January 13, 2005

  •                            My Movie Career

    So you can understand my point of view, let's go back in time.At age 8, I see

    "The Making of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"  on Disneyland TV and decided to become a movie director.  Age 16, I start filming 20 minute action stories using my father's 8mm camera and friends as actors.  I used his tape recorder to run sound, music, and dialogue (out of sync) when I projected it.

    Age 18, Mr.Diethelm, a professional cameraman, tells my father, "If he's serious about movies he has to shoot in 16mm."  So my father bought me a used Bolex camera.  Here's where I  had my first run in with movie budgets, as 16mm was $15 to buy and develop for 2min.45sec. Instead of $4 to buy and developed 8mm, which ran 4min.30sec. And me making $1.25 an hour at a gas station while going to  Jr. college.

     
    I immediately film a 30 min color action movie titled "Trapped" and it wins the Berkeley Film Festival.  I start taking karate to be like  . 
     My Sensei introduces me to samurai movies.  Seeing that action with great film techniques of the Japanese directors moved me into martial arts movies, even before   or  .
     
    I transfer to San Francisco State College film department, making more 20 minute karate stories and placing 3rd in the next Berkeley Film Festival.  I graduate with a BA in film.
     
    Because of the draft for the Viet Nam war, I join the Air Force movie department and film space launches for NASA.
     
     
    I take leave to film my first feature "Draw Swords" in 35mm black and white Techniscope. It's about 3 samurai going to England to enter a fencing tournament. To do the lab and sound work in Hollywood, I use all my  cash and credit cards, loans, and refinancing my car. 
     
      Drawn Swords
     
    I get out of the Air Force, after 4 years, and return to San Francisco unable to sell my black and white movie except to an art film rental distributor, which brings in little money.
     
    I work at Dow Chemical for 6 months to pay off my movie debts.  I promise myself if I get another break I will make a color movie that is so commercial the distributors will have to buy it.
     
    I then meet karate tournament fighter Ron Marchini who has me re-edit and sell his Philippine produced movie "Manila Gold". It's changed to "Murder in the Orient" to capitalize on "Murder on the Orient Express".  It plays the action theater circut.
     
    Ron then hires me to direct "Death Machines"  and co-produce it in Stockton, CA.  To be commercial, we come up with a story of  3 karate killers (white, black, asian) to cover all markets.  Then we add a cop/gangster plot, big fight scenes in a karate dojo, bar, and police station, and we actually blew up a piper cub airplane. 
     
     The movie is immediately picked up by Crown International Pictures,     a mini-major distributor, and is played everywhere with big advertising, such as quarter page adds in the big papers.  It opened in 50 theaters in LA making it a #14 top grosser.  I now have something to show.  I'm a real director.
     
    However, I still can't seem to get the money together to produce my own movie, so I direct a sequence for "Sesame Street".
     
    I pick up a copy of "The Million Dollar Secret Hidden in Your Mind", by Anthony Norvel, about programing the subconscious for success.  I take his classes for three months, then return to the San Francisco.  In 10 days I raise the money to produce and direct "Weapons of Death".     
     
    The panavision film plays all over the USA breaking a house record in a New York theater.
    On "Weapons" I meet Eric Lee , Sid Campbell , and Gerald Okamura.  Serious martial artists  and actors that would remain lifelong friends and business associates.  With them I produce "Ninja Busters".  This was followed by "One Way Out"  starring and produced by Ivan Rogers.
     
    Next came "Omega Cop"  with Ron Marchini, starring:
     
                 
      Adam West       Troy Danahue     Stuart Whitman
     
     
    I have two great years of post-production work on 4 features, then move to Japan for acting and voice work.  Next I'm directing in Seattle with Air Force friend and producer Conrad Denke.
     
    An actress from "Weapons" hires me and Conrad to procduce a travelogue in Phuket, Thailand  (James Bond location) proving you never know what contact will end up getting you movie work.
     
    I write my two novels     in hopes of getting them produced as movies, opening up another enjoyable creative outlet.  And when many people ask me "How do you survive as a freelance?"  I  write "How to Live the James Bond Lifestyle"     This way I don't have to spend hours explaining it, I just give them the book.
     
