So... that was quick.
Today is a hugely bittersweet day for me.
#1 Abraham Lincoln died today, and being my favorite President, that sucks. (However Robert Redford's The Conspirator looks pretty enticing, sorry Abe.)
#2 I ALMOST died today in 1998. Back in high school one of my best friends and I went in his new truck to go pick up the tag for said vehicle. Well, instead of going to one town (genius) we wandered into another opposite of it.
Upon figuring out this mistake, we turned around and headed towards the right town. However, seconds later and one over-correction from going into a median, we were FLYING upside down over the road in a small truck, smashing the ground opposite the median (nice air, eat it Dukes of Hazzard) and sliding upside down towards a six foot deep retention pond.
Swimming in your clothes isn't much fun. Swimming in your (now tattered) clothes upside down in a pitch black pond wondering if you're dying (I was, but I didn't ... obviously) REALLY sucks.
So yeah, we swam out of his truck, scared to death, beat to hell, but we both got a pretty fun story out of it right?
The fact that I was starting production of my independent debut on April 15th wasn't lost on me, and that brings us to:
#3 Began filming, the as of two years later today, unedited UnExpecting.
This is part of our painful back story, I wrote about before.
I won't get into a mindblowingly long list of details about the production and cast.
What I will say is this:
I learned a lot about myself during that little journey into independent guerrilla film-making (my personal film school, as I now call it.)
I learned that making a film was something that could be done. It wasn't just an abstract dream that wasn't for me. Late nights and early mornings, heart and a lot of work can make anything happen. Especially when you have ten or twelve other people that fully believe in you and what you are trying to do. (Thanks guys, you're an amazing group of people and I love you ... well 92% of ya.)
I learned that if people really believe in something or someone, they'll do anything for them: Work for free, bust ass doing eight different jobs or more, stay up until 3am shooting scenes when they have to wake up at 5am to go to a real job that pays, donate amazing songs for a writer they've never heard of for a movie they may never see, and a million other little and big things. Those guys and girls never ceased to amaze me and I'm thankful for everything.
The human spirit wants to have something to believe in and it wants to come together to help themselves and others realize their dreams. It showed me (ever the pessimist) that there's a lot more good in the world than I previously thought.
I learned that with enough determination, anything in this world is possible to anyone.
"I feel good about the good things, bad about the bad things, but I wouldn't change a thing." - Dave Grohl
And other than a few issues, that's a very true statement. I certainly don't regret it, I learned so much and had a great time doing it, and without that foray into the independent film world, I would've never met by best friend and partner, Eric.
Good things are often times disguised as bad, it seems.
I could easily go on (... and on ... and on) about UnExpecting, the trials and tribulations, the amazing cast and crew, the good times and bad, but I won't. Not today.
And speaking of today: Today, I'm writing another script, with at least two more fleshed out and waiting in the wings, each better than the last. We've got projects a plenty, things we can be very proud of, and things to BE very proud of at a later date.
I'm continuing that dream. Following through on that dream. And some day SOON, I'll have realized that dream with the help of a few more amazing people.
Then we'll start a new one, bigger and better than the last.
I'm glad you guys are riding with us on this. It'll be fun.
One more time.
@MakeBelieveKyle
Oh and #4 Titanic sank today too. I love me some April 15th and come to think of it James Cameron probably does too.
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