The Worst One Yet

I would love to make a movie about Public Service Announcements. More specifically, anti-drug PSA's. There's something a bit kitschy and maybe even nostalgic about them. The commercials, the Saturday morning cartoon efforts, the after-school specials...

One of my opinions is that the people who make these anti-drug advertisements (most by Above the Influence of Office of National Drug Control Policy) have never experimented with drugs, and are basically trying to find "the worst one yet"....the one to scare the wits out of everyone.

I'm all for the anti-heroin, anti-meth, anti-crack commercials...if not for the entertainment value, but the marijuana ones really get me. It has its share of bad side-effects, but once again, I think the creators behind these PSA's are trying the find "the worst one yet".

That's what I want to make a movie about. A group of PSA filmmakers out to find "the worst one yet". Maybe even invent a new drug that has seeped into society and is, in fact, "the worst one yet".

I just got finished watching the Rachel Leigh Cook/frying pan PSA and there's so much you can do to deconstruct that. Who wrote that? How much did the actress get paid? She's in Hollywood; has she ever used drugs? How much did it cost to make the PSA? I want to get in there, and maybe make it funny.
The slogans are gold, too! "Just Say No", "Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?", etc. Hell, "The Worst One Yet" is a slogan itself. And there's a whole slew of slogans and concepts to come up with in making a movie about PSA's.

I think it would have to be a comedy. It couldn't take itself too seriously. An even better idea - a whole movie of Muppets doing PSA's!

"Don't Dooooo Drugs!"

Look, I'm not trying to be that "hippie guy" or "the druggie" defending the use of recreational drugs. Just thinking, wouldn't a movie like that be funny? I know I'm just rambling, and I'm new to blogging, and I sort of see rambling synonymous with blogging, so I don't know...

"The Worst One Yet" - A Movie About PSA's, A PSA About PSA's....

Some PSA's cover genuinely relevant topics and issues. Others are hilarious. Let's explore that side, shall we?

I leave you with a quote by the late Bill Hicks:

"Always that same LSD story, you've all seen it. 'Young man on acid, thought he could fly, jumped out of a building. What a tragedy.' What a dick! Fuck him, he’s an idiot. If he thought he could fly, why didn’t he take off on the ground first? Check it out. You don’t see ducks lined up to catch elevators to fly south—they fly from the ground, ya moron, quit ruining it for everybody. He’s a moron, he’s dead—good, we lost a moron, fuckin’ celebrate. Wow, I just felt the world get lighter. We lost a moron! I don’t mean to sound cold, or cruel, or vicious, but I am, so that’s the way it comes out. Professional help is being sought. How about a positive LSD story? Wouldn't that be news-worthy, just the once? To base your decision on information rather than scare tactics and superstition and lies? I think it would be news-worthy. 'Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration. That we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death, life is only a dream and we're the imagination of ourselves' . . . 'Here's Tom with the weather.'"

Scum of the Earth Keep Bringin' Me Down

Why is this constant unneeded drama in my life? Why can't certain members of my family get their shit together? Why is it so hard for a father to man up and accept responsibility? Why do I have to be stuck in the middle of this ridiculousness?
Why do I keep asking questions? Because I can't find the answers. I'm trying to make my life better but the metaphorical "scum of the earth" are doing their best to make it worse.
Look, all I want to do is go to work (which is hard enough), put in my hours, come home, relax, watch a little TV, and oh, yeah, WORK ON MY GODDAMN MOVIE!
To think I almost gave an inch of responsibility to the so-called scum just burns my insides. I've lost a lot of people I trusted this past week. All I can do is move on and hope to better my life without them, which seems likely.
What I really want is to move away from my family and "friends", with my girlfriend, get our own place, and continue making movies. I don't mean move far. Maybe even in the same zip code. I need my real friends around to help with this movie, they all have great parts. But my real family and supposed best friend - well, I just won't tell them where I moved. They won't get the invite. I've had it up to here with liars and hypocrites and backstabbers. I've dealt with all this drama 5 years ago. It was one of the worst years of my life. I will not do it again. This time, I will abandon those who need help, so I can help myself.
I will make this movie. If it's the last thing I do, my movie, the one I've written with my girlfriend, will get made. If it takes every last thing out of me, if it sucks the soul from my withering body, this movie will get made. If it kills me, if it causes my brain to explode from the sheer exhaustion, from the lack of money or the problem with actors, or film permits, or laws, I will finish this movie. It will be out. Hopefully in 2010. I am doing what I can. Everyone else whose soul is consumed with this movie are doing what they can, too.
On this page is a DONATE button. Please, spare what you can. You will get credit. You'll also get something better in the future.
I am finished ranting, for now. One day, my life is going just the way I want it, and the next, it's shattering all around me. I live in the constant middle, that difference between happiness and depression. This movie is all I have left to give. If I can't do it, I can't do anything.

Hon, Get the Camera, We're Gonna Make a Moving Picture!

I am in the pre-production stage of developing my very own movie. I am co-writing and co-directing it with my girlfriend, who I will call "K".

