The Killing Moon

Great news.

2008-03-16T14:35:00.011-05:00

Ok, ok, so it's been ages. But I've been busy for good reason. Best to let the professionals do the talking:

Click for Announcement.

We're officially in.

Now the scary thing is that the real hard work is ahead of us, which is actually making the damn film. But I'm comforted by the fact that the crew we're assembling are the very best at what they do. Once everything is finalized, I'll give everyone a rundown on who's working on the picture.

Nehst (pronounced Next) Studios is a very interesting company that's trying to really democratize the way films are made. The founder, Larry Meistrich, is an independent film legend, an Oscar winner, and overall one of the coolest guys around. He started Nehst with the mindset that there are a lot of great independent filmmakers who simply don't have the access to the machine of film production. So Larry and his company undertook a valiant effort, they traveled across the country and took pitches from thousands of people, all who registered for the pitch through the Nehst website.

It's a novel concept, and one that can be easily dismissed because of its format, and because it is so incredibly open. But Meistrich and his team actually sat and listened to every single registered pitch, and that, to me, is simply incredible. When we met in Toronto last year, I asked him how it was coming along, and he said there were a LOT of bad projects, but there were also a fair share of really good ones, and a handful of really exceptional ones. What emerged from his arduous, year-long process was the greenlighting of four television series and six feature films, of which "The Killing Moon" was one.

But don't think that just because of it's format that Nehst is a lottery ticket kind of affair. It's still pitching to a studio that has the same exacting standards and requirements as any other film studio. But the difference here is access. We were given a shot, we prepared the hell out of it, and we pitched to Larry just like we would pitch to a DreamWorks or Lionsgate. And it worked. We were in the 1% that got through. And it wasn't because we were drawn from a hat, it was because we had a damn good project that we believed in, and someone shared in that belief and confidence.

I love being a part of this, because I think this is how films should be made. What Nehst is doing is financing films on their professional merit, and not on nepotism or secret handshakes. It's a novel way of doing things, and a true democratization of the industry. I plan on working my ass off for this film and for Nehst, so that we can demonstrate that this is indeed a viable business model.

But in the end, we got our money and distribution, we get to make the film, and we have an opportunity to show the world what we're really made of. I haven't been this excited in a long, long time. It's long overdue.

The Movie that Started it all.

2007-01-18T11:56:00.000-06:00

Gotta love technology. Below you will find the complete film of what I tell everyone is my favourite film of all time. It's "The Street of Crocodiles" by the Brothers Quay.

There's quite a story to my liking of this film, and this story is basically the telling of how I became a filmmaker. Read on, and you might find a parallel to how you too found your passion in life.

I first saw the film on public television in 1987 when I was 12, and it burned several vivid images in my brain, images that I could nary comprehend, but at that age I knew only one thing: that I liked those images very much. I didn't see the film again for almost a year, not knowing what the title was or who had made it. But again, on public television, it aired again and this time I watched it with joy and scientific precision. I made sure to tape it, and I watched it over, and over, and over again. I made notes, drawings, schematics about every frame of the film, and I knew that someday I wanted to make a film like this. I had to.

We didn't have a camera in the house, so my first attempts at animation came through making flip-books. I would spend almost all of my evenings after school drawing on note cards, drawing decrepit figures wandering in a world of decay and rot. I wish I saved those drawings, I spent so much time on them and they probably had a raw beauty to them that I could never possibly replicate today. Each flip book would provide me with about two to three seconds of footage, and I made a collection of them to give me about a twenty five second "film." It was gratifying, but it wasn't nearly enough.

I would spend weekends at the library in Aurora, Colorado reading up about stop motion animation and filmmaking. The Quays hadn't achieved the cult status then that they have now, so there was no mention of their work or how they made films. There were, however, a couple of books on Eastern European animation, particularly the works of Jan Svankmeyer. There were a few works of Svankmeyer on VHS, but none of the libraries in Colorado stocked them. I did however find an old catalog in the library, a catalog to order films through the mail from a store called FACETS in Chicago. They claimed to have every film on Earth, although they didn't have any of the Quay films so I held that comment quite suspect.

