "Just make sure it happens the week after NATF next year. I'll already be in Missouri, anyway. I'll be glad to be in your little film."
Wow...
Simon Jones, who had serious screen time with Bruce Willis in Twelve Monkeys, said he would be in my short film.
So... I thought we could certainly put the project off for a year.
During that year, I re-wrote the script to include another character... the character Simon would play... a character who actually stirs everyone in the diner up... he's the one who gets people to think the old man is God...
So... we have one character who might be God... and another who might be the Devil...
A denser screenplay, coming in at somewhere around 45 minutes...
Anyway, I got everyone in my cast and crew excited about the fact that Simon Jones was going to be in our movie...
and the bastard doesn't show.
He doesn't show for NATF, and he doesn't show for my movie.
So... we replaced him.
At first, I tried to replace him with a friend of mine who is just now beginning his career as a successful movie actor (he was most recently in 21 Grams with Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro)... a guy named Keith Salter.
Anyway, the more-than-subtle ironic twist to this story is this: for whatever reason... whether he really got too busy, or he got too nervous working with a bunch of amateurs, or he didn't like the idea of starting a movie WITHOUT A FINISHED SCRIPT, Frank Sherry is no longer playing the old man in our movie. He bowed out, saying that he had some personal commitments that are taking priority over our movie.
Ah, well. We found a pretty terrific replacement, just in the nick of time.
So... for everyone who's interested, you're now up to speed on the history of our little film project.
Thanks for tuning in.
Michael
What if God was a senile old man?
What would the world be like?
Would it be chaos?
Would it be exactly as it is now?
These are the sorts of questions that led to the screenplay of the film, "Cause To Be Uneasy."
For those of you who don't know my writing, I am best known for my stage plays and audio dramas. I have even achieved a bit of fame in the world of audio theater, with the critically-acclaimed horror tale "Fever Dream," and the supernaturally-based audio series "Tales From Tombstone." I am now a nationally-recognized "expert" in the field of audio theater, according to the folks at the National Audio Theater Festivals, Inc.
But now I really, REALLY want to make a film.
Why?
Mainly because I believe the things I write deserve a larger audience. I am -- and will forever be -- grateful for the appreciative audience that has enjoyed my plays throughout Southern Missouri and Northeast Arkansas.
But that audience is quite limited.
And, although there is a national base of audio theater fans, that is also a very limited audience. How many people really listen to audio theater anymore? Books on tape, yes. Audio theater? I'm not sure.
So, I wanted to create something that could be accessed and enjoyed by people nationwide.
Hence, a film.
I wanted to keep it a local project, using actors I had come to know and trust in the local theater community; however, I wasn't sure that "stage actors" would be able to translate their styles very well to the screen.
Then I met a guy named Frank Sherry.
Frank is a writer who "retired" to the Ozarks from New York City a few years ago. He has written several works of fiction and nonfiction -- mostly nautical tales. You can check out more about Frank and his books by clicking on this link: Frank Sherry
Frank has done some terrific live theater for us here in West Plains, and, quite frankly, when I saw him acting, I thought, "There's a stage actor who could actually translate well to film. There's my star."
What story could I tell with that "star?"
I quickly came to believe it needed to be something about God.
I was reading C.S. Lewis's amazing book "Mere Christianity" one day, and I was thunderstruck by one of the chapter titles:
WE HAVE CAUSE TO BE UNEASY.
The first few chapters had laid out the idea that #1: there is a God; #2: there is a Moral Law; and #3: we all break God's Moral Law; therefore, WE HAVE CAUSE TO BE UNEASY.
I began thinking about it... and I realized that Lewis's idea didn't really make me uneasy. God + Moral Law + Human Failure was my theological bread and butter growing up.
Instead... an idea that would truly make me UNEASY is this: #1: there is a God; #2: there is no real Moral Law -- God just rules by whim and random attitude changes; #3: we can't please God, because what He wants from us changes from minute to minute; therefore, WE REALLY, REALLY HAVE CAUSE TO BE UNEASY.
So... the idea for a screenplay began churning...
In an all-night diner, populated by a group of "regulars," strange things begin happening... things that indicate the outside world is changing, becoming chaotic...
