April 21, 2007

  • Clint and girl Million    Wisdom from "Million Dollar Baby"

    million_dollar_baby_4 "If there's magic in boxing, it's the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance.  It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you."

April 4, 2007

  •        DF-06952     Wisdom from Rocky Balboa      psphoto20

     
    "The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. And I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there, if you let it.
     
    It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can GET hit and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done.
     
    Now if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth.
     
    But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you're not where you want to be because of him or her, or anybody.  Cowards do that, and that ain't you.  You're better than that."

January 13, 2007

  •         WeaponsofDeath          My Turning Point for key_to_success_  

     
    At age 30, I had directed two feature films. One I financed by going into debt and one I was hired to do, that gave me a salary, but no sharing in the profits when it became a hit. The credit for writing and directing "Death Machines" was more important. But now it was two years later and even though I tried, I couldn't get another feature film going, only some independent TV directing on small documentaries.
     
    I had written a great action script. A script that had all the swashbuckling action stunts in it that I had loved as a kid watching Errol Flynn on TV.  A great story with a large cast and lots of martial arts in it.
     
    The script was lying on my sofa as I stood over it.  I thought, "I just have to do this even though it would probobly not sell, or the distributor would not pay once they took it."  Would I, or should I continue with this?
     
    I had financed and used investors on my first feature, "Drawn Swords". It was a long "drawn out" production, that caused me endless hassles, large debts, many disappointments, and no income from the minor distribution it had. I had worked six months to pay back most of the debts, but still wasn't completely out of it.  Did I want to go through all that again? Was this another sword fight epic that would get me much deeper into debt and end my dubious film career?

    But I loved the story so much and wanted to use all the martial artists that I had met on my previous movie, (and I loved samurai movies, and Chinese sword fight movies), that I had to risk it.
     
    I had seen most of the guys that were in the San Francisco State University film department drop out and get regular jobs, so I was alone with my dream.  I had noticed that they all started giving up at exactly age 26.  Why that age I wondered?  But the answer came quickly. It was 4 years after graduating. They gave it a shot, but then girlfriends, wives, and even parents started to put the pressure on them to quit. After all, age 26 was getting pretty old to continue with an impossible dream, they were told. 
     
    Why had they given up? That answer came when I saw a joke sign in a store window that read, "I feel so good now that I've given up all hope."  I understood the deeper meaning right away.  Yes, give up and there won't be any more struggle or disappoinments from money men that promise financing and then don't deliver after wasting 6 months with them. Funny, I never even knew giving up was an optioin. That's how movie crazy I was. But If I could just do this one more movie, I would be satisfied if I was  forced finacially to give up.
     
    Looking down at that white script on the green sofa, I had to decide if I would make the movie entitled, "The Last Adventure".
     
    Finally I said to myself, "I don't care. Even if this movie bombs, even if I can't sell it, I will still have the movie. It will be made. And this was my dream movie. The one that I really want to make. I didn't know it at the time, but I was more of an "artist" than a film businessman, because completing that particular movie was more important to me for self expression than doing someone else's project (which there were none) or working my way up in the Hollywood system (which there were no open doors). So I said, "What the hell", to myself, picked up the script off of the sofa, and began preparing a schedule and budget.
     
    The next week I anounced my project to my friends in the martial arts business and attracted some first investors.  I set the start date for six weeks later and went ahead with casting, costumes and securing locations.  As there was a large cast, many of them invested in the project. Six weeks later, I had enough money to be out on location filming in Panavision with Technicolor Labs doing the processing.
     
    As I had always included myself in the cast of my 16mm movies and first feature, I wrote a character for myself. I mostly wanted to do as swordfight scene and a couple of stunts that I saw Douglas Fairbanks do. I wasn't worried about directing myself as I used one of the crew to stand in for me as I staged the scenes, and then took his place for the shot. Besides I was only in a third of the movie because of all the other characters. I was a little worried that some might think I was not a serious director by also being in the film. But since I figured it might be my last movie, I decided to play out all my dreams. 
     
     Only my cameraman objected to me being in the movie. Two days before filming started he complained, "What do you want to be, an actor or director." So I decided not to act in it. However, with only two days before the shoot and being so busy, I couldn't spend the time to find someone to replace my character, so I was stuck with me. But acting and doing my planned stunts in this movie has been the greatest satisfaction for me. Years later, it's not so much the fact that I directed the movie that people mention when they see it, it's the fact that I was in it. So after that, I never listen to anyone who tries to talk me out of my dreams.
     
