Slow Going

I talked to that director friend about a number of things including making that sci fi feature. Having done work through bigger studios before, he said that they made him do a lot of rewrites to the scripts for no pay, and also said that decisions were made based on the cast photos that would be on the DVD box set. This implies the need for name talent, though we did have a good movie popster too.

The short film that we made together has been submitted to festivals, though he referred to it as more of a fun thing. But also admitted that he had been surprised by the films he had made in the past that had gotten into festivals, so who knows.

We also discussed my mom's properties in Canton as shoot locations. And now that I am thinking of this film, those spots seem like they could add a lot to the movie, and would be fairly easy in terms of only having one primary location.

The actor's strike continues, and updates indicate that they have lots of negotiating to go through still. I keep seeing tweets that indicate that there will be an industry contraction, less shows being made. But then again, the shows that were made were not paying. It seems like if I can land something after these strikes end, I have a chance at making a living.

But until that happens, I keep trying to work odd jobs. Maybe I can finish scripts. I feel like I am so slow about it, given the amount of time on my hands.

How to Make a Movie Happen

Yesterday, I felt knowledgeable. The gig was a trailer to use as a fundraiser. But the first 15 minutes or so was occupied by the writer/director figuring out his camera, and I found myself stepping in to act as a PA, sound guy, and playing multiple roles. The writer was a novelist who adapted the novel into a screenplay, and then thought he could be his own crew. This is possible for a trailer with a green screen, but I was pretty emphatic with him about how he needed a crew. He needed a cinematographer to deal with the camera while he directed, hair and makeup, set design, etc. He thought that he could do sound himself, but I tried to tell him very clearly that bad sound will take people out of a movie. You may not even notice sound, but if it is bad, it becomes the most noticeable part. 

I expect a call today with a much more accomplished director. Hopefully he can give me some idea (and possibly work with me) about how to make a feature film happen. I would hope to make this sci fi horror a SAG project, in part because everyone worked for free on the short film and should be paid well for the feature version, but also because we all want to be SAG eligible.

Getting Projects Moving

I joined a pitch meeting over zoom the other day, and just having the host of that ask me about progress on my sci fi horror feature script was invigorating. When I first sought to work on it, I tried to include the director in it, but he immediately went on vacation and has been unresponsive to my texts about it. So today I texted another writer/director who, unlike the other one, has plenty of excuses for being unresponsive due to a wife and young child, but texted back within the hour with interest.

So now I am working on that. Hopefully the original director responds to my request for the final cut of the short film so I can send that to the more accomplished writer/director.

I have not heard back since we filmed those street interviews last weekend, so I emailed them today to ask if any of the footage was useful, and whether I should be working on writing more questions.

Blocked

I did that street interview gig. It was a fun learning experience, and I think I could do better if I get another chance. That being said, I think my interview questions were very well written. We will have to see whether they bring me back, but even if not, I could stand to recycle the questions for my own purposes.

Now I have a week of mostly having the house to myself while my brother is out of town and my mom is in Costa Rica. I have had a general writers block for the past month or so, in part I think because every time I try to collaborate with another writer, they have thus far not looked at my stuff. The most rewarding writing has in fact been for that street interview gig, but I am also waiting to find out how the employer felt about it. No word yet.

So, I have been living off of the money my mom sorta inherits. It goes to my account first for tax purposes, and then she asks for some of it whenever she needs it, while letting me keep a small percentage. I am not supposed to touch it otherwise, but, well, I have not found work. My brother once spent all the money, and he subsequently stopped getting money.

Maybe the actor's strike will end soon. After the studios walked out last time, they are negotiating again today. Maybe this will finally give me work. Or maybe nothing will happen.

The other day, I got the script for the third episode of this indie show that has me as a main villain. In the second episode, I have no lines, but characters learn more about me and I make an appearance. In the third episode, we see me being cowardly with my superior and then creepy and dominant with my prey. It is difficult to navigate the character's journey, because I feel as though this could be a pivotal episode to reel viewers in. But it is highly dependent on my performance, on what exactly I do with this character. It is the first time since I got back into acting that I considered asking my old acting coach for some coaching. But in medicine, the temptation is always to refer patients to someone else, or to get help, when, if you apply yourself, you can solve the problem, diagnose and treat the patient. I was cast for a reason.

