On Actors, Inspiration and the Pursuit of Dreams...

I was thinking recently about some of my favorite actors… Top-tier people like Gary Oldman, Russell Crowe, Sean Penn, Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet… and those are the names you recognize. but there are so many more whose work I really enjoy. Who, time and again, turn in solid work. The people you see and say, “I love this guy!” or “She’s great.” And while I know their names, you may not.

People like Catherine Keener, Bruce McGill, Carla Gugino, Elias Koteas, John Carroll Lynch, Ted Levine, Kevin Dunne, Emily Mortimer, John Slattery, John Hawkes, John Ortiz, John Ashton, Joe Pantoliano and the late great JT Walsh. Look any of them up and I guarantee you’ll have seen them and appreciated something they’ve done over the years.

Thinking about this made me realize how much I love actors in general. Not just their work, but being around them. The energy that surrounds them is, to me, like a drug. By being around them and talking with them, it makes me want to create. It reinvigorates me!

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with 6 up and coming actors (I've left out the names to protect the innocent) and it was literally the highlight of my week. The experience reminded me of the scene in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, where Richard Dreyfuss as 'Roy Neary’ becomes aware that he was invited to take part in the events which had been unfolding around him. This wasn’t chance. It was destiny. His destiny. Something had been calling him. Something told him that he needed to solve a mystery – he simply had to find out about that mysterious shape that had been haunting him… and once he knew, he had no choice but to go there. To find it. No matter what the challenges. No matter the odds. These six people were on a similar journey. They were pulled. Drawn to acting, as if by some unseen force – some from what seems like a million miles away! And despite the odds (like, for instance the fact that only 1% of the Screen Actors Guild is working in film at any given time), they refuse to quit.

In the group was a handsome young guy from Germany who grew up with the Wall dividing his country making it a "dark and grey place," and who flew across the world to follow his heart. There was a spunky, adorable Australian girl who, when she found out she could afford to come to Hollywood, literally packed her bag and flew the next day. There was a handsome Puerto Rican/Italian guy who gave up a six figure salary to chase his dream and follow in the footsteps of his uncle (a working actor). There was the stunningly beautiful blonde girl who decided that despite the abundance of pretty blonde girls in L.A., she simply had to take the chance – in fairness, she’s not your typical blonde (not by a longshot). There’s the guy who grew up on a farm in Oregon and found a way to become an actor, first on a local level, (by driving to “town”), and who then decided the time had come to head to L.A. Finally, a girl from Chicago, the child of a Detective and a classical musician who has been modeling and acting since before she could talk.

We hung out and talked to each other for nearly five hours! We laughed, we told stories and I found out so much about who they are and what they intend to accomplish.

Since my father passed away three years ago, I have become acutely aware of time – and more importantly, how quickly it passes. I mean, I feel like we just passed Christmas and we’re already hitting April! The summer movie season is about to start (what the hell???!!!) Anyway. As I sat there, listening to their stories, telling some of my own, and just sort of feeling these people and learning about their infinitely interesting lives, time (for me), literally melted away. Their commitment to their craft. To their dream. It was… well… inspiring.

This couldn’t have happened at a better time for me. Having been back in L.A. for several weeks, and with GIRLFRIEND winding down, (at least, the production end), I had found myself somewhat deflated.

In New York, there are people everywhere. Fascinating stories. Snippets of conversation on the subway. It’s constant. A truly a magical city. In L.A., here I was again… driving around in my car. By myself. Isolated. Missing out on life! Feeling the inevitable breakdown which usually hits me after I complete a project. But in an instant, that all changed.

Let me back up a bit.

I have known Bobbie Chance, an acting coach in the Los Angeles valley, for 23 years. As a kid, I studied with her (yes, at one point, acting was my aspiration). Last year, I looked her up to see if she was still teaching and happily found that she was. I began going to her Thursday night Showcase – not as a student, but as a professional filmmaker, and out of those Thursday nights I have made a ton of new friends, and even added a few members to the class.

The last time I produced a short for a friend, I cast two roles out of Bobbie’s classes and sent our lead actress to study there!

So in a way, being allowed the opportunity to go in from time to time and watch these people perform, is mutually beneficial. I get to watch good work and from it, I refill my, um, creative juices (for lack of a better term) and they have a forum to meet people who may, at some point, be in a position to change their lives because, as I often say, "films, for the people who make them, are kind of like a lottery ticket - you only need one to take off and your life will be completely different."

To see the sheer amount of undiscovered talent out there makes one feel like, even though the movies I’ve made are small (so far), that they are worth the effort… worth the pain. Because if these actors can strip themselves bare and leave every ounce of themselves on the stage in just a classroom setting, then I have no excuse but to pursue this showbiz dream with every single beat of my heart.

