Creating the Vision... storyboards and all that

The storyboards from our fabulous artist Karla Lozano are pretty much completed. All 20+ panels were ready by December 30 in preparation for my scheduling meeting with co-writer Mick Erausquin. Since no one knows the script better than we do, Mick stepped in to help schedule our shoot and review the boards for planning the shot list.

While features have Unit Production Managers, this short film doesn't have the luxury of a large crew to organize, plan and schedule the shoot. Mick and I put it in some order -- identifying outdoor scenes, shots that need daylight in the background, and grouping cast into workable chunks of time so they don't have to be there all day every day. This means important things like shooting scenes 4 and 5 to start, then shooting the final scene 16. Twenty-two pages for an indoor/outdoor shoot doesn't give us the luxury of shooting in order.

Today we had our crew meeting and a rehearsal for the lead actors for the key scenes. This also gave us a great opportunity to try on wardrobe, hairstyles and plan makeup and accessories. I'll be spending this week returning items that didn't work, but overall they looked fabulous. The gals sure have some swanky accessories.

The storyboards were a great help and once we get the last few scenes reworked we'll have a great set of plans ready for production. Karla is a talented illustrator and agreed to do her first set of storyboards for us. We provided a script, and she took 100+ photos during our stage rehearsal. Also, our Art Director Sam Murphy and I did a walk-through of the whole script at the location so I was able to provide her a DVD to draw from. You can check out Karla's work on her website.



Karla is a fine artist illustrator based in the Bay Area. She has a BFA in Illustration from California College for the Arts and is a graduate of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Her work includes surreal imagery, pen and ink detailed graphics, and colorful cartoon drawings. She is currently working on a new series of drawings.

Just putting all the pieces in place... like a big jigsaw puzzle.

Nine Days of Christmas... the good, the bad, and the ugly

Today is Tuesday, Dec 15. A lot has happened in the last nine days. Let's start with rehearsal. On Sunday, Dec 13, our entire cast, the DP, Art Director, Storyboard Artist and Makeup/Hair crew all came to the Flux53 Theater in Oakland to work on character development, rehearse the lines, block the scenes, and prep for the shoot.

We launched the day by sharing with the cast the story behind the story, what each character represents, and the journey each character makes in the arc of the film.

While small groups went to hair/makeup/wardrobe, the rest of us went through the script to work out movements and interactions for each scene. It worked out perfectly, and I have to thank my DP Mike Epple and Art Director for making it seamless and smooth. Most importantly, big kudos go to my brother, who whipped up two fritatas and a big bowl of pasta, and brought it over for everyone.

We laughed and ate and joked around all day. Everyone was just great, and we got to hear the story unfold. It is really funny... even the cast was laughing out loud and hamming it up. The best part is that we have actors with the chops to carry it off.





On Sunday Dec 6, AD Wyatt Norton and I celebrated the end of casting by hitting the local pub for a celebration beer. Our lovely casting director Emmanuelle should have been there, so we toasted in her honor. It's thanks to her we got actors that rock.

Throughout all this, while in pre-production, I'm still in the middle of that insane IRS audit, and spent the last few days crunching two years worth of deposits and receipts. Today, two of my potential donors declined, while a potential third said he's leaving town until early January, all of which leaves the film high and dry for now.

But we plow onward. I have a few final presentations up my sleeve. At the moment, however, I'm a little disheartened. This film has been more than a labor of love, and up to now it has been relatively smooth. My birthday is Friday. I'll have to sleep on it and figure out my next move.

And I dedicate this posting to the memory and soul of Ted Beason, my cousin, who was killed last Tuesday when he was hit by a car while walking his dog in Malibu. I'm still in shock. Ted was full of life and positivity. His spirit will stay with this film ... he was the kind of guy who lived to have fun and didn't let any of it get too serious. Bless Ted's soul. May he rest in peace.