The Results Are In...

... and “Screening Process (A Loser’s Guide to Love)” is no longer an award-nominated short.

It’s an award-winning short.

Today, at about 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the National Film Challenge announced the winners for the 2004 competition, and “Screening Process” took the prize for “Best Romance.” All of the awards should be posted on the official site soon, but I thought I’d spread the word sooner rather than later. (No announcement was made as to the “top ten” for DVD inclusion — just the individual awards. So we’ve still got something to wait for.)

Congratulations to everyone involved, thanks to all of you for your hard work and unwavering dedication, and I hope this news helps inaugurate a happy holiday season!

The Suspense Is Killing Me... Again

Today is supposed to see the final announcement of the award winners for the 2004 National Film Challenge.

And as of yet... nothing.

I know, all of the previous announcements have been late, so I shouldn’t be surprised. And I know, we’re not really expecting to win anything for “Screening Process” (though I can think of a few categories in which we’ve got a decent shot). But at this stage, I can’t help but be tense with anticipation. We never expected to get this far, but at this point, I’m stuck thinking that if we can just edge out five more films, then we’ll get a slot on the “Best of the NFC 2004” DVD. Commercial distribution — limited, sure, but commercial distribution nonetheless.

I’m working on very little sleep after my latest trip (got home at about 2:30 a.m.), and I’m having trouble concentrating on much of anything else. And at this rate, I’m probably going to have to go home and crash without knowing.

I may get to bed, but I don’t know how much sleep I’ll actually be able to get.

Holy Shit

“Screening Process (A Loser’s Guide to Love)” just made the finalists round — a mere 15 films out of 161 original teams in the competition — in the 2004 National Film Challenge.

I’m absolutely stunned. This is phenomenal news. I want to take this time to offer my most sincere congratulations to everyone involved in this project, in any capacity whatsoever. There is no way we could have done this without all of your help. Filmmaking is truly a collaborative process, and it this case, it would appear we’ve got a pretty damned good collaboration going.

I’d drink myself stupid tonight if I weren’t watching the girls. So everyone else out there — it is your solemn duty to get absolutely smashed tonight in my stead.

And then I want whatever details you can remember.

Back With Big News

I want to share some big news: “Screening Process” has been selected as one of the top 50 films of the 2004 National Film Challenge.

The judging’s still going on — the official “finalists” will be announced December 1 — but this is still one hell of an honor. It’s a testament to the phenomenally talented and dedicated individuals who worked their asses off to deliver the best possible picture they could. Congratulations to all of them.

Of course, we’re not resting on our laurels. The wheels are already in motion for next spring’s 48 Hour Film Project. I’m serving as an Associate Producer for another indie project shooting right now, Bystander, and I’ve already met an even larger pool of talented folks, all equally eager to join in next time. It’s nice not to be in the position of having to beg absolutely anybody to help, the only criterion being a warm body.

On the flip side, for some positions, we may end up with multiple qualified people wanting to join in. Which has me thinking, perhaps suicidally: What if Tohubohu sponsored two teams in the competition?

We’d have a shared pool of acting talent, but — except for the necessary overlap in the executive rank (i.e., me) — the top-level production teams would be established as two independent creative groups. The big question is whether my taking on an overarching role might mean I wouldn’t be able to direct one of the films... and I don’t know that I’m ready to give up that seat just yet.

Tohubohu Gets Some Press Coverage

Now this just feels weird.

Tohubohu Productions, not to mention yours truly, has just received its first front-page newspaper article: “Burke Filmmaker Sprints to Big Screen,” now appearing in the Burke Times, the Springfield Times, and the Fairfax Station Times (and maybe others, though those are the papers for which I’ve been able to obtain copies). Okay, so we’re “below the fold,” but once the paper is placed into its little transparent plastic delivery bag, ours is the story you see.

I actually talked to a store proprietor, and he lit up when I told him that I was the one pictured. He hadn’t done more than glance at the paper as a whole, but he had taken the time to read that one article.

Yes, I’m blowing my own horn by calling attention to it. But read it anyway.

The “Screening” Screening: Reaching an Audience

Well, the “Screening Process” premiere was last night, and — not to put too fine a point on it — we kicked ass.

Now I don’t mean we kicked the ass of any other films — after all, there were some seriously creative entries presented (my personal favorite was the event’s closer, Nachismo) — but I do think we competed more than admirably, far exceeding even my expectations.