The Svankmeyer tape was very expensive for a kid in middle school, so I had to devise a way to get some money (without having to go through the embarrassment of asking my parents to buy me a tape of weird, semi-erotic Eastern European animation). As most Indian kids, I never had an allowance, but I did have one source of revenue- my lunch money. Mom would give me a dollar a day for lunch, and the tape was almost thirty dollars. So I skipped lunch for a month, and acquired my first ever foreign film. It took almost three weeks for the film to arrive in the mail, and I was excited beyond belief.

I watched the Svankmeyer tape in private, and it blew me away. It was so raw, so primal, so gross, and so completely enthralling. Like with the Quay film, I made notes upon notes upon notes. I started to write little scripts for films and comics that dealt with issues of death, of rebirth, and of rotten meat. Good thing my mother never read this stuff, she probably would have put a quick end to whatever fascinations I had with art!

And then the day came- my father bought a Panasonic video camera, and he managed to use it all but once, and it was starting to gather dust in the corner. I confiscated the camera and set up a little studio in the basement of my house, where I built small sets and used the one light that the camera came with to light my scenes. I tried my best to build puppet armatures out of wire and garbage, but it just wasn't happening- I couldn't make the armatures stand up. So i needed my actor, and lo and behold I found an old Mickey Mouse doll that had almost 12 points of articulation. I was robust, it could stand in various positions, and it was perfect but for one thing- it looked like Mickey Mouse.

So I transformed him. I gave Mickey dead eyes and stripped him of his robes- he was a black, almost unrecognizable creature and he had quite a journey ahead of him. My casting was complete.

There was one problem with using a video camera for stop motion animation, and that was that the shortest shot you could take was a one second shot (done by tapping the red record button like a maniac to ensure the fastest start/ stop time). I had made the understanding that good quality animation was done at 24-frames per second, and here I was working at a pitiful 1-frame per second. After much trial and error, i devised a plan to alleviate this, if just a little.

I dug up our old VCR and ran it into our new one, so to make a dubbed copy. The quality was good, and the older VCRs had a limitation in that if you pressed fast-forward during the dub, it would record in fast forward. It was a technical glitch for the technology, but it served me very well. So I went ahead and shot my movie in 24-frames per 24 seconds (over a one month period where I would move Mickey's arms and legs bit by bit, shot by shot), and complied all of my footage on one tape (the movie was edited in camera, I wouldn't figure out how to use the 2-VCR system for editing until later). I would then dub my footage onto a new tape, but while pressing the fast-forward button on the source VCR. This bumped up my frame rate from one frame per second to about eight frames per second. There were distortion lines from the FF funtion, but I could live with that, because in that moment, Mickey came to life. I had given movement to that which was dead and immovable. It was a landmark moment of my life.

Using the dub system, I was also able to put in music directly on the tape, and my music of choice was "Stigmata" by Ministry (I was a twisted child by every means).

And so I had made my version of "Street of Crocodiles," and while it was shit in comparison, I was hooked. For life. It wasn't later until college that I made a second attempt at the Brothers Quay, where I made an 8mm film called "Haus Der Luge (House of Lies)" for a beginning filmmaking class that I took pass/ fail. The intro title card of the film had, in small letters, "apologies to the Brothers Quay." The film was the closest thing to "Street of Crocodiles" I had made, and I sent it to the Denver Underground Film Festival, and it won 3rd place. I still have 'Haus' on tape, but unfortunately the Mickey movie was recorded over, as it was imperative that I had to tape the Denver Broncos' playoff run to the Super Bowl, in which they got their asses kicked. It is gone, forever.

And maybe that's why I had to write this long, exhaustive entry. Because it's the only record of my first movie I ever made. It lives in my head only, but it's still the most important piece of art that I've ever made and ever will make. It's my treasure.

And I owe it all to public television. Enjoy the film below, and I hope you see the magic in it that I first saw so long ago.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1291202799

too long, but much progress made

2007-01-15T17:32:00.001-06:00

Howdy folks (should anyone decide to read this, actually).

It's been a very long time (again) since I last posted on this blog, but (again) for good reason. 2006 was a very, very busy year.

First and foremost, I went and got myself married to my college sweetheart. Happiness reigns, and the wedding was far more difficult to put together than doing a feature film. Seriously.

As for the film itself, we were able to get a distributor for the US rights to the film! After so much time, we finally got a taker, a company that appreciates what we're trying to accomplish with this kind of film.

With the distributor set, its become much easier to get potential parties to talk to you, because it means that your film actually has a fighting chance, that it will actually be seen by people. Very reassuring.

