Here’s a fun piece about the house Charles Laquidara sold to Oprah which she uses to host Michelle Obama:
News
Lucas Said It All
We started shooting this film in the fall of 2011 and on the first day of 2014, I can happily report that except for about a day’s worth of edit tweaks, it’s ready for test screenings. Those who have made a film before will chuckle at that “except for…” as the George Lucas quote is so applicable: “A film is never done, it’s just abandoned.” (This is actually a paraphrase of a Leonardo Da Vinci quote about art)
We’ll be doing some test screenings in mid-January and then I’m going to pound the pavement to get a movie deal. Wish us luck. I’ll keep you posted.
Here are a few pics from various shoot days:
Production Manager David Jermyn and his wife Becky Keigh in a re-creation scene of a 1950's couple on the verge of breaking up while Pat O'Day's radio show plays in the car.
Interview with Meg Griffin. New York City, July 2012.
View of the Charles River from the top of the Prudential Tower in Boston.
Inside The Marsden Theatre. David Marsden radio show, The Rock, 94.9.
Pat O’Day dumped from Seafair after 45 years
Controversy brewing in Seattle. Here’s Pat talking about being dumped as the voice of Seattle’s Seafair after 45 years!
UPDATE: Public outcry returns Pat to the broadcast booth!
http://mynorthwest.com/11/2315860/Pat-ODay-returns-to-Seafair-hydro-broadcast-after-outcry
Obligatory Frustrated Documentary Filmmaker Rant
The editor complains about not having enough visuals to work with.
The visual researcher is only working part-time.
There was a miscommunication with the music guys and they are behind schedule.
We’re on our second editor, by the way.
This photographer wants to charge $500 per photo, no bulk deals. He has so many great photos, perfect for our film.
I can’t cut that segment but no one has any photos from the incident.
Being able to afford some of this archival footage is 100% contingent on actually selling the film.
How many times can I ask that guy to send me the fucking photo?!
65 of the photos we want to use are, at present, too low-res for the big screen.
The accountant just raised her rates.
I cannot be up until 2 am watching this edit. I have a 3 year-old son who is up in 4 hours.
My post-production supervisor still hasn’t seen more than a few scenes.
This is privately financed. They are asking for progress reports.
I desperately need to shoot more footage. If I could just get an uninterrupted window to *plan* the shoot…let alone actually shoot!
I’m not 100% sure the Production Manager and I budgeted properly for music licensing and original music.
It’s the anniversary of my friend’s death from breast cancer. She left behind a 4 year-old daughter.
All I’m doing is making a movie. Everything is cool.
Home Stretch
Okay, it has been awhile since this blog has had any updates but this is the nature of making a film part-time. I’m the Producer and Director but I run a voice talent agency as my “real job”. Our visual researcher is working on another documentary about Alice Cooper so she can often only dedicate one or two days a week to “I Am What I Play”. Our editor has been on another TV series for months so she works on weekends and occasional evenings for us. And so the story goes. On the plus side, the money for our film can be stretched out over a longer time period because no one is on the clock consistently through the week.
We are now getting to the point where, after one more round of edits, we are likely going to be ready for an informal test screening or two. That’s where some random combo of friends, strangers and radio types will offer their solicited and pointed critiques which could in turn send me back to the edit suite, curled up in the fetal position. Or they’ll love it and take to social media with a singularly focused mission to spread the word about this masterpiece in the making. Likely… the reaction will be somewhere in between.
We are crossing fingers and anything else that can be crossed that we will be ready for the on-line edit by June. A finished product by the end of summer? Stay tuned!
