Running to Six...

We're about to start working more than one day a week on the feature, which will be a nice change of pace, but that means that we're headed towards the dreaded night shoot.

Normally, on a film set when you go to night shoots, it's not that big of a deal, it just means that you don't see the sun for a good long while and that you just get used to getting down when the moon comes up.

Not so for us.

Since most of us still have day jobs and haven't yet made it to the point where we get paid actual paper money for what we do, it just means that we're going to have to put in REALLY long days to get this thing done. It's not that much of a burden really but it will show who really wants to do this and who really wants to just talk about it. This is where we separate the men from the boys, the girls from the women, and the sexually confused from the possibly Canadian.

And I know I said that I would post pics here...I don't know how yet. Fuck you, stop judging me.

Later Days...

Another Day...

About to start another day of production on "In Trouble". We did the quick still shots work at the bar last night, went well. I hope we carry that momentum over to today. It's mostly dialogue so it should be pretty easy but...you just never know.

Later Days...

Oh...!

And follow me on Twitter, won't you?

www.twitter.com/rpmedrano

Hi...I'm sorry.

I know it's been a really long time since I posted and...you're just gonna have to forgive me for that. Right now things are a little hectic but we're back to shooting a movie! That I wrote! And...yes. So, this is going to be a short one. I will post more soon and, once I figure out how, I will post pics too.

Later Days...

Well, that sucked...

Trying to shoot something on our level is always something of a crap shoot. No one's getting paid so some have a tendency to not take it seriously. And especially here in ABQ, it seems like the more Hollywood comes to town, the more actors and crew here believe that working on something indie that has no promise of ever going anywhere, is simply a waste of time and energy.

Of course, there are exceptions and there are some people around town that would be committed to the project no matter what it is. Finding them, or course, is the hard part.

Yesterday was the first day of production on John's short and I can safely say, I think, that it was a complete mess. Nothing really got done and while that was truly no one's fault, it's just a reminder of how hard we all have to work. While the boons are things like smaller crews, increased mobility, and increased creativity, the huge downside is that one small hitch can shut the whole thing down.

Anyway, moving on, moving forward. Working on a short of my own now, in addition to the feature. Hopefully one of these things will catch fire.

Later Days.

And for me next trick...

So, writing project #1 has been completed and turned in. Now I’m just waiting to hear back on it and get paid. I’m not getting paid a lot, mind you, but still it’s something. It’s actually more than I got paid for that giant turd that has my name on it in Best Buy.

It’s always funny when I tell people that although I wrote a movie that is available nationwide, that I will never tell them the title and that I hope it was a colossal failure.

Also had another meeting for the short we’re shooting in April. It was a good meeting and we got a lot covered including who would win in a fight between Jack Burton and Snake Plissken. It was decided that that level of awesomeness could not be contained on celluloid and that the film would actually catch on fire when it saw those two titans together at the same time.

And that’s just science you can look that up.

And now back to focus on the personal script that I’m writing. I’m very happy to be getting back into that. I was hoping to shoot this flick in the spring but it might actually make more sense to shoot it in the fall. I want to have everything ready to go and running smooth so that we can just jump and shoot. The hardest part of filming this movie will be shooting the fight scenes (there’s three big ones and one little one), everything else is dialogue and we’re going to rehearse the shit out of those before we actually shoot anything.

The hardest part of preproduction, I can already tell, is finding actresses to play the female leads. I ask a lot of those two characters and the actresses we find are going to have to dig deep to pull off what the script asks for.

I also need a guy to play the main villain. And the character isn’t really a villain because, when you think about it, the main character, Frankie, is the villain. He’s the bad guy, but like they say, everyone’s the hero in their own story.

That’s all for now, babies.

Later Days…

James Gunn...

Check out James Gunn's wicked post about writing and film in general. It's a very worthwhile read.

http://www.jamesgunn.com/advice-blog-1-do-you-really-want-to-be-in-the-film-industry

Working away...

So toiling on two different thing at the same time can be both helpful and complicated. It's helpful because when you get stuck with one you can just jump to the other. But it can be less helpful when writing one and you start writing things for your other script and you get two or three pages in and you realize what an ass you are and you have to copy and paste and figure out what the hell you did wrong.

Ugh, sometimes I feel like I might never get where I want to go. But then I remember what the alternative is (working a dead end job, working medical insurance claims, driving a lousy car, barely able to pay all my bills and take care of my kids) and I realize that I can't fail.

So, I won't. Also, I'm going to marry Megan Fox.

And, hey, check it out, I have a 2nd follower: Hi, Lisa!!

So, not so much...

I know, I haven't kept up on this blog like I should have been but I will remedy that in the future, I swear. It's just that I've been focused on writing actual projects. So, with work, two younglings, and two different projects to write, I haven't had a lot of time to focus on the blog, but I will post more often. Promise. Okay? Is it a deal?

Good, now let's go take a shower.