I've just returned from India where we've started preliminary casting for the film. I've sat and spoken with John Abraham, who is one of the top up-and-coming talents in the Indian film industry. John made a splash internationally with his work in Deepa Mehta's acclaimed film WATER. Since then he's been receiving offers from around the world.

I like John. He's a model-turned-actor, and in his past performances it shows. But what's great about him is is his vision, his courage, and his want to be better. Very humble guy, very down to Earth. I like him, and I think we can do wonders with this script. Right now all things point positive to him joining the production, and if he does so, we will probably have more access to budgetary resources, given his name has some equity in the Indian and diaspora box offices. Fingers and toes are crossed.

We're also looking at actresses and supporting parts. I've hired Uma DaCuhna, who is unofficially India's first casting director. She's an intelligent, compassionate lady who has a strong desire to make good films in India, and I think we connected on an artistic and idealistic level. She wholeheartedly supports young filmmakers, and is a golden resource to anyone with a good idea and passion for film. I think she'll do a wonderful job for the film, and we're already looking at a few names for the part of Anjali. Some names in particular I've taken notice to- Amrita Rao, Dipannita Sharma, Deepika Padukone, and Neetu Chandra.

Stateside, we were always concerned that the quality of fight and stunt coordinators in India is not up to international standard. We made the decision to look to Hong Kong and the US for fight masters, and that discussion always starts with one man- Master Yuen Woo Ping, he of 'Crouching Tiger' and 'Matrix' fame. We managed to make contact with Master Ping's agent at CAA, and they are interested in reading the script, which I sent over a few days ago. Master Ping is expensive, but his involvement alone will pay for itself, and given that our budget is smaller by Hollywood standards as is, we should not have a problem compensating Master Ping. That is provided he wants to do the project. I've run out of fingers and toes to cross, so I'll cross my eyes or something. That hurts.

I'm keeping very busy, though. I signed a publishing deal to do a 56-page, one shot graphic novel about THE KILLING MOON. I am writing and doing the pencils for the book, which is taking up most of my time right now. I've finished about 28 pages, and it's turning out excellent, if I can say so myself. I'll post more about the book once it nears completion, but I'll leave you with this teaser- the book is set in the future, and the film in the past. It encompasses the entire world and mythology of THE KILLING MOON, and I think readers will really enjoy it. I've described it as a mix between Dave Sim's CEREBUS THE AARDVARK and Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, with a hint of Alan Moore's THE WATCHMEN. Lofty ambitions? You bet. But I figure if I want to make the best work, I should aim high.

So as you can see, the hustle continues. I'd be lying if my marriage has made me expedite things and has given me a new sense of urgency- I'm part of a partnership that I have to help provide for, and if that's not a fire under anyone's ass then I don't know what is (children, of course, but luckily neither my wife or I are planning to pass our genetics along anytime soon).

Sleepless days and celebrations lay ahead, and I'm ready to go in head first. As Gabrielle Union so eloquently stated in one of my guilty pleasure films of all time:

Bring it on.

I'll be better with this blog. Promise!

A Way to Look at Things

2006-05-08T18:45:00.000-05:00

I heard a saying today- "The Archer seeks not to hit the target but to become the bow itself."

It's totally stupid to relay quotes on a blog- I feel like one of those "successories" posters that get put up in an office cafeteria that are supposed to help build morale. But I really liked this one, because it very much reflects what we're trying to accomplish.

In essence, what we're trying to do is not just make a film, but rather create a movement, a legacy. To make a film and simply be content with it is not enough to sustain a career or a lifetime. I've already made a film, so the joy of "simply doing it" is long out of the way. I can be hit by a bus tomorrow and at least I'll have the satisfaction of making a film. But the goal is much bigger than that.

We simply don't want to make a film, we want to become film. It's what the best in the business have done. When we developed "The Killing Moon" we also set to develop a slate of projects, in a variety of formats. The key is to always have something ready to go. I find it distressing when I meet filmmakers, authors, artists who have no idea of what they're going to do next. After I see a great film and I get to talk to the filmmaker, I sometimes ask "so what are you going to do next?" I'm shocked that more often than not, people have no idea what's coming next. Come on, people- we are artists by trade, it is our job to have ideas, to constantly roll out new concepts and proposals.