So if any of you read this thing, and I know I’ve said it in person, but again, “thank you.” You guys inspire me.

I was once asked by a class of high school drama students what advice I might offer them as far as getting into the acting world in L.A.

My response? “Don’t.”

I watched as they all looked at me quizzically. Their faces fell. Then, after a moment, I continued:

“Unless… Unless you have no choice in the matter. If performing… interpreting a script. Creating a character… expressing yourself through art… If doing that, to you, is like breathing and to do anything else would be like literally killing your soul… then fight for it. Fight for it with everything you’ve got because it’s a long, hard road and no one is going to hand it to you.”

I looked around the room and I could see a few of them brighten. In that moment, I recognized the ones who would fight. The kids whose need, not for attention, not for stardom, but for a forum for creative expression and for art, would never stop. And that too was inspiring.

If you happoen to read this blog and acting or film is not your thing, you can still use this. Whatever it is that you want. Whatever inspires you. Hold onto to it. I’ve been working in film for 16 years and I’ll turn 35 this year – I’m now on my second feature film as producer with more in the works, and the only reason I’m still here is simply that I refused to give up. I refused to hear “no.” …Not that I haven’t thought of throwing in the towel (I have… more than once). But in the end, as I said, to do so… to… admit defeat would have been something akin to dying. It would mean letting that flame that has burned in me since I was a child in that first screening of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” go out. And in the end, I could never do it.

Best regards. ‘Til next time. Thanks for reading.

Re: This Odd Business I'm In...

First off, thanks to those of you who are following this blog... It's nice to know you guys care even if I can't really detail the GIRLFRIEND process right now. At some point, hopefully, I'll be freed up to blog more about the experience on the film, but for now, I have to keep it low profile. It has been decided, after much consideration, that it is in the best interest of the movie to play things close to the vest.

I noticed a few of you left some comments, so I'll answer those before I jump into my latest blog.

First, to Wendy at TeamJAction - maybe it would be good if you could pull down anything that relates directly to the film. Anything that is general film related stuff, is fine to leave up. Thank you for asking and for your help.

Next, to Mandolinaes - Nothing wrong with GIRLFRIEND, quite the opposite everything is going very well. We've just decided to go "radio silent" for a bit as we're closing in on the finish line and don't want to jeopardize any aspect of the next steps in the process. Rest assured, when there's good news, we'll make announcements!

Last, but certainly not least, to Ali (Word Ninja) - I have definitely not grown tired of you (nor anyone else who bothers to follow me, for that matter!) And in answer to your question (the importance of which is not lost on me), yes... I do happen to think that "Shaun of the Dead" is one of the best movies ever. Not just because they chose to spell the lead characters name the way I spell mine, either! The film manages to maintain an amazing balance between the absolutely hilarious and actual creepy, gory horror. In fact, I got the opportunity (not too long ago, in fact) to talk with Edgar Wright (who you can follow on Twitter, by the way) and tell him how much I enjoyed the film. I'm very excited for his next film too.

Oh, I added something new and cool to this blog: In addition to being able to leave comments, you can now check these little boxes at the end of the blog to give me a quick assessment of how you feel about the topic or what's been included... it's a little like in High School ("if you like me, check this box") but I thought it would be kinda fun, so I've added it. Anyway. Give it a shot. No hard feelings either way... Promise. Oh, and: If you like the posts so far, tell your friends about the blog. I'm having a nice time interacting with the few of you who are (admitting) that you're readers, so pass it along! I'd really appreciate it!

I thought about it for a bit before I began to write this blog and I decided, since one of the words in the title of this blog is "Adventures," I figured I'd post a bit of what I've been up to here in the amazing city of New York.

It shouldn't surprise anyone to know by now that since I'm a complete movie geek, I've decided to seek out some New York landmarks during my time out here, and fortunately for you (or unfortunately, depending on how you feel), I brought along my camera. While walking around, I have focused on one of my favorites of all time: GHOSTBUSTERS.



This first image is of the entrance to Dana Barrett's apartment. My Post-Producer and I found it while walking around Central Park. A quick web-search determined that it was, in fact, "Spook Central."



Being the giant dork that I am, I sat on a bench across from the building and from my mp3 player, played a selection from the great Elmer Bernstein's score from the film. From Central Park, Jeff and I walked into Times Square so he could show me a building he hung off a beam from back when he was a New York City Iron Worker. He has an insane picture of it. After that, we took the subway:



To Canal Street:



From there we walked into the heart of Tribeca and literally without looking for it, we walked right into this:



Well. Having found the Firehouse from GHOSTBUSTERS, and despite the fact that I am often displeased with photographs of myself, I had Jeff take a shot of me out front.



