The RED, Editing, Casting

This past weekend I worked on a shoot with Brian and Matt, we shot on the RED. I say WE because I worked in the camera department. I was responsible for downloading the footage, clapped the slate or the claqueta (in spanish, I'm trying to learn all the right terms because I want to make a movie in Argentina!) and pitched in where ever it was needed, but mostly, I stayed by the camera. Mike was the first AC, he's a friend of Jarred's (the sound mixer from Love Song). Mike visited the Love Song set one day, I had a good feeling about him. Working with him on someone else's set was great. He was very familiar with the RED, he works at a rental house and he's seen the workflow a ton of times. He was really nice and explained a lot of the functions of the camera to me. He told me that my job was basically the 2nd AC. I was so happy because coming from him that meant a lot. It's always good to work on a set with Brian and Matt. As usual, Brian was always imparting knowledge, that's why I call him the Master. I met some other nice people that I'm sure Brian will adopt and make part of the family.

The footage was recorded onto a hard drive instead of card. This made shooting a lot smoother because you didn't have to worry about swaping cards as often. There were two drives, one for high speed (which will give you slow motion) and another drive for the normal speed footage. What a concept! One camera, two drives = no frame rate issues!!!!

I really like the camera and the workflow. It was so easy to download and easy to view the footage. I took my assignment very seriously, in my opinion, I had one of the most important jobs on the set. Based on my prior experience w/the HVX, the person who was in charge of downloading my footage (Frederick) had one of the most important jobs - if there was a screw up and something got erased then all the hard work we all put in would be out the window. I digress; I want to shoot my next project on the RED and use the super speed lenses. We used the normal speed lenses on Love Song because Indie Rental only has 5 sets of the super speed (they were all rented), the normal speed lenses worked well but the super speed would have been better particularly during the night scenes.

I'm about halfway done labeling and organizing my footage. Matt surprised me today with a rough cut of the end of the film. He set the footage to Mazzy Star's Fade Into You - ofcourse, now I have that song in my head and I want it, Matt decided to change the song because he didn't want me to get attached to it and he wanted me to see that the possibilities are endless. The scene is just beautiful.



Onahoua and David have so much chemistry, they look great together and they are so talented. As I watched the footage I was turned to mush, my eyes got watery and my heartbeat was super fast. Matt always tells me that shooting is fun, then you look at it and that's great, but when you watch your work edited and set to music, that feeling is just priceless, he's absolutely right. I had so many emotions running through me, it's been one of the most gratifying experiences of the process.



I'm so proud of this project, I can't believe we've come so far. I met with Christine and Laura today and we discussed our upcoming battles with post and trying to get the feature done in time to submit to festivals for next year. I have one day to shoot the opening of the film and get establishing shots, Christine has 2-3 days and she's shooting in late August. Stay tuned for the new cast of Christine's film; Ma and Grandma are going to be super fierce - wait 'till you hear who'll be playing them... Let's hope Christine doesn't keep us in suspense much longer before she makes the announcement.



xoxo,

Lucy

ps
yes, Matt the Cinematographer is the Editor, I am the Assistant Editor - That's how it's done in IndieWood!

Staying True To Your Vision

I have so many things to blog about; I promise to catch up soon. I wanted to share my excitement with you all. I’ve been watching the footage and it looks amazing. Matt, Brian and the rest of the crew did a great job and the cast was phenomenal. I am so blessed, grateful and thankful that the images I’m looking at belong to the film I set out to make.

In my journey making this film I’ve learned so much, I’ve had both good and bad experiences. The most frustrating thing I’ve gone through was watching the footage I shot last November and just saying “What the F*ck”. I shot scenes that shared the same locations as Christine’s and Laura’s, I’m glad I did not shoot anything else because the images I was looking at were not what I envisioned. That footage will end up on the deleted section of the DVD. It’s not to say that the footage wasn’t shot well (with the exception of the frame rate issue) the footage looks good but it’s not my vision. Ultimately, I hold myself responsible because I was the director, I should have said something.

The most powerful lesson I learned is that when you see something that’s not going the way you envisioned it, speak up. Once that day is over you most likely won’t be able to go back to that location. The same goes for the people you are working with; if someone is not working out, or if someone does not deliver or make good on what they said they were going to do, it’s ok to fire them.

