Streets of Gold

     Nearly twelve years ago, I sat down with a friend to write a show we called, Streets of Gold.  The show would be a comedy about Persians living in the United States.  It would be funny, daring, entertaining and powerful.

      We wrote a total of three scripts and they were funny as hell.  Now after a dozen years, over a hundred and forty-four months, this project is finally going to be shot.  It's ready to be shot and it needs to be shot.
     Usually I don't talk about projects until they are nearly done because it has proven to be a deadly practice in the past.  After a while though; you get tired of worrying about what could go wrong and just get down to putting it out into the universe and seeing what comes back to you.
      We did a full cast rehearsal a few weeks ago in a 99 seat theater in Hollywood.  I invited a few friends to critique.   The actors did a fantastic job.  It was a good time.  Since then I've written two more revisions of the scripts with my partner and tonight I got to hear the two leads do their lines.

     Sitting there in that room with the two actors who will bear the responsibility of not ruining this show;  I realized that I'm glad we waited this long to do this project.  Independent of the subject matter, independent of the horrors of 9 / 11 and independent of the revolutions in the Middle East, it's time to do this show.  Now.
      Recently I was sitting at a Starbucks and I overheard a guy talking about how it had taken him a year to raise the money to do his project.  A whopping five grand that he raised from his mom and dad.  He was talking about how tough it was to get the financing in place and now he had to finish the script.  I was thinking, 'Fuck this guy.  One year?  I've been waiting twelve and you don't hear me standing in line for a latte acting like I just beat Spielberg out for an Oscar.'

     By the way, this guy wasn't a kid, he was a grown man begging off of his parents and he didn't even have a finished script.  Don't get me wrong, there have been times I wish I could go to Mom and Dad and pull a little something out of their accounts to play producer / director but that wasn't in the cards.

      At any rate, he's doing his project and I'm doing mine, no matter how they come about; I guess that's all that matters.  The reason I'm writing about it now is I realized that no matter how long it takes or how it gets done, you've got to get it done.
     One year, twelve years, five thousand or five million, investors or mom and dad, who cares?  In the end, it's all the same, did you do your project?  Did you take the chances?  Did you give yourself the chance to succeed?

      Will these streets turn out to be Streets of Gold?  I don't know.  No one does but we're going to put everything we have into it.  And I hope when your turn comes up, you'll do the same.  We'll keep you posted.  Until then, Filmmakers First.  Thanks for reading.

(Please note, I do not know the Persian woman in the berka, this is not my Cast, this is not my Starbucks Cup, these are not the parents of the guy in line at Starbucks and these dice, well, I don't like craps but it looks fun.  The rights to these photos are exclusively those of the folks who took the photos).  Thanks  D

Blood On The Page

     I love the concept of 'Blood On The Page.'  The phrase has been coined and used by a number of writing instructors and professionals and it refers to the intensity, risk, power, passion and loss conveyed through a writer and how he or she puts his or her characters in jeopardy.  Jeopardy.  I'm at a complete loss now for how and why people could possibly be at a loss for inspiration  to write in times like these.

     In just the last few months, Moammar Gadhafi was ousted from power and assassinated in a filthy gutter and laid to rest in a walk in freezer,  protesters are marching on New York, Europe, and across the United States.  Greece is near financial collapse and Thailand suffers from the greatest floods in nearly half a century.

     Blood on the Page?  Not even close, there is Blood on the Streets, here, there and everywhere.  If you can't look at what's happening right under your nose and see risk, drama, pain, suffering, jeopardy all around you; you might not be looking hard enough.

     I was watching Steve Jobs' biographer on 60 Minutes and he was talking about the fact that Jobs may have been wavering (or growing, depending on your point of view), regarding his belief in God and an afterlife.  Talk about beating the odds, here's a guy who was adopted, did drugs, built a company, lost it, came back when it was on the brink of disaster and took to a place that no other company has ever gone before.  Did I mention the fact that a guy who was given up at birth went on to amass a fortune of over seven billion dollars and changed the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the process?  Listen, if that incredible, painful, powerful, successful, hopeful life didn't prove the existence of God, nothing will. 
     At any rate, the thought of where the greatest CEO in the history of the world is now made me think, I mean, really think.  Where is Steve Jobs?  Where is that brilliance?  Where is his soul?  Where did it go and is it gone forever?  Immediately I began writing a story about my take on Steve Jobs; not his life, but his death.  You want Blood on the Page?  Doesn't get any bloodier than cancer.