Finally, we walked a bit further and I settled on a building that I will live in when this whole Producer thing begins to become financially, um, lucrative. I have taken a photograph for your approval.



My home will be one of the ones with the rounded windows. What do you think? I figure you can't go wrong with the Tribeca neighborhood. Maybe Bob DeNiro and I will meet up at the local market?


You never know.

More soon.

S

If you've been following Ravenwood Films on Twitter...

You may have noticed that I've pulled down the Twitter feed for @RavenwoodFilms... This will only be temporary and, for now, you may ask questions here if you'd like, through the comments section. I've also pulled down all "Girlfriend" related blogs on this site. (for those who were reading them, I apologize but at this point, it's in the best interest of the film.)

Rest assured, I will continue my Twitter feed as "Ravenwood Films" at a later date. For now, you can find me by searching @shaun_obanion on Twitter. I won't be posting anything about my current film project at his time though.

So, if you're still here, thanks for following!

Shaun

FAVORITE FILMS...

Recently, I was asked by a dear friend of mine to compile a list of some of my favorite films to be used for her artist collective Veaux in a project called "The Hungry Artist." Veaux is, according to their website (Veaux.org), "an online talent market that helps fresh creatives sell themselves, and picky buyers find the choicest cut of artistic goodness around."

In other words, they connect new artists with the people who can support their art. It's a great site and worth a look, if only to see what creative people are doing.

Anyway. Here's my list with the intro I gave "The Hungry Artist."

At any given moment, these change… Some go up, some move down - others drop off entirely, and that’s not to mention the fact that at any given time I may have a top ten list related to a specific genre of film. That said, my tastes are fairly big budget and not far of from the average film-goer. I am definitely not considered nearly as high-brow or “film-snob”(ish) as many of my peers, but here goes: My Top 10 Films.




Raiders of the Lost Ark - This film changed my life. I was about four months from my sixth birthday when this film came out in 1981. I remember, quite vividly, leaping over the armrest and into the lap of my grandmother when the spears shot out from the wall with “Satipo” (the great Alfred Molina) impaled on them in the amazing opening of this film, and in that moment, I realized that someone had done that on purpose! They wanted me to leap from my seat! It was thrilling, expertly done and completely successful and I became determined to find out who it was and how they’d done it. The orchestrator of that high adventure was, of course, Steven Spielberg with an incredible script by Lawrence Kasdan. I knew then that I wanted to be a filmmaker. Today, I run a production company named after one of the lead characters in the film – Ravenwood.



E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – One year later, Spielberg would again create such a stunning work that I decided then and there that he was the “greatest director ever.” (There’s 8mm film of me declaring this to my father). E.T. touched me in a completely different way – where the daring archaeologist Indiana Jones made me cheer and leap around in a theater seat, E.T. was all at once frightening, magical and hugely emotional. I saw the film no less than 7 times in the theater and to this day, I still get misty-eyed when E.T. “dies” in the triage tent – 27 years later! And I know he comes back to life! For me, this film is also one of the closest experiences I ever shared with my father: One Thanksgiving, the film was on TNT and as E.T. was slipping away and Elliott is screaming, “No! You’re hurting him!” I looked over and my father (a man who never cried) was weeping. He looked at me and said, without a hint of embarrassment, “fu*kin’ movie gets to you, huh?”



Casablanca – A film that, on every level, never ceases to amaze me. I recently picked the film up on Blu-Ray (replacing my nearly burned out Standard-Def DVD) and literally fell in love all over again. The script (by the Epstein Brothers with Howard Koch) remains, to this day, one of the best screenplays ever written – unequalled in it’s set-up of the perfect anti-hero in Humphrey Bogarts’ “Rick.” It’s no surprise that the film won Best Picture, Screenplay and Director (Michael Curtiz). Among the greatest lines in movie history (and about 20 are in this film!) most people go with “Play it again, Sam” as their favorite line (which, curiously, is never actually spoken in the film), or “Here’s looking at you, kid,” but for me, it’s the following line in response to Ilsa’s “…but of course, that was the day the Germans marched in to Paris.” Rick says, “I remember every detail. The Germans wore grey, you wore blue.”



The Shawshank Redemption – Yes, this is a film about prison and some of the awful things that go on in those places, but this film (based on a short story by Stephen King) is also about friendship and above all, hope. The film didn’t do well in the theaters… Some people thought it was the title. Some people skipped it because they didn’t really know who Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman were. In fact, I never saw it in the theater (a fact I am loathe to admit), but I will always remember the day my father called me up having borrowed an Oscar Screener from someone and said, “If you’re not working, you need to drop what you’re doing right now and come borrow this movie.” I did, I watched and I was, am, and forever will be in awe. This film is perfection.



