Making New Friends

After about three months of messaging back and forth I finally met up with a girl named Kat this evening at the Starbucks on Astor Place near St.Marks. My first thought was that she's very cute. We smoked a couple cigarettes and drank our coffees while sitting outside and talking about everything from going to college at NYU, Antonin Artaud and experimental theater, being from a small town and moving to NYC, tattoos and Dick Cheney as Dr.Strangelove. We grabbed a slice at Ray's original pizzeria and talked some more, then smoked another cigarette as I walked her home. I'm definitely looking forward to more times talking and hanging out with her. She's one interesting Kat. 

Hippies on Film

At work this afternoon Matt asked me if I'd like to go check out an art exhibit, so I did. Eddie Kramer was a record engineer and producer back in the sixties and the exhibit was pictures he had taken while working in the studio with bands like The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Carlos Santana and Led Zeppelin. Eddy told us some interesting anecdotes about being in the studio with Jimi and Led Zeppelin and it was all quite interesting. Except for the drunk guy who was stalking me for most of the night telling me his brilliant idea for a movie about teenagers joining a cult and dropping out of college. That was a bit creepy. 

Hold on to Your Wallet

 So today's planned filming was done in by: one actor loosing their wallet at the gym, another actor's mother visiting tomorrow and my third actor's in-laws being in town for the weekend. We were probably only going to be able to film from around 6 tonight till whenever it got too dark to see by the streetlights, but still this is fu*king frustrating. I just want to shoot this film and get it done already. I'm *this close* to just giving up and forgetting about it for good. But, I really wanna make a film, so I trudge onward. I just want one day where we could start filming early in the morning and work all day and get everything we need to done and then move on to the other aspects of making and releasing a film. Anyways, apparently everybody is available to work next Sunday, so we'll see if anything happens then. So please, say a prayer for me. I may be an atheist, but I need all the help I can get.

It's Been A While

It's nearly three weeks since I've updated this blog and two weeks since I last filmed. Filming hasn't happened because the wonderful *sarcasm* person who was supposed to pick up and deliver my camera two MONTHS ago has yet to do so. Now, I understand that sometimes people get busy, but this person (who shall remain nameless) really is not busy. Ever. They're just lazy as fu*k. My friend Ken has been wonderful. Not only has he been my sound department and helped me with pretty much every aspect of production, but he's allowed me to use his camera too. I'd have been lost without him so far. Just goes to show that sometimes the only people who'll help you are strangers. 

I'm hoping to have my camera tomorrow (said that so many times now it's lost all meaning) and looking to get shooting back on the road on Sunday. Cross yur fingers.

The Cast and Crew

Today I started shooting my short film 'Paroxysms of Caesars'. It was snowing when I woke up but that didn't deter me. The sky was gray and overcast- exactly how I wanted it to look when I was filming. We all gathered in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, then waited an hour and a half for Ken to show up with the equipment before we finally got to start working. Betty was a trooper and she was willing to do whatever we needed her to- including running up and down the street for blocks at a time repeatedly, getting slammed into brick walls and running thru crowded subway stations. All while wearing nothing but a short dress outside in subfreezing temperatures. Craig was amazing and gave a great performance as the very scary secret police officer chasing Betty. We were only able to work for a couple hours, as part of our cast wasn't able to be there, but I think we got some great work done. Craig and Betty had a fight scene that was vicious, dark, intense and superb. I can't wait to look at it.  Now I'm off to try and regain the feeling in my toes and elbow- holding a camera gets heavy and painful real quick.