Moviemaking: The Business --> Expectations

 

Moviemaking is not a straight shot to the top. There's a lot of things that have to happen to make yourself into a value-maker AKA being able to work on your art and not having 3 side-hustles to pay your bills on time. For most of us it's a time and process that takes years, maybe even decades. So read on and look for these movements I've cited in BOLD.

The options here usually are not defined as the first step but I'll try to make them in a linear path for you.

1. You get an OPPORTUNITY. You find Dad's old camcorder or buy a vintage Super 8mm camera like I did and you see the possibilities. You see a movie made locally and think you can imitate it at the very least. You recruit your family or friends to make your own movie they recruit you. You enjoy it way more than your office job. You meet an agent that works at CAA while selling your vintage Atari arcade game you've had in the garage. Tell them you only see yourself making movies.

2. You PREPARE. Self-explanatory. Get ready for your adventure. Research, read, learn, think of theories, understand yourself and your process of creation.

3. The opportunity allows you to EXPLORE how to make your movie. You find options to make money to get it made: you use a mannequin instead of a human actor jumping out of a car for that one shot. This is the creative production aspect. You are exploring how it all works.

4. Either you create MEETINGS or someone offers you to have a meeting with them. These are new chances to build your network. Treat these as ways to find your workmates, not to meet your arch rivals. Enjoy the process. It's not everyday you will get to know people outside of your realm. Enjoy listening to them and hopefully they will be wise enough to listen to you too.

5. You GET IDEAS for your current project or a future project. This is the inspiration for your movement you're doing or going to be doing. Write this down and map it.

6. You MAKE $ by the sale of the movie or as a technician or a member of management on the movie. What you do with that money is up to you. As a person that calls themselves a filmmaker, it's advisable to reinvest something into another film.

7.  You get another OPPORTUNITY to make something. You now have another chance to make more work. 

I got the image from somewhere online about playing video games and certain gaming mechanics. I now cannot recall exactly where or what site. If I do find out, I'll credit them.

Writers - Directors - Producers

A long time ago, all that was needed was an idea and passion to get it done. 

Now there's gatekeepers. And if you're like me, you're willing to ram through those. For the rest of you reading, you'll need to realize the reality of the situation and the options that aren't so brash.

Firstly, the reality: Everyone is busy trying to make their dreams come true. Some dreams are one movie before they die so they feel accomplished. Some need to take down every corporation and entity in their path to the top. Some just want to tell their stories. Once in a while, some hope to have a regular career as a writer. 

Wonderful dreams, mostly. 

Options are not singular. There are many options and many paths. I'm going to go over a few with you now. Ready? Let's do this.

1st Option: Give up. Why even try? The world's gonna end soon anyway. Super easy way to go back to your boring life you had before even really trying anything. Good for you.

2nd Option: Sell and option a few screenplays, very occasionally getting one produced, and it's nothing like your actual writing. Hack directors, producers that slap their name on it and then give a singular repost about it, thus constituting their agreement for the finished film. The Dream, right?! You made it. Congrats.

3rd Option: Start realizing your gift of writing is infinite. Write a script? No one bought it? Fuck them! Make it yourself. 

4th Option: Start realizing your gift of writing is infinite. Write a script? No one bought it? Fuck them! Give it to a friend and have them make it. Win yourself some nice awards, and make an invitation to create the next one with them.

5th Option: Start realizing your gift of writing is infinite. You are special. Realize what success actually is. And if you think it's a Lamborghini, you're probably too stupid to be a good writer. No offense, though. Have fun driving around trying to have other people validate you.

Very early in my career, I sold and optioned a few scripts. Best payday I ever had! Many years went by and the projects didn't get made. I found out the hard way that I was bought because the producers liked me. They still do! 

But they no intention of making the movie because they were too busy getting their own movies to production. It's a never-ending battle for all of us!

Since that time I have not even tried to get studio cooperation. It happens, I won't lie to you.  I'll gladly take studio money for 6 weeks, again and again but I'm in no position to bleed myself dry for them. The studio head can't read 110 pages everyday. They don't know what's different from today's draft. Just do a good job and enjoy your gourmet coffee while on campus. As they do, hope for the best and play the numbers. Be positive about being there. Enjoy the process.

These days, I do almost everything on my own, as if I, myself, am a Golden Age studio. Think big, but face reality. There's only a few people in my world. And that's okay. I don't need to have 30 delegates. 

I humbly ask all screenwriters to become film producers if they want to complete something to get it done. Most of the time no budget or some budget; very occasionally a big budget. Just complete it. It doesn't have to be perfect, as art is never perfect.

Time does not stop and neither do my writing skills as long as I'm alive. It must be read and it must be seen, because I'm that kind of Director and Producer and Writer.

If you're reading this, I have one silly but true ideal for you: Stop keeping scripts locked away in your failing hard drives or forgotten password-protected cloud drives. Give it to yourself or give it to someone else to get it made. Get rid of the gatekeeper that you are to yourself. Give the gift because you can always write another one. 

Writing is hard for many, but not for us. The ones that have infinite stories to tell.

First feature film from a director better be Pi or Memento

My opinion, yes, my opinion - not fact, is that many people think their first film needs to be Pi or Memento.

That's really strange to me. This is a craft. I expect everyone's first movie to be technically proficient but story engaging with imperfections present to regular audience members.

The majority of first time feature-films that knock out millions of sales are the lottery winners.

I'm sure you're thinking Tarantino did it with Reservoir Dogs, but that's not his first film. His first film is one he'll never show because it's not perfect. But here's the thing: Reservoir Dogs isn't perfect either. But it's fun. It's also a multi-million dollar first feature, so I don't count it. It's a well-marketed film by a failed-actor-turned-writer who also marketed himself enough to direct the thing.

Oh yeah. So, I like to look at David Lean or Marty Scorsese. They made a half dozen or more movies which ranged from $400(four hundred, not four hundred thousand) features to made-for-TV movies before they 'got their stride right' and started actually directing true films that gave their own spin on the medium.

That's media consumption in the 21st century: We are all actors and directors in our own right. Just like anyone can sing. But singing really well takes practice and commitment. I'm talking years of craft. A singer goes and sings Happy Birthday for a few friends first then a church choir then a crowd of 50 and so forth.

It doesn't mean there aren't movie director prodigies out there. But thinking that you are a prodigy will only lead to disappointment is all I'm saying.

Story is what matters. Characters matter. You are a craftsman and craftswoman. It's up to you to spend time on yourself before trying for Pi and Memento. Make a spirited effort in a film that runs 80 minutes. Learn from it. Be humbled from it. Get an award or two or 10. Then make a bigger spirit film. That's called dedication to the craft.

Have a nice day! ☺

This actually happened

I've been behind the camera since I've been in my early 20s now. But the love of immersing myself into a character's role has been there since I was a teenager.

I'm an actor if it's the right role for me. As a 20s male of middle eastern roots, I was offered every villainous role out there. But these were not villains with memorable lines or anything; they were typical one dimensional roles full of stereotypes that a beardy guy with thick eyebrows was perfect for in a racially charged America. 

Early in my career I agreed to it because the pay was substantial. And it wasn't a bad day's work either. But eventually I had to tell myself the truth: I'm a hero. I need heroic roles to portray. So I decided I wouldn't accept bad guy roles anymore unless the villain shows that their point of view is seen and they are relatable. Darth Vader redeemed himself. So would I. None of the phony bad guy that is bad for the sake of being bad.

So I have a friend who is a talent agent. She tries her hardest to get me in front of a camera once a year. At least it seems that way because I only hear from her a few times a year with an offer to audition for a support role for a good chunk of cash. These are the SLACKER, the SMART ASS types. They are the walk-on roles but tons of fun work and life of the party characters. 

I'm a director. I study acting and actors. I include myself with up and coming or established talent. It's my love and my job. I continue to  take part in the study of acting and recently voice-acting. Performance is just as important as sound design, cinematography, production design, and editing. As a quick note: I never let on that I'm a director inside the audition. My job is as an actor here and it's a job I gladly want to do and want to do only for them.

So I showed up for the audition and this is what happened. I showed up to the audition for some dating contestant sketch. I was Contestant #2. The one that never gets picked. (Why?) The contestant's character was much of a "don't care one way or another" kind of guy. I did my audition, shook hands with the casting people, and was picking up my belongings to leave when a woman walks in, very freaked out. She speaks in very loud pitches. She says, "I'm so sorry I'm late! I was just rear-ended when getting off the freeway!" All eyes were on her. I stuck around to hear what happened. She told exactly what happened. A brown car made in the 1980s hit her, making her car squeal off to the off-ramp wall. She was visibly shaking. Someone brought her a cup of water and she sat down to cool off. The producers nodded, said to her everything was going to be OK, and of course she was able to audition.

