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The “N” Word

15 May

I recently went to L.A. to attend the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (www.asianfilmfestla.org) where our film, “Counter Measure” was screening. As is the custom with film fests, they have multiple events and mixers specifically designed to get you to meet people. Yes, it’s that thing we all dread:

Networking

Every night they had some sort of amazing party, and every night I found myself cowering in my safe corner so I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. Actually, truth be told, my safe corner was not even at the festival—it was at home with my wife watching “Game of Thrones.”

Yes, go ahead and laugh, but deep down many of you feel the same way. In fact, I’d bet that if you were also in this festival, you’d be sitting on the couch next to me with a big bowl of ice cream.

A lot of people talk about how they don’t love these meet-and-greets, yet every time I go, I see groups of beautiful people laughing and hugging each other, and looking like they are having the time of their lives. I watch them and marvel at how they found so many friends before the end of the first day of the fest.

CAST 15th Freedom From Slavery 5/9/13 (L-R) Jericho Rosales, Lisa Ling, Chloe Flower, Willow Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Nicole Scherzinger, Sara Rue) Photo credit Brittni Moten

Did they bring all these people with them? Are they so important that one has to be on the “inside” to know who they are? Are they just so charming that people are drawn to their awesomesauce when they enter a room? It’s like I’m an extra on the set of a TV sitcom and when they enter, the audience cheers because the star has just arrived.

It has long been known that business success depends largely on whom you know, and if you have the artist temperament like I do, you dread the whole notion of networking. So, how does one cope? I’ll be the first to tell you that I am not an expert in this, but I have actually figured out a way to take the sting out. And here’s the key:

Don’t use the “N” Word.

I think that the word “networking” is extremely intimidating, and truth be told, it is a selfish word too. If you are going to an event to meet people that can further your career, then you will be looking at everyone wondering what they can do for you. People can sense that, and it’s a little creepy.

Instead, use this idiom as your mantra:

Don’t go to events trying to find a network of people who can help you; go in search of friends. I have tried this, and believe it or not, I have actually found myself having fun. In fact, on this last trip I ended up meeting a really cool VFX artist named Jonathan Ng, who made an awesome short called “Requiem for Romance.” www.jonjonphenomenon.com. He was a cool guy and is probably someone I’ll work with someday. I also met a kick butt publicist at www.qle-pr.com, an entertainment attorney, a couple musicians, a few just really nice people, and a big star from the Philippines.

So, ask yourself this: Who will your new friends be?

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Posted in Counter Measure, Films, General

Two Paths Diverged in the Holly-Woods

05 Feb

I was born into a family of high achievers. My father never graduated high school and taught himself how to be a mechanical engineer and went on to become a tool and die machinist. He also was a superb athlete and often won motorcycle races, did first descents of many rivers in the Northwest in a kayak, holds spear fishing records in Oregon that will never be broken, and learned how to ski – while on a hang glider.

My dad. Happy and bloody.

My mother was similar in this, but her pursuits led her into biblical studies where she now has more knowledge of the Bible than anyone I know and today teaches Bible studies and preaches on the weekends. She also excels at fitness, and at 66, still swims everyday and practices yoga. She looks better than women half her age. She is one hot mamma!

My mom eloping with a sundae.

It was destiny, I suppose, that I become a high achiever too. After growing up in that environment I just assumed that everyone else in the world was wired the same way. Since my ambitions were primarily in the film world, I was sure that everyone who worked in that industry also wanted to make big Hollywood movies with big Hollywood budgets.

I was in for a rather rude awakening.

One of my first mentors was a man who had grown up in the industry. He spent his childhood hanging around people like Steve McQueen and The Rolling Stones, and I assumed that his goal would be to work with people like that again. The reality was that he was tired of that industry and just enjoyed playing with cameras and doing small corporate videos. His ultimate dream was to have a small little office where we would all hang out, and we could “push our desks together.” I began to harbor deep resentment against him because he refused to aim higher.

From that day forward, “pushing our desks together” became a personal euphemism for someone with no goals.

The good folks at Option Talent have showed me how real professionals push desks together.

I have been toiling in this industry for several years now, and I have stumbled across many people like this. In fact, MOST people are like this. A lot of people enjoy the craft of film, but don’t like the politics, the stress and the time away from their families that the bigger projects require. These are good reasons. The big lesson I had to learn was to not be angry with them for being who they were. It has taken a long time for my maturity to grow enough to accept this. And now as the projects are getting bigger and bigger, I find myself in this situation more often.

I’m learning now, however, to accept it as part of growth. We are all on separate paths. It is inevitable that we will come together and separate along the way. It’s nothing to be resentful about (unless you’re in a business partnership, but that’s something to discuss in another blog).

As you move along and say your “hellos” and “goodbyes,” be mature enough to celebrate the great things you built together instead of focus on the pain of separation. Be big enough to support your colleagues who excel ahead of you, and humble enough to thank the ones you leave behind.

Besides, you never know, your paths may cross again. And when they do, you’ll be glad you supported each other way back then.

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Posted in General

Beat Me Up, Scotty

03 Jan

A few months ago we shot a short film titled, “Counter Measure.” This was an independent film with a very low budget, and in true independent fashion, we were trying to pull off the impossible with very little money.

This short film had tons of action and fight scenes, and it was imperative we not only make it look authentic, but we do it safely. I thought it would be a great idea to write a blog about how to do your own fight scenes so that you can aspire to do what the rest of us want to do:

Make scenes that look like this:

The first thing to talk about is how to throw a punch. If you want to see how to do this, click on the link below or you can read the blog.

