rubberblog

First feedback on "Detox"

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:56:00 +0000

Kurt Rauf gave feedback on the latest draft of Detox. Kurt was the DP on "The Bet" and many other films, including My Name Is Bruce with his buddy Bruce Campbell. Kurt's leaving to go to Michigan next week to catch the tour of MNIB. But he managed to get through the latest draft and make notes.

It'd be pretty much impossible to go into any kind of detail regarding the notes and have it make sense without having first read the script. So I won't - at least not yet. What I will say is Kurt said we went from a mediocre script (draft 4) to a pretty damn good one. He agreed it was a drama that has horrific elements and thriller trappings, but it's not a horror film, nor a thriller. He had absolutely no problems with the story/plot; his comments were mainly on dialogue (we were a bit wordy), artifacts of plot devices removed from previous drafts and some suggestions to punch up the characters a bit.

Still waiting for other responses, but so far, not too drastic of changes.

Oh, and today is the notification date for The Movie Deal. They haven't posted the winners yet, but, based on previous experience, I'd say we'd have known by now if we won.

Horror

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:26:00 +0000

I just blogged about the first script pitch for Detox over at the Detox blog HERE. And at the end I mentioned wanting to write a horror script that couldn't construed as anything BUT horror. You'd think that'd be easy. And, I guess, it would. But maybe my brain is just not wired that way. I set out for Detox to be classifiably horror as a reaction to "The Bet" not being perceived as horror. Now, I am looking to write something else that's horror since Detox isn't perceived that way.

Anyhoo. I think the problem I keep running into is that, for the most part, horror films are stupid. They're good, but there's usually not much to them storywise. And if there is, they start to move into other genres. Slasher films are undeniably horror and their scripts are usually pretty lame. Group of unsuspecting people trapped somewhere isolated and picked off one-by-one. Sure, a film like Wolf Creek follows that, but front loads with a lot of character development and was unapologetically brutal. A Nightmare on Elm Street mixed things up by adding fantasy elements. The Thing added sc-fi elements. Maybe I just don't know what horror is.

Actually, I do. I recently was going nuts trying to come up with a short film idea. I had ideas with horrific elements, but they didn't feel like horror. According to Wikipedia, "Horror films are movies that strive to elicit fear, horror and terror responses from viewers." Seems pretty simple. And by that definition, "The Bet" is a horror film. It may not have worked for everyone and may have been very light in the fear arena, favoring other darker emotions, but it did "strive to elicit fear."

I think what I'm expecting out of myself is something more traditionally horror. Something with blood and monsters and screaming. The new idea I've got cooking is definitely looking good in the blood department. It might not be the best way to write a script, but going in I'm determined to get a lot of blood, a lot of sex, a lot of nudity, a lot of screaming, a lot of death. I'm sure it will somehow, in the process, skew off into a more heady direction - and that's fine. I'll just make sure to keep the blood flowing on the screen.

Obama. FTW!

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:51:00 +0000

Thank you.
Let's hope change really does come.
Cos we need it.

And thank you, especially, to Shannon. She made me want to vote. And if she made ME vote, she made others (and I know she did). And, considering the number of new voters, there were a lot of Shannons out there.

I just hope America's vote for change is real.
Cos we need it.

It's almost Halloween.

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:02:00 +0000

yay. woot. and who gives a fuck.

if you've been around since last halloween, you'll know how sucky it was last year. AND if you've been around since last halloween, why haven't we had drinks?

i'm not looking forward to it (and it's funny that i took a vacation during last halloween as well - though then i was finishing up the DVD for "The Bet" and this time i was supposed to be doing a website for someone who failed to provide any materials to do so, so I've been left to my own devices for the past three days) because i'm afraid i won't see any return on investment - the decorating and all that, only to have 15 kids show up. not sure how to fix that. but i hope it's better this year. or i'm putting razor blades in the apples next year (kidding).

there's been shit for horror on tv this year. and i failed to plan ahead with a stockpile of DVDs. ugh. And, since my wife is working swing and my older son is out of school around 2, there's really only a 4-hour window where i'm alone. meh.

we'll see how this halloween goes. if nothing else, it's not gonna be as good, because halloween last year was still surrounded by cool stuff with "the bet" - shooting interviews, a screening at shockerfest, the imminent DVD release, etc. this year... nothing. BUT, stay tuned for something that MIGHT be cool.