I refuse to believe that there are people who have "one good story" in them. Every hour of living on this planet contributes to a new story. Stories are nothing but experience, life experience, and our jobs are to convey the truth about life, even if it is a grand work of fiction.

There was a chapter in Neil Gaiman's epic "Sandman" series about an author whose punishment for his crimes were to have endless ideas. The man could never sleep, he could never have peace of mind because everything he looked at became a new story. Desperate for a pen and pencil, he resorted to writing on walls with his own blood. I find that in my own life, I lose sleep because I'm always trying to think of something new. Not that I will go insane, but I figure I want to get down all of my ideas while they're still there. I fear that there may be a time when I simply run out of my muse- if that day were to ever come, I will have countless pages full of ideas that I can fall back upon. I guess it falls back tot he same old adage for writers, which is to always keep writing, even if it makes sense or not.

I think this was a pretty weak post, but hey it's still me writing something or other. It's better than a blank page!

Be well.

Been a long time since we rock and rolled

2006-05-05T13:10:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since my last post- I knew this would happen.

But needless to say I have been truthfully busy, and more things have come to fruition concerning the film.

It's amazing- one weekend in Los Angeles and I made a world of progress. It makes me wonder if I need to be out there more often. Not move there, but rather pony up the expenses to get out there at least once a month. It might very well be worth it.

Another thing that I realized is that film negotiations can be glacial in pace. Especially now that email (and hence, Blackberry) is involved, as it takes a little more time for correspondence to occur.

I have not heard back from UTV in Mumbai- let me correct myself, I have heard back from them, but everything except a confirmation. It has been a waiting game, not necessarily for a decision, but for corollary pieces to fall into place. I think companies in India are waiting to see what companies in the US and EU are willing to pitch in before they make any kind of commitment.

And the possibilities are very strong on this end. I have two very interested parties looking at the project, and we've made even more progress with the ancillaries, which is equally important. In fact it might be more important, because that's where the greater viability may lie with a project like this. The feature film, which like any other film is never guaranteed at the box office, is becoming more like the marketing campaign for the ancillary products, which in our case are the corresponding video game and graphic novel projects. I have no problem at all with this setup.

But I think our biggest goal right now is to find a distributor and lock in some domestic and foreign exhibitions. I have had very positive talks with Fortissimo Films, who might be interested in joining as the sales agent for the film later in the production. This is a good thing- Fortissimo has had a long running track record at the best film festivals in the world, they even won the Grand Prix at Cannes for their stellar film "Devils on the Doorstep."

All this is quite exciting but I'm chomping at the bit to get back into the director's chair. It's been almost two years- not that I've forgotten how to direct, rather I'm itching to apply the new knowledge and techniques that I've learned over the years. Directing is about constant change, about redefinition and invention. "The Killing Moon" is one of those projects that oozes creativity in every frame, it really is something unique and different. Once it gets made, people will really know what I'm talking about, and not assume that my words are just a writer-director's pride. :o)

But the business comes first- I cannot direct if I don't have any money. And I feel we are getting very, very close to getting where we need to be. I can feel it- soon a post will be one of elation and anticipation. Mark my words.

What went down

2006-02-27T13:55:00.000-06:00

My trip to India proved to be fruitful- I met with several production companies in Mumbai who were interested in doing an international co-production with a US or other international production companies.

The idea is to diversify their risks- our budget is quite high for an Indian film and I can understand the apprehensions of placing all of their eggs in one basket. But the issue also is that a co-production will garner access to marketplaces that respective companies have been previously unable to reach. For Indian companies, they get access to mainstream UK and US audiences, and for international companies, they get a rare opportunity to participate in the largest film industry in the world. It's a compelling setup, now we just need someone to take the leap of faith an put forward some funding.

My trip from India has made me more excited than ever about the prospects of this film. I'm imagining the most beautiful shots in my head and creatively I think we can stand toe-to-toe with any other production out there. This film will be a feast for the senses, I can promise that. Anthony has upped his efforts and now I feel I'm at the stage where I need to concentrate more on the directing aspects of the production. I need to map the film out entirely on paper.

Many directors frown at the idea of storyboarding- I relish it. I draw all of my own storyboards, and I try to plan out every detail I possibly can in advance. It helps me organize my thoughts, and needless to say it is a blessing to the production, as we'll have a pretty exact idea on the resources we'll need and an idea of how to schedule properly. It'll save us a ton of time and money.

