Officially The Good Samaritan is in Post Production

Hello All,

Just thought I'd send out an update for all our followers of The Good Samaritan short film. The film is now officially in the middle of Post production. Jon Lindgren, an awesome editor and good friend, did a wonderful job cutting together our first rough cut. Then he handed it over to me and I've been putting my mark on it. I think we're getting very close to picture lock. Today Elizabeth and I met with a guy that will be doing our titles for the opening and end credits. It was a ton of fun sitting talking about all the different ways we can make an impression with the titles. I am very excited to see how they turn out.

I hope that everyone has visited our new website and is enjoying our the new desgin. I think its pretty spiffy if I don't say so myself. Anyway, I'll keep you posted as we move a long through post. Please keep checking here or our website blog for more updates.

The Good Samaritan's Kickstarter Campaign - please pledge!

It has begun and we really need your help. We've just launched our very first fundraiser on Kickstarter, an awesome website that helps artists find supporters for their unique art. I've wanted to try it out for a long time and this was the perfect project to try with. I am very excited to give it a shot.

Most of you who come to this blog know how much I love film and making movies. That it's a true passion of mine. You also know it's been a while since I've made a short. But that isn't to say I haven't been dreaming of getting back behind the camera everyday. Writing has had to take a front seat and though I love writing my really deep down passion is directing, being on set under pressure, working with my actors, and capturing it all on film, that's when I feel most a home.

So, with all that said I'd like to ask you to please help. I'm not very good at asking so you'll have to excuse the lack of finesse here. This is your chance to be apart of something very special and only you can help. It's pretty easy, either you can pledge, any amount will make a difference and/or you can re-post the link below on your twitter / facebook / website / groups etc. or email it out to family, friends, co-worker, cellmate -  anyone you can think of, because the name of the game is get the word out. Someone you might not think would be interested might just secretly wish he or she could be apart of the filmmaking process.

I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart and Alice thanks you. Click on the link below and it will send you straight to the funding page where you can learn more about the project and help make this project a reality.

The Good Samaritan Campaign

Introducing The Good Samaritan's Cast

And we're off. I am excited to announce we have completed casting for The Good Samaritan short film. Please allow me to introduce to you our two leads.

Mikaela Krantz as Alice

Jason Newman as Nick

They are both wonderful talents and I am so happy to have them on our project. I look forward to collaborating with them both.

Remember to check back there will be more announcements to come and the launch of the Kickstarter campaign.

Okay that's all for today.

The Good Samaritan Announcements

On Wed. we shot the funding video for The Good Samaritan's Kickstarter Campaign, which will launch in a few days, it was tons of fun, Mikaela did an awesome job and Alice has been born. The video will be posted here, on Kickstarter, and later on our company website. So check it out when you can.

Production dates locked, crewing up and scouting locations, things are moving along pretty nicely. I think other then being on set directing this time in pre-production is one of my favorites.

Okay, I think that's it. Oh remember to check back soon there will be another announcement - Our cast!

See you soon.

The Casting Call

One of my favorite parts of being a director is working with actors. When I start the casting process I actually get pretty excited for the casting calls. I know most times it's hell for an actor. But I do my very best to make it fun and relaxed for all of us. To give us a chance to play. The amazing thing about casting calls is the great opportunity to see so many different fresh perspective of the characters. I've walked away from many casting session being totally blown away at the new insight I found by just playing around with an audition. Sometimes with just an added adjustment whamooo we've created a whole new angle for a character or molded an outragously funny performance. It can be such a creative experience and many times it's out of those moments I find just the right person for the role. In my opinion, there's nothing that can really replace that first one on one moment with an actor and the material.

Here we go again...

Great news! The Good Samaritan is moving in to preproduction. We're holding a casting call this weekend which I'm very excited about. Looks like we've got some real talent coming in. After that we'll be launching our very first Kickstarter Campaign. We have most of the money we need to move forward but there is that little bit more that will take us from good short to great short. So, keep an eye out and help us achieve great.