    When I drove out to the location, many of the people had arrived and were in costume. I could see the swordwoman with their shinny blue Chinese costumes and the fifty extras all wearing black as I had told them to do. The cameramen were setting up. Make-up was already happening. Actors had flown up from Los Angeles. They were all here 40 miles from San Francisco in my hometown hills that I had used for filming my 16mm action movies when I was in college.
     
    "This is fantastic," I thought. "What an opportunity to make something really good." I came to the instant conclusion to not just shoot a few master scenes. I would use the necessary film to get all the coverage I needed to make a cinematic film. And if I went a little over budget, I would make up the difference by selling part of my percentage in the movie. It would be worth it.

    Six weeks after that I was finished filming. The post-production money came slowing, but that didn't matter as editing took little money by doing the work in my own apartment.  I finished the editing  working by myself for 6 months and loved every minute. I did the final 16 track mix at Fantasy Films in Berkeley that had a state of the art mixing room.
     
    The film was picked up by an independent distributor and broke a house record for attendance at a New York theater. With three feature under my belt I was on my way to three more and then discovered I had a talent for novels and success teaching and expanded into "the comunication business" instead of just the film business.
     
    This finally lead me to direct my movie heroes, Rod Taylor, Russ Tamblyn, and George Chakiris, Nancy Kwan and others, in my two novels turned into audio-books "Rock Star Rising" and "McKnight's Memory", with the latter being turned into a feature now.
     
    Looking back I realize that age 26 was too young for my film school friends to give up. Age 30 was too young for me to consider maybe not doing the next movie.  And now I know, any age is "too young" to give up on anything. 
     
    Don't let anyone talk you out of your dreams!
     
    moviepicweaponsofdeathbig
     

December 15, 2006

  •    New omega cop     Directing "Omega Cop"   good omega box  

                  bat paul

    I directed this movie in 1990. The producer Ron Marchini is one of the very first low budget independent producers working outside Hollywood.  I directed his first production "Death Machines" 210040   in 1975, filmed in Stockton California where we were to film "Omega Cop".

    Ron had the production idea, of hiring the name actors Adam "Batman" West, Troy Donahue, and Stuart Whitman before I joined the project.  He also had the story of a policeman that survives a solar flare that devastates the earth.

    omegacopf

    My contribution was to schedule the production for a 21 day straight shoot using the star names so they appear through out the story, even though we had them for only a limited time. Marchini, who was one of the best karate competitors in the '70s, played the lead.  He had a string of martial arts movies produced in the Philippines that he had starred before starting his own company in America.

    omegacope

    Working with him on the script, I change the single female lead to three females that he meets up with through out the story, hopefully to re-fresh the story with each new introduction of a pretty face. Each girl had a unique look and personality, to keep things lively.
     
    omegacopd
     
    Working on a 21 day shot, I was responsible for getting 4.2 minutes of movie story a day, as the movie had to be 90 minutes. My big contribution to the movie was adding a "Wild Bunch" shoot out at the beginning of the story, before the solar flare happened.  Marchini would have 3 cop buddies with him, and they would be killed in a raid on a gangster slave auction. At the end of that scene the solar flare would happen. He would then be forbidden to re-enter the police strong hold run by Adam West.
     
    Marchini was hesitant about okaying such an ambitious scene of the four cops having a shoot out with 20 gangsters, while 30 slave market customers are running for cover.  It would require a special effects man, for blood and bullet hits, as well as to blow up a car.  All this to be done in two days with a film ratio of 5 to 1. We would be shooting with 3 cameras, one often in slow motion (which burns up a lot of film at high speed), plus paying a stunt man to do a spectacular back fall from the roof of a building to a car top. I always remember Marchini looking at me once the shot was done and the stunt man was okay, "I'm glad that that is over." And then thinking about all the film use to get the slow motion effect he laughed and said, "Man, I heard that camera buzzing at high speed and thought  there goes all our film."
     
    I have to say, that once Marchin okayed that big scene he worked hard both as a producer and actor to get it done. I had the confidence to get it done in that time. I knew how to complete a scene before the sun goes down. The challenge was to get as much action that was possilbe before the sun went down on that second day.
     
    To make up for the large amount of film used on that scene, I had to shoot other scenes almost at a one to one ration. The "Wild Bunch" shoot out is the highlight of the film, but we had to make sure the ending was equally spectacular, so we had Marchini as the Omega Cop running from a building that he had set bombs to exploding just a few feet behind him and gaining on him.
     
