BREAKING NEWS:

Just got my letter in the mail - I made it through the application stage of acceptance to the DGA (Directors Guild of America) Assistant Directors Training Program in NYC. This was actually the stage I was the most worried about. The next (2nd of 4) stage is that I go to NYC on February 20th to take a 4-5 hour written test. If I am one of the top scorers there, I am invited back in April for the first round of in-person interviews.

WOO HOO!

Thanks for your support, as always!

JC

The Stats, The Plan

“Oh, people can come up with statistics to prove anything... 14% of people know that.” ~ Homer Simpson

As you know, this blog is only about a month old. I have a cute little hit counter at the bottom of the page, and this links to my blog statistics, which I look at every day. Since it is a brand-new blog, and I think because I switched it up right around the holidays, it is taking some time to build the numbers. That can be a little depressing, because with the last blog I had a good base built up, and now all the numbers are low... but that is just accumulation, we'll get back to it. There is also a map, with pinpoints on where the hits are coming from, all over the world. Don't worry, I can't pinpoint it to your EXACT location, I won't be showing up on your doorstep or anything. But now those pinpoints have to build up all over again, whereas I left behind a map full of them with the "Smalltimore, the Movie" blog. That was nice to look at.

But the cool thing is that, now that I do have somewhat of a base and a following, the numbers can be a bit more accurate because there are more people hitting the sight on purpose. The stats are cumulative, so on the last blog the more recent numbers were still watered down by numbers from a year ago, when less people were following and a lot of the hits were accidental. Does that make sense? It is all about the "Visit Length" stat. Even though it feels in some ways like I am starting from scratch, the stats are actually better. I can already see that a much larger percentage of the hits are staying on the site for 5 minutes or more, and about half of the hits that land here on purpose are staying for an hour or more. Some of that could be attributed to people leaving it up on their screen and walking away from the computer for awhile, but since it is a significant number increase it can't all be about that. Anything less than five minutes I figure was an accidental hit, because obviously most of my posts take at least 5 minutes to read!

Part of it, I am sure, is me getting back into the groove myself, and posting on a regular (at least weekly) basis. I am pretty much there, I just needed a slight breather.

It is so important to stay current, to stay in front of people. That would be hard to do, for me, if I didn't love it. I can't stick to something if I am not enjoying it. And the other side of that coin is if you are not enjoying it, people pick up on that, and they can't stay interested in something you are presenting if you are not even interested in it yourself. I am at the point now where in my daily life, I don't need to verbally barrage people on sight, gushing about whatever project I am working on this week. Now, they expect me to be working on something, so they ask what I am up to. And then I gush! But it is sincere - they are sincerely interested (the majority anyway; probably a few are just being polite), and I am sincerely excited about whatever I am doing. And if I do figure out that they are just being polite, I keep it brief.

So my little pinpoints on the map are, at the moment, largely clustered around Baltimore and D.C., but I also have a small bunch in the L.A. area, another in New York City, and a smattering in Western Europe. And one lonely little pinpoint that pops up once in awhile in Budapest (Hi, Jonathan!).

I have a plan to try to connect those dots between the east coast and the west, though that is not what the plan started off to be. It just started off as a plan to do something I have always wanted to do, something that I think almost every American wants to do at some point in their life - drive cross-country. But, why not at least try to kill two birds with one stone?

I doubt I will be employed past the end of April, and even if I get into that program in NYC, that leaves me the month of May (my birthday month, incidentally - I am a Gemini to the bone, if you hadn't figured that out yet), with maybe a week or two on either side. I haven't been unemployed for over 12 years, at which time I had 7 or 8 weeks off between this job and my last. And before that I was employed by the same company for over 9 years, uninterrupted. So this may be my only opportunity for a long time to take a decent chunk of time and check this off my to-do list.

Not enough people take these sorts of things into account, when they are presented with the time or the money to do something special, that they may never have a better chance to do it. It is easier (and less scary) to convince themselves that they'll get around to it... someday. Screw that. I am not being unrealistic or irresponsible in planning to do this. The reality is, I might not get a chance to do this for another 12 years. And who cares about hearing about the adventures of a 50+ year old on the road? "Hit the Early Bird Special in Dallas, El Paso, AND Phoenix this week! Woo-hoo!" I kid. I sure hope I will still be doing stuff like this 12 years from now. But the important thing is to do it NOW, and make plans, not make excuses. Tomorrow is not promised, to anyone.

My Dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late 2002. He died in 2003, when he was 56 years old. There was a lot he still wanted to do. In 1999 I took my first overseas trip and was instantly bitten by the travel bug. I made a conscious decision to spend every last dime I had in 2000 on travel, and that I did. I planned trips to Spain, London, Paris, and Scotland. My Dad that this was super-cool. He asked me if I had ever thought about taking a white-water rafting trip. I hadn't, I said, but I could. Daddy said he had always wanted to raft through the Grand Canyon. We had never traveled together before. It meant a lot to me that he would want to do this. I said I'd look into it, and I found a great outfit, Grand Canyon Expeditions (they are still in operation - GO, I promise you'll love it). At the time it was about $2,000 per person, with a $500 deposit, for an 8 day trip that included all meals, camping gear, and experienced guides on pontoon boats that held 14 people (it is about $2,500 per person now). That was a lot of money to either one of us. Dad said he'd think about it. I thought about it, too. I knew there was a good chance he would talk himself out of it, and I knew there was an even better chance that if we didn't do it now, we never would. I sent in the deposit for both of us without telling Dad. He called me a few days later and said, "You know what, let's do it." I said good, because I already sent in the non-refundable deposit. Dad laughed. "What if I had decided not to go?" he asked. "That wasn't an option," I said.

It was an amazing experience and I believe likely the single best experience of my father's life. He talked about it to anyone who would listen for the next three years, up to the day he died.

Not long after that, my Great Aunt June on my Mother's side died. In spring of 2001, the estate was settled and my Mom inherited a nice chunk of money. Not a life-changing amount, in that it wouldn't carry her the rest of her days or anything, but potentially a life-changing amount in that it was likely that she would never have a chunk like this all at once again, as Aunt June was the last of the elderly people in our family. A chunk like that can certainly change your life if you know what to do with it.

My Mom had been talking for as long as I can remember about going to Pompeii. She has always been very interested in archaeological digs, especially Pompeii. She was hemming and hawing about what to do with the money. I told her she needed to go to Italy. There was a trip with the company I had traveled to Spain, England, and France with that would be just right for her. She said she'd think about it. Why does everybody need to think so damn much? After about the third time she said she'd think about it, I put my foot down. "Mom. You are never going to have a lump sum like this again. Go to Pompeii. I am not talking to you again until you book the trip. I am totally serious. I'm hanging up now." A few days later she called me. "I know you're not talking to me, but what is the number to that tour company?" She booked it for that September. Then 9/11 hit. I knew she'd consider backing out. I called her and told her, look: I know you're nervous, but don't cancel. Postpone it until a date you are comfortable. The company (Go Ahead Tours, they are also great and also still in business) is really cool and I know they'll let you do this without a fee. DO NOT CANCEL.

She rebooked for February, and not only did they not charge her a fee, they refunded her a bit of money because the new trip dates were a lower, off-season rate. She had a great time and the experience made her a lot more fearless. Last spring I found an incredible deal to Russia. Another place Mom had always talked about going to was St. Petersburg, to see the Hermitage. I forwarded her the info. It was absolutely never going to be any cheaper than this. It didn't take too much convincing. She booked it and went to Russia all by herself, this wasn't even a group trip with a guide. I've never even been to Russia!

So, what can I tell ya? I gotta go. I know in my gut this is my best opportunity to do this cross-country trip. I'm not totally hardheaded about it, in that if my job gets extended another month, I can be flexible with the dates, but I figure by September at the latest. I've been laying very low the last couple months, not going out too much, paying down my credit cards. I'm in a good groove with that. So to prepare for this trip, I have started saving for it by buying a $100 Shell gas card when I can, at least one per paycheck. I have two so far. If I can get 2 to 3 a month from now through April I should have a good handle on it. I'll talk more about this in the days to come. And how fun will it be to blog my way to the west coast and back?

So there you go. That's my plan. Carpe, Diem, baby! Carpe Diem.

Ready For My Close-Up... Ish.

