SNEAK PREVIEW is right around the corner!!

After nearly two years of blogging about this film, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution.... it's exciting to be able to announce the film's unofficial PREMIERE.

DATE:  Friday, April 15
TIME:  8:30 pm
LOCATION:  The Starry Plough, Berkeley
3101 Shattuck Avenue

What started as a writing project on the front lawn sitting in the sun with Mick Erausquin (my co-writer) evolved into planning, fundraising, producing and directing.

Some interesting tidbits learned along the way:

• I love writing, but after years of trying to pawn the film off to a director I found that I absolutely LOVE directing. Who would have guessed that? Try it all because you never know what you might have a knack for.
• I knew I would be a good producer, but it's still producing and it's still business. I can do it, but I wouldn't wish it on you. Unless of course you're a screaming negotiator.
• Two things you should never ignore: makeup and hair. Wow.
• Trust the advice of your caterer. People need food. It makes them happy. A happy crew is a good crew.
• Lights can create magic. Plan around it. It takes time to set up. And then be grateful you took the time.
• Think it all through. Every step, every shot, every angle. THEN try it. Don't assume anything.
• A wise person once said to me, "You have three films. The film you wrote. The film you shot. And the film you edit." Do you hear the angels singing with this one? I sure do. 
• Do your homework. Read other writers. Study other directors. Listen to soundtracks and composers. I spend most of my free time watching movies and wondering how they got that shot, why they cast that person, and why the director decided to go uptempo on the music in the slow scene.

Making a movie is like conducting an orchestra. All the musicians have to do their part or the piece falls apart.

In the end, I'm not ecstatic about the film truthfully. But I am quite proud. It's a charming little piece, with some laughs, some melancholy, some gravitas, and it comes from a real place of heart and history. We will do more films and they will be more -- more powerful, more funny, more insightful, more paced. But it's a good start. I'm okay with that.

Ultimately, this event is really about showing gratitude for all the people who helped make this happen and believed in this project. It may sound trite to say that it does take a village, but in truth we can't do anything of real substance alone. In the words of Yoko Ono, "We are all in this together. You and I, we are married to each other."

We all need to be grateful for the angels in our lives. And this film had its share of angels, cast and crew in particular. But the biggest wings go to those people who were there for nothing but FAITH.

The Driver (that's Sam because she pushed me to do it, and she did it with love, charm and creativity. Her style is all over this and I could NEVER have done it without her)

The Coach (AD, who always had my back and kept encouraging me and stood beside me throughout)

The Saviors (my investors, especially Jason, Jim & Mary, who believed ALL THE WAY)

The Captain (Matt, the captain of all things post production and one of the most generous and kind people I know)

The Carpenter (this means Scott our fearless editor, who cobbled together moments that I only had in my head with very little direction and a huge amount of nerve)

The Visionary (Mike, because in the end he stepped up when none of us could and made all the best suggestions when I couldn't)

The Candy Man (for the music from a real pro, Douglas couldn't have been sweeter. He added sugar to a very dry cookie)

and The Baker (Mick, who wrote this story with me, let it cook, then swooped in at the end when everyone else had moved on, to continue to contribute to its final shape)

The party will be a good one. See you there!

Meet Douglas Pipes, Musician/Composer/Funny Man

Yesterday I had a short but important conversation with the music composer, Douglas Pipes. He has the Fine Cut of the film (I don't say Final here because I know I'm taking out a couple of frames to clean it up) and he had questions -- about music, sound, vibe, feeling. We talked about what he needed to understand the "vibe" that I wanted, and I listened. Officially, he has all the temp tracks on the iPod and a little table chart that I created that said where each track should go in the film. And he'll be taking it on vacation with him to the Caribbean. So picture this: Man lounging on sailboat, drinking beer, laughing with friends, remotely composing (in his mind, of course) the lovely and bittersweet score to our friendly little bridal film. Very nice.

I'm amazed that this project has come together the way it has... and I look back at all the little seeds I've planted along the way to get here. Douglas is one of those flowers.

I first met him when I was 29, aka young and having lots of fun living on the beach. We became immediate friends and have remained in touch throughout the years. I was fascinated back then - and still am - by his talent, sense of humor, and simply just the way he is. But he knows this. He was at the time playing in a band, singing, writing songs, and generally figuring out the next big thing. I was really impressed by the work he'd already done on other films. He'd done film soundtracks and played some of the music for me. One night we were hanging out in the basement, or the garage (I forget what that room was exactly, but it had a piano there, and his computer) and I asked him to show me how he did the music. He was surprised... do you really want to know? why are you asking me this? But I did really want to know. So he walked through the software he used, how he worked with the timeline and extending or cutting the sound to fit the scene. I remember sitting in there, writing in that room, pen and paper, with him next to me, headphones on, breathing hard, just working on music. It was sweet. (I wish I had a picture of us from that time, but people just didn't have cell phone cameras then folks)

When my original composer decided early on that he didn't have the time or interest in this film, I immediately thought of Douglas. In fact, I had thought about Douglas much earlier but figured he was too busy, too talented, and just too big to work on this short film. In the end, I thought, heck, won't hurt to ask. He responded immediately via email. "Yes! Would LOVE to!"  All I could think was "wow"... and then, "Thank God."

In the years since those idyllic days on the beach, he's gone on to do many cool things. Finished his degree. Worked in an ad agency. Composed for shorts, features. His most well-known work to date is the 2006 soundtrack to the animated film, Monster House, which my daughter has seen at least half a dozen times.

His most recent big film was Trick'R Treat, a  feature released by Warner Brothers in 2008. It has received universally great reviews from blogs and critics, and has a huge following among horror film fans.

Next up on his plate: Dinner with moi. Then we finish the film.

I know I've said this a lot, but we are indeed so very lucky to have him on our team. Douglas is the Big Fish here, and I promise to cook him a mean dinner... with Cat Stevens in the background.

MUSIC COMPOSER
Douglas Pipes

Douglas Pipes is a film music composer whose music has appeared in a spectrum of short and feature films including City of Ember (Universal Pictures) and the 2006 soundtrack to Monster House (Columbia). His loud, brassy instrumentations have drawn comparisons to action-music composer guru Alan Silvestri. He has won a variety of awards for his compositions including World Soundtrack Awards, Royal Television Society, and Gold Spirit Compositor Revelacíon (Spain). Doug’s most recent work is the score of horror film Trick ’r Treat.