I know, right?

I'm writing. Please to be going away.

Genre vs. Mainstream...

For me at least, there is a distinct desire to avoid being labeled as anything one thing when it comes to writing/acting. Judd Apatow is a great writer/director (although I do think that the majority of the best stuff in his movies comes from Rogen and the others improving) but he has strictly worked in the realm of comedy.

JJ Abrams, on the other hand, works solely in the "genre" arena.

Both of these men have made huge impacts on film recently and on me as a both a fan and a filmmaker and I would love to be in either one of their shoes in their respective genres...but the quest is: is it possible to do not only one, but both?

Could someone be the kind of writer/actor/director that could have one foot firmly in the mainstream, making comedies and heavy indie dramas while at the same time writing and producing and staring in sci fi flicks, horror movies, and the like?

Tarantino is one of those that can seemingly do it. He's made straight up crime flicks, blood soaked samurai revenge flicks, and is now making a war movie. He's yet to set his sights on anything that could be described as mainstream but still, he's one of those that can seemingly do anything they want and pull it off.

The question is: can anyone else?

I think not...

Is it wrong that I'm seriously digging The Veronicas and the new Lily Allen? That's pop for you, man. They know how to getcha.

Projects...

So:

- The Rascal King: Still only page 60. This is taking far too long.
- Horror spec: I really dig the opening and I know just how I want the whole thing to go.
- Black Jesus: Almost there, I really am.

and

- The web series: I've got a good bead on what I want to see. Hopefully, others will want to see it too.

That's all. Get back to work, sinners.

And right now I'm listening to David Bowie as I write. I love Bowie and so should you.

Screenwriter's Market...

Just picked up the 2009 edition. It's invaluable and I highly recommend that you all (and by that I mean the none of you that read this) run right out and pick it up. It's got listings for both agents that are looking for new talent, production companies, and there's a truck load of info for playwrights.

It's a good read and I'm willing to bet that the info contained therein will still good a year from now. It's a sweet investment for only thirty bucks.

So...go buy it.

Dark Days...

Just a bit of self doubt, really. I've never been one of those that can just spew out any crap on the page and think it's gold. It may be simply because I tend to over analyze the things that I write and I let that get the better of me but, hey, I wanna be great. Note: not good, great.

I never want to be one of those guys who just sits there and puts just anything on the page. I want what I write to stick with people, to entertain them. To take them away from whatever crap is going on in their life and, for just a little bit of time, make everything better again.

It always astounds me when people put out stuff that's garbage, and they know it's garbage, and they don't understand that why it never took them to unparalleled levels of success and fame and fortune. And then they blame it on everyone else: the audience didn't get it, the company didn't do enough to push it, blah blah blah.

Well, did you ever think that maybe it wasn't that good to begin with?

I know that I'm not the best writer in the world but I'm certainly not the worst. I know that I can put out good product, no matter what it is. And more than anything, I never want to be the kind of guy who just never understood why their career never took off.

Now, if I could just bottle Warren Ellis' work ethic, everything would be back to neat.

Later Days

Same Vision, Different Visionaries

I don't know how anyone else might feel, I'm doing my best lately not to speak for others, but I'm a little iffy on the whole "similar story, different writer" thing. The most recent example of that could be Kevin Smith and "Zack and Miri make a porno". Basic Premise: Two cash strapped friends decide to make a skin flick to get themselves out of debt. A similar movie is called "The Amateurs" with Ted Danson and Jeff Bridges, only this time the whole of the small town in the story comes together to make the porno.

Another example would be "Go" from Doug Limon and John August, which, to this day, is referred to as "Pulp Fiction Jr."

Could it be that I'm reading too much into things and it all comes down to personal vision? I know that different people can tell the same story but I guess that, for me at least, I would like to try and do something a little more original.

It's true these days that most of the best stories have been told and now it's down to how and with whom you tell it.

Still though, coming up with something that's new and fresh, that's one daunting task.

Quick Update...

So, as of right now, I'm working on three things: Kurly's script ( I know I should have it done by now, Kurly, please don't kill me), The Rascal King, and a crime script.

It feels good to be writing again but I'm ACHING to get back into actual production on something. I'm going to the Light Thorn meeting with Mike West on the 21st so hopefully that can lead to something and I'm definitely going to see what Chris and the others are up on saturday night.

Hopefully, that will lead to something too.

Later Days

Strangers with Candy...

The entire first season of SwC is now on Hulu. I'm so happy that I could punch a dolphin. Hulu, I love you so much that I swear, here and now, that I will defend you to the death and I will rape all your enemies.

One Last Thing For Today...

The whole Christian Bale thing? Not really that big of a deal. Harry Knowles over at AICN has posted a whole item about it, supposedly getting the scoop from someone in the know.

Bale was here in Albuquerque making Terminator: Salvation when all this nonsense went down and from everyone that I've talked to on the set, he was the nicest guy in the world and this DP Hurlbut had it coming.

