Projects and the End of Things

So here we are. Between the growing friction of Iran, and even China I wonder a little bit if we are all doomed. There are so many clashes and conflicts these days, how could one not consider this? And then you look at the Cold War and the general perception of people in that time or WWII or directly after the JFK assassination. It was pretty close to what it is now, average citizens preparing on some level to be blown the fuck up, either by invasion or nuclear threat. And that makes me think, am I really doing what I want with my life?? I think mostly yes. I would certainly like more travel before our borders are sealed up and we're not allowed to leave. But I'm doing what I like mostly and I'm enjoying it. I guess that is most important. Eh, anyway...

So it's been busy around these parts and I haven't really had the energy to blog. We recently finished filming the movie, not on the day I last reported but the following day, because the principal was suffering a hang-over (nothing unusual for this production). Sunday we did something of a sound mix and now my partner is scrambling to do the finishing touches in time to submit it into a Brooklyn film festival that seems anxious to see it.... Perhaps I should go on about the actually movie first. It's called Amerika das Geistes, or put more simply, America the Mental. Two friends and I started filming it a couple of months ago during the writer's strike. It is a fake documentary about a man whose day job is a drug enforcer. Meanwhile he is striving to be a comedy and so it follows his journey of self-discovery. The whole thing is utterly ridiculous. there is no script, it is all improv. The main character is deplorable, yet charming in some way. The main concept was disturbing violence meets comedy basically. We shot it leisurely, sometimes for a few hours a day, sometimes all day, and whenever we could all meet. It was a "great joy" as they say in the biz. It was fun to film with friend, it was fun to not have to deal with lighting really cuz I ended up behind camera for the majority of it, and it felt good to be making a film again and to actually finish it. My two friends were great to work with and did an amazing job for their parts. All in all, good times. So now we have to strike up a one of the actor unions so we don't get in trouble for making and maybe if fortune is with us, we can sell it. If not, oh well, nothing lost. I have about a million other projects in my head at the moment which is always a good feeling. But certainly my next concentration is getting the Paparazzo script out there, and possibly filming a scene from it to present to production companies. And of course there's Deadland, which is slowly being prepared for presentation. It is a little harder with this project because I am depending on others to do what I would hope they consider to be "their part" and it might just not happen, but I will try nonetheless. And so yes, life is quite busy. And then there is work. Yesterday I froze my ass off for most of the day, only to have my head completely covered in blood at the end to play a dead guy on Law and Order. Oddly enough that was when the day started to get a lot better. However it is good to have today off. So last but not least a couple of stills from America the Mental...