The Godfather Part II – The film by Francis Ford Coppola is widely regarded as one of the best of all time, and for very good reason… as the middle part of an epic saga, the film completely envelopes you in the world of Michael Corleone. Another film shown to me by my father, this movie is so profoundly moving, me and the other wacky film fanatics will often make a trip to a movie palace to see the latest restored version (even though we own it on Blu-Ray). Another movie that hits perfection right between the eyes… if there’s a flaw in this film, I have yet to find it.




Ghostbusters/Fletch – I had to cheat and pick a tie here. Both of these are quintessential 80’s comedies and both are near and dear to me. Ghostbusters is Ivan Reitman’s pinnacle and features so many actors working at the top of their game that it’s hard to imagine any other film even coming close. For me, Fletch (Directed by the late Michael Ritchie) manages, in my estimation, laughs on par with the level of Ghostbusters, but delivered solely by Mr. Chevy Chase. Fletch was the last film I ever saw with my Grandpa and that memory will never die. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone laugh as hard as when Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as “Gail Stanwyck” asks who is at the door and Chase replies, “It’s, uh, John… John Cock…toast…oen.” Interestingly, while a lot of Fletch is quotable, it doesn’t touch Ghostbusters in that arena – I know a lot of people who can literally speak every word of dialogue from the film. “When someone asks you if you’re a God, you say, ‘YES’!”



Dog Day Afternoon – Everything about Sidney Lumet’s film blows me away. Though based on the list so far you’d never know it, I’m a sucker for true stories and this film has an amazing one. A man (Al Pacino) and his partners try to rob a bank in Brooklyn. Standard stuff, right? Wrong. Pacino’s “Sonny,” who is married with kids, is robbing the place to get money to pay for his lovers sex change operation (if that’s not interesting enough, the lover is played by Chris Sarandon). Problem is, the bank doesn’t have very much money (it had been picked up that day) and now he’s stuck inside with his not-too-bright partner (the truly wonderful and sadly missed John Cazale who also plays “Fredo” in the Godfather films) and the cops outside (headed by Charles Durning). By the time I get to the end, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, but it’s an amzing ride.



Tootsie – I can’t begin to tell you how many people (younger than I am) that have never heard of this film. If they haven’t, I simply tell them that I can’t speak to them again until they’ve watched it… It should be required viewing for anyone who loves film and for actors, in particular. I recently had an opportunity to see the film at the Arclight Cinema in Los Angeles and Dustin Hoffman shared some stories with the crowd before the screening. He was really wonderful and told some great behind-the-scenes anecdotes… But the best part was watching the movie in a packed house. The movie, directed by (again, the late) Sydney Pollack and written by (sadly, the late) Larry Gelbart is pure genius. When Hoffman, dressed in “Dorothy Michaels” costume first steps on the set of the Soap Opera he’s been hired on, the director (the great, and still working Dabney Coleman) asks a cameraman how far he can “pull back”? The cameraman responds, “How do you feel about Cleveland?” The crowd went nuts. 26 years after the film was first released, the crowd laughed like it was a brand new film. That’s magical.



Back to the Future – I come back to this film again and again and every single time I’m completely transported. I was born in 1975, but watching this film, I completely feel like I understand 1955… at least Hill Valley in 1955. I want to drive the DeLorean! I want to flick the little window of the Flux Capacitor! This movie, under the expert guidance of Robert Zemeckis (and producer Steven Spielberg) still holds up today – and for that, you can point squarely at the amazing sceenplay (by Zemeckis and Bob Gale)… without a doubt, one of the best and tightest scripts ever written. Try to find one thing they set up in the beginning of the film that doesn’t get paid off. Go ahead… try! I dare ya! (Or don’t… because there isn’t one). Brilliant.




Wow. I’ve reached my final entry. I’m going to have to cheat again. I give a tie to Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Again, I go back to Spielberg… the man is, undoubtedly, the author of my youth. In Jaws, he did for the ocean what Hitchcock did for showers. I couldn’t even go to the deep end of the swimming pool after seeing this for fear that Jaws would swallow me whole! For me, perhaps one of the best scenes in cinema history, is when Robert Shaw as “Quint” tells the story about the USS Indianapolis – the story inspired me to look at history and to read about our country. And CE3K (for us geeks), well… as a kid, one of the houses we lived in had a heater in the floor. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more terrified in a film than watching those little screws come undone one… by… one and then the covering blow off. Or the monkey with the cymbals that comes on by itself! I had one of those! I kept waiting for the night it would start clanging those damn cymbals together and the aliens would take me away! For me, Richard Dreyfuss in these two films is stunning. Completely different people. I don’t think I realized for years that it was the same actor. His “Roy Neary” in Close Encounters is a perfectly executed portrayal of a man driven mad by visions that he simply must see come true, and John Williams’ extraordinary use of ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ is, frankly, beautiful.
There are my top ten.

