It's Been Known To

The wife calls me up today.

"That check. Do you want me to deposit it or cash it?"

"I don't care," I say. "Whatever."

"How's the bank account look?" she asks.

"You were the last one to look at it. How did it look when you saw it?"

"Not horrible," she answers, but then admits, "but not great."

"Why don't you cash half of it. It might be nice to have some cash on hand while we're on set -- if we need anything."

"Well," she says hesitantly, "I can cash it here at work. But if I'm going to deposit it, I'm going to have to walk, like, nine blocks away. So this is actually me being lazy. Do you want me to cash it or deposit it?"

I laugh, "then I want you to deposit ninety-three dollars and forty-seven cents of it! The rest we'll keep on hand!"

"I don't want to walk nine blocks in the rain!" she says.

"It's raining?"

"Well it's been known to."

Maybe you had to be there, maybe you need to be as sleep deprived as I was, but I laughed so hard and for so long, I had tears running down my face. I couldn't breathe. I had to hang up, go outside, and walk around in the hypothetical rain before I could breathe and see again.

My wife. No-one makes me laugh like she does.

Calming Before the Storm

A mere 48 hours separates me from production. They will probably be the longest 48 hours of my life. At this point, pre-production is done. Everything is in place. We have our actors, our crew, our props, our locations, our schedule . . . there's nothing more than can be done to prepare for production. The only thing I can do now is relax.

Due to the nature of film making, next week promises to be long, stressful, insanely fun, and exhausting. The best thing for me to do now is relax. Relaxing for me, however, is very hard to do. My mind never rests. It's always working, processing, recording, and imagining. It is stimulated by everything -- everything but comedy.

Comedy distracts me. It makes me put my thoughts away, listen, and laugh. I can't listen to music. Last night I listened to Atticus Ross' score for The Book of Eli, and had to sit down and write the opening sequence to Season 3. I haven't even finished the outline to Season 2 yet, but thanks to Atticus Ross' moody score and my overactive imagination, I know how Season 3 is going to begin.

I don't want to be thinking about Season 3. I want to relax, calm myself, let go of all the questions that won't have answers until we're on set. So I'm listening to Russell Brand, Eddie Izzard, Greg Behrendt, and a whole lot of Jimmy Pardo. A friend at work turned me on to Jimmy Pardo's Never Not Funny podcast and the days are flying by, with me chuckling in the corner.

And then, at night, as my mind whirls with all those questions that won't have answers until we're on set, I pray. I pray for peace of mind and, perhaps a little selfishly, for success.

Crew, part 2

The dogs are snoring, the cats are racing, and Carol Reed's The Third Man is supplying intriguing white noise as I put the polish on the recently completed shooting schedule for Season 1 of Remnants.

Several of you local wonders have expressed interest in helping out on set. And while I love all of you and appreciate everyone's enthusiasm, it's a small set and we'd like to keep things cozy. So take a look at our schedule and let me know which days/times work best for you and we'll find you a spot.

• Friday, January 22: 1:30 - 5pm
• Saturday, January 23*
• Sunday, January 24: 9am - 5pm
• Monday, January 25: 2 - 5:45pm
• Tuesday, January 26: 2:15 - 7:30pm
• Wednesday, January 27: 3:30 - 7pm
• Thursday, January 28: 2:15 - 4:45
• Friday, January 29: 1:30 - 5pm
• Saturday, January 30: 6pm ->
• Sunday, January 31**

* No filming will be taking place on Saturday, January 23. But at 6pm we're going to be on set to prepare it for the week's shoot. We'll need help decorating set.

** Sunday, January 31 is a back-up day. No scenes have been scheduled for that day, but should we miss anything during the week, or should we need to re-shoot anything, Sunday will be the day!

So let me know if you're still interested! We could use a couple of extra hands! Message me here, on Facebook, or e-mail me at tsfogg@gmail.com

Now back to The Third Man . . .

Now . . . Hows About a Crew?

Just a quickie tonight. We had a couple potential crew members fall through, so we are now on the lookout for anyone who'd be interested in running a camera, setting up some lights, running some cable or any of the other fun things one can do on a film crew.

If you know someone, or are someone, do let me know! We're keeping this season small, so one or two extra hands would be all we need.

Here's our shooting schedule:

• Friday, January 22: Rehearsals and one short scene
• Saturday night, January 23: Night shoot. We'll begin shortly after sundown and will shoot till we're done.
• Sunday, January 24: We'll be shooting all day long.
• Monday, January 25: Two scenes scheduled
• Tuesday, January 26: Four scenes scheduled
• Wednesday, January 27: Night shoot. We'll begin roughly around sundown.
• Thursday, January 28: Night shoot. We'll begin roughly around sundown.
• Friday, January 29: one small sequence
• Saturday night, January 30: only if we need it.
• Sunday, January 31: only if we need it.

Everyone has to work and a lot of us are still in school. If there's a day you could give us, let me know! We'd love to have you! If you can give us more, all the better! There's nothing I, as a writer, love more than continuity!