    With that large beginning and ending we also had 5 shoot outs and karate action scenes though out the movie.  We'll we did get it on a 5 to 1 film ratio, and finished in 21 days.  I think "Omega Cop" is a great example of what you can do with limited film, money, and star actor's schedules. I'm proud of this movie because of it.

December 10, 2006

  •      frank junior    Frank Sinatra Jr. Narrates  New Nancy

    I just recorded in November of '06 Frank Sinatra Jr.'s narration of "McKnight's Memory" based on my novel.

    It was a dream working with Mr. Sinatra. I had heard his audio commentary on two of his father's movies on DVD, "Robin and the Seven Hoods" and "Oceans Eleven". His voice, articulation, as well as his respect for character actors impressed me, so he was approached to take the listener along on this conspiracy tale.

    Mr. Sinatra requested his recording be done at night as that is when most singers feel their voice is the best. He gave a concentrated performance, often coming up with changes in the text that were superior than the original.

    For example, there is a line that read, "The hitman was dead before his 200 pound body crashed to the floor." Mr. Sinatra changed it to:"The hitman was dead before his 200 pounds crashed to the floor."

    When I heard that, I was overjoyed that this subtle, but powerful change had happened. Then Mr. Sinatra said, "Okay fellas, I'll read it as written so that you'll have a choice." But I knew right then which reading I would use. This happened a few other times as well.

    I was in awe of Mr. Sinatra's annunciation and sometimes ending a paragraph in an upward tone, leaving it hanging as if more will come. I don't know what that's called, but I loved it.

    During our breaks, it was wonderful to talk with Mr. Sinatra about the sets that he visited of some of the now classic movies, such as "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Them".

    He also explained why and how lounge acts disappeared from the Las Vegas casinos. It seems that when the headliners lost popularity and could no long fill the large show rooms they were moved to the lounge to entertain gamblers and provide music to the whole casino.

    But when the entertainers insisted that their act be curtained off from the casino, the owners decided that if the gamblers could not see or hear the acts, then why should they pay to have them in the lounge. Thus the lounge acts disappeared.

    The production's cast includes Robert Culp, Nancy Kwan, David Hedison, Henry Silva, Don Stroud, Barbara Leigh, Alan Young, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, Gary Lockwood, and others. The production has full sound effects and music, like an "audio-movie".

    It's a mystery/thriller about a CIA deputy director that get's amnesia and for some unknown reason is marked for death by both the Mafia and the CIA. The woman he lives with, but can't remember, runs with him. But can he trust her?

    It will be avaliable on Amazon and AuthorsDen.

    This is my second full cast audio-book. My first was "Hard Rock Lovers" narrated by Rod Taylor. Performed by Russ Tamblyn, George Chakiris, Robert Culp, James Darren, Barbara Leigh, and Kevin McCarthy. 

    Click "Next 5" bottom right for more articles.
             

December 6, 2006

  •                                    Three New Projects Finished

    I worked on three audio-books at the same time. Sometimes going from one studio in Hollywood to one in Santa Monica. I felt like Orson Wells when he was performing live radio shows in New York. orson wells To get to another studio on time he would hire an ambulance to take him there.  lawyer_chasing

    Project 1 - Bond CD box "How to Live the James Bond Lifestyle". This was fun to make. I read the text, but had many actors doing voices for the dramatization parts, as well as sound effects.

    Project 2 - New Nancy "McKnight's Memory" narrated by Frank Sinatra Jr. Performed by Robert Culp, Nancy Kwan, David Hedison, Henry Silva, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, Alan Young, Gary Lockwood. It's the story of a CIA agent that loses his memory and is pursued by the mafia and the CIA. It has full effects and music.

    Project 3 - the king cover "The King, McQueen, and the Love Machine". Barbara Leigh reads her true story of dating Elvis, Steve McQueen, and Jim Audrey who was president of MGM studios. The cast includes Joe Esposito as himself, David Hedison as Aubrey, and me as Elvis, along with a full cast and effects.

    I wrote and directed "McKnight" and "JB Lifestyle" as well as did the abbridgement and directed "The King".  Long time friend and associate Larry Metzger produced.  A movie producer has expressed interest in producing the feature length film version of "McKnight's".

    Upcoming Project  - The audio-book "I, Justice". Frank Sinatra Jr. will narrate in the first person and perform the lead.