Honorable Mention (These are the ones that regularly climb up the list):







Guess I’m definitely a child of the 80’s. But I’ll leave with a quote from the 70’s…

QUINT
(Singing)
Farewell and adieu to you fair
Spanish ladies… Farewell and
adieu to you ladies of Spain…

Until next time.

Shaun

A Visit to Pandora...

Today, my wife and I went to see "Avatar."

Having stood in what they call the "volume" during some of the performance capture (not 'motion capture,' mind you... "performance capture," as coined by Mr. Cameron), I had an idea of what to expect. After all, even during that part of the process, on stage at the former Howard Hughes plant in Playa Del Rey, anyone on the film could see what things were going to eventually look like - sure they all had rough edges and looked a bit flat somehow, not unlike video game characters - but you could see what Neytiri was going to be. You could even see a rough version of what the background might be. When my friend Zoe would move in the volume, not ten feet from me, and Cameron or his First AD/Co-Producer Josh McLaglen would yell "Fire!" to the techies, I could look at the big screen tv off to the side and not see Zoe in her dive suit, but the character as it would one day exist in the film.

None of this prepared me for what I would see on screen today. For the first time ever, I stopped seeing CG. What I saw were living, breathing creatures. The Navi, as rendered by a team of artists (and I include Zoe in that description), were... are... living breathing things.

There was a small boy sitting next to me in the theater. Maybe... 6 years-old. He was there with his dad. Before the film started, the kid was a bit fidgety and all I could think was "this is going to be terrible. This kid is going to drive me crazy." But when the film started, something magical happened. This little boy got lost in the film. He was literally transported. He spent the majority of the films nearly 3 hour running time literally on the edge of his seat! When things would pop out at us, the kid would jump. When those little floaty, jelly-fish-like things from the "home tree" appeared, he'd try to touch them. He was completely immersed in Cameron's wonderful world. In fact, the boy not only didn't bother me once, but actually became just as fun to watch as the film! Watching this boy, I couldn't help but feel in awe. This little boy, taken to the movies by his young father, was probably feeling something akin to what I felt as a kid seeing the "Star Wars" films. This astounding leap forward by James Cameron, was changing this kid's life... right there. In that moment.

Now, for me, while I enjoyed the film and am planning to see it again, I still had some problems overall - like James Horner's score for one... A few beautiful pieces marred by the man's typical ripping off of his own previous work (in this case, "Glory" and "Willow"). But, that said, I'm still amazed by the achievement here.

I recall standing on the volume one day while Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson dropped in. They wanted to talk to Cameron about the process and were studying up a bit on how they intended to use the technology for "Tintin." At one point, Spielberg asked me if I was learning from the experience. He asked if I was enjoying watching the process. I had to answer him honestly. "No," I said. "I miss the props. I miss the sets. Costumes... all of it." I told him I had nearly cried when I found out ILM was dismantling their model shop... "As good as this could be," I said, "it'll never have the texture, the weight, of real actors moving in real rooms carrying real props."

(For the record? Yeah. I was wrong.)

"That's ok," Mr. Spielberg told me, "guys like you will keep that stuff around." I smiled. "Look at me," he continued, "George [Lucas] has been trying to get me to go digital for years... But I won't. I'll be the last hold-out. I still cut on film!"

I took the man's compliment (I perceived it that way at least. After all, I named my company after a character in one of his films!) and watched as these three brilliant filmmakers went back to their meeting.

While the process of seeing actors stand in a real space surrounded by props and set dressing and wearing amazing costumes will probably always be the way to go for me, I must commend Mr. Cameron and his team.

Like that little boy sitting next to me in the theater, I too got lost on 'Pandora' for a while... and I too, felt a bit like a kid again.

Officially a Producer... Again; It All Begins.

So there I was, in prep on Katie's Song a short film I had agreed to produce for a close friend. Satch Watanabe, the writer/director, had written an interesting piece about a young woman with AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) and her interaction with a man who she doesn't realize is her father... A man who abandoned her when she was just four years old.

After working on the script for several months, we had already begun the casting process. Satch had already cast the role of our lead (a fantastic young actress named Lana Shea), but we were still looking for someone to play her father as well as someone to play the role of Katie's boyfriend - a role that had been expanded at my suggestion. I reached out to an old friend of mine (a well respected acting coach) named Bobbie Chance (bobbychance.com) - I asked her if I might be able to come in and see some of her students work. My wife and I drove over to her studio in the Valley and sat in on one of the classes. The students put up their scenes in groups and by the end of the class, I had settled on a young guy I thought would work well with Lana. He was natural, never seemed to be "acting," and he was good looking.