I decided I needed to head out. I stopped by the cafe and got myself an iced tea. As I made my way to my car parked on the street, I saw the woman that came into the audition. I went over to her and introduced myself, and asked her about the damage done to her car. She unashamedly told me she had made all of it up. I was damn impressed.

There was no way I wasn't going to get her contact information. Her performance was stellar. I believed her with all my heart that she had been a victim of hit-and-run. I felt so sorry for her at the time but later when I saw the truth, I knew that she understood acting. It's a truth as if 'what would I be like if this happened to me'? and using that to make a performance.

I did end up getting that audition. And I've kept in contact with my friend, the Scream Queen. She's a full-time audition attender - even if she's a little late because she's driving from audition to audition. Her paychecks only come if she goes to auditions, markets herself, and books the job. And she's very good at the job of being an actor.

Make it happen

I've been "hibernating" for a little while now. I needed to. My last big project is an amazing story written by myself and Deborah Huerta. I've been working with Deborah again, and rewriting it. It's a tight screenplay. The production is also the source of heartbreak for me and a lot of learning I had to go through in the business side of film producing, which I'm going to share with you now.

I made it happen with a lot of help, but it was me that made it happen. I kept pushing, and working tirelessly, and I didn't ever say it wasn't going to happen.

I made some mistakes. Here are the mistakes I made, but I'm still very humbled by the mistakes I made and a few mistakes others made too. We were trying to do something that most never get a chance to try.

For my first movie, Panomundo, I was brought on the project because my then acquaintance, and now one of my best friends, Charysse Tia Harper, invited me to a screening of her short film. I went with a friend and afterwards met up with her. I asked her what she was trying to do next for the film and her response was she needed more funding. I told her pointblank that I had never done such big numbers before. She (who I will always love for this) gave me a chance. She said if I think I can do it, then she'd bring me on as producer. Now this was a "sink or swim" situation. And for the first few months no money was coming in. I helped her develop a business plan, helped develop the website, did fundraising ideas, and shot some of the promo material with her. It took a while, but I finished swimmingly.

I figured someone took a chance on me, why no I try the same? I met someone in a Cinematography class that liked the idea of the script. She said she wanted to produce. I relied on her as a producer who had never done anything before and didn't fire her when I was busy writing the script, looking over and she was not on the phone making calls to people to sponsor our film. She was too busy playing games on Facebook. I am a good guy at heart, and try my best to see potential. I'm still a good guy but eventually I took over her job. Miraculously, I raised enough to pay for pre-production and with a little bit of post-production left over with 2 new producers. I will fire someone in a heartbeat now if they don't have the guts to knock on a stranger's door. This is a humbled job as a producer. Not for the timid or scared of rejection. And being fired is a rejection of sorts, so I'm OK rejecting them if they under perform.

I had a set-goal in terms of finances needed for this story. It was the cost of a backyard indie, but an action filled melodrama. I love action movies and I love to get my heartbeat racing while watching a movie. I like badass women and I like Los Angeles. There you go. One thing I planned on was to contain 90% of the action. On hindsight, I should have wanted more cash to get this done, but I was stubborn we could do certain things, like continuously film with 2 cameras to save time and money.

Some things worked and some things didn't, but overall, it's something I'd like to try again, but with more people behind the camera, unlike Kubrickian crews I had envisioned. I just don't like seeing people standing around doing nothing while I'm paying them! So next time, I'll understand if a few people are waiting.

On the day of the shoot, one of the actors came up to me to discuss her pay. Out of the paperwork that came in, we didn't have a signed contract from her. Now, I thought I stressed to the producer how important this was, because no chain of title, no movie. But at the end of the first day, the actor came in to talk to me alone when I was needing to direct a scene. She brought me off to the side and said her manager had read the script and wanted a percentage now, and she was demanding more money. I told her to talk to the producer, and from there I quietly told the camera operators not to focus on her shots, because we were going to either not use her footage or kill her off in the next scene. One, that was completely unprofessional, and two, we were very upfront that we had finances, but it was very low budget. I don't believe anyone on the set, except that actor, was doing this for the money. We did it because we love making movies. All paperwork must be filled in and on time. No other options. I will put clauses that people will lose credit and compensation if it's something that hinders my productions from now on.

Production went into hiatus as I couldn't find a producer to jump in. It's better this way, because now I know the producers I want working with me are go-getters. Attitude is a big deal. Not giving it your all or spreading yourself too thin won't go very far, or worse, will deliver a shoddy product. I'm still open to newer producers but I think it's important to know who I'm dealing with before anything significant happens and letting them know that if they aren't playing ball, they need to resign.

One other thing was one of the financiers didn't come through with their check. That's not terrible but it was a lot of me chasing after them, which would've been nice to have. This should be a none-issue with the next producers.

Lastly, one person stole $500 from me. I've forgiven him now. I still can't believe it, though. Seriously? If he hadn't stolen the money, he could've made it back hundreds of times over if he'd stuck with me. I will watch every single dime this time. No room for errors. In fact, I want to talk to my lawyer to see what options we have on taking this guy to court. Lawyers are mandatory in every aspect. Take down driver's licenses, social security, etc. No more Danny will take you on your word because his old-school Iranian ways of handshake deals end up in turbulence.

People always ask what I want. I want to tell stories. There is no other agenda. I'll take the money and fame, and respect that comes with it, but that's not WHY I do it. A year later and I look back on the movie with fond memories.

I said to every naysayer when they said it couldn't be done, "HELL OR HIGH WATER IT WILL HAPPEN". And it did happen. If you're out there with a script and waiting on films to get made, it's only gonna happen if you make it happen. Rely on others but know who your team is and rely on yourself most. Make relationships happen. Make that movie, hell or high water 💀

It's coming back soon and I can't wait for you all to see it.

Today is today, tomorrow is the future, and yesterday is no more

I had a fun Halloween. I went out to West Hollywood and crowd-watched, made some new friends, had a drink with said new friends, flirted back and forth with a nice girl who gave me a Hershey's bar because I'm Santa, possibly almost got mugged by a Juggalo, etc. Overall a very fun evening.

That's not what this story is about though. My story is a lot like the protagonist of The Fountainhead. I'm not willing to give in to what I want and I've made peace that I will struggle for a bit. One of the new friends I made is an older gentleman, who goes by J.L.

He found out I'm an independent film producer. He works in the industry as well, mid 50s in age, and is doing well enough for himself. He saw that I am a young(er) man and still figuring a few things out to reach more people and decided he needed to tell me what to do to become "successful". He said that I needed to go schmooze more with more lunch and dinner dates, he started to tell me who all in Hollywood is gay(I already know who is and isn't - it's none of my concern who someone loves, as long as they love), and then that what I'm doing isn't going to bring me that money that the studios get. Which is the opposite of what I do. I'm doing almost everything I can to keep control of my movies. Sure, I'll work with a few people in the industry because I like them and I want to work with them, but not working with people that don't have my best interests with theirs is counterproductive.

This is where my personal opinion of the industry comes into play. The cigar-chomping mogul is not dead. But they are dying a slow death. My era of working out of my home is slowly becoming alive. I have been doing this for 10 years now. Four of those years in Los Angeles. I am not living in an 8 story Hollywood Hills residence. Nor would I want to! Do you know how much I'd have to work to pay the taxes on that? I'm a different new breed. I don't want to work more to have 1/16 more than others. I find happiness with inexpensive things. That person wants to work from 7am to 10pm everyday without a day off to send their kids to a premium school? Go for it. To quote Lupe Fiasco, "The school is garbage anyway". It's me who will teach my children(or nephews, cousins, friends and family and community members) how to be smarter, not to work harder. I'd rather work a quarter of these full-time psychopaths and make 1/2 of what they do and still feel I own my own life. I can step away from anything at any time and it doesn't bother me. I'm free. That's what this is all about. Being free to pursue the American Dream. I'm not willing to give up my freedom for a few points or a few zeros on a check for high end consumerism. That doesn't consume a lot of Reality Shows they sell but I rarely am a consumer - I'm a creator. Watch what I put out in the future. It's going to be a lot of fun!

Anybody can make movies

Anybody can make movies. It's why there's so many videos on Youtube. Moviemaking is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. Ideas come to me 150 times a day! I've seen and had meetings with people that talked about making a movie idea they had that falls through ALL THE TIME. 

Real genius doesn't just show up out of thin air if you want to make films. Nobody wakes up knowing how to make something interesting. It takes reading books, watching more good and bad movies than thought possible, making terrible films for all to see at first.

Then you start to know your work. Basically, to have your MBA in film production and show business. This is a commercial business. When I meet people and they don't have any kind of business plan - it's all just talk at that point. What they don't teach in grad school is real financing. How to go out there and show you've done your homework, knowing your audience, your story, and how to bring a profit. Lastly, you'll need to prove you want to work with people to make some magic happen.