Fast forward 7 months later and I love every frame we shot. Matthew (Matt) Boyd the cinematographer never questioned what I wanted but he came with suggestions that improved my vision. We work well together, we like a lot of the same music and that helped. We never watched movies for references but we listened to a lot of music, I explained my vision of what I wanted through songs, particularly The Fabulous Miss Wendy’s (because she’s pretty much letting me use all her songs). I would tell Matt, this song will go on this scene and we would start from there.

As I watched the footage, I laughed and almost shed a tear – I tried to contain myself because I did not want my mascara and eyeliner to run (I went to a networking event so I had to get dolled up and I did not want raccoon eyes). The clip that almost made me cry was of Shane and Dustin walking on the beach at sunset, they were shot in a beautiful silhouette against the Santa Monica Mountains as the sun was setting. I remember when we shot that scene, so many things were going through my mind, particularly the hundreds of hikes I’ve taken on those mountains thinking about that very moment. I remember saying Thank You God. Shooting it was magical but watching it back was indescribable. I LOVED IT. I was so excited I could have burst.

The mistake I made the last time was that I watched a lot of films with Leah (the other dp). I’m sure that works for other people but in retrospect, that didn’t work for me and maybe that’s why I didn’t feel that the November footage was my vision.

As a filmmaker you need to figure out what works for you and what works for your particular project.

The next film I shoot with Matt may have us watching some shows on The Food Network because the story deals with food or maybe I’ll take a cooking class, who knows.

Stay true to your vision and figure out a way to get it; that usually starts with a kick ass team who can bring it!

xoxo,
Lucy

I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues, or is it the Blahs?

There are so many hurdles and hoops one has to jump to get a film made. I've jumped the hoops, I've faced the road blocks and yet, my film still needs to be shot. I could have shot the film back in November but the film would have SUCKED. I wasn't happy with the direction the script had taken, you ask people for opinions and you'll get them good and bad - unfortunately, I listened to the bad ones. I've remedied that situation and I'm happy with the script.

There are three things that are making this harder and more challenging for me:

1. My mom's cancer which was in remission for the last 14 years decided to rear it's ugly head in December of 2006. My mom was in and out of the hospital - I say in and out because she got chemo from January - March and in April the cancer was gone - then in July it was back and she had to go for more chemo, and in November it was gone. When she went for her next check up in February of 2008, the Pet Scan showed that the cancer is back and bigger than the original. When she went to get the cat scan, the insurance denied it and the hospital sent her home. My mom was upsed and she's been through so much that she didn't feel like fighting or arguing with the hospital. My sister Onahoua was the first to hear about the incident and she took it upon herself to go to war with the insurance and the hospital. Seeing how she's been dealing with all the beaurocracy and bullshit while performing 8 shows a week in a very emotionally charged play, earned her my deepest, utmost respect. I'm glad she took over because I'm so sick of hospitals, illness, insurance etc. The first time my mom had cancer I was the one who went to all the radiation treatments and the experience left me numb. We're still waiting to hear if the cat scan got approved. Regardless, my mom's appointment for the cat scan is for this Friday and if the insurance doesn't approve it, the procedure costs $15,000 and that's not including all the additional fees that go with walking into a hospital. The insurance doesn't feel that the cat scan is a necessary procedure, they have approved both procedures in the past. It's frustrating dealing with this and trying to make a movie on top of it.

I'll leave reasons 2 & 3 for another blog, I've shared too much personal stuff already. If you read the blog I Could Never Be Your Woman, you'll understand why I related to Amy Heckerling's woes.

Hearing about the problem with the frame rate and how much it's going to cost to fix it didn't help. I took the advise of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and got a mani/pedi after work. I told Christine I'd buy a lottery ticket because the the jackpot is at 220M but my manicurist took so long to get to me and I missed buying the ticket - Darn.

Hopefully this sadness and blahness I'm going through will be over soon.

I'm going to Denver this weekend to see Onahoua perform. The people who have seen it say it's her best work yet. I can't wait to see the play but I'm looking forward to seeing her play Shane.

xoxo,
Lucy

Movies By Women - Audio Podcast 06: AWARDS GALORE, IFC, JUNO ET AL.

