The Great Cartwheel of Life
The second big chunk of the film wrapped up and I can’t explain how much fun I had on the set and in Tulsa with cast, friends and family. I didn’t have nearly the time for friends and little side excursions I planned on, but I enjoyed each small moment I could partake of. I loved hiking the trails of Turkey Mountain; photographing friends at music festivals; exploring the nooks of a downtown darkened, abandoned and reflected by the deluge of a beautiful midnight rain with open hearts; the delights of running into my Tulsans that surprised me with their company when I least expected them to. These experiences are what living is all about. I cherish and keep it all inside my inner-most book. All of these gifts are thanks to being brought out to shoot a film.
So most of the filming on my side is finished. I went out over the course of a month to shoot the bulk of my scenes, which was a lot of work, but they continue on without me. I go back at the end of June for some pick up days, and there’s a few big scenes we’ve scheduled for the months ahead. It’s nice to have so much already in the can and I’m excited to continue on while I am in Branson with Peter Pan.
The process of film making is so different from putting on a commercial or play. It’s this life that stays consistent and grows, shot entirely out of order. You keep the spark inside you the entire shoot and I had many tricks up my sleeve I got the chance to use. The best tool was keeping my character as real as possible in spite of outlandish circumstances. It’s just a spark higher than the real world but so much more subtle than a stage production. One thing that it does remind me of stage is that each day is like putting an entire play up on it’s feet. The difference is that as you go day to day the scenes lines and motivations change completely. One day by itself is a unique play that will never come back; you won’t even remember it until months or even years later you get to see the finished project and either be impressed or embarrassed by the performance By then the memory is changed by an editor and sound engineer and the magic of film lives on forever through rose-tinted lens filters.
Who made the film I’m working on? A man by the name of Brandon Bergin wrote and is directing the film. He’s a great guy and his wonderful parents put me up in their swell house while I stayed in Tulsa. Some of the hard working actors on set everyday include the wonderfully talented and lovely Cassie Self; my pal Jeff Howard, also known as Eraser Dan; ever awesome Rich Bentz; Marla Taylor, Xavier Sagel, Katheryn Stephanic and many others I enjoyed working with. Everyone was welcoming and supportive of Brandon’s dream to create a feature-length film. The names I listed are but a portion of the great, focused individuals that are coming together to create a quirky romantic comedy that everyone should enjoy.
The film’s working title is “Teaching Faith.” That’s not going to be the final title because it’s not the Christian comedy people think it is from the name alone. It’s not a Christian comedy at all, by the way. It’s more like an episode of Three’s Company with a heart of gold, starring little old me. Faith is just the name of a character I teach in the movie. We are looking for a hip, cool, funny and poignant title for the film. If anyone has ideas feel free to let me know. Who knows? Your title could be the one we use!
Now that I’m back in California I’m kind of in worker-bee mode, trying to procure those funds I’ll be using to drive all the way to Branson in a month. If anyone has a smidgen of production work, art, headshots, design, retouching or a beautiful painting I’d be happy to work. contact me @ studiosound (at) yahoo.com.
Until next time…have an INCREDIBLE day!
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