I was a little nervous to see that our picture was going to be the absolute first one shown. We’d be setting the standard against which all of the films to follow would be judged. (No, this screening wasn’t part of the “official” judging, but since the actual judges were in attendance, I can’t help but think they’d be taking audience reaction into account.) The key for me was going to be how quickly the audience “got it,” how quickly they realized that we were recreating scenes from ’80s movies. Would it be after two scenes, three, four? Would we have to wait until the later line virtually spelling it out for them?

The moment the first scene — the Sixteen Candles shot — came up, the audience burst out in laughter. With just that visual composition, they had clued into exactly what we were going for.

The big grin on my face — ably captured by the photographer from the Burke Times — only got bigger as the film progressed. The audience laughed at all the right cues, applauded at exactly the right moment when the credits rolled (you can always tell the difference between “honest enjoyment” applause and “polite appreciation” applause), and I received several compliments afterward.

Granted, being a smaller event, the National Film Challenge doesn’t bring out as many of the professionals as the 48 Hour Film Project, but we still had some very polished competitors. Still, I think we’ve got a really good shot at making the intial finalist cut: 30–50 films from a total of 151 eligible submissions.

That announcement is expected this week. And I want to take this opportunity to offer my sincerest congratulations to all of the teams that completed this monumental undertaking, and wish the best of luck to everyone.

Well, just not as much luck as I’m wishing our team. I hope you’ll understand if I’m a bit biased...

(By the way, the National Film Challenge producers have a slot at Art-O-Matic, where they’ll be screening this same set of films on December second, followed by out-of-area entries on the third. So if you missed this screening, you’ve got another chance to see some really great work.)

“Screening Process” Premiere Tonight

Just a friendly little better-late-than-never notice that the latest short from Tohubohu Productions, “Screening Process,” will be premiering at the Warehouse Theater tonight at 7:30 p.m., along with 18 other submissions from the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region.

Tickets are only $4 apiece — so no excuses about not having the scratch.

And by the way, we’re expecting a reporter and photographer from the Times Community Newspapers, so everyone dress nicely for the camera — and if you need any help putting together your “spontaneous” raves about the movie, I’m happy to offer my services.

“Screening Process” Available Online

Just wanted to let everyone know that our latest movie, “Screening Process,” is now available for viewing at www.tohubohuproductions.com. Even at low resolution, it’s a reasonably big file — 9.68 MB (a higher-resolution 17.62 MB version is available as well), so you’ll either need a broadband connection or one hell of a lot of patience.

While you’re at it, you can also see both the original trailer and the full movie edit of “Schlimmer,” Tohubohu’s entry into this past spring’s 48 Hour Film Project. And who knows? Maybe I’ll stick “Loose Ends” up there as well — but it’ll take me some time. Give ’em a look, and let me know what you think.

Tohubohu’s Latest Production: “Screening Process”

Sorry for the lack of posting of late — I’ve been absolutely swamped preparing for this past weekend’s National Film Challenge competition. And as of yesterday evening at 6:00 p.m., Tohubohu Productions completed its official entry, “Screening Process (A Loser’s Guide to Love),” and submitted it via FedEx. I checked this afternoon (after getting a good night’s sleep), and it was delivered at 12:44 p.m. today.

The genre we drew was “romance,” and our assigned elements were a map (prop), J. Upton, Dog Walker (character), and “You caught me at a bad time” (line of dialogue). The finished film (and forgive my teminology — I know it’s not really film, but that’s the convention the contest has adopted) tells the story of Kevin, who recounts to his friends his romantic misadventures as he attempts to recreate scenes from 1980s romantic comedies. I am really pleased with the end product, and believe that represents substantial growth in our production capabilities.

I’ll write more when I’ve got a chance — I’ve got a lot of catching up to do — but I did want to take the opportunity to say thanks to everyone involved. Everyone put in work far beyond the “call of duty,” and I can only hope that we at the tail end of things have produced a piece that accurately reflects the extraordinary effort everyone made.

The Call...

Here it is, folks. We’re getting close to “go time.”

In less than two weeks, Tohubohu Productions will launch (and complete) its next short-form motion picture, courtesy of the National Film Challenge. We’ve added several experienced folks to our roster this time around, but we’ve also lost a few of our usual cohorts.