     You want inspiration as a writer?  Put a photo of a dead Moammar Gadhafi next to photo of a smiling Steve Jobs standing on stage in front of a thousand fans while he introduces you to the new iPad.  While you're looking at the contrasting faces, hum to yourself, 'One of these things is not like the other...'  When you're done humming, ask yourself, what the fuck is going on?  Short answer, There's Blood in the Streets.  Next move, Put It On The PAGE.

And no, I am not comparing Gadhafi to Jobs.  All the photos are the property of their respective owners and yes, that is the great writer / director Vic Wright standing next to me.
Thanks for reading.
D

Andy Is Dead - Time To Write

     Andy Whitfield is dead.  The fast rising star of the hit cable show Spartacus died; handsome, talented, well loved and on the rise, he is dead.  He died this past Sunday, September 11 of cancer.  The story says that he had been battling the disease for 18 months and that he was doing well with his treatment but he didn't make it.  Thirty-nine and out.

Andy Whitfield from Spartacus - Photo from Fan Site

     As I read the story, the brief story of his short rise and fatal fall, I was wondering why, there wasn't more to read about a guy who made a hit out of a series that was so steeped in sex and violence that only an incredible performer with charisma and talent to burn could lift it out from and above the genre that it surely would have fallen to had he not been a part of the production.  Nothing negative about the show because like many other viewers; I like it.  I'm just saying how great I think he was for that role and what a fantastic job he did in it.
     Instantly, I was inspired to write because I'm not dead.  I don't have cancer, I'm not sick and the few problems I do have, most people would wish for.  So, hearing of the passing of this life cut short, I was instantly inspired to write and not just to write, but to write something incredible.  I wanted to write something beautiful and haunting, something moving and profound.  I wanted to write something better than I've ever written before.
     I was working on a project and it is good, it is very good, different, artistic, painful and funny in a pathetic way.  After reading about Whitfield, I wanted it to be better.  Why?  Because it would seem that I might have time to make it better, so I should.

Writer Christopher Canole and I at AOF 2009

     Funny thing, I hear from writers all the time about problems they are having with their script or this character or some bullshit story arc.  I never hear anyone say, 'Fuck, I better get my shit together and write that script because I'm dying!'  I've never, ever heard that once even after having worked on seven features, multiple shorts, four television series and a slew of other projects.  I've heard the complaints and the excuses, but I've never heard anyone ever say that they should write something well and write it now because if they didn't, they might not get the chance.
     So, with full knowledge that the end is near, at least, closer than I'd like, I am writing and I hope that what I write will be good, no not good, great.  If it is good and not great then I hope I get a little more time to make it so.  Andy is Dead - Time to Write.

Hey, Look There's a Story

     Alright, this story is pure fact.  Fact, not fiction, not made up, not imagined, pure, straight arrow, arrow straight facts.  It's no secret I run the AOF Festival, one of if not the best festival going as far as I'm concerned.  I can say that it's the best, not because I run it, but because of the people who make up the festival.  The filmmakers, the writers, the producers, actors, grips, dps, artists, the whole lot.  These people make my show what it is, so I can honestly say it's the best thing going.  I say it because they are the best storytellers I know, period. They put their money where their mouth is, they make their films, they tell their stories and they don't quit.   

     So, anyway I'm standing in the Academy Theater and I'm talking to a filmmaker from Florida and he asks me what's going on and I say that I'm looking for an actor who I was pretty sure wasn't coming but I was hoping would show up anyway.  So the filmmaker points and says, she's right over there.  I swear to God it's true, she made the trip, she's here.  I follow his arm and where he's pointing and she's standing right across the room, big as life and twice as beautiful.  Talent shining off her head like an Angel's glow and a small crowd standing around her. 
     Now, this crowd wasn't around her, they were 'around' her.  Not talking to her or looking at her just kind of there.  If you were part of the crowd, you wouldn't of noticed what I'm talking about, but standing fifty feet away, it looked like she had an entourage.