When the class ended, he left pretty fast. I spoke quickly with my wife, getting her opinion on the young actor (as I often do about screenplays, or other things... she's a great sounding board) and with her approval of him, I basically chased him down. I caught up to him on the sidewalk and introduced myself. His name was Jerad Anderson. I told him I thought he was "very good." I asked him if he had a headshot and he said he'd get one from his car.

He came back moments later and I told him a little about the short film and what it would be. I talked about our shooting schedule and told him about what his role would be. I didn't offer the role, as I had to run it by Satch, but I was pretty sure Satch would trust my recommendation and cast him without a meeting.

A few weeks later, I was standing on the set in a loft in Santa Monica. We were shooting a key scene in which Katie and her boyfriend record a video for her website - a site to raise awareness about AML and to encourage people to sign up as Bone Marrow Donors. Satch had based the film on the discovery of a real woman named Michelle and her actual website.

Jerad had an audition that day and needed to break away, if I would let him. The short was so low-budget that I had taken on a variety of roles - one of which was First AD. I consulted with out Director of Photography, a really great guy (and super talented shooter) named Jon Edward Miller (http://www.jonedwardmiller.com/content.agent?page_name=Home) and reviewed the call sheet for the day. I estimated that Jerad could go away for about an hour. Based on our set-up time for the next shot, I knew we'd break for lunch before we completed the next scene and combining the time it would take to complete the scene, break for lunch and set-up Jerad's next shot, I figured he'd have more than enough time to make his audition and get back to set.

Things actually did time out pretty well... thanks to a bit of luck. Ian Nelson, our male lead in my last film (a great little feature called Dakota Skye) was at the same audition and after learning that Jerad was doing a project of mine, let Jerad go in ahead of him in order to help him make it back on time.

I guess Jerad was impressed with the way I ran the set. At wrap that day, he told me he had a feature he was developing and that they would have the money within the month. He asked if I'd be interested in reading the script and, perhaps, coming on as producer. I told him I'd love to read it.

Little did I know, that brief conversation would start me on a path that would carry me through the adventure of producing my second feature - a journey that began over 8 months ago and continues even as I write this... on a project called: Girlfriend

A Little Background...

I have often been asked to start a blog and somehow never really felt that I had much to blog about but recently, I have been giving it more thought, and now that I'm in Post Production on my most recent production I figured it might be a cool time to do it.

To start, I'm going to re-post several pieces I wrote up and posted on other sites (like IMDB.com) so you have an idea of where I came from and how I got here.

I hope you enjoy. In the future, I hope this can become a forum for aspiring filmmakers to ask questions, seek advice and maybe find resources. I welcome all feedback.

Enjoy.

Part One. "The Sneak."

I had been living with my Dad on and off for a few years (whenever my Mom didn't move me back with her) and he lived only a couple of blocks from Universal Studios. I remember buying my first Universal Season Pass when it only cost nine bucks! I used to go up there every weekend and ride the tour. Sometime later, I heard the story of how Spielberg had snuck into the lot and set himself up in an office (true? guess we'll never really know) and found myself determined to pull off a sneak that would at least get me onto the set of my favorite show (at that time) - "Quantum Leap." I found out through the tour that they were shooting on various stages on the front lot. I made it my mission to get in there.

One day, while on summer break from school (I was 11 at the time), I walked up the hill from the Cahuenga side, caught the free tram to Lankershim Boulevard and walked up to the security guard... and then kept on walking. As a prop, I had decided to carry a coffee mug. Whether that actually helped or not, I don't know, but I didn't get stopped. My goal changed as I got into the studio. I immediately decided that I wanted to walk the nearly 420 acres of the backlot and get from the front lot mid-way through to (what was, at the time, to me) the mother of all facade sets... Hill Valley Town Square from "Back To The Future." I wanted to get there so that I could stand in the center of the grass and wave to the tram as it passed through - to all of those people sitting where I had only recently sat. I got there. I took pictures. The tram rolled by and I smiled and waved. Amazing. I continued to do this for several weeks. I'd pick a new spot on the backlot and take my own personal tour. The "Psycho" house. Amity from "Jaws." The streets from "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "The Munsters" (which is now Wisteria Lane from "Desperate Housewives" in case you were interested...) I'd even grab lunch at the studio commissary! One day, while walking around near what used to be the 747 stage (where they kept a full-size interior mock-up of a Boeing 747) a guy in a golf cart saw me and stopped. He asked who I was with and what I was doing down there all by myself. Without an answer or a name, he told me to get in the cart and escorted me to the security office.

