“January” Production Diary #2

This is real. I—we—are making a film.

I’m not sure when it hit me the most, but today has been a triple-whammy as far as reminders go.

Before I become too far entrenched in my story-of-the-triple-whammy, let me first offer you with a short summary of “January,” because I realize I haven’t yet provided one. “January” is a short film about David, a college student, who finds himself on a quest to find purpose in his life after he interprets the writing in a bathroom stall as a sign from some higher being.

Now, on to the whammies!

Earlier today, I submitted an application to Kickstarter to hopefully gain a way to accept donations/get funding for the short. There are other websites which provide a way to get notoriety/money, but the fact that Kickstarter has an application process (which is reviewed by staff members, to make sure users don’t abuse their Terms of Service) makes me feel as if it’s a little more reputable. I have yet to hear back from them as to whether or not my proposal has been accepted, but I’m hoping that it is, as it’ll certainly be a confidence boost for the rest of the team and me. 

Speaking of the rest of the team, I got a text message from Jack Atterholt (AKA “Kaptain Kewl”), a friend of mine who’s composing the score for the film. We have a meeting tomorrow at noon, and he asked me to bring blank CDs and a USB drive to the meeting tomorrow. This thoroughly excited me—I may or may not have jumped up and down—and I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to take some samples (or all!!!) of the soundtrack to share with the cast and crew. Having worked with Jack before on several films (he was the lead in my award-winning short film “Amalgam” 3 years ago) I know his commitment to excellence in everything he does, and he and I seem to be kindred spirits when it comes to artistic matters in film. I have seen him perform live multiple times, and can say that he is an incredibly talented, incredibly passionate musician, and it is for these reasons that I cannot wait to hear what he’s come up with tomorrow. I know that the rest of the crew—Dan, Chris, and Natalie—are also on the edge of their collective seat for this music, too, because we all want to storyboard with some of the music in mind. I think that’s one of the (many) cool things about the four of us: we all get some of our inspiration from music, in that we all (although I’m only speaking for myself, technically, I guess) project images in our imagination to match the moods and emotions that we’re hearing. 

The third “whammy” came when I was sitting with a friend watching an episode of Celebrity Wife Swap. I looked to her, after sharing my Jack-story, and said, “I’m going to be a filmmaker.” It was almost a whisper, and I’m not sure why I was so surprised when I said it, but this—this whole production—is a dream come true. Yes, I suppose I’ve been a filmmaker since I picked up my mother’s JVC camcorder back in second grade and began making a movie with friends about wizards, but “January” is such an undertaking, and with such high goals, high sights, high aspirations, that I feel like I’m for real. I know that the cast and crew have already heard this, because I told it to them in an email a while back with the second draft, but for the rest of you (whoever “you” are) this will be new:

When I got to high school I became more involved in theatre, which I still do love, but it always felt like I had to choose between theatre or film in high school, because of time commitments. Now that I’m in college, I feel like I can finally get back to film, and it feels fucking* fantastic.

I feel like one of the characters in A Tale of Two Cities right now, with that phrase: “recalled to life.” This experience is about to be totally crazy, and entirely unforgettable. I can’t wait to get started.

LOVE,

BRENT

*I swear [pun intended] that the profanity was purely for alliterative and superlative effect. :-P