Remnant Newsletter #1: Our Cast!

I'm writing this on January 1st, 2010 (not sure if that's Two Thousand Ten or Twenty Ten), which means we are exactly twenty-one days away from the start of production on Remnants!

We have our cast. We had some amazing auditions. I've sat through auditions in the past that are pure torture. As soon as the actor walks in, you know that not only are they wrong for any part you're currently casting, they're wrong for every part you will ever cast. You give them a chance, you let them do their best, you smile, and say, "thanks for coming out!" Mercifully, that was never the case while casting Season 1 of Remnants. Everyone was great. We wanted to work with everyone, and it's my belief that we will, but we have such a small cast for Season 1, we had to find out who was perfect for the roles at hand. And that's what it came down to. Not "who's the best actor," but "who's the best Derek? Who's the best Annabelle? Who's the best . . ." And we've found them. We have found the best.

We also found people who will be perfect for characters in Season 2. Which is as exciting as it is frustrating. Seeing people who will be perfect for characters who haven't been introduced yet is like finding the perfect Christmas gift for somebody in August -- sure, you found it, but now you have to wait five months to give it to the person.

But no more ado! Onto our Season 1 cast!

Derek Fisher, our main protagonist and through whose eyes we'll witness the basic end of the world, will be played by Evan Johnson. This will be the first time I've worked with Evan off stage, and I'm super excited. The last time we worked together Where He Lies, a play that I directed for Ripple Productions back in the fall 0f 2004. His was the last audition we held, and he came in and blew us away. His energy, his resourcefulness, his improvisational skills . . . we can't wait to unleash on the part.

To describe Annabelle Fisher simply as "Derek's sister" would be grave disservice to the character. For while it's through Derek's eyes we witness the events of Remnants, Annabelle serves as the first of several catalysts that start Derek down The Path of the Hero. But she is her own character, and someone who has already journeyed The Path of the Hero. Who she is and who she becomes is both startling and amazing. She will be the character to keep your eye on as the story unfolds.

And to describe Brianne Johnson as "Evan's sister" would be an equal disservice to Brianne. Out of the entire cast, she is the actor I have worked with the most -- starting with Ripple Production's That You May Believe, to Brian Young's senior project A Boy's Tale, to my most recent short film Martyrs. She was the first actor we cast. She walked in, auditioned, and we knew we had our Annie.

Robin Fisher, the mother to our two young heroes, is a woman of incredible strength in her own right. After her husband died in combat, she became solely responsible for the upkeep of the home, financial income, and raising two teenagers. She's done the best she can do, and now it's time for her to let her little ones stand on their own two feet. Cast in the role is Nina Jones, an Atlanta-based actress who we met through a mutual Facebook friend. We had a vague idea of what we wanted out of the character of Robin, and Nina came in and defined the part for us. It was wonderful and we can't wait to begin working with her!

Frank Levitt. That's all I want to say. For those of you who haven't read the script(s), I don't want to say anything else. I'm just going to say he's something of an antagonist and you're going to have to show up to see what I mean. Frank is in the capable hands of Tom Goddard, co-founder of Ripple Productions, current director of the Destiny Drama Company, and an actor who is a sheer delight to act opposite of. Back in my acting days, he cast me in That You May Believe, a play that he was directing and co-starring in. Bantering and improving off of him will always be one my fondest acting memories and I'm intrigued to see what he'll do with what is a decidedly darker role than I've ever see him do.

No-Last Name-Yet John will be played Matt Lassiter, an actor I met thanks to Agentia. Agentia is a Chattanooga-based talent and training agency. And when his agent heard about our auditions, he sent Matt and we're thankful he did. I've never worked with Matt before and this will be his film debut. He impressed us so much, I re-wrote the character just for him.

General Rhodes was perhaps the easiest casting decision we had to make. Which is not at all what I was expecting. It's a big, pivotal role. He only has one scene, but like the Joker in The Dark Knight, his presence is felt in every scene he's not in. Neither Loren or I were expecting Rick Hardaway to walk in, deliver the most eloquent and powerful speech we ever heard, and walk out with the part in hand. Trust me when I say he's going to give you chills. Expect to see more of him in Season 2, 3 . . .

There you have it, folks. Our principal cast. There are still a few smaller roles we need to cast, so if you're reading this and you're thinking to yourself, "I could do a small part," let me know! There's a couple of roles we need to fill that could be fun to play and, who knows, you might just show up and make us write you a bigger part in Season 2!

Expect more newsletters like this as we keep going. We have much to discuss, much to do, and not nearly enough time.

Writing With an Empty Wallet

In either in a behind-the-scenes featurette or in the director's commentary for El Mariachi, Robert Rodriguez talks about how he was able to cobble together his first film. There was a time when he didn't have a special effects studio in his garage. There was a time when all he had was the dream of being a filmmaker. And so, to make his dream a reality, he wrote a list of everything he had access to, whether it be film equipment, props, locations, or costumes. He made a list of everything he had free access to. Then he wrote a script that incorporated those things.