Brand Spanking New Podcast
http://www.moviesbywomen.com/podcasts.php

MBW Audio Podcast 06: Awards Galore, IFC, Juno, et al
Release Date: 2008/02/08
Running Time: 35:15
Format & Size: Quicktime MP3 28.2MB

This week in the MoviesByWomen audio podcast 06: In Episode 6, The ladies are joined once again by Kim Adelman (indiewire.com columnist and author of "The Ultimate Guide to Chick Flicks", among others). Kim shares her career path and the internship that led to where she is today. Discussed are docs directed by women at the Sundance Film Festival as well as the screening and selection process for short films at the festival. Women nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards are also discussed.

A Nice Surprise

I just read the nicest and sweetest email from Chris Hendricks who plays Jared. He said he LOVES my blogs because I "pour my heart out". He said so many nice things and it felt good to get such a great email from someone whose work I respect. Chris was such a professional, and a joy to work with. I remember when he read for us, he nailed the part just by walking in the room. I strongly believe in fate but I also believe in free will. All our actors have been so wonderful during this process and I often think that fate brought them our way but it was our will that chose them.



So thank you Mr. Hendricks for the kind words, the enthusiasm and the encouragement. I look forward to working with you again.

ps

If anyone else likes the blogs or the podcasts let me know, feedback is always appreciated.

xoxo,
Lucy

Movies By Women Audio Podcast 05: FOCUS ON FEMALE DIRECTORS

http://www.moviesbywomen.com/podcasts.php

MBW Audio Podcast 05: Focus on Female Directors
Release Date: 2008/01/31
Running Time: 33:57
Format & Size: Quicktime MP3 7.2MB

This week in the MoviesByWomen audio podcast 05: In Episode 5, regular hosts Tara Veneruso, Stephanie Young, Lucy Rodriguez Watson, and Heidi Martinuzzi chat with Kim Adelman (indiewire.com columnist and author of "The Ultimate Guide to Chick Flicks", among others) about the American Cinematheque's Focus on Female Directors, whether group screenings should "use" celebrities, the relative merits of film festival goodie bags and special women director programs.

SHOW NOTES FOR AUDIO PODCAST EPISODE 05:
This episode hosts include Tara Veneruso, Stephanie Young, Lucy Rodriguez Watson, and Heidi Martinuzzi. Special Guest was Kim Adelman, indiewire.com columnist, and author of such books as "The Ultimate Guide to Chick Flicks". You can read more about Kim at www.kimadelman.com/
Further shownotes pending, still nee to be transcribed!
And our podcast host, 1245_VINE_industries: 1245Vine.com

Movies By Women Audio Podcast 04: DIRECTORS' CAREER PATH

http://www.moviesbywomen.com/podcasts.php

MBW Audio Podcast 04: Movies we wish were directed by women
Release Date: 2008/01/24
Running Time: 47:06
Format & Size: Quicktime MP3 30.2MB
This week in the MoviesByWomen audio podcast 04: In Episode 4, the ladies discuss their career path and the hurdles of working a full time job while directing a film. They chat about upcoming films by women, where is actress Alicia Silverstone, the correct pronunciation of actor Ralph Fiennes, and the topic of documentary filmmaking.

SHOW NOTES FOR AUDIO PODCAST EPISODE 04:

This episode hosts include Tara Veneruso, Stephanie Young, Lucy Rodriguez Watson, and Heidi Martinuzzi.
This week’s Resources:
IMDB: www.imdb.com http://www.IMDB.com
NY Magazine, NY Times, LA Times (film sections)
indiefilmlove10to1.blogspot.com
Melissa Silverstein’s Blog: womenandhollywood.blogspot.com
New York Women In Film and Television: nywift.org
RISK the movie: girlsbehindthecamera.com

Upcoming Films directed by women (our recommendations):
(Lucy) I Could Never Be Your Woman, directed by Amy Heckerling
(Heidi) Stop Loss, directed by Kimberly Pierce
(Stephanie) The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow

Visit the Alliance of Women Directors online at: allianceofwomendirectors.com
And our podcast host, 1245_VINE_industries: 1245Vine.com

Movies By Women - AUDIO Podcasts 02 & 03

http://www.moviesbywomen.com/podcasts.php

MBW Audio Podcast 02: Teens & Film History, Writer's Strike
Release Date: 2008/01/10
Running Time: 36:34
Format & Size: Quicktime MP3 29.3MB
This week in the MoviesByWomen audio podcast 02: Join us as we discuss the writer’s strike, first time director mistakes, teens learning to make films, pitfalls of actor/producers, and film sound. Our hosts include Tara Veneruso, Stephanie Young, Lucy Rodriguez Watson, and Heidi Martinuzzi. Don't forget to tune into the "What do British people eat?" segment at the end of the show!