Into the diner, out of the storm, comes an old man... he's in pajamas, and rain-soaked. He's completely disoriented...
He claims to be God.
Basically, the rest of the movie is about the folks in the diner trying to decide whether or not he's telling the truth... based on the limited information we get from the outside world.
At the end, the audience is left with the question, "Was he really God, or just a senile old man?"
So... I wrote draft Number One.
It was a short film... 25 or 30 minutes long.
We were going to make it LAST summer.
Then a strange thing happened -- I had a conversation with Simon Jones.
If you don't know who Simon is, you can follow this link: THE GUY WHO WON'T BE IN MY MOVIE Click it, and it will take you to the Internet Movie Database Page about Simon. He's a terrific actor, and he's been in some great films.
Simon Jones was at last year's National Audio Theater Festival workshop in West Plains. He's famous in audio circles for his work as Arthur Dent in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the audio series and the TV series from BBC). The part was actually written for him by his best friend, Douglas Adams. It was an audio theater series before it ever became the wildly popular books.
At the "after party" at the Yellow House (a big drunken blow out celebrating another great NATF show), I asked Simon what it would take for him to be in our film. He said, "Just make sure it happens the week after NATF next year. I'll already be in Missouri, anyway. I'll be glad to be in your little film."
Wow...
Simon Jones, who had serious screen time with Bruce Willis in Twelve Monkeys, said he would be in my short film.
So... I thought we could certainly put the project off for a year.
During that year, I re-wrote the script to include another character... the character Simon would play... a character who actually stirs everyone in the diner up... he's the one who gets people to think the old man is God...
So... we have one character who might be God... and another who might be the Devil...
A denser screenplay, coming in at somewhere around 45 minutes...
Anyway, I got everyone in my cast and crew excited about the fact that Simon Jones was going to be in our movie...
and the bastard doesn't show.
He doesn't show for NATF, and he doesn't show for my movie.
So... we replaced him.
At first, I tried to replace him with a friend of mine who is just now beginning his career as a successful movie actor (he was most recently in 21 Grams with Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro)... a guy named Keith Salter.
Anyway, the more-than-subtle ironic twist to this story is this: for whatever reason... whether he really got too busy, or he got too nervous working with a bunch of amateurs, or he didn't like the idea of starting a movie WITHOUT A FINISHED SCRIPT, Frank Sherry is no longer playing the old man in our movie. He bowed out, saying that he had some personal commitments that are taking priority over our movie.
Ah, well. We found a pretty terrific replacement, just in the nick of time.
So... for everyone who's interested, you're now up to speed on the history of our little film project.
Thanks for tuning in.
Michael
Night Five: Frustrations, and Lessons Learned
May 19, 2006 03:19PM
[This entry is from my production diary, June 19th, 2004.]
I don't think I've explained the filming situation well enough to people who aren't involved, so here goes.
The original plan for the principal filming of my short feature film, "Cause To Be Uneasy," was to do it ALL in five consecutive nights. Because we were filming in a working diner, and because the scenes are set at night, we would go in at about 11 o'clock each night, and film until about 7 in the morning.
That was the plan.
There were, however, problems that prevented the full execution of that plan.
Problem #1: Sunrise.
Light begins to filter into the sky in a noticeable way at about 5:15 a.m. So that's when we have to stop filming.
Problem #2: Jane Fucking Eyre.
Two of our cast members (one of them is my assistant director) are involved in a community theater production of Jane Eyre. The show apparently runs about 4 hours long. For some scenes, we can't begin filming until the two of them are there... and they are ALWAYS late.
Problem #3: Exterior Shooting
How do we get power to the outside? How do we light the outside, but keep it looking like night time? What do we do about street sweepers, curiosity seekers, and police cars that drive by and ruin our shot?
Problem #4: Complicated Shots
Keagan -- cameraman extrordinaire -- is very committed to a good product. So am I. Because of that, we take a lot of time setting up scenes. We also do A LOT of takes. There's some famous director -- but I can't remember which one -- who is famous for saying "That's perfect. Let's try another one," after each shot. I actually found myself using those words.