In other words, we have positions available. Plenty of them. Everything from actors to production support, to technical assistance, to hair and makeup... you name it. So if there’s any possibility of your being in the D.C. area the weekend of October 1st through the 4th (or, most especially, Satuday the 2nd and Sunday the 3rd) — and if you have any interest in being an integral part of what promises to be an exciting and rewarding creative enterprise — drop me a line A.S.A.P.

I’ve had several folks say they’d like to join, but don’t have any experience. And while I will say that experience isn’t necessary, you might be surprised at just how much experience you’ve actually got.

Good at planning and organizing meetings? You’d make a great Location Manager. Got a keen eye for detail? Step up and play Continuity Reporter. Strong organizational skills? Come help out with shoot scheduling and coordinating the call times of cast and crew. Got a big car? We can always use drivers, for both people and equipment. Like to cook (or just have contacts in the restaurant business who’d like a credits plug)? Hey, an army travels on its stomach. Like to play “scavenger hunt”? Scramble to find obscure costumes, props and locations at a moment’s notice. Have a sense of style? We’ve got openings for everything from set decoration to costumes, hair, and makeup. (Of course, if you’ve always had the coolest costumes come Halloween, you might be a shoo-in for that last one.)

In other words, if in doubt, ask. Believe me — we can find something for you to do. And while we won’t be screening at the AFI Silver Theater this time around, your name will be immortalized in the picture’s credits. And the better the job we can do, the greater the chance that we will end up with that screening...

Tohubohu Rides Again

Well, it’s official: Tohubohu is entered into the National Film Challenge. So now, like it or not — seeing as how I just shelled out a C-note — we’re making a movie, dammit.

So if you think you’ve got anything to offer, give me a shout-out! Things are going to be a bit more organized than last time around, so the sooner we’ve got our cast and crew set, the smoother things will go. Especially since we’re already talking about pushing the envelope a bit...

Damn!

The XL2 is here. I don’t know how I missed this.

And while it’s not HD, it’s still one kick-ass camera.

Anyone got about five grand they’re looking to give away? Or hell, I’d settle for borrowing one for this fall’s National Film Challenge.

Oh, did I mention that Tohubohu will be participating in this year’s competition? Well, we are.

So if anyone out there wants in, speak now...

The Return of “Schlimmer”

Just wanted to let folks in the D.C. area (or any of you willing to travel) know that we’ll be having another screening of “Schlimmer” this Wednesday evening — two, in fact.

We — along with several other local entrants in this year’s 48-Hour Film Project (among other films) — will be screening in the back room at Aroma in Cleveland Park. The screenings are at 7:00 and 9:00, and while space is limited, I’d certainly like to see as many friendly faces in the audience as possible. Besides, since I’m the one mastering the DVD for the screening (something I’m working on right now), I figure I’m pretty much guaranteed a seat, right?

I hope to see some of you there! I don’t know if we’ll be having any director/cast/crew Q&A after (or between) screenings, but you bring the “Q,” and I’ll do my best to provide the “A.”

Dénouement

Well, the screening’s finished, and I feel... well, I have mixed feelings. The screening itself went well — in terms of overall quality, I think we were in the middle of the pack — but I couldn’t help but notice all the things we could have done better — even accounting for the time limit. Still, there’s nothing to be done about it now, so I’ll just have to consider them lessons learned for next time.

We have to keep a much tighter rein on the writing process. Yes, I’ll still need the actors to handle a large part of their own characterizations, back story, and such, but we’ll need to have just a few people (at most) handle plot, and probably even general character arcs. With luck, this’ll be easier once I have a better understanding of the preferences and capabilities of our “troupe.”

We’ve got to have a much more rigidly defined set of roles for our crew, and as a corollary, I need to be much more assertive about enforcing those roles (it also might help to have an on-set producer with a temperature below 103 degrees...). It’s hard when you’ve started by basically begging anyone and everyone to help out in any way they can, but now that we’re a little more established, I think we’ll be able to be a little more demanding. Not that everyone didn’t make a huge effort, but there are times when we need to make sure that people are doing their assigned tasks, and not those of others.

We can’t let our need to work quickly detract from our insistence on professionalism. In editing (and later, in viewing the finished product), I noticed how we’d short-changed things like on-set color checking and exposure levels in the interests of speed. And while I’ll defend the effort I made at setting up our opening shots — which put us behind schedule but served as a necessary starting point for our picture — we’ll have to make sure that part of that setup time is devoted to making sure the camera’s actually picking up what we need it to.