Super 8

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:33:00 +0000

I just bought a Super 8 camera off eBay (which means it may not work). It's a Kodak Instamatic M26. And it was $3.99. I don't know anything about Super 8 cameras except that I love the look they produce (hence the faked 8mm look of "The Bet" on the DVD - or was it faked 16mm? either way). I checked, and they actually still make 8mm film (though I have no idea if it's the same film this camera uses). Basically, I bought something I might not be able to use. But if I can, then, well... how awesome.

This is the first of what will (hopefully) become an arsenal of "looks," if only to use as a reference to fake with stuff shot digitally. As I mentioned before, I'm also getting the Nikon D90 (as soon as the money comes in) and a Holga. I think I may also get a Polaroid of some sort - there are a number of instant picture cameras available.

We'll see how this whole adventure pans out.

Would like to add some other cameras as options, like a Kodak M8 Instamatic which has auto/manual zoom and a range of frame rates. Could geek out some more. But I'll stop.

If only I were 10 years younger and embarking on this journey.

I hate the world

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 04:01:00 +0000

or maybe just america, i don't know. it could just be vegas.
i don't like to hate. i really don't. i feel better as a person and have a better day when i don't hate people. but i'm really, really starting to hate them. and for very personal reasons that would affect no one else, so you might as well stop reading now. this is just a vent. a hate vent.

i hate people who think the government should control their right to have an abortion, but not their right to have a gun. even though the second amendment is called "the right to bear arms." it actually states "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." so, is my dad, who is a retired police officer, part of a regulated militia? he has guns.

full disclosure: i have shot guns. many guns. and i never liked it. i shot them as a kid at targets. my dad said i aimed with the wrong eye. but i had amazing aim. i went on hunting trips with my family. i refused to eat what they shot. i'm not a vegetarian, but i won't eat food that looks like an animal. i can't eat ribs or chicken wings, but a burger or chicken fingers are fine. my mom killed a rabbit on a fluke one hunting excursion. i remember that, and that i had fun in the camper playing with paper dolls. no i'm not gay. and i remember my aunt saying to my mom i was at an age where bed meant sleep. i was. it took a few more years before i understood what she meant. i. forget. nothing.

traffic in vegas is the worst. we have too many people from too many places with too many ways of driving. ten years ago it was shocking water cooler discussion if there was an accident on the freeway. now, it's noteworthy if you don't see one (and if ou're not stuck in traffic for an hour because the looky-loos wanna see the expected gore). people treat the freeways like a raceway, jockeying for pole position. just drive on the freeway for at least 10 minutes, pick a car - any car- and count how many times they change lanes.

people are impatient. they have to be the first on the freeway while yapping on their mobile phone (i don't doubt a starbucks over-caffeinated something-or-other is in their cup holder and their kids are zoned out on an LCD screen somewhere in the cavernous transport that sucks more gas in a day than i use in a week. but you shop at fresh & easy, so it's okay. and you recycle your US weekly after you discover how stars are just like you.

ok. this is getting to the boiling point.

i hate the world. it hates me. it's a dysfunctional relationship. maybe one day it won't be this way. my only fear is that that "one day" is when i'm living off 13¢ a day and mailing bombs to people.

Sign a petition for 24fps in the Canon 5D Mark II

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:21:00 +0000

I don't know if these things actually work, but it doesn't hurt to try. Yes?

Canon is releasing the 5D Mark II in November. It's a great still camera and one of the first to shoot video. However, it only shoots 30fps. There is no option for 24fps. If you don't know, 30fps is a video frame rate while 24fps is a film frame rate. It's why a soap opera and a motion picture look so different (well, aside from lighting and all that). As a filmmaker, I can't shoot 30fps and pass it off as "film." "The Bet" was shot digitally at 24fps and people assumed it was shot on 35mm film.