Problem #5: Hot Women in the Cast.
There are a couple of young women in the cast who are very attractive (the nature of young women in movies). The male cast and crew members often revert to their primal lizard brains around these women. They cease to think rationally. It's hard to get them to do anything besides stare, drool, and throw around pick-up lines.
These same guys behaved in a very similar way when my wife visited the shooting location last night.
There were other problems that arose, but those were the major ones.
We had 155 scenes to shoot. In five nights, we got somewhere around 80 shots. So, just a little over halfway. We've got to spend a few weekends now getting the rest of the shots. We can do it, but I'm afraid we'll lose momentum.
I'm sure out of momentum. Brain dead, in fact.
But we're halfway there...
Michael
I don't think I've explained the filming situation well enough to people who aren't involved, so here goes.
The original plan for the principal filming of my short feature film, "Cause To Be Uneasy," was to do it ALL in five consecutive nights. Because we were filming in a working diner, and because the scenes are set at night, we would go in at about 11 o'clock each night, and film until about 7 in the morning.
That was the plan.
There were, however, problems that prevented the full execution of that plan.
Problem #1: Sunrise.
Light begins to filter into the sky in a noticeable way at about 5:15 a.m. So that's when we have to stop filming.
Problem #2: Jane Fucking Eyre.
Two of our cast members (one of them is my assistant director) are involved in a community theater production of Jane Eyre. The show apparently runs about 4 hours long. For some scenes, we can't begin filming until the two of them are there... and they are ALWAYS late.
Problem #3: Exterior Shooting
How do we get power to the outside? How do we light the outside, but keep it looking like night time? What do we do about street sweepers, curiosity seekers, and police cars that drive by and ruin our shot?
Problem #4: Complicated Shots
Keagan -- cameraman extrordinaire -- is very committed to a good product. So am I. Because of that, we take a lot of time setting up scenes. We also do A LOT of takes. There's some famous director -- but I can't remember which one -- who is famous for saying "That's perfect. Let's try another one," after each shot. I actually found myself using those words.
Problem #5: Hot Women in the Cast.
There are a couple of young women in the cast who are very attractive (the nature of young women in movies). The male cast and crew members often revert to their primal lizard brains around these women. They cease to think rationally. It's hard to get them to do anything besides stare, drool, and throw around pick-up lines.
These same guys behaved in a very similar way when my wife visited the shooting location last night.
There were other problems that arose, but those were the major ones.
We had 155 scenes to shoot. In five nights, we got somewhere around 80 shots. So, just a little over halfway. We've got to spend a few weekends now getting the rest of the shots. We can do it, but I'm afraid we'll lose momentum.
I'm sure out of momentum. Brain dead, in fact.
But we're halfway there...
Michael
Night Four: Exterior Shots
May 19, 2006 03:10PM
[This entry is from my production diary, June 18th, 2004.]
We shot about 10 scenes tonight. Compared to the rest of the week, that seems very slow, right?
Well, consider these things...
When we started last night, we had no idea how we were going to get power to the outside. It took a couple of hours, winding extention cords throughout the Red Apple building (all three stories of it), then back down the front of the building. Thank God Keagan is a spry skinny little fellow...
We then had to solve the problem of lighting outside in the dark so that it looked natural. In the end, the solution involved using Wal-Mart bags as filters to diffuse the light.
Then -- once we did start filming -- there was the traffic. What are these people doing driving through the Square at two in the morning? And why did the cops drive past us so often?
Ah, well...
The stuff we shot was beautiful, though. Absolutely beautiful.
So... we've shot about 70 scenes by now.
Only 80 more to go.
Michael
We shot about 10 scenes tonight. Compared to the rest of the week, that seems very slow, right?
Well, consider these things...
When we started last night, we had no idea how we were going to get power to the outside. It took a couple of hours, winding extention cords throughout the Red Apple building (all three stories of it), then back down the front of the building. Thank God Keagan is a spry skinny little fellow...
We then had to solve the problem of lighting outside in the dark so that it looked natural. In the end, the solution involved using Wal-Mart bags as filters to diffuse the light.