There are other things we’ll need to remember for next time (setting audio levels properly, considering more creative choices in editing), but the most important thing to remember is that there will be a next time. Tohubohu lives — and I’m already kicking around some ideas for another project...

Tonight’s the Night!

Ooh, I’m all atwitter with anticipation.

Tonight, at long last, my big-screen debut as an indie director. Frankly, I can’t even begin to explain the excitement this brings. I mean, sure, I had produced “Loose Ends” before, but that never got shown except to friends and family — and certainly never got projected up on a real movie screen. (No, running it through a tabletop projector at the office doesn’t count.)

I’ve mastered at least a rough version of a Tohubohu DVD; it’s pretty bare-bones at the moment, but the structure’s assembled — and frankly, even now it’s got more “extras” than some commercial releases. For “Loose Ends,” there’s a Director/D.P. commentary track, on-screen text notes, the original Project Greenlight edit, cast and crew mini-bios, original storyboards (with running commentary), a slew of production photographs, the complete original script, and selections from the soundtrack. For “Schlimmer,” the selection is obviously a little lighter, with just a promotional trailer, cast and crew bios, and the soundtrack pieces. But I’m not through yet — we’ll be putting some more on there soon enough. In fact, I’ve structured the disc so that we can add films as they get produced; after all, even with all of that stuff, we’re using up less than half of the available space on the disc. (Now all we have to do is get the website working and I’ll be able to post updates...)

Well, for those of you who are coming to the screening, I’ll see you there — I’ll be the guy in the “Where’s the Schlimmer?” T-shirt bouncing around like a rat on crack.

Aaand... That’s a Wrap!

I can hardly believe it, but yes, it’s done.

We handed our tapes in with time to spare, after a particularly grueling post-production process. After my last post, I kept editing until about 8 a.m., finishing the rest of the rough edit, then Ginny came back in to do audio fixes, color correction, and cleanup, and then around noon we both worked on polishing things up. I’ll admit we were a bit nervous at not having some necessary graphics or music until Sunday afternoon, but once we got them, we couldn’t have been more ecstatic. The graphic design (by producer Geoff Long) was perfect, and the music was phenomenal — Scott Andrew LePera gave us not one but two tracks, which allowed us to incorporate a tension-inducing drumbeat underneath several scenes.

I’m slowly getting back up to speed again — a good thing given how much work I’ve got to catch up on. We were working almost literally up until the last minute (our final running time was 7:53, including credits), but we did it. And for me, the real test came when we showed it to a couple of “outsiders”; I’ll admit that I’m too close to the project to judge it objectively, but seeing their reactions made me realize that we’d really accomplished what we set out to do.

So where do we go from here? Well, the first step is obviously this Friday’s screening. We’ve started a sort of “viral marketing” strategy, pushing the tagline “Where”s the Schlimmer?” along with “Tohubohu Productions” (and the not-yet-up-and-running website, tohubohuproductions.com).

In related news, I’ve decided to include my last short, “Loose Ends,” under the Tohubohu umbrella. I’m doing this largely because I’d like to ensure that Tohubohu remains a viable entity going forward, and while “Schlimmer” was our first official production, I kind of like the idea of our having a “library” of material. It’s as if our made-up production company “Tohubohu” bought out my other made-up production company, “C Media.“

As for the future, we’re not finished yet. As far as I’m concerned, I can officially announce that we will be reuniting for next year’s 48-Hour Film Project, and if we’re up for it, I’d also like to propose working on the National Film Challenge — picture the 48-Hour Film Project on a national scale. Of course, that may depend on how we fare in this competition, but I can’t help but start thinking ahead.

Beyond that? We’ll just have to see. But for right now, it’s on to the screening!

Oh, I Can’t Be Getting Tired Yet

Yes, you’re reading that time-stamp correctly. It’s three a.m., and I’m only now about to start my “shift” as editor on our little picture. Not that we haven’t done any editing yet — Ginny’s been cutting like mad since three this afternoon (after helping shoot since nine a.m.), and only just left to get some sleep about an hour ago. Right now, my workstation’s capturing all of our later footage (i.e., the tapes we made after Ginny started on the first set).