It's simply not enough for me to have an idea gestating in my head. I have to get it down on paper first. It differs for everyone, but i need to have that physical representation in my hands. And I enjoy drawing the boards, as it lets me physically create the frame myself. When I storyboard, it kind of allows me on set to focus my attentions on the actors and the performances, because for the most part my framing is set. The rest of the composition I leave to my crew- I hold the talents of my cinematographer, my art director, and my production designer in high faith and esteem, and trust them to deliver the cohesive vision of the scene. It's why my crew selection process is so arduous- the movie is made in the quality of the people, not simply the idea itself.

I never wish to lecture on the wrongs or rights of filmmaking- everyone had their own artistic technique and it suits their philosophies and aesthetic tastes. Everyone, including myself, is as equally right as they are wrong. But that's what makes art beautiful.

Back just in time for the Winter Olympics

2006-02-23T17:06:00.000-06:00

I got back from India last week, just in time to catch my favourite sporting event ever- the Winter Olympics.

Or should I say fast becoming my second-most favorite sporting event. What is it with these games? They're lacking the pageantry and fun that I'm used to seeing.

I'm even starting to make concessions- I'm watching figure skating. Which leads me to my next discussion:

WHY I HATE FIGURE SKATING SO MUCH

I've realized one thing. It's that I don't hate figure skating. In fact I am in awe of the athleticism required to compete in the sport. I've always had a disdain for it, because previously I couldn't comprehend what it took to be a top flite figure skater.

No, I don't hate figure skating. What I do hate, are figure skating commentators, specifically Dick Button and Scott Hamilton.

Scott's whiny and shame-inducing blind patriotism has been with me ever since I was born. And now we have him in the announcers booth, mercilessly picking apart non-American athletes and blissfully forgiving snotty American girls who deserve the same level of criticism that their international counterparts.

Dick Button- well, he just needs to be flogged. The man is flat out mean. Scott Hamilton is Howard Cosell compared to Dick Button.

And the other issue with figure skating is that many of the athletes simply aren't likeable people. Sarah Hughes was probably the last of the "non-diva" figure skaters (male and female alike)- she was a normal girl from a normal American family. Sasha Cohen is the OC, the Laguna Beach of the sport- an immensely unlikeable lot of spoiled brats who have the means to hire the best of the best to train with. It's like Drago in Rocky- the infrastructure around him turned him into a fine tuned machine, but what he really was missing was a heart. The tin man in shorts. There's no story for Cohen, no odds to overcome, no reason to cheer for her other than she's reasonably cute. Bah.

And while the United States is putting up impressive numbers in the medal count, the victory is hollow- we're winning in sports we've invented (snowboarding and the X-games) and losing in the ones that best exemplify the classical Olympic competition (downhill, hockey, bobsled, cross country). Our medals don't seem right.

Perhaps it's also the fact that we're at war- nary an American athlete has used the Olympics to a) highlight the fact that we are at war, and b) acknowledge the sacrifice of our troops to allow them to practice their half-pipe tricks and triple lutzes in peace. Maybe that's why these games seem so insignificant from an American perspective. They have become more about the individual and not America as a whole. Only the curling team brings about some feeling of brotherhood and the joy of international competition. I find it disappointing, and perhaps I'm just confused.

Or maybe it's just Scott Hamilton.

I digress, more about the film work tomorrow. Much has happened!

Off to India

2006-01-09T23:39:00.000-06:00

I'm off to India for the next month. Unfortuantely in a country whose IT industry is exploding, internet access remains spotty at best. I will try to update the blog as much as I can!

Genre genre genre

2006-01-06T15:42:00.000-06:00

Or in the words of Henry David Thoreau, "simplify, simplify, simplify."

I just read an article in Hollywood Reporter about how the smaller "independent" studios are going to go back to the formulas which made them successful in the first place- genre films.

Now as a fiery independent filmmaker you'd probably expect me to throw my arms in rage, but I actually agree with the studios. Yes, you heard it right. I am defending the genre film, my artistic integrity be damned.

It's a matter of perspective, as every film must fall into some category. Even the most off-kilter, strange, abstract films will fall into some sort of genre. "Donnie Darko" was a science fiction film, "Pulp Fiction" a caper noir, and so on and so forth. Many films that we dem as "unclassifiable" are classified by that very distinction. What do we call a film like "The Cremaster Cycle"? In the end, Matthew Barney made a convincing drama, no matter how convoluted the narrative.