     I approached her and noticed that she was talking to someone so I took a seat on the stairs and waited my turn.  That is when the magic happened.  Sitting on those stairs; I noticed all of the people in the theater talking to one another and telling their stories.  Everyone was engaged.  They were talking about their films, their scripts, the money they were raising, the deal that just fell through and it wasn't until that moment, waiting on those stairs that I was able to really see what was going on.  All of these people, young, old, black, white, tall, short, male and female, telling stories and trying to get those stories made into movies.
     Now, the funny thing about the entertainment business is that it is known for the amount of pure bullshit that floats around, nothing new about that.  But this was different, it was amazing to see people who had spent their unemployment checks, savings, bonuses, vacation money to be at the AOF Festival on a beautiful Southern California night meeting with people who just might play a part in their future success.
     Stories were being told and it looked like a few deals were being made.  In fact, I was trying to make one myself.  See, I've got a few stories to tell and looking around that room, watching those people who had made the trip out to Pasadena from all across the states, from around the world; Germany, France, England, Austrailia, China, I realized one thing, they came to do more than just talk, they came to tell their stories.  They were there to share their experiences and make something happen.
     What I liked most about waiting to tell my story was that I had the chance to witness first hand people who were making the first step in getting their stories made.  The first step in that process was to show up and relate that story to someone else; see if the story has legs, if it works, if it's interesting, if it matters.  The stories are all around us, we just have to tell them.

     Now, it was my turn, this actress, this talented, beautiful actress who was waiting to hear about my story was all ears.  I told her my story and she told me hers.  Is it going to work out?  Who knows?  The important thing is telling the story and then doing whatever you can to move that story to the next level.
     Until next time, thanks for reading.
D

Write What You Feel.....

     So, I'm talking to a friend of mine who is having trouble with a script she is writing.  We sat down, went over the script which in my opinion is really pretty good.  The story, structure, pace, dialogue and characters are great.  I really like this piece.  I told her that while there were a few changes that I would make, it was ultimately up to her what happened with the piece.  At that point, she made a really telling remark which I still can't get out of my head.  She said, 'What's the point?  No one is going to buy it anyway."

On the Set of a recent project.

     I can honestly say that I have never written a script that I didn't with all of my heart believe would be produced.  Maybe it's a fantasy but I think writing has to be one of the most incredible callings possible.  I recently had a film fall out of production.  It doesn't mean that the piece won't be produced, it just means that that particular production didn't work out.  I moved on to the next one and I'll go back to the other one when the time is right, for me.

Still from a project that was stopped but will move forward shortly

     I can't imagine not seeing my work moving towards completion.  I also can't imagine my work not having enough value for someone to pay real money for it.  I think the reason for this is that I try to write what I feel, what inspires me and what intrigues me.  When I do that, I don't get the feeling that I'm writing something that will sit in a drawer or never be seen.

Actress working on one of my scripts

     Sure, like everyone else who has ever seen a check for their writing, I've created or sold pieces that never went anywhere but that didn't mean that I was any less passionate about writing the script or any less enthusiastic when I went to the bank to cash the check I got for that work.  I think the secret is to fall in love with the subject and then write what you feel.  If you love your subject, you'll write with love.  If you write with love, you can't help but succeed.

No poser, just someone being inspired....Nice!

       Did I mention my new project?  It's about this........

Ignore The Games. Keep Working, Keep Writing.

Tremblay as 'Yvette'

     Recently one of my productions was stopped.  We lost the momentum, some of the problems we were dealing with were too great and there were simply a number of other things going on that made me know that to continue would have been a mistake.  So, I choose to stop the project, but I didn't stop working.
      I had met a very talented performer in January and we spoke a few times and I had written a treatment for a script with her in the lead role.  This week, we shot the first scenes.  As a writer and director, it is incumbent upon on me to show up prepared and ready to work but it is so refreshing to arrive and find that the talent is ready as well.  Ready, excited and prepared.  Wow, a trifecta.

No Ego, No Baggage, just talent and beauty

      When we write, we hear the words as we believe they should be spoken.   It is very difficult to hear your words mangled, interpreted out of context or delivered without emotion or real intent; but when someone is ready to perform and to speak your words perfectly and beautifully; it makes all the difference in the world.
      This week, because I didn't stop writing,  because I didn't quit, I was treated to the most incredible experience of truly hearing my own words -which I had read over and over myself- spoken for the first time.  The performer had no ego, no baggage, no pre-conceived notions, just a desire to work and to bring life to the character.

Tremblay preparing and taking direction

      A lot of people tell me that after a project goes south that they lose their desire to create or interest in their work.  I suggest that they change their tact and use those times to reinvest in their work, in their words and in the chance that the next time will be the best time.

