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.