Anniversarial Need for Change

Today, I found myself applying for a part time university teaching job. Something about the changing of seasons, of the weather finally being cold enough to appreciate sleeves at night, the smell in the air, it demands a change in my circumstances. My annual subscription to Backstage came to renewal time the other day. I got a free extension, but it was a reminder that I have been serious about acting for a year. I began as a featured extra, then booked two short films, a commercial, one documentary role, a lead role in a music video, many foreign film dub roles, a featured role in a comedy pilot, and, most recently, a main cast role in an indie tv show. Judging it against my previous life as a child actor, this should all be considered a wild success. But I am still quite poor and losing money. I still do not feel as if I have enough footage for a decent reel.

Blame for my problems could be placed on the writer's and actor's guild strikes. The writer's guild has their fair contract, but based on the recent dumb moves by studios, we probably have another month or two before acting becomes a viable union profession again. Then again, it is not as if I was booking any union gigs before the strike.

I groundhog day my life. I wake up, brush my teeth, pick up some fast food on my way to a coffee shop where I try to write for a few hours, then go to the gym. Then I go back home, eat the same toasted sandwich, and shower. Then the next day, I do sit-ups, shower, fast food, caffeinated drink, try to write until evening, when I eat the same sandwich. I find guests for my podcast and then record once a week in the evening. And that is all. Life is on repeat. I start drinking too much, then I stop for a few days to a week, and I drink again. I drank last night after being on a short break and you know what? I like the sort of reset it does to my brain. I was apathetic yesterday, but today I am dissatisfied.

While the pandemic was at its peak with no end in sight, I had a very similar routine. At the time, the reason was because going out among people could kill me or them, or people I would later encounter. Now, I am freshly vaccinated, so the primary reason I do not go out or socialize is because I am poor with no source of income.

And I just copy and pasted much of those last two paragraphs to a new document. Who knows, maybe that will be good narration for the start of a short film. Or just another nothing that I start and leave laying around in my google docs.

Dry, But A Few Drops

Well, the writer's strike is over. Actors are still on strike. Work is still very dried up. But that pilot I was in is planning to shoot the second episode, and my role involves no lines, but three goons and looks that cause discomfort to their recipient. So I did what any actor would do in my situation; I asked if I could name the goons, and the director obliged.

That same director had also written a superhero cartoon comedy script years ago and I told him that I had written one too. So we exchanged scripts. I gave him notes on his (which was very dated in its references and had some glaring character and plot issues, but had built a whole world), which he said were good notes. And he sounded open to collaborating on it. And he had previously pitched it to Disney, but his partner, who was better at articulating the narrative aspect, had dropped out on him at the last minute. And I thought, "Well I can do that part of the pitch." And the voice acting as well.

I had a friend in med school on the island, one of the few other white people and a Texan, and his wife had done video production and music. They are now divorced, but I made sure to like all of her social media posts promoting her own music, and she was kind enough to recommend me to be the face for a social media campaign. It is street interviews, and they wanted zany answers from people. I told them that I could not just force people to have and share good stories, but I could write some bizarre questions. I pitched a couple options and they loved them, and said that this could be a recurring gig. I had fortunately already been thinking of doing something similar on my own, so this was easy to get my mind around. And I discovered that writing these questions felt like writing one-liners, but a little easier. Start the question in one place, end in a very different place as a punchline, and then the tag is the genuinely curious look on my face combined with holding the mic to them. So we should be shooting that soon. Oh, and it pays well! $500 for a half day, which is well above SAG minimum.

Today, I texted the guy who directs my foreign film dubs to ask him to introduce me to his voice actors who had found representation, or directly to that representation. I am trying to write my own opportunities to act, but it would obviously be so much easier if I could find some representation.