SHOW NOTES FOR AUDIO PODCAST EPISODE 02:

This episode hosts include Tara Veneruso, Stephanie Young, Lucy Rodriguez Watson, and Heidi Martinuzzi.
Other resources include: girlsbehindthecamera.com
The Writer’s Guild: www.wga.org
Visit the Alliance of Women Directors online: allianceofwomendirectors.com
And our podcast host, 1245_VINE_industries: 1245Vine.com


http://www.moviesbywomen.com/podcasts.php

MBW Audio Podcast 03: Movies we wish were directed by women
Release Date: 2008/01/17
Running Time: 35:25
Format & Size: Quicktime MP3 28.4MB
This week in the MoviesByWomen audio podcast 03: The team each share a unique experience or challenge that they faced during a day of film production. We become better filmmakers by learning from our (and others) mistakes, so let us spread the wealth! Also, we discuss movies we wish were directed by women, the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake, and we discuss with chagrin why historical women filmmakers have almost vanished from film history.

SHOW NOTES FOR AUDIO PODCAST EPISODE 03:

This episode hosts include Tara Veneruso, Stephanie Young, Lucy Rodriguez Watson, and Heidi Martinuzzi.
This week’s Resources:
Independent Women Filmmakers: independentwomenfilmmakers.com
Film Independent: filmindependent.org
The First Weekenders Group: moviesbywomen.com/fwg.php
Mandy.com mandy.com
And our podcast host, 1245_VINE_industries: 1245Vine.com

http://www.moviesbywomen.com/podcasts.php

Movies By Women - AUDIO Podcast 01: INTRODUCTION & DIRECTORS WE'RE WATCHING

One of the things I keep myself busy with is Movies by Women. Check out the website at http://www.moviesbywomen.com/

Join the First Weekender’s Group and support women directed features by seeing them the first weekend they are in the theaters. http://www.moviesbywomen.com/fwg.php

We just started doing audio podcasts. These have been a lot of fun and I get to work with another group of talented women. The podcasts are four women and guests discussing various topics as they relate to films, filmmaking and how we as women can encourage and empower others to make movies. The first four episodes were a bit on the long side but we are going to keep the rest to 30 minutes.

Tara Veneruso who runs Movies by Women is someone I consider a mentor and a friend. I met her when she was teaching a seminar on digital filmmaking at Film Independent a few years ago. Alliance of Women Director’s Stephanie Young, and PrettyScary.net’s Heidi Martinuzzi are also on board. I look forward to a fruitful collaboration with them.

So what are you waiting for – check out the 1st of the podcasts.

http://www.moviesbywomen.com/podcasts.php

Scroll to the middle of the page and click on AUDIO PODCAST 01: INTRODUCTION & DIRECTORS WE'RE WATCHING.

xoxo,
Lucy

Greetings Folks & Welcome to 2008

I’m very excited at the possibilities this year holds for me. Love Song will finally see the light of day. I’m so excited about that, I’ve lived with these characters for so long and it will be such a relief to FINALLY bring them to life. My actors are AMAZING and I deeply love and appreciate their contribution. Onahoua Rodriguez, David Villar, Justin Klosky, Daniella Alonso and Mari Marks are wonderful people and I am so blessed that they are still with me despite the length of time it’s taken.

During the last round of production I made a lot changes to the script. Changes that were not in the best interest of the story. After the first round of production, I went through a period of hibernation. I’ve seen Christine and Laura three times since November. Most of that time was spent getting my energy back and enjoying the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays.

In early December I re-read the script and IT SUCKED. I went back to the version that I intended on shooting and changed one of the scenes that took place in Dustin’s office. That scene now takes place at Shane and Dustin’s house. The day we had the office, I was not able to shoot my scenes and we were not going to be able to go back to that location. I guess things happen for a reason because the story is where I need it to be and having that scene take place in the house makes more sense.

Our production guru Brian Sorbo gave me a great piece of advice. He told me that “You never get to go back to your projects...time pushes on relentlessly. What you do now you live with for the rest of your life, so it is imperative that you speak with your true voice. You must live your life and create your projects from your heart. Nothing else will survive. The things that you do from your heart will feed you throughout your life.” He’s right. I will carry this with me forever because it’s so true.