Anyway, even if you don't know why it needs to be there, many people do, and we want the choice of shooting 24fps. Go HERE to petitiononline.com to request the feature.

My geek is showing

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:24:00 +0000

Okay. So I spent about 6 hours this weekend building a Steampunk aircraft out of LEGOs. So what. And yeah, sure, maybe I went to Fresh 'n' Easy with my goggles on. SO?!?!?

2 words: Zombies. LEGOs. FTW!

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:02:00 +0000

Oh SHIT!
Zombie Apocafest (love all of that) 2008 took place at BrickCon (love the idea of that) 2008 in Seattle (god, i love seattle), WA between October (my favorite month) 2 and 5.

i. am. in heaven.

and as jealous as mom when she caught dad making naked hugs with uncle roger on the porch swing.

I grew up (just a little).

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:44:00 +0000

My office spouse, Shannon (yes, she's okay being called my office spouse and I'm glad to have her as one), is insane. For many reasons. But the reason that relates to this blog is that she's very politically involved. She's actually going to spend her Sunday morning canvassing the neighborhood to educate the undecided voters why Obama is the better choice for president. I say she's insane, but in I respect that kind of involvement. I myself, have been rather proud of never having registered to vote. If I didn't turn on the news (which I don't) or listen to friends when they talk politics, I'd have no idea who was president, what congress did or why we have a vice president. Nothing that came out of Washington DC ever really impacted me (I thought) and my one voice wasn't going to change it if it did.

Don't get me wrong. I also never whined about what the president did or didn't do. I cashed my stimulus checks. I laughed at the stupidery. But other than that, democrat or republican, it didn't really seem like it mattered who was going to be eligible to be on a coin or a bill after they died.

Then Shannon said that her mother was voting for McCain and gleefully told Shannon that she would effectively cancel her vote. Then I found out Nevada is a swing state and my one little vote might actually mean something.

So I decided - if only to show appreciation for all of her time at caucuses and canvassing and all the other things she does - to register. Yes, after 20 years of refusing to do it, I did. But I was kinda scared. Not that my name was now in some secret system being tracked by the government for potential UFO abductees. But that I couldn't just go and vote willy nilly and mess up the chance to finally have a say in how our government is manned. I was actually going to have to pay attention and know what the hell these people were promising and how feasible it was and what it meant to me and my family.

Long story short, there was a little game online at ABC News where you pick which quote you most agree with. Now, I am a political n00b, so there was no chance I'd heard the candidates saying one of them to sway my vote. So I played the game. Out of 13 questions (on issues like economy, the Iraq, health care, immigration and "hot topics") I agreed with Obama on all but 2 (and, to be fair, saying is one thing).

I think the toughest decision out of this whole process was whether to tick "Democrat" or "Libertarian" on the registration form.

First 50 of Empire's Top 500

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:05:00 +0000

Empire Magazine Online listed their 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.

I love the fact that Empire Strikes Back is #3 and no other Star Wars film even breaks the Top 20. Though I'm not exactly thrilled that Aliens beat Alien. Nor that Evil Dead 2 is in the Top 50, but no sign of Evil Dead.

Here's the first 50:

1. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
3. Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner,1980)
4. Shawsank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994)
5. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
6. GoodFellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
7. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
8. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, 1952)
9. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
10. Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999)
11. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
12. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
13. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
14. Once Upon A Time In The West (Sergio Leone, 1968)
15. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2007)
16. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
17. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
18. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz)
19. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
20. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
21. The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949)
22. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977)
23. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
24. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, 2001)
25. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1967)
26. Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
27. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
28. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
29. Die Hard (John McTiernan 1988)
30. Aliens (James Cameron, 1986)
31. Gone with The Wind (Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood, 1939)
32. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (George Roy Hill, 1969)
33. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
34. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson, 2003)
35. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (James Cameron, 1991)
36. Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1969)
37. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
38. Heat (Michael Mann, 1995)
39. The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 1999)
40. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
41. The 400 Blows (Truffaut, 1959)
42. Kind Hearts And Coronets (Robert Hamer, 1949)
43. The Big Lebowski (The Coen Brothers, 1998)
44. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
45. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
46. On The Waterfront (Elia Kazan 1954)
47. E.T. (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
48. This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984)
49. Evil Dead 2 (Sam Raimi, 1987)
50. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)

Decided. D90 FTW.

