Matt Whitten: The Award-Winning Writer behind Killer Story and Hit TV Shows like House and Pretty Little Liars

Matt Whitten, award-winning writer, House, Pretty Little Liars, Killer Story, true-crime podcasting, storytelling, writing, podcast, insights

Are you a fan of hit TV shows like House and Pretty Little Liars? If so, you're in for a treat! Our latest podcast episode features Matt Whitten, the award-winning writer behind these shows, and many more.

But that's not all – Matt is also the author of six critically acclaimed novels, including his latest work, Killer Story. This gripping book takes readers on a thrilling journey through true-crime podcasting, showcasing Matt's masterful storytelling skills.

During our conversation, Matt shares his unique insights into storytelling, providing valuable advice for writers and anyone interested in the creative process. We discuss his experiences working on hit TV shows, the challenges of writing novels, and what it takes to create compelling narratives that keep audiences engaged.

Whether you're a fan of Matt's previous work or love a good story, this episode is a must-listen. So, grab your headphones and join us for a fascinating discussion with one of the most talented writers of our time.

Don't forget to tune in to our podcast to hear Matt's insights into the world of true-crime podcasting, storytelling, and writing. And be sure to follow us on social media for updates on upcoming episodes and more exciting guests like Matt Whitten!

Discover the award-winning writer behind hit TV shows like House and Pretty Little Liars and their latest book, Killer Story, which takes readers on a thrilling journey into the world of true-crime podcasting. With six critically acclaimed novels and multiple awards, this prolific writer has become a master of their craft. Learn more about their impressive career and unique insights into storytelling.

Breaking Social Norms: Growing Up in Different Environments - A Mother-Daughter Conversation

In this episode, Andrea and her daughter Emily sit down to have a conversation about their experiences growing up in different social environments. They share insights on small-town living, breaking social norms, and speaking your mind. Through personal reflection and challenges faced in different environments, they offer perspectives on overcoming fear and embracing diversity.

Andrea grew up in a small town in Arkansas, where diversity was not always appreciated. When she went to college, she realized how little exposure she had to other cultures and communities. This realization motivated her to raise her children to be open and not naive. Emily, on the other hand, grew up in the Dallas area, where there was a melting pot of people. She shares her experiences of growing up in a more diverse environment and how it has shaped her worldview.

The conversation shifts to the challenges of small-town living and the pressure to conform to social norms. Emily talks about the importance of speaking your mind and not being afraid to challenge the status quo, even if it means going against your peers. Andrea reflects on how she raised her children to be independent thinkers and not let fear hold them back.

Throughout the conversation, the mother-daughter duo shares their insights on breaking social barriers and embracing diversity. They discuss social cues and how to navigate challenging environments with confidence. By the end of the episode, listeners will come away with a renewed appreciation for the importance of speaking your mind and living authentically.

Join Andrea and Emily as they share their unique perspectives on growing up in different environments and how it has shaped their worldview. Through personal reflection and insightful commentary, they offer practical tips for breaking social barriers and embracing diversity. Tune in to this mother-daughter conversation for an engaging and thought-provoking discussion.

Andrea and her daughter discuss growing up in different social environments, the challenges of small-town living, and the importance of speaking your mind. Gain insights into breaking social norms and embracing diversity in this mother-daughter conversation.

Breast Cancer Didn't Stop Her: Fitz Koehler's Journey to Staying Strong and Uplifting Others"

This Wednesday, February 22, 2023, I spoke to a lady who really is an inspiration to everyone that meets her on my podcast “Paul G’s Corner. During our conversation, Fitz shared with me her personal experience with breast cancer and how it has impacted her life. She spoke about the challenges she faced during her treatment and how she could stay active and positive throughout the process. She said, "Cancer is a thief, but you don't have to let it steal everything from you."

Fitz Koehler

inspiring journey of beating breast cancer while remaining active and vibrant

One of the things that really stood out to me was Fitz's emphasis on the importance of exercise and movement during her recovery. She talked about how physical activity not only helped her stay physically strong but also gave her a sense of control and normalcy during a time when everything else felt uncertain. "Movement is medicine," she said, "and it's one of the few things you can control when you're dealing with cancer."

Fitz also shared some advice for others who may be going through a similar experience. She stressed the importance of taking things one day at a time and not getting overwhelmed by the big picture. "You don't have to climb the whole mountain today," she said, "just take one step at a time and celebrate every victory, no matter how small."

But perhaps the most inspiring part of our conversation was when Fitz talked about what she has learned from her experience with cancer. "It's really taught me to appreciate every day, to live in the moment, and to not take anything for granted," she said. "It's also given me a sense of purpose and a desire to help others who may be going through something similar."

Fitz's positive attitude and determination are truly inspiring, and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to speak with her on my podcast. Her story reminds us that even in the face of adversity, we can find strength, hope, and joy.

She said, "Life is precious, and every day is a gift. So let's make the most of it."

I agree with that.

---

The morning look

Fred, the cat that lives outside my house, gives me this look every morning.

Fred’s only expression

Entering a new life, finally.

