Fight Training: Round 2

Ever since the end of August when Ben Banks and I decided to go full steam ahead on One of the Good Guys, the first thing we needed to get working on was to get Benny into fighting shape. Ever since then, every weekend has been spent training for a few hours. This training has not only turned Ben into a fighting machine, but has added depth to his character.

Like a boxing mountain man.

Lately our trainer, bad ass extraordinary, Robert Savala has had us working with another fight trainer. His name is John Goff and he has been a God send. His knowledge of martial arts is deep and expansive. Ever since we have been working with John, Ben's fighting skills have gone to a whole other level. It has been amazing.

He don't take no nonsense.

Certifiably Bad Ass.

John Goff has taught us a style of fighting called 52 Blocks. It is a style that was developed in prison and made for close quarters fighting. It is the perfect style for the fight we are aiming to film. The fight we are going to film is what is called The Irish Stand Down. Irish Stand Downs were done in the late 1800s by Irish fighters in places like New York. The stand down, as the cool kids call it, is where two men fight, but are not allowed to move their legs. It is basically an endurance test to see who can take the most punishment. The winner was the man who could last longer. It was pretty brutal and something that would make our fight scene stand out a bit.

They faster then lighting!

I finally got a camera out to record some video of our training. One thing special about the training is that John and Ben actually did some bare knuckle fighting. It was pretty great. The video makes it look like they are slapping each other, but it was a lot more painful then it looks. Ben was definitely feeling it in the morning.

Road Bumps: They Happen on EVERY Movie

I haven't really updated lately because there has not really been a lot happening. Well, that is not true. A lot has happened just not when it concerns this project. I'll give a couple reasons.

First, Ben Banks had a beautiful little girl. I knew this was happening and we scheduled accordingly. What we didn't schedule for was that his baby came a lot earlier then expected. This completely threw off our schedule as we were to have two more scenes shot by the end of February. We also couldn't shoot because Benny's character, Caleum Crow, is in EVERY scene. There was no other characters to focus on as he is the protagonist. My bad. Although I am happy to be an uncle.

This guy is now a dad.

Second, school. Even though OotGG is my capstone and I wish I could give all my time to it, I simply can't. I have other classes I have to attend to and it really sucks. Don't get me wrong, I love my classes. They are super enjoyable and I am learning a lot to help me in my career. They are just getting in the way of finishing this movie. Midterms just ended though, so I should have some time freed up.

Third, everyone is super busy. I am not the only one with an over loaded schedule. The actors in the movie have their own lives that are just chocked full of wonderful projects that they need to get done. This is one of the major flaws of working on a no-budget movie. You have to rely on the good graces of others. Now, I am not mad. No no no. The people working on this flick are amazing and super talented. I am BLESSED to have them on my side, but because they are not getting paid they can only work on it when they have time. It is a cold hard truth that one has to just accept. 

Finally, I also have to shoot a 40 minute documentary. I took the documentary class which the class pitches an idea and the winner turns that idea into a full movie. It is a great class and probably one of the best in our entire department. However, my professor decided to have me be the Director of Photography, which is average Joe speak means I have to run camera. I also have to create a look and feel for the movie. Something that I cannot do in just one sitting. Sadly.

Plus, they run so FAST!

Although there may be some silver linings to this dark cloud. I won't go to in detail, as I don't want to jinx it, but we may have found a few parties interested in our movie. This is both exciting and nerve wracking on many fronts, but is a bridge I will cross when I get to it. As I said, I am playing this one a little close to the chest. Another great possibility is we may have an actual movie star in this project. Again, I don't want to put all my eggs in this basket, but it is really exciting. The I may be able to work with an actor who I worship is so mind blowing I sometimes can't believe it is even within reach.

Those are the main reasons why things are a bit slow with a dash of hope. Hopefully in the next two weeks, we can start filming the scenes we had planned on and play catch up. I am still stoked to do this project and cannot wait to resume work.

I even bought a new bullhorn and beret just for this project!

Adventures in Casting: Don't Kill Yourself Yet. Hope is Around the Corner

I spend a lot of time in pre-production and for that I am sorry. The reason being is I really want this project to turn out well. Another thing I must apologize for is casting. Casting is one subject I spend A LOT of posts blabbing about. It probably is not the funnest thing to read about. Again, I'm sorry.

Any who, this post is again, about casting.

Stop smiling. Ass.

One of the major characters in OotGG is a man named Two-Bit. This is a character that our protagonist spends a large amount of the film with. Two-Bit is the man who tempts Caleum into the world of underground fighting and into a life of crime. Their relationship is tumultuous. Two-Bit is poison. Caleum trusts him in the beginning, but as the story progresses. Two-Bit is a complicated man. He lures these vulnerable people into this life and uses their weaknesses against them. Although he is not a mustache twirling bad guy. He whole heartily believes in what he does. Two-Bit does not view himself as a bad person. He is helping these people. Two-Bit is akin to Lucifer. He tempts these people, gets them to commit the acts, but never himself gets his hands dirty.