I have no movie-related photos, per se, for you, but I hate to post without pics. And the above is a very rare cute pic of one of my dogs, Timmy, a.k.a. Baby Boy. Tim is very camera shy and most often comes across looking extremely stressed out, for example:

Poor Timbuktu. I know how he feels. People who consider themselves to be a director, or at a minimum consider themselves to NOT be an actor, often have varying degrees of stage fright themselves, and I am no exception.

A friend of mine in Paris, Jerome, is an award-winning director who refuses to even allow a photo of himself to be taken. When I was making the short, "The Red-Headed Menace," Michelle, who is used to being behind the camera instead of in front of it, proved to need more coddling (well, perhaps, "threatening" would be more accurate in her case) than the children on the set. She was truly uncomfortable, though she pulled it off in the end and I have received many compliments from people who know her well on how natural her performance came across.

I have been on camera a grand total of three times. The first was in the preliminary trailer for Charm City/Smalltimore (click on the YouTube link at the top of the sidebar on the right and you can check out my debut for yourself) that was made waaaay back in December 2007, eight months before we actually started filming Smalltimore. I was more or less playing myself in three scenes, 2 of 3 with another actor who was a good friend and with whom I was very comfortable. The big factor, however, was that my friend Sean Stanley was directing the scenes, and I felt very comfortable doing whatever he told me to do. Okay, maybe "comfortable" isn't the right word, but I trusted him, and more importantly, I respected him and didn't want to screw up in front of him or waste his or the crew's time. It is not easy for someone, especially someone who is used to being the person in charge, to surrender themselves to someone else. That is what acting is, handing yourself over, and I have a great deal of respect for actors. I think it is important for a director to put her/himself in their shoes once in awhile.

The second time I was in front of a camera was in November of 2008, when I took Steve Yeager's Acting for the Camera seminar at the Creative Alliance. Talk about nerve-wracking. Each of the six students in the class were given a different monologue, each selected by Steve, to memorize in one week before our next class. If I remember correctly, mine was almost FOUR minutes long, That is an eternity, and a lot to memorize. I wish I could remember the play it is from, I'll have to ask Steve. But the gist of it was, I think, that a rather shy and sheltered rural housewife tries, clumsily at first, to seduce a young man who is in her house to repair her bedframe. I worked very hard to memorize this enormous chunk of dialogue. We also had to figure out all on our own, with no direction, what our body language, movements, and facial expressions would be. I studied the script and worked on it while I was drying my hair, doing dishes, taking a shower, whenever I could.

The day came and my heart was beating out of control from the moment I got up, just thinking about it. I had to deliver this monologue, standing in front of the camera by myself, while Steve stood in front of me behind the camera and my five classmates sat on the sidelines. I felt my face flush, feeling them staring at me, sort of seeing them in my peripheral vision.

"Aaaand, ACTION."

The great and perfect thing about the piece (which was actually very strange, and I don't think I even really understood it until I had read it a million times and had it fully committed to memory), was that the character starts off, in my interpretation anyway, quite timid and nervous but by the end of the piece has gathered confidence. And that is how it played out as I recited it. I was a WRECK to start off with, my stomach seized up tight like a fist, my knees wobbly. I could hear my voice shaking. I was terrified that halfway through I would blank out, or just look like a deer in headlights. But it worked for the piece. She was supposed to be unsure of herself. By the time I got halfway through, almost two whole minutes, I realized that I wasn't going to forget anything, and I could tell by the look on Steve's face that I was doing fine with my physical presentation as well. And I could tell by the complete lack of movement in my peripheral vision, and occasional laughter in the right spots, that I had the full attention of my classmates. As I ramped up towards the end, the character talks in an extremely sensual manner about the experience of opening a can of tuna fish. I was extremely NOT comfortable delivering this part of the speech, but it is like karaoke, or wearing a hat - it is all or nothing. If you don't belt out the song or have a little swagger in your step, you are going to look like an idiot. Better to only feel like an idiot, but look like you know what you are doing. I stared a hole through the camera and made sure that anyone on the receiving end knew that even though I was talking about a can of tuna fish, I was unmistakably NOT talking about tuna fish at all.

"Aaaand, CUT!"

I got a round of applause, and one of the guys in the class exhaled sharply and claimed that he would never look at a can of tuna fish in quite the same way.