Then -- once we did start filming -- there was the traffic. What are these people doing driving through the Square at two in the morning? And why did the cops drive past us so often?
Ah, well...
The stuff we shot was beautiful, though. Absolutely beautiful.
So... we've shot about 70 scenes by now.
Only 80 more to go.
Michael
No-Show Jones, and a Visit from Paul
May 18, 2006 06:50AM
[This entry is from my production diary, June 7th, 2004. Up until this time, I was under the impression that Simon Jones, an honest-to-goodness film actor, was going to be in my film.]
Well...
I've been living with the fact for three days now.
Simon Jones is not going to be in my movie. He didn't come to the National Audio Theater Festival (which is going on right now), so he won't be here for my film.
Damn it.
Ah, well. The show must go on. A lot of good and talented people have taken off a week of work to be involved in this film project. My sister is coming to take care of an actor's wife for the whole week (she's got a lot of special needs, and my sister is a Certified Nursing Assistant) so he can be a part of all these night shoots. Lots of people have contributed time and stuff... we've got to make the film.
I'm more excited about this project than ever, because if it's a success... it's because of us... it's not because of Simon Jones.
For those of you who don't know who Simon Jones is, you can check him out on the Internet Movie DataBase.
***************
Tonight, I was sitting outside the Red Apple Grill with Chris (my assistant director) and Darren (our technical consultant). I was brain dead from a hard day of audio theater work, and I was a bit worried about the fact that I have to do SO MUCH STUFF for the National Audio Theater Festival AND get ready for the movie all in the same week (I would never have scheduled shooting for next week if it hadn't been for Simon... "Just make the filming close to NATF, and since I'll be in West Plains anyway, I'll be glad to be in your film." Ah, I remember those words).
Anyway, on with the story...
I was sitting there, not saying much of anything, halfway listening to Chris and Darren, and I was worried about one thing: who was going to be the boom operator? We needed someone to hold the microphone boom. Our original boom operator, Billy, was now in the film, so he wouldn't be able to do it a lot of the time. Out of the hundred or so things we need to worry about, I was worried about the boom operator.
As I sat there worrying, a guy walked up to me. It's 10:30 at night, and he just happens to be walking down the street. He walked directly into my line of vision. He said, "Hello, Michael Wilson. How are you?" He put his hand out toward me, and I shook his hand. He said, "Are you guys still doing the film?" I recognized him as one of the guys who auditioned at the beginning of this project. I said, "Yes we are." He said, "Well, I took my vacation for that entire week. Do you need any help?"
I held back my tears as I told him I did need someone to be the boom operator. "Would you do that for me?" I asked. He said, "Sure, anything you need."
Paul was the young man's name. And I believe this about Paul: surely he is an angel sent by God, a sign that we are supposed to carry on.
That's what I'm choosing to believe at the moment.
Michael
Well...
I've been living with the fact for three days now.
Simon Jones is not going to be in my movie. He didn't come to the National Audio Theater Festival (which is going on right now), so he won't be here for my film.
Damn it.
Ah, well. The show must go on. A lot of good and talented people have taken off a week of work to be involved in this film project. My sister is coming to take care of an actor's wife for the whole week (she's got a lot of special needs, and my sister is a Certified Nursing Assistant) so he can be a part of all these night shoots. Lots of people have contributed time and stuff... we've got to make the film.
I'm more excited about this project than ever, because if it's a success... it's because of us... it's not because of Simon Jones.
For those of you who don't know who Simon Jones is, you can check him out on the Internet Movie DataBase.
***************
Tonight, I was sitting outside the Red Apple Grill with Chris (my assistant director) and Darren (our technical consultant). I was brain dead from a hard day of audio theater work, and I was a bit worried about the fact that I have to do SO MUCH STUFF for the National Audio Theater Festival AND get ready for the movie all in the same week (I would never have scheduled shooting for next week if it hadn't been for Simon... "Just make the filming close to NATF, and since I'll be in West Plains anyway, I'll be glad to be in your film." Ah, I remember those words).
Anyway, on with the story...