This is all very new and exciting to me. Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to make a movie. Back when I was a wee bit, anytime my brother and I would "play", we called it a movie. We played "war", it was a war movie. We played "Cowboys and Indians", it was a Western. It got pretty heavy at points, especially with our sci-fi franchise called "Spacewatcher". There were like 10 sequels. It followed a sort of astronaut who was responsible for "watching space". He'd go up there and defend the Earth against meteors, aliens and space pirates. It was awesome.

When I got a bit older, especially high school, I began my fascination with movies and TV. It started with being a Tarantino fan and throughout the years graduated to the likes of Robert Altman, Joss Whedon and Sam Peckinpah. It was in high school when I decided I'd grow up and become a director! Then, I started writing screenplays. Most of them were Tarantinoesque crime yarns. I also wrote a few horror movies, most notably "Organ Donor", about a slaughterhouse full of human victims. Hey, maybe one day I'll get to make that film.

I graduated high school with the thought in the back of my mind that after a year, I'd go to film school. I was looking at Full Sail University in Florida. Well, it's been 6 years and I have not gone to film school, much less any type of school after high. Even though I'm 24, I feel as if I'm being timed...and in a way, I am. The great clock of life and death. I realize a few things now: you're never too old and if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. Back then, I figured I'd go to film school, make some student films, graduate, move to L.A., and land a directing gig right away, plain and simple. I was young! I realize now, this will never happen. To anyone. No one is going to hand me the camera and say, "here, shoot this!". Or, "Your vision seems good on paper...here's 10 million dollars...make a movie." I wish someone would, but it's just not going to happen. I must do this myself.

Luckily, I have a girlfriend who is into the same things as me. She also wants to make movies. The only natural response to this is to make one together. We can pull our resources and get it done right. So that's what we're doing. Pre-production for us is writing the script (we've finished the first draft), casting actors, assembling a crew, some business/legal stuff, location, making a prop list, set list, budget, and uh...saving money for a camera. It looks bad after you read it. "One day I'm going to save a LOT of money and buy a camera and film everything and ohmygod I'm so excited!"
It's nothing like that...we'll get the money and have the camera (Canon GL2) by Jan. We plan on shooting in Feb. or March, but it maybe later than that.

We do have a lot of support but we need more. We're setting up a donation for our production company (legal mumbo jumbo pending) that will be used toward the budget of the film. Our plans are to make this a "web movie" - host a website where it can be streamed, put it on youtube, myspace and anywhere else we can. We also want to sell copies of the movie with a planned documentary about the making as a special feature.

On Monday, K, our producer David and one of the main actors Justin will be attending a camera course for the GL2. It is a free class at our local media broadcast center. We're taking some free courses and then we're going to shoot a movie with their equipment. It's going to be a preface for our "BIG" movie. The reason is: when you check out their equipment and return it, they get the video. They air it on public access and you cannot make a profit on it. So, it will be a trial run while still pertaining to the overall story we're going to tell.

I cannot discuss the movie in great detail now. I don't want to share the title for copyright purposes. Same goes with the plot. What I can say is, it's a comedy about horror conventions. I think it's something horror fans will appreciate. I think it's something anyone with a knack for human drama and farce will appreciate. You don't have to "get" the convention circuit to enjoy this work...it's open for everyone. We think it has engaging characters and a moving storyline and I'm not just saying that because it's mine. I've written some sloppy screenplays before. But that was for fun. I (and K) have put my heart and soul into this. The seeds have been planted and soon my baby will be shown to the world. I hope for success (mild, even) and recognition but will gladly settle for just finishing the project. This is only the first of many. More details to come...

NOTE: Not all of my blogs will be about this movie. It's just the most important thing in my life right now and so it's constantly on my mind. I just felt the need to write something about it. Come back soon and see blogs about cowboys, robots and everything in between.

Fish out of Water

So, this is what it feels like to blog. Actually this isn't a blog as much as it is a pre-blog, a sort of introductory blog setting you up for the main blog, coming soon. What the blog? That's a lot of blog!
I'm not so sure what else to put in this pre-blog. I could go on about my terrible day, like how the Halloween store refused to return my lab coat. The lady said, "Exchanges only."
"But I got a better lab coat at the other Halloween store in this SAME shopping center. What do I need two lab coats for?"
And how now, because they wouldn't return it and give me a refund, I have to pay out of pocket for the lab coat because it was something my company was paying for. I had to use the company credit card TWICE and they just won't pay for two lab coats. Only one novelty lab coat in the budget.
Or how after we left the "evil Halloween store", K's (my girlfriend) car broke down. And AAA wouldn't service us because her name wasn't on the account. And then, when we finally settle and get the car home, I can't find a wrench adjustment the right size to get her battery out. And then I found out bad news about my credit card. And when we went to the possible location of our movie, the pictures turned out yellow.

But you don't want to read me bitching about my day. That's just not blog-worthy. So enjoy my upcoming blogs, which will be way better than this one. Thanks and have a blog day!