Jul 2009
Internship Interviews
July 30, 2009 Filed in: Adventures in Filmmaking | Internships
I squeezed in a couple of internship interviews in the middle of the festival. One was for a production company located at Sony Pictures Studios. I wore a dress shirt and tie for the occasion, and the first thing the president of the company asked me as I walked into the door was “This is how you dress up for an internship interview?” I wasn’t sure if he was implying that I was overdressed or underdressed. He went on to say that Hollywood is a casual industry. And he practiced what he preached -- he wore a Hawaiian shirt and had his feet up on the coffee table. The interview went well but I’m not holding my breath for a call back. However, I firmly believe that whoever doesn’t hire me is taking a huge loss.
L.A. Shorts Fest Day 2
July 25, 2009 Filed in: Adventures in Filmmaking
Today wasn’t as hectic as opening night, so I made time to watch more shorts. There was a lot of good stuff out there. It’s inspiring and a bit intimidating to see the competition deliver films of such high caliber.
One film that stood out for me and that was a major crowd pleaser was THE DEPOSITION OF LOU BAGETTA, written by Brian Sack and directed by Tommy Smeltzer. It’s about an immortal mobster who happens to be the target of the world’s most incompetent hitman. This film is hilarious. I wish there was a way for people to see this outside of a festival. It has a brilliant script that’s well executed, and the performances by the two leads Patrick Gallo and Dan Olivo are great. This film takes mafia film cliches and turns them upside down. I talked to Dan Olivo, who plays the incompetent hitman, and he says they’re trying to expand it into maybe a feature or TV show. If it’s anything as good as their short, it’ll be a hit.
In the evening we showed Demi Moore’s directorial debut STREAK. She, Ashton Kutcher and their entourage showed up for the screening and we had a Q&A with her at the end. Lena Headey (300, THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES) also appeared in person to promote the short film THE DEVIL’S WEDDING, in which she starred. Unfortunately I missed the film, but my fellow volunteer Parrish and I flagged her down along with her director Dan Cadan as they were leaving the building and asked them if they would like to participate in the Q&A session. They were happy to.
Most importantly for myself, I pitched my latest feature script to a talent manager who’s company happens to have a deal with 20th Century Fox. The talent manager gave me his assistant’s contact info so that I could get in touch with him. I’m not expecting anything, but it’s another possible lead. Besides, I need more practice pitching to industry pros.
One film that stood out for me and that was a major crowd pleaser was THE DEPOSITION OF LOU BAGETTA, written by Brian Sack and directed by Tommy Smeltzer. It’s about an immortal mobster who happens to be the target of the world’s most incompetent hitman. This film is hilarious. I wish there was a way for people to see this outside of a festival. It has a brilliant script that’s well executed, and the performances by the two leads Patrick Gallo and Dan Olivo are great. This film takes mafia film cliches and turns them upside down. I talked to Dan Olivo, who plays the incompetent hitman, and he says they’re trying to expand it into maybe a feature or TV show. If it’s anything as good as their short, it’ll be a hit.
In the evening we showed Demi Moore’s directorial debut STREAK. She, Ashton Kutcher and their entourage showed up for the screening and we had a Q&A with her at the end. Lena Headey (300, THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES) also appeared in person to promote the short film THE DEVIL’S WEDDING, in which she starred. Unfortunately I missed the film, but my fellow volunteer Parrish and I flagged her down along with her director Dan Cadan as they were leaving the building and asked them if they would like to participate in the Q&A session. They were happy to.
Most importantly for myself, I pitched my latest feature script to a talent manager who’s company happens to have a deal with 20th Century Fox. The talent manager gave me his assistant’s contact info so that I could get in touch with him. I’m not expecting anything, but it’s another possible lead. Besides, I need more practice pitching to industry pros.
L.A. Shorts Fest Day 1
July 23, 2009 Filed in: Adventures in Filmmaking
I volunteered to help out with the LA Shorts Fest, the largest short film festival in the world. For opening night, they were showing films directed by Scarlet Johanssen, Courteney Cox, and Kirsten Smith (writer of LEGALLY BLONDE). All three ladies were going to be present for a Q&A session at the end of the night.
I showed up at 11:00 AM for festival orientation, and was surprised to see at least thirty other volunteers there. The festival founder and director Bob Arentz told us what we needed to know and we jumped into setting things up. As I was hauling stuff out of Bob's car from the garage, we chatted a bit. After sizing me up, he pulled me aside and told me he wanted me in charge of the VIP seating for opening night, for Scarlet and Courteney and their respective family and friends. He also wanted me to set up the chairs on the stage where Scarlet, Courteney, Kirsten, and the moderator would sit for the Q&A, and to guide them to specific chairs -- I had to make sure Scarlet and Courteney would sit in the middle two chairs to maximize photo coverage.
As I worked throughout the day, waiting for the main event at 7:45 PM, I mingled with the other volunteers and some of the filmmakers. Most of them are trying to jump start their careers in the industry, just like myself. I exchanged numbers with a few of them. In the afternoon, I changed into black slacks, white shirt and tie in my the car, in order to get ready for the opening night reception.
Around 7:30 the red carpet was set up outside, paparazzi was out in full force, and the talent was trickling in. I felt sorry for Scarlet Johanssen, who had to answer the same questions over and over again with cameras stuck in her face, all the while smiling and looking happy. Eventually, we ushered the talent into the theater. Once the house was full, Bob Arentz gave a quick welcome and the show began. Scarlet Johannsen's film THE VAGABOND SHOES starred Kevin Bacon, Courteney Cox's film THE MONDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING starred Laura Dern, and Kirsten Smith's film THE SPLEENECTOMY starred Anna Farris. All three films were very well done, charming and funny. I thought Kirsten Smith’s film was the best, but that’s because she’s a screenwriter, of course.