But that's just semantics. What we're dealing with, in terms of the studio perspective, is money. "Genre" to an independent filmmaker may be interpreted as "predictable," or "limited" or "conservative." A genre is limited in terms of its creativity, because getting the title of a genre means you have, in some way shape or form, follwed a set of rules that defines that particular genre. A genre film is a shure shot, there's no artistic integrity and the studios like them because they are tested formulas that make money.

Yes, that is true. But one has to admit that a good genre film ultimately works. Conventions exist for two reasons- to follow and to be broken. I'm not advocating that when making a genre film that you follow every rule to the t- rather, you must acknowledge those rules and operate within its internal logic, whether or not you are following the rules or not. The difference is in the execution when it comes to genre films.

Rian Johnson made a film called "Brick" which I was fortunate to see when i served as the Marketing Director for the Chicago International Film Festival. Rian's film was a genre film, a classic noir, a film which was deemed by the critics who saw it in Chicago as one of the rare films that was amazingly true to the noir genre. But what Rian did with his film was make it fresh through its execution- the twists and turns that he took, decisions that he made as a director, is what made his film fresh and unprecedented. He made an extremely unique genre film, and lo and behold his film was picked up for distribution by Focus Features.

It's called a calculated risk when it comes to filmmaking. By sticking to a genre, your chance of reaching an audience has been given a boost. That doesn't mean you have to make a conventional film, but stick to your genre. It's what we're planning with "The Killing Moon," and what I didn't do with "19 Revolutions." When I was writing "19 Revolutions" I wanted to make it a noir, but I intentionally strayed from the conventions of noir, thinking I would make something that had no precedent. My thinking was if I make something so different, if I hit I hit it big, and because of the cost of my production if I don't hit it it'll be easier to recoup my costs. I realize that my thinking was not wrong but flawed. I have to think differently, I have to think outside the box, but conversely i have to make sure it makes sense. If it doesn't, I've lost the battle even before I've begun.

Film, by design, is not for conservative souls. Every step is a risk. given this level of risk, why not reduce at least some percentage of that risk by following the tried-and-tested rules of a genre? It doesn't mean go out and copy "The Searchers" when you want to make a western. Rather, understand the rules of the west, the credo of the cowboy, and the laws of the land. Once you ascertain and accept those laws, by all means violate and destroy those laws. But in order for a law to be broken, it must first exist in perpetuity.

Studios need to make money, and so do I. But we create the art, and they sell it. There is some connect between the two: we give them something they can sell, and they give us the means to make our art. When negotiated smartly, I think it's a tragically fair arrangement.

Cover images

2006-01-05T18:38:00.000-06:00

As part of our package for THE KILLING MOON, we've devised a clever little 10-page comic book that is a prelude to the film's story. It's a section of the story that will never be filmed, but it sheds light on the overall mythology of our film's universe. I wrote and illustrated the book, and it was a true labour of love.

I grew up with comic books, and for so long I was ashamed to admit that I read them because of the tag of them being immature. But as i've grown older I've come across many filmmakers who share the same passion for comics as I had. Almost every major studio exec has, at some point in their life, indulged in comic books. So we have an entire generation of filmmakers who have, to some extent, seen the comic book as a pure storytelling format.

It makes sense because comics do indeed marry the written word to visual images, although probably not as visual as cinema. But more than a 30-page business plan, a 10-page comic book can probably elicit more information about the tone, texture, and quality of a film than plain text. Which is why we decided to go the comic book route. Plus it fulfills a dream of mine to make a comic book- that's one more thing to check off my "to do in life" list.

Anyway, back to the comic itself. We've been going back and forth about the cover image on the comic. Previously I had painted a cover that highlighted the mythology of the story, and its connections to Kali, the destroyer goddess of the Hindu pantheon. It was an image that was more tribal in nature, akin to an Indian cave painting. While it was artistic, we felt it really didn't "sell" the film in a filmic sense. This is where we had to take our artistic hats off and put our business hats on. We referenced today's comics and video game covers and tried to ascertain what sells today.

