Life in the Desert

Having just returned last night from an overnight two-day shoot in the desert, I thought I would share our filming schedule. This is after I cleaned all sand from my cracks and crevices (pronounced CREE-VAH-SIS).  For the shoot, my responsibility was that of a Production Coordinator.

Tuesday May 14th

04:45 AM Wake up, shower, eat, jump in car and head out to Citrus College.

06:15 AM Arrive at Citrus College. I had to arrive early to ensure that all crew were assigned to the appropriate passenger vans and that no one was left behind.

07:15 AM Three passenger vans begin the two hour drive to set in Johnson Valley.

09:30 AM Arrive on set. Immediately put on suntan lotion. Begin production.

12:30 PM Break for lunch.

01:00 PM Back to production.

07:30 PM Wrap production. Jump in passenger van and begin 35 minute drive to dinner.

08:15 PM Eat dinner.

09:00 PM Leave for hotel.

09:15 PM Arrive at hotel. Check-in. Shower immediately. Consume alcohol with cast and/or crew.

11:00 PM Sleep.

Wednesday May 15th

06:00 AM Wake. Shit. Shower. Eat.

07:30 AM Back into vans. Leave for set.

08:45 AM Arrive on set. Put on suntan lotion. Begin production.

01:00 PM Break for lunch.

01:30 PM Back to production.

07:15 PM Even though production hasn't wrapped, a van of crew had to leave set due to AFI rules in regards to hours worked and food and such. I was on that van.

09:15 PM Arrive at Citrus College. Jump in car and head for home, stopping only to grab some crappy drive-thru fast food.

10:15 PM Arrive at home. Shower immediately. Kiss wife. Pass out.

More stories from the set to come...

Mr. Bucky Goes to the ASC

My first official foray into Hollywood was a trip to the building which houses the ASC or American Society of Cinematographers. In case you are not aware, a lot of filmmaking groups have their own secret society. There is the Director's Guild. The Screen Actor's Guild. The Writer's Guild of America. So on and so forth. All very clandestine and hush hush. In order for me to gain entrance to the ASC I had to bring half a kilo of my firstborn's hair and a box of Fruit Loops. (Actually a paid a monetary fee) Visiting the campus was incredibly exciting. Not as exciting as being invited personally, but cool nonetheless.

They do not have their own parking area, so I was instructed to park at an underground garage down the street. Being that I am not familiar with LA whatsoever, I had no idea where I was. After parking and walking out of the entrance, I walked by the Dolby Theater (where the Oscar's are held!), on to Hollywood Blvd (the Walk of Fame... stars and such!!), and past Mann's/Grauman's/TCL Chinese Theater.  Not gonna lie, I got chills seeing all of this for the first time. My pleasure was tempered a bit by the shenanigans that happen on Hollywood Blvd. You see, it's incredibly touristy which draws a lot of panhandling, characters in costumes wanting you to give them money for pixs, and people handing out mixtapes for cash. Oh well... you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have Hollywood.

Back to the ASC. They host a breakfast lecture series. Upon arrival, a really nice breakfast spread was awaiting us. There were communal tables which is nice as I look at the events as a way to both gain knowledge and gain connections. Met some really cool folks there actually and would love to work with them at some point. After a bit, we were summoned into the big house for the lecture session. The ASC will bring in a cinematographer who will discuss their career and show clips from the movies they shot, talk about said clips, and then end with a Q&A.

The lecture I attended was a look at the career of Amy Vincent. Most recently she worked on "Hustle & Flow" and "Black Snake Moan." The program was both entertaining and educational and I'm hoping to catch the next in their series. It was interesting as it was probably the most technical film Q&A that I've attended thus far. I dig it.

Greetings and Lamentations

*kicks tires... checks under hood*

Wow, this site is still up and running and shockingly not hacked by Russian Internet pirates hoping to sell you futons made out of Burmese Monkey hair. Honestly I prefer the Siberian Monkey over its Burmese cousin due to their propensity to fling less poo and such. Speaking of flinging poo, I've quit my job and moved to Hollywood! We sold our house in San Francisco after striking oil in the backyard. We made quite a bit of money off of our discovery and now live in a cozy Beverly Hills mansion. Shockingly, our neighbors don't take kindly to the nouveau rich which has led to some very very humorous situations. I may or may not be creating a sitcom about this recent period in our life.

The true Hollywood story is that we started saving up over time, sold our house and moved to LA so that I may give screenwriting/directing/filmmaking the old college try. Yes, my wife is indeed amazing. We relocated in the early part of January and I really haven't had much time to devote to writing as I played the role of Mr. Mom until we got our son enrolled in to a pre-school. Now that that has occurred, I'm balls-deep in screenwriting and such... more like ankles deep if I am to be honest. All incredibly exciting truth be told. Having started just recently, I don't have much to report gentle reader, but please keep your eye on this site as I am will be covering the following items shortly: my trip to the ASC, my 1 & 2 year plan, daily/weekly routine of a screenwriter, souffle recipes.

Oh! It was good of you to pop in. Thanks.