On the final day, we shot in two locations respectively: St. Richard’s, a Catholic school/chapel, and Caribbean Cafe, a new restaurant in Downtown Jackson. The first scene were shots of Mr. Holloway and Glenfeld (my character) visiting the orphanage and Mr. Holloway meeting with his psuedo protege, Carmen. (This will all make sense once you see the film).

One element that I haven’t mentioned, and was to our benefit, was the fantastic weather that was provided for us. High of the low 70s. Can’t ask for much better than that. The odd thing is that severe storms stretched throughout the sky in Mississippi right before the dates of the shoot, and the day immediately following. Great timing. Perhaps the film gods are in our favor.

After the final take, the cast and crew of MHTC met at Julep, a local favorite in Jackson, and wined and dined for our wrap party. It was a treat to work with EVERYONE on the set; a very talented and amicable group, to say the least. I look forward to working with them again in the future.

Below are photos. Enjoy, and more will come as the editing and scoring processes are undertaken. Cheers!

A bit of panic set in when one of the locations we planned to shoot at called us last night and informed us that it would not be possible for us to shoot there. Thanks for the warning, right?

Our solution to the problem was shifting our schedule, which resulted in shooting the afternoon shoot in the morning, and the morning shoot in the afternoon. Crazy? You betcha.

Thus, our day began once again at Pickenpaugh Pottery, and it was quite an eventful day. For starters, we shot all of the exterior (outdoor) shots, which gave me the opportunity to drive a Mercedes convertible, as it was my character’s car. (I could get used to being in character)

We received a visit from the mayor of Madison, Mary Hawkins, when she came to greet the cast and crew of our film. A very nice gesture indeed. Also, we were granted assistance from the Madison Police Department in blocking the road so we could use it for our purposes. (A special thanks to Sgt. Steve Patrick and Officers Jamie Brooks and Jimmy Brooks.)

Today also marked the day that our leading actress, Libby Mille, arrived on the set from Pennsylvania, and she arrived in style. Check out the photo below:

After finishing our exterior shots at Pickenpaugh Pottery, we went to the Mississippi Arts Center to shoot the interior for the orphanage, and we were blessed to have eager and well-behaved orphan actors. (Were they actors pretending to be orphans, or orphans pretending to be actors? You decide.)

Fortunately, I was able to relax during the afternoon session, and took off my acting cap and put on the producer hat, which included organizing lunch with Kate, our associate producer.

It was during lunch that I was able to sit back and observe everyone having a good time. Cast and crew. Parents to the child actors. Random people who were mooching our food. This may have been my favorite part of the entire day, because it dawned on me that the reason everyone had gathered was from a script that I wrote.

People were meeting new friends, reacquainting with old ones. Making connections; making memories. This was a positive experience for everyone involved and for me personally, it was truly witnessing the fruits of my labor. It makes me want to make more movies.

Tomorrow is third, and last, day of shooting. Photos below are from today; more tomorrow. Peace.

Our day started out at seven in the morning when we had to place make-up on BJ; since he’s playing an old man, it took us nearly 2 hours to get him situated. But that time flew by because I was preoccupied taking care of other arrangements, including making friends with the owner of the location we were shooting at; Robert Pickenpaugh of Pickenpaugh Pottery.

Most of the crew showed up at around 8:00 am and wasted no time setting up the equipment. We had quite a few toys to play with: Hi-Def cams, GIB machine, dolley, lights, etc. We had a great crew to work with that made the best of every single second that was available to us. I have to say that I was impressed.

Today’s scenes focused on the conversations between Mr. Holloway and Glenfeld at the beginning of the script and at the end of the script. For those who are not versed in the many styles of acting, here’s one of the interesting differences between film and stage performace. In the theatre, it is customary to do run through the scenes and lines in sequential order, since that is how it will be presented on the stage.

In film, though, it’s common to only run one line and parts of a scene at a time. And back-to-back shots may be from completely different scenes. Such was the case today, as the beginning and ending of the film are in the same location: Mr. Holloway’s shop.