To sum up, Two-Bit is really important. I have no idea who could pull off this performance.

I looked around. Trying to find an actor who could play this role and as the time rolled by and I didn't find my Two-Bit, I was getting really worried. None of the actors I have found could really capture the character that I had envisioned in my mind. In my opinion, Two-Bit is JUST as important as Caleum. This was one moment when I actually thought about giving up. Then, I was recommended an actor who might work. He was a good friend of my buddy Guy's and when I asked Guy about him, I got glowing praise. His name is Frank Bryant.

Hello ladies.

I sent him the script and he told me he really dug it. We then decided to get together for a read. It took a while to get our schedules lined up for us to meet. He worked and had school the times when Ben and I didn't. After about a month of playing tag we finally got together in Studio C to do a read through of the scene.

In the scene, Two-Bit takes Caleum on a Training Day-esque ride along in which Two-Bit explains King James' operation and what he does. Two-Bit has Caleum collect some money from a junkie. Caleum has never done this and is thrown into the deep end. They find the junkie and Caleum confronts him. The junkie runs and Caleum chases him down an alley. Caleum than puts the boots to him and asks about the money. The junkie does not have it. Two-Bit shows up and tells Caleum to break the junkie's finger. This is an important scene because it puts Caleum on the point of no return. Caleum makes a decision and than breaks his finger. The scene ends there.

It is a pretty intense scene and I was nervous and excited about doing the read. Frank and Ben were ready and we ran through the scene.

Frank was brilliant.

Here is Frank acting the SHIT outta Hamlet.

He portrayed Two-Bit EXACTLY how I pictured him. It was amazing. This was one of the instances where it felt like the page was coming to life. I am so happy with Frank and cannot wait to get this scene in the can. More and more I feel this movie will be something special. 

Adventures in Casting: When Taking an Acting Class Pays Off

In the last episode, I talked about the new scene I wrote and ended with searching for the lucky lady who would play the Ice Queen, Aunt Pam. Well, after a relatively short search and a lot of luck, I found her. The actress who will play Aunt Pam and she is perfect!

 I know Ami from an acting class I took (which I recommend all aspiring directors take). She was always really great in all the scenes she was in and is heavily involved in the theater productions. Needless to say, she knows a thing or two about acting. I loved working with her and even have a bit of experience directing her. She was great. Always brought a lot of energy and class to every scene she was in.

Pictured: My acting class. I'm the one with no shirt.

I got a hold of her from the acting teacher Varlo Davenport and told her about the project. She was in and we quickly got together for a read. Ben Banks and I were blown away. Ami was AMAZING! She channeled a over privileged rich bitch so well it was scary. I joked with her because I felt bad about thinking of her for this part because she does play a horrible person. She told me not to worry because she lives for these kind of roles.

A directing choice I made was to only have Ben work with her once because I want to keep that vibe of the two of them not knowing each other very well. I am so happy about her role in the movie because she will knock it out of the park.

Ami Porter. Girl be sizzling.

Like Herpes, Rewrites Keep Coming Back

After the high of filming our first scene, I realized that there is still a lot of work to do. My two writing confidants, my professor Ben Braten and local Native American Judea Runs Through, and I talked about the story for OotGG. One aspect they commented on was they felt that Ben Banks' character, Caleum, while in deeply in debt seemed to fall into a life of crime rather easily. I reread the script and realized they were, like always, both right. This meant one thing:

Rewrites.

Spoilers

After thinking on it for a bit, I figured out what to do. In the story the audience does not really know of Abby and Caleum's family. It is basically the two of them. There is a mention of a mother who passed and an absentee father. Nothing more. I knew that they were right and to add to the story I added a scene where Caleum asks for help with the debt from his estranged aunt. I than wrote the scene and was pretty pleased. It clears up the concerns that Ben and Judea about giving him other options so Caleum does not just instantly turn to this underground world and gives the character a little more depth.

In the scene, Caleum visits his aunt Pam to ask for help with the medical bills. Aunt Pam turns out to be a giant ice queen. She revels in the fact that Caleum has come to her for help and she refuses to help, even though she is affluent. Caleum swallows his pride and begs. Aunt Pam does not budge and than insults his family. Before he does something brash, Caleum leaves. Once in his car, he lets out a scream of frustration.

I gave the scene to Ben Banks and he agreed with Ben Braten and Judea. It was a great addition that would add more to not only the story, but the character of Caleum. I am glad to have collaborators such as Ben and Judea because they push me creatively while also being honest in what my works need. They are great to have on my side.

Professor Ben Braten, caught in the act of voyeurism. Again.

Judea pictured here disappointed by something.