Just to say it again: Anybody can make movies. At the least, be a decent enough person that is likable, and consistently work smarter and harder than everyone else. Make a fucking movie! This isn't rocket science, people! That's how I do it anyway.

12 Fake Producer phrases to watch out for

Be wary out there.

Since I've moved to the City of Angels, I've met my share of time wasters. These are people that say "Yes, I'm a Producer" and haven't really worked for the title.

Here's the thing: Being a Producer can mean ANYTHING.

It can mean you found investors. It can mean you know an actor and talked them into coming onto the show. It can be (like me) having an idea, building a team, finding financing, writing or getting a script made,  creating a business plan, and then following this production to the end of a lifecycle...generally 3.25 years.

How do I know all this anyway, I'm some egotistical 34 year old kid? I'll tell you how I know. I've made mistakes in doing things. That's how I've learned. I'm hoping to pass some of this on to you so you will learn from me by proxy.

What I hear all around town is a lot more of 'faking it until we make it' than actual step-by-step production making. When you hear of anybody saying these phrases, you might take a step back and make a note to see if they are full of shit or not.

1. "...I've been making deals all over the place and I want to cut you in for 50%..."
2. "...I'm on set all day long... (why they can't respond to your text or email)
3. "...I'm not a good financing producer. I'm better being on set..."
4. "...I know Arri the CEO..."
5. "...since I've made it to the top of the game I've learned a lot..."
6. "...if this happens, it'll make me richer than I've ever dreamed of..."
7. "...I've got a distribution deal already setup for any movie I want because they owe me..."
8. "...I'm not greedy at all..."
9. "...This is how we did it on my last picture..."
10. "...I'm also an actor..." (does not count if it's Tom Cruise)
11. "...all my financing people are out of state..."
12. "...that's not how Name Studio Producer does it..."

Your best bet is to stay away from people that think they know EVERYTHING and NOTHING. All it takes for anyone to be successful is work ethic, reading, and a little bit of luck on their side.

Be careful. And be wary. Do your due diligence. I've developed a personal list of people in this town not to work with. Because this is the public web, I won't release it openly unless I find I need to. For a list of whom I’ve met with and who not to do business with, PM me and I'll guide you. Most of all, and once again: Do your due diligence. 

Ask for references, make sure they are who they say they are. Take down identification copies, make notes of all your meetings and what was said. Protect yourself first, because that's what is most important for your movie to be made.

Career of pushing the button

Photography has paid my bills for quite some time. I'd like to think that I'm a decent photographer.

What is photography though? To me, it's not about pushing a button in front of a subject. It's about interaction.

As photographers we interact with things and try our best to capture a moment of time.

With this understanding, we shouldn't look to see how nice of a camera we can ladder up to. We need to master our gear we use, yes, but we should also take notes on who we've become as a person using these skills.

Stars not Actors

It can be a sad moment for me when an actor starts trying to be a diva. It reminds me why I must always stay humble.

I also get to see why so many people come to Los Angeles to make it big. They don't see the passion of the craft, they see stars in their eyes and are willing to hurt anyone in their path to it.

It's a little shameful if you ask me. We need to be more about the work, not the reward that the work can bring. The movies are a business. And actors are employees - even when they are independent contractors.

The only advice I can give it to show up early or on time. Be prepared as you can with what you are given. Be joyful around the people that work so hard to make you look good. Do as you're told when it comes to the story. Only speak up about it if it can enhance the story, not if it's a story change that you'd like to see. There's a reason we write what we write to see it on screen. We don't want to make your movie. If you feel so strongly about your story change....become a writer, not an actor.

East and West worlds

The title is called Two because of the main character's two sets of parents and being of two worlds - the West and the East.

It's a drama about adoption reunion and growing up middle eastern in America. A story of a kid born and raised in the Midwest and he travels to California for the first time in his 20's to try to find his biological parents and himself in the process.

I wrote it because of my life growing up having a specific look but my allegiance to being a nationalist first. It can be conflicting having people/media say that middle easterners are the enemy when it's not the people of any place that are the enemy, just the radicalized ones in charge that have an agenda to push onto others. That and oligopolization of governments that are either bound by slowly adaptive religion and/or greed/fear of the true people taking over as leaders. We as people are scared into not saying or doing certain things. This is a system of control made early on by the powers that be -  the Royal powers that started civilization. We are given consumption of information without a way to question it. We aren't given the chance to think large.

The happenings are fictional but the ideals written are real and of my own.

I've been told that this is my most mature work I've written. I'm going to make it with a budget of 1.5 million dollars and film it in the San Francisco Bay Area.

No matter what, this is supposed to be entertainment. But I do interject some thought-provoking content so people won't know they're being educated.

Regarding the Hollywood gender bias subpoenas

Hollywood is a strange place. It's like a strip club. No one really wants to go there, but some of us have no choice to either work there or be caught going there. Most of the action going on in a strip club is probably illegal but we all look the other way, because the alternative is independent contractors taking more money in without a middleman. Even our wording is male dominated. Middleman is just somebody that takes a cut, but we reference a man doing it. The major studios want money, just like any stripper or strip club owner wants. Actors and filmmakers being the strippers and the studios being the owners of the club.

This is America, where we are basically free to hire the best person for the job. Now, unlike strip clubs, the studios are being positioned as being immoral for not hiring women. I am not against the studios even though we don't work together. What I have been saying to friends and colleagues is asking why they haven't just created independent content instead with a camera and a lens like this?

Make a production company, hire women to direct, produce, write. Then hire men to make it even standards. But for some reason everyone wants to work in Hollywood, be a freelance director with an agent that is probably male, and hope for the best, but not expect the worst.

It's time our thinking evolved.

The movies I'm making now as opposed to what I thought I'd be making

I never thought I'd be making the kind of movies I make now. See, the thing is, I care very much about storytelling. Writing and making movies brings happiness to my day and makes me sleep well at night.

I matured while thinking my specialty was going to be action movies. You know, action with a little comedy supported by smart-ass characters: The Lethal Weapon, the Die Hard, the Desperado, the Reservoir Dogs. Anything with machismo and a 'too cool for school' vibe coming from it.

Now, I haven't been working a whole lot the last two years- Err, I say that, but I have been working a whole lot. My focus hasn't been on paying rent and making a per-year salary like most people. You see, before this, any money I've made from jobs or gigs has gone into paying actors, camera equipment, gas money for crew, travel expenses and the like. My end goals are to make these films and release them out this year and the next and the next.

What I've been spending more time with these last two years is trying to figure out what I should be doing instead of what I think I should be doing.  This is the time I've gained by working less and technically not making a profit(or making less of a savings for that matter!).

And it's pretty simple, I find, really. I want...

EQUALITY.

I'm going to push for more women directors, movies about homosexual characters, different religions and faiths exposed to more people. I'm gonna risk everything on very young and very old writers. Alternative directors, producers, musicians, and I'll push for a wide range of diversity in front of and behind the camera. This is something that isn't being done in mass by other producers, and I feel I'm the right candidate for the job.

I've spent my early adult career losing lots of money. I stopped being afraid to lose money a while ago now. It's no longer even a worry for me. I expect to lose more money than I've ever lost before coming up in the future. And, yes, I do believe I'm going to win some profit substantially, because that's how gambling with big odds goes. It's who believes I'm passionate enough about my craft to gamble on me. It's these types of people that I like doing business with. The ones that aren't afraid either. These people are the ones that I want to fight for and win with.

That's it. There's really nothing to say. This isn't a "fireworks going off" celebration. Tomorrow, I'll wake up and do the exact same thing I've been doing since 2003. Fighting the good fight.

Why I won't change my black character

A potential producer/writer read my adoption script and notes he gave me were that I should write out the black character as being 'more urban'. Not that the character was a bad character; It was that the character wasn't 'black enough' and I shouldn't write a main character without some urban influence.

Background on the character I wrote: His name sounds urban-ish and his uncle lives in Oakland. That's it. That's about as far as he goes as being a stereotypical young black man. My black character I wrote is reasonably intelligent, a normal individual tossed into extraordinary situations. He's not white or black or yellow or brown in a box. He's a human being, a character in a story that has potential to be better if they make the right choices - and let's hope he does. I wrote the character to be like that, because that's the kind of people I write for. I want people to be better for watching my movies or be able to escape... or even learn to accept others for who they are.

I am not homophobic, racist, sexist, or hateful towards any types of people. The joke is that I hate everybody equally. People (currently) die eventually, one way or another. The next generation must succeed the previous. The producer/writer that read my script had some notes and I appreciate where he was coming from. But the fact that he is not understanding of today's nuances does make a difference. If this were a story set 10, 20, 30 years ago - then yes those notes would be much better to make a lot of impressions.

