The next thing

As we continue on with the story, our hero John finds himself looking toward the next thing...

I talked to Bob a few day after the shoot and he sort of apologized for his actions. He admitted he is a hard person to work with and he does thing that way for his own reasons. He also said that he would be willing to help if there was ever anything he could do. I'm sure I can come up with something.

Moving on. I got a great phone call earlier today. It was from a Katie who works on locations for Transformers 3! They called me back! I am going to be working security detail as they build a set for the movie (they started filming about a week ago). It is top secret and I will be the protector of its identity. The good thing also is that a friend of mine who I work with at MPC (and was at the other Transformers 3 gig I worked) is going to work it also. So it will be cool to have him there. Were both friends with the same guy who is permanently a PA. And this is another chance for me to get in good with the Transformers guys and hopefully get some more work.

I also have some tentative lunch/coffee meetings set up with various people. So whenever our schedules don't conflict, I am going to be working that too.

So that is the next thing I got going on.

-Things I've learned: Patience. I've had to be patient with getting called back for Transformers and I've had to be patient with setting up these lunch meetings. Maybe nothing will come from it, but it is worth trying.

-Plans for the future: Transformers 3!

Disaster Strikes

The shoot was a disaster. What more can be said.

Well, a lot more.

It all stemmed from Bob.

I was talking to Brandon (Awesome storyboard artist, who got dragged into the situation as well) and I pretty much summed him up in this statement: Bob is a Wack Job who will drag you through the mud and work you to your bones, without batting an eyelash, all while on an Ego trip.

He is the kind of person who has to have it his way all the time, and there is no talking to him. He wants people to bend to his desires and he is not willing to work with them or give any leeway. And he has terrible communication skills. He is all over the place, wanting this or that and not being reasonable. It was like he was on drugs. Plus he is verbally abusive. Just a train wreck.

I could go on...

So I have made a firm decision not to work for him again. A person can only take so much abuse (without payment, might I add!!) before it's too much. And he kept wanting more. I guess I am going to have to move on. Shucks....


Things I've learned: Pretty much how bad it can get.

Plans for the future: Keep at it and not let the experience sway my desire to be successful.

Crazyness with Bob

Yes. Crazyness with Bob. But what more could I expect when I got a phone call at midnight?

Last Sunday, around 9:00 pm, I responded to another round of (what usually turn out to be hopeless) internet postings for various positions. One of these was for an assistant position to a producer that had been posted about two weeks before. Since it costs me relatively no harm to apply to these (I only die a little in the inside) I decided, what the heck. Well, low and behold, I got a call asking me to come in the next morning. He said that someone had backed out on him and that he was terribly unorganized and needed help with using his computer. Being a young and enterprising (not to mention organized and computer savvy) I said, "Umm, sure."

The next day I got a chance to meet Bob (yes, just Bob, in attempt to be discrete). Turns out he is a producer and has done a thing or two and knows some pretty big people, but I would never had guessed that the first time I met him.

I knocked on his door and came face to face with a man with who looked like he had been through hell. He greeted me with a raspy voice, wearing a purple sweatshirt that was covered in stains, walking with an unsettling limp, and hair that was like a tangle of wires. His apartment was a mess, with papers all about the place (he was right about the unorganized part), carpet with stains that rivaled his sweatshirt and an overall strange atmosphere that hinted something was off. Bob himself is of the skidish sort, with a type A personality and always has something to say. He is a quick talking New Yorker who's brain is all over the place, constantly throwing things at me and giving me way to much responsibility too quickly.

But he is nice enough and sincerely cares about other people. And after spending time together, I think that he took a liking to me. He kept on asking me if I wanted to help him pitch projects (that I know nothing about and apparently "don't need to know all about" according to Bob) to TV execs and do other random, odd things, that I would think I need more experience to do. He just assumed that I could handle everything he throws at me and I try my best to keep up with him. I don't turn down his offers for more to do and plan on proving to him (and myself) that I am worth my snuff. I am looking to get all the experience I can and the way things seem to headed, I will get plenty of that. I just simply go with the flow because that is pretty much the way things have to be done when dealing with Bob.

Right now he is working on some pickup shots for a Reality Show. And guess who he is leaning on for most of the planning... Yours truly. Oh, and guess who is going to be 1st AD (the one who basically runs the show while on set), yours truly. Hopefully things will go somewhat according to plan. We still have one day to finish planning the shoot.

So I am going to be working with Bob for at least a little while. I will definitely stick this weekend out. As crazy it is working with Bob, there is no way that I will come out of this with less than I went in. I am going to get some good experience from this, if not a really good story.

-Things I've learned: That there are some pretty crazy people in this industry, yet they some how manage to have some sort of success. If they can do it, so can I.

-Plans for the future: Try and get this shoot on Saturday off with out a hitch. And keep my head screwed on tight. Yea, we'll see about that.

The Motion Picture Co-Op

Sometimes it's hard to be productive when you don't really have anything going on. When there is no one else pushing you, you have to really make a point to be proactive. It is very easy to sleep in till 11:00, surf the internet, watch TV, eat some cheese, surf the internet some more and not really do anything but have a lazy day. Not to say I do any of this...