I was sitting there, not saying much of anything, halfway listening to Chris and Darren, and I was worried about one thing: who was going to be the boom operator? We needed someone to hold the microphone boom. Our original boom operator, Billy, was now in the film, so he wouldn't be able to do it a lot of the time. Out of the hundred or so things we need to worry about, I was worried about the boom operator.
As I sat there worrying, a guy walked up to me. It's 10:30 at night, and he just happens to be walking down the street. He walked directly into my line of vision. He said, "Hello, Michael Wilson. How are you?" He put his hand out toward me, and I shook his hand. He said, "Are you guys still doing the film?" I recognized him as one of the guys who auditioned at the beginning of this project. I said, "Yes we are." He said, "Well, I took my vacation for that entire week. Do you need any help?"
I held back my tears as I told him I did need someone to be the boom operator. "Would you do that for me?" I asked. He said, "Sure, anything you need."
Paul was the young man's name. And I believe this about Paul: surely he is an angel sent by God, a sign that we are supposed to carry on.
That's what I'm choosing to believe at the moment.
Michael
An Explanation of this Web Log
May 18, 2006 06:45AM
This web log has been created in order for friends, fans, and fellow filmmakers to follow the post-production progress of my film, Cause To Be Uneasy. The film has been in some form of post-production for nearly two years. A rough cut exists and is available for viewing by the people involved in making the film. Just contact me to set up a screening.
There will essentially be two different types of blog posts here: progress reports (following the project through post-production and on to festival submission), and archive entries taken from my personal production diaries. Some of you may have had a chance to read the production diaries when they were originally posted on the now-defunct "Michael-Might-Get-Famous-dot-com."
The editing is now in the very capable hands of Keagan Fuller, my cameraman and cinematographer for the film. I suspect within a few months time he will have a final cut. The musical score is currently being composed by Brad Smith, an amazing musician who has worked with me before on audio theater projects.
The process of making this film has been agonizingly slow, primarily because I made this film in order to learn how to make a film. I wanted to be in control of every step of production, from the creation of the script all the way to the final edit. The editing turned out to be the most grueling aspect, because I was very much behind the learning curve. I essentially learned everything from scratch. Now that I've learned the broad strokes, I've turned the final editing over to Keagan (while I wrote that sentence, I could actually feel the collective sigh of relief from everyone involved in the film!).
Thanks for your patience, and for your support.
Michael
Founder, Chairman, and Dreamsmith
EYE Hear Voices, LLC
There will essentially be two different types of blog posts here: progress reports (following the project through post-production and on to festival submission), and archive entries taken from my personal production diaries. Some of you may have had a chance to read the production diaries when they were originally posted on the now-defunct "Michael-Might-Get-Famous-dot-com."
The editing is now in the very capable hands of Keagan Fuller, my cameraman and cinematographer for the film. I suspect within a few months time he will have a final cut. The musical score is currently being composed by Brad Smith, an amazing musician who has worked with me before on audio theater projects.
The process of making this film has been agonizingly slow, primarily because I made this film in order to learn how to make a film. I wanted to be in control of every step of production, from the creation of the script all the way to the final edit. The editing turned out to be the most grueling aspect, because I was very much behind the learning curve. I essentially learned everything from scratch. Now that I've learned the broad strokes, I've turned the final editing over to Keagan (while I wrote that sentence, I could actually feel the collective sigh of relief from everyone involved in the film!).
Thanks for your patience, and for your support.
Michael
Founder, Chairman, and Dreamsmith
EYE Hear Voices, LLC
Film Maker's Blog
Welcome!
May 18, 2006 04:38AM
Welcome to the OFFICIAL web space for EYE Hear Voices Film Productions. Our current project is Cause To Be Uneasy, a 40-minute suspense film written and directed by Michael L. Wilson. The film is currently in post-production (frankly, it's been in post-production for nearly two years!). A rough cut exists and is available for viewing by the people involved in making the film. Just contact me to set up a screening. You can find out more about our current project by following this link: Cause To Be Uneasy
EYE Hear Voices began as an audio theater production company. To learn more about our audio theater productions, please follow this link: EYE Hear Voices Audio Theater
EYE Hear Voices began as an audio theater production company. To learn more about our audio theater productions, please follow this link: EYE Hear Voices Audio Theater
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