Vicious Circle is a Winner!

Winner of the NY Latino Film Festival Best Picture!

A great indy film that I had the pleasure to work on in 2006 with my great friend, Director, Paul Boyd (I was the UPM/1st AD) had it’s world premier at the NY Latino Film Festival and took home best picture honors!

Set on the streets off modern day Venice Beach California, Vicious Circle is a tragic “Punk Rock” Latino love story; a raw edgy, teenage Romeo and Juliet with a murder mystery twist. The Film Follows 18 year old RJ (Skater, Paul Rodriguez Jr.) as he runs through the streets of Los Angeles with a blood stained shirt and a gun in his backpack. Leaving the audience to wonder, “What happened?”

RJ is an artist and skater with a heart of gold. He dreams of moving to New York City to pursue his aspirations to create comic books. His handmade sketchbook demonstrated his unique talent and acts as a portal between fantasy and reality. A strong inffluence of the game of chess from RJ’s incarcerated father flows through his art and life… RJ lives by the rules of the game.

Soon, RJ meets his first love Angel (Sundance award winner - Emily Rios), a rebellious singer in a local teenage punk band. Their unexpected story of true love causes the tides to turn in both lives, and RJ reveals a secret that will cost the life of new love.

Directed by Paul Boyd, and starring Paul Rodriguez Jr., Emily Rios, Robert Zepeda, Richard Edson, Perrey Reeves, Paul Rodriguez.

Visit the Vicious Circle official site.

Posted in Movies, On Set | 1 Comment »

The Art of Prep

So what the hell am I talking about here? Well, to me, Preproduction (prep) is the most important part of the filmmaking process. Why do I say this? Stephen Covey, Author of the book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, said it best: “Begin with the end in mind”.

If we are effective in our Pre-production stage (I like to call it the “organization” stage) most of our production questions will be answered well ahead of time. So, how do we accomplish this?

• Thorough script or storyboard breakdown - This means actors, locations, art department, wardrobe, make-up, picture cars, SFX, and special equipment.
• Casting & Actor availability
• Location scouting and location availability
• Then scheduling (the 2 biggest puzzle pieces to figure out are actor and location availability)
• Hiring Crew - Your crew needs become very clear after your breakdown and schedule are done. You don’t need a technocrane technician if you realize that you don’t need a technocrane (or vise versa).
• Good question to ask now. . . Is this in the budget?
• Tech Scout - This gives your crew (and you) a chance to refine crew and equipment needs BEFORE you get on set!
• Production Meeting - The final opportunity before shooting to recognize any potential problems and address them.

A good (organized) prep leads to a fun shoot. Shooting should be fun! Anyone who insists otherwise needs a new career. Sure there is high pressure (come on, I’m an AD), but for me, that’s when my job gets exciting. There are constantly things that pop up that can effect your shooting schedule (actors being late, equipment malfunction, rain (Oh the dreaded rain) but if you had an effective prep, you should be ready and able to respond.

This leads me to another pitfall of a poor prep: Long shooting days. I was on a job once (I was a few years younger) that shot 5 days. 3 of the 5 were 20 hours or longer (Day 5 was 24 hours). This is not only stupid, it is illegal. Forget about legality for a minute and think about crew productivity for a minute. The realm of universal law that you enter on a shooting day of 16+ hours in the Law of Diminishing Returns. There are a couple of legit reasons why a shooting company goes long. If there is a technical problem, or various delays (weather etc.), I see only 2 reasons why you stay until you finish the day:

• Location Availability
  Actor Availability

If you can’t shoot another day at the location for a longer than exceptable time (If your shooting and the location isn’t available again for 2 weeks) or an actor isn’t available another day.

In most instances when a productions runs long hours, what happened is they (pick your they) overscheduled or simply created an unrealistic schedule. Often times a job is accepted, a contract signed (commercials, Music Videos) when there simply isn’t the money in the budget to provide what is promised they right way. Anyone bidding a job should be experienced enough to see this and renegotiate before accepting the job. Anyone who doesn’t is irresponsible at best. I understand the need to “get the job”. Learn better negotiation skills. . .

Everyone has shot with an over ambitious shooting schedule. A good prep can organize this in a way so that it is efficient and completed on time.

Tragedy can strike as a DIRECT result of these long hours. There are numerous stories of crew members involved in accidents as a result of fatigue. And I know a PA, who after working 20 hours, and getting only 4 hours rest and then returning to work, suffered a seizure (the 1st of his life) and collapsed unconscious for 20 minutes. His neurologist says the episode was a result of fatigue.

A lot of these reasons for shooting 16+ hour days can be alleviated with a good prep. Important? YES!

Good organization in prep, back up plans and a solid strategy are ways to foresee almost any scenario.