I have finally gotten a divorce. Most of my friends have asked me why I waited so long. My answer was always,” I'm trying to do the right thing.”

It turns out I wasn't. All I was doing was dragging out the inevitable. I knew it was over seven years ago. Why didn't I move then? Cuz, I'm a dumbass. For the last five years, I've been nothing but a roommate.

It's been almost two months since I forced her to leave, and I am happy. Now I can search for someone that actually likes me and I can like back.

The grief and heartbreak has passed long ago but the paperwork is now complete.

Thank God.

Relaxing

We all need to relax. I did today for a little while

Experimentation with light

Many of you know and a bunch of you don’t know that Photography and Filmmaking are actually all about light when it comes to the image. Light is the key to making an image look great. Not enough light and the image is noisy and the colors will look strange, the sharpness of the photograph will be terrible making the image look grainy. In film/video it’s even more of a problem. The sensors our camera use today is light years beyond what was available just ten years ago but even still, they aren’t even close to the old celluloid film and much less, the human eye with its big grey central computer with the far superior AI built into every model.

This last week, I jumped off the deep end and bought my first professional film/video/photograph light. I have never bought one before because of the high cost. With some models costing as much as twenty-nine thousand dollars, there was absolutely no way I would ever have a pro-level LED light of any kind.

The good news is, the technology always advances and the price comes down.

I searched the web and scoured the pro photography sites like B&H and Adorama and found that there is a brand out there that video/film creators have come to trust. The price point still being eleven hundred dollars for the buy-in though, I was hesitant. While I know that the price is pretty much the lowest it has been for this type of light, it is still a bit much. Actually, it is ALOT. I mulled it over and thought about the way it could improve my shooting. I wondered for a very long time if the light would actually be that much more powerful than the current Panel LED’s I was using. I scoured the internets looking for a direct comparison of the two types of light for weeks but found none. The unknown kept me from purchasing.

Then one night I was making a small thirty-second pitch to Imagine Impact about who My screenwriter Donald and I are and why out movie the “Conscript” should be made. I filmed Donald easily, as it was done in my home office against the couple of hundred books and an old manual typewriter I have laying around. Then I went to film my part. We wanted to separate the two of us and use the “atmosphere” to tell the viewer who we are since we did not have any time to use words for the explanation. I set up the lighting I had, two LED panel lights, in my yard against a spooky background. I wanted to use a Gel or a semi-clear plastic colored red to light the background and a blue, daylight color for my light or “Key Light”. I saw it in my head and it looked absolutely great. In reality, though, it was far from what I pictured.

The background was only slightly red and some foreground elements were red too. It is what cinematographers and photographers call “light Leak”. I tried to get it to look good but I couldn’t pull out the background with my Sony a7III SLR. I didn’t have enough light. It was such a colossal failure that Donald and I contemplated scrapping that idea and the footage to make something else. I hate having to go back and something again just because I cannot make it look right, especially when the performance was right. So, I caved and used it anyway.

Here is the final product:

It actually turned out pretty good and most definitely expresses that there is a major difference between Donald and me when it comes to the different approach to screenwriting and filmmaking. Mission accomplished, sort of. As a filmmaker, if I cannot match what I see in my head, it is actually a failure.

The only solution to my problem is to up my game when it comes to lighting. Because of the way I create is often spontaneous and usually happens fairly quickly, renting is out of the question. So the only choice I have left is to own the correct lighting so it is available when I need it. I have tried to plan shoots in the past but it hardly ever works out because of the commitments of other key players in the plan or lack thereof.

Aputure 300D MKII

So this last week I ordered the Aputure 300D MKII COB LED Light. It actually scared me to spend that much money on such a thing. I mean I have managed to pull off some amazing stuff in the past ten years with the absolute cheapest lighting gear I could find, and you know, thinking like that is probably what has held me back.

Now, I didn’t just order the light and go on, I know I am going to be faced with lighting challenges that are going to be super technical and I will need everything I know to get the job done right. That means I am going to need an arsenal of light modifiers to help me get out of any future tricky situation.

It does come with a very good light “can” as I call it and it is super useful. But that isn’t going to be anywhere good enough to make the 300D MKII a rounded tool that is capable of lighting multiple situations. The light by itself only lends itself to what is called “Hard Light”. If you have ever taken a photo with your phone during the afternoon and thought that it could have been a great pic but there is something that just isn’t right, that’s because you shot it using the hardest light out there, the sun.

So, I also had to get three hundred bucks worth of other things: a softbox, a Fresnel (pronounced Frenel), and some barn doors.

Light Dome

Fresnel (Spot Light)

Barn Doors

While you may not think much of these things, I assure you, they make a monstrous difference when trying to control light. The softbox basically softens the light, the Fresnel Sharpens, and amplifies light and the barn doors keep light from spilling onto unwanted areas or creating a “sliver” of light for more dramatic stuff. All of these tools can be used in extremely creative ways that add nuance to any Photograph or movie and boy was I anxious to try them out.

