Fuck them!

One of my life style choices, is the liberal use of the word "fuck." And I've been saying "fuck them" a lot lately. But in a good way!

One of my posts previously was about changing my life. Going to the gym, and having a more positive outlook on life. Which I took some time getting into. But I did get to it! I've been lifting seriously now for 5 weeks, and eating incredibly healthy for 6 weeks. I've lost 2% body fat and 17 lbs, bringing me down to 23% . Tomorrow is my official Monday weigh in, and I expect to be at about 22.5% and 197lbs. My next short term goal is 190, by April 30.
I have noticed that pretty people are treated differently in this town. Maybe it's every where, but it's not just women. Men react better to other men who are handsome. Maybe it's that fat guys don't look healthy, and if you can't even take care of yourself, why should I trust you? This is obviously a stupid way of thinking about people, but sub consciencely, I think that's what happens.

At first I was intimidated by at the gym. I live in Hollywood CA, and look at these ripped guys, and toned women every day. In the gym they seem like these perfect creatures that can do no wrong. "Fuck them!" I'm not working out to impress them, I'm not eating healthy crap so I can measure myself to their level of fitness. I'm doing it for me! That mentality is letting me do it. Being able to move past that mental block has freed me to cruise past my own personal insecurities way faster than I ever had before.
Chicks are paying more attention to me, and guys are taking me more seriously. It's not because I look muscular, or look like I've recently lost weight. It's because I have a new confidence that I had lacked before. So I will continue to Fuck them, and get myself farther into the mind space that I need to be in.

The other way I've been using "FT" is for the haters. A Good friend and school mate of mine, Casey, and I made a short film based on EA Games newest title, "Army of Two: The Devil's Carte." It turned out very well, and we had an absolute blast making it. I served as the armorer and more or less as the military consultant. If you want to see a behind the scenes, with me talking about the guns, and my job, here's the video. 

And here's the video of the full short.

If you look at the comments section, you'll see lots of haters, saying that the camera work sucks, or the visual effects suck. Fuck them. What have they done? It takes nothing to sit in your chair and criticize another's work. Until you offer solutions to fix the problems, go fuck yourself.
Constructive criticism is different, that I invite any day of the week.

Any way, if you like the film, don't worry. Another one is already in the works. It'll be far better, because this proves that we can tell a story, and on a limited budget, make a kick ass visually striking film.

In other news, Rally Point Radio has kicked off. It's going very well. Our second show was a success, and more and more people are down loading it every day. So if you'd like to give it a listen and hear what Casey and I think about making it in Hollywood as veterans, listen to the show here:

Rally Point Radio

I'm always pleased to see that people are reading this blog. It makes it worth writing. I like seeing that I have international readership. Last month, I had a big push from Russia. So thanks, to my Russian fans. If you guys like reading my thoughts about my life. Leave me a comment. I'll definitely get back to you!

Stay sharp, and stay tuned my friends. 

Directing is not showing up on set and calling "Action."

Directing is not showing up on set and calling "Action." There is so much work that goes into directing, before you set foot on a set. So much, that people are hired to help the director. These people are called department heads, they SHOULD be more knowledgeable (in their fields) than the director. In fact a good director knows to surround themselves with people that are smarter than they are.
The shooting of thesis films this month really taught me a lot. If you're reading this and I worked with you this past month, I'm not trying to single any one out. A lot of good things did happen.

To direct a film you need to have a vision, and be able to communicate that vision to the people working with you. You need to be able to put every one on the same page, so you are all making the same film. This is one of the things that a strong Assistant Director will do. As far as non creative positions go, the 1st AD is the most important person on set, they can make or break your movie.

If you want to be a director, there are times when you need to STFU and listen to the people that you have around you. They are there for a reason, and YOU probable put them there for a reason! Your idea is not always the best, while you do have the final say, learn to swallow your pride and compromise. It's hard to know what things to compromise on, and it comes from experience, but a director with no willingness to compromise will fail.

Me (1st AD): You're not going to get all your shots today what do you want to cut?
Director: No it's ok, we can get them all.
Me: No you can't. The speed we've been going at is too slow, and you're running out of time. You have one hour left, and can not get three more shots.
Director: Yes I can, we're shooting them all, we'll just go really really fast.

I get very nervous when some one tells me not to worry. Unless there is sustenance behind their "Don't worry" such as, "Don't worry, I know a guy who has a steadycam rig, and he's already agreed to help out, I just need to iron out the dates." That puts my mind at ease. But saying, "Don't worry, it'll work out." Doesn't do it for me.

There is a theory in film making, the triangle if you will. You can have things either; Fast, Good, and Cheap, Pick two. I prefer always keep good, then depending on the circumstances, fast or cheap.

This weekend I spent Cinco De Mayo in one of California's beautiful Los Padres national forest, shooting guns with friends. What a great way to celebrate...what ever it is that happened on the 5th of May in what ever year it happened on. I got a little creative with my Contour HD camera.

It was a fun day, I did a lot of shotgun, so my shoulder is a little sore, but everything else was great.

Forgive my disjointed rantings today, I felt like it was a good time, after I had collected my thoughts to put them down on internet.

So do your homework if you want to direct. If your production calls for money, and you don't have it, either change the production, or GET SOME MONEY. I hate being on a shoot where no one gets paid, craft services (food) is a joke, and the director won't shell out for anything extra. If you want your film to have a low budget feel, stay low budget, but if you have a grandiose vision you will probably have to pay for it. There are plenty of ways to raise money today, Indygogo.com and kickstarter.com are great.

There is a lot more to being a director than calling action and cut. Things that you wouldn't even think about, try to get on set and just watch, take notes, ask questions, and learn that you have so much more to learn.

So in conclusion, get money, respect the people that work for you, stay true to the story, stay sharp, and stay tuned.