My black characters are black. They happen to have skin tone, but that is it. People come from a different range of backgrounds and cultures. This character is a modern man of the times. In fact, every one of the characters knows urban speak. They just don't need to use that type of language in private. Think about slang in your life. You might use it as a way of showing understanding but do most of you use it every minute? No. You are professionals, or working as professionals or you live with your parents who would slap the shit out of you if you talked to them like that. It's not a mindset that others think with on a consistent basis. That is important. There are kids growing up with knowledge of the world on screens all over. Ghettos will still be here for a while, but they are not going to be the same ghetto.  The black characters I write for grow up knowing black culture, but are more interested in learning about the entire world's culture, and communicating with others in EVERY culture they can access.

So these black characters are not typical of media idealism. They can still be tough, they can still get respect. They just fight with words more than fists or guns. It's reality becoming art and art becoming reality. As a writer myself, I control that ideal.

I write for characters of emotional and comprehensive intelligence in tough situations. That is the drama which I want to see. And correct me if I'm wrong, which I'm not, but everyone wants to feel that.

The Two Moons of Arrakis and not being unusually bored

I was labeled a gifted child somewhere around the age of 5. How this was discovered remains a mystery. I was sent to a counselor's office with my parents and being asked to listen to a story and then being asked questions about the story. I had little quizzes to take. I remember never having been in that room, it was stuffy in there, and not wanting to be there.

I was put into a "Gifted" class for 2 hours at a time on a Wednesday. All I knew was that I was happy not to be in class. Being reflective, I don't know how much I really learned there. It was very relaxed, and we got to do things we wanted like making new inventions or talking to each other. I got to get out or normal classes though and go do fun things like use computers, meet other kids who were different, and one time, our gifted instructor sat us down to watch a VHS movie called Dune.

It was magic. It was a live-action version of the serious cartoons I had envisioned in my head. I didn't know there were directors or actors at the time, I didn't understand the schematics of how they put on lavish costumes and worked with huge production puppets. Why were they calling me gifted again? Well, I assume every once in a while, one nerd slips thru the cracks.

David Lynch, one of my idols in personal and business sense, a decade or so later, would I realize was the director of Dune. And by critical accounts, hated for it. I couldn't understand it. The man was a genius. And his other work is part of my collection of most loved movies.

Every once in a while I'll go back and revisit the House of Atreides, Paul, and the spice melange. Yes, it's got a campy vibe at times, but the colors, the design, the magic is still there.

Also, in my teens, I realized that the spice was marijuana. I was way off with that thesis, but I'm pretty sure it made sense to me at the time.

Two

My first film was done with the help of my brother, who I met at the age of 13. He was given up for adoption and he was able to find us. This was back before the internet became popular. Our talks ranged from what sports we liked to how good we were in a fight. You see, my brother and I never got the opportunity to grow up as kids together, therefore, we lost out on a few chances to see who was the leader of the group. We are blood related, but as far as official paperwork goes, we are just two really good friends. When I told him I wanted to make movies, he wanted to be in my movie. Now, the end result was a 21 year old experimenting with moving images, but luckily I've grown my dedication to my craft. I've created over 50 short films, some very experimental, some have had slight viral success. I've always wanted to move forward and make a feature-film.

I write one feature-length film a year. About three years ago, I wrote an action-thriller that got some of the best responses I couldn't dream of. The problem is that no one will hand over millions and millions of dollars to a first time director. So I went back to the drawing board and wrote a personal story with dramatic elements - a combination of my brother’s life  and mine. What I came up with is Two. A story about someone adopted that goes searching for answers, and the answers aren't the ones that he was going for.

This is a personal journey, and I’d like for everyone to see my film. I’d like to have others see what being American by birth and having roots of somewhere unknown, is really like. I’ve rewritten this script almost a dozen times now, and with each revision, it becomes more magical. And I don’t use that term loosely.

I’ve directed dozens of films and commercials for startup companies and small businesses. I’ve produced music videos and commercials for large corporations. I’ve produced a feature documentary now. I want to see what else is out there to make as art, and make it a profitable venture. I can’t see myself doing anything else.

Movie Theater businesses evolving toward higher end clients

You may or may not have noticed that a few movie theaters are now offering beer and wine service. There's a few theaters around here that have chairs that feel like loveseats complete with ottomans.

This is a great evolution of film. Since film downloads and streaming have hit high marks, the theaters have been scratching their collective heads trying to figure out where to go and high end clientele still need a place to go out to, without going to a dirty club to dance to EDM music that they can't dance to anyway. Well, nobody can really dance to that music, that's the point, but that's another story.

There are even theaters around the country that offer waitstaff to bring select gourmet foods to your "table".  After doing some searching, here's an article that will give you some insight as well.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/theaters-639602-movie-sushi.html

As a forecaster, I would assume this to happen for the future of my profession's cineplexes:

1. Less seating. More legroom, bigger chairs, plugins for phones(yes!), and pre-seating conversational music.

2. Age categorized rooms. Less teens mixed with seniors. Actually, both of those groups are the make-out groups, so maybe lump them together, and have 30s to 50s in same rooms and optional baby/kid clubhouse for rated PG-13 and up supervision.

3. Old Days. Tuesdays are half-price and you can sit with people that aren't in your preference and gourmet food and beer must be consumed out of the screening room.

4. Pillow rentals like a hotel.

Magic is real

I believe in a few things. My abilities, my family and friends, and magic. Magic being real means everything to me. It's why I'm so passionate about writing, filmmakers, and filmmaking. The idea of something not of this world, something like magic, I would have a hard time believing that what I'm watching on a screen really happened. Sure, there's suspension of disbelief. You know it's just moving pictures projected on a screen at 24 frames a second. Now, what about what happens in your own mind? It's a reality that you've created in there.

That's the thing. When you go to a movie theater or watch a movie on a screen, you give up that reality that your life is. The truth becomes whatever is presented to you in front of your own eyes, and there is no other option. 

Imagine watching something like a professional wrestling match. We all know these men and women workout regularly, and maybe they are actually nice people in the locker room; but once the stage lights go on and the crowd is roaring: There is no acting involved. It's all real.

Magic is the same way. Let's say something extraordinary happens. The imagination believes it happened even if there's no logical reason or explanation. To your mind, it has to be otherworldly. It is a voodoo spell or a curse or a plague on everyone's houses.

There are many corners of magic. White magic, black magic, protection rituals, curses, and bindings.

If it's an illusion, the illusion is real. The presentation itself is just a formality. 

That is why, even with everything there is to know about writing, the music charms, the spectacular movies to see, the technical moviemaking achievements, and the whole universe around us: 

I, without a doubt, 100% believe in the magic I cast for you to see, to laugh with, to cry for, to think and feel about.

That is what being a Wizard is all about.

Risk it

I'm not here to spin in circles.

One of the biggest principles I have stood for in my education, career, and life is in these two words.

Risk it!

It just sounds exciting even thinking about it. It’s a reminder to step aside from what I'm doing and reflect on myself if what I'm doing or saying is the right choice for what I want when trying something new. I like to ask myself these questions:


Is it a challenge? If not, then why am I doing it?
Is anybody else doing it? If so, then what purpose does it serve me?
Can I live with myself if I don’t do it? If so, then it’s probably not that big of a deal and I should find another task. If I can’t live with myself, then I better get started on the mission.


If I can’t answer these questions while thinking I’m going out there to make that small difference in the world, then I’m not interested. If I wanted to do nothing, I’d stay at home. Maybe taking risks won’t give me exactly what I want, but it’ll align the path to what I’m destined for. I'm not looking to win any awards, but what I am looking for is to have a simple message that anybody can understand. It's not an easy way to be subjective if I’m doing things the regular way all the time. I can be sure I’m onto something worth fighting for when my mind hits that certain threshold. I get more blood pumping in my veins. I have that specific vision. That’s when I know what I’m doing is making things happen. That’s when I know that persistence pays off and I’m going to go for the gold.

That's what makes me so comfortable about myself. I'm happy with who I am, and if it means I do things a little differently, then so be it. I dare myself to push harder, to reach the highest mountain. If I was content with mediocrity and being regular or average, I wouldn't be in college or I wouldn't have moved to California in search of bigger opportunities.


I surround myself with smarter than myself and risk-taking people. My principle is to lead by example, teaching others to check themselves before they wreck themselves. If a few more people can think about risking it more often, there’d be more chances of making that bullseye.

Wayne Gretzky said it best. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. The odds are in our favor, then.

Actors List for Two

UPDATE: I now have been brewing about actors in my mind and the state of this list. As I watch more movies that I like and what makes a good actor, I've decided to look at theatre actors closer so this list will definitely change.


I've been acting as my own Casting Director's Assistant (Casting Associate) for my feature film, Two.