I ordered the entire set up on Monday and wasn’t able to get them for almost a WEEK! Seems that COVID19 has dropped the speed in which you can get your stuff delivered from two to three days to as excruciatingly long as one can wait while still being considered express. I watched the FedEx tracking number like a hawk. You can go to the website and see exactly where all of your packages are, or at least, where they were, whenever you want. It isn’t very accurate and it also shows you just how inept large companies can be at keeping inventory centralized. It seems that three of the four boxes this stuff came in weren’t even in the same location. It also let me know that FedEx runs at least two trucks at the same time from New Jersey to the Kansas City area. I wonder if the drivers ever noticed that they pass each other on the highway but never go to the same place? Anyway, half the packages landed in Kansas City while the other half landed in Lenexa Kansas, at almost the same time and only ten to twenty miles apart. I sat at my desk cringing and then cringing more until finally, it said: “on the truck for delivery”. Man, that was a long day. Finally getting my packages I put off tearing into them immediately for about an hour trying to retain some respectability. But, I couldn’t take it anymore and unpacked it all, put the light together, and trying out each attachment so I could see.

Oh boy, did I see

Getting the light out and setting it up, I compared it to the small light panel, praying under my breath the entire time that it would be substantially brighter and my money wasn’t wasted. Thank God I was not disappointed. Comparing the two lights I discovered that the small light quickly was overcome by the 300D. In fact, the 300D overtook the (now confirmed) dinky light panel with only Seven Percent output. Seven Percent! That means it would take ten light panels to create the amount of light of the 300D. Holy Cow!

So now it was time to put it to the test. I arranged for a model to show up at the house to be a guinea pig for my new found light source. I decided to only use the 300D and no other lights for the test. Because of its massive amount of light, I figured the best first test of its natural ability would be to recreate the old Hollywood lighting from the days of Noir and before. Truly a good place to start learning the nuances of the light. Plus the Fresnel is basically a spotlight so I could definitely use that for this type of photography. Two for one!

The day of the shoot was hot, muggy, and miserable. Within ten minutes of setting up, I was soaked to the bone with sweat. The model was suffering too, her hair, while straight and quaffed at the beginning, by the end it was crawling off of her head like Medusa’s snakes. Add to that the approach of a massive lightning storm moving in, well, I was in a hurry. When I am in a hurry, I make mistakes, as we all do. Out of all the photographs, every one of them was underexposed two to three stops. ug…

This is a photo straight out of the camera. I was using a manual lens with a custom white balance and I thought I took the photo correctly. Sadly, I didn’t. I have been shooting film and video long enough that you would think I would recognize when the image is underexposed this much. When shooting film/video I always over expose the frame to I can bring it down in post to keep noise out of my black or dark colors. For some reason, that strategy went out the window and I didnt pay attention to my camera when it told me I was under exposing.

Again, I was in a hurry because it was seemingly about to rain and I wouldn’t have been a happy camper if I immediately lost my light to moisture before getting to use it for the first time.

The saving grace, once again, was the power of the little Sony a7III. In movie mode, it only has six to eight stops of dynamic range but in stills mode that shoots up to eighteen. In other words, I can raise the exposure three to four times the brightness of the original without losing the range of color or introducing noise to the photograph and ruining it. Thank God once again for technology that saves my worthless butt.

Putting the photographs into Lightroom I was able to see what I was after. A giant sigh of relief was exclaimed and I began working on the photographs. While these aren’t the most perfect set of images in the world, I think they are pretty damn good, considering.

Filming a Zero Budget Movie in the year of the RAT

My God, where do we start? First, this is the year of the RAT, doesn't that make you feel better? No? I suppose it wouldn't. We have Civil unrest, Government intervention in society, and a Virus that is just as mysteriously as it is potentially fatal. It wouldn't be all that bad if it weren't for the fact that we aren't even halfway done. To make things even more difficult for someone like me, filming has all but completely stopped. Not just the Hollywood big budgets, even the local news has their reporters doing their segments from home.

I had planned on filming a neat little film this year in the spring when it wasn't too hot. Those plans are out the window as it is ninety-two degrees today. I think the humidity is almost 100 percent today, also—awful filming weather. Everything tends to overheat on a day like today, from the actors to the cameras, they just don't like it.

Being in Arkansas, no one is forcing us to stop what we are doing because of the "outbreak" but, since we are good folks down here in the South, we do as we are asked. Well, most of us do anyway. Not because we are slaves to the government but because we are friendly. We generally respect our neighbors in my part of Arkansas. Yeah, we do. Some of my friends that live in NWA might not see it that way, but I do. I have lived in many places in my life; for the most part, if you want to be left alone to do your own thing, NWA allows you that opportunity.

The downside of that is everyone is used to doing whatever they want without consequences from the community. Leaving us a little more narcissistic in our actions. Like someone that shows up for one day of filming and then never again because they are "busy." That's just not how filming works. You have to see the project through to the end, or you beach everyone involved in the project, and it is ruined. It happens when trying to have a party or putting together a picnic; the self-absorbed life becomes what is more comfortable and known. I get it. Even I have succumbed to that myself.

Since it is difficult in the best situations to get a low to no budget film made in the best of times, what will it take now!?

