More Pieces to the Puzzle

Hello readers!

Sorry for missing a week, but as wise person once said "my dog ate my homework."

Updates:

Let there be tungsten balanced LIGHT!

My quick trip to LA was a success. For starters I bought a used 2K Mole Richardson studio light. This sucker puts out a lot of light and uses a lot of voltage. But it'll definitely come in handy when shooting Love, Concord. It was quite a deal too. This sucker costs about $1400 brand new and I got mine for $200 with a spare bulb! And if we had rented one for the entire duration of the shoot it would probably cost more than $200 so buying it used made the most sense. Especially knowing that these lights are battleship grade. They're built to last and I know it'll be reliable on my set.

The 1st Audition is away.

Aside from buying gear I mainly went to LA to audition an actor for the lead role of the movie. I managed to get my lead actress to meet us there to help run a few scenes with the actor auditioning. Now as a rule of thumb I rarely if ever bring in 2nd actor into an audition so early in the casting. I usually hold off until I've seen lots of actors and have weeded it down to three choices. But for this actor I felt he was worthy of us jumping right in. And he proved me right. He was really good a grasping the character and taking my direction. That and he had a working chemistry with Angelina which makes a huge difference. Now, that being said since I haven't seen anyone else yet I can't say he's right or wrong for the part as I have no comparison. But I will say that he certainly left a memorable impression on me and if I had to make the movie tomorrow for some crazy reason I think he'd do just fine.

Strong Praise from Experienced Producer

Last time I mentioned Debbie Brubaker, a talented and accomplished producer, had read my script and was going to have a conference call meeting with me and Virginia. I went into the call a little nervous that she was going to point out a laundry list of flaws with my script, but instead she gave me a very positive review. This is HUGE! For a producer as experienced as she to not only say there were only three minor flaws, but also she believes it can be sold for a profit truly raised my spirits. Virginia herself admitted this reaction from Debbie further raised her excitement to be working on the project.

Now what happens is I've gone and fixed the issues Debbie suggested I amend and I'll be giving her the finished 6th draft soon. She's then going to write a budget based on the script as well as a tentative schedule for shooting it. All this will be crucial in figuring out exactly what we'll need to accomplish the production. Having her expertise on these crucial pre-production aspects will be worth every penny we're paying her for. Again, I can't express enough how great of news and morale booster this is for me and the project!

SF Opificer's of Film Festival

The deadline to submit your short film to the first ever SF Opificer's of Film Festival is quickly approaching. So if you haven't given it to either me or Jon Bowerbank, emailed it to us, or put it in the mail you may be left out. Drop either of us a line if you still plan to submit.

Speaking of the festival I'd like to announce yet another official entry. "....a Thousand Words" is the latest short film by Jon Bertain. Jon lives and works as a professional editor in the Los Angeles area and shot this latest movie on the RED ONE digital HD camera. We're real excited to be able to premiere his film and we're sure the festival audience will also appreciate the hard work he put into this gripping movie. Bertain is yet another former student of mine from my teaching days at Saint Mary's College and I'm proud to see just how much his talent has grown since he graduated from SMC.

Again, the event is January 9th at the 9th Street Independent Film Center in San Francisco (it's the 9th at the 9th, pretty easy to remember huh). Tickets are $12. Doors open at 7:15pm and the event starts promptly at 7:30. There will be a one hour mixer/social in the theater lobby immediately following the screening. Thanks and hope to see many of you there.

Well That does it for this week gang. Have a great new year everyone!

Forward!

-Gustavo