I've compiled a list of actors that would be within budget(not astronomically high cost for talent, the chances of being a diva to come play a few day's role). They should also be willing to work with a mixture of union and independent film cast and crew towards the ultimate goal of a subject of adoption. 99% of the roles are the ones that most actors would want to do because of the caliber of iconic roles they would be able to play.

The cast probably will change a few names here and there as people die unexpectedly, or are busy doing their own thing, or would never want to work with someone else that is cast due to politics. That's the nature of this business and please don't hold it against me. I would love to work with every actor eventually and given the timing and nature of my writing, probably will.


A note about all this: I have been writing this list out, researching actors, looking at faces, ages, past work, personal behavior, etc. When I wrote this screenplay, these characters didn't have that personality they have today. It's because of this research, this thinking of what an actor could possibly bring to the role that I have brought this list out and given the material larger than life memorable attitudes. Once the actors are cast, these personalities become theirs and whatever choices they create are no longer mine, but they are of the screen in which you see them.


MAX
Michael Angarano
Taylor Lautner
Carter Jenkins
Corbin Bleu
Mark Indelicato
Dev Patel
Suraj Sharma


ALINA
Nicole Beharie
Lenora Crichlow
Ruth Negga
Yaya Alafia
Amandla Stenberg
Jurnee Smollett
Jordin Sparks
Keke Palmer


JESSICA
Retta
Rashida Jones
Tatyana Ali
Rosario Dawson
Persia White
Gugu Mbatha-Raw

TRÈS

Doc Shaw
Jaden Smith
John Boyega
Tristan Wilds
Michael B. Jordan
Evan Ross
Leon Thomas III
Dayo Okeniyi



ROXY
Kaya Scodelario
Analeigh Tipton
Brie Larson
Zosia Mamet
Kristen Stewart
Emma Watson
Zoey Deutch
Shailene Woodley
Ariana Grande
Victoria Justice
Selena Gomez
Hannah Marks
Lily Collins
Joey King
Lourdes Leon
Seychelle Gabriel
Josie Loren
Christian Serratos
Isabelle Fuhrman



MARIEL
Chloe Moretz
Juno Temple
Saoirse Ronan
Emma Stone
Shailene Woodley
Bonnie Wright
Kaya Scodelario
Mia Wasikowska
Emma Watson
Chloe Moretz
Mae Whitman
AnnaSophia Robb
Elle Fanning
Imogen Poots


UNCLE REGGIE
Craig Robinson
Jerome Caldwell
Terry Crews
Dule Hill
Dolvett Quince
Isaiah Mustafa
Derek Luke
Blair Underwood
Lenny Kravitz
Laz Alonso
Michael Ealy
Lance Gross
Jesse L. Martin
Morris Chestnut
D.B. Woodside
Charles Michael Davis
Damon Wayans Jr.
Shemar Moore
Jesse Williams
Boris Kodjoe
Andre 3000
Keith David
Dennis Haysbert
Samuel L. Jackson
Tone Loc
Isiah Whitlock Jr.


GOTHAM SHAH
Maz Jobrani
Richard Ayoade
Omid Djalili
Oded Fehr
David Cross
Ciaran Hinds
Tony Shalhoub
Ron Silver
Said Taghmaoui
Faran Tahir
Shaun Toub
Arjun Rampal
Sendhil Ramamurthy
Hrithik Roshan
Raza Jaffrey
John Abraham


VINCE
Whit Spurgeon
Gary Cole
William Fichtner
J.K. Simmons
William H. Macy
Harry Dean Stanton
Steve Buscemi
Thomas Hayden Church
Clifton Collins, Jr.
Bruce Dern
Chris Elliott
Sam Elliott
William Forsythe
John Goodman
Woody Harrelson
Michael Keaton
David Koechner
John C. McGinley


LINDA
Kathy Bates
Holly Hunter
Joan Allen
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Frances McDormand
Joey Lauren Adams
Catherine Keener
Jane Lynch
Edie McClurg
Catherine O'Hara
June Squibb


NESS
John Turturro
Christopher Walken
Erick Avari
Graham Greene
Luis Guzman
John Leguizamo
John Ortiz
Michael Pena
Miguel Sandoval
Jacob Vargas

MITCH
Douglas Booth
Will Poulter
Ansel Elgort
Kare Hedebrant
Paul Butcher
Kenton Duty
Mitch Hewer
Graham Patrick Martin
Brett Davern
Shane Sheckler
Rufus Taylor
Devon Gearhart
Lloyd Daniels
Chris Brochu
Chad Dylan Cooper
Sam Evans
Christopher Zurek


DAWOOD
Derek Luke
Columbus Short
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Tahir Moore


CAMEO ROLE
Danny Derakhshan (myself!)

Naveen Andrews
Serj Tankian
Daniel Martinez
Aziz Ansari

CYBILL
Lisa Kudrow
Kathy Baker
Suzanne Whang
Debra Monk
Amy Poehler
Bai Ling
Molly Ringwald
Tea Leoni
Uma Thurman
Winona Ryder
Patricia Arquette


TAMARA
Ariana Grande
Sarah Hyland
Zoe Kravitz
Vanessa Hudgens
Samantha Barks
Freida Pinto


KENNY
Cung Le
CM Punk
Nicolas Cage


MRS. YAMSKUL
Suzanne Whang
Lu Liping
Zhang Ziyi
Gong Li

Sandra Oh

DAVID YAMSKUL JR.
David Yu
Harry Shum Jr.

John Cho
Ezra Miller

DAVID YAMSKUL SR.
George Takei

Ken Watanabe

ANNA
Willow Smith
Saoirse Ronan
Perrie Edwards



FRONT DESK PRISON GUARD
John Amos
Anthony Anderson
Wilford Brimley
James Caan



CONTAINMENT CELL PRISON GUARD
Joaquim de Almeida
Scott Bakula
Corbin Bernsen
Vincent Cassel



ASIAN TOURIST
Suzanne Whang
Jamie Chung
Jenna Ushkowitz



INTERESTING FACES*
Dylan O'Brien
Bobby Cannavale
Allen Covert
Giancarlo Giannini
Giovanni Ribisi
Ben Foster

*Not in the script, but I l'd love to have these actors in something if I can find a part to write for them.

What It Feels Like to Do Everything and Nothing In One Day

Some new details for the Adoption Reunion story.

1. We've got a name! Are you ready to read the words of greatness? OK, here we go.
Finding His Family. I could not think of a title for 2 years of writing this story, with exception of Clocks That Can't Be Fixed, referring to being adopted and wanting to find out about roots being a way of time being lost. Philosophical? Yes. Easy to say? No.

2. After much feedback, I've been writing all week long to a better revision. It's almost surreal how close to a movie this screenplay is now. The even more surreal part? It's gonna get better with each revision. I have this vision of dialog becoming better and characters becoming more iconic and the right mix of known actors and up-and-coming talent being introduced to me.

3. A fellow producer, Dan Janvey, from Beasts of the Southern Wild is now on my Advisory Board. This is great because one of the smartest friends I've worked with are backing me up on this journey.

4. A SAG signatory producer is wanting to help me with logistics and actors to handle this project. We'll see if all the agreements happen, but no matter what, this means I can't stop now.

I've spent 9a.m. til 10p.m. today working. I've been applying to Producers Labs, tweaking the screenplay, and writing up potential actors for the project that I can see a good fit for the film and within the budget. I am 90% done with it and I'll post it up in case anyone has worked with anyone of them before and can introduce me once funding goes further.

I also edited a boxing promo for a local company nearby that I'll be doing some more videos for in the future and I got a local comic book shop to agree to me making their web commercial for them. I have a great idea of having a bunch of people in costume mock fighting in front of the store trying to get in to get the newest batch of comics. I got the pet supply store to set a date to film this web commercial for them too. I also spoke to the manager of a medical marijuana dispensary to create some educational and informative videos for them.

Basically, I worked all day and night on what I love, but now my eyes don't want to keep looking at a computer monitor for a while. The reason I wrote everything and nothing in one day is that I know I'm just one man and I can't do everything, no matter how much I want to. I spent hours and hours today working but the reality is I can't do it all and have time for any recreation. That's a problem I'm working on. I've got my eye on an experienced producer to come in and work with me to get things done soon.

OK, if you're reading this: Anything is possible. I'm the proof. Watch this as it happens cause I'm on the journey.

2 years and 1 week

It took me 2 years to write a real first draft of my adoption reunion drama. The revised draft is taking me a week. Of course, this is a whole week of doing nothing but writing. A big apology to all my family, friends, and bills that are past due; I've been committed to this work and nothing else. They say movies take 4 or 5 years to make from idea to seeing it at a theater or on Bittorrent. Well, I'm about halfway there now(haha!).