One thing that I wish would happen is that the film community in NWA pull together and get something done as a community. To this point, NWA has suffered from the hands of elitism amongst its directors and filmmakers. At least it seems that way to me. For what reasons are we all separated? Why do some believe that others are out to steal their work? Why do some think they can't work with someone because of points of view? Why do some believe that a lack of a "real" camera precludes someone from being any good? Or worse, someone doesn't share a specific political point of view, so they can't be worked with on a Film.

THAT'S ALL NONSENSE!

We are all filmmakers with stories to tell. I make films for the sake of the film, not the purpose of my point of view or politics. I am a good filmmaker, and I am proud of my accomplishments. Still, there isn't a planet in the solar system where I would refuse to work for someone because of some petty difference. Again, it's about the film.

With that being what it is: I am still looking to make a film this year, with or without help from anyone.

Why am I still a Solo shooter ten years in?

I started out taking photographs in High School I didn’t suck at it. I made films all throughout my life, even when I didn’t know what I was doing. I have always written stories. The first one I can remember was in sixth grade. It was awful and the actors were forced to be in it. But it was fun and I always have a story to tell. You can find my book listed on Amazon and Abe Books. You cannot buy one and there will probably never be another print run, but there it is.

I will probably write another book in the future. I actually have one that I want to finish called “Overwhelming Evil”. It is a story about a teenager who is being hunted by an evil entity only to discover that the real demon is something much worse. However, I have been writing that for about twelve years and I am only at thirty thousand words. Let’s just say, it will be a while.

The Beginning

I started down this trek of filmmaking as a hobby. I started making VLogs (Video Blog) in 2008 with just a webcam. I found the process to be more than just fun, I found it to be fulfilling. I bought a better camera and then got a DSLR. Thank God for the DSLR revolution! When I got my first DSLR or semi-professional camera, it changed how I looked at everything that I filmed. I realized that I could do more than just sit in front of it and talk. I could make my own programming. And make stuff I did. I made a bunch of little comedy shorts and a couple of dramatic things. I won my first film festival, then another. It made sense that I would keep it up. I really thought that I was on my way to something, and I still do.

I wasn’t schooled in the way of shooting or writing things those days. I just did it by the seat of my pants. My actors would sometimes ask me “what am I doing this for?” I would answer with “just trust me, it will work”. It did work for the most part. I only have one film I shot that no one has seen.

Summer Feature

I got to be one of the lead actors in a movie. too! You can find it on IMDB and it used to be on Amazon Prime but as of today, I don’t know where you can watch it. I had fun that summer. I got to run around and bother my co-star with crabby dialogue and somewhat witty banter. In post-production I had to save the movie from digital oblivion and probably should have received an Editor credit for that but, that’s ok. I got paid for that too. Always a plus. Made being out of work that year worth it. The really interesting part about the whole thing is that the entire thing was filmed on DSLRs. They didn’t have any studio type lights just panel lights as I use now, other than they weren’t as good. It was truly an independent film in every aspect of the phrase. I wish I could do that twice a year or even three times a year. It is, so far, as close to my goal of making a film as I have come and I didn’t even make the thing, just acted in it.

Live Television

Paul G Newton Live Broadcast TV Aircheck For Editing and Music.

About that same time, I went to work for 40/29 as the Chief Editor. It was a lesson in humility. I learned that no matter how good you are at your job, if you aren't on the TV, you are expendable. I suppose that is a little harsh, but it felt that way. I tried to be involved with the production and be a helping hand to make the show better every time it aired, I did. Anyone reading this that may have worked there when I did, I think you know that I just wanted it to be better. Or at least I hope they know this. But, in the end, I always felt expendable and more of a nuisance than anything else. In the end, I had to leave the station to retain my sanity. TV news can be the most stressful job ever invented to torture humankind.

Now, for the past few years, I have been doing product videos and testimonial interviews. It is fun, and generally, no one is breathing down my neck. But all these things I have created, the stories I have told, the commercials I have created, have all been done by me with no one helping. I did my own writing, filming, lighting, editing, and effects. Occasionally I would have someone helping with this or that (other than actors) but on a consistent basis, I did them all on my own and still make them by myself.

Product Videos and Commercials

Now What Do I Do?

That leads me to the question I put forth in the title of this blog. Why am I still a solo shooter? Why haven’t I been able to break through and start working on a production that tells a story not linked to a product? It flummoxes me to no end. I know how to do everything only because I have had to do everything. What can I do to move forward?

I am not one to settle and without some significant progress, I feel I am doing just that.

Since you are here and reading this, do me a huge favor and think about what you think it may take to break out. I know I need to relocate to where the stories that I love to tell and watch are being made and I am trying. It costs a ton of cash to just up and move.

What I think I need to do is make more films that tell stories. I need to create. But I know that is not enough. Very few people see my work these days. It is kind of scary to see the low numbers on my stats page. I do not aspire to become the next YouTube or Twitter star. I do not have dreams of becoming a millionaire from making films. I would be happy pulling down fifty to sixty thousand a year if it meant I was able to make stories people want to see. I don’t want to do anything other than telling great stories with great people.

I tried to make one this summer, here is a snippet. I hope I get to tell more this coming year.

I guess I will keep plugging along.

On the brink of friendship; "A man and a Cardinal".

I have been stuck at home (as most of us are) for over a month now. No in-person interaction, just the blank walls, and stillness of the nothingness that surrounds me. I think of stories to write and situations to talk about. I learn new facts that have no real-world application but are interesting nonetheless. I get excited about topics but have no one to share them with. The only respite I have is the occasional conversation with my spouse. Still, those are brief and generally about housekeeping and such. Since she is working twelve-hour shifts, six days a week, there is little time. So after my workday is over, I watch Netflix or Amazon Prime, Hulu, or our stash of films still regulated to Blu-Ray. It has become what I imagine a white-collar prison would be. But worse. At least in prison, there are guards to talk to and other inmates. Here, at home, there isn't even that luxury.

As I sat outside this week, something interesting happened. The sun was pretty warm, and the neighborhood birds began to make themselves heard. Not just like "hey, I am here," more like "HEY! YOU SITTING THERE! PAY ATTENTION!" It got loud. I suppose spring has finally riled them up, and for once, I am around to hear the community of feathered rabble-rousers.

While not strange, what was weird is that I noticed this little male Cardinal watching me. I said, hello. He stared at me. Then he really stared at me. I could tell he was concentrating hard. He didn't look at me like a dog, cat, or a human, he used just one eye as birds do. But for some reason, I knew he was studying me more than any other native Arkansas bird had ever before. I am sure that you have been stared at by the exotic birds. They lock on you and track your movements. That was this Cardinal, but for some reason, I could feel the intensity of his stare. I looked at him in return with what I felt was the same intensity, and he bounced off into the trees. While interesting, it seemed to be a "one-off," and I moved about my day.

The Flying Stalker

My iPhone at maximum zoom got me close, but I knew I had to get my real camera.

Until he returned. This time he was sitting in one of the trees that are near my front porch. Further away, but still glaring at me intently. I looked his way, and again he fluttered away. I thought, "ok... this is kind of fun." Admittedly, I was super bored, and the thought of being attractive to a wild Cardinal was intriguing. But he left again, and that should have been the end of it. It wasn't.

I went inside for a while. I did some research into cameras, gear, and filmmaking but became restless once again. So I returned to the sunlight. After just a few moments outside, I realized that my crimson friend had returned. Not just hanging around a few feet out of arm's length, but almost sitting on my foot! This courageous little bird and his exuberant curiosity have landed him at my feet. We stare at each other for a moment, his demeanor seems calm.

I speak to him and smile. "Hello, my little friend." His little head snaps up, then down, then back up again. There is a small moment where I think he is deciding if we are to be friends. Then he flies away, back into the trees and shrubs that he calls home.

I immediately called my wife. I had to tell someone about this little encounter. She is amused but not overly so. After all, her life has not gotten quieter; it is exponentially louder with the long days and tighter security where she works. To her, this thing that is happening is only mildly entertaining. To me, it's like the circus came to town and set up in my front yard. I guess it is all about perception, now isn't it.

I now have to document what's happening. I am a photographer, after all. I run into the house and get my camera and tripod. I get the longest lens I own, and I set up in the driveway, pointing my camera towards the front porch, and I wait. And wait. And wait. It seems that my friendly Crimson wrapped feathered friend has decided we aren't really made to be friends after all. It wasn't meant to be, I suppose, for the lives of humans and that of wild songbirds are much too distant to for a connection any deeper than observing one another.

Believing that I just wasted precious energy setting up my camera for breathtaking pictures of man and Cardinal forming a mind-blowing friendship perfect for Instagram or a Twitter firestorm, I do what I always do. I made the best of it. You see, I have this furry wanderer that lives in my yard. He didn't ask permission to live here, but here he lives, nonetheless. We call him Freddie, and he likes to do what cats are want to do.

So I turned my camera on him. Because I was bored, I made this little film that I call "The Cat." Please watch and enjoy.

COVID-19 Has me in a stranglehold

For those that know me, you can probably already guess that I am going stir crazy. For those that don't know me in "real life," you are probably feeling just as loony as I am. If you aren't going crazy and claustrophobic and are loving this time of Quiet and relaxation, well, you're nuts.

Some people have told me to take the time to write and finish that screenplay or story I have been working on for years. That would be a great idea if it weren't for all the quiet and solitude.

WHAT?!

Yeah, I am a writer, but I am not actually a "writer." Writers spend most of the time throughout the day in their heads. If I spend more than twenty minutes of my day in my head, I start breaking stuff. My mind doesn't work like the rest of humanity, you see. My mind has hundreds of thoughts a minute running through it. Every object propels its backstory or possibly future story to the forefront. Because I am a positive thinker, yes, I indeed look at things positively, in a pragmatic sort of way.

Some people who have forced a positive light upon themselves find my way of looking at things to be negative. Even if that moment sucks the suck, they say positive things about it to keep themselves upright. I get that way of living, I do. Unfortunately, forcing the positive on negative thoughts isn't helpful in the long run, because the negative thinking still lives on. Even though it may live in the shadows, I know everything will be alright, and in the future, good things will happen. I will live to revel in the success of some sort once again. The sun will come up, and life will continue on.

