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December 18th and 19th: The end of all shooting Well we have it in the can. We have shot pretty much all we will shoot for this little film (which will run over 20 minutes). I have to say that this project has been a problematic one, and to this point wasn't a sure bet. I have to thank the doggedness of both the crew and the cast for sticking with it. The footage is amazing, and when all is said and done we have a great film here. The last two days of shooting were a mixed experience. People (including myself) started to get sick, and the picnic scene was quite challenging. I have to say the Dona Wood did quite a good job as a creepy dead woman. While Ted Herbig never complained about having to rub Dona's feet. What a trooper! Special thanks to Ty for making the picnic scene a moment to remember. (See The Pictures)

November 26: The Kitchen We took 13 takes of this scene. We wanted to make sure we got it right, given it is one continuous shot. We took our time to light it. Unfortunately the house was near the airport and we had to try and work around the planes taking off. The house's occupants also begin to show up at odd times, some were unaware that we were shooting there and began to wander onto the set. Despite these issues, we pulled it together and got our takes. (See The Pictures)

November 19-20th: The Crazy Weekend – bathroom mania This was a marathon weekend. I’m so beat that it felt actually good to get back to my day job. The shots are looking very good, and the support we are getting has been great. I also have learned several important things this weekend: First, beans smell really bad when it’s over 100 degrees. Second, you can use other shower curtain hooks to form a chain to retrieve a shower curtain that has fallen in a toilet. Third, and most importantly, don’t try and actually seal yourself in a room with plastic. You’ll run out of oxygen. (See The Pictures)

November 12th - Shots in the Can! It has been a nasty fight, but we have started. We have begun with some second unit shots. It was painful, but the filming has started. This is a good thing. A very good thing indeed. We have had to work through a barrage of technical and scheduling difficulties. I now feel that we are breaking free and beginning to move. The main shooting begins in two weeks, and will be over in four days (There are still quite a few other shots to do.) By the time we are done we’ll be basket cases. But then again nothing good comes easily. October 6th to October 23, 2005 - Cast is assembled Henleys all around! I have to say, despite my Green Tea being mistaken as a wide variety of distilled liquors, the first rehearsal went extremely well. I'm proud to be working with Ted Herbig, Dona Wood, Amber Snow, Pat Cramer, and Jill Becvar. It was easy to tell that this cast was going to work well together, and I very excited to be directing such talented actors. September to October 6th, 2005 - Starbucks - Casting and Production meetings Casting. All I have to say is meat and cheese. We had way too much food. But it worked. We have our casts. Our last few production meetings have been a scramble of many things, choosing cast and finalizing wardrobe. We are beginning our prop hunt. Basic rehearsal times and locations have been set. The only thing to remember is, never be afraid of a little chaos. September 8th,15, 22, 2005 - Starbucks - 6, 7, 8th Meetings...And the beat goes on Production and design moves forward, with its usual (and not so usual) ups and downs. There is still a lot of work to do, though we have traveled far on the design work. The color theme we want to establish seems to be working, as we plan wardrobe and set decoration. We still more tweaking on the shot list. Of course the casting is this weekend, which looms over us just like those who will be auditioning. Casting is always harder than it first seems. There are many factors to look at - Is the person as good actor? Do they know their craft? Are they right for the part? Will they be easy to work with? Will they be committed? The only thing certain is that time creeps forward to November all too quickly. September 2, 2005 - Starbucks - I'm Number Six It was a good general all hands on deck meeting. Alex, Tom, Missy, and Myself started to tie up some loose technical ends. It's starting to dawn on everyone that casting is right around the corner. It's a mixed blessing. You figure out your cast, but it also lights a fire beneath your feet to get things in place. We were also joined by a "tweeker", who kept staring at Tom. (He had a Sam-the-Eagle furrowed brow.) Tom and I went over the shots for the final scene. August 26th, 2005 - Starbucks - Fifth Production Meeting Just Tom and me at the meeting today. I’ve been floating an idea all week on how to distinguish the memory sequences from the rest of the picture. I was thinking we could make the three memory sequences done in entirely one shot. It’s counter intuitive, and I love it. Unfortunately, this will be hard to pull off, and I didn’t think it would fly. I decided to put it past Tom to see what he thought before we invested too much time. Tom liked the idea, but agreed it would be hard to pull off. Tom started to figure out how this could be done. I’m going to have to intensively work the actors with blocking to get them ready to do it in one shot. We have also started to work out our color scheme. Orange, blue, and green will play a part. This week Missy and I, will be going over the list of actors and start scheduling appointments for auditions. August 19th, 2005 - Starbucks - Fourth Production Meeting Last meeting was significant. Thanks to Tom and Missy, we may have two locations, a bathroom and a kitchen. We have also booked our audition space and time in September. (Only those who we notify will get an audition.) We spent most of this meeting going over the applications of the artists. (Beware - my rant about audition applicants: If I have a pet peeve about this process, is that people fail to submit both a resume and a photo. Often we get one or not the other, and we might have to go asking for it. Even if you don’t have any experience and just a little training, the resume tells us about you. It’s important to send a photo. It’s also a good idea that the photo be sized appropriately. A good short email also helps tell us why you want to play the part you do. Okay my rant is over.) We have also a new crewmember Tyler Viliborghi. Welcome aboard Tyler! August 12th, 2005 - Starbucks - Second/Third Production Meeting This week we managed two meetings. We have a lead on some of the locations, and have set some tentative production dates. The shot list and design is progressing. The flow between the scenes is working out nicely. Our major concern right now is figuring out how to shoot in low light. We also will be testing out telephoto aspect with a 16 by 9 cut in post. Tom will be doing to testing this coming week, as Missy will getting props together. August 4th, 2005 - Starbucks - First Production Meeting And so it begins.... Our first preproduction meeting went well. There is a lot of work before us, but everyone feels that the script is strong. Alex Valdes (Sound) has started developing the sound list, and doing the special effects design for the vomit and the suit. Missy Fry (Assistant Director) has got her feet wet, and will be developing the crew list. Tom and I will be pushing forward with shot list and design. One important task ahead....locations.