Cheaters Prosper Update – 1/3
Waddup, waddup.
Went through the script today and completed the sixth revision. I’m pretty happy with it. One really cool thing about involving actors in a story you’ve penned is you get instant feedback. When writing a novel, it takes some serious hustle to find willing readers. When someone is playing a character you’ve created, they are bound to read the lines and seriously consider whether your material is worth getting involved with.
The father of the main character, Ed, is a mid-fifties deadbeat who lounges around the house in a bathrobe and briefs. I’m happy to have secured a man named Phil for the role. Phil was also in my acting class, and he is an impressive performer. He’s a career psychologist with an amazing willingness to put himself out there. I can’t imagine it was easy for him to be grouped with all the young dreamers at my local college course. I’ve got to hand it to him – not only was he a stand-out actor among us, but he’s gone out of his way to secure a few commercial gigs as well as some voice over work.
I put together an itinerary for the week and sent it out, though I anticipate some changes. Currently we are going to shoot Thursday night and some time on Wednesday.
I need to borrow a friend’s house for Wednesday’s scenes. He prefers I use his place anytime before 6 PM. My older brother, who films, sets up lighting, and has his own professional equipment, doesn’t get off work until 6. One of the actors, Kelin, also works from about 2 until 9 PM.
The only clear way for me to get around these conflicting schedules would be to film the scenes myself, without my brother’s help. If we begin early on Wednesday, Kelin can get to work on time, and we can use my friends house during acceptable hours.
The biggest issue would be me working the cameras. I know nothing about cinematography, how to set up lighting, or how much coverage I need to get. I’m going to ask my brother if he could spend Monday night showing me step-by-step what he would do. The other big issue would be handling his equipment – I’m not sure I have any right to be trusted with it. One other obstacle is the boom mic – I need to find someone willing to hold it for me.
Not sure what’s going to happen, but I’m confident there is always a way to make things work.
Thomas M. Watt