Because I think of things in a positive light, I start down a path of grandeur. I think of all the success I could have with my podcast, my website, and even this blog. Because I am so enthralled with the success I will have my ego begins to grow. Then I start thinking of the new things I can do and the greatness I can espouse upon my readers, listeners, and viewers. I get wrapped up in the excitement of the potential of my winning streak; my ego gets even larger until reality kicks in.

I have tried for years to get a following or some sort of presence on the interwebs. I had a little success but couldn't get the pilot to light the flames. I write blogs, make vlogs, host live videos, enter and win contests, interact with as many people as I can. Yet still have few people reading, listening or watching. For those of you that keep up with me, THANK YOU SO MUCH! You have no idea how that makes me feel. I am incredibly grateful for your attention. But that is the reality of the situation. I am not growing my audience by doing what I have been doing. Honestly, I have no idea what I should do differently. If you know, please let me know.

Now, you probably are thinking, "Paul, that is a very negative way of thinking." Yes, it is. But it's also true.

Because I am not a complete idiot, this realization kicks in about the time I think I can rule the world. That's where the problem starts. How can I even believe that I am going to gain all of the success I just inflated my ego with? Truth is, I won't. That's when my ego pops, and the innards soil everything around them, causing a mess no one can recover from. Depression kicks in, and my world is destroyed. But only for a moment, because I am actually a positive person. I realize that you can't win them all, but if you play enough, you can win the season or, at least, not come in last place. Proof of that is the fact that you are reading this blog, and I am still writing it. I still write stories, and I still make films. I haven't given up, and I am fighting back the urge to say "F**K IT ALL" and follow through.

For those of you who haven't experienced this sort of hyper thinking situation, you must know that all of this happens over about thirty seconds or less about twice an hour.

Yeah, it sucks.

When I am kept busy with things that I am actually interested in, these thoughts do not come. But sequester me in a home by myself with no human interaction, and it's multiplied by at least two.

I would love to record a podcast, write a story, or film something for no real reason, but that just starts the process all over again. It is exhausting!

So, not to worry, I am just fine. I know that what I am thinking is just a logic circle and that it is not reality. I will keep on keeping on.

Maybe I will do a live video later… Hmm… Just think, it might be the start of something!

Night

These are my night photography samples. Some are set up, some are on the fly. Night photography is the ost interesting to me because of the technical aspect to getting the best art.

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  paulgnewton

  Let the #planting begin https://t.co/CPW8J8wxzd

  Mar 23, 2023, 9:53 PM

Isolation makes us do strange things.

I have had many jobs over the years. Most of them have been entrepreneurial. I sold Insurance for the majority of the time. Yeah, that was fun, NOT. I was, for a long time, a freelance filmmaker and photographer. That made for many long days and sometimes weeks working from home by myself. Rarely did I have any co-workers, and I was mostly alone in my house trying to edit or drum up a sale. Usually, I spent my time learning something new or honing my After-Effects or Photoshop skills. It was a solitary existence. I do not have children, and my wife works strange hours, so it is always eerily quiet. Some people might find that relaxing, but for a guy like me, it is exhausting.

I need action and conversation to stimulate my brain. My attitude gets questionable when I have no one around to stoke the fires of creativity. I like to tell people that I am the type of person that likes to hear the roar of the cannonballs. That means there always has to be something exciting happening around me. Solitude is boring.

These past few weeks have been nerve-racking to me. But I am working it out. I get to go into the office a little here and there. Even there, I am by myself. I have made a few product videos and some promotional stuff for an online event, but they are kind of lame. They aren’t lame because the product I created isn’t any good; they are lame because it’s not hard work, and it is just an inanimate object spinning around on a turntable. There is no meat on the bone, so to speak.

I did create something exciting this weekend, though. I broke out my fog machine and filmed an eerie scene of smoke coming through the slats on a chair in my yard. Donald showed up for a few minutes. We stayed six feet apart, just like you’re supposed to (we do that anyway, no biggie).

Here is what I shot. It doesn’t have a story, but it is kind of cool.

I might have had Corona, or I didn't. All I know is that it sucked.

It seems that there is a hysteria going around these days that is making everyone just a little strange. From the runs on toilet paper (pun intended) to the absolute insanity of fake news and misinformation, the past couple of weeks have taken their toll on my psyche. Being isolated is, for me, almost as bad as being sick since the end of December.

If you haven't paid attention to my Facebook feed (you probably didn't, and that's ok.), you would already know that I was extremely sick this winter. My symptoms are quite familiar to almost all of us now. It started one day with an unbearable sore throat that came out of now where. One minute I was filming products for the company I work for, and less than thirty minutes later, I could not swallow. My chest began to run with crud, and breathing became somewhat tricky. I went home and found that I had a mild fever, and the coughing started. It was a dry, hard cough.