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:25:00 +0000

I've finally decided on a camera. It was not by far an easy choice, believe me. When I've literally dreamed about cameras every night for the past month or so, you gotta understand it's been a pretty thought-intensive process.
I'd been going between the Canon 5D Mark II, which shoots 21MP and video at 1080p at 30fps - I don't even know if any of that makes any sense to anyone out there - and the Nikon D90 which shoots 12MP and video at 720p at 24fps. Yes, the Nikon shoot smaller pictures and lower resolution video. But right now I have a camera that shoot 2MP and no video camera. DVDs are lower resolution than 720p. Oh, here's a number that might make sense: the Canon (with kit lens) is $3499. The Nikon (with kit lens) is $1299. That's a pretty big difference. Yes the Canon shoots larger images and higher res video. BUT the Nikon shoot 24fps (which is the same as film) and the Canon shoots 30fps (which is video rate and LOOKS like video).

I kept leaning towards the Canon. They have better lenses. I know two people with a LOT of Canon lenses and accessories. Scott shot with a Canon. But I also have recently fallen in love with the whole Lomo line of cameras. And all their imperfections. And realised the Nikon has a more human feel, more organic, more... happy.

Nikon D90 try out from Laid Back on Vimeo.

D90... day 1 from William Carnahan on Vimeo.

So, I could buy the Nikon, a Glidecam (a kind of steadicam to minimize the jello look of both the Nikon and Canon when hand held), a color calibrated monitor, a tripod, some SD cards, a Lens Baby Composer (awesome) and even the whole Lensbaby Accessory bundle, a backpack and the necessary accessories for what it would cost to get the Canon.

Plus, I'd still have money left over to get a Holga - a 120mm, medium format, plastic lens, awesomeness of a picture taker.

And hire some models for a music video.

I think when you watch the samples of the D90 on Vimeo and look at the gallery from the Holga, you'll get where my aesthetic is headed.

Decision made.

Bummed

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:45:00 +0000

I think about how it could be, sitting around and thinking up shit to film, experiments and such. Brainstorming. And doing. I don't have those kind of friends. My friends get annoyed when I drone on about film stuff. Well, at least the local ones. Even if they don't say anything, I can feel it. The faraway ones probably would too. Not the really, really faraway one, though, the one I miss the most. He probably would have indulged me (he did before) and probably would be here right now egging me on to do something cool. Challenging me. Daring me. Triple dog double daring me.

But he's not here.

I'm trying to do something good. Something unique. Something me. Something that other people might appreciate - if only after they've publicly ignored it. But it stayed with them. And they recognise what that means.

I'm trying to something that's me. I don't know what it is, but it seems whenever I actually do it, it IS me, like it or not. Win or fail.

I'm tryin', Ringo, I really am.

Why are the ones who support me the most dead?

Get "The Bet" for $5.95

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:08:00 +0000

The Standard Edition DVD of "The Bet" (sans bonus features) is available for $5.95 from indieflix. Buy it (or better yet, get the fully-loaded (like me) DVD with over 4 hours of bonus features from filmbaby.

Either way, you're helping me get a Canon 5D Mark II and helping me make more films. With the liberty the Canon 5DM2 affords, I can shoot whatever I want. Maybe good? Possibly bad. But it'll be "A Michael Dunn Film" nonetheless.

The Canon 5D Mark II

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:25:00 +0000

Pretty much decided. Well, I am decided. I just need the cash (hopefully that will come when the camera does in late November).