The third time on camera was, of course, in "The Red-Headed Menace," this time definitely me playing me. Which is just about the hardest thing an actor can be asked to do, let alone a non-actor. Add to that pressure the fact that this was the largest set, almost 50 people, that I had ever brought together, and I am trying to direct myself, Michelle, and Craig Herron - the three of us all non-actors who are usually only behind the scenes - all in the same scene. These were my cast, my crew, and I am their director. Throwing myself into this fire was an opportunity to gain a deeper respect from them (and for them), or to lose any and all respect from them that I had already built up. It all turned out all right. Really good, actually. But that's the beauty of filmmaking - you will never see the terrible takes that came before the one decent one!

So, anyway... as I have recently mentioned, I am going to have a small role in an upcoming horror short, written and directed by Jason Koch, by Zinnia Films. I barely know Jason, but I can gauge pretty quickly how I am going to get along with people, and if I didn't like him (and the script) and trust him right off the bat, I most likely would have turned it down. If I had to read against someone else for the part I probably wouldn't have done it either. I am not an actor, so I would (a) just assume that almost any actor could beat me out for it, and (b) if I were any good I'd feel guilty taking a part away from an actual actor.

Though he has a great deal of experience within the industry, this is Jason's first creative piece that he is writing and directing himself, and I feel as strongly about not letting him down as I did about not falling on my face in front of Sean, Steve, or my own cast and crew. I'm excited. It's going to be fine. It's going to be more than fine. Stand back - I am going to nail this.

Girl's Night, Games, & Gore

[Yes, that is crispy BACON topping the maple cream cheese icing on the maple bacon cupcakes that my friend Alvina brought over to Ladies' Independent Movie night at my place. If it weren't for men, and not being able to afford fitting my butt into anything other than coach class, I would eat these things EVERY DAY.]

Last Saturday night I had five of my female friends over for a Ladies' Indie Film Evening. We watched my friend Adam Bronstein's "My Movie Girl," and I'd say it was a hit with the crowd. In addition to writing and directing the film, Adam also was the lead. One of my friends, Elizabeth, had met Adam when he visited me a couple months ago. I think it is always extra cool to see people you know in the movies, and I think Elizabeth enjoyed the movie a little bit extra.

Monday, I finally, at the last possible minute of course, sent my application to the Director's Guild of America (DGA) Assistant Director Training Program in New York City. I can't even begin to explain to you how badly I want this. I was working on the set of, "The Rosens," last spring, and the gaffer/grip Grey Adkins told me about the program on our lunch break. It sounded far too good to be true. It is a two-year program, there is no tuition cost to the trainee, AND they give you health insurance while you are in the program. What's the catch? It is very stiff competition. Out of 250-300 applicants each year, they only accept 5 to 7. If you get past the application step, you have to go to NYC to take a written test in February. If you get past that, you go back in April for in-person interview(s). And if you get past THAT, you go back again in May for another, final in-person interview. If you are one of the very few they finally select, the program begins in mid-June and lasts for two years.

So now, we play The Waiting Game... I hate The Waiting Game.

The things Grey told me were true - no tuition, yes to insurance. In addition to that, the program is in large part on the job training. I would SO much rather be doing that than sitting in a classroom, so that was good news to me. They farm you out to film and television productions, and while you are working on the set, you get paid. I think it must be operated sort of like a temp agency. It's not a regular check, since sometimes you are on the set and sometimes not, so you'd have to get a part-time job to make ends meet in the Big Apple. Upon successfully completing the two-year program, you can join the union as a 2nd Assistant Director.

Everything about this program sounds like it is perfectly suited to me and what I want to do. By no means do I think I am a shoo-in, but I do believe I have as good a chance as anyone. Moving to New York would be a big deal, but I have been visualizing it for awhile now, and getting excited about it. To the point that I may do it whether I get into the program or not. Pleeeeeease don't think that I am anxious to leave Baltimore. If you've read much of my blog(s), let alone seen "Smalltimore," I hope you know how much I love this city. I don't think I could ever be the kind of person to say of any single place, though, "This is where I am going to spend the rest of my life." I'm a Gemini. That's how we do.