I've spent the same amount of time on the computer this week, but more re-writing than I've ever done. I wake up around 7 or 8am and I'll work a few hours at a time, take a half hour break, then go back at it, only taking time off to eat or run errands. Maybe it's cause I'm so anticipatory towards this version. A lot of good friends tearing into the story, telling me what was bad and what was horrible helped. I can't say this was all me. They took time to read it, and got me to realize what made it mean and full of life; like a pitbull figuring out it has teeth. Possibly the funniest thing that happened was with one of my longest relationships, a man named JP. His feedback almost gave me a heart murmur. It shocked me so hard that he was right, that I suddenly felt embarrassed I had sent it out to so many people.

Drama is not easy, especially for an 80's/90's person like me, who grew up on Terminator and Rambo and Alien franchises as well as cheesy comic book heroes like Superman, Spider-Man, X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. Also, I'm incredibly positive in life, and that is apparent in my writing. I had to go deeper and darker for this draft. And I'll probably have to go darker for the next draft after this.

OK, back to positive thinking: Most spelling and obvious grammatical errors fixed. Challenges to protagonist corrected. Discovery process for protagonist envisioned. Not everything is handed to him. It's his story about being adopted and trying to figure out how to deal with sealed birth certificate laws and circumventing them because they're outdated and information should be freely available.

I also figured out a scene I want to film as proof of concept and tone.

It's Saturday at night, and I should be relaxing, but I need to finish this. I'll relax next week. :)

Fast and the Furious

Sometime in the early 2000s, my brother got started with a Honda tuning crew. He bought himself a 1988 Honda CRX and started suping it up. It was great and a lot of fun to drive in the passenger seat so I decided I wanted a CRX too. I ended getting a 1991 model, but I didn't do anything to it except get a quieter tailpipe conversion. I wanted to be elusive in the the night while my brother wanted to show off during the 39th Street car shows.

Then, something happened. A movie trailer came out that depicted amazingly detailed cars in an action-thrill ride. We both knew we were going to see it on opening night.

We showed up around 7pm or so and the parking lot at the mall where the theater was located was packed full of mostly Asian and some European modded cars. My brother's CRX fit in perfectly.

The movie began and all the loud noises stopped as we began the journey of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. When the movie ended, we all got up and paced towards the exit.

I'll never forget hearing a teenager in front of us yelling at the top of his lungs, "This is the best movie of the year!"

Production Designers

I was on a show that is very popular, and there was a subway scene in New York being filmed.

The Production Designer gave everyone briefcases and newspapers and coffee cups...

This is a problem in the 2010's and up era. Anyone taking the subway is going to have an iPad or Kindle or listening to music on their commute. The newspaper is still bought, yes, but not at the rate of people buying devices to read on.

Everyone should have earbuds plugged into them and playing on their phone or laptop. Just saying.

Stronger than all

What's been interesting about all this work that's been going on is that I now feel like I'm not doing enough. I am, I really do believe I'm doing as much work as 2 highly caffeinated persons but it doesn't feel like it's enough. I'm waiting for feedback from a few high profile industry producers that are mentoring me thru the process of directing my first feature film next year and I'll post more on that soon. It's about 1am PST right now. I've been spending my Saturday night writing proposals, replying to emails, finding new screenwriters labs, directors labs, and producers labs. It's strange isn't it? I'm doing all 3. I've met up with some potential producers and I like one guy so far. He's never produced a feature but been a script supervisor on over a 100 feature films in the last decade. I like his honesty about himself and how he's unsure of a few things but willing to take a shot at it anyway. That's the kind of person you want to be your right hand. Just for fun, I'm going to make a quick list of titles I've got and maybe titles I need:

-Cinematographer

-Co-Producer

-Associate Producer (3)

-Producer/A.D.

-Mentor (3)

-Seed Investor (1)

That's it so far. I've reached out to a few Line Producer friends, a Casting Director, and a Costume Designer, but those are still just waving around until I can pull a real team together. 

Filmmaking is such hard work, but I think adidas says it best: 

"When you love what you do, it's not really work, it's just what you do."

I'm making movies.

From the Heart Productions

It's funny how things work. I'm speaking about me and my work of course, since this is my blog. I've been working non-stop for quite a while now, marketing my new company's vision and strategy. I created FredRose Films to make movies but I had no idea what type at the time. I named the company after my father and my mother. Now, FredRose Films is set to be for my short comedy sketches and experimental short films. I created a new production company back in March. This company is for a feature film. A drama story. An adventure story. The company is called Derakhshan Films. Why? It is my goal to have the majority of people in the world know how to pronounce Derakhshan, much like most people can now pronounce Schwarzenegger. Something I've always dreamed is that my last name would be a household name someday. This is my dream becoming real with these steps I'm taking.

I spoke with my pal, Josh Penn, a while back about what route I should be taking for my feature documentary, Panomundo. He gave me some sound advice and I incorporated it into my own style and now I'm using it towards my first narrative feature film.

I've actually been speaking with a lot of people lately. I've gotten some great friends who are guiding me towards a big thing like making a feature film that will look good and tell a good story.

I've never written so many drafts before. I've never changed so many characters I've loved and lived with characters I've hated for so long. It was this "character building" that got me where I want to be: Right here and right now.

I came home today and got my mail. I am expecting a check for either scholarships, sponsorships, or grants I've been applying to. I got rejected last week from 3 in less than 48 hours but I wasn't down. I understood the process. I got my mail and got a letter that felt like a rejection letter. I opened it and my Untitled Adoption Reunion story is now officially sponsored by From the Heart Productions. A wonderful non-profit organization is backing me up!

A bonafide organization that believes in me and wants the rest of the world to believe in me, and root for me to keep going. This was what I have been seeking. I was so happy I went to my next door neighbor and also small business owner, Jonathan Weitz, to tell him the great news.

It's time to apply for donations and seed funding. I've got a lot more non-stop work to do.
Stay tuned!

Untitled Adoption Reunion Project

Captain's log. Stardate -308660.8264205986.

I quit my dayjob almost a year ago to become a Captain. A full-time filmmaker and photographer. Most sales/marketing jobs let you do your thing, but there were a few that totally drove me up the wall with micromanagement and it was probably because I knew how little we were all getting paid for it. I knew I was worth a lot and I'm not talking money. Money is a tool and nothing more. It will never be a sign of someone's worth to me.

The film gods must see my persistence because they saw me starve this last winter and gave me a helping hand. The gods told me that since I was hungry, I could take up time in the day by writing continuously. I wrote and wrote and WROTE on this story so many times it changed into a new beast and it changed me as well. I've told this story so many times, I can recite it to anyone that passes by with barely a recollection needed.

My story is simple. It's about a Middle Eastern kid that is born and raised in the Midwest. He was given up for adoption as a baby and raised by white parents. He has never been sure where in the Middle East his ancestry is from, and all of his life he has felt there is a connection out there he wants to know and feel complete with. On his 20th birthday, he is kicked out of his home by his parents, who feel he needs to grow up, to stop being such a slacker with a menial job, and go find his destiny. He uses his adoption papers, birth certificate information, and with the help of his technologically advanced friend, goes to Northern California where the last known physical address of his biological parents is. It's here that he embarks on his journey to find out his roots, and hopefully himself.

The theme is about the discovery of ourselves through our past while embracing the present and keeping an eye on the future. And the strength to enjoy today. People of different backgrounds unite in the same upbringing, and that family can be anybody or any community you belong to. There are also underlying themes of coming of age, and the courage to deal with it.

Being American and having Middle Eastern roots is an interesting way to grow up, but this relates more to us all as being a nation of immigrants and keeping our ancestral identity while assimilating in the melting pot that is the United States of America. Now, the best part about this is that America is no longer the only nation of immigrants thanks to technology and advances and cost of travel. Our world is changing and it's the best time to be alive today.

I look forward to tomorrow.

Goals of filmmaking

I'm here to wish you a great week coming up. My favorite holiday is Halloween as I get to dress like a maniac and no one seems to care.

My goals are lofty. Sometimes they fail miserably, sometimes they just work, and sometime they work but not the way I'd hoped them to. I'd like to take a moment to share my goals and why I do them. As you can see, I treat all new ideas by starting off small and working my way up higher, and eventually I move on to something new. Over the past 7 years when I moved to California from my hometown in search of bigger and better since I saw the future that was there for me: I had nearly topped out, with very little more I could accomplish in my search of truth.

I moved to California to work. I'm serious about story, whether it's drama or comedy or documentary. I go at a steady beat. I rarely will jump in to attack. I want to seek and find out tactics from others while gathering information and learning from them as well. Know myself and know the people around me. After moving to Los Angeles almost 2 years ago, I studied by watching everyone around me -whether film related or not- to see what works and what doesn't in business and art.

Film is a specialty market. You have to reinvent yourself over and over. I've already got plans to reinvent myself once I've touched the top of the movie mountain here. I'll tell you later about that. Think of companies like Apple that make products that people don't know they need yet. That's the kind of space to be in with any entrepreneurship state that you are seeking.