Security asked how I had gotten in. They told me I was trespassing and that, being underage, my parents could be held liable for a hefty fine. They told me that no one was allowed on the lot without a proper pass and that though they would not call the police nor press charges "this time," that any such tresspasses in the future would bring stiff penalties. They took my information and a polaroid of me and escorted me off the lot. But... I hadn't gotten to do what I'd originally intended to do! There was no way they were going to keep me out. I went home and called the Main Universal Switchboard... "If I have a meeting at the commissary, will the commissary issue me a guest pass onto the lot?" I asked. "Yes," replied the switchboard operator, "I believe that if you had a reservation for a table there, that they would." That was all I needed to hear.

I proceeded to book myself lunch at the commissary several times weekly... some time later, in Junior High, I even took a "date" there once! I got my Mom in with me. I took friends. Most importantly, I spent my summer on the set of "Quantum Leap," where I watched them shoot every episode beginning with "Machiko McKenzie," and actually became quite friendly with Dean Stockwell (who told me amazing anecdotes) and Scott Bakula.

I was hooked. Smashcut to 1991. I graduate 9th grade and my Mom shows up. She was moving to Sacramento and I was going with her. That was it. Boom. Gone.

Fade out. Then... fade in.

The day before High School graduation. I inform my family and friends that Sacramento has "killed my soul," and that I'm moving to L.A. "tomorrow to follow my dream." I tell my friend's to expect a phone call from me within a year's time to tell them that I am working in the film industry.

The next day, I packed my car and drove back to L.A.


Part Two: “Getting In Again. “

I got to L.A. and lucked into finding a small single rent-controlled apartment in Santa Monica, and wasted no time in crashing Universal again.

It's worth noting that the way I would get onto that Lot just isn't possibe in the post 9-11 world. There is no longer a commissary for reservations, nor can anyone just "stroll" past the security gate... These days, you're lucky if they don't search your belongings even after you have your pass. But in those days, things were much different... and wanting to test the waters further, I decided to... well, how should I put this... liberate a showcard from one of the studio trucks parked all around the lot.

For the uninformed, a showcard is cardboard or laminated paper on which either a hand-painted or printed design of a film's logo or title design and production information is represented. The transportation department will hand these out to the driver of every production vehicle (vans, trailers, stakebeds) as well as to those lucky enough to be allowed to park in the shooting company's basecamp. As you're walking around a studio lot, you'll see them all over. All I had to do was find an unoccupied vehicle and grab one out off of the windshield. Soon enough, I found one and grabbed it... though I can't recall what film or television show it was from.

My next order of business would be to tempt the fates and see if I could drive my burgundy '89 Ford Thunderbird onto the lot. I figured that I be pushing it too far by trying to cruise through the front gate, so I drove to the Barham Blvd. gate on the South East side of the studio and sure enough... the showcard worked. I barely even slowed down. The arm went up and on I went. I took a celebratory drive through all the places on the 420 acre lot I had had to walk to before and then I searched for a parking space.

Next, I made it my mission to find a job. I realized (and this is where I will date myself), that Spielberg was in production on a television series on the lot... a new sci-fi series called "SeaQuest DSV." I quickly found out (through a quick search of my trusty Tuesday edition of the Hollywood Reporter) that the series starred none other than "Chief Brody" himself, Roy Scheider. As a huge Spielberg fan, and of course "Jaws" fan, I decided rght then and there that "SeaQuest" would be my first job in the film and television industry... But what could I do? I barely knew anything about on-set jobs. It had seemed in the past that there weren't many young people running around on sets. No matter, I thought... I'll figure it out.

I walked around the lot for a while until I came upon the historical "Phantom of the Opera" stage - where back in 1925, 10 years after Universal was founded, Lon Chaney had taken on the classic role of 'The Phantom,' and where a portion of that classic film set still stands... now the home to a family of raccoons. Stage 28. Today, when you stand in line for the "Backdraft" attraction on the lower lot of the studio tour, you are directly in front of Stage 28.

28 was the home of the "Con" set or Control Room of the "SeaQuest"... The 'DSV' in the title stood for 'Deep Submergence Vehicle.'

The show actually occupied (at one point) as many as 7 stages on the lot. The sets, I would later find out were enormous. Engine rooms, Science rooms complete with tanks of actual sea life... amazing.

But it would be quite some time before I'd see any of it... Almost three months to be exact... and a bit longer before I'd get my first industry job.


Part Three: “The Hire”

I had been hanging around the Universal lot for a while and hoping I could find a way onto one of the massive soundstages to get myself a job.

