A Breakthrough At Last

Having become completely derailed from book-writing, blog-posting, and sleep schedule by this short film, I finally experienced a breakthrough with the filmmaker. We met with a very well-known Line Producer and went through the story boards, shooting schedule and budget. As we were discussing how to make Los Angeles look like mid-town Manhattan DURING A FIRE AT NIGHT (for free, mind you), I saw a ray of light fall on the director's face. Oh shit. NOW he gets what a big chunk he's really bitten off.

I'm still in it with him to the bitter end, because that's the kind of film-ninja I am, but damn. Four months later and he's finally getting why I thought he was such a cowboy when I read the short. Go for it, I told him. I think everybody needs to reach as far as they can creatively, and following that up with some pratical know-how by actually creating the stuff you are writing about really invests you in the work. The more films you make the more you want to make. Don't let reality hobble you. Especially on a low-budget. I'm committed to setting a building on fire somewhere in LA and calling it Manhattan. Period. Hopefully this will not involve an actual blaze and the LAFD, but it may. Sigh.

There's a balance you have to strike as a filmmaker. On the one hand, you have sleep, peace, and happiness, and on the other, there's fame, glory and the envy of your peers. I have yet to see someone with all of these things at the same time. But that's the life of a filmmaker and welcome to it. A lot of people who move out here (especially folks who had real lives elsewhere) leave screaming because this business just beats the hell out of you. For some, (the ones who were bi-polar to begin with) the highs and lows feel like home, for others, it's best to keep your personal life personal and be ready for a ride. Cuz it's Vegas, baby, and you are rolling the dice every time you step out the door.