I got swept up in the momentum of certain situations and I lost sight and sound of my voice. With so many people telling you so many different ways to do something you sometimes forget to ask yourself how to get it done. You should listen to the advice of others but you must trust your instincts and follow your heart and mind. The best way to sum it up is to heed Polonius' advice to his son Laertes in Hamlet; “This above all: to thine own self be true”.

I am also super excited because I heard the song that The Fabulous Miss Wendy wants me to shoot a video for. In exchange for using her song in my film, I told her I’d shoot a video for one of the songs on her upcoming album. The song is called “Jailbait”. I’ll let you know when it’s on iTunes. I sent her two treatments and I’ll see which one she likes. Jenna Edwards is going to produce that for me. Jenna and I want to shoot 3-4 videos for bands we know and use that to generate work directing and producing music videos.

I did not make any resolutions this year, except to keep on working towards my goals.

I hope 2008 proves to be a successful year for all. Onward & Upwards

xoxo,

Lucy

I Wonder If They Would Have Sued Me?!?!

I LOVE the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They are one of my favorite bands. The original title for Love Song was Californication. I wanted to pay homage to the group, but also, Cali, is the character who tries to come between Shane & Dustin.

The day I saw the billboards all over Sunset Blvd. announcing the new Showtime series I was pissed. I kept thinking, if only I could have gotten my act together sooner and done my film. My other thoughts were mean; I hope it sucks, I hope no body watches etc. Then I decided to change the name to Love Song because there are two songs in the film with the same title. One is by The Fabulous Miss Wendy and the other one is by J.K. Music (Love Song, Yo!).

I have to say that I was shocked when I saw the article below. I figured that I could get away with naming my short Californication because the reality is that my film would never be competition for the band or take away from their earnings. I do agree that the title/name Californication was made famous by the band regardless of what the show's creator says.

I don't disagree with the band's action, particularly because it sounds like they were never consulted and the Showtime series has referred to Dani's character as Dani California on a number of occasions. I do like the show, it's well written and well acted. I'm surprised that Showtime or the show's creator never bothered to consult the band. They seem like pretty cool guys and if approached properly, they probably would have been on board.

My next film will probably be the short version of Take The A Train - I took the title from a song by Charles Mingus. The film takes place in Washington Heights where the A train is the iron horse of choice. I hope his estate does not put an injunction on my film!

I love music and everything I've written has been named after a song. Am I in trouble?

What do you think?

Lucy




The Red Hot Chili Peppers sue Showtime

By the Associated Press
November 20, 2007
The Red Hot Chili Peppers on Monday sued Showtime Networks over the name of the television series "Californication," which is also the name of the band's 1999 album and a single on it.

The lawsuit alleges unfair competition, dilution of the value of the name and unjust enrichment, claiming the title is "inherently distinctive, famous ... and immediately associated in the mind of the consumer" with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

"Californication is the signature CD, video and song of the band's career, and for some TV show to come along and steal our identity is not right," said the band's lead singer, Anthony Kiedis, in a statement.

The television series stars David Duchovny as a novelist suffering from writers' block and a mid-life crisis.

The show features a character named "Dani California," which is also the title of a Red Hot Chili Peppers song released in 2006, according to the lawsuit.

The suit also names the show's creator and executive producer, Tom Kapinos, and two production companies, Twilight Time Films and Aggressive Mediocrity, Inc.

A call Monday to an attorney for Showtime was not immediately returned. Attempts to find a listing for Kapinos were not successful.

The suit seeks a permanent injunction barring Showtime and the other defendants from using the title "Californication" for the show, damages and restitution and disgorgement of all profits derived by the defendants.

In July 2007, Kapinos told reporters at a Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills that he first heard the term in reference to Oregon.

"Apparently in the '70s there were bumper stickers that said 'Don't Californicate Oregon,' because Californians were coming up there, and I just thought it was a great, great title for this show," said Kapinos.

In Response to Laura's Last Blog

Like a warrior that fights
And wins the battle
I know the taste of victory
Though I went through some nights
Consumed by the shadows
I was crippled emotionally
Somehow I made it through the heartache
Yes I did, I escaped
I found my way out of the darkness,
Kept my faith (I know you did)
Kept my faith

The above is from the George Michael/Aretha Franklin song I knew You Were Waiting For Me. I was not too fond of this song when it came out, I was too young to realize the depth of the song. While Laura quotes Chekhov, I’m more than happy to quote George Michael lyrics.

