I can’t remember the last time I’ve had less of an appetite. It’s the stress that’s been getting to me. There was a slight crumbling of the world today.
It wasn’t the actor situation. That worked out, and in fact, they’re awesome. It was the locations; those things I said couldn’t leave Tallahassee. They might not [...]

I shoot my thesis in three days. I’ve been going with my “everything works out” attitude, and I know it will, but I won’t lie. I’m starting to panic.
I just need a few simple things, such as a cast and locations. Locations look a little more promising than casting. They at least can’t leave Tallahassee [...]

Two Eagle Scouts hiking in the woods without water. We survived, and this is where we’re at today. With plenty of water.

Unbeknownst to the crew (though I’m sure someone had to notice me balancing a camera on my knee), I grabbed a few shots of the storyboard presentation during director’s prep.

As noted before, it’s back to producing mode. This is the same director that I produced The Treasonist for (where I got a free bus and Dodge Magnum).

Here’s the one-line synopsis:
A messenger in the Napoleonic Wars contemplates his future after accidentally discovering he is destined to become a great artist.
This is what I’ve mainly been [...]

Imagine this - you stop by a big studio, maybe to try to get a few minutes with an exec to pitch your next idea. As you get back on the elevator to leave (with the no scheduled meeting), the door opens to reveal the Head of the Studio already riding down. “Great Zeus, this [...]

Ten cans of film have been turned in after the longest producing job I’ve had yet - six days of summer thesis kick-off. You get three days to shoot your thesis film, or you can team up and double your resources as the DP and Director did here and shoot for six days with twice [...]

I like presentations. Let me correct that. I like good presentations. People seem to have finally woken up and realize that good presenting requires a good story (and no bullet points).
Presentation Zen, both the book and blog, utilize the visual power PowerPoint/Keynote provide to make presentations better.
Of course you don’t have to be a Venture [...]

Lately I’ve been reading blogs about presentations, from Presentation Zen to Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero. They’ve introduced a new way of doing PowerPoint (or Keynote) presentations, one that draws a lot of parallels with filmmaking, such as using storytelling and visual images, rather than bullet points.
Unfortunately, we don’t get a lot of chances to do [...]

While most of The Treasonist, the second film I produced, took place inside, the opening was supposed to have truckloads of shock-troops pile out of transports, ready to neutralize the hostage situation. I tried contacting the Army reserve, but by the time I got in touch with the right person (a week before filming), there [...]