Plans for 2020

Sometimes it's just easier to ramble about  what's going on in a video rather than type it all out and since it will be Christmas in an hour, I'm going with the simpler option for this blog.

Happy Holidays, gang.  See  you before the year is out.

Adjust, adapt, produce

Recently I took a second shot at casting a short I've been trying to make since last year.  I got some good submissions, but did not gather the cast I needed to get this short produced.  This time, rather than wait until the perfect cast comes together, I decided to write a new script for the actors I do have.

I have short stories dating back 20 years.  I have props I've built for other films and others I bought because they were a bargain and something I might want to use in the future for "something".  I took those elements and put them together in my head, shook them up and wrote a script around what I have.

See my last blog post for more on that.

The main point is, I'm moving forward.  Independent filmmakers have two passions that often conflict.  One is to create a huge body of work.  To leave a legacy of ideas and stories.  The other is passion for specific projects.  As a writer, if I have characters I'm very connected to, which is always the goal, they will torment me and beg for life until I give it to them.  My book a few years ago was a need to get a specific story out of my head before it drove me mad.  I knew I couldn't make the film of it myself, so they characters had to settle to being given life on paper.  A couple of those characters still ask for a new adventure now and then and some day I'll give it to them, but in the meantime, I have a few screen characters who need their stories told.

At the moment, this one short I NEED to make isn't gelling.  I'm not giving up on it, but I need to set it aside and regroup.  I need to build my local network and to do that, I need to produce more work here.

So, instead of trying to gather the resources to match my current passion project, I am trying to get passionate about the project I can make.

It will have monsters.  Votes on my social media suggest small monsters are what people want.

I'll be using a creature, props and fake tools I got while working at the Halloween store.  I will be recycling some props from "Lumber vs Jack" and "Jack vs Lanterns".  I'll be filming at my cabin again and I'll be working with new talent.

Meanwhile, I've been bringing the blogs back.  "Inside HFP" is having old episodes moved to a new outlet and new episodes will be made about more recent projects (like the one I'm working on now).

My biggest problem this coming year will be finding the time to make a feature or two and figuring out which ones to make.  I have the ones I REALLY want to make, but if they don't come together I'm not going to sit around doing nothing waiting for everything to be perfect for those projects.  Instead I'll try to stay alert.  Keep my mind open and realize which idea in the back of my head or from my archives can be made.  Now.  With the resources I currently have.

"Z" was from one of my first short stories.  It came together as a project I could do at the time and in spite of people's reactions to its unusual format and outdated production values, it is one of my favorite movies of mine.  Largely because Xena and Val are in it.

Be ready to Strike

I did a blog video on this subject a few years ago and I'm reposting here and revisiting the idea because I'm going to the "opportunity" well again.

While casting for a short I really wanted to do before Christmas things went wrong.  A planned shoot.  One I wrote for, bought props for and have a location for just didn't gel in time.  But, I met some new actors and they WANT to work.  I want to work with them, so I'm going forward with a different short until I get the planned project together.

Now that I am doing Real Estate with Nancy full time, my free time is even less than it was before.  This time of year, however, things slow down at the rental cabin.  That leaves me a bit of extra time AND an empty house as a location.  Throw two available actors into the mix and a couple of monster props I came across while doing my winter storage rearrangement in my studio and I have the makings for a short flick.  So, I'm going to make one.

Meanwhile I'll get to work with new talent.  They can get a feel for my style.  We all get new stuff for our reels and we can go into the other shoot with a bit more prep time.

I feel so much better when I'm behind a camera.

So, What Have I Been Up To?

Nothing Like Kisses from a 75 pound Dog

Aside from getting my Real Estate License and doing my seasonal tour at the Halloween Store, most of my life has been at home.  We've added a new member to our pack and he takes a lot of time and effort, because, happy as he is, he has some health problems.

But, the trip to get him certainly prepared me for life with Dom.

This is not my best work, but it's the best work I could do while still paying attention to the road and the task at hand at the time.

This is my Journey to Dom.