For those of you keeping track, the genre we drew was “Mystery,” and the three randomly selected requisite elements were a character named “S. Baxter, a professional photographer,” a “rubber duck” as our prop, and, “You know, I love the _______,” as our line of dialogue. I won’t go into any detail just yet (particularly since the machine just finished capturing the footage, and I’ve got to get back to work), but it’s entitled “Schlimmer.”

Want to know more? Be sure to pick up a ticket to next Friday’s screening...

Almost Showtime!

The cast and crew are a complete as we’re gonna get ’em, Geoff’s got the production well in hand, we’ve got our equipment (thanks in no small part to a more-than-generous contribution from the Creative Solutions Group at the Corporate Executive Board), we’ve got a decent array of locations secured...

Now, all we can do is wait.

Just a little more than three hours to go...

Tohubohu Is Seeming More Appropriate by the Day

Yes, I am still here. But between preparing for this weekend’s 48-Hour Film Project and the mind-boggling workload that built up during my vacation, I haven’t had time to make even a quick note here. Still, since the event’s this weekend (holy crap), I thought I should at least check in with all of you with an update.

I’ve handed over the official “Producer” reins to Geoffrey Long, which leaves me free to concentrate on the “Director” end of things. So far, I think we’ve got a pretty good division of labor established, with me in charge of the creative side, and Geoff handling the practical. Not that he’s completely out of the creative loop, as he’ll also be joining us as a part of the writing team.

Yes, that’s right, team. On the one hand, writing by committee doesn’t usually produce the most artistically coherent work, but given our time frame, we’ve opted to go with more of a television model than a cinematic one. Another concession we’ve made to time constraints is to use a script outline rather than a complete script, leaving it up to the actors — a largely improv-trained group — to work out the details on the fly. I must confess that I’m not sold on this idea, but I think we’ll be better able to extract credible performance by allowing our cast to work naturally as opposed to trying to conform to a hastily cobbled-together screenplay. In all likelihood, there will be elements scripted in more detail (particularly the requisite “line of dialogue” we’ll be assigned), and we’ll have to run multiple takes (not to mention two cameras) to keep things tight, but I’m optimistic that our approach will work. Kori Lusignan — my fellow team Tohubohu leader — will be in charge of “wrangling” the actors and directing the improvisational aspect.

Rounding out the core crew are Adam Young as our D.P. (and storyboard artist) and Ginny Filer as our editor (who will no doubt have a bear of a time matching those improv takes), with my wife Pam joining us at the writing roundtable. In front of the camera, the actors will be lead by Kori, Courtney Davis, and Nello DeBlasio, and it looks like we’ve got a pretty good array of talent lining up along with them.

By the way, if anyone else will be in the area and wants to join us — even if just for a portion of the weekend — drop me a line ASAP. If you’re unable to join us, but would like to help in some other way, we do have several areas in which we need assistance. One, we need to find interesting or unusual locations — offices, rooms, apartments, cells, what have you (and, of course, we need releases for anywhere we shoot). Two, we need whatever additional video equipment we can get our hands on; we’ve got a decent assortment, but could always use more, particularly the more high-end stuff. And three, we’ll need props and costumes; because we don’t know what genre we’ll draw, we could need anything from a detective badge to a medieval sword.

We start work Friday evening at 7 p.m., with shooting tentatively slated for Saturday and “post-production” on Sunday. In reality, there will be a lot of overlap, but our deadline is set in concrete. In addition, we’ve gotten our screening slot — next Friday evening at 9 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre, no less. Even if you’re not able to join us for the production, we’d appreciate your coming out to support us then — particularly since there’s an “audience award” portion of the competition; the more friendly faces in the audience, the better our chances. Tickets are $7.50 apiece, and are available online via the AFI Silver Theatre site (just click on “Film Information” and look on the list for our “48 Hour Film Project” screening time).

Almost showtime...

We’re In!

Just got a notice that — even though the applications period for the 48-Hour Film Project hasn’t closed yet — team “Tohubohu” is guaranteed a slot in the competition. Sometimes it pays to be prompt: Because our application was one of the first ten received, we get in. Anyone whose entry is received after those first ten goes into a random drawing for a chance to compete.

So now I’ve just got to send in the remainder of our entry fee — another $100 — and start making preparations. Sure, the creative part all has to be done in that one weekend (May 7th through the 9th), but there’s still a lot to accomplish in the meantime. First of all, I need to assemble our team — so if you want to join us (and can be in D.C. — or help out remotely — for at least some portion of that weekend), either make a note in the comments for this entry or send me an e-mail.