The idea being, of course, that if he could save money by using the things he already had, he could spend what little money he had on the things he didn't have but absolutely needed. If memory serves correctly, he spent what little money he had on film stock. It is, in my opinion, a stroke of genius.

So, two years ago, I made my own list. What unique locations do I have access to? What actors do I know? What corners can I cut, making what little money I have go all the further? One blessing of being a filmmaker in the early 21st century is that it costs a little less money to make a movie than it did in the late 20th century. While Rodriguez had to spend money on film stock, we have digital cameras. We don't have to spend money there. We just need a computer we can edit on and thankfully my list includes one Loren Small, and his very nearly complete post production suite he has set up in his apartment. And we're making a web series, so we don't have to worry about incurring any film festival costs.

There's never been a better time to be a filmmaker. Even for the casual filmmaker, cameras are cheap, Internet access is free, and editing software is cheap to buy and easy to use. Anyone can do it. It's just going to be execution that is going to set you apart.

With my list in hand, I wrote my first of Remnants. I found a compelling story rattling around in my brain that focused on normal people facing extraordinary events. I sculpted it to include the interesting locations I had access to. What I made sure I had was a small film but a big idea. I wanted an idea so big that it would distract people from how small our film was. An idea that would pervade every digital frame of our film. It wasn't hard to find my big idea. For my entire life, I've had a reoccurring nightmare. Details within the nightmare will change, but it largely remains the same. And it's a nightmare that I believe every American has, even if it's not one they've ever actually sat down and thought about.

What would happen if America was attacked again? What if the next attack was bigger and deadlier than September 11th? How would America respond? How would Americans respond? What happens to a people steeped in that much fear and tragedy?

It's a big story, but we're starting small. We're starting with suburban America. And each season, we'll zoom out a little bit more. Season 1's scripts are in the can and I've begun outlining Season 2. I think the ideal time frame for our story would be four or five seasons. And with season, we'd see a little bit more of the picture -- start personally and end globally. It's an ambitious plan, that's to be sure. And a plan that demands we make a little bit more with each season. If we don't make any money -- at all -- then the absolute furthest we could take our story is the end of Season 2.

And if Remnats doesn't work, I still have my list and I'm still full of story ideas.

Inglourious Basterds

I sometimes wonder if Quintin Tarantino has any idea what he's doing. This is his, what, seventh film? And yet, somehow, it still feels like his senior project. It's bumpy, it's uneven, and there's no story for the first hour. It seems by now he should be making incredibly smooth, incredibly sculpted, incredibly satisfying films.

I wish Quintin Tarantino had an instructor or a sensai that he had to submit his scripts to. Someone who could have read Inglorious Basterds and said, "Quintin. The Basterds are the most interesting part of the script. Yet you spend more time setting up the Nazi antagonist than you do with the Basterds for the whole rest of the film!"

Just because he has a way with words doesn't mean he's a good script-writer. He spends the first twenty minutes of the film basically telling us what we already know: Nazis are evil, people want to do good, and in 1941, you did not want to be a Jew in Europe. At this point, is that really necessary? These bullet points of history could have been covered in a riveting five-minute sequence. Of course, that doesn't allow for Tarantino's trademark dialog.

Tarantino's strength is his weakness. He has a wonderful phonetic ear. He hears dialog before he writes it. I can only assume he writes and re-writes scenes so that they have the cadence he wants them to have. His dialog has rhythm, often more like a song than speech. And it's wonderful. It's very nearly beautiful. But the things he takes twenty minutes to talk about, could be shown in a single shot, more often than not.

So, in a movie that is two and a half hours long, why spend twenty minutes in a cabin with none of your main characters, showing us something we already know? Wouldn't those twenty minutes be better spent with the Basterds as they go on their rampage?

The scene where the British soldier is called in before Mike Meyers and Winston Churchill is actually when the story begins. Up until that scene, it's been one hour of introductions. Imagine a Basterds movie that began with that scene. Cut the first hour. Start with the set-up: All the high-ranking Nazi officials are going to be in one room three days from now. Then we cut to Brad Pitt, hand-picking his Basterds. Then we follow them as they make their way to Paris. All while introducing all the key components to the final act. Many of the scenes that take place could have been kept, but would have been used more economically. And who knows? Perhaps by the time people started dying, you might actually care about them.

With the exception of Reservoir Dogs (and perhaps Pulp Fiction), what has always been my problem with Quintin Tarantino is that he is the exception to the rule. No-one else would be allowed to write scripts like his. No-one else would be allowed to indulge themselves as much as he is. Yet film students (myself included) look at him and try to emulate him. Or they refuse to bend to convention because "Quintin Tarantino does this way, I'm going to do it this way!" But it doesn't work for anyone else. It only works for him -- and even then, it only works for him about half the time. But for the rest of us, it doesn't even work that often, which only fills the world with uneven and often boring films -- unless we learn. Unless we change.

Something Quintin Tarantino doesn't seem to be interested in.