I cannot afford to take off work now, and it was the same then. So I went to work with cough shortness of breath and fever. I didn't interact with anyone and had no need to since I do my job all by myself. When I went home, I went to bed. When I woke up, I coughed and suffered through the day. After about six days of this, I went to the Dr. They gave me a shot of steroids and a prescription for more steroids to take over the next ten days. I didn't get better. My fever and constant coughing, still persistent.

Three weeks into it, and I was back at the Dr again. This time the Nurse Practitioner gave me steroids and no antibiotics. I insisted that she give me some antibiotics but was denied. A week went by, and I developed an infection on top of my coughing. I had to be seen by a Dr once again. This time, a real Doctor.

Antibiotics (now round two) and more steroids. Honestly, I am surprised I still have my kidneys left.

I didn't get better immediately, but I did get better three weeks later. Actually, I am still quite weak from the entire ordeal. Luckily I made my doctor give me a booster for my pneumonia vaccine mid-summer. He didn't want to, but I insisted till I got it. Thank god I did. Otherwise, I might have been toast.

Now we have a threat from the outside. This virus that has been raging through the world seems to be a considerable threat. I am unsure if I had it already or if something new is lurking out there that may just end my existence. The symptoms I endured are mostly the same as this thing that is making people work from home and avoid human interaction.

Who's to say?

What I do know is that living in isolation is almost as deadly to me as being sick. While the threat from sickness can be seen and identified, the dread of being alone is just as fatal for a person like myself.

Some people wish for the quiet and, so-called, tranquility of living a life solitude. Then there are those like myself. The ones that feed on the interaction and approval or disapproval of others. I understand that it sounds counter to achieving happiness, having someone disapprove of the actions or words I emit. But it is a real thing. Input must be had. My mind is too full of everything to just sit and talk to myself. I mean, what do I know anyway?

Is the end of our way of life near? No, I would say not. Even if things seem dire, they are not really. In just a few weeks, people will begin congregating again and filling new restaurants to the brim, chasing the unique and trendy. The traffic jams will once again commence, and road rage will come back in style for those that have unconfronted issues that lie deep inside the ID. Life will return, and the sun will once again shine on those of us who need to laugh, argue, and converse just to feel alive.

Let's pray I can make it that long.

As for the illness, well, it happens. This is what life is like. The fact that it hasn't happened more catastrophically before now is actually quite surprising, even amazing. Throughout history, there have been many diseases that tore through society. Most of them were due to being dumb about sanitation and other things. In fact, the same thing should be said about this one.

Does this constitute a reason for the toilet paper shortage or the buying of forty pounds of ground beef? Not really, but I bet I can't convince anyone that truly believes it is a phenomenal reason for hoarding. You know, I guess it's all right. The only thing I would ask is that they share with people who can't buy anything because it was all purchased by three housewives with nothing to do but worry. I Digress... There is one thing that I ask you to do. Please check in on those friends and family that you know are super extroverted. They need your input, good or bad. Trust me on this one.

Movie Review: Bad Boys For Life

If you haven’t heard yet, Will Smith is attempting to rekindle his career in action movies. The box office success of the 1995 film “Bad Boys” has sparked two sequels. In 95’ the movie was welcomed with open arms with its signature song and the massive popularity of the main stars, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. This movie helped to propel the career of Micheal Bay as a box office master of action and, what my dad calls “shoot em up” movies. By today's standards, the film didn’t make that much money, but by 1995 standards it was a smash hit making an estimated 140 million on a 90 million dollar budget. Bad Boys II came out in 2003 and cost almost 130 million to make and took in 273 million. Again, delivering on the promise of the first movie and, well, winning.

When Bad Boys premiered, the Miami lifestyle still had some “Miami Vice” reverberations and people were ready to see that vibe portrayed again. With audiences flocking to the other hits of the year like “12 Monkeys”, “Nixon” and the still-relevant “Seven”, we were all in the mood for a light-hearted action flick reminiscent of “Lethal Weapon.” Transferring the theme song from the hit TV reality show “COPS” didn’t hurt either. This movie didn’t let the theater-going audiences down as it delivered a healthy dose of camp, action, jokes, and star-power. I enjoyed the movie so much at the time that I bought it (there was no streaming then) and the soundtrack too. Although I found it “meth-lab” trailer park to play the theme song so I stuck to the other tracks when there was a possibility of someone eavesdropping on my musical choices. Bad Boys II might be considered a better film, and it made just as many people happy as the first, myself included

And now, in 2020, “Bad Boys For Life” has made itself known. For what, I am not entirely sure, but it might not be something good. It is playing on the same tropes as the past two movies with all the throw-back lines and situations. Nothing in the film was new and there is no twist ending.