T&A. It's unfortunate- almost every image featured women so disproportionate you would think you were looking into a fun-house mirror. I am not opposed to using sex as a draw to a product, because the oldest rule in the book is that sex sells. But we both felt that there had to be some standards of decency. Our lead character in the film, a young woman by the name of Anjali, was a beautiful character both in character and appearance. It would be of highest disrespect to her as a character and woman to simply reduce her to a sexual object for the sake of selling a film. Some might argue that she's just a fictional creation, a figment of our imaginations. But she is real to those who watch her, and we have to be mindful of that. But then we're back to square one- how do we make our product "sexy" without reducing to disrespect?

One of the base wants of people, man or woman, is to feel attractive, both sexually and intellectually. When we someone across the room that draws our fancy it is, at least by our standards, because they exude a confidence in their constitution and bodies. They are at ease in their own skin, and we just can't help to want to touch that skin because of it. Let's face it- confident skin electrifies, reserved skin is cold. Sex is about confidence and comfort- so how can i capture that on canvas, and later on, on film?

I tried several versions of the cover art that started as purely erotic and introduced levels of confidence into the character. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a weird experience. I remembered those days that every young boy goes through in their lives- the day you drew your first naked woman. it was exciting and forbidden at the same time, but always more the former. I finally arrived at a painting that I felt exuded both sexual and intellectual confidence, that which embodied the character of Anjali the best. I'm quite happy with it, eventhough it is not as revealing of skin as my previous paintings. I love the fact that this looks like a woman whom you want to get close to but turn around you know that if you touch her or disrespect her you'll get your ass kicked.

That's what Anjali is all about.

The Producer vs. The Director

2006-01-04T12:53:00.000-06:00

Anthony and I have been hard at work for the past year putting our comprehensive package together, and we're now getting ready to test the waters with pitching it.

The package can be daunting- you want to have enough brevity to hold people's attention, but turn around our project has so many layers we have to fight the urge to indulge. Studio execs and independent production companies are insanely busy people, and I figure we'd be luck to hold fifteen minutes of their attention.

But we've been told over and over that we've got on e of the most unique and compelling products out there. We call it a "product" because while it may be art to us, it'll only get made if people can see dollar signs from it. Film is a product when it is released, it is art when it is being created. This is one of the definitive things I've learned being in the film business. I've previously had issues "distancing" myself from my artistic product. We have to think how this thing will actually sell, not just how cool it would be to watch.

Anthony did his MFA at the Peter Stark Producer's program at the University of Southern California. Well, we both did an MFA because I lived vicariously through him and we both learned the ropes (I already have an MBA). One thing I have to give USC is its pragmatism- they understood that art comes from within, and it cannot be taught. Business, however, is a game and one must have real-time strategies for getting a film made.

And from this I've understood the distinction between a director and a producer. A director makes a film, the producer gets the film made. They're two totally different spectra, but incredibly interlaced. As a director it is my responsibility to create an entire lucid vision of the project, from start to finish. It's also the director's responsibility to make sure that he works within the budget. I know that many of my directing compatriots will cringe at this notion, but it is very important. The director needs to be an integral part of establishing the budget, and then the producer will know exactly how much money she needs to raise. One this budget is attained, it is up to the director to stick to her word and make the film given the parameters that they themselves laid out. If, due to unforseen circumstances, not all goes to plan, that is what the contingency is set out for.

Conversely, the producer must understand the vision of the director, and in order to do that they must have a comprehensive knowledge of film. It's a pitfall when producers see directors as "pretentious artists" becuase a producer themselve is an artist. That may seem hard to stomach, but it is true. If the producer cannot see the entire vision of the film crew, then they can't be a successful producer because they simply "don't get it."

I guess every part of filmmaking has its share of pretension, and this needs to be quelled by a healthy dose of humility. While what we do is hard work, it is still work like any other. We are doing a job, a job that requires a lot of money had is statistically stacked against us. We have to understand that we are not the only people on the Earth with a unique vision, and that we have to compete with the best to get our film made. Which is why our product has to be unique, it has to have a competitive advantage. We think we've got it with THE KILLING MOON. I'll let you know more about the film later as this blog develops.

I sent my reel to Oil Factory yesterday, and now I can just hope for the best. Let's hope they like what they see. Man, I hate having my fate in the hands of others, but that's a bitter pill I have to swallow, at least for now.

I don't know who to root for in the Rose Bowl- I like USC for its awesome talent, but I'm always a fan of the underdog. I actually think Texas will win. We'll see.

