You Know What I Keep Trying To Avoid?

Rewrites

Flying With Friends

I finally got in touch with a stunt man and found out what I will need, financially, to fly people. Now I need to talk to my VFX sup and find out if we really need to fly people. It’s freakin’ pricey and I’m not going to skimp on something as dangerous as hooking actors into a rig and flying them over a green screen. 5 people to work the rig and an on-set medic – that’s not including the time to set it up.  Fake it with a jib… maybe? Secure them with a rope? Bah!

I think the next thing to do is talk to a very, very good friend of mine. Someone I trust and worked with on 5 Minute FX, to co-produce. I think I need someone outside ourselves to give me perspective on what needs to be done. I don’t want him to DO everything, just to be my mirror, or my leaf blower – someone to clear the fog. I won’t say who it is, until I speak to him, but I do hope he’d be onboard.  

Not much else happening right now, just working and trying not to blow a fuse on anybody.

:) HAPPY FACE!!!

This Is Not My Beautiful House

Yes, I missed yesterday. I am a horrible person. I could tell you the reasons, but it really doesn’t matter.

            Presently, in the world of this short film, I have:

                        - Revisited the script and doing some tweaking

                        - Done some storyboards, just to get some images on paper

                        - Depressingly realized I may not get the basement I want.

Having no one return emails and calls makes be want to punch a wall. This basement was perfect, and I can’t get anyone to tell me how much it will be. Finding a freakin basement in LA is a pain in the ass, let alone a basement that is unfinished, and looks like shit. Maybe I will find a friend with a garage and find out what it would take (cost) to refinish it. Maybe it would be cheaper?

You know who else isn’t getting back to me? Godamn green screen stages. What is wrong with people? I just need to know cost and permits and shit. I also need to find someone who knows how to fly people. I don’t even know who the hell to talk to about that…. Oh sh*t, yes I do!! I do have one stunt person friend, maybe she can guide me in the right place. I hope she can tell me where to go, I sick to death of all this lack of response.

I think I’m actually going to start on a friend’s list. It’s isn’t so much who would do what for free, I fully plan on paying everyone. It’s more along the lines of letting me know who I can talk to and possibly open some doors – and if a discount come with knowing someone, then YAY!

See this? This is the house with the basement I want to use. No, I didn't take the picture and I don't own it. I'm hoping someone in the L.A. area with recognize it and tell me who I can talk to about filming in it.

 Anyone?... Anyone?

A Little Off Topic

Today is my birthday. It’s my birthday and I’m posting. I’m doing this because in all of last year, I directed nothing. From a 10 episode, webby and IAWTV award nominated webseries, and a handful of music videos, to a full year of not a thing. You know how motivating that is? I originally typed depressing, but I’m going for the positive motivational stuff and none of that downer BS. Downer BS hasn’t worked yet!

            Lately I’ve been noticing the commentary in the world right now about the statistics of women in the industry. I’ve just always thought that I had as much chance as every other human in doing this, I just thought I was going about it wrong. Why was it that my guy friends were getting interviews and asked to speak on panels and asked to write and direct things when I was doing to same thing and of the same caliber, sometimes better, as them? What was I doing wrong? Get that? What was I doing wrong.

            It’s been a hot topic in the media as of late. In the article, The World Is Round, People: Cannes’ Poor Inclusion Of Female Directors (found here) on Raindance.org from Rebecca Lantham writes,

“The shared winner of the 1993 Palme d’Or, Jane Campion, is in the headlines this week as a positive figurehead for women in film as the Jury President at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. At a news conference on the Croisette last week, Campion stressed the necessity for female inclusion within the ‘inherently sexist industry.’ She joked that, ‘the guys are eating all the cake.’”

And this sad fact, “Why then is the industry so rigid in its belief that women are incapable directing big-budget features? Perhaps, film studios would rather invest in established male directors to helm their epic money makers. Interestingly, as Brown comments, Gareth Edwards is the director of the recent “Godzilla” epic having previously been in command of the modestly budgeted “Monsters”, ‘for which he acted as writer, director, cinematographer and visual effects artist using just off-the-shelf equipment.’ So it would seem that Hollywood is taking risks, just not on females.”

Not that Mr. Edwards is some kind of sh*tty director, it’s just that women aren’t even given the chance. We want the chance - hell, I want the chance. 

            There’s also another good article about this subject in Ms Magazine by Maria Giese (Here). It starts off getting my blood in a bubble,

“…a woman director who we’ll call Jane met with a well-known television producer. They had a great meeting and he liked her sample reel, but he told her that he couldn’t hire her to direct his show. “I already hired a woman director this season,” he said with a straight face.”

This is 2014 NOT 1950. This is astounding.

            I’ve seen in other data roaming on the ‘nets that women with the highest GPA is getting the same opportunities and pay as a man who averaged a 2.5 GPA. I can’t find the link, so I can’t state that as fact, and to be totally honest I’m really hoping that’s just rumor. I mean, this sounds silly, but it's just too mean spirited to be true..... It's just too stupid to be true. 

            I think the bottom line is, yes this sucks. As a woman, I’ve been in situations of being degraded in the work place by male co-workers, I can also honestly say this hasn’t happened in years. I feel like I’m not given the same opportunities just being talented and driven, yet nice. Knowing that I have to work harder to achieve what I want kind of pisses me off, but Godamnit I want it, real f*cking bad.

*Rolls up sleeves…

A Basement In L.A.

        As much as I’ve been tired and unmotivated and crap, I still am on this damn train and getting things done.

        I found the perfect location, but I don’t know where it is. I found it on a location site, and I can’t seem to get anyone to write me back with any kind of information. I think I may to call them. I just want a quote and find out if this place still exists. I’d actually like to find out it’s owned by a friend, who wants me to rent it for free, but that’s just crazy talk…. Or is it?

        Now that I think about it, I haven’t heard back from my art designer… Damnit, now I’ll have to contact her too.

        I think, this weekend, I’m going to sit down with my VFX sup and discuss the probability of how soon we can roll on the teaser. Then, talk to my line producer and come up with a reasonable amount to start the campaign with. Then, start a FB page and twitter handle and begin the buzz – shall I call it El Buzz?

       The final question is – how do I get in touch with Crispin Glover’s people?

       I’ll take any and all ideas

Throw Away

I'm usually so up on things, so I will have to forgive myself for totally phoning this one in.

I have an awesome list of excuses if you want to hear them. No? Great, I don't feel like writing them all down.  Anyway, I haven't forgotten and I'm still trucking on. Thursdays post....
THURSDAYS POST!!! That will blow your mind!!









Crap....