Filmmakers First.
D

Talent Doesn't Need An Excuse

Two very talented people; Bullis and Roso on set discussing their work

     I am in the middle of reading one of the best scripts I have ever read.  It is clear, concise, intelligent and relevant.  The characters are interesting, powerful, weak and in constant conflict.  Choices must be made and bad ones must be endured.
     I love this script.  I wish it were one of my own.  When I began reading it; I had just read seven or eight others and this one jumped off the page like a Frazetta hero in dire straits.  I could not put the script down until I had read it through and then I read it again.
     That's what talented people do, they create work that moves you and makes you want to achieve the same results with your own work.
     Talent doesn't need an excuse, it just exists for it's own sake and then knocks us off our feet.  Kudos to this writer, she deserves all of the rewards and accolades her talent will surely gain for her.
Until next time, Filmmakers First.
D

Why? What For?

Two of my favorite storytellers  Tim Littlefield and Michael Givens

     As I've said before, I write every day.  My lap top sits next to my chair which sits next to my desk which holds my mac and various logs and notebooks.  I got one of those Blackberry Playbooks and I write on that as well.  I'll even jot down ideas on my notepad of my phone if the mood strikes.
     No, there's no big Hollywood deal pending, I'm not writing spec scripts for the possibility that someone next to me in line at Starbucks will ask if I happen to have the next great movie concept.  I write because I write, that's the why and that's what its for.
     Last week one of our AOF Alum gave me a call to talk about his new project.  He and his partner wanted to see if I would be interested in showcasing the work at AOF 2011.  Well, since that's the business I'm in, of course I wanted to see the project and hear about what they had done and why.
     We sat in a nicely appointed booth with a large flat screen and mixer and I must say that I spent a little more time watching their reactions to their film then the film itself.  The film looked great by the way.
     I'm not so much interested in what people make as I am about the motivation behind the process, the 'why' and the 'what for'.  See, every project has a story, drama, problems, antagonists and heroes.    Many times, these problems are too difficult to overcome and we find ourselves in a place where we can't go forward with our art.  Other times; delays and issues make the process better.  What remains after all of that garbage is the 'why'.  Why, will either make you go forward or stop you in your tracks.
      I only have one why and that is, it's because writing and creating stories is what I am compelled to do.  I love story, I love film and I love helping people make their stories come true.  One of the most interesting questions that I'm able to ask at Q&As is, 'Why did you make this film?'  Knowing the answer to that question is more than half the battle in creating something worthwhile.
Until next time, Filmmakers First.
D

Writing A New Script

Actress / Filmmaker Sandy Kellerman hiding from the camera
which loves her more than she knows.

     So, I'm writing a new script.  No big deal, I write every day.  Most people who know me know that I have more scripts, teleplays, plays and treatments laying around than I know what to do with.  Recently a friend asked me why I didn't submit my work to the studios or through agents and agencies.  My answer was pretty simple;  I plan to make all of my movies.
     I'm serious.  I've never written a piece that I didn't plan on producing at some point in my career.  With that said, I have done work for hire on shows like Reality Racing, Feelin' Good, The National Sports Schedule, The AOF Channel, a children's script, a couple of scripts for small production companies and a little clean up work on other people's projects.
     The point is, what I write, I plan to produce.  My stories, my movies, my way.  Anyway, the new script is about a bouncer too old to do the job anymore but finds himself forced to do something even harder and a lot more dangerous to maintain his own integrity.  I can not wait to make this film.  I can not wait to tell this story, I can not wait to see it on screen.
     I was having lunch with AOF Filmmaker Sandy Kellerman and she asked the question, "We've heard all the stories, but did we get all the points of view?"  That statement really made me think about my own writing, originality, passion, ability and purpose.  When we write, are we following someone else's process and telling someone else's story or are we telling stories with our own unique, insightful and introspective point of view?  The only point of view -in my opinion- that really matters.

Sidney Lumet

Weston Reading About Director Lumet

     Last Saturday, Sidney Lumet died in New Your City.  The man who made quite possibly the best drama ever filmed, The Verdict, is gone.  Everyone thinks, at least everyone I've spoken to, that The Verdict was Paul Newman's film, but it wasn't, it belonged to Lumet.  Every frame, every angle, every cut and every lingering wide shot that stayed on the actor's faces -which were dwarfed by the expanse of every element included in each frame- belonged to Lumet.
      Where some directors feel the need to make constant cuts and establish multiple locations and hundreds of angles, Lumet could make the dialogue, the acting and the craft pop with a single well composed shot.  In short, he could tell a story anywhere.  From the courtroom where the church's and the legal system's crimes were going to go unpunished to a jaded and washed up attorney's final meltdown in a hotel bathroom, it didn't take much more than Lumet's keen eye and his ability to tell a story to bring every second of the film to life; and to make that life real and unforgettable.  Lumet is dead.
He will be missed.