Can't tell you how awesome it is. 1080p. 30fps (which I've test converting to 24fps and it looks fine; plus a firmware upgrade may allow 24fps filming). And it's a Canon. My two favorite photographers shoot (or shot) with Canon.

I have many, many, many plans for this fucker. First and foremost is shooting the video for "Virgins" for Rachel Bellinsky. Then, I am gonna experiment the shit of of what can be done and actually be a filmmaker for once.

Two things

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:56:00 +0000

I need to find a decent camera. For the past week I've been drooling over the Nikon D90 because it records HD video at 24p and (since it's a DSLR) has interchangeable lenses. And for $1299 (with the stock zoom lens) it's pretty damn affordable. BUT I am not liking the rolling shutter. I could get a decent camcorder for around $2-3K, but no interchangeable lenses, and I don't want to deal with a 35mm adapter. So, not really sure what to do. Part of me really wants the D90, despite its issues, just to have a good still camera. Ugh.

Second: I realised I have work emails saved from back when I started here (early 2001) and was going through them. On January 13, 2003 there was an exchange between Scott Wizell and myself about his new website. Nothing major. But the next saved email I have is from January 28, two weeks later. That's the email that let everyone know Scott had died from a heart attack while skiing. Funny that I discovered this while looking for a camera. Scott was a great photographer and part of the reason I started looking into getting a decent one. I indirectly inspired him to pursue photography, and my constant thoughts of him (and wanting to shoot more film stuff) have led me along the same path.

I name all my gadgets (my computer is Edgar [an Electric Dreams reference], my laptop is Edgar Jr., my phone is Clank [from Ratchet and Clank]) so maybe it's fitting I name the camera I end up getting after Scott. Though that might be weird, ha!

I am trying

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:35:00 +0000

I know at least 2 people read my insane ramblings here.
that doesn't bother me.
i have been doing everything i can to learn about filmmaking. reading blogs, watching commentaries, listening to podcasts, reading about the rule of thirds, discussing marketing, about every imaginable way i can even attemt to begin to get a clue about how to make awesome film i have been trying, begging, pleading, learning, researching... i want to know.

and i am getting there.

slowly.
sadly.
earnestly.

but powerfully. i am not an idiot. i am not a fool. i know what i like and i know that if i stick to what i like, even if others hate it, some will love it - i know that what i do will be appreciated by a small subset, and the smaller the subset the more powerful, i just pray the more vocal - i know the films i am making: this bizarre genre-bending world somewhere betweeen horror and thriller and drama that accepts comedy that isn't defensibly dark but would be called such - or relevant my films (though i neve expect to be relevant) - the more popular i will become.

i'd so much rather be the weirdo who steps up while kathy griffin is doing an acadamey awards red carpet arrival breakdown for E! and jumping up and commenting with her on whom people are wearing (which is sick in the fact that they are NOT ACTUALLY WEARING CALVIN KLEIN'S FLESH) and bitch like the fag i'm not, but the artist i am) than i would be the moron who checks the sales of his DVD every morning in hopes he could convince or impress those that went into the venture with him or who are perpetually surprised when they get a royalty check on "The Bet" DVD sales.

meh.

Possibly the most (or 2nd or 3rd) awesome photo ever

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:32:00 +0000

TERRIFYING

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:36:00 +0000

Not really sure what to do with that.

I rarely covet...

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:29:00 +0000

Okay, calling my own bullshit. I covet damn near everything. But this I am just absolutely insane over. Like, I would trade one of my kids (the bad one) for it. Okay, not really. But damn near close. This is like the uber-cute, snuggly version of the one I sold in a garage sale too many years ago. This is, like, unbelievable. As is my need to have it. Yes, it costs about 2 festival submissions. Yes, it costs about 3 DVD's. Yes, I have NO money right now. But fuck, i WAAANNNT this.

And on the subject, I should probably just have a default to buy any and every Kubrick ever released. Like an auto-buy. It's released; I buy. I don't even have to know it exists until it shows up in the mail. damn, i wish i was a gansta. or at least had some disposable income. Hmmm, if I sold about 10 DVD's of "The Bet" I could SO afford it. C'mon people. Buy this for me.

