Night shoot part 2

Another night of location shooting and despite the threat of rain, it all went off without a hitch. Cast and crew were nothing short of brilliant. Even got to pitch in and add a bit of effect.

It could have gone a lot worse. Glenn and I arrived at the appointed hour only to discover that cops and patrol cars had surrounded the area. LOL. Sure, they were only arresting a drunk but the fact that they lingered and that we did not have a permit gave us a bit of pause. As soon as the cops left, the crew and actors arrived and promptly set up the red digital camera. Minutes later, they were setting up the first shot of the night. Is filmmaking always so effortless? I would think not. This extra night of footage was the cast and crews idea. They had been itching to take out the new Red Cam for a spin and it didn’t disappoint. The footage looks fantastic and the camera, even for the uninitiated is something to see. At least fifteen separate shots were taken care of and not even a bit of drizzle interfered. At the first drop, the camera condom was slipped on and without missing a beat and they continued shooting into the night. Luckily, it did not really start raining until the filming of the series of scenes was completed.

In this kind of fast and furious production, everyone pitches in and Glenn and I were no different. Even writers are not spared a chore. Glenn and I volunteered for some extreme van rocking (insert your own gag here), and let’s just say, the van was rockin’, and no one came knockin’.

The more I see of this production. The more I see the enthusiasm of both the cast and crew and the dedication of Brett and Amy, I become more and more excited. I truly believe we have something special here. But this is movie-making and they probably said the exact sames words on the set of “Cabin Boy.”

Oh, one last thing. All night shoots require a hoodie. Don't leave home without it!

The location shoot

It has been a hectic trip up to Portland Oregon this week. There are a lot of things on the plate, so let’s get right to it.

“Unnamed Project” written by yours truly and directed by Brett Vail, is currently filming and should be wrapped up by early fall. Glenn and I visited the location shoot and stopped by to see our star, Don Colliver, get the extreme make-up treatment that is required for the title character. Thanks to some excellent make-up work, Don was transformed into something truly extraordinary. God, I wish I could tell you more!

Then it was off to Last Thursday on Alberta Street. Thousands of people had gathered for the neighborhood arts and music celebration and the plan was to utilize three cameras to track the chase scene through a busy carnival setting. And, it was extremely important to get out before anyone discovered that we didn’t have a permit to film. Ah, guerilla filmmaking! I have to say, it was a blast. Brett directed his star masterfully, following the protagonist as he maneuvered through the throngs. Don was pushing and shoving through the unsuspecting crowd, attempting to get down to the river. Don had a well-trained camera crew running right along side him with another camera that kept scrambling for higher ground for master shots. What really struck me was how uninterested the ambling attendees seemed to be. You’d have to see Don in full make-up and costume to truly appreciate how blasé everyone was. I guess they all chalked it up to “Keep Portland Weird.” Trust me, it was really something to see and all very exciting.

Somehow I was convinced in doing a small cameo and filmed it the same night. Almost managed to kill myself in the process. I am 56 and only have a few good falls left in me. Long story short, I was attempting to descend a flight of stairs to flee from an imminent explosion. No rehearsal required, right? Wrong! Missed a step and came down on my ankle hard. The ankle buckled, I didn’t and somehow managed to say upright. Glenn Holmes, co-story writer and consultant, replied sardonically, “I think it adds to the scenes overall sense of realism.”

Weather was perfect, cast and crew were all in top form and it will be a night that I won’t forget for a long time.

Now, I am off to a meeting for “Wild Space A Go Go.” We’re in the process of assembling video footage and remixing sound for a demo that will be a sales tool for getting the show into other venues. It has been a slow, arduous journey that was not helped by putting the tail before the horse and going about the whole sound editing process ass backwards. At the rate we are going, we should have some sort of product by summer 2012.

There are a total of 39 days, and counting, until “The Touristers” screenplay option expires. Needless to say, I couldn’t be happier. Planning a celebration at midnight on October 7, 2010. Details to be announced. There are rumors, only rumors that the so-called “Producer and co-writer” is attempting to get a big name attached to the script. His only problem, the re-write that he has let loose into the unsuspecting world, kills off that main character at the very end of the story. Just a hint, lead actors, and distribution companies and audiences for that matter, hate to have the protagonist killed at the end of a story. For some reason it has a dampening affect on a little something called box office receipts.

Well, that's my perspective of this last, busy week of August 2010.

Long time, no blog

Been a long time so I thought I would fill you in on what’s going on in the twisted, created life of J.P. Linde.

“Wild Space A Go Go,” the original musical opened at The Embers Nightclub in Portland and ran for a month and a half. Critically, it did well. Three reviews seemed to revel in the fun of it and one, The Willamette Week, just didn’t seem to get it. After saying that they didn’t care for it, they summed up their displeasure by declaring that a scene of anal rape of one of the protagonists highlighted the production. Needless to say, the review seemed to hamper box office receipts. What can you do? It was never my attention to include a scene of “anal rape.” If I had, I would have included it in a project more suitable than a sexual identity musical comedy.I would have saved it for my pitch for the sequel to “Rear Admiral.” All in all, it was a great show that does need work and would be served much better with a bigger performance space. Currently, “Wild Space A Go Go” is being retooled for other stage companies wishing to probe the musical mysteries of anal rape.

“The Touristers” option is running out. Thank God! October 7^th and unless the Producer renews the option, ownership will revert back to me. I can only say, it’s about damn time. I seriously doubt that the Producer will come up with the money to renew. If he does, I will take the money and run…as far away as I can! It has been rewritten, by the Producer (yes, he does take co-writing credit), that seems to remove all the fun and turns the film into a violent, angry biker flick. Ah, well, such is the game of screenwriting. If he does fail to renew the option, the original director and I will pitch it to other producers who wish to produce something closer to my original vision.

Now, to the exciting news. Project X is coming! Under the direction of the multi-talented Brett Vail, the lovely and intelligent Executive Producer, Amy Vail, the first comedy episode began shooting on August 15^th. I cannot express the excitement of working with people that not only get my sense of humor, but my writing style/voice as well. God, how refreshing a process this is! I only wish other writers an experience as good as this. Glenn Holmes and I have managed to write 4 episodes. Two of which will be filmed and pitched to various studios as a comedy pilot. It is a credit to Brett and Amy that their casting choices have been nothing short of brilliant. There was some talk of me playing one of the villains of the piece. It would have been great fun. But, as I explained in an email today, as far as production is concerned, experience should take precedent over whatever enjoyment I may get. Plus, I wrote too many damn lines for the character. Add that to the pressure of having a camera thrust in your face, well, too damn much for this guy.

Well, that’s it for now. Now that things have settled down a bit, I will try to keep you posted on projects on a more frequent basis. Good writing, everyone!