I got a couple of shots today that capture what transpired. I apologize that there are not more shots, but I got wrapped up in the action that the entire day had almost passed before I realized I needed more shots. Therefore, there will be more shots tomorrow.

Enjoy, and talk to you soon.

This may have been the hardest moment for myself, seeing the criticisms that the words I had so meticulously crafted just months earlier, now being altered and shifted at the merest whim of everyone involved with the film. How freely they expressed their opinions….

However, I do realize that most of the changes were necessary, and much of what I said in the previous paragraph is meant to be taken tongue and cheek. But it still stings a bit to see what you considered to be sacred and reverent to be dismissed as one of many directions that the script could take. I suppose this is how every writer feels when there script is up for production.

This is probably how every parent feels watching their child grow up and making mistakes that cause them to hurt themselves. How sombering it must be for parents to see their children discover that they are only human and not perfect. But it must be equally satisfying to see their children learn from these setbacks and grow to become stronger than before.

While there are many differences between scripts and children, it is truly the greatest feeling to see something you’ve created become what it is destined to be. What is MHTC destined to become?

I honestly can’t say, and I won’t find out tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another rehearsal day.

Photos in this article are for your enjoyment, courtesy of our associate producer, Kate Brewster. Ciao.

That being said, today was the day that my fellow actor, BJ Johnston, and I went to have our test make-up done by our very own make-up artist, Pam Bass.

Some of you may recognize BJ Johnston from my posts around a year ago on our now infamous WhaleBone Tour (aka, my trek to California). He will be playing the title role of Mr. Holloway, and I am very honored to be working this talented actor once again.

BJ currently has a one-man show about the life of John Wesley, titled The Man from Aldersgate, that he tours internationally and he has found favorable reception to his performances. (plug for your show, BJ; after all, it’s all about you).

Here are some pics from the session. More details to come, such as cast and crew list, rehearsals, etc.

As far as how the script came about, it began several years ago when I was still in college, when I was enrolled in a script writing class. Our ultimate assignment in the semester was to write a one-act play based on the story structuring that we had learned in class. While many seemed to already have their ideas mapped out, I had a bit of a struggle coming up with mine.

My initial idea was to have a bar setting where many mythical, holiday season beings such as Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, etc. all got together to drink, get away from the work place, and discuss how misunderstood they were. Although it seemed like a funny idea, it was hard to find a universal meaning in the story.

Then I began to look at my own life experiences, and one event that I kept looking at was when I went to the Ukraine one summer to visit orphanages there. It was quite amazing, because as I observed the children there, the whole gamut of emotions could be accounted for: kindness, innocence, and playfulness from the younger children to the hardened, bitter, and conniving traits of the older children. What happened, I thought, as I saw the differences that were wedged between the old and the young? Were the older children once like the young? Were the young children destined to become like the older ones?

And then the answer came to me as it was our final day at the camp. A young girl by the name of Sasha came up to me, crying profusely, hugged me tightly, and begged us not to leave them. She was not the only one. It was really strange, because I didn’t ever recall someone wanting me to stay somewhere that much. Probably because if I ever left someone for whatever reason, they would have someone to fall back on for comfort. These children did not have that in any area of their life. Not the managers of the orphanage. Not the older children. No one.

It was that experience that made me realize that their story must be told. All of them. I do not want to give away the story in this blog, which is why I have a link to the screenplay on this site. But I will tell you this. Mr. Holloway makes toys for orphans. He does this because this is something he knows how to do, and it is the best way he can help them. I’ve written a story about orphans and the loneliness that many of them must endure. This is something I know how to do, and the best way I know how to give. Thank you, and enjoy the blogs, script, and film when it is released.

Peace.

Over the course of the next week, yours truly will be deep in the South (Mississippi, to be exact) to share to the world a story of a toymaker who must choose between pursuing his passion, or allowing his life to be dictated by his circumstances. Follow the link above to learn more.

By following this blog, you will be kept up to date on all the latest gossip and details on the set long before Variety can tell you about it. Crew fights, lively debates, scandalous love affairs, all-night after parties, mysterious accidents, etc. The drama behind the drama, as it were.