The Importance of Story

The Author at the Showbiz Expo Listening to a Filmmaker's Story

     In the last few years, the AOF, one of my partners and I have begun placing money with filmmakers and writers so that they can bring their visions to life.  Some of the donations have been small, others much more.  In reviewing the projects, I began to wonder what each of the films we helped out had in common and I was not surprised to discover that of course, it was the story.   Not the story the artist was trying to tell, but the story of the artist him or herself.
     I don't think in any case where we assisted that there was a pitch. It was a simple, 'So, what's going on?' From there, the artist either told us what was happening and we said, 'yes or no' accordingly.  Some times there is a phone call or an e-mail but the process is pretty much the same.
     Which ones get funding?  Well, that depends on the story, but I can tell you which one's don't; it's the ones that don't focus on story, that are either obviously unoriginal, template formatted, or copied from someone else.  For some reason we seem to get those as well.  They are summarily denied.  If 'your' story isn't original, how can the artistic story that you are trying to tell be?
      I'm not saying that you have to have the personality of record executive from the 80's to move ahead but I will tell you that it doesn't hurt to have the ability to sell the interesting things about yourself to your audience, no matter who that audience might be.
     Thanks for reading and to those of you who enjoy film please get to a theater to see the story as it should be seen and for those of you who make film, please, start with the story.

Independent Film: Story is What Matters

Del Weston surrounded by storytellers at the AOF Fest

     Alright, it's time.  I've been waiting to start this blog for quite a while.  It seems that people have the impression that just because they have a camera and a mic, that they can be a filmmaker.  Every year I see literally thousands of films.  Not ten, not twenty, not a few hundred or almost a thousand, but thousands of films: shorts, videos, documentaries, experimental projects and more.  I watch sophisticated films, simple films, films from young filmmakers, old filmmakers, American, European, African and Asian  filmmakers, male and female filmmakers and few who are a little confused about that last designation, as well.

     What's my point?  My point is that filmmaking and writing to me are about story, story, story.  Let's pretend for a moment that a group of us were sitting around a fire, out in the woods, under the moonlight, wrapped up tight and warm in our blankets; holding marshmallows at the end of long sticks.  The group around the fire is very large, fifteen to twenty people.

      Suddenly one of the guests around the fire says, "I have something to say."  She stands up and begins her story.  She creates a mood, a place, a time and she creates her characters: compelling, strong, weak, beautiful, ugly, jealous, vicious and or kind.  The entire group quiets down to listen.  They stop every sound, there is no more nervous movement; coughs and comments are held back.  The speaker allows her audience to settle down as she effortlessly tells her tale.

      We all listen intently.  There is no screen, no HD Camera, no cool glide cam or intricate dolly system.  There is only the story teller, out in the wilderness, surrounded by her audience; telling her story and sharing her dreams.  We listen, without interruption, without doubt and in awe and anticipation of the next word spoken.  In short, we have just gone to church and before us stands our savior.

     That is what filmmaking is to me, it's story, it's character and it's quality.  Film is a religious experience: sometimes when you watch and especially when you make it and your prayers have been heard and your film becomes a reality. The purpose of this blog is to talk about my experiences as a filmmaker, a writer, a producer, a director and the creator of one of the fastest growing film festivals in the world - which has just made the leap to broadcast television.

      I am not against technology but I don't think that just because you spent twenty million dollars instead of twenty thousand dollars that your project is any better or any worse.  I want to talk about story and the process by which we tell our stories on film, digitally or on tape.  For me, how and where you tell your story is not as important as the story itself and I think a lot of us have forgotten about that.

      I hope you enjoy hearing about my experiences and sharing your own.  At present I am exec producing the film SUNNY and RAYRAY, The AOF Channel and The AOF Festival and my short SUICIDE ANNIE is currently on the festival circuit.  If I reach one person or ten million, the messages will still be the same.  Thanks for reading and to those of you who enjoy film please get to a theater to see the story as it should be seen and for those of you who make film, please, start with the story.

D