But I am happy to say that I am now part of a group called the Motion Picture Cooperative (or Co-Op for short, or MPC for even shorter, and it's not because I'm too lazy to say it all the way out) and we have a website. A really good friend (since at least 3rd grade) of mine named Zach is one of the people who started it and asked me to join. It was originally him and several of his friends that he went to school with, but they are looking for help and decided to bring me aboard (best decision they ever made? quite possibly). It's good because I want to produce and there is only one other person in the group who wants to produce as well, and she is pretty swamped with a real job, so I will get a chance to do a lot and hopefully stay busy.

The way it works is, every one in the group has their own "company" that they hope to start eventually (mine is Bluetang Productions, I'll explain the name one day) that is under Motion Picture Co-Op and we all will bring projects to the table. So if I have an idea for a short film, I can get help with the script, help shooting, and help editing, all from people who are in the Co-Op. And I will help them with their projects too (that's where my so-called producer skills come in). It's pretty much a group of creative people getting together to help each other out. Right now we are working on a project called "Funny Shorts" (website) that one member came up with. So I will help write and produce (includes script breakdown, location scouting, casting, props, finances and just about anything else that needs to be done in order to make the thing happen) some of the Funny Shorts. I am super excited get started with this and to be apart of this group.

In other news, I had coffee with my "cold call" e-mail contact. Her name is Kandis and she is the assistant director of development at 2929 Productions. She is only 25 (two years older than me!) and already pretty successful. She did grow up in Cali and has been acting since she was like 12, so she had a little head start on me, but she is still doing really good for herself. We got along really well and she is going to pass my info on to some people she knows, so maybe something will come from our little meeting.

I still have plans to meet with Regina from Geffen next Friday and I am excited about that. She is like the grown up version of a social butterfly and knows a ton of people (at least I think she does) who might be able to help me.

And I got a little surprise in my e-mail inbox earlier today; a guy that I met during SXSW and e-mailed almost two months ago responded to me. He said he has been really busy but still wants to get together. Sweet! So, we are working on setting something up.

Also, my brother called me last week saying he had some good news for me. After I found out that he did not win the lottery, he told me he talked to a friend of his who has a sister and a friend who live and work out here in LA and would be willing to get together with me. So, we are working on setting something up there, too.

Other than that, I am just hanging in there...


-Things I've Learned: No matter how long ago you reached out to someone, don't count them out. There is always a chance they may still get back to you.

-Plans for the future: Kick ass for MPC. Network like there is no tomorrow.

Studio SX interview

Here is a little gem I stumbled across.

During SXSW I worked at Studio SX and was a sort of "Jack-of-all-trades" where I would do anything needed... including giving interviews.

This is an interview I did with Eli Craig who directed "Tucker and Dale vs Evil". The person who was supposed to interview Eli did not show up, so I volunteered to fill the spot. I hadn't seen the movie, never met the guy and all I knew was that he was the Writer and Director. I was able to whip this together:

(Click Here to go to the YouTube website)




-Things I've Learned: What it's like to be on camera, in front of an audience, giving an under-prepared ad libed interview. (yes I was a little nervous)

-Plans for the Future: Get better at being on camera

What makes a movie good

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I started reading "Save the Cat" which is a book about writing screenplays. Well, I finished it.

I think it was really good and I now feel better educated on what a good script should be like. There is definitely a formula to writing a movie. Certain things that need to be included in order for your movie to appeal to the masses. A certain structure to the story. The Hero of the movie goes on a journey and we are along for the ride. There are always Three Acts, but they can be broken down further.

Here is the basic structure of a good screenplay/movie, as explained in "Save the Cat":

-Opening Image: This is the first thing we see, which sets the stage for the movie and gives us a snapshot of our Hero before the journey begins.

-Theme Stated: Somewhere in the first five minutes or so, someone will say the theme of the movie (ex: "Be careful what you wish for." although not always so obvious).

-The Set Up: This is the all important first part of the movie (the First Act) which must grab our attention and make us want to watch the movie. This is also the calm before the storm of what is about to come next.

-Catalyst: This is where the world of our Hero changes as they know it. It's the "You only have three days to live..." or "You're Fired!" kinda thing that sends our Hero on their journey.

-Debate: The time where our Hero questions his journey: Is this crazy? Should I really do this?

-Break Into Two: The moment where we leave the old world and enters the upside down version of that world. It is a definitive decision made by the Hero. This is the start of Act Two.

-B Story: This is the "Let's talk about something else for a little while" that gives us a break from all the craziness that is going on in the "A Story". This is often where the "Love Story" for the movie comes in (note: the "Love Story" is not always a romantic thing. It can be the newly made friendship between the Hero and her hairstylist, or two buddies.). The B Story is a good place for the theme of the movie to be discussed and gives vital cut aways.