After the films, all three ladies, along the the moderator, came up for the Q&A. The Moderator took one microphone and I handed the other mic to Kirsten Smith. Thankfully, Scarlet Johanssen and Courteney Cox sat in the middle on their own. I didn't want to be the one to tell them where to sit. And yes, Scarlet looks amazing in person.
I stood nearby for the Q&A, and Bob told me that once the session ends, to let the stars slip out the back exit and to cut off anyone who wants to approach them from the aisles. He told me to keep an eye on one particularly aggressive man in the audience who's known for rushing the stars at festivals, but thankfully there was no incident.
There was an after party at a restaurant called Sushi Dan's (minus the stars of course). I hung out a bit with some newfound friends, then went home, having been on my feet for about twelve hours, and without having eaten anything in all that time. But it was fun and fruitful. It beat the hell out of sitting at home waiting for phone calls from potential employers. I'll be volunteering until closing night, which is on the 31st. Demi Moore will attend tomorrow for her directorial debut STREAK.
I showed up at 11:00 AM for festival orientation, and was surprised to see at least thirty other volunteers there. The festival founder and director Bob Arentz told us what we needed to know and we jumped into setting things up. As I was hauling stuff out of Bob's car from the garage, we chatted a bit. After sizing me up, he pulled me aside and told me he wanted me in charge of the VIP seating for opening night, for Scarlet and Courteney and their respective family and friends. He also wanted me to set up the chairs on the stage where Scarlet, Courteney, Kirsten, and the moderator would sit for the Q&A, and to guide them to specific chairs -- I had to make sure Scarlet and Courteney would sit in the middle two chairs to maximize photo coverage.
As I worked throughout the day, waiting for the main event at 7:45 PM, I mingled with the other volunteers and some of the filmmakers. Most of them are trying to jump start their careers in the industry, just like myself. I exchanged numbers with a few of them. In the afternoon, I changed into black slacks, white shirt and tie in my the car, in order to get ready for the opening night reception.
Around 7:30 the red carpet was set up outside, paparazzi was out in full force, and the talent was trickling in. I felt sorry for Scarlet Johanssen, who had to answer the same questions over and over again with cameras stuck in her face, all the while smiling and looking happy. Eventually, we ushered the talent into the theater. Once the house was full, Bob Arentz gave a quick welcome and the show began. Scarlet Johannsen's film THE VAGABOND SHOES starred Kevin Bacon, Courteney Cox's film THE MONDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING starred Laura Dern, and Kirsten Smith's film THE SPLEENECTOMY starred Anna Farris. All three films were very well done, charming and funny. I thought Kirsten Smith’s film was the best, but that’s because she’s a screenwriter, of course.
After the films, all three ladies, along the the moderator, came up for the Q&A. The Moderator took one microphone and I handed the other mic to Kirsten Smith. Thankfully, Scarlet Johanssen and Courteney Cox sat in the middle on their own. I didn't want to be the one to tell them where to sit. And yes, Scarlet looks amazing in person.
I stood nearby for the Q&A, and Bob told me that once the session ends, to let the stars slip out the back exit and to cut off anyone who wants to approach them from the aisles. He told me to keep an eye on one particularly aggressive man in the audience who's known for rushing the stars at festivals, but thankfully there was no incident.
There was an after party at a restaurant called Sushi Dan's (minus the stars of course). I hung out a bit with some newfound friends, then went home, having been on my feet for about twelve hours, and without having eaten anything in all that time. But it was fun and fruitful. It beat the hell out of sitting at home waiting for phone calls from potential employers. I'll be volunteering until closing night, which is on the 31st. Demi Moore will attend tomorrow for her directorial debut STREAK.
SF to LA Transplant
July 10, 2009 Filed in: Adventures in Filmmaking | Moving to L.A.
After researching a bunch of shady moving companies, I chose to rent a cargo van and haul everything to LA myself. I don't have much stuff due to my minimalistic lifestyle, so I fit most of it in the van and the rest I squeezed into my Honda Civic. Doing this saves me about $800 -- almost a month's worth of rent.
My friend Andi helped me load the van in the morning and I drove down to my new LA apartment, where I met with my friend Jon, who helped unload everything. Then I drove back to the Bay Area in the evening, to return the van and pick up my own car.
Doing a round trip in one day was grueling, especially the drive back; around midnight, with roughly an hour of driving left, I felt like I was mildly hallucinating. I was tired, sleepy, hungry, and had to go to the bathroom. To prevent myself from falling asleep I sang out loud, making up silly lyrics as I went along. I arrived at my Bay Area apartment around 1 AM, took a shower to wash off 700 miles of grime and sweat, then went to sleep on the floor of the empty apartment -- my final night in the Bay Area, after living there for the last 13 years.
My friend Andi helped me load the van in the morning and I drove down to my new LA apartment, where I met with my friend Jon, who helped unload everything. Then I drove back to the Bay Area in the evening, to return the van and pick up my own car.
Doing a round trip in one day was grueling, especially the drive back; around midnight, with roughly an hour of driving left, I felt like I was mildly hallucinating. I was tired, sleepy, hungry, and had to go to the bathroom. To prevent myself from falling asleep I sang out loud, making up silly lyrics as I went along. I arrived at my Bay Area apartment around 1 AM, took a shower to wash off 700 miles of grime and sweat, then went to sleep on the floor of the empty apartment -- my final night in the Bay Area, after living there for the last 13 years.