In my opinion, the song is about a relationship that was very consuming and put the person through a very hard time. The person kept their faith and remained positive because the person knew that their true love was waiting for them.

I know it’s sappy but you can substitute the relationship for your goal. In my case the film. The production took a toll on a lot of us but at the end of it, we will have a wonderful film and many people to thank.

No, I don't regret a single moment
No I don't, looking back
When I think of all those disappointments
I just laugh (I know you do), I just laugh

This is basically how I’ve felt. I don’t regret the experience at all. I’ve met so many wonderful people and learned so much from the process that I would not take any of it back.

I only shot two scenes out of my film and am finishing in mid-late March. I’m looking forward to that.

I can’t wait to see Dustin and Shane’s lives unfold. David Villar and Onahoua Rodriguez are so wonderful together and their chemistry is electrifying, sweet and heartfelt. It makes me gush every time I think about it. Throw in Daniella Alonso as Cali, the babe who comes between Shane and Dustin, sprinkle some Justin Klosky as Jim, Mari Marks as Sonny Vivian (Dirty Virgin’s band manager) and The Fabulous Miss Wendy’s music and you’ll get a chick flick with an edge. And no, I have no problems if people call it a chick flick.

So to recap the song and how this experience has left me:

When the river was deep I didn't falter
When the mountain was high I still believed
When the valley was low it didn't stop me, no no
I knew you were waiting
I knew you were waiting for me

Now, the fun begins.

Lucy

Dirty Virgin gig @ Cozy's

Working 9 To 5 To Pay The Rent - Working 5 To 12 To Make Love 10 To 1

We’ve been in pre-production on Love 10 to 1 for a while now. From the beginning, there’s been at least a weekly meeting pertaining to the movie, usually between Christine and I, mostly on the hiking trail on Saturday and/or Sunday. Besides this, I'm also involved with Movies By Women, I take classes , go to seminars etc. My schedule's pretty packed right now. I'm taking an editing class on Tuesdays and the other six days, have been filled with meetings for the film.

I work full time, I'm an executive assistant in Santa Monica. I live close to work in Brentwood. My commute is usually 15 minutes. The way home is usually more congested. Most of the times, it takes me between 20 – 30 minutes and on a few rare occasions, (though they are becoming more frequent) the trip home from work has taken, at times anywhere from 1 hour to 2. Yes, that’s traffic in LA.

I’m not digressing. The point is that I work full time – 9am – 5pm and then I focus on film stuff. The last month, it’s been non-stop meetings after work and on weekends. I’m slowly feeling the burn.

Most of the production meetings take place in Hollywood, around 7pm. So after a day at work, I sit in traffic for 2 hours. I’ve tried taking different streets, Olympic, Venice, Santa Monica, Wilshire, Sunset etc. Most of my time is spent crawling from Bundy to Sepulveda and again at various points in Beverly Hills.

The meetings used to last until 10pm – now, they are lasting closer to midnight. There are times when I’ve gotten home at 2am. For the most part, I’m typically home by midnight but then I have to check my email (I don’t have access to personal email at work), so I’m usually in bed by 1:00am. I get up around 7:45.

The gym and hikes are now a luxury that I try to squeeze in about once a week. I barely speak to my family because of the time difference (they are mostly on the east coast).

I’m no stranger to hard work. I’m the oldest of 4 children. When I was 16, my parents gave me a decent allowance but I wanted more money to go to concerts and shop. So I got a job after school. I worked as a telemarketer from 4pm to 9pm three days per week and on weekends I did one eight hour shift sometimes two (depending on how much those boots cost).

I’ve always worked hard for what I want. I don’t have the sense of entitlement that a lot of people have in this town. So, if the end result is going to get me what I want, then I’ll work hard for it. However, I’m also very impatient and I feel like I’ve been working towards this goal most of my adult life. When is it going to pay off?

Unlike a lot of people, I’m not depending on filmmaking to make me rich. If it got to that point, I’d keep my day job but cut down my hours so I can dedicate more time to filmmaking. I like having a job that has nothing to do with film. It keeps me balanced.