I'm a writer, director, and film producer. I spend time writing with people who like to write, I'll call friends to direct them in my movie ideas, and I spend countless hours writing up business proposals, going to fundraisers encouraging others to give support, and invest in these projects, speaking at events to encourage others to do well, and overall being a witty guy. This makes me one of the best film producers I know.

Speaking of producing, my film Panomundo has a goal of $100,000 by the end of March. We have gotten support to the tune of $35,000 so far, so we are almost halfway there. And this is all private sponsorships, grants, and a little bit from crowdsourcing. When I came on to this project I had very little knowledge about Trinidad & Tobago and the steelpan. Now people ask me questions about the country and origins of the drum. Very exciting stuff. I'm going to the islands in March/April to celebrate the wonderful movie we're creating and I hope you will watch my path as I go higher and higher up this mountain. Thank you for being my friend, my fan, and a well-wisher. I'm almost there.

Why "The Crow" directed by Alex Proyas and starring Brandon Lee reaches the biggest audience

In my pursuit of understanding myself and my moviemaking art, I develop deep connections to films that have changed my life. My favorite movie is "The Crow". I still own my VHS copy, I have the DVD, and I have a digital copy. I make it a point to see the movie on or near Halloween, and usually once during the summer.

I watched it on Blu-Ray this last year and saw many different things this time. The lighting seemed a little brighter and the story became more visual in its tone.

Below is a recollection of why the film got to me and why it reaches to the gothic era audience as well as male and female audience members alike.

It's a revenge story.
The reason Eric Draven does what he does is for love.
His true, only love that was taken from him, and is ultimately brought back to him.
Eric Draven as a person or as a sentient being is hurt. He does not want to put revenge on his enemy, he needs to do it.
Eric Draven is not a talker, he is a doer.
The main villains don't care about what's wrong and what's right.
It's not just an action film. It's a thriller with action elements.
The movie is shot monochromatic and it's dark. Black and white films reach to art audiences.
Eric Draven comes back to life to exact revenge on the ones that deserve it.
The film is dirty, very little is clean and crisp. There is trash blowing around the entire city.
Eric Draven is a brooding man.
The villain, T-Bird, is not the real last bad guy.
The last villain, Top Dollar, is truly sorry for what had to be done. He has to die anyway.

The film takes itself seriously as if this situation really could happen. That's where the magic comes from. No one can shake the idea that what is happening in the story is real. No one can be fully sure what happens next.

Moviemaking and lemonade stands are a lot alike.

Who had a lemonade stand as a kid? OK, who knows the concept of a kid selling lemonade for 25 cents a cup?

Filmmaking isn’t that different from lemonade making. To make lemonade you don’t just say, “I’m going to make lemonade and sell it in the front of my lawn.” and POOF!it happens. To be in the movies you don’t just say, “I’m going to be a Director/Actor/Producer.” and it happens. Though that would be nice, right? “I want to be a filmmaker!”. POOF! “Get me Stallone and Rachel McAdams for my next picture!”

A lemonade stand takes effort, supplies, planning, specific tools, products and services to get that little paper cup full. Little Suzie Q’s mind doesn’t wrap around the fact that the cups have to be bought by the Executive Producer(Dad) and you’ll be lucky to get the cheap paper cups nevermind the red party cups. The lemons have to be picked from the tree or bought at the grocery store(by Mom the Producer), and it takes a while to build a stand(by you the Set Construction). The sign has to be made that says you are selling quality lemonade(again, you as the Art Director).

Now if you’re lucky and Mom the Producer calls all her friends to come buy a cup you’ll be doing good. But if you and her just hope for the best you might not make it. You might get lucky and a random stranger comes by kinda thirsty. Your selling skills on how good this lemonade is will be paramount. You are giving information to the potential customer about your service and how it will benefit them in the long run. Do you see? The customer can be both the ACTOR and MOVIE WATCHER. You are the DIRECTOR.

What’s the point here besides how great lemonade is? Use the tools as a filmmaker to make a great movie.

Actors: Your tools of trade are you mind and body. Hit the gym or go the park and workout regularly. Get your body do as you command. Read as much as you can, and no Entertainment Weekly doesn’t count. Take classes. Practice your craft. Work in as many movies as you can, whether paid or not. I regularly visit sets and on occasion will find an actor that I can see working with at a later date. If you’re not on set, how will someone know how good you are and approach you?

Crew: Be on movie sets. It doesn’t matter what you are there doing, just be there. Practice makes perfect. In one week, I went from Directing a commercial to Assistant Directing a short film to PAing a TV pilot and finished off the week by being a Camera Operator.

Writers: What did I do with my free time away from being on set? I wrote and I wrote and I wrote. Every feature film I have written shows improvement. Each one is better and better. I sell my writing here and there, and I feel lucky about it. Here is how I feel about luck. Being lucky is the culmination of hard work, treating people well & staying positive during times of insecurity. So work a lot, be nice, and good things will come.

Back to lemonade and moviemaking. Lemonade selling is a business. Movies are a self-selling business. Think about sales. Sales works for selling products from internet to wireless phones to gym memberships and if you can sell that, sell the idea and your self-worth to people.

It can be pretty sweet to be in this business. Sugar is what makes lemonade sweet but it only brings out the natural lemon taste. Too little sugar and lemonade becomes sour. Too much sugar and it spoils the lemonade. With just the right amount of sugar, magic can happen. Movie magic.

Go out and make the best movies (and lemonade) that you can!

Short Films are the now.

Short films have never had much clout in the entertainment industry. Sure, they can get attention, but to actually make money off it? Forget it.

Until now.

With Youtube and social media rising and people’s attention getting shorter, a movie for a quarter-dollar that runs less than 10 minutes doesn’t have too bad of a chance. You want a dollar? Forget it. I’ll just go on Youtube and watch free stuff. In a world that is completely international thanks to information, it’s all about quantity in streaming Video on Demand.

The best choice to me is Netflix or Amazon Video grabbing short comedies or thrillers and using them on their service as original content that is exclusive.

Think of being in the mood to waste some time in front of the television or internet video. Click on Netflix drop down and choose “Comedy Shorts”. Five short ten minute comedies play one after another or until you’ve had enough.

That is what will work.

TV AND MOVIES FOR PORTABLE DEVICES

I used to agree with Quentin Tarantino about his view that once movies were no longer seen in the theater that he would no longer want to make movies. Granted, he’s about twenty years older than me, and we like the same types of movies.


Sadly, the last few years I’ve realized that I’m OK with this change. People want to have a portable screen to view their content. Yes, they might have a fifty inch plasma television at home and go see the occasional movie at the theater, but they don’t want to be restricted.

I watch 90% of my movies thru Netflix now; about 5% of it on my Android phone. The other 10% is at the movie theater or video rental store. I have gone to a movie theater every month or two now, and I rent a movie from the video store if I am unable to find it on Netflix or streaming online.

I am not a supporter of Hulu because of their editing content and ads. I have the solution for them: One ad before the movie or show and one after. No inbetween. It ruins the flow of visual imagery.

So either make shorter film content or move the ad space somewhere else.

I hope Tarantino changes his mind about portable devices because I don’t want him to stop making movies. I know I won’t stop because a medium changes how it’s seen from how I originally planned for, but then again, I’m good at adapting.

Here’s hoping he is too.

The Princess Bride: Special Edition

The Special Edition starts out strong. Vivid colors, and the sound felt like it was movie theater surround sound quality. 15 minutes into it, out of nowhere, midgets started having sex with each other.

WTF! I DON'T REMEMBER THIS SCENE.

No thank you, I'll stick to the original version.

Thanks Ethan.

Reasons to love Big Trouble In Little China

• It's American as can be. Even if you're not American, you gotta admire the passion that Jack Burton carries about him and his fellow countrymen.
• It's cheesy as hell. There is not one real thing in the movie that truly could happen. Yet.
• It keeps it's Chinese roots. Even though the movie is American and set in China, us the viewer, really feel like ancient Chinamen run around present day Chinatown.
• Green eyes for Chinese girls are a rare miracle. But get this: There are always others.
• Any way possible to get in or out. Example: To get out of a den, use a fireman's pole.
• The entire movie's point is to stop a royal wedding.
• Jack Burton isn't the real hero. He's a sidekick.
• 2 unlikely best friends must save 2 hot ladies with green eyes.
• Magic potion is real. Very real.

Talking about death...on Halloween.

I believe Hollywood might be dying. It's almost time for its death.

Filmmaking in general has become tiresome. The stories that we all know and love are painfully similiar.

I'm not sure what happened and honestly don't care.

Thesis Film: Struggle, overcoming, celebration. Sequel: New struggle with different variants.

Where is humanity if we can't evolve past imitation of the source? Hollywood might be dying but we'll live. It'll just be boring as fuck.