And speaking of my dual nature, I am super-stoked to tell you that it looks like I am going to have a (very) small part(s) in an upcoming horror short by Zinnia Films. Jason Koch is the writer/director. I met him at Cinelounge at the Creative Alliance. He had seen me in "The Red-Headed Menace" and the preliminary trailer for Charm City/Smalltimore and asked if I would do this little part. It is not many lines, which is good for me, but the really cool thing is, it is a dual role, so I get to play two completely different people. This to me makes it waaaay more fun than just doing a little part, which would probably just rack my nerves. It is actually a lot more about how I look than about the dialogue, so I can focus on that and not be so nervous. And also I won't have much responsibility on the set, so for once maybe I will be privy to all the behind the scenes gossip and drama, since I won't be the one in charge!

I have no aspirations at this late date to become an actor, but doing something small like this once in awhile, I believe, helps me to be a better director. It also builds my confidence, as I honestly find it quite scary, and it not so much forces me out of my comfort zone as it CATAPULTS me. I just met Jason, really, but I was comfortable with him right away and I am looking forward to working with him. I had a chance to see some shorts that Zinnia Films has done. They were very professional, I especially liked "Yard Sale." They have a good reputation, and one thing always leads to another. It is in pre-pro now, shooting in March-April. Can't wait to get on a new set! Even though I may end up covered in blood!

Promises, Promises

I PROMISE I will write a decent-sized post tomorrow, have lots to talk about. But for the moment, want to let you know that "Smalltimore," is NOW available for sale at Minas in Hampden, 815 West 36th Street (The Avenue)! Snap up a copy!

Drinking the Kool-Aid

I'm on Twitter. If you have read more than one of my postings, you can imagine how tough it is going to be for me to confine myself to 140 characters. This is going to take some getting used to, so forgive me if my tweets are a little lame starting off. I promise I'll get the hang of it soon enough. You can follow me @ SteelCorset - just scroll down and click the link in the sidebar!

Clean Slate, Full Plate

Don't you love the first week of January? It's like the first day of school, or moving to a new city. So full of possibilities and delusions of grandeur!

Sorry I haven't been writing much, but I can see my blog stats are down, so you haven't been reading much anyway. I know, the holidays, I won't take it personally. Same here. Also I don't like posting without a photo to give you and there just hasn't been anything photo-worthy lately. I'll try to correct that very soon.

I took a nice little break for a few weeks, following the successful Smalltimore screening & DVD release party on December 9th. Got through the holidays relatively unscathed. Pretty low-drama Christmas at my uncle's and an intimate gathering of friends on New Year's Eve. Nothing crazy, and that was good. And though I can never totally stop talking about Smalltimore/filmmaking (because people never stop asking, and that is also good), other than my New Year's Day interview on L.A. Talk Radio (see link in the sidebar) I didn't do any actual film-related work for a solid 2-3 weeks.

It was a break I was looking forward to, but I am glad it is over as it was getting a little boring and I am anxious to get back on the set, ANY set.In the past week a lot of cool stuff has come up. I hope it all pans out, we'll see. This seems to be the time of year where, much like everyone swears to quit smoking or lose 20 pounds, they also swear to get their film projects off the ground. But the best of intentions are often waylaid by a lack of funds.

In the next 3-6 months, I may be working (PM/AD) on a feature in St. Louis, another PM/AD position in Baltimore, writing on a project in NYC, directing a project in Baltimore, and even acting in a small role locally as well. May be co-producing on a short or two also. We'll see what comes to fruition. I hope they all do, but that would probably be too much to ask. In my spare moments now I am researching for two different features I want to write, and I need to reschedule the shoot for the short I was supposed to do in November that got cancelled when Michelle got sick. Probably March or April for that. I still need to continue pushing Smalltimore, and I am working on brokering a deal with a couple local shops to sell the DVDs on consignment for me. Also need to start pursuing studio distribution, haven't even touched that yet. As I have mentioned, I will also probably be losing my "real" job, and quite possibly my apartment, in the next few months. Trying not to think or worry about that, as there is not much I can do about it anyway. My friends assure me that they will not allow me to live in a cardboard box, so I know I'll be okay anyway around it.