Begin with the end in mind.

Posted in On Set | No Comments »

Your First Production Job

Getting your first job in the film industry can seem a daunting task. But I have put together a few tips so you can get that first job on that big feature.

Who you know

The film industry really is all about who you know. Most film industry jobs come via referral, not by your resume. If you have friends working in the “biz”, stay in touch with them and ask them to help you get that first job. If you have friends who have friends working in the film industry, meet them, get to know them. See a pattern emerging here? You never know where that referral or job offer can come from.

My first job came from the husband of a friend of my sisters. My sister arranged that I house sit for them while he was doing a feature film in New York. After that, I stayed in touch and he hired me for my first job: Julia Roberts driver on “Pretty Woman”.

That job led me to a job as an Assistant Location Manager on “Pump Up the Volume”, where I met the Assistant Director who hired me on “Pacific Heights”, “The Doors”, “Point Break”, got me started doing Commercials and was directly responsible for giving me my start as as AD (Assistant Director).

Work for Free (Internships)

Nobody likes to work for free, or do they? I have done several jobs for no pay. Why? At first it was a way to meet new people, get into new networking circles. Now, I do it as a kind of payback for all the help I received on my way up.

Working for free can help open doors to bigger and better things. The more experience you have, the more Producers & Production Managers and AD’s are likely to give you a shot. Working for free is certainly an opportunity to learn, but for me, I think that it is an opportunity to shine. When you take that free job, work your ass off. Outwork the other PA’s (I always did), pay attention, think ahead. If it looks like it might rain, take the initiative and get a pop up (or other rain cover) built. Get it?

Get Personal

Sometimes just showing up is enough. Roger Pugliese, the UPM (Unit Production Manager) who hired me on “Pretty Woman” got his first job, literally, by just showing up. He was a cab driver in New York, and one day he drove past a set and asked who working on the movie. They told him Faye Dunaway was starring. . . He, being a HUGE Faye Dunaway fan, parked his cab, and talked his way into a free PA job, which turned into a paying job. . .

Often times a personal visit may earn you a job. If you’re there, and the othes aren’t, you’re in!

Keeping your First Job

Hours on a movie set can be long and arduous, with a lot of hard work thrown in. If your call time is 5:00am, be there at 4:45am. Showing up early and eager to work leaves a lasting impression. Every job is an opportunity to network and advance. Keep a good, positive attitude, work hard and be on time! This will get you hired again and again. Failing any one of these will insure that neither I, nor anyone else will want to hire you again.

You will start at the bottom but that’s where you learn the most. Keep your eyes open. Pay attention. Everyone in the film industry was once the one who got coffee for everyone else. Remember (I know I repeat myself) every film is a networking opportunity. Look for any and every job you can do that will get you on set. Once you’ve started working and making contacts you can quickly earn your way up the ladder into the position that you really want.

Posted in Film Making, On Set, Tips | No Comments »

Mix Sherpa

OK. . . The truth comes out. Ian Westbury’s one hit wonder from the 80’s was actually a viral marketing campaign for Sprint conceived by Organic.

Back in August of last year, Sprint came to the ad agency Organic looking for a way to create buzz and raise awareness for their recently launched Music Store.

They started the process knowing two things:

1. the space was very crowded – Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T/Cingular, Walmart and even my very first web design client FindBliss.com offer music downloads. Whatever we did, it had to stand out.
2. the audience they wanted to reach, called “Advanced Connected” in Sprint terminology, is extremely averse to traditional advertising and blatant promotion.

Their solution was to create an entertaining and engaging online destination featuring two “music experts”: Ian and the DJ. Each has a back story – Ian is a washed up pop star from the 1980s running a record store on Melrose and DJ is an aspiring turntablist, working in Ian’s store. Users participate by creating playlists and getting a personalized “expert” review of their choices.

To further embellish the story they created a music video for Ian’s one and only hit from the 80s, “Under the Moon”. Launched simultaneously on YouTube and Ian’s MySpace page, the video has gone viral, currently appearing on 25 sites. Music video legend Nigel Dick, (Tears For Fears, Guns N’ Roses, Britney Spears) directed both the “Under the Moon” video and the Mix Sherpa video performances.

The added value to the user - Sprint integrated a discovery and recommendation engine into the story about Ian:

Users engage with Ian and the DJ by creating their own playlists and in return getting an “expert” review of their choices. Users also get recommendations based on the newly created playlist. The added value for the users is the discovery of new music that fits their tastes and the reaffirmation of who they are and what their musical taste says about them.