However, none of that will occur today, for this is a day off for all involved. So the best thing to do is to tell you how all of this occurred, which for the sake of longevity, will be explained in Pt. 2 of this series. See you there. Ciao!

Are we ever completely truthful to people?

I realize that this a fairly strong way to start a post, but I went through about ten different beginnings, and this was the only one I thought was was suitable enough. This thought has been seared in my mind for awhile - well, at least for the past two days – and the urge to write this down was exacerbated when I watched Munich earlier this evening.

For those of you who haven’t seen this film, it’s an espionage thriller based on the true story of the Israeli hostage crisis at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, and the subsequent actions of the Mossad, Israel’s secret service.

While the very essence of espionage films is “who’s telling the truth?”, what set my thoughts in motion was the opening text, which stated the film was based on true events. But on whose account? Steven Speilberg, who directed the film? He obviously wasn’t around to see all of these things.

The film is an adaptation of the novel Vengeance, written by a Canadian journalist named George Jonas, who I’m pretty sure was not around to see the events of the movie transpire either. His book was based on the alleged accounts of someone who “claimed” to be in the Mossad.

The point that I am arriving at is that the facts – as they are presented in Munich – are circumstantial at best. Undeniably there was a hostage crisis in 1972, and there is documented evidence of the actions of the Mossad following the crisis. But there is no possible way to ascertain that everything that happened in the film is what actually happened.

Ultimately, whether or not the events in Munich are true goes beyond the scope of this post, but it does bring to light something important. The spies in Munich, no matter what faction they operated for, told lies (or at least didn’t tell the truth), because if they did, it would compromise their mission, or, to better configure with the terminology set in this post, their agenda.

But you don’t have to be a secret agent for this fact to be applicable to your life. Everyone has an agenda; being popular, getting ahead at the office, etc. And telling some people, even our friends, the truth could compromise our mission; our agenda.

It is said that the truth sets you free, but our world has a history of political, economical, and religious systems that are packed with lies and deceit, all with the purpose of carrying out an agenda that is supposed to protect us. Protect us from what? Danger? More lies? The truth? The unfortunate result of this is that it has given our society a sense of cynicism.

In spite of all this, though, I do believe that there is Truth, and it is something that I seek after more and more with each passing day. After all, if this world was nothing but lies and deceit, we would all be in a dire situation. I would encourage everyone I know to do likewise. If there is one thing that I have learned, though, it’s much easier to accept a lie than it is the truth.

Peace, my friends.

I simply told him that I did not work for the store, and was intent on carrying about my business. His response was a strange concoction of placidity and indignation…

“Well, %&*@ you, then.”

To say the least, I was fairly stunned. I would hate to have heard his comments if I would have gotten one of those arts and crafts sticks they sell at Michael’s and started beating him with it, all the while calling him a pinata (my thoughts at the time).

10 minutes later…

This may sound silly, but as I was pulling out of the parking lot, the aforementioned incident was still playing in my head. I thought of a thousand quick and witty retorts that could have given me the one up, but, alas, the reality of it was I was waiting at a traffic light, about to give up my faith in humanity (this happens at least twice a week).

My windows were rolled down, like they usually are, so I can take advantage of the nic SoCal breeze, and it was right outside my passenger window that I heard a voice beckoning to me. Puzzled, I glanced that way, and I beheld an elderly gentlemen sitting inside his car. He pointed down the road where I was about to turn and said…

“Be careful, there’s a cop a couple of blocks down, and he’ll pull you over if you go too fast.”

Even more stunned then my previous encounter, I nodded and told him thanks. He nodded back, and then proceeded to go his way, as the light was now green. That was nice thing for him to do; if what he said was true. As I drove down the road, sure enough, there was one of Burbank’s Boys in Blue on his motorcycle on the side of the road. Scanning. Waiting. And anyone who is familiar with the Burbank cops knows that they WILL pull you over.

So I learned many valuable lessons in that 10 minute rollercoaster of events. While some are obvious, one that sticks out in my mind is the next time I throw a party, I’m inviting the old guy in the car and not the guy I saw at Michael’s; unless I need a pinata. Peace.

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