-Fun And Games: This is where the premise of the movie come in and we have a little fun (ex: Spiderman gets to try out his new found powers for the first time). This is what we were promised in the movie posters/trailers and why we came to see the movie. Just some good ol' fun.

-Midpoint: This is a point in the movie where fun and games come to an end and the stakes are risen. It is either an "up" where the Hero peaks (though a false peak) or a a down where the world collapses (although a false collapse). Also may be a point where the hero is given a false victory and think he has everything he could possibly want, but really has a long way to go before he learns his lesson.

-Bad Guys Close In: Where the bad guys are temporarily defeated, but regroup and send in the heavy artillery. Also a point where the Hero's team begins to break up because of internal doubt and dissent. At the Midpoint, the Hero thinks he has it all, but evil has not given up and our Hero is headed for a huge fall.

-All is Lost: This is often the "False Defeat" where everything is in shambles (but only temporarily). It always should be the opposite of the Midpoint in terms of whether it was an "up" or a "down".

-Dark Night of the Soul: Where the character shows his feelings about the All is Lost moment. This is the darkness before the dawn, where the Hero reaches deep down inside and pull out the last great idea to save himself.

-Break into Three: The Solution! This is where Story A (main story) meets Story B (place where the theme is discussed and the hero is given a realization from it) and an answer to all the problems is able to be found.

-Finale: This is Act Three, where we wrap things up. We use our answer to get rid of the bad guys and the source of our problem goes away completely. Our Hero is triumphant and saves the day. New world order exists for our Hero.

-Final Image: This is opposite of the Opening image, shows that change has occurred in our Hero.

So there it is. Next time you watch a movie, you can see if you recognize this story structure. It may not be the same in all movies, and it may not be so cut and dry, but all good movies will have a structure similar to this.




-Things I've learned: The structure of a good screenplay/movie.

-Plans for the Future: See if I can recognize it, to prove that I actually learned something by reading "Save The Cat".

Update-n-Stuff

It's been a little bit of the same old, same old... but not really.

The internship turned out to be pretty much a bust. I really am not getting anything out of going in there and making these phone calls for this guy to go to Cannes. I have been handed the short end of the stick on that situation. So I told him that I am only going one day a week and I am going to leave at 9:00 am instead of 11:00 am. That's right, I told him how it was going to be (albeit, very nicely). In these situations the interns have a certain amount of power because the company relies so heavily on them. So he is happy to have me coming in at least one day a week than not at all. Yet, I am not even sure I want to come in that one day... I just have no loyalty to the company, no motivation to do the work. The only reason that I have been going in while I have is because I get access to this website called Cinando, which is a very powerful database of companies in the industry.

The reason I want to keep having access to Cinando is that the contact of some the people who work for the companies is available there. I figured I can send out a "cold call" e-mail to these people and see if they want to get together for lunch or coffee or whatever, and impart their expertise on me. Maybe I can meet some interesting people this way and make some good contacts. And if not, then no big deal. There are many others out there. And so far I have actually had some pretty good success. I sent out about 20 e-mails a few days ago and earlier today one responded back to me. She works at 2929 productions and said she has plenty to share about. So, we are going to get coffee next week, and I am really looking forward to it.

Speaking of getting together with people, one of the people that my step-sister introduced me to, while I was still living with her, and I have plans to meet for coffee as well. She works at the Geffen Theatre and knows a ton of people. Sweet!

Speaking of knowing people AND getting together with people my step-sister introduced me to, another one of her friends whom I have loose plans to get together with at some point in time in the future brought me on to work a music video for a group called Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. It was a really good shoot in terms of meeting people on set who might be able to help me find more work in the future. So I am definitely going to keep up with them!

Something else is I had an interview for a company called Hydralux who does Virtual Effects. They are big. Click the name and see for yourself. The position would just be for the front desk, but I would take it for sure. Who knows what I could learn there. I got the interview because a friend of mine, Kristin, applied for the job several months ago (through the UTLA program for the University of Texas) and they just got back to her but she already has a job. So she referred me and I interview with them a couple days ago. Everything went really well. The only thing that hurt me is that I mentioned that I am not super interested in getting into VFX as a career (why would I say that?? Stupid...), and they are looking for someone who is, but regardless, they said I would be a good candidate. I await a reply.

And one last thing to update on, I worked a test stunt for Transformers 3! I have a friend named Andy who is a full time PA for them, and he gave them my info. It was a one day thing, and all I did was make boxes to land on (sorry, can't really go into details...) but I am now on their list of PAs for work in the future for Transformers 3. Score!

So I guess the rolling ball is starting to pick up a little speed. After six months in LA I'm not doing too shabby. Now all I need to do is update more often so I don't slam down a bunch of random things I've been up to upon you. Sorry that this is such a long post. I guess I gotta lot to say!

-What I've learned: Kinda knew this already, but networking is key. And even if only one in twenty will respond to your e-mails, it will be worth it to make another contact.

-Plans for the Future: Try and make more contacts and work more gigs. I was kinda unsure about sending the "cold call" e-mails, but I think I am going to keep that up. Keep on networking!