July 12, 2006

  •                          Get It Right the First Time

     

    Walt Disney had his studio at risk on the largest production in the history of Hollywood.

    The big action scene was the fight between the men of the submarine and a giant squid.

     


     

    The scene was filmed in front of a sunset colored backdrop which made for a boring and fake looking scene.

     

     

     

    Finally they got the idea to film it during a night storm at sea and the scene became a classic.

     


     

    It was not only a fight with the squid, but with the elements of sea and storm. But only after a great loss of money shooting it the first way did they come up with the new idea.

     

    Storms action scenes at sea had been a stable of movies since the silent era. Why hadn't anyone thought about doing that with the squid scene in the first place?  It would have saved a lot of time, money, and risk.  If only anyone, even the studio garbage man had said, "Say, why don't you film it in a storm at night." It would have been the obvious way to do it.

     

    Realistically speaking, it's difficult to come up with the right way of doing things all the time. But when you have a large amount of time and money at stake. Remember     and try to think it out. Maybe you'll get it right the first time.

     

    One the special edition of the DVD you can see a great 90 min. documentary on the making of this movie. It's really inspirering.  Also look for Charles Grodin's first screen appearance as the dummer boy on the ship. He has a 3 second shot.  Gotta start somewhere.

     

June 24, 2006

  •  

                                              

                    Nancy Kwan in "McKnight's Memory" Audio-Book

    We put a great cast together and finished three days ago. Robert Culp plays the lead as a CIA operative who's on the run with a woman he can't remember (Miss Kwan).  Also in the cast are Don Stroud, H.M. Wynant, Henry Silva, Alan Young, Barbara Leigh, Edd Byrnes, Gary Lockwood, and David Hedison. It's narrated by Frank Sinatra Jr.

    Miss Kwan's wonderful mix of voice and performance pushed the romantic thriller into overdrive. Great to work with her and all the actors. Here is Nancy Kwan's web site.

    Also finished directing "The King, McQueen, and the Love Machine" audio-book. As well, as the eight hour full audio-book of "The Complete James Bond Lifestyle Seminar" to be released in September just before the new Bond movie. It has an additonal 40 "pages" recorded on it, as well as the cast performing the dramatizations, with music and effects.

April 29, 2006

  •                                               You Must Act !            


    Are you really serious about being a working actor in Hollywood?  Then I strongly recommend the ebook that I just read entitled "You Must Act".  It has all the realistic info you need to start and sustain an acting career.  And will help you in other jobs in the business as well. 


    I'm not affiliated with him, so I can tell you freely that Bob Fraser's Ebook (or CD-Rom) has the best info I've ever read on the subject.  Mr. Fraser is an actor/producer/director/writer that's done it all for years.


    You can get it at: www.youmustact.com 


    And get the free monthly newsletter "Show Biz How To" at:  www.showbizhowto.com

March 20, 2006

  •                  "Walk the Line" with Sam Phillip's Advice

     

    In the new bio-pic "Walk the Line", we see young Johnny Cash singing a gospel song to record producer Sam Phillips.  Sam stops him and says:

     

    "I don't believe what you're singing.  But if you were hit by a truck and were lying out there in the gutter dying and you had time to sing one song. One song people would remember before you're were dirt. One song that would let people know about how you felt about your time on earth. One song that would sum you up. Something real. Something you felt. What would that one song be?"

     

    Johnny thinks, then starts singing a song he wrote, "Folsom Prison Blues".

     

    I hear lots of writers and directors saying, "I got this idea, and than there's another idea, and I might do this other idea......."  I always reply, "Do your last book. Your last movie. Your one ultimate story."

     

    If you can't raise the money yet, to make it into a movie, do it as a book. It just takes a PC and time. And if you want to make it a little more special, do it as an Audio-Book. It's just takes an extra thousand dollars, cheaper than a week vacation. You can even get a professional sound mix on your PC with recording software. And if you want to make it more special, hire a famous actor to read it. That'll take a few more grand and you must record in a studio.

     

    And then the next time you are at a party and introduce yourself as a writer or director or producer and they say, "What have you done?"  You can pull your book, CD, or DVD out of your bag and give it to them. You can tell them to find it on Amazon (they'll take anything with a ISBN number and a bar code).

     

    And that will be the one ultimate thing that will "sum you up".  And I'll guarentee you, vacations are great, but there is no greater creative satisfaction than "summing yourself up", in a book and being able to hand it out to people that are interested, or being bought by people you don't even know.