I’m ok juggling the full time job, the two hours in traffic, the meetings – I can do it. BUT, what if I had a child? How would I fit all of this around a human being who would be depending on me? One of the coolest things I saw at the LA Film festival were two female filmmakers (they had a doc at the festival) and they walked down the red carpet with their bundles on their hips.

I think documentaries tend to be more women friendly than narrative filmmaking. My next project after Love 10 to 1 is a documentary and I’ll also be working with Christine on her feature. So, it looks like for the next two years (plus) I’ll be doing the 9-5 gig, followed by the 2 hours in traffic followed by 3 hour meetings.

Here’s to the art of multitasking.

Lucy

This Is It - Part II

Just to clarify.....I'm NOT the one with a penchant for popcorn - I'm glad I got a few phone calls asking if it was me, sorry to disappoint - at least my friends are reading the blog. I wish we got more readers who don't know us & who find this helpful.

The blog was # 2 on the Google search engine the other day - now we are on page 2:-(

Lucy

This is It

Location scouting for Love 10 to 1

We met with the general manager of a local club/bar last night who gave us a great price break for this location as well as pearls of wisdom about karma and life. What more can a filmmaker ask for in a location scout? Looks like we found our club! It's a reasonable size and we'll need about 25-30 people to make the club look crowded, rather than the bigger-sized clubs that we looked at before where we'd have to get at least 50 extras. For us to secure this location, we have to put down the deposit by Monday. Yikes! This is it. Our first big expense thus far. There is no turning back now. I wonder if I still have my Valium pills. Kidding.

Prior to this, we stopped by a sound studio that can be turned into a "radio station". The owner was very nice, especially after one of us (who shall remain nameless) seductively batted her eyelashes, thrusted out her big boobs, and asked the owner for some hot, fresh popcorn. Now ladies and gentlemen, you may be thinking, popcorn isn't sexy--but if you were there you'd give her popcorn too. So yes, we got the "radio station" for a great rate too. And the owner promised to make us popcorn during the shoot.

Justin Klosky as Jim - Local Rock Star & Swimming Instructor

Justin Klosky as Jim

Greetings Love 10 to 1 fans;

I promised to post a picture in one of the older blogs - click on the label "JIM" if you are interested in reading about the grueling search for THIS MAN!

Let this be a testament, that if you want something bad enough you will get it. We went through 4 grueling rounds of auditions to find someone who totally embodies Jim.



"Klosky’s big break was when he made his television debut on Guiding Light as Joey Lupo, the star high school baseball player on July 1, 2003 as a guest star. After coming back and forth and guest starring as his own original character, he earned a 3 year contract and a spot on Daytime Television. Playing on the show from 2002-2005, Klosky was acknowledged with a Daytime Emmy, Pre-Nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor in 2004 and was just recently brought back to the cast of Guiding Light after a leave of a year to spice up the younger generations story line."

Stay tuned for tomorrow's or Friday's blog on how to survive making a film while working a full time job.

Lucy

How Screwing on a Light Bulb is like Filmmaking

I met up with another filmmaker who was a former attorney many years ago. We were talking about leaving the security of a corporate job to pursue a career as a filmmaker (writer, actor, artist, etc). She said something that I found quite interesting. She said, pursuing your passion is like screwing on a light bulb. That is, if you're going to screw on a light bulb, screw it on all the way. If you do it half-assed, the light won't turn on. She left her cushy corporate job years ago and never looked back. Anyway, this isn't technical advice about how to make an indie film, but I think it's important for a filmmaker to keep their passion alive for the project even when they don't know where next month's rent will come from. Heck, JK Rowling had to sleep in her car before she became a gazillionaire, didn't she? Or was that Jewel?

Other headaches

I'm going through the various insurance company brokers to see what is the most affordable coverage available. This is an expense that falls around the $2K+ bucket. When we were contacting people for use of their locations, an important thing to mention was that we're obtaining third party property damage coverage. So getting insurance is something that we definitely need. An aside: it's amazing how many people mentioned that prior productions have trashed their locations and that they're now wary of letting people shoot at their locations. So we are hoping to set a good example. Best case scenario is that we won't need to utilize any of the insurance coverages.

Also just found out that we lost a couple of our key crew because they are off to work on bigger budget productions, i.e., more pay. Bastards. Haha... Two steps forward, three steps back. That is life in the big city and right now I don't even want to think about it. We need to go over our budget again. Should add "finance whiz" as one of the hats an indie filmmaker needs to wear.