Oh yeah, click for the make big.

James goes to Italy

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 22:43:00 +0000

Below is Walt Turner (in blinding blonde hair) to promote Vegas: Based on a True Story at the Venice Film Festival on September 1st. How exciting! Walt played James in "The Bet." He took copies of the DVD to pass out as his reel - wouldn't hurt if it landed in a VIP's hands, that's for sure.

(L-R) Actor Mark Greenfield, Iranian director Amir Naderi, actors Zack Thomas, Walter Turner and actress Nancy La Scala pose during a red carpet event at Venice Film Festival September 1, 2008. The movie "Vegas: based on a true story" by director Naderi is shown in competition at the Venice Film Festival.

Interwebs interactivity

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:44:00 +0000

Attempting to create a way of making it easier to get updates on all the stuff that I am working on, whether it's a new review of "The Bet" or an update on Detox, or something else that happens to be in the works. Not that anyone reads these blogs... but I can pretend.

What I've got now is a feed into the new Detox blog (set to launch next month), and not much else. I am doing the best I can in the few days I have between work and side projects (and film stuff, of course), but got Feedburner going for rubberblog and tried to get the Detox feed updated on its Facebook page. I've got the rubberblog feeding to "The Bet" Facebook page. Just crazy how disjointed everything is:

Personal MySpace page
"The Bet" Myspace page
"The Bet" Soundtrack MySpace page
Detox MySpace page
Personal Facebook page
Rubbersquare Fan Club on Facebook
"The Bet" Facebook page
Detox Facebook page
rubberblog
Detox movie blog
Rubbersquare forum
Rubbersquare site
"The Bet" official website
Detox official website

Not to mention the built-in aspects at IMDb, Amazon, Film Baby, and soon IndieFlix for "The Bet" - and the RSS feeds from the blogs...

GAH!

Final Detox teaser poster

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Here it is.

As always, clicking makes it bigger.

Thanks to Francis George and Francis R Baytan for another excellent photoshoot and Leana Hildebrand for another awesome model.

Why is there a poster if there's no film yet? I wanted to promote the script with the same level of promotion I would give a film. I figure, if you don't advertise, no one will know about it. And I want people to know about it. So I am promoting it.

Why the religious imagery? Firstly, it was my gut response when imagining the syringe on the poster. Secondly, I am a huge fan of religious imagery. Third, it makes a weird kind of sense of how an addict would feel. And finally, it's a bit controversial - and controversy can be a good thing when you want attention.

The Farting Scientologist

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:39:00 +0000

No idea how long this will stay alive on the internets. I'm working on a longer version.

And, I just realised this isn't the first farting scientologist video out there. When Shannon was playing with the Whoopie Cushion widget over Tom Cruise's weird ass video, I nearly died and we thought it'd be great to do to him what other had done with the Farting Preacher. Well, as I've learned (with both Detox and Beautiful) there's no such thing as an original idea.

Death sucks

noreply@blogger.com (the man in the planet) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:45:00 +0000

While roaming the user films section at DVXUser, I came across a post that shocked me. It mentioned that an actor named Chase Korte had died in a car accident early last year. Don't know him? Most people probably don't. I did.

I have this morbid joke about how, when I'm developing a script, I'll mentally cast people to help develop the characters - some of those actors have been: Heath Ledger, Brandon Lee and Brad Renfro - I think you get the punchline.

I did a spot for a local hospital a few years ago (I didn't direct, I work for the ad agency that developed the spot based on my idea) and, during casting, immediately was drawn to Chase's audition. He really stood out. As rarely happens, there was no second-guessing his casting from the agency nor the client. And he was great to work with. So great, I tried to contact him to see if he'd be interested in playing James in "The Bet." He was even one of my mental notes when working on Detox (as was Brad Renfro).

It's a shame there's so little of him in the final commercial, but I'm including it in the post anyway. He's the one who starts it off with "It's hard to explain the feeling..." Hard indeed.