The Game Is Afoot

I know, perhaps it’s a little premature for me to start thinking about abother competition while Greenlight is still in full swing, but they’ve just announced the dates for the 48-Hour Film Project here in D.C.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Project (and haven’t heard me go on about it), here’s a quick rundown. Teams gather Friday night (May 7th) and draw a film genre out of a hat (a different drawing for each team) — horror, comedy, romance, western, etc. Then, the competition as a whole picks out some specific elements — for example, a prop, a character, and a line of dialogue. From that point, your team has 48 hours to make a short movie (between four and eight minutes in length). All creative work (well, with a few limited exceptions) must be completed within that period; the finished project is delivered Sunday evening (May 9th).

Monday evening (the 10th), the finished entries are screened, and afterward, the winner is announced (in the past, that screening has been at Visions Cinema, but this year it’ll be happening at the new AFI Silver Theatre). The competition takes place in cities around the world, and the winning pictures go on to compete with each other for Best of the 48-Hour Film Project.

We’ve got the entry form (PDF), and we’ll be sending it in before the end of the day — while there’s an April 9th deadline for entry, there are a limited number of slots available (and historically, it’s first-come, first-served). There will be a financial commitment, but the more people we have, the lower (per person) that will be (a non-refundable $25 per team for entry, and $100 per team for competition). I know a lot of you out there have expressed interest in joining in, so drop me a line (handy-dandy link over on the left there) and we’ll add you to the list!

Update: The entry forms have been sent off. Our team — hereby dubbed “Tohubohu” — is now in the actively-seeking-participants stage.

No Turning Back Now

Thanks to the glory of package tracking, I can see that my videos arrived at Project Greenlight. I’ve also uploaded at least a preliminary draft of my Holding Pattern screenplay; I’m still planning to do some final edits before Saturday’s deadline, but this way I can at least be sure I’ve got something entered.

I remember the first PGL, when — thanks to network overload — folks had a bear of a time getting their stuff sent in at the last minute. I really don’t want to be that guy.

Well, It’s Off

Just sent out the Project Greenlight tapes. The Director’s Contest is now out of my hands. I still have to finish my feature screenplay, but since that’s an electronic upload, I’ve got some time. Well, a couple of days, anyway.

I’ve started putting together a “Loose Ends” DVD — which will have a pretty sizable chunk of supplemental material. I won’t be offering it for sale — licensing agreements prohibit it — but at some point, I may put a QuickTime version of the movie on-line.

If you’re interested in updates, drop me a line.

Well, It’s Official: I’m Entered

Just finished the final audio mix last night — for both the “Director’s Cut” and the “Project Greenlight” versions — for “Loose Ends.” And this morning I filled out the official entry forms.

So all that’s left to do is send it out. And by my original reckoning, I’m a day early. Of course, the prudent course of action would be to use that extra day to make any last-minute fixes, changes, etc., but a part of me just wants to get the thing out the door. We’ll see.

Eventually, I’ll probably post a version of it on-line, but for now, I’m going to hold off until I see how things go in the contest. The first hurdle — the announcement of the “Top 250” scenes — is scheduled for March 25th. Assuming I make that cut (and for the record, I’m not assuming anything just yet), I’ll have until April 12th to submit a “Fimmaker Video,” a sort of bio piece that’ll have to grab their attention. Given some of the videos I’ve seen in years past, that’ll be a tall order.

But one step at a time, eh?

I want to thank everyone who helped out with this piece — and there are a lot of you. Let me make special thanks to my co-producers Adam Young and Ginny Filer; I really couldn’t have done it without you. To my stars — principals Nello DeBlasio and Wallace Garner, and featured players Richard Wilt, Courtney Davis, and Collin Klamper — let me say the scene would not have been nearly as polished as it was without your invaluable creative insights. And Tom Bridge, thank you for the use of your camera — some of the most dramatic shots in the finished piece would not have existed without your assistance (which just goes to show you that some of the best material results from “happy accidents”).

I’ll keep everyone posted on the results, and we’ll all just have to see what happens. In the meantime, I’ve got to get back to work on the screenplay competition part...

I Love Caffeine... Though It’s Not Quite So Fond of Me

First edit’s done.