Anyway, here's the rant: http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/?p=9347

And here's Knowles item: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39984

I just want to say, for the record, I'm totally Team Bale.

The Ideas You Thought Were Stupid...

Tell if this has ever happened to you: you're sitting around, thinking about stuff that you'd like to write about. And maybe you come across an idea that you think would be cool. Maybe you even go as far as to jot down notes and dialogue and anything else that you might need to get the process started. You really dig the idea and you think that this could be something that you could really see through all the way to the end...

And the idiot gear kicks in.

You second guess the idea and you begin to doubt that this wonderful concept is as good as you think it is and before you know it, you're not that into it anymore and you just piss all over it and you move on.

And then you see a preview for your idea on tv or the internet and not only that, it's been hacked apart and presented in the worst way possible.

Now, I'm not saying that my life is The Truman Show but, dude, sometimes I really, really wonder.

Later Days

Music That I Write To...

- Rilo Kiley - My all time favorite band. Every album has been better than the one before. Name another band that has done that.

- The Dresden Dolls - Dark punk burlesque. You know you like it.

- Betty Curse - I find the beauty in the darkness.

- Johnny Hollow - Go and find out for yourself.

- 70's rock - The Who and Led Zepplin are still changing teenagers lives.

- T.I. and his ilk - Rap can do a lot for you if you doing something on the anger tip.

- 80's new wave - I defy you from being happy as you listen to The Cure and New Order.

- The Postal Service - Indie electronica. No seriously.

This is just part one. I think I might make this a regular thing where I post a new song or band or album as I go, point out things I dig and see if you dig them too.

Later Days

Pixar...

They've yet to make a movie that I haven't loved and I'm literally freaking out about "Up". Plus, I kinda look like that fat kid.

50...

I hit the 50 page mark on the new script yesterday and if I can keep up this rate, it will be finished on the downslide of never.

I'm gonna have to ramp things up if I'm gonna do this thing this year. The problem is that, given my druthers, my brain will find ten thousand other things to do instead of writing. I'll surf the net, play video games, watch tv, hell, my mind would rather clean than focus on writing.

And that's just sad.

It takes a tremendous lack of discipline to just sit there and do nothing. To be honest a large portion of it boils down to just pure laziness but, and we're being honest, it's more to do with a fear of failure. That old "what if no one likes it or thinks it's any good". That kind of thing can be crippling if you let in and let it get a hold of you.

I guess it's something that everyone goes through and everyone has their own way of working through it, myself included, and I just need to hunker down and do that.

So far I love what I have and I have a very clear idea of where I'm going and how I'm getting there. And I can't wait to shoot it.

Hoo-freaking-ray!!!

I just read that Rob Thomas is planning a Veronica Mars movie. How awesomely badass is that? VM was one of those shows that never got the chance to meet it's full potential despite the fact the each week's episode was by far the best thing on TV.

Let's hope that this leads to a trend of dead-before-their-time shows getting a second chance as films. (ie: Jericho, Arrested Development, Deadwood)

When music becomes a character...

All too often these days, I see movies with soundtracks that are comprised or nothing more than the latest hard rock/metal singles. Particular guilt for this crime can be found in the horror genre. So, along with cramming each new horror flick with nothing but stars from the CW, horror movies screw up a vital part of the movie going experience.

Music is...vital to everything we do when it comes to movies. From when we write to when the final credits roll, music can literally make or break a movie. And that's never more evident than in a movie like "Garden State" or "Juno" where the music itself has become a character in the movie.

Hell, in some cases you might care more about the music than the jag weeds running around on screen.

I'm thinking about posting the soundtrack listing I would love to have for my current script. Whaddya think?

Lemme know

Later Days

Who I Look Up To...

Every so often I get asked who I see as an inspiration when it comes to writing. Well, here is a brief list that comes at you in no particular order:

Peter Jackson
Guillermo del Toro
Kevin Smith
Mel Brooks
Carol Burnett
and, increasingly more so over the last few years, Tina Fey

I'm sure that more will come to me as I go along but I gotta go write and rustle up some dinner for the children.

Later Days

Look! I'm on the interweb!

There's this lady, Amanda, and she runs one of the best screenwriting blogs out on the web and she answered one of my questions on her blog.

Check it: http://aspiringtvwriter.blogspot.com/

While I may not particularly agree with her answer, I do have to commend her on her furious honesty.

She's pretty cute too.

Later Days

So...

This is my new blog and only a select few of you will know where it is. It's mostly going to be about my writing and trying to get things made and trying to make a name for myself. I'm on Myspace and Twitter as well but...I needed something else.

And this is it.

So, as of now, I'm working on The Rascal King, Black Jesus (for Kurly), and I'm looking to get cracking on a web series. Hopefully this will be the start of my new life.

Thanks for checking in. It's going to be one hell of a ride and I'm pretty positive that we're all going to get laid.

Later Days