CAUTION, SPOILERS AHEAD

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The movie is almost a repeat of Bad Boys II when it comes to the interpersonal relationship between Smith and Lawrence. Sure they forwarded the story a touch with Lawerence’s family but nothing has changed between them and Smith is still unresolved as a character. In fact, I would suggest that neither character has any real movement and leave the movie as they came in, stagnant from the previous two films

The biggest issue I have with the film is that it resembles an 80’s or 90’s action flick a little too much. Most of the scenes were made fun of in one of my favorite movies “Last Action Hero.” In the film, they bring all the stupid things screenwriters do to make an action movie move forward without getting too much into the details when they have run out of things to blow up or minions to kill. In fact, much of the movie has those nameless, faceless villains wearing motorcycle helmets riding motorcycles and driving chase cars with heavily tinted windows. Our heroes can kill as many of them as they want and no one worries about the body count because they are bad guys after all. This movie even goes so far as to have them chewed out by their police captain who yells and screams like a little baby about how much these two guys wreak havoc on the city. Even after the blistering attack from the boss, the hero gets a new team with abilities unknown to Smith. But, we find out that the team is good, but they don’t have what it takes to be a real old school cop like Smith and Lawrence so they flounder.

Then there are the unnecessary and unreal explosions and weaponry. Cars do not blow up when they are shot with a rifle round, motorcycles cannot roam around the city with a military machine gun attached to the front of a motorcycle sidecar and grenades do not have enough force to push a motorcycle onto its front wheel. But this is the movies, so I may just let most of this stuff go. Ok, I won’t. It is just too ridiculous.

But there’s more.

In my humble opinion, when a screenwriter gets stuck or can’t see beyond their own creations eyes they do dumb things. Just like in the film “Batman VS Superman,” the duo is miraculously saved at the end of the movie when the team they left behind in Miami suddenly appears to give the crucial assist. This is amateurish and Smith and Lawerence should have been able to figure this out by themselves. It would have been a way better ending.

Instead, the screenwriters wrote themselves into a corner by having fifteen or so bad guys attack the guys in Miami. The rule of thumb for writing a screenplay is to make the next set of bad guys tougher than the last. Well, the only way they could do that is to double up on the number of bad guys since there was no set up for a supervillain henchman as that role was taken by the sub-plot of the super henchman being Will Smiths son. Yes, you heard me right, he had a child with the main bad girl. Explained to us in a reflective scene, we find that Will’s first assignment out of the academy was to be an undercover operative in a Mexican cartel. Just Another overused trope that this movie intends to cram down our throats in an unsuccessful attempt to make the audience care for the Characters that fails miserably.

Top all of that off with the Super Henchman (AKA Will’s son) is captured after turning on his mother and given a second chance to prove his worthiness even after killing the police captain, everyone’s dear friend, in cold blood just thirty minutes before. I mean Come On!

While I could go on and on about this film, I wonder if it will find an audience that revels in its creation. The world has changed and sensibilities have deepened. Can a 1908’s style buddy cop flick hold it’s own? If so, I can write that. And it would probably be better than this 1.5-star silly movie. Mostly because I always try to avoid cliché’s when writing a story. This movie leaves me wondering if our society has digressed to the point that a good story isn’t as crucial as making stuff blow up. The box office take for this movie will tell us and I hope it’s not bad news.

1917, Every tool a Plot driven Screenwriter can muster.

I watch a lot of movies. Most of them aren’t very good. Most of them are trying to be modern in their cinematic qualities and the stories have all the little things in them that the screenwriting books tell us must be included. They always add in the save the cat moments to make our hero seem likable. They have the sex at sixty or the love scene comes about the sixty-minute/page mark. When the hero finds himself in a position that feels impassable and all is lost, that is a screenwriting trope. The list goes on and on and sometimes it isn’t actually a good thing to see that every one of them is in the movie. Usually, that means it was written by someone that has lost their way when it comes to telling a good story.

I am going into massive spoilers with this blog about the movie “1917”, you have been warned.

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The movie is doing well with nominations this year. It is a good movie. However, it isn’t a great movie. The story is all about the plot and not about the characters. In fact, it must be noted that the main character isn’t who we think is it. The character we begin following is killed in the first half of the film. The other character, George MacKay as Lance Corporal Schofield, is quiet and argumentative. Schofield (MacKay) is not empathetic and really is overshadowed by Dean-Charles Chapman (Lance Corporal Blake) until his death at the hands of a German Bi-Plane Pilot.

Dean-Charles Chapman (Lance Corporal Blake)

Blake (Chapman) begins the film by volunteering his friend for a special project. Schofield has seen up-close combat, supposedly, and his friend has not. Given the task of getting orders from the General to the front lines to fall back and call off a misguided attack by Col. Mackenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch) as the Germans fall back to a more substantial position to ambush the entire section of the British Army. To do so, they must pass through “no man's land,” the abandoned fortifications of the Germans, and weed their way through dastardly non-descript German soldiers who have no other reason to exist than to kill whoever is dressed as a soldier playing for the opposite team. And that’s about it for the story, plot and anything else that you can think of.

I am not saying that the story isn’t right. It is a good story and you are on the edge of your seat at the beginning. Every scene has the pre-requisite amount of tension and all the boxes are checked. That is unless you have a yearning for characters who do things that have nothing to do with the plot but everything to do with the story, like me.

I will concede, after watching an interview with the Director/Writer Sam Mendes, this was completely intentional. He stated that he kept the characters obtuse and unfleshed out to keep the tension up. I agree that it worked but in the end, I was left with nothing. Maybe that’s the point? Perhaps it