Creating cash flow

2006-01-03T13:25:00.000-06:00

So as the New Year begins I'm faced with the long challenge of almost every fledgling artist- consistent cash flow! Money comes in arbitrary chunks and I'm always seeking work to help pay the bills. For 2006 I'm taking several different avenues that I didn't take in 2005. In '05 I served as the Marketing Director for the Chicago International Film Festival, which paid decently, but it did not allow me to work on my craft as a filmmaker. In '06 I aim to find work that will expand my tools as a filmmaker.

I have to say though that working with the festival exposed me to the other side of filmmaking, that of distribution and exhibition. The education was priceless, and I did make many contacts that I will most definitely use in the future. Working at the festival also gives me some level of credibility in the industry, as I believe there is some percieved equity in being a filmmaker who is knowledgable in the business and economic workings of the industry.

It's certainly not enough for a filmmaker to understand the ebbs and flows of the box office, we have to know how those numbers came into existence in the first place. Without that context, the numers are meaningless to you and I.

So getting back to cash flow issues, I plan to pursue three venues:

1) music video and commericals
2) a ultra-low budget feature/ short
3) a video game service company in India

The third option does deserve a second take- what? I'm off to India on January 10th to sell 19 REVOLUTIONS, and while there I'm going to explore the options of opening a service company in India for the global video game industry. I'll fill detalis in as events warrant, but right now I won't divulge.

Today I'm working on strategy one: I've been incontact with the Oil Factory, a prestigious production company who specialized in music videos and commericals. They've been kind enough to respond to my messages and have requested my reel for the possibility of joining their stable of directors. I'm sending it out today, so let's hope something good comes out of it.

Music has always been paramount in my creativity- I write my scripts to music, wherein I select the music first and develop the stories around it. Music is my muse. So it seems natural for me to give an earnest attempt at music videos. On 19 REVOLUTIONS I was given positive feedback on my visuals and theor marraige to the music, so I want to give it a rip. We'll see.

This year I've got a new motivation to succeed- I got engaged in in November. Getting engaged has changed my perspective completely. Previously I was content with getting by but now I will have a wife, and while she is successful we both need to contribute to make it work. So if previously I had a fire under my ass, it's now graduated to a full-on inferno. I'm blessed however to have her support and guidance, so I have no doubts that we will get this done.

Have a great day!

So Here it Begins

2006-01-03T12:59:00.000-06:00

January is upon us, let the year begin!

The thought of starting blog seemed twofold: a) I wanted to share the experience of making feature films with the public, to both share my experiences and also gain the experience of those around me. This isn't so much one man's thoughts but hopefully it will be a place of exchange and cross-pollination.

b) Cinema is a medium that is not singular in nature- besides being a collaborative medium, it is the intersection of the humanities. Where else would you find the worlds of music, photography, literature, architecture, performance, politics, economics, sculpture, and just about any other field collide? It's just about the most perfect launchpad for any discussion of any permutation.

So without further hesitation, welcome!

A primer: THE KILLING MOON is a feature film that my producer and I have been working on for the past three years. I have written the script and will direct, while Anthony Samu will produce. The film is a martial arts genre film that will be shot entirely on location in India, and it highlights the Indian martial arts system known as "kalaripayattu." Set in 1850 Colonial India in Kerala, the story follows two trajectories- the first is a small insurgency of martial artists who declared war on the British Crown, assaulting them with assassinations and guerilla tactics. The second trajectory is that of the British Military, who waged a 30+ year was against the insurgents, determined to rid their adopted home of terror.

This will be my second film. In 2004 I wrote, produced, and directed my debut feature film entitled 19 REVOLUTIONS, a 93-minute film that has been on the international film festival circuit for the past two years. I am currently shopping for a distributor both in India and the United States.

Parts of this blog will be dedicated to the my efforts to distribute the film. It's important for me to spread the experience of this daunting task, and even with the handful of offers I have recieved to distribute the film, I am toying with the idea of self-distribution. It's all about vertical integration!

I hope those who read this will gain an insight to the business of filmmaking, as there are countless journals dedicated to the creative aspects of filmmaking. That's not to say these won't be discussed, but filmmaking is as much a business as it is an art. Making THE KILLING MOON is an ultimate declaration of our art, but in order to make it we must exercise every bit of business savvy that we have. We are determined, and by the end of this blog you will see our ideas and passions come to fruition.

Let the games begin!