Okay Great we're done shooting. Now it's time to edit.

It was a long weekend. Really long. 44 hours in 3 days. That doesn't include travel time and everyone was coming from at least an hour away. I can't thank my cast and crew enough. A majority of them gave up their entire weekend, as volunteers for this film and I'm forever indebted to them. The rest gave up huge chunks of their friday, saturday or sunday to act in the film. I'm indebted to them as well. On top of all that the enthusiasm and energy was palable on set. Every person broke their ass to make this project work. It's very humbling to have so many people be there for you. That was my favorite part of the shoot- the comraderie. Hopefully one day I will get a budget for one of movies and be able to pay all these people. Pay them and pay them back.

I love shooting. It's stressful and exhausting to say the least but I love it. You watch the scenes you wrote come alive and you watch the actors performing them take the scenes to new heights- far beyond your imagination. It's exhilarating. Now it's time for me to start editing. I need to make this movie memorable, not just for movie-making sake, but more importantly for all the people who contributed their time, effort, energy, and creativity to make it possible.

Cast & Crew:
Michael Berndt
Jamin Bricker
Adrian Correia
Joe Chasse
Nick Genchi
Tim Hotchner
Lynn Mancinelli
Ashley Pagano
Jon Pascale
Dan Ramirez
Joe Reilly
Pete Reilly
Erin Rosa
Bob Sylvia
Carla Ten Eyck - who also put up an awesome slideshow from the final day of shooting. Check it out on her blog.

Here are some stills from the movie & shooting.

3:10 to Yu-must Go See This Movie

Just got back and Wow. I'm knocked out by it. The directing, cinematography, writing and especially the acting were outstanding. Well done, and well worth the wait. Can't wait to see it again.

On a side note, I get infuriated with people who talk loudly during a movie. It's a movie. Listen and watch and shut your fucking mouth. If you want to talk, go to a restuarant, or stay home. I find theres usually at least one per movie. Today took the cake. A man (I use that term loosely) took his 3 children to the movie. Well, sorry, one of the kids looked to be 14 or so, then a 4 year old and the other child was a baby. Even if I hadn't seen this asshole and his kids after the movie I would've know it was a baby because it cried and ga-ga-ed it's way through the movie. The man left with the child for about 10 minutes and then came back. Aside from disrupting the entire audience through about 85 percent of the movie, what on earth would make someone think it was a good idea to bring 2 young children to a violent R rated movie with lots of loud gunfights and action scenes? I wanted to drown the guy in my 57 gallon soda but instead I'll congratulate him. I'd say he's due for Father of the Year.

Shooting - Okay Great

2 weeks from today I will be on my 3rd and final shoot day for my short film "Okay Great." Last October I started writing a few scenes that I had in my head. I wanted to do something different, something weird and kind of out there. I wrote about 17 pages but I had no ending, I had 2 ideas both of which I hated. I gave it to my friend Dan Ramirez, who is playing the lead and he liked the script but didn't really know how to end it either. Then another friend suggested the same ending I originally had in mind. I still didn't like it. Then about a month or 2 later I got one. It's been twisted and rearranged and changed a few times and after constantly revising the script here we are finally ready to shoot. I can't wait. It's by far the most ambitious thing I've ever attempted. We have 12 pages to shoot on saturday and if you've ever made a movie you probably just fell off your chair laughing at me. It's going to be stressful, but again, I can't wait.

It's fun to watch a movie progress. Writing is one thing. You can envision everything perfectly and it all sounds right on. Then you get on set and start shooting and the movie starts to take on a life of it's own. Things start to happen. Actors bring things to the performance you could've never imagined and it elevates the part and the work. You have to scrap shots and that you really wanted and are secretly praying that the film will work anyway. You can't get the angle you want and you have to try something else on the fly. It's invigorating. It's also nerve-racking. Then when you come into the edit room, the film takes on another life. Scenes play out funnier than you thought they would or more intense. They start working. Things are falling into place. You put music in, the scene becomes so much more than you thought it could be. On the downside you could get into the edit room and nothing is working and you have to revise the whole plan. To me thats what's exciting about making movies, things can change at anytime and there are hundreds of variables that can kickstart those changes. Happy accidents arise. Hollywood has called it movie magic. Whatever it is, it's fun to watch unfold, especially when you're right in the middle of it.