    Then I directed my novel Rock Star Rising as an audio-book.  It's a dream come true. RockStars Front
    And then my second. New Nancy
     
    I'm now prepared the final screenplay of "McKnight's Memory" for my lucky #7 feature film.
     
    Along the way, these became my 25 favorite movies.  Not neccesarily the best movies, but they are constantly in my life.
     
    So that's my film history up till now.  Read on down and come back again for more adventures, advice, and fun on  Feature Film Directing.  

  •                         Screenplay Writing

     

    Writing a screenplay is not difficult. Keeping the audience in their seat or keep them from hitting the channel changer is difficult.  It's the story that keeps them in seat.  Yes, the actors bring them to the theater, makes them believe in the situation more. But, as Shakespeare said, "The play is the thing."  Robert Evans says, "If it's not on the page, it won't be on the screen.

     

    Jack Valenti (MPAA) said, "Soon motion picture will be beamed down from satellites directly into the theaters. There will be inovations in film technology that will make your head spin.  In all this, the story tell will be king."

     

    I have some very definite ideas about screenplay writting that I will get into later. But for now here's the best book out on writing screenplays.    Find it here.

     

    It's written by William C. Martell.  He's written 17 movies for cable and video and  has a web site that is dedicated to screenplays.

January 12, 2005

  •                   Film School in Your Living Room

     Here are some of the best dvd director's commentary to learn all aspects of film making.

     

    1 -   Garry Marshall talking on "Pretty Woman".  - The best 

           concerning all realistic info on getting the story on

          the screen.  You'll learn that no matter what the budget, there is

          never enough time or money to film all that you want.

     

    2 -   Sydney Pollack - "The Way We Were" - Making deals,  working with actors, story editing, solving production problems.  Includes a documentary with Pollack and Barbara Striesand.

     

    3 -   Richard Fleischer - "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". The 2 hour documentary on the special edition will inspire you do make something worthwhile. You hear stories from the director and crew who put all they had into this movie.  And about Disney who risked his studio and livelyhood to make the most expensive movie of it's time.

     

    4 -    Francis Ford Coppola talks on all three Godfathers in the new box set.  There's another disc full of proction details.  Coppola talks about casting, studio problems, film technique, and more importantly the life of an artist.  A must for serious fimmakers.

     

    5 -   John Frankenheimer talks about camera lenses, getting production value, working with actors, and the life of a serious film maker on this masterpiece of film making.  In fact, see any dvd that has Frankenheimer's commentary. 

January 11, 2005

  •  


                             Jessica Walter


    I worked with her on a comercial with Greg Morris (Mission Impossilbe).   She's the woman trying to kill Clint Eastwood in    .  


    She also co-starred in "Grand Prix", the great racing drama by John Frankenhiemer.  Both actors were so professional and fun to work with. 


    I was able to ask Miss Walter all kinds of questions about making "Grand Prix", one of my favorite movies with the best "soap opera" dialogue ever written, besides having the most exciting races ever filmed.  It's not out in dvd widescreen yet.  I'll let you know when it is.

  •              Gerald Okamura   


    He starred in two of my feature films. "Weopons of Death" and "NinjaBusters".  He resently recorded on my James Bond Lifestyle CD.  He's known as the "Martial Arts Magician" and has appeared in numerous films such as John Carpenter's "Big Trouble in Little China"   PHOTO SYNOPSIS , starring Kurt Russell.



    Gerald has always been the consumate professional. Always prepared, on time, and ready to work. Always coming up with ideas for his part as well as ideas for the project. 


    Getting the reputation as a trusted professional is the best way to be called in when you're needed on a film.  Being professional means doing the job now matter what else is going on in your life, if your tired, the location is tough.  Professionalism is always remembered when producers are risking their money on a movie and need reliable people.


    This is just an introduction of the players that I will refer to as we delve into the deep subject of how to succeed in the movie business.


    Check out how Gerald advertises himself on his web site and by producing a yearly "DragonFest". He knows how to say in the movie game.  GeraldOkamura.com