If all goes according to plan, we'll shot for two days at the end of Oct or early Nov. - Let's hope this heat will break because the short takes place primarily outside. Another reason to wait until Oct / Nov to shoot - and post-production will take us through to Decemeber. So, by January 1 we should have a completed short ready to hit the festival and online markets.

I'd like to take a second to thank everyone that has helped us get to this place. To those that helped with the script to those that have jumped on board to get this thing made. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I look forward to sharing the process here with all of you. Check back next week.

Nicest Nerdy Surprise

I don't know if many of you have met your heros or people that have inspired you. I'm been pretty lucky and have met several of mine. On Wed evening I had the opportunity to meet for a second time, Simon Pegg, a brilliant actor and writer and one of the men responsible for Clombies. Which I mean by that his film inspired me which lead to the idea which lead to writing the script. So you could say if he and Edgar hadn't written Shaun of the Dead there most likely wouldn't be a Clombie(s), at least in it's current state.

Anyhoo, Simon has written a book and was here to do a book signing. He was great, super nice and very chatty which makes these things a lot easier. I've done my share of signings and many times the person doing the signing does little to no talking without being prompted. So, you have to be clever and come up with some unique way to get them talking. Simon was different. But then I shouldn't be surprised, he's a different kind of guy in the first place which is probably why he has such a drawl. He is very approachableness and fun and tried to put everyone at ease, which is very rare in these situations.

Simon Pegg at Bookpeople

Now you might be asking "why do you bring this up?" Yes yes, get to my point. My point is you never know when or where your inspirations will come from and most times it will come when you're not looking from a source you would never expected. Which leads you to create something you never thought you might do. I suggest taking it by the horns and running with it, but that's just me. But if you get a chance to meet that source, by all means go and meet them. You might just get inspirated again. Happened to me.

So, my point, be inspired, meet source of inspiration, be inspired again and find out that source is one cool nerd. There ends the point.

And if you do meet your inspirational source and their anything less then they must not be a pale, ginger, englishman who happens to be Simon Pegg. Check out his book "Nerds Do Well"

May I introduce Alice.

I'm excited to announce our new short, "The Good Samaritan". We'll move into Pre-Pro at the end of the summer with Production beginning in Sept. It's a fun and clever 5 minute short with one of my favorite character I've written. She's a smart one. After I completed writing on the script I knew that Alice (the extra awesome character) would have more stories to tell. Well she does...looks like there will be a feature in her future. The process of outlining this new feature script has begun. Keep you're fingers crossed and keep a look out for Alice. I think you'll like her.

Over the moon for Super 8

On Friday I did something I love to do and haven't done in a while, I went to an afternoon movie. And as it turns out it wasn't for just any old movie it was for a Steven Spielberg movie (well Produced but still...).

Steve Spielberg is one of my biggest influences from my childhood other than John Hughes. At one point I wanted to be just like him and make movies like he did. I was young and Steven hadn't yet evolved in to the epic filmmaker he is today. He just did simple little movies with huge heart to them. Movies I still love to this day. Movies I still aspire to make and also keep an eye out for. Presently, I really don't usually go into a movie with very high expectation...they really do seem to have lost the heart in film...but this one I was hopeful...Spielberg and J.J. did not disappoint.

"Super 8" truly could be mistaken as a film from the early days of Spielberg. J.J. caught the same sensiblity, same style, same feel, the same heart, and that same inspiring feeling that was left in me as a child. I felt it all that day wehn I left the theater.

And it came with a double whamming. It reminded me of those films that made me want to be a filmmaking and make those kinds of movies but the kids in the film reminded me of how I was at that time. Trying to write a script, trying to film something with my friends - willingly or humoring me, dreaming of making the most awesome movie that everyone would want to see it. Dreams of a child. Those dreams have carried me to where I am today, still trying to write the best possible script to which will make the most awesome movie that everyone will want to see and not be disappointed.