When throwing punches, one of the most common mistakes is when the puncher swings short of his victim and you can see the air gap. The key to fixing this is to shoot the fight from an over the shoulder angle, and have the puncher swing all the way through. Make sure he punches quick, and that the victim snaps his head. If you have to shoot from the side, have the puncher punch past the victim’s head on the opposite side of camera. This way the fist breaks the plane of the intended target.

The head snap is key. In poorly executed fight scenes, the victim either doesn’t react enough or twists his entire body around after impact. Take a look at boxing footage and you’ll see what a head does when it has been hit for real. If you ignore this tip, keep in mind that your fight scene may end up looking like this:

Another common fight technique is choking. However, more so than in fist fights, this has a huge potential to hurt someone. The problem is that usually the ones doing the choking are much stronger than the victims. So, if you have a large actor choking a smaller one and the scene gets really heated, you have a perfect recipe for someone getting hurt. There is a very simple and effective technique that will look great, and the weaker actor will be able stay in control the whole time.

Finally, no fight scene would be complete without someone using some sort of weapon. I would be remiss if I didn’t say: if you can’t afford a professional stunt coordinator, please don’t add a weapon to your fight. However, I know that y’all will ignore me, so never mind. What I will say is never Never NEVER use a real weapon. It doesn’t matter if you use a knife, sword, club, bat, wrench or pipe: find a way to get a fake one before incorporating it into your scene.

There are a ton of places you can get fake props.
In “Counter Measure” I found this fake pipe on Amazon.

h ttp://www.amazon.com/Realistic-Rusty-Lead-Elbow-Accessory/dp/B000N891Z4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357184096&sr=8-2&keywords=fake+weapon+props+Grim+Reapers

The thing about using any kind of weapon, real or fake, is to make sure you take extreme precautions. Rehearse a lot so that all the actors are comfortable, and make sure your actor knows where the end of that weapon is. Trust me, getting clocked in the face with a rubber pipe still hurts like the dickens. Making fight scenes are a ton of fun until somebody gets a boo-boo.

Now go out there and make something cool.
(And then show it to me.)

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Posted in Counter Measure, Production Tips

Falling Down

06 Dec

Over the summer I directed a short film titled “Counter Measure” that will be released later this year. It was one of the best experiences I’ve had on set, and as it turns out, it is shaping up to be one of the best projects of my career.

The short features lots of drama and emotion, and the part that’s the most exciting to me, a lot of action. Check out the link below:

Action is always a lot of fun to do, and many filmmakers flock to that genre because the finished project looks so sexy, and it’s usually the most sell-able kind of film.

However, the danger in creating projects like this, especially in low budget cinema, is the potential for accidents on set. Film sets are accident magnets no matter what kind of film you’re shooting. Equipment is stacked in inconvenient places, everyone has worked for 20 straight hours, and most of the areas are pitch dark (if you’re not in front of the camera). But when you add stunts into the mix, things get really interesting.

I wanted to offer a couple of quick tips on how to do one simple aspect of stunt work safely: Falls

Aris Juson makes an entrance in "Counter Measure."

Most people think that when you talk of doing stunt falls in film that you are referring to epic jumps from buildings or cliffs. That’s not what this blog is about. I’m talking about the falls that you see all the time that have a big potential for injury: falling down stairs, diving for cover, back flops after getting shot, etc. Here are a couple tips on making sure everything goes according to plan.

1) Bring Padded Protective Gear.

Dennis Hill and Aris Juson practice a fight scene in "Counter Measure."

This is such an easy thing to forget about on an indie film. You might be thinking, “Ah man, all Jimmy has to do is crumple to the floor after getting shot. No big whoop.” But seven takes later, poor Jimmy will start to get bruises and suddenly he won’t feel like crumpling any more. Providing simple knee, elbow and back pads will keep Jimmy from unfriending you. They hide well under clothes and can actually boost the actor’s confidence in what he’s doing. While Dennis was fighting, diving and falling, we gave him elbow and back pads so he could really sell the action.

Ilana Seidel, Amber Aripin and Michaele Satterlund hold the crash pad in place for a big stunt fall

Also, use floor pads to protect your performers. Gymnastics or workout mats are great. We borrowed ours from a school while they were on summer break and it was a nice thing for the actor to dive onto.

2) Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse

Don’t fool yourself into thinking this will be a no-big-deal, slick-willy, easy-to-do bit. Let the actor get comfortable with his surroundings. If you don’t, you could end up having this happen:

This action couldn’t have been easier. All he had to do was dive out of frame from a kneeling position, but actor Dennis Hill got so into the moment that he misjudged where the opening to the dining room was. He slammed into the door frame and actually took out a piece of the wood with his head.

A wall dent, in the shape of Dennis Hill's head

It was our mistake not having a vertical pad against the wall to safe guard against this kind of thing. This is not to be taken lightly. We were darn lucky that he didn’t seriously hurt himself, and even more fortunate that Dennis is a good sport. That kind of thing has a tendency to piss people off. One simple pad would’ve solved the headache he wore for the rest of the day.

3) Have someone dedicated to the actor’s safety.

If you don’t have the budget to hire a stunt coordinator, then make sure you find a conscientious person whose only job is the safety of your actor.

Aris Juson relaxes after his fall

I feel so fortunate to have used the skill and intelligence of Aris Juson, who led the charge on this. He made sure that whenever an actor jumped, fell or was pushed, that there were no hazards in the way. C-stand legs and light stands are notorious for being in exactly the wrong place. If you are on a constructed set, keep a close watch for screws, tacks, tools or wood chippers. Snagging your eyelid on a nail as you fall can really ruin your day.

Here is Aris in action: