The Meeting Of Minds

"The meetings.  It's all about the meetings", he said with a light chuckle. "Ya.  It is", I responded with a smile.  At the time I thought I knew what the guy was talking about.  How else do you complete a production if you don't meet with your core crew and cast?  But a few years and a slew of meetings later I now know exactly what he was saying.  For the life of me I can't remember who the guy was who said it or what the situation was but for some reason his all knowing yet humble demeanor towards meetings never left my memory.

In the past 5 years my life has been nothing but a series of meetings.  Meetings to network, meetings to gather crew, meetings to find the right cast, meetings to follow up, meetings with potential clients, meetings to just make a connection, meetings to find the right mesh, meetings to build the rolodex, meetings to find the right lawyer, meetings to find the right accountant, meetings with people you just plain like, meetings to plan a collaboration, meetings to ask for assistance, meetings to find the next rung on the ladder, meetings to offer assistance, and meetings to catch up with people you haven't seen in a while.  Meetings, meetings, and more meetings.  They are the backbone of this industry.

There have been some really awkward ones for sure.  A guy looking for a production company but clearly not meshing with our personalities, a fickle indie producer acting like they knew what they were doing but having no answers, ideas, or respect for anything in the end, an actor looking to turn writer/producer but so overwhelmed they emitted fumes of stress, a scamming director claiming to have investors for a slate of films, a development producer refusing to want to find money or laugh at a joke, a director who threw out strange smiles that came and went faster than the speed of light for seemingly no reason at all, a producer/sales rep who didn't trust a word said and actually came off angry and suspicious at the first and only meeting, and a marketing guy who used such large words and threw in such random knowledge of everything it was hard to decide if he was as knowledgeable as he claimed to be.  And most of the above took more than one meeting to find out the end result was not going to be good.

But then there have been some great ones.  Looking for interns was one of the great series.  I ran into so many excellent personalities, eager to learn, talk, listen and help.  Some of those ran long and to this day we all stay in touch.  Talking to a film festival marketer who raved about our short (praise is always good!) gave us the much needed boost at the time.  A production company owner who came from TV offering up so much info in his quick producer speak my pen never stopped writing.  A few Canadian directors and producers with great ideas and professional demeanors at the level of short film production.  Getting to know a fellow alumni and studio guy over dinner and drinks that moved on to a friendship and trips to art galleries and LA hot spots.  Sitting down with an editor to discuss making the impossible happen in a damn near impossible time frame...and making it all work out.  A DP with clear knowledge and excellent work but very little overbearing ego over lunch and a beer.  Catching up with a couple producer friends over breakfast to see if all was going well in our worlds.  Meeting a San Diego man through commenting on pay vs. no pay in the entertainment industry on Craigslist that lead to referrals and a job opportunity a couple times a year.  And last but not least all those company meetings with anyone interested in helping us build our foundation.  What learning those meetings have accomplished! 

Whether bad or good meetings are what build those very important relationships.  They provide for referrals.  They create new friends and collaborators.  They let everyone know you exist.  They reveal your personal essence.  I don't care how skilled, how talented, how efficient a person may be, if they are not out there following up networking events with meetings or sitting down with people in the industry to form friendships or, as a producer/director, meeting all cast/crew who will be on a production, success will be difficult.  We have a million ways to communicate these days but in the end it's the tried and true meeting that secures a trust and a bond between people. I get what that guy was saying more than ever before.  It really is all about those meetings. - TKS

Finding Mr. Goodbar - Pre-Production!

It's been 363 days since the birth of our Mr. Goodbar.  In that time we have gone through lots of turbulence flying the friendly skies of commercial production...

Birthday:  Sunspot's brilliant creative duo happened upon a milk chocolaty, peanut candy bar called Mr. Goodbar one day and were reminded how delicious the Hershey's product was.  Somehow this amazing taste sensation triggered an idea for a concept that just couldn't wait to burst forth.  I, being the purveyor of all things gigantic, desperately tried to put it on a shelf and push for strides in feature filmmaking instead. But it just wouldn't be.  We made a deal, spec commercial first to build our reel more, then the bigger picture.  Ok. Fine.  We were all itching to create something, anything so this was it.

After a couple months of squeezing in development of the project between day jobs and freelance gigs, networking and general business building, we had a campaign.  The idea created a human version of the chocolate bar and a series of funny and twisted situations (something that's quickly becoming our company's brand) perfect for Superbowl caliber commercials.

Pre-production began slowly.  I needed a co-producer to pick up slack when I couldn't be there to do it all.  One of the handful of people interested in working and building with us at this foundational stage stepped up to the plate and got the ball rolling.  I found myself constantly overseeing and checking in, desperately wanting to make things move faster than anyone had time for.

Speed and end results - the definition of me.

Senor co-producer started out strong. Researching, calling, setting up preliminary potentials.  I worked on gathering core crew...one of which was a locations manager I'd wanted to work with for a couple years and had started to work with on someone elses failed project a couple years earlier.  He seemed to know his shit and I loved how quick and focused he was.  I called him up to see if he'd be interested in helping us out for a small salary.  We're doing specs. I informed him, so no giant commercial budget behind us, what do you think?  He was interested but dropped a bomb by saying he worked for no less than $600 a day.  Giant number for a little production.  I told him I just needed someone to find two locations all the rest would be taken care of by me.  He didn't even have to be on set, I bargained.  He agreed to do it.  As we went along he started tacking on more hours and more money, wanting a large sum in advance based on the crappy production we had both been taken for a ride on last we worked together.  He wanted his money and knew I would sympathize so conversation after conversation he brought it up.  I explained over and over we weren't that production.  Finally I couldn't take it anymore.  I had laid the numbers out on the table and been totally honest on that first call to him for the specs yet it wasn't enough and I was beginning to rip clumps of hair out of my head.  I thanked him for considering and said it would be tough for us all to continue having repeat conversations on issues I had nothing to do with.  Several calls later he finally accepted he wasn't going to work with us.

Best financial decision I made, I have to say.

Back to square one I went.  Up to me to get those locations.  One of them was an LA county elementary school.  Senor came up with a list and the two of us spent a day wandering the communities looking for a delicious looking set at the request of our creators.  Along for the ride was young wife and toddler daughter.  No problem.  These things happen on low budget shoots and I did my best to accomodate without losing my cool.  We found a couple schools that seemed ornamental enough but never did get through the list as the day ended with a very sick and puking child in the back seat spitting up remnants of McDonald's french fries.  Sigh.  Back to square one again.

My daytime hours were taken up working on promoting a feature via internet and grassroots touring and we were rounding the corner on our deadline to shoot the spec commercials.  I pushed the date back and continued on my journey through the world of making it all work in the in between hours.  At this time an amazing and wonderful, can't-be-praised-enough intern of ours by the name of Patrina stepped up to the plate and hit a home run.  She found location two, a cafe, and pushed us in the direction of a tailor we needed for Mr. Goodbar's costume.  I was ecstatic!  At last.  At last.  A truly helping hand.  A focused beauty.  Awesome.  I was able to exhale for a moment.  But only for a moment.

Senor co-producer called me up to inform me that during our day together his dear wife had decided we were having an affair.  She had sensed tension and seen some kind of chemistry I never personally knew was there...mainly because it wasn't.  Sex was really the last thing on my mind in the midst of pre-production and certainly not with someone I had absolutely no attraction to.

I went back to holding my breath.

Ok.  So that's that.  I picked up the pieces and moved on.  Patrina became my right hand and moved up to associate producer for the production.  She handled props and calls and the cafe location, an awesome little restaurant called Vinoteque, like an absolute pro.  Oh hallellujah.  I worked on insurance, permits for the school, fees to the city of LA, the school itself, AND Film LA while checking on progress of the suit that had become an expensive venture, finding extras...child extras...setting up auditions, and finding core and random crew.  I found a 1st AD one of our Sunspot friends suggested to us and left scheduling in his hands.  In the meantime I went back and forth with Charles & Nick making sure we were on track and organized.  We're going to need 60 child extras at least, Trina, they said.  Haha.  Funny.  Uh, ok.  I think that we can make 30 look like 60 if we trick the camera but I'll see what can be done, I managed to reply.  We may have to hire paid child talent I think, said Charles.  (So far all of our talent were graciously volunteering their time and skills)  I scoffed.  Then blew the guy off.  We'll deal with it as we go.  Should be fine, I said.  Lord have mercy!  Is money not sacred to anyone???

Now, let me just say, I am an organization freak.  I want all bases covered, all loose ends tied, all plans secured as fast as possible.  In production it's all collaboration so there are many hours, if not days, waiting on others to come through.  Very nerve wracking at every turn for someone with my OCD.  However, I dealt with it.  By the final week before the shoot we had most everything in place.  Nick was taking care of getting his camera crew together, Patrina was so extremely on top of her game, and all seemed to be running smoothly.  Until one of the actresses we had picked and really liked became a bit of an issue at this time...not available for rehearsal, not willing to work on a Monday...which was the only day we had the location for.  In the end she was paid for her day away from work and we had to do without her rehearsing.  She seemed to have her role down but I'm sure her performance would have been much better had she been to both rehearsals. We just couldn't stop and audition for anyone else at that point so it was what it was.

So much for smooth.

A giant pet peeve of mine is lack of communication. I need to know what's going on and be responded to damn near immediately on every email, text and voicemail.  This is not necessarily everyone's production creed.  After a few days of no communique with the AD I finally got through.  How are you doing on the call sheet, my friend?  Oh, I don't do that until the day before, he said.  Hmm...well, let's get that ready now, 3 days away from shooting, and if there are changes we'll make them.  Ok! he said.  I received the call sheet the day before the shoot.  Got to be some grey hairs forming in my mane there somewhere about now...Oh, and how about the schedule?  Oh, I don't do schedules, he said.  I just make sure everyone is on set on time and move it forward.  Hmmm...uh, ok.  Well, if you can keep it moving then I'll trust your judgement.  I looked at my rough schedule and was glad I'd at least had the time to do that.

We needed a bright yellow sports car and for some reason it just wasn't happening.  It was the last piece of the puzzle yet no one could come up with one for less than something like $1000 a day or some ridiculous rate like that.  Between insurance, permits, and the Mr. Goodbar suit my budget was creeping up.  My suggestion?  Call regular rental car places.  Hertz, Enterprise, Avis.  And a good suggestion it was.  We ended up with a bright Yellow convertible Camaro for the budgeted rate from Hertz.  I won't deny I did a small backflip of celebration.

I went off to pick up the car while Nick and Charles conducted their last rehearsal.  Charles dropped me off and helped get the top down so I could drive in style.  I started that engine and became a new fan of the quest for oil.  Amazing.  That rumbling engine was nothing but power.  I cruised out to the 405 feeling like a bit of a douche.  I'm never one to want extra attention on the road or be an outward big shot so it took a minute to get used to.  Only a minute.  People noticed for sure and as I passed the normally rude and inconsiderate woman behind the wheel of an SUV I was shocked to find her politely get my attention to ask for directions to the 405.  I had forgotten the top was down and was shocked to hear an outside voice come at me.  She followed me out and I of course immediately hit traffic.  To my right, another voice.  I slowly looked over...Charles.  Laughing at my reaction to his calling out.  He had no idea how much attention this bee colored car was getting.  He drove on to rehearsal, traffic cleared, and the Ventura Blvd. exit came up.  Meh, why not?  Let's see what kind of attention I get driving down this road!  As I cruised people looked.  At a stoplight a group of 5 people, 2 dressed in what seemed like lederhosen, gawked as they walked passed.  The lederhosen twins waved and smiled.  This was too weird.  What friendliness money can buy.  Feeling great now I kept going.  Up ahead was a pick-up truck pulling away from the curb. I slowly came up behind it.  Reverse lights?!  I honked and tried to reverse as quick as I could.  Impossible.  The front end was hit.  Oh no.  Really?  Really?  No. Not true.  Yep. True.  The lady's husband rushed over first.  Then the lady, who said, "You're too low.  I couldn't see you!"  Of course.  Nevermind that she was backing into a red zone to begin with.  I refrained from exploding, looked at the front and saw no damage.  Ok. Cool.  I waved them away and went home as fast as possible. That car stayed parked in the driveway till the next morning of the shoot.

My phone rang as soon as I jumped out.  Patrina with bad news.  Her grandmother had passed away and she wasn't going to be available for the shoot.  Dammit on all fronts.  My right arm cut off and for a sad occasion.  She was so apologetic I felt terrible.  I reassured her all was well.  We'd do great.  She'd prepped everything amazingly well.  I then hopped in my car and drove out to Beverly Hills to pick up the props she had.  Patrina was fantastic with the props.  She thought of everything and more.  I couldn't thank her enough.  How lucky I was to be working with her! 

My easy day had become crammed and the camaro needed a bath.  Nick had a million loose ends to tie up and couldn't help at all.  Charles was the lucky guy.  He scrubbed and polished while I finalized paperwork, phone calls, and arrangements.  I had planned an 8 hour rest period but for gods sake it just never happens that way!  Midnight saw my head hit the pillow for a 4am call.  So much for organization....- TKS

To be continued....