The January meeting of the Creative Alliance Movie Makers was a really good one, focusing on cross-pollination between local filmmakers and local music artists. I even saw a young woman, Winona, there, that I had met a year ago when I spoke to her film class at UMBC. Good to see that she is sticking with it and reaching out to make contacts within the community. Lois Tuttle, a board member of the Baltimore Songwriter's Association, gave a short presentation. I have always said that there is NO excuse for making a movie in Baltimore with a bad soundtrack. Too many talented people here who would love to have their music in a movie. Next month is the semi-annual mini tradeshow, looking forward to that also. Last night I attended for the first time the monthly meeting of the Baltimore chapter of Women in Film & Video. Arlette Fletcher, President of the chapter, invited me to come and screen a trailer for Smalltimore as well as my short The Red-Headed Menace. The threat of snow kept a lot of people away so attendance was low, but it was a nice little meeting at Blue Rock Studios off of Reisterstown Road. The short was well-received and though I didn't actually sell any copies of Smalltimore, I was able to trade one for a copy of a local documentary titled, "Going All Pro". I was lucky enough to already see this doc, that focuses on a local beer vendor at sporting events known as "Fancy Clancy". It is really good and might possibly screen soon at the Creative Alliance. I saw it because I screened it for the Members Committee. Two thumbs up from me! If you get a chance to see it, go.

I have been doing a bit of that lately, trading copies of my feature for other indie features or copies of my short for other indie shorts. It is kind of cool to have movies that no one else has, and also to get your product in front of your peers in this manner. I have even swapped with some people that I met at the festivals I went to in England, Philadelphia, and California.

What else is going on... oh, full throttle back in production with Steve Yeager on his latest feature, "The Rosens." I spent a few hours with Steve Yesterday, scouting a handful of locations I came up with for him for our remaining scenes, going over schedules etc. I also re-read the entire script last weekend and broke down the remaining scenes for scheduling purposes, and in the process dredged up about a hundred new questions and suggestions for Steve, which we addressed point by point over lunch at City Cafe. I was afraid I might drive him crazy but he seems to appreciate how thorough I try to be. It's cool to talk things out and have your suggestions met with a positive response from someone you respect. These are the things that make it worth it to me to "pay your dues." I took Steve's Acting For The Camera workshop at the Creative Alliance a year and a half ago. Getting a taste of acting for the camera was a great experience and made me a better director, but I had already shot Smalltimore by then. The larger reason I took Steve's class was because I knew him by reputation and I wanted to get to know him better, with the even larger goal of working on a project with him at some point. A month after I took his class, he asked me to be an extra in a scene. Five months after that he asked me to be his AD. Three months after that he asked me to be his Co-Producer. Mission accomplished.

Oh, and coming up next weekend is the screening of the short I worked on in Virginia over Labor Day Weekend with Michelle, "Please God, Someone Normal." That set was pure fun from beginning to end and I am as anxious to see everyone from the set as I am to see the finished product!

This month, after a two-month reprieve (as there are very few film festivals taking place in the winter months), I should be hearing from the last handful of festivals I submitted Smalltimore to. I was rejected by the San Francisco Indie Fest, which is a drag because my friend Adam's film, "My Movie Girl," was accepted. I met Adam at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, and we really wanted to screen together, plus I have a free place to stay in San Fran which would have been sweet. On the other hand, though, I am really broke, and trying to pay off credit cards before I lose my job, so possibly a blessing in disguise. I'll let you know how the rest pan out.

Anyway... So, I am busy. And I am happy. Both of those things keep me out of trouble :) Now that you have an overview of the many irons I have in many fires, I'll try to stick to updating about one or two of them per blog entry. Stick with me and see what happens next! I promise to get you some photos real soon. Happy New Year, I hope it is a great one for all of you!

Catch As Catch Can

Hey there! If you are new to the blog, just stumbled upon it, recently heard about "Smalltimore" or one of my other projects, or recently met me, feel free to read back through some of my posts on my previous blogs (links in the sidebar), "Smalltimore, the Movie," (12/08-12/09) or "Charm City" (12/07-12/08). Everything you wanted to know about the trials, tribulations, and absolute minutia of making an independent film. Plus learn the names of my dogs, my favorite vacation spots, my personal pinnacles and deepest disappointments of the last two years. It's a stalker's dream come true. Welcome!

On The Air

Hey! Listen to me live on the air TONIGHT, 11:35pm east coast, 8:35pm west coast:

http://www.latalkradio.com/Cameron.php

Many thanks to Regina Guy for lining up this interview for me. Looking forward to getting some air time in LA LA Land!