If you're interested, the still I posted below was taken when we were looking at locations. The scene in the movie that takes place in this bathroom was the first one I wrote.

Trailer - There Will Be Blood

Sweet Jesus! I don't know if I can wait another 4 months.

The Wolfman

Benicio de Toro, one of my favorite actors, is set to play The Wolfman. The film will be directed by Mark Romanek from a script by Andrew Kevin Walker. Romanek recently sent Aint it Cool News this photo below. Of note...Benicio has no makeup or anything it is purely his expression. This movie seems destined for scary greatness.

There Will Be Blood (and there better be)

My friend Adrian just emailed this poster to me. My anticipation and excitement for this film cannot be measured in words. I also read that the trailer will most likely be attached to 3:10 to Yuma (even more of a reason to see this film this weekend) and/or The Brave One.

"What did that guy say when I said, 'What did that guy say?"

I finally saw "The Simpsons." I've been a diehard fan of "The Simpsons" since they aired on "The Tracey Ullman Show." The last 5 plus seasons I've become kind of disenchanted with the series. In general a lot of repeat jokes and gags, along with seemingly uninspired plotlines. In its prime there wasn't better television and few will replicate their genuis. That being said, I had not the highest of expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. The genuis was back and it had a nice, thrice-episodic feel to it, even alluding to the story thread with a joke in the middle (I won't give it away). I laughed alot and thoroughly ejoyed it. The movie's days are numbered in the theater, but if you're a fan who became unenthusiastic about the show in the last few years or even if you didn't, go see it.

Tagged

Senor Steve Depino tagged me. Informally, so did Carla "ten what I like about you." Here goes.

THE RULES:
1. Post these rules before you give the facts.
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
3. At the end of your post, choose (tag) someone and list their name (linking to their page.)
4. Leave them a comment on their blog letting them know they've been tagged!

1. The name Face First Films comes from a long history of passing out. And I don’t mean from being knee deep in alcohol, I mean fainting. The first time I can remember passing out I was in 4th grade. I had poison ivy so badly my face was totally swollen- my eyes dwollen shut, and went down as a result. The next year I was at summer camp and passed out in an extremely hot room. Through my athletic years I had problems passing out usually with high physical exertion and heat. Since I became more lazy I haven’t had as many problems but last December I got up in the middle of the night to go pee and passed out knocking out the bottom half of a front tooth. Being that the toilet is between a vanity and bathtub I’m lucky I didn’t smash my face in much like a friend of a friend did. About a month later "face first films" popped into my head.

2. Believe it or not I was a quarterback in high school. I also played baseball, ran track and wrestled. I was also an avid baseball and football watcher. I hardly ever watch sports anymore and if I do I’m not the one who puts them on. Aside from going to the gym the only exercise I get is running to Wendy’s to get the Baconinator Value Meal.

3. I had to be vacuumed from my poor mother’s womb, a practice which has long since been abandoned due to the fact that it can cause brain damage. Pretty much explains everything about me.

4. I’m a packrat. I keep far more shit than I need or will ever use. Every few years I throw a bunch of it out but continue to accumulate other stuff.

5. I was so obsessed with movies as a young lad that when I got into trouble, if at all possible, my punishment would be a ban on which ever movie we were going to see that day or my dad was bringing home that night. Summer School and Watership Down standout. Ended up seeing Summer School, but still haven’t seen Watership Down.

6. Depino mentioned that Robert Norman was an over user of paper towels. Me too Robert. The amount I unspool to dry my hands could clog a sprung leak in the Hoover Dam.

7. I hate roasted red peppers. I mean I hate them. I can’t even remove them from a meal and enjoy it. I’d rather eat a live animal.

8. I used to be a long hair

and now I have none.

I don’t know who to tag since I don’t really know anyone else, so I’m going to tag a friend and fellow filmmaker whom I’ve tried to convince to blog. Maybe this will get him going. I tag Adrian Correia.