And if you know anything about me yet.... I'm against that option. I'm against becoming a 3rd World Country and me the King. I'll be in the chaos and thrive cause I'll accept death when the rest of the world is at peace.

I'll be causing lots of trouble. Just to keep things interesting. Something Hollywood can't do anymore and has been a long time since they even tried. There is no Cialis for a broken dick, only numbing paint-by-numbers theoretical antagonists and tired jerking-off from a stretched thin idea of orgasmic art.

Sex and Death. On Halloween. At 1:11AM.

I've got plenty more wads to shoot here. :)

Indie movies. A new definition of them.

Hearing the term indie movies thrown at everything from Paranormal Activities to District 9, I’ve had enough. Hollywood figured out mass amounts of money can be made from smaller budget films since the early 60’s and it has gone far too long without changing terms about it. All I’ve done is sub-categorize the genre.
Short films - a shorter than 55 minute long practice movie, no matter the budget. Can be also called a testing ground movie.
B-movie - well meaning with budget or not, but falls short of the original vision. Except for anything Troma, which means to make what you see on purpose.
Zero indie - where everything is done on favors, no one gets paid, probably ever. With exception of craft services aka Domino’s Pizza.
Art house indie - semi-experienced filmmakers who stride from the established norm with some budget and occasionally a plot, generally somewhere in the 5 figure area. These movies play in art galleries or midnight matinees.
Indie - small budget with obvious creativity to make up for low production values
Backed indie - Near mainstream Producers find films that can be made for low budget but with name stars attached to a points system to make some profits. A good portion of these open at Sundance Film Festival.
Indie in spirit - My favorite. Some production cash is available but everyone strives to give their most on ambitiously lean but healthy production values.
Low budget - less than $10 million after rebates. This is not exactly indie but it is nice that some people can pay their rent working on it.
Medium budget - (not indie) $10-$50 million after rebates.
Big budget - (not indie)$50-$99 million after rebates.
Blockbuster budget (not indie) $99million+ after rebates.

Moviemaking Checklist

 0. Write script
 1. Create the budget
 2. Hire the crew
 3. Cast the film
 4. Choose locations
 5. Break down the shooting script
 6. Create the shooting schedule and production boards
 7. Secure locations
 8. Contract with vendors for stage rentals
 9. Negotiate key equipment deals with vendors
10. Constructe any needed sets
11. Acquire props
12. Choose, design, and manufacture wardrobe
13. Camera tests for any special effects or specialized development techniques
14. Makeup tests for actors
15. SHOOT THE DAMN THING!

Why filmmaking is the perfect job

Filmmaking is the greatest job in the world to me. It’s a business and art and I am the entrepreneur and the artist. I know there will be mistakes made along the way and I’m OK with that. I’m still going to do my best to keep pushing these results further.

Why do I get out of bed every morning and why should you care? I get out of bed every morning thinking that I have much to do and very little time to finish everything. My life becomes a series of adventures that I must pick and choose which ones are the most important. I wake up as Indiana Jones and I’m on a mission to go out and make some deals to not let the bad guys win.

What is in this for me personally though? I’d have to say inner peace. As a kid I’d always felt like I needed something and that it was missing from my life. I’d spend hours watching movies and listening to music with friends, instead of doing homework. I’d do the homework the morning of on the school bus. Making movies is the biggest sense of accomplishment out there for me as of now. It’s the perfect job for me. I get to sit at a desk or on the couch surfing the internet for a while and write out stories that come from ideas I get when reading news or seeing posts by other people or by watching a movie and I see a character I like and would want to see more of on screen. When I can’t sit down and write anymore, I go out and film anything that is in my personal blog or notebook of ideas. Then when I’m done filming I get to sit at the desk or couch again with laptop on and work on editing these ideas together, adding music scores and sound effects, cutting up scenes to make sense and rewriting the story again through editing. It’s a beautiful process and it really does put me in a zen state of mind.

What’s in it for you as the audience member? Communication in community. I’m building communities of people who love or hate my work and who love or hate me. Whether it’s the former or the latter, you the audience get that real emotion that others can relate to or disagree with, causing conversations to start with other people who have the same or differing opinions. Our ability to communicate through speech and language which uses our minds to comprehend and analyze data is part of that extraordinary process of building our lives together.

I believe in myself and I have to do it again and again. I have to keep going and pursue that destiny in storytelling. The oldest artform. The current state of affairs is great for movies. There’s a nice balance of films out there, from comic book movies to indie-dramas. And I want to present variations of them that are always old-fashioned but with something new.

Am I going to be able to work my dream job forever? Possibly. I do want to make movies and work with others that believe the same things I do. Working smart not hard, but also work hard. Work that extra hour, work that extra day. Change lives for the future to be better. All by having you getting to a movie theater or at home on your iPad for an hour or two. I’m not doing this for the money. Nor the recognition, and definitely not for celebrity, though I’m certain that will come. I do this because I love my life. I've lived a great life so far. I have a way with people that is understanding and can get a smile. It's a lost art. Filmmaking I’ve had to learn through trial and error. The way I can connect with people is a skill I was born with. I want to teach and lead people who want to be the same type of leader. Not because I’m a great leader. There’s better than me wherever I go. It’s because I’m true to myself, to my art, my family, friends, and to my audience. I don’t go about making spectators, I make people a part of a community. My community, your community, our communities. You reading this right here, right now, are in that community.

Things didn’t always go as I’d assumed. I never thought I’d be working in the movies. The thought never crossed my mind. I remember seeing Home Alone, Fievel Goes West, and Robocop, and Rocky as a kid, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life growing up. I had dreams of being in a rock’n’roll band as a teenager but I think that was more to meet girls. It worked back then, but that was me having more style than substance. I’ve had a decade of leveraging the two to a delicate balance. The reason movies have become such a huge impact on my life is that I can tell stories and people will be captivated to see what happens next. There are countless stories being told out there right now and I believe my stories are different. I’m different. My upbringing was different. I want others to see what I see, to know what I know, to feel what I feel, and to act on their ideas as well.

Living in Los Angeles makes a filmmaker jaded from seeing what really is successful. Too many people around you are doing the same thing and getting multiple awards for their work, but still they struggle, whether financially or artistically. That struggle is part of us and puts us in one world. I think we can come together in our daily struggles. I want to lead people to being true to themselves and to their community and their world. Sure, I want to make a splashy Hollywood blockbuster here and there. I’m only human. But I also want to tell the story of people that are human. Possibly the story of a cyborg with artificial intelligence too.

I end this journal with the casual quote which moves me forward. It’s simple yet means so much and also can easily be observed and analyzed deeply. It’s the words that I seek from others as a colleague and as a friend. It’s the people I like to be with that say this to themselves and aloud, and it brings out ways to do things that others say are impossible:

“Why not?”


Filmmaking is the perfect job for me because I am expected to make mistakes. Not only that, but I get to learn from my mistakes.

In my journey learning my craft, I have come to understand what people love, what people hate, and what people are willing to take as acceptable. This also explains the Studio's approach to filmmaking also.

So at this point I can either start making acceptable art that is at every movie theater or I can push the limits and possibly be hated. The opposite of that though is that it will change the entire industry, be imitated like no other and bring about international recognition. Doing either of those will not make me feel happy as an artist. I am choosing to make experimental film that will possibly have mainstream success. I am not looking for fame. I am looking to touch the top of the universe by a mistake.

Nothing goes your way so deal with it.

You know when you have something in mind when you try to make something artistic but it doesn't turn out at all like you want? That is the stress of being a film director. I write and I direct. Actors are great, they are there and do what is needed. But every other aspect of production falters.

I ended up being the last person to show up on set because of a snafu that happened mid-morning. The lady who is sponsoring the film didn't show up on time to get my order in. We needed sandwiches for the set and I submitted a proposal to her with a copy of the script, and storyboards. She was delighted to be a part of something and we agreed to meet at 11 AM. I wake up at the crack of dawn and get ready and am super prepared for the day ahead. I go there expecting her to be starting on it, but she is nowhere in sight. I ask and the guy at the front says that she should be in any minute. So I told him what was going on and if he could start the order for me. She shows up at 11:30. But to make it up she gave us a few bags of chips for our lunch to go with the sandwiches she donated for the cast and crew.  Saying that, I didn't leave to go to the set until noon. I was hoping to finish by 12:30 and then we could eat lunch...Nothing happens how you want it I guess.

I get there and there is a dump truck in front of my first location. Fine, I can deal with that. So we made our way to the next location and everything turned out OK. It was just odd that this was my project and I'm late. I'm super thankful that everyone there was understanding and no one complained.

I checked out the daily and it looks good. I got a lot of work ahead of me to edit this it into something manageable. Luckily, I'm officially a sponsored filmmaker. Now I can show people this and get more sponsors and more funding now.