Finally, piling a playlist and getting exposed to new music while interacting with a cool character will (hopefully) generate Sprint music downloads! Who wouldn’t want to take the playlist to the mobile? Especially if the recommendations will prove themselves as precise, or in Ian’s words:

You go to the site and select your own custom playlist. Through the magic they call a “logic engine” -

“I’m able to analyze your playlist - and maybe analyze what’s going on in that head of yours too. I’ll offer you everything in my arsenal with humor, wit and charm - naturally. My longtime employee DJ Supahboy5 is also online to interject with his own opinions on songs and styles. We’ve got information on bands and songs, and links to download everything you need to take your mobile phone to the next level“.

Visit the site:
http://www.mixsherpa.com/

See the entire Ian experience:
http://www.sprintspecialoffers.com/ian/index.html

Posted in Marketing, On Set | No Comments »

James Blunt 1973

Shot over 2 days on the backlot at Universal Studios Los Angeles, on the “New York Street” set (yes, I was the 1st AD), this video conceived and directed by P R Brown lives in 2 worlds at once. The concept: James Blunt walks through the streets of a now deserted big city. He is followed by a steadicam shooting slo-mo. We are always feeling the desaturated mood when whe are outside and he sings about 1973. But when the camera glides inside through a window or wall, we see life, as it was, bustling all around him. Rich and in full color, until we go back outside and find James again alone. . .

Enjoy!

Posted in On Set | No Comments »

On Set with Stefy Rae

STEFY is a band with the energy of No Doubt, and an incredibly sexy front woman, Stefy Rae, who combines the brashness of Pink and the commanding stage presence of Debbie Harry. Rae is bold and captivating as the focal point of the electro-infused rock band, STEFY.

Whether singing about moving on from a torrid relationship, getting over a boy who is as fake as Orange Crush, or lamenting about a pair of teens in Orange County who lose their innocence too early, Rae’s melodic voice has a subtle force, making it the only aspect of this band that isnt totally in-your-face. With Sean Meyer (guitar), Jason Gaviati (keys) and (My Swedish Brother) Andreas Brobjer (drums), STEFY unleashes a barrage of pop hooks and electric rock energy on their album and on stage.

Boy do they! This little band from the OC rocks. If you were born in the 80’s or were in College in the 80’s (like me), then this band will get you up and excited, just don’t hurt yourself with the pogo. . .

Last month I was the AD on Stefy’s video for the song “Hey Schoolboy”. These guys are so much fun. I also did heir last video (both with the world famous Nigel Dick. That experience was great too! We shot over a weekend that happened to be my birthday. How great to spend your birthday with people you like (Nigel, Nina, his producer & Christine Miller, maybe the best PM in town) and Batman!! Yep, Adam West, the origional Batman plays the judge in the video. (Chelsea)

Well, back to “Hey Schoolboy”. . . We shot in a little vacant corner store in San Pedro, CA. The jist of the video is that Stefy is a mannequin in the store window, but more like a black widow as she leads the unsuspecting “Schoolboys” into her lair.

Logistically, the only trouble we had was the Art Walk outside our set on day 1 (so we couldn’t park anywhere) and the Farmer’s Market on Day 2 when we needed to shoot our Day exterior. The Farmer’s Market wrapped up at 1pm, just in time for our lunch. The hard working PA’s helped the MArket organizer’s clean up so we could get the vendors out of the way and shoot outside. It’s always something.

Check out the 2 videos below.

Chelsea

Stefy - Hey School Boy

Posted in On Set | No Comments »

Dashboard Confessional

So every once in a while during the course of my workday, I manage to get myself on camera and show up on TV. This particular day (2 days, actually) I was working on a Music Video for the band Dashboard Confessional (Don’t Wait). The concept is really cool. . . Girl leaves guy, he watches her go. Our Guy, now alone wanders while the world (literally) passes him by.

In order to create this effect, we needed to make sure that there were no cars & no people other than Chris, the singer, anywhere in the shot . This was a perfect time to be shooting on a backlot, where there is no traffic, and no pedestrians. However, we were shooting in Downtown LA on 5th Street. For those of you not familiar with LA, 5th street is a 1 way (westbound) street, that is heavily trafficked by both cars and people and if that weren’t enough, a main line for buses.

So here’s the scoop, with 4 retired LAPD motocops and 8 Production Assistants, we would hold traffic 2 blocks east, let all the traffic clear past us, scramble to clear, hold, fend off pedestrians, homless, hookers and people simply trying to catch a Westbound bus. . .

When the streets were clear of all other living, breathing, moving things, we would shoot.

That was an awesome day!

Day 1 of this video we shot in Topanga State Park, 5 minutes from my house. . . That doesn’t happen often. Chris, the singer’s apartment in the city was actually the ranger’s house in the park.

Check out the Video

And definitely check out my cameo, behind the Scenes:

Rock on!!

Posted in On Set | No Comments »