"Super 8" reminded me why I am who I am and to which I'd like to thank Steven and J.J. for making a most awesome film. Anyone who loves the early Spielberg fare should most definitely go see "Super 8".

That's just my two cent.

Co-writing, why didn't I do this soon?

Last year around this time I wrote about an idea I had for a script. I was very excited. I may have even mentioned a character named Henry. Well, if I did or didn't I'm again very excited to announce that as of three weeks ago, Monica, my writing partner and I finished the first draft of our Teen Com-Rama, the "Untitled Henry Project."

Writing with a partner was a new experience for both of us. But I believe it was one of the most fun I've ever had writing a script. It was awesome to run ideas past each other there in the moment of developing a scene. I think all writers should give it a try, it may not be everyone's cup of tea but you just might find gold. I look forward to the re-writing process and moving on to a new project wtih Monica.

In the future, I know you'll hear much more about old Henry and his adventures.

Disappointment but still a silver lining

Hello All,

Sorry it's been so long but I plan on being more active. (I think I've said that before. But I mean it this time. Really I do...)

I'm sad to announce that "Lightin' Dreams" has been put on hold. That very popular song we wanted, well it never happened. Tried a million different things to get permission, just wasn't going to happen, not for a short film of 3 minutes. Makes me a little cross and want to use it anyway but what can you do. Well you can do what one of my favorite people told me - gave me the best advice. Get a musician to write a song for you. It's cheaper, you have more control, and in the long run it's better for you're pocket book. So, for the time "Lightin' Dreams" is on hold and once we have a song written, it'll get put on the schedule. It's the way of things.

Back with more news...

Happy 2011 - Let's Get Busy!

It's a new year and with that new plans. Last year saw us struggling to find money for Clombies and looking for another feature script of the low budget persuasion. Well, we still haven't locked down the money we need for Clombies but it's just a matter of time and as most filmmaker will tell you the first script you try to get financing for ends up being the third or fourth film you make. So, Clombies will gets it's chance to shine. On the front of the feature script search, we have gotten a little farther down the road but a change of plan has come about...

As an Independent Filmmaker these changing of plans happens quite often. Driven by one thing or another. My drive? I really am beginning to miss directing, being on set and shooting. So, after a wonderful holiday showing of our previous shorts it lead to an idea. Let us continue to develop our feature projects but why not make a short or two. I love short films and enjoy very much the process. So, I got right on it and before the turn of the new year I finished a 3 minute short script called "Lightnin' Dreams".

It's based on a memory of mine from childhood and from what I understand after sharing the idea with a few friends its more of a universal idea than I would have believed. The short of it is - it's about a little girl who loves to pretend and perform. That's all I'm going to give you at the moment, it is only 3 minutes long.

What I will share is that it's driven by a popular song, so this week I've been learning how to gain permission to use copyrighted music. The process is a lot easier than I thought it would be but still has it's own challenages. We need two clearences. The first from the publisher and second from the record label. The publisher was easily found and they had a request form on their website. So, we're now just waiting to hear back from them. The second has been much more difficult and may take a lot longer to work out. The record label was sold and is now under a much large company. So, we'll see how that pans out. Our fingers are crossed that the fees won't be crazy expensive but in reality they probably will be and we might have to change the song altogether. But that is doable, since we haven't shot it yet. Also since I've never had to do this, license a song, it's a good learning experience, will help down the line with budgetting and understanding the timeline it takes to get it done. Once in feature work this experience will be especially useful and help keep to a tight schedule.

So, we're super excited for the new year and with fingers crossed we'll have a few short films to keep an eye out for and by year end a low budget feature script ready to roll in to Pre-Productions. Thank you for all of your support and please stay tuned.

Comments are always welcome, let us know what you've been up too and share your thoughts on shorts, features, the year 2011, or how last year treated you.

Happy New Years - let's make 2011 a busy year.