Hey Jerrika, it’s been a month! What have you been up to?
Glad you asked, stranger!
In January, I was cast in an indie feature called Teacher of the Year. Last week, I was in New Orleans shooting a commercial with Todd Stashwick and notable director, David Shane. And this week, I can officially say the film I wrote/directed is complete.
“No matter what, people don’t think of me for glamorous parts. I’ll go to an audition or a meeting in a pretty dress, and they still think of me as depressed or embattled. Hopefully, that will change.”
Viola Davis
this is long overdue, but here i am with the incomparable jessica walter during a recording session for my film. it trips me out to realize was her boss for a day!
Boy oh boy.
let’s talk about what it’s like to have such a smooth, buttery, scrumtrulescent pre-production and shoot only to come up against absolute shite in post. holy moly. this feeling right here is the stuff murderous rampages are made of.
i knew, though. i knew. right around the time we started photography, i had the feeling that it was the end that would get us. and it is. it has. just not in the way we expected.
wish me well. wish me scotch.
Yesterday was our first day of filming. And, boy, lemme tell ya…
I could list all the major things that went awry the day before and the day of but, instead, I’ll focus on the positive - because there’s a lot of it.
- Our crew is amazing, communicative and fully committed to the success of this film
- The cast: again, amazing and fully committed
- The extras/background: curious, supportive, helpful and hilarious
- We wrapped early. On our first day. D’you hear me? ON OUR FIRST DAY. We’re some timely motherfuckers.
- Even on our shoestring budget, our craft services is sensational.
- This picture. It says it all, really.
Click through. More to come!
This Is Interesting, You Should Watch It of the Day: Veteran Foley artist Gary Hecker — who apprenticed on Empire Strikes Back — provides an insightful inside look into the world of the unsung cinematic hero: The manual sound-effects guy.
[kottke.]
it’s official
this week i’ll go guest star on bones. the episode, the truth in the myth, is directed by chad lowe and will most likely air in april.
yes, i get to look into the eyes of a lowe for hours. yes, jealousy is an appropriate feeling for you to have.
how to explain r kelly's "trapped in the closet" to someone who's never heard of it.
- guy 1: it's like this series of songs. this saga. there's like twelve of em.
- guy 2: but what's it about?
- guy 1: he's trapped in a closet.
- guy 2: he's gay?
- guy 1: no, no. see, he goes upstairs -
- guy 2: ...
- me: imagine what it would be like if 'the odyssey' was written by an r&b singer.
- guy 1: ....
- guy 2: ohhhhh.
last night, i found out the identity of the name actress who got a project a) i was close to getting and b) was very close to my heart. to no one’s surprise, i placated myself with tears and wine.
the name is a talented person who’s work i’m moderately familiar with, so it’s not one of those what-the-fuck-were-they-thinking choices - it’s just…i dunno. every once in a while a project comes along that you, and those around you, just know you’re perfect for. this was one of those. it felt as though the stars had aligned.
i expected to be over these feelings this morning. obviously not. sigh.
normally, i don’t talk about these things here which is bad? good? i’m unsure. it definitely lifts the veil of the seemingly fancy “hollywood” life (which i’m always a fan of undercutting). lately, though, there have been a ridiculous number of THISCLOSE bookings, only to lose them to names. it’s aggravating to be so close to a new level and feel powerless to affect change.
the good news is that i’m still in the running for another show that is shaping up to be equally awesome. it looks like it’ll have a longer shelf-life, too. so fingers crossed.
thanks for listening to me blather. it’s one of those days.