I was terrified of getting kicked off the lot again and thought that if I tried to enter the stage, it would certainly happen. If only I knew then what I know now...

Anyway. There were signs on every door to the stage which stated, in big bold letters: ABSOLUTELY NO ENTRY WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE UPM! YOU MUST HAVE A BADGE TO ENTER!"

It's funny now to think the sign bothered me - it hadn't bothered me that I was (technically) trespassing already just by being on the lot in the first place - but it did. I was not going to push my luck. I basically loitered around whatever stage they happened to be shooting on and would say "hello" to people as they would come in and come out... Occasionally, I'd sneak into the lower lot and ride "E.T.," or one of the other attractions.

I was doing whatever I could to endear myself to cast and crew as they'd leave the stage and hang out around trucks and trailers... one day, I even bought Stacy Haiduk (the show's lead actress) a jump rope after I'd heard her mention that she wished she had one for all the downtime. I was just looking for a way in.

Finally, opportunity. An extra walked out of the stage to grab a smoke. "SeaQuest" liked to use the same background - since the show was set (at least in the first season) almost entirely in the submarine, it made sense that you would see the same crew people again and again. The man had seen me milling about for weeks. I guess he just figured I was the kid of a crew member. "You ought to go in and get some food at crafty," he said.

That was it. That's all I needed. I had been told I could enter the stage - didn't matter that it was only an extra that told me. If I had been caught or asked to leave, I would've easily sold him out. Finally on stage, I helped myself to the food and started talking to people. Things were going well until one day, while sitting near camera during a shot, Stephanie Beacham yelled for me to "get out of her eyeline." It wasn't a big deal though. Nobody asked me to leave or anything.

Eventually, while walking in one morning, I noticed that the Front Lot Studio Store was selling a hat which was identical to the one that had just been given to the cast and crew. I bought one. $15 dollars was a small investment to make in my future.

I strode onto the set wearing my official crew hat and did what I always did. Asked for jobs... errands... anything. I heard a lot of, "no thanks, kid." Or, "That's a union deal... can't let you."

But this particular day, almost three months to the day from when I first discovered the show, everything would change.

I had showed up early to find the company taking a late call-time. They would start the day on stage but then move to the upper lot outside what is now the Gibson Amphitheater. They had a big background call and were going to do an exterior scene about the meeting of "The United Earth Oceans Summit." As they loaded background into vans to take them to the upper lot, I jumped in. When we got to the location, I jumed out with the rest if the background and saw a man (an A.D.) being yelled at by another man (a Teamster)... I didn't know what either of these men's jobs were at the time. The Teamster was shouting, "you need to make up your mind, man! I can't do everything! So you tell me, do you wnat your trailers and picture vehicles up here, or do you want your make-up tables put in the room?" I walked up to them, raised my hand and said, "I'll do it. I'll put the make-up tables in. Where do you want 'em?"

The two men looked at me for a second. It felt like an eternity. I expected to get another "no," but instead, the A.D. ointed at me and said, "Alright. Go with him. Get the tables of the stakebed, put them down in the holding area, put the bulbs in, plug 'em in and come find me." I did exactly what he said. I put in 12 tables, put all the bulbs in and set them up and plugged them in. Then I went to find him. His name was Matt. I found him in the A.D. trailer. He handed me a walkie and a "Burger King Headset" (as we call them), and asked, "you ever ue one of these?" I shook my head. "Ok. Don't talk, just listen. Follow me." We left the trailer and he took me to a position near the set. "Stand here. When I say 'lock it up,' you don't let anyone through, understand?" He didn't wait for my response. "When you hear 'rolling,' yell it out. When you hear 'cut,' yell it out. Don't talk on this unless I call you... " Then he caught himself... "What's your name, anyway?"

I called my dad and told him that I'd be home late. "I think I just got a job."

I worked until about 3am.

At the end of the night, Matt came over to me. "You did good," he said. "I'm going to pay you on a voucher and bump it by $25 bucks, so you'll make about $70 before taxes... I want you to meet me at the production office tomorrow at 2pm. I don't know how you've been getting on the lot, but I imagine you can do it again. Go home. Get some sleep. Another long night tomorrow." I still have my pink copy of that voucher in a photo album right next to a continuity photo of Scheider.

And that was it. The next day, I crashed the lot, parked my car and became employed on the show. From there, Matt took me onto a Schwarzenegger film during hiatus, and after that I even swindled my way onto a James Cameron production (a whole other fun story)... eventually, people started calling me for jobs and I've worked ever since.

So there it is. Some ingenuity, a bit of tenacity... and a whole lot of trespassing.;)