And comes in at... four-and-a-half minutes (not including credits). Exactly the length the script indicated.

Snip, snip, snip...

More updates later. Once I get something workable and actually get some sleep.

One Night Down, One to Go

Well, I’d call last night’s shoot a success. Granted, we didn’t come close to hitting our planned 11:00 wrap time — well, unless you consider 1:00 a.m. (not including breakdown time) “close.” On the plus side, though, we got some fantastic material, in most cases better than I could have hoped; and this despite the increasing fatigue of folks going through the scenes for what seemed like the millionth time. Both cast and crew were unbelievably helpful and dedicated, particularly given my own frequent uncertainty. We also managed to get all of the shots at that particular location finished, which makes today’s stuff a little less stressful, as we won’t have to go through the whole setup/breakdown there again.

So one more quick shoot this afternoon, and a couple of scenes this evening, and we’ll be finished with principal photography.

And with luck, I’ll get more than the four hours of sleep I managed last night. Before editing begins bright and early on Saturday.

Waiting for the Other Shoe

Am I crazy to think that things are actually going well on this Greenlight scene? I mean, I know we still haven’t completely locked casting decisions, but given the success of this weekend’s location scouts, I’m feeling irrationally optimistic.

Not that I’m planning to get any sleep for the rest of the month, you understand...

Last Call for Stardom

I didn’t want to spam everyone in my address book — a lot of folks just plain aren’t interested — but assembly of cast and crew for my Project Greenlight director’s scene is well under way. In fact, despite its being a holiday weekend, we really need to get most of this stuff finalized by the beginning of next week. Right now, it looks like we’ll be shooting either Thursday or Friday evening (or both, depending on how well we keep on schedule), with editing (and maybe some pickups or even second-unit photography) over the weekend.

So if you want to participate, let me know now! For those of you with my direct contact info (which I won’t post here, obviously), the best way to get me is via my cell phone — I’m largely “off-line” today and across the weekend (I think there’s some holiday or something tomorrow; I really should do something about it). Still, I’ll check e-mail periodically, so if you want in — believe me, we can use all the help we can get — drop me a line and I’ll pass along what details I’ve got.

Okay, so participation might be a little tougher for those of you not actually in the greater D.C. area, but I’m open to suggestions.

And... Action!

This just in: Project Greenlight is back! Not the series (yet, though it’ll be airing on Bravo this time around), but the contest behind it all. I’ve entered twice before, and I’ll be doing it again this time.

This year, however, I’ll be entering both the screenwriting and directing contests (as of last season, the contest was split in two). I’ve already put together a working script for my three-minute directing scene (entitled “Loose Ends”), as well as a potential shooting location (casting will be a little tougher). The feature screenplay (Holding Pattern) is coming into shape, though the mandate this year is to go with more of a “genre” film — so I’ve still got more work to do to be able to (realistically) think of it as a “romantic comedy.”

Hey, if anyone wants to offer a critique (as opposed to just reading for fun), let me know. And if anyone wants to help out with the scene — a far more collaborative effort than writing, to be sure — I’m more than happy to have you.

But at the very least, I recommend that everyone head over to the PGL site and take a look. You don’t have to be an aspiring filmmaker — you can sign up as a reviewer, which means you’ll have a chance (but not an obligation) to read and critique submitted screenplays. Chosen at random, naturally, so I won’t be able to game the system by having my friends all give me glowing reviews.

Though if I figure out a way to do that, believe me, I’ll let you know.

Time to Break Out the Keyboard — and the Camera

Hot damn. First I get a message that the 48 Hour Film Project is gearing up for the 2004 competition, and today I see that Bravo just picked up Project Greenlight for a third season. Yeah, it’ll suck having to be censored for basic cable, and it sure as hell won’t be the same without über-antagonist Chris Moore, but still...

They’re looking to start taking submissions in just a few weeks. And this time I damn well plan on entering both the screenwriting and directing contests (I missed out on the directing one last time around — I just couldn’t put together a scene in time). So if folks don’t hear from me across the next couple of weeks, that’s why.

And by the way, if anyone wants to help out — either by critiquing my screenplay (yeah, in the interests of time, I’ll probably be dusting off the old standby, Holding Pattern) or helping put together a director’s scene — let me know A.S.A.P.

(And by the way, that goes both ways — if anyone wants help, let me know. There are some things it’s worth taking time to do, even with my own schedule in mind.)