Monday, February 23, 2009

Idea Potholes

Yesterday morning I was drifting between sleep and awake and I started to think up some random ideas for a movie. This is not strange, it happens to me all the time (especially in the shower). Usually when I think of something I write it down in a little notebook or on the "notes" app on my iPhone. That way I can use the idea again someday or incorporate it into the screenplays and treatments that I'm writing at the present moment.

Well this particular morning I came up with an idea that at the time seemed absolutely genius (although I admit that I was in a drunken-like state of morning stupor). I thought to myself "You should try and write this down right now." Yet my arms remained warm in bed. Usually if a great idea comes along I avoid responsibility/others/my own comfort to get it down on paper, but at this particular moment in time it was more important for me to keep my arms warm than to put up the three seconds of effort it would take to write it down. The devil on my shoulder kept telling me that "It'll be okay, you are going to get up in a few minutes, you can write it down then. Or better yet, type it out on the computer!" If it takes the rest of my life, I will somehow learn not to listen to that guy, because he is always wrong.

Anyway, I did eventually get up and I did eventually get on the computer, but I certainly did not write down the two ideas I had in that dream-state I was in. As a result I have completely forgotten what those ideas where even about.

So now the really sad part of the story: I have obsessing about these ideas all day today. I have been trying to recall what the ideas were since I woke up. I drove around this afternoon and all I could think was "What where those ideas?!?" Yet to no avail.

The thing that bothers me the most is that I don't drop it, but I keep trying to remember. Nothing is there. I also keep telling myself to forget the ideas and that "They probably weren't that good anyway. What good comes from that time in the morning? Nothing, that's right." But it still is driving me crazy trying to pull out some sort of inkling of what they might have been. I remember how I felt when coming up with the ideas, and a lot of the time if I feel really good about the idea it is usually worth exploring.

Now I sit here, blogging about the ideas that could have been. Instead of moving on and trying to be productive with my time.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Two Paths

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I have a huge problem. There are two different paths within my line of work that will take me in two completely different directions.
The first is to work as hard as I can to become a creative producer. This means that I would be the guy who options properties (books, tv shows, graphic novels, etc), finds scripts, and generally does everything that has to do with the creative elements of the film business.
The second is to work as hard as I can to become a physical producer. This means that I would be the guy that helps put together a film. I would be responsible for budgets and schedules and the like. I would get to know a lot of people and I would be able to get a film made in no time.

Both of these courses are what I want. They both excite me to no end and they both are very involved within the film business. My problem is that I don't know which one I want more.

Today I was faced with this decision and I feel like I made the right choice. I have decided to do anything I possibly can to be a creative producer. This is by far the more sought after path and it is evident in the number of people in LA trying to do the same thing. As a friend said "Throw a rock and see how many you hit."

I really hope this is the right decision and the right path for me. I'm feeling pretty good about it. I don't have any deepening regret about it. I guess time will see...

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Not Much Today

So, not much is happening today. I'm hanging out at Village Roadshow, waiting for success and fame to come my way.

We did have a crisis last night when Tiffany and I went to get her Oscar credentials. She took out her wallet with her ID and credit cards to give her ID to the checkin people. She somehow forgot to pick up her wallet and left it there (of course we didn't know that she had left it there).

We got home and soon Tiffany was in a panic about the wallet. We searched everywhere for it and - nothing. It took a great deal of talk-down, but we finally resolved to just wait until morning and then I would head to Hollywood before my internship and ask the Oscar people about lost and found.

This morning I made it to Orange and Hollywood Blvd (despite Hollywood being closed) and was able to get the wallet no problems. They gave it to me without any problem because my picture happened to be in the wallet :)

I am still working on my various scripts. I am hoping to get one cranked out in the next few weeks. Anyone interested in being a reader for these projects let me know. Some knowledge of dramatic structure and/or screenwriting would be helpful but not mandatory. No compensation will be provided, but I will most likely put your name on the end credits under "Thanks" once the film is completed (and remember it takes years to get movies completed).

Monday, February 16, 2009

New Trailer

There is a new trailer for Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen on the web. Any thoughts?


Thursday, February 12, 2009

Breaking Down of Austere Presence

I'm interning at Village Roadshow Pictures on the Warner Brother's lot today. I feel like I have a fairly good presence there. I do my job and I work as hard as I can. Sometimes I mess up, but I try to do better the next time.

Today I have a job interview at another production company downtown and so in fashion I am wearing my good clothes today. (i.e.) I am wearing a new shirt, a new suit, new socks, new belt, and I am also wearing my new $130 Rockport shoes. I love these shoes (although they aren't fully broken in yet and are starting to give me a blister).

Here's the problem though - I'm trying to look and act cool while I go about performing my duties around the office, but whenever I happen to walk over the nice wood-paneled floor, my shoes do a comical and cartoon-y squeak.

I know it annoys others because it annoys the crap out of me. The issue - rubber on the heel.

Oh well, I guess I will just have to squeak.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Too Hard to Blog

I've been thinking a lot lately on what to blog. But came up with nothing...


So enjoy a guessing game of the last nine movies I have seen. Try and guess all nine!

Click on the image for higher quality

Monday, February 2, 2009

Wipeout

As many of you may know, I tried out for being on the show Wipeout. If you don't know what that is, click here:
I got to the place where they were doing the casting at around 10:45am. They were running it from 11-2pm. There was already a line when I got there, but it wasn't that bad. After a while there was a huge line running down the street.

They had us all fill out a quick sheet with info about ourselves, including some wacky stuff about us and what our friends would say about us.
Once we were done with that they put us in groups of five and a guy asked us why we wanted to be on Wipeout. I figured they wanted an energetic response so I answered, "Cause I wanna win some MONEY!!!" Apparently that's what they wanted to hear so they let me through!
They took me and one other guy up to a small room with a bunch of people in it. They had us sign a list and then fill out another form. This form was pretty big, it was about six pages and it asked all sorts of details about my life. They wanted to know anything quirky or weird about me. I put a few things: that I was Mormon, that I'm interning for free right now, that I hate pineapple.

By now my nerves were shot and the adrenaline was pumping. It slowly died down as I waited for about an hour for my interview. There was only one person conducting the interviews and she was going as fast as she could, but there was just so many people. I made up a plan in my mind that once my name was called I would holler and scream to get attention.

The time came and she called my name. The few guys in front of me were really somber when she called their names so I got up and yelled, "YaHAHA!" and ran up to the door. She had a dazed look on her face so I handed her my questionairre. She told me to stand on an X and then the interview took place. She had me slate the camera with my name, age, hometown, and job. She asked me a few questions about what I had written, she kept laughing at my responses and I was way uber excited, so maybe that charmed her.

At the end of the interview she pulled me in and started whispering. She said she liked me and would like to advance me to the next phase. She handed me a large packet in a manilla envelope (there were only a few of them in a box) and had me hide it from everyone else. She told me to fill it out quickly and leave it at the front desk. I went into an office and started filling it out. A few guys showed up and started filling out packets too. We were all way excited because we had advanced.

Now I am waiting for a phone call to find out if I made it onto the show or not. A bunch of producers are going to watch the videos of our auditions and decide. There is another casting call on the 7th in Anaheim (for anyone that wants to go and tryout).
They are casting for 5 shows and there are 24 contestants for each show. That means that they are going to be calling 120 people.

I think I have a good chance and I'm excited because I love this show. It's so freakin' hilarious. If you haven't seen it, check it out HERE.

I'll let everyone know if I made it on!