Red 71

2007-10-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

We slept in and had breakfast at the Broadway Cafe. We drove around a bit and ended up in Suguaro National Park. Christy took a few hundred pictures. We drove back in and took a nap.

Patrick called a couple of times during the day. He was struggling to get the screening cut finished and sounded pretty harried. There wasn't anything I could do to help him. I found myself wishing Scott was here again.

At 7:15pm I found myself buying popcorn and a soda for a movie I wrote. Surreal. Patrick and Jennifer arrived and everything just fell into place. The theater was packed, 240 people RSVP's. I greeted most of the cast and crew and met quite a few new people.

Brian and Patrick spoke before the screening and then the movie started.

Red 71 was beautiful. There were still some issues with sound, but it was amazing. I was very happy with the editorial choices. What a great film. It was my turn to "grin like a jackass eating briars". Can't wait to see it again and to screen it for the LAFG festival.

The after party was at a local bar and around forty people showed up. I spend some time with Jeremy Womack and Jack James. I'm going to try and meet with them tomorrow to discuss The Foundry. I also chatted with Rick Padilla, a professor in Patrick's department and Brian Mulligan.

Christy and I left around 11:30 and stopped at the In and Out Burger for the best burgers ever.

What a great day.

2007-10-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Flew to Tucson today. Trip was pretty uneventful. Christy grinned "like a jackass eatin' briars" most of the way. Our final landing in Tucson was pretty rough. We hit hard and bounced down the runway. Turns out the pilot was a woman. Christy made the first comment about that.

We rented a car and drove in to the Lofts on 4th Avenue. We're staying in unit No. 1. This is the same one that Carol Anne and Hilary stayed in. The apartments are just as wonderful as I recall. And just as inexpensive.

We went to dinner at On The Border and had some very reasonable Mexican food. After dinner we went by the grocery to buy necessities - pop tarts and orange juice.

Patrick came over around 9 and we chatted at length about a new project for next summer. I also pitched my two spec projects The Pressman and Zombie Noir. Patrick liked The Pressman, but he loved Zombie Noir.

He left around ten to meet with the sound designer. They are still working on sound.

Screening tomorrow.

2007-10-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

The crew and cast premier for Red 71 is Thursday in Tucson. Christy and I fly out tomorrow to attend. This will be the first time we've ever flown anywhere together and she's very excited.

I wish Scott was coming to the premier. He attended a screening of Mercy last Sunday at the Hollywood Film Festival with Patrick. He had a great time. Angus Scrimm was in the audience.

Sweet.

2007-09-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Attended the September film group meeting.

Scott took a call from Patrick during the meeting. Patrick and Andy put in 42 hours of editing over the weekend. He's close to picture lock on Red 71. He'll be sending it John Higgins (decoy) to do color correction.

He also talked about the soundtrack. The Friends of Dean Martinez were in Tucson and Patrick got a chance to speak with them in person. It turns out that the Retrograde album is going to be unavailable for use in the film, but whoever he spoke with turned him on to some other songs in some of their earlier work.

Can't wait to see this film.

2007-08-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Patrick sent Scott a DVD of the assembly cut. Scott routed that to me and I've watched it three times in the last two days.

I've put together several pages of comments, but overall I really liked the cut. I did question the direction that Patrick is going, but I'm not too worried. The assembly for Mercy was a lot worse than this and it turned into an amazing film.

2007-07-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Attended the first film group meeting since the shoot. I showed the group 50 of the 400 photos I took on the set. They didn't seem too bored. Of course, I could be mistaken.

Scott wore a tshirt with a huge Red 71 logo on it.

Sigh.

2007-06-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Red 71 Cast and Crew highlights.

I will add to this as I get more names or as my memory improves. I'll try to add pictures, but no promises.

Please note that I am guessing at the crew credits.

Nathan Ginn: Shane

Michelle Belegrin: Lorain

Ted Parks: Charley/Peter

Brian Mulligan: Nick
Brian was also the Executive Producer.

Thelma: Melissa Aguire: Thelam

Hillary Gayle: McLean
Hillary was also the set photographer.

Justin Kreinbrink: Del

Josh Marcantel: Freddy

Howard Allen: Jack

Carol Anne Gayle: Barfly
Carol Anne was also Art Director.

Greg Sweet: Sheriff

Angus Scrimm: Coroner

Jon Proudstar: Gill

Ed Keeylocko: Murphy

Jonathon Northover: Geno

Eddie ??: Kasper

Jamarlin Fowler: Whitey

Nick "Bear" ???: Pig Man

Dominique Borrego: Extra

LeeAnne Savage: Extra

Debra Rollinson: Extra

Courtney Davis: Extra

Wendy Whitacre: Extra

Julie DeConcini: Extra

Heather Whited: Extra

Heather Miel: Extra

Rob Lushbaugh: Extra

Jon Grasse: Extra

Bruce Caffrey: Extra

Bruce Bayly: Extra

Juan Aguirre: Extra

Tony Yeatropoulos: Extra

Al Graham: Extra

“Reb” Moorehead: Extra

Larry Lain: Extra

Lance Segal: Extra

Stan Babola: Extra

Jerry Woods: Extra

Richard Roddy (Patrick’s father): Extra

Jam Hill: Mama San

Patrick Roddy: Director

Ken Henderson: Written by

Vicky Westover: Producer

Scott Waldrop: Co-producer

Mike Joyner

Jeremy Womac: Assistant to the Art Director

Wyatt ???: Production Assistant

Tobie ???: Production Assistant

Sheldon ???: Production Assistant

Joey ???: Production Assistant

Chuck Turner (uncredited)

2007-06-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 10 on Saturday. Not enough sleep, but we needed to get on the road.

Went over to Scott's apartment and woke him up. He sounded terrible. With great glee, I told him that if he was going to hoot with the owls, he had to be ready to soar with the eagles the next day.

He said something rude in reply.

I took Scott to the bank and ran Chuck to the airport while Scott packed. We got the vehicle packed, checked out of the apartments and made it to Patrick's around 1230.

Patrick was ready to take the caddy back so we said our goodbyes. He actually hugged me. Pretty cool.

We got some gas and hit the road.

The trip was freaking long and almost all of it was spent in Texas. We drove straight through and by we I mean me. Scott kept me entertained and awake, but he finally dozed a bit after 2AM. He was very cranky when he woke up.

We stopped at a Waffle House in Baytown at around 6AM and had a terrible breakfast. How do you screw up a Waffle House breakfast?

As bad as it was, it gave me enought oomph to make it on in.

Dropped Scott off around 815 and got home around 830. By the time I got unloaded, showered and into bed it was nearly 10.

I remember the 10 seconds or so before I dropped into a coma thinking - I wrote something that got turned into a movie. Red 71.

I might of smiled at that moment. Or I may have just started snoring.

2007-06-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

Last day of shooting. All we have left are some exteriors related to the caddy. No dialog and only Nathan and Bear in the shots.

Scott, Chuck and I went to breakfast at the Grill and then went on a souvenir hunt. We found some great stuff at the Tucson Visistors Center and a couple of shops near it. We got back to the apartment around one.

Scott and Chuck went with Patrick and the actors into the desert and I took the opportunity to stay home. I took not one, but two naps and watched some television. I caught up on my journal entries and snacked.

After 8 I started packing for the trip. Pretty depressing.

It was a rough day.

The shoot wrapped around 1030pm and we got to the wrap party around 11. The party was at this great bar on Fourth Avenue called The Shanty. They had Guiness on draft and a very large collection of single malt scotch.

We had a good turnout. Cast, crew, friends and family probably totalled between 30 and 40 folks. I chatted with several folks, drank some Guiness and had one very delicious Glenfiddich on the rocks.

Scott and Chuck both drank a LOT more than I did.

We closed the bar down and at two and eight of us made our way back to the Grill for greasy food. Got home at 4AM. Scott was the life of the party. He cut up and made fun of everybody. He ordered a hamburger and ate none of it. Silly Scott.

I'm going to miss Tucson, the shoot, the cast and crew - all of it. Hopefully, I can get some sleep before we start the long road home.

2007-06-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

I woke up today with a slamming headache. My sinuses finally figured out how to deal with the dry, dusty air and clogged up overnight.

We had an early call today and went to the Scottish Rites temple to shoot the morgue scenes. The building is very old and has these narrow staircases and old fashioned bomb shelter signs. We used their large kitchen and its wonderful stainless steel tables to lay out the corpses of Charley, Del and Nick.

Their were a few new folks on set today. The first was Jon Proudstar. He played the role of deputy Gill. When he wasn't on camera he was funny as hell. Native American, long blue-black hair in a tail - he looked great in policeman's blues.

I also met Angus Scrimm. He flew in last night and attended a screening of Phantasm at the Loft Cinema. He stayed around after and answered questions and signed autographs until nearly 11PM.

81 years old. He looked great. He moved with this incredible grace. I'd written a scene where he makes a sardine and peanut butter sandwich, but I didn't include him eating it. In every take he took a bite - and not a little one. He said the audience would expect it. Amazing.

The sheriff was played by Greg Sweet. He looked and sounded a lot like Dale Dye. Did a great job. He'd come by the set before, but I hadn't met him. We chatted for a bit and he said Josh looked like weird Al Yankovic.

We wrapped the morgue pretty early and had a break before shooting the scenes at the Sheriff's office. Scott and Chuck headed out early and I took a nap.

I got to the set during the dinner break and met with Howard Allen for a while. Howard read Borderland and gave me some great feedback. I took notes and will try to get to a new draft later this summer.

Angus shot his scenes and Vicky hustled him off to catch his flight. We also finished all of Josh Marcantel's scenes and he caught the red eye back to NYC. I'm really going to miss him and I know Scott is too. It was great having him around and his performances were awesome. He also told some very funny, and disgusting momma jokes. It was a challenge to keep up.

One of the highlights of the evening was when Patrick called us all together and presented the cast and crew with a snack basket my wife had sent. I was really proud of her. The snacks were great and disappeared pretty quickly. I showed Nathan the Life Saver gummies and he was still chewing when it was time to shoot him again.

After the shoot, we went to the In-N-Out and picked up a couple of sacks of burgers. Scott, Chuck, Hillary and Carol Ann all sprawled in my aparment and grunted like pigs as we ate those wonderful burgers. It was a good time.

The last day of shooting for Red 71 is tomorrow followed by the wrap party. Sad to think this is almost over.

2007-06-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

Played poker with Scott and Chuck last night. I lost.

Even though I was up late, I still got up pretty early this morning and got my laundry ready to go. I brought more than enough underwear, but I’m going to be out of black tshirts tomorrow.
We had lunch with Nathan Ginn at a sushi restaurant and then Scott and I split up to get all the gear to the set and our laundry to the wash and fold service.

The shoot today was at a recreational clubhouse in Vicki’s neighborhood. We shot all the interior scenes for the McLean woman’s house and Thelma’s apartment.

Bear was on set as the Pig Man. The mask and gloves he had to wear were ridiculously hot, but he held up and seemed to have a good time.

Because he was on set, we did most of the violence tonight. Not as a violent as I wrote it, but nice and bloody nevertheless. Chocolate syrup and cottage cheese.

Our final shot of the evening was of Shane walking along the pool at Thelma’s apartment.
I found out yesterday that Patrick found his way to this journal as well as to Scott’s. We were hoping he wouldn’t find out about them until after the shoot. Too distracting. But he seems to be okay with them.

Talked to Christy several times today. She was really missing me and I really wanted her to be here. For the first time since I got to Tucson, I’m ready to go home. I still love being here and I still love making the movie, but it’s getting close to the end. I’m starting to let go of it emotionally. The Foundry has been bubbling around in my head and I’m starting to really want to get back to it.

I brought my laptop to the set. No internet and a little too distracting to work on anything, but it felt good just having it here.

2007-06-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

After yesterday, today seemed much more sedate.

The phone rang at 10 when Patrick called. Scott had his phone off and Joey was coming by to pick up the generator we were storing on Scott's back porch.

Chuck was ill today and stayed home. Scott, Josh and I had lunch at a local diner and made it to the set around 3 - only an hour after crew call.

We shot the final scenes of Shane's motel and spent the day there. Since most of the scenes were visual and light on dialog, I got to spend some time just hanging out. Brian brought his english bulldog, Spike, to the set and he kept us company.

I had some great conversation with the rest of the crew and snacked out on the empanadas we had for dinner.

Scott and Josh are hanging out with us and making noise about playing poker.

Time to teach the young whippersnappers a lesson.

2007-06-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'm late posting this entry. I've been trying to sort out everything that happened and how I feel about it all day. I think I'm ready.

We shot all of the scenes for Jack Kenny's roadhouse today and we did it in a place called Keeylocko Cowtown. An entire town built in the desert by an aging black cowboy named Ed Keeylocko.

To get to this location we drove 30 miles out of Tucson and turned onto a dirt road and drove yet another 20 minutes. We ended up sandwiched between a Native American reservation and some mountains. Beyond the mountains - Mexico.

The town consists of a dozen or so buildings all built by hand during the last thirty years by Ed Keeylocko himself. Each is unique and looks like something out of the old west.

Amongst the buildings are a variety of animal pens that house horses, cows, pigs and a wide variety of birds. They even had a performing stage and a rodeo arena. Electric power was provided by a generator and I noticed that my cell phone had NO BARS showing.

The few trees in the town house animal skulls, skins, and parts. One tree is festooned with dozens of shoes and boots. Another has an entire cow head hanging to rot and dry in the sun.

Old vehicles, farm equipment, bathtubs and anything else you can imagine fills every crack and crevice between the buildings.

I thought the outside was eclectic until I stepped into the saloon. The well appointed bar was rough hewn and fronted by stools made of two by fours and covered with scraps of carpet. The floor was a mixture of pea gravel and sand. More bones, including a human skull, hung from the rafters. Hundreds of knick knacks and pictures filled the walls and ceiling.

Some of the locals - I don't know if their are actual 'citizens' of Keeylocko - drank beer and watched us all day. One very interesting looking man - part Mexican, part Indian - in a black hat and leather vest entertained us with his electric guitar and a karaoke machine. When he opened his mouth Johnny Cash poured out.

A few of the crew danced with a couple of the locals and the room instantly filled with dust. Thinking more dancing would be coming, they kindly sprinkled the floor with water to knock the dust back down.

Ed Keeylocko himself was dressed in vintage cowboy attire and looked like he wore it everyday. This old man was well spoken and a genuinely nice man. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy having us there. He plays the role of Murphy the bartender in the film and handled it like a pro.

We shot all of our scenes - including some stunt work from Justin - and had an amazing time.

At the end of the day, we packed up all our gear and made the long trek back to the highway and on back to Tucson.

It was, in a word, surreal. There are a lot of moments during the last week that make this trip worthwhile, but the trip to Keeylocko tops them all.

2007-06-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Got to sleep in today. Crew call wasn't until 7pm.

Scott met Patrick at 630am and helped him to return the Buick to its owners somewhere in the boondocks an hour or so from here. He got back in around 10am.

The four of us (myself, Scott, Chuck and Josh) headed out to Saguaro National Park after lunch. It was amazing. We drove the four mile loop that Patrick shot on the other day.

After our drive we went back to La Indita for some Mexican food. Patrick recommended the watermelon juice so we all had a glass. Very refreshing.

I dropped Scott off at Patrick's around 430 so the two of them could should some coverage back out in the desert.

Chuck and I did a little shopping for supplies and I found a new book - Screenplay Story Analysis by Asher Garfinkel. No clue if it's any good.

Tonight's work was split between two locations. We shot exteriors at the building we selected for the Sheriff's office and then we headed out to a dismal location behind the airport to shoot the scene with Shane (Nathan) and Freddy (Josh).

Everything went really well and we even got a little stunt driving action in. As usual, Josh was amazing.

We wrapped around 1130pm and got home at almost 1am.

We just completed the seventh day of shooting. We're over halfway.

Scott and I talked about the work so far on the way home. He is very impressed with ALL of the coverage we've gotten.

The dailies I've seen make me very happy. Dark, beautiful, perfect.

The music that Patrick has picked for the film is great. The Friends of Dean Martinez.

The performances have been wonderful. I really love the work of the local actors. In addition to the leads there is - Ted Parks, Brian McLaughlin, Melissa , Justin Kreinbrink - as well as the work of Josh Marcantel. Amazing.

Tomorrow Carol Anne will be strutting her stuff along with Howard Allen. Can't wait.

I have very high hopes for the film. I asked Patrick what it took to qualify for Cannes. He just laughed.

2007-06-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

Got up early this morning and Scott and I went to the airport to pick up Chuck. Took a couple of great pictures of both Scott and Chuck standing in front of some tall Sagauro cacti.

Chuck commented about how bloody hot it was. I've been here almost a week and feel like a native. It was only in the low 90s. Almost cool.

We stopped for breakfast at the Grill and had way too much food. Chuck and I opted for The Haystack. A platter of french fries topped with a burger patty and two eggs, all covered with gravy. Scott had what looked like an entire loaf of bread fried up as french toast.

Yum.

We got to Patrick's around 130 to pick up the cars needed for the shoot and caravanned to the set - a lost in time 1950's style motel made up of little bungalows.

Three of the units were rented for the shoot. One for shooting, one for Michelle and one for the crew. None had air conditioning. Instead they had a swamp cooler and considering that the temperature was north of 100, they did a pretty good job.

The shooting room was really small and only had room for four or five people. I was selected as one of those four or five. We shot all of the motel room shots that involved Michelle and at the end of the evening she was wrapped for the movie.

It was great to have her in the picture. Watching her work was like watching a classic actress perform in a 1940s film. It was great.

We wrapped around 11 and struck the set by 1130. We caravanned back to Patrick's with the old cars.

Patrick needs to return the Buick to its owner tomorrow morning and wants Scott to meet him at his house at 630am. Scott took Patrick's Mercedes so I wouldn't have to wake up just to haul him over there. I'm really grateful.

Chuck has been up for almost 24 hours, changed climates and suffered some mild dehydration. I'm guessing he wants to get some sleep...

2007-06-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Got up at ten.

Scott called Jennifer and asked about Mexican food. She said that her favorite place was in a part of town where two white boys in a car with Louisiana tags shouldn't go.

So we went to the second place she recommended - La Indita. What a great restaurant. I had Chile Relleno, chicken enchilada, and a chicken taco. I was so full. We have to go back there.

Got to the set around 2 and hung around while the crew did setups. I helped Patrick finish up the pickups for the office scene and watched him wrap up.

We had our dinner break and then we struck the set. We're out of the Fox now. I loved that location. Roomy, cool and beautiful. I don't think we're going to be that comfortable again.

The cast and crew went out last night to a club called Cushies. I spent three hours talking to Howard Allen about writing, movies, scripts, scotch and David Lynch. I had Guiness and a Mojito.

Nice.

2007-06-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

Day four of shooting.

I went to bed around 3 last night and the landlord was banging on my door this morning at a little after 9 to let in pest control. Sucks.

I stayed up and Josh, Scott and I went to eat barbecue. It was okay - not southern great, but not terrible.

Got to the set around 2 and we spent the entire day shooting in the club 'office'. The set looked amazing.

Also saw some amazing performances today. Most notably by the actors playing Freddy, Peter and Geno. Awesome.

Josh Marcantel plays Freddy. I'd like him to play the lead in the foundry. Patrick wants to shoot Josh and Gary Shannon together in a buddy movie.

2007-06-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Light day for me today.

I slept in until 10... again.

Josh and I dropped Scott off at Patrick's house and he and I had lunch at Jason's Deli. Pastrami melt. Mmmm.

Back at Patrick's I got to watch some of the dailey's from the shoot and everything looked great.

The crew, minus me, headed out to the Saguaro National Forest to shoot the driving scenes with Shane and Lorain. I took a nap.

I went back to Patrick's and drove the Buick convertible to the set location for the McLean house.

Pretty awesome driving this old car. It rumbled and groaned. No taillights, no seatbelts, no horn, no dashlights. Good times.

We shot all the exterior work at the set and wrapped pretty early.

Scott and I met Mike, the AD, at the Grill for some late night burgers and tots. Still good. Then Scott and I watched an hour of our behind the scenes footage. It looked pretty good.

Like I said - a pretty light day.

2007-06-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Slept in until 10. Almost 8 hours.

Scott and I went to a diner down Broadway and had a good greasy breakfast. We stopped at the Safeway and picked up groceries. It was hot outside. It got up to 106.

We got to the theater around 1230 or 1 and got out around 11.

It was a great day. As usual Scott was incredibly busy. Today, I started feeling like 'the writer'.
At one point the producer (Vicki) and I were sitting in two very plush chairs on the set watching the action.

Patrick's father was on set and spent some time with him. During our conversation he told me he had never actually seen a film script. I gave him one and he surprised me by asking me to sign it. A couple of hours later, one of the extras asked for a script and did the same thing.

I gave two autographs today. King of the world, ma. King of the world.

Michelle Belegrin was on set today and she is strikingly beautiful. Her scenes were great. Her physical presence is awesome and she was completely prepared. I'm glad she's here.

I spent some time with Scott's camera doing behind the scenes interviews. I shot Jeremy, Mike, Carol Ann and her assistant Laurie and Melissa, the actress playing Thelma. I'll keep at it until I work my way through the cast.

Josh Marcantel came in just before we wrapped. He flew in from NYC and will be staying with Scott.

The three of us met with Hillary and Carol Ann at this great diner downtown called simply "Grill". I had a reuben along with an order of their famous tator tots.

The food was awesome, the atmosphere eclectic and the people interesting. We'll be back.

2007-06-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 8. Scott got a call at 830 from Patrick and we had to meet him on the set before 9.

The shoot today was at the Fox theater in downtown Tucson. Only a few blocks from the apartment. The theater is amazing. It was built in the 1940's and has been fully restored to its art deco glory.

Carol Ann and Jeremy transformed one of the lounges into the club. It looked amazing.

Scott and I were able to sneak off for breakfast around 1030 and I had an amazing smoked salmon bagel at a shop next door.

The crew and cast started showing up around three and it was exciting to meet them. We ended up with around a dozen extras last night plus the main actors.

Camera rolled around five and things moved very... very... slowly. Everyone was warming up to the work.

We shot around half a page before the dinner break at 7. But we ended up with seven pages in the can by midnight.

Scott and I got back to the apartments around 1230 and I ended up in bed around 2.

2007-06-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Whew. What a long day.

Scott and I drove into Tucson this morning from Las Cruces and got here around 10:30-11:00 local time (Pacific).

We met with Corey Dane and checked into our apartments. They are great. We're going to be very comfortable while we are here.

Shortly after noon, we headed over to Patrick's house and pretty much went right to work. Carol Ann and Hillary were both there and Hillary grabbed some lunch for me - a really great roast beef sandwich with spicy peppers.

Scott and Patrick talked about lights and cameras for an hour. After that I was able to drag Patrick away and he and I walked through the script line by line for a couple of hours.

Jennifer made us a great dinner and a pitcher of margaritas. All good.

After dinner, Scott and I set up the dolly for a camera test and Patrick seemed to think it went pretty well.

We left around 7 and stopped to buy groceries.

I've been putzing around putting things away since then.

Tomorrow is the first day of shooting. I have a lot to do before 3:00 pm. I'm going to need to print out some script addendums in the morning and get that to Patrick.

I didn't get to take any photos today, but I will tomorrow.

2007-06-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

The Trip.

Scott and I left Westlake at 7:15. The car was loaded to capacity.

We made 958 miles before we stopped in Las Cruces, New Mexico. We drove through Texas all freaking day. From rice fields and marsh to mesquite scrub to sun blasted rock and cactus.

Quite a climate change.

Scott shot almost 90 minutes of video during the trip. He also plugged his IPod into the car stereo and we enjoyed an amazing array of music.

A good day.

We tried to get a steak here in Las Cruces, but we wisely decided not to drag our road worn, tshirt clad, carcasses into a restaurant with white table cloths.

Instead we opted for Bennigans. Guiness and Ribs.

Tomorrow Tucson.

2007-06-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

I was up until after 2 AM last night printing scripts. Patrick indicated that he needed 26 and I elected to print 30 plus one for Christy. I got 24 done before I went to bed.

I finished up the printing this morning and got them packed into a box. It took seven reams of paper and I had to change toner cartridges somewhere near the end.

Scott is working a 12 hour shift today and he asked me to pick up a light kit from the MSU mass comm department. No problem - except I've never seen a light kit.

The secretary and I figured it out. I hope.

Spent all afternoon getting stuff together. I'm staging it on a folding table in the dining room. I figure if it doesn't fit on the table, it ain't gonna fit in the car.

All I have left to pack are my clothes.

Scott will be over tonight around 11 with all of his gear. We're going to get everything packed so we can get right on the road in the morning.

He told me that Patrick is having us over for dinner on Sunday. That'll be cool.

Christy really wants to come. If she could take the time off that would be great.

I'm looking forward to the time when I make a full time living doing this and we can afford more flexibility in our lives.

I feel this strange combination of excitement, relief and fear. All I can think about is that something I wrote is going to become a film.

The trip is finally here.

2007-05-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

Scott ordered some gear from B&H and it finally came in. He's pretty excited.

I got an interesting email today from Mike Joyner. He's the A.D. on Red 71. He was checking to see if anyone had any special dietary restrictions. This is how I replied...

Hi Mike,

I'd like Nelson's Donuts for breakfast, Cotten's burgers for lunch and Ball's fried chicken for dinner.

If that isn't possible, anything that leaves a grease stain on a paper plate is fine.

Look forward to meeting you.

Regards,

Ken

This will drive Patrick nuts. Those are some of his favorite foods in the world and he can only get them in Lake Charles.

Ah. Good times, good times.

Went to Office Depot and picked up a case of three hole paper for printing the scripts. I also picked up a couple of extra toner cartridges. You never know.

One more day and a wakeup.

2007-05-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

Took last night off from the work on Red 71 or anything for that matter. Experiencing a little burnout.

Tonight was better. I finished the revisions to the script and sent it off to Patrick and to Scott. This will most likely be the last revision before shooting starts on Monday.

The biggest change was adding a new character to the sequence at Jack Kenny's Roadhouse. This is a role for Carol Anne. I made her a barfly.

I also rearranged some of the action with Freddy and Shane and the final sequence in the club. It seems to read better, but I'm just the writer.

If Patrick approves, I am going to print all thirty copies I need for the crew. I'd rather get that done now than when I am pooped on Sunday night.

2007-05-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Talked to Carol Anne about the apartments and they seem perfect. I let Chuck know and I will probably have him staying with me when he gets in.

Christy and I went to BAM tonight and met with Julie Fay. She was in a lather to get a script off to the Austin Film Festival.

The deadline is Friday.

Still thinking of sending Monster, but my heart isn't in it. Right now all I can think about is Red 71.

Julie was also addressing a whole stack of letters she was sending out to agents and production companies to promote her script.

Reminded me that I really, really need an agent.

Talked to Scott when I got home and he was telling me he thought one of the locations might have fallen through. He wasn't sure which one.

The caddy also fell through.

Sigh. This is a good night to take a break from writing.

I'm going to call Patrick and touch base tomorrow. I'll find out about the locations.

2007-05-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day.

Christy had to work so I was home alone today. It rained.

I celebrated by eating three hot dogs for lunch and taking a nap.

Patrick sent me a picture of the car that Shane may drive in Red 71. Looks like a 1965 Cadillac DeVille two door convertible. May be an El Dorado.

White. Huge. I love it.

Scott and I have talked a few times in the last couple of days about housing and today we decided to stay at some corporate apartments that Carol Anne found.

They're very reasonable and we'll each have our own place so the snoring and fart contests are out.

I think they are big enough for me to share with Chuck when he comes in. I'll touch base with him tomorrow about it.

Worked on the next draft of Red 71 last night and off and on today. I'm up to page 49.

It's going slower than I like - I'm having a problem with focus. I think it's the excitement about the trip.

I have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.

2007-05-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

Had a long conference call with Patrick and Scott last night. We went through the Red 71 script line by line and I took a lot of notes.

Very productive. We scrubbed up some of the dialog, rearranged a little action and firmed up some of the locations.

I got to bed at almost 3am and dropped into a coma.

Slept in a bit and had bagels and lox for breakfast. This is Christy's new favorite breakfast.

Went over to Scott's this afternoon and worked on his homemade dolly. It works great.

We messed around with the track a bit and watched a few scenes from Children of Men.

Tonight I started working on the next draft of Red 71. This may be the last draft until I get to Tucson.

Only five more days and a wake up.

2007-05-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Garage Sale. What an amazing look at humanity. We sold most of our crap and wrapped up at noon. Ate lunch (chicken salad sandwiches). Took a nap. Ate dinner (Mexican food). Bought groceries.

Made a pitcher of Mojitos.

Now, I'm ready for my conference call with Patrick.

Scott is on his way over.

2007-05-25T23:59:00.000-07:00

I'm a doof. Patrick called earlier and left a voicemail. I didn't check it until almost midnight - right after I finished another draft of Red 71.

He would like to have a conference call this weekend. Woot!

I went ahead and send him the new draft. I also included Scott on the email.

Scott sent me a text message that said he was cutting our donut shoot. Can't wait.

It's midnight and I have to get up before God in the morning for the garage sale.

Off to bed.

2007-05-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Went through around thirty pages of Red 71 last night. This is the second revision to the shooting script. I'm going to try and get through the rest tonight.

I've added the coroner to the scene at the Sheriff's office. I've also made some changes based on the new locations. I modified the club scenes and the tone - more upscale.

I didn't change the trailer park yet - Patrick hasn't confirmed that. I'm sure I'll be doing another draft next week.

Have a garage sale in the morning. I have to get up at 0'Dark thirty.

I hate mornings.

After the sale, Christy and I are going to try to catch a movie (POTC) and maybe have some Sushi.

2007-05-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

I tried working on The Foundry last night. Didn't happen. Too much on my mind. Looks like I'm going to have to shelve it until late June.

I think I'm going to bite the bullet and start working on the next draft of Red 71 tonight.

Patrick and I exchanged a couple of emails about Red 71 locations yesterday. He sent me some amazing shots of various stuff. I sent him a few photos of an apartment complex in Tucson that I thought would be perfect for Thelma's apartment.

He also asked me to revert back to the old names for Lorain and Geno (from Angie and Gypsy). Carol Anne suggested Delores for Lorain. I like it. And I like Tuck for Geno. Guess I'll have to wait.

Got a great email from Chuck. Turns out his concert plans fell through and he will fly in the morning of the 9th and be with us through the shoot. I think he's going to get along great with Scott and I.

Scott heard back from the guy with the movie guns and he's trying to sell the whole lot of them for $150. Pretty amazing deal. Patrick wants him to buy them.

I started making a formal list of what I need to bring today. I went over it with Scott. He thinks it's cute that I'm so excited.

It is cute. And I am excited. Wore my new shoes again today.

2007-05-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night is BAM night. I worked on The Foundry until Scott arrived. I showed him my new shoes and he acted impressed.

Scott brought his son Bryce with him and Bryce has learned to flare his nostrils - over and over. It was awesome.

We talked about Red 71 for a while and then Patrick called him.

Michelle Belegrin is on board. :)

They chatted about locations for a minute then Patrick was gone.

Christy and I went to KDs for a late supper. I had a cheesesteak with extra mayo. I'm watching my weight.

Patrick called while I was there.

He wanted to know if Angus needed to carry a body part for any reason. The costume shop in Tucson was closing and they had a few extremities on sale.

I opted for an arm. Now I just have to figure out what to do with it.

Carol Anne met us after we ate and we chatted about the script and the characters. She had taken some wonderful notes and we had a good chat about that.

She also was hoping to get a ride back from Tucson with Scott and I. Unfortunately, there just won't be any room in my car with all the equipment, luggage, cooler, etc.

I wish that someone else was driving over from Lake Charles.

I just got home a few minutes ago and I think I'm going to work on The Foundry a bit more before bed.

2007-05-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Wrapped up the work for Jim Sherman last night and got it off in email. He responded almost immediately and was pleased with what I'd done.

I also sent him the most current versions of Borderland and Monster. Can't wait to hear back from him.

I'm going to send the same stuff (a logline, synopsis, detailed synopsis) to Patrick later today.

Patrick called a few minutes ago and talked to me more about Red 71 locations. He is thinking of moving all of the Club 71 action to this art deco theater he's located.

I like the idea. He's going to send me photos when he gets back to his office.

He hasn't gone to the dump yet, but he has located a couple of other desert locations. One is an old fuel or water tank. Nice.

He still hasn't heard back from Michelle Belegrin's agent and its making him nervous.

I'm postponing the next draft until this weekend. Patrick will have a lot more stuff to tell me about between now and then.

Scott ordered a boom pole and a shock mount today. He sounded pretty happy about it.

I ordered new shoes with skulls on them. They were shipped overnight.

Maybe one day production hardware like a boom pole will make me happy.

But not today.

Love my shoes. Ghastly yet refined.

2007-05-21T22:00:00.001-07:00

Talked to Scott again tonight. Patrick called him today also, so we compared notes.

Corey Bond sent us a link the 48 Hour movie they made this last weekend. It included lots of guns. Scott found out that at least one of them is a movie gun and he's trying to borrow it for our trip.

We also talked about shooting the trip to Arizona itself. At the very least, it'll be something entertaining for the film group.

We would have talked more, but his wife interuppted him to request sex.

2007-05-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Talked to Patrick on the phone this afternoon about Red 71.

He's still waiting for an answer from Michele Belegrin's agent and that has him anxious. And of course he is fretting about the budget and the financing.

We talked a little about marketing. He's going to send out some notice about Angus before we start production. This will get some early buzz at some of the locations he's sent Mercy to.

He sent Scott and I several location shots today and the main purpose of his phone call was to discuss how they will impact the script.

He included shots of the Sheriff's office, the exterior of the the Sheriff's office and Charley's office at the club. We're going to move the interrogation sequence from the card room into the office.

He has some concerns about the scene in the desert and is going to look at the dump today. I really like the idea of shooting at the dump.

He is also looking for an alternate location for the trailer park - a house more in the style of the noir movies set in L.A. All good.

It looks like he has everyone cast except for the young Mexican man in the scene with Jack Kenny. He described some of the actors to me and I'm trying to get my head wrapped around how they look.

He also had another idea about Thelma that I'm going to work on. We also discussed an idea he got from Jim Sherman about Shane's money. I really like that one and think I have it worked out.

He hasn't read the last draft yet, but I need to get started on the next one. He may just have to skip one.

He is ridiculously busy.

I wish I were there to help him.

2007-05-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

Talked to Jim Sherman for an hour and a half. He asked a lot of questions about the script development for Red 71 through each draft. It was a great conversation.

I asked him to look at Borderland and Monster. He said he'd love to.

2007-05-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

What a day.

I stayed up until 3 AM working on The Foundry. I managed to add another 17 pages to the current draft. I also figured out a more direct way of presenting the first act. It moved my opening scene to the end of the act, but it reads much better.

Woke up late and had bagels and lox for brunch.

Patrick called shortly after from L.A. He spoke with Michelle Belegrin yesterday and she is very interested in Red 71.

The next step is for Patrick to talk to her agent. That should happen tomorrow.

Patrick also talked to me about more work for Angus Scrimm. He had some great ideas.

We're going to add him as background action to the scene with the sheriff and I'm going to write a new sequence we can run during the end credits.

Both bits will be dark, but funny.

And of course this will put The Foundry on hold again for a few days.

Patrick also mentioned his friend Jim Sherman. Jim is working on his thesis and is using Red 71 as the topic. Jim called after lunch to introduce himself and we scheduled a phone conference for tonight.

Jim was involved in early drafts of both Borderland and Monster. I'm looking forward to talking to him.

2007-05-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

Chuck is scheduled to arrive in Tucson on the 8th and fly out on the 13th.

I sent Chuck an email and let him know that Angus Scrimm was shooting his scene for Red 71 on the 14th.

Chuck is leaving early to see The Police perform at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN from June 14 -17. The four day event will include The Police plus a few dozen other acts.

He replied to my email and he's torn about this.

On the one hand, Angus is 81 years old. Most likely, Chuck may never have a chance to see him in person again.

On the other, The Police have reunited for this festival. That, too, may never happen again.

I hope he decides to come. Though I can't blame him for wanting to see Sting and The Police.

2007-05-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Two emails and a phone call from Patrick today.

The first email was a link to an album by The Friends of Dean Martinez. Patrick wants to use their music for Red 71.

The music was freakin' AWESOME. I loved the tracks for Rattler and Nile Blues. This music sounds like Red 71.

I hope he can put a deal together.

The second email was about Angus Scrimm. He's doing his scene on June 14th. I had sardines for lunch because I was thinking about that scene.

I skipped the peanut butter.

And the milk.

The phone call was late tonight. It looks like Patrick may have secured Michelle Belegrin to play the role of Lorain (Angie) in Red 71.

Michelle is an actress on a daytime show called Desire. She looks exactly the way I have pictured Lorain.

Patrick has talked to her agent and she is very interested in the part. Let's see how this works out.

Scott and I leave for Tucson two weeks from tomorrow.

2007-05-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

The Austin Film Festival and Final Draft deadline for screenplay entries is June 1st.

Even though I'm busy with the actual production of one of my scripts, I hate not sending anything out this year. Julie has suggested that I send Monster. I'm also going to try and get The Foundry wrapped up.

There are some contests later in the year, but AFF is one of the big ones.

Why do I care? Working with Patrick is going to lead to an agent. But it could take a while.

I'm impatient. I want an agent now. An agent is my conduit to a full time writing career.

2007-05-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Talked to Scott late this afternoon. He talked to Patrick last night and was pretty jacked up about Angus Scrimm.

Patrick told him that he was going to use a soundstage for several of the interiors. A lot of work for Carol Anne. She's going out a week ahead of Scott and I to get most of the set work done.

The woman is amazing. Like some tiny little tornado.

On crack.

I've been thinking about the dialog in Red 71. In particular, Shane's dialog. I'd really like to cut it down, but I need to wait on Patrick. He still has one more part to cast. Thelma I think.

I've been wondering if he's started rehearsals.

While I'm waiting on him, I'm going to go back to work on The Foundry.

2007-05-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

Patrick called me TWICE today. He was pretty excited. The first call was around lunch. Troy and I were at Pappy's and I was snacking out on a jalapeno cheeseburger. Possibly the world's best burger.

Patrick let me know that Angus Scrimm was reading my script as we spoke. That wonderful burger became a large undigestible ball in my stomach. Thought I was going to throw up. I was excited, but also nervous. Just like the time he told me Roger Corman was reading Gunplay.

He called me again a few hours later to let me know that Angus had agreed to be in our film. Wow. How cool is that?

It's Tuesday. BAM night. Christy and I went up and Julie met us there. I worked on the first act outline for The Pressman and did a bit more work on The Foundry. I really need to finish The Foundry.

Julie reminded me that the deadline for the Austin Film Festival is June 1. She suggested I send Monster. Good idea.

We had more greasy food at KDs. I love that place.

2007-05-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

Scott finally read Red 71. He sent him comments in an email. They were pretty good.

He came over tonight and we worked on some scanning project he's doing and talked about Red 71 and the as yet unnamed documentary. He brought his production notebook and we talked about the trip quite a bit.

The visit also included beer and roast beef sandwiches. I think all visits should include them.

2007-05-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day. I made breakfast for Christy this morning, then met with Scott around 11 to go and shoot the last day of Contraband Days. The weather was great and I got a splendid sunburn. We got a log of great coverage. I actually manned a camera for an hour or so toward the end.

Scott still hasn't read the latest incarnation of Red 71. I continue to rag him about it to no avail. Oh well.

I tried to take a nap this afternoon after I got in. Didn't happen. Too much on my mind.

Freddy called tonight. I put him off until after the shoot in June. I'm still excited about his project - just wish I had more time. I've been thinking about a title for that project. I like A Third Suspect.

2007-05-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Scott sent me three different graphics for the bumper sticker in Red 71. The bumper sticker reads "My kid boiled & ate your honor student."

The graphics were great.

A few days ago he also sent me a graphic for the Red 71 one sheet. It was awesome. He and I talked on the phone and I think he is having hats made up with the graphic.

Can't wait.

2007-05-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

I got a call from Patrick today. He was really excited.

He made an offer to Angus Scrimm's agent. It was for about half what the agent requested. But I suppose its a good starting point for negotiation.

Patrick also said he had a new idea - for Borderland. It was a new visual for a nude scene in the script and it was great.

I'm glad he's thinking about Borderland. I love that script.

2007-05-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

Finished another draft of Red 71. I think this is the fifth. It's the first revision to the shooting script.

I'm surprised this went so smoothly. The only problems I had involved the production tools in Final Draft - locking pages and scenes. But I got it figured out.

Made quite a few changes based on Patrick's notes and on the new scene with the coroner. I decided to replace Shane's cigar with a Zippo lighter.

I sent off the new draft to Patrick and to Scott.

I included the following in my email...

My paternal grandfather was born in 1899 and spent most of his life in Mississippi and north Lousisiana. He died in 1972. I was 14. He worked as a school teacher, preacher, sharecropper - pretty much anything. In the late 1960's he worked as the night man at an all night Texaco station out on the highway. My dad, my brother and I used to go and visit him when we were in town.

He would sit in a metal folding chair near the soda machine in his faded green Texaco uniform and chat with my dad. As he talked he would flip a well worn silver Zippo over and over in his calloused hands. To emphasize a point in the conversation he would flick the lid of the Zippo open and then snap it shut. I remember when he was agitated he would do this over and over.

He was usually agitated when my brother and I were there. We were always bored and pestering him or my dad for change for the soda machine. My grandfather taught me how to pour a packet of Tom's salty peanuts into a 7 ounce Coke and drink them straight from the bottle. I'd drink the Coke while my brother chased june bugs and fireflies. When he'd killed them all, he would jump up and down on the pneumatic hose to hear the service bell ring. My dad would have to threaten him with bodily harm to get him to stop. My grandfather never said anything. He would just snap the lid of that lighter open and shut over and over.

It's strange how small things in your life come back to you, isn't it

Also made reservations for Scott and I at the Studio Six in Tucson. It's about 8 miles from Patrick's house.

2007-05-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Patrick called today and told me he was interested in using Angus Scrimm as the coroner in Red 71.

Angus was the 'Tall Man' in Don Coscarelli's 1979 horror film Phantasm. He's been in dozens of horror films since then and is one of the most widely known horror villains. He's also 81 years old.

Patrick contacted Angus's agent to see how much it would cost to have him in the film. Considering out budget - a lot.

Patrick asked me expand the coroner scene to better showcase Angus. We talked about different ways to do this and most of them were pretty funny.

Dark, but funny.

Patrick was excited and by the end of the phone call I was too.

2007-05-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Patrick and I had a two hour phone call tonight. Longest I've ever spoken to him at one time.

We went through Red 71 page by page and went over his development notes.

It went really well. The only troublesome bit was when he told me to lose Shane's cigar and give him something else to do with his hands. I use the cigar as a visual element throughout the script.

I'll figure it out.

2007-05-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Talked to Patrick tonight. Everything is looking good for the shoot in June.

We talked about using the production tools in Final Draft to lock down the pages and the scenes. I don't have much experience with that, but I told him I would figure it out.

We scheduled our detailed run through for tomorrow night.

I just remembered that his aunt just passed away and he flew up to Idaho (?) for the funeral. We didn't really talk about any of that.

2007-05-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Funeral today.

I've taken the week off. I'm having a hard time sleeping.

Christy has been great.

I'm so lucky to have her.

2007-04-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Christy and I went to Baton Rouge this weekend. We saw the Celtic Woman show and had a great time.

On our way home my dad called and let me know that my niece, Leah, died.

She was 21.

She leaves behind a 3 year old daughter and a three month old son.

I only have two blood nieces. She was the youngest.

I've teased her at every family gathering since she was old enough to walk.

I loved her. I think she loved me.

This doesn't seem real.

2007-04-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Heard from Chuck today. He's been in jail for a couple of days - for missing a court date for a traffic ticket. Sounds like it was a pretty horrible experience and it turns out it wasn't even his fault.

In a moment of compassion I asked if he got man-raped in the shower.

2007-04-23T22:00:00.001-07:00

I got a schedule of events for Contraband Days from Troy. This will help Scott and I plan our shooting days for the festival.

Having two projects going on is hurting my brain.

Mercy screened tonight at the Arizona International Film Festival in Tucson.

I wonder how it went.

2007-04-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Got an email from Patrick today. He had a great trip to NY to screen Mercy and got a chance to visit with Angela and Josh.

Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to read the fourth draft of Red 71. He is going to put together a schedule and a budget and give me very detailed notes. I can't wait.

He did mention that he signed a distribution contract with Unearthed Films to distribute Mercy. They were his first choice for a distribution company so this is a good thing.

2007-04-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Got some extraordinary feedback from Corey on Red 71.

Corey has only been on my reader list for a few months, but his feedback is amazing. He's direct and honest.

I wish I had two or three more just like him.

2007-04-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

Got good feedback from Chuck on Red 71. He's one of my faster readers. A few things confused him, but that was the point.

Also got feedback from my daughter, Emily. She said Eeew twice, but she liked it. She likes reading my stuff, but, just like Christy, doesn't give me very constructive feedback.

Scott came over tonight to teach me how to use a camera. We're going to be doing a lot of shooting for the Buccaneer documentary and I thought it would nice if I could do something other that carry the gear.

We had a blast.

He shot a micro short of me frying donuts. And I actually spent a couple of minutes trying to learn to use the camera.

Good times...

2007-04-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

I deliberated for a bit about this, but I sent the fourth draft of Red 71 out to my readers. I felt compelled to warn them about how violent it is.

Hope they like it.

2007-04-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

I sent the fourth draft of Red 71 to Patrick today. It came in at 81 pages. I changed the ending - again.

I cheated a bit on the page count. I used Final Draft's tools to 'loosen' the script a bit. It happily added around six pages for me.

I also numbered the scenes. This is the first official 'shooting' script.

Scott sent an email letting me know that he had been added to the Film Alliance meeting to discuss and praise Mercy. He said that Gary Shannon will be recognized for his Best Actor awards and he and Carol Anne both will also be honored for the Accolade awards they won for their work on the film.

He invited me to the meeting. It's on April 30th.

I'd love to go but doubt I have time.

2007-04-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

Patrick and I talked about the script again. A few more changes. Nothing dramatic. He sounds like he is getting really excited about the project. Makes me feel good.

I think Scott is going to go to Tucson. I've talked to him about riding together and sharing a room.

I suspect he snores as loudly as I do.

2007-04-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Patrick sent an email to Gary Shannon and let him know that Videoscope gave him the best actor 'B'-ward. Pretty cool.

Patrick would like Gary to play the role of Pedro in Red 71. I think he would be great.

Every Tuesday, I pack up my laptop and go to the Books-A-Million coffee shot to work. The change in scenery really helps sometimes. Tonight Julie brought John Ware and we discussed his project Rock, Paper, Scissors. It was a great idea. I hope he writes it.

Julie discussed her project plans for the next year and they're pretty ambitious. I brought them both up to date on Red 71 and my other plans for the year.

Afterwards, we all (Christy, Julie, John and myself) went to KD's diner for greasy food.

It was a great night out.

2007-04-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Got an email from Patrick. He hasn't had time to read the third draft yet. It bugs the crap out of me that I get so nervous about this. I sure hope I grow out of it.

Christy and I saw Grindhouse tonight.

Wow. I really enjoy the freedom of being a writer, but I can't imagine the unfettered joy of being a writer/director. It does make me think.

2007-04-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Got an email from Christian Kaijer with Vaco Resources in Tucson. He's a headhunter I sent an email to over a year ago, before I decided to go back to Knoxville. He was just saying hi and happy Easter.

I wonder what the job market looks like in Tucson?

2007-04-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Sent the third draft of Red 71 to Patrick. It came in at 70 pages. Based on Patrick's feedback, I've added several new flashbacks. I've also ramped up the violence. This is even more violent than Blue Glass.

Hope he likes what I've done.

2007-04-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Another PR email from Patrick regarding Mercy. And another good review on Horror Talk. It just keeps coming. Hopefully, all this positive press will have a good impact on the budget for Red 71.

2007-04-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Sent an email to Scott Buck today. Scott is Christy's first cousin and a writer on HBO's Rome. He was also a writer on Six Feet Under and I've heard he is moving to Showtime's Dexter.

He replied right away and we exchanged some information about how we're both doing. I'd like to meet him when I finally make my way to Los Angeles.

2007-04-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

April Fool's Day.

Got a reminder email from Scriptapalooza about the upcoming contest deadline.

I'm so plugged into Red 71 now that I can't even think about working on anything else.

Weird.

I'll be glad when I reach the point where the contests don't mean anything anymore.

2007-03-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

Exchanged several emails with Troy today about the proposed documentary. He is pumped. We discussed the business side of things and several upcoming events we need to try and film. Wow. This is moving fast.

Got a great email from Chuck. He sent a URL for CHUD where Patrick can submit Mercy. Something called Sewer Subterranea.

I forwarded it on to Patrick.

2007-03-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

One of the things Patrick and I talked about were the character names.

He doesn't like very many of them and I agree. I sent him a list of names today that I do like. My favorite were Angel for Lorain, Cain for Shane, and Peter for Pedro.

I had lunch with Troy today. He mentioned us doing a documentary for the Buccaneers. I think its a great idea.

I need to get with Scott and talk about it.

2007-03-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

Patrick and I talked about the script. I didn't have to wait very long.

He has some concerns about the tattooed fingers I've given Shane. He really likes it, but wants to make sure it hasn't been used in any other film. He mentioned Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter.

I think we're okay with the tattoos, but I can't be sure. I'll scour the internet.

He mentioned that he was pushing the shoot back to June. I told him I was coming out.

Now I just need to tell my boss.

And Christy.

2007-03-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

Finished and sent the second draft to Patrick today. It came in at 60 pages. Still really short.

I eliminated the Native American cab driver - who I loved. I'm going to reuse that character in Cannibal Crackers - whenever I can get to that.

Once again, I'm going to be a wreck until he replies.

2007-03-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

A really great article about Mercy ran in the Times today. Scott sent a copy to Patrick.

2007-03-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Heard from Patrick today. He's booked a theater in Tucson to show Mercy for a one week run in late June. That'll qualify it for Spirit Award consideration.

He's gotten four offers from various distributors for Mercy. I think he's holding out for Unearthed Films.

He also heard from Cinema Shock magazine. Looks like they will be reviewing Mercy in their next issue, probably in the summer.

2007-03-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

Got another PR email from Patrick on Mercy. It will be screening at the Arizona International Film Festival which runs from April 20-29

I finally broke down and sent an email to Chuck to catch him up on everything. I miss him. He was really excited about Red 71 and mentioned he might be able to come down for part of it.

That would be awesome.

2007-03-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Talked to Patrick about the first draft of Red 71. I couldn't tell if he liked it or not.

This has happened before. Part of being a writer is sending your ego out with everything you write. I don't know how other writer's handle it, but I need praise (preferred) or damnation (better than nothing) about my work. Patrick can be very business like with his feedback. I suppose that's a good trait to have as a producer.

But it can be maddening.

We talked about ways to open the story up and a few elements he wanted to change. As usual, nothing too specific - just gentle nudges. I'm glad we talked. I'm ready to get back to work.

Oh yeah. This is definitely going to be shot. Patrick mentioned May.

2007-03-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

Saint Patrick's Day.

Borderland didn't make the cut at the ASA Screenwriter's competition.

Sucks.

2007-03-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

Completed the first draft of Red 71 and got it off to Patrick.

Two and half days. 47 pages. Really short.

I had fun with this and went a bit nuts with a couple of the characters. As usual, I'll be a wreck until I hear back from Patrick.

Got a reminder email from ScriptPIMP about their contest. I doubt I get The Foundry ready in time. Sigh.

2007-03-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

Got one of Patrick's PR emails on Mercy.

It's premiering in NYC at the Pioneer Theater on April 16th.

Very cool.

2007-03-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

The package finally arrived. I devoured the short story in just a few minutes.

It sucks. The writing anyway. The core story, like most of Patrick's ideas, is excellent. I just have to figure out how to get it out of there.

I think I'm going to do a direct transcription of the dialog and alter the setting as necessary.

The Foundry is officially on hiatus.

2007-03-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

Got an email from Julie today asking if I'd read the latest draft of her script Cinematastic. I haven't.

She's worked really hard on this and I think she's gotten a couple of nibbles with the queries she's sent out.

I need to find time to read it again.

2007-03-11T22:00:00.001-07:00

Talked to Patrick again. We reviewed his ideas for Red 71 again and I took my usual notes - red ink scribbles on scraps of paper.

Patrick can be really funny - and most of the time he doesn't realize it. He told me that the script should pretty much write itself because the short story has all the elements he's looking for. But I will need to make a couple of small changes...

Instead of Chicago during prohibition, it needs to be set in the desert southwest in more modern times.
Oh yeah, no cities, just rural locations.
Oh and we need to make it a horror.

I LOVE working with Patrick. His head is as twisted as mine.

Still no package. Arrrgghhh!

Back to The Foundry

2007-03-10T22:00:00.000-08:00

Didn't get the package from Patrick yet. I did find a collection of all of Paul Cain's stories at Amazon for 11 dollars. I ordered it.

Still dying to read it. Its beginning to distract me from The Foundry.

2007-03-09T22:00:00.000-08:00

Christy and I saw 300 and Pan's Labyrinthe. Reminds me of why I want to write movies.

2007-03-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

Still working on The Foundry. It's going smoother. I'm pretty happy with the way the second act is coming together.

Did more research on Red 71. Found a couple of new links and read an essay about Red 71. Can't wait to read it.

Nothing from Patrick yet. Stupid mail.

2007-03-07T22:00:00.000-08:00

Worked like a madman on The Foundry last night. Patrick's new project is coming and I'm still struggling to get the second act rewritten and it needs to be complete by the end of March for entry into this year's contest circuit.

I did take little time to see if I could find out anything about Red 71 or Paul Cain. I scoured the web and found quite a bit about Paul Cain (real name George Sims). He wrote several pulp fiction short stories and novellas. Red 71 seems to be a particular favorite among his fans.

I couldn't locate an online copy of Red 71. Patrick tells me that it's in the public domain so it seems like it should be out there. I did find some excerpts. Just enough to whet my apetite.

Eagerly awaiting the package.

2007-03-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

Patrick is the master at monosyllabic communications in email. I've gotten dozens of emails from him that contain less than five words. Today's email was titled "Would like to talk". The actual message was "A good time?"

That's about as wordy as he gets.

I let him know I was available and he called and we chatted for a bit. He told me that he wasn't going to be able to raise funds for Monster this year and apologized. I told him this wasn't completely unexpected and it wasn't a problem. He'd like to try again next year.

He mentioned that to keep the momentum going that he has achieved with Mercy, he needs to shoot something this summer. He thought he could raise 10k or so and had a project in mind.

He told me about a short story written the 1930's by pulp fiction author Paul Cain called Red 71. He told me a bit about the story and offered to let me write it to get a writing credit. Because of the project's low budget he wouldn't be able to offer a WGA signatory deal.

I was intrigued and I want the credit - so I said yes. Besides, I like the way Patrick's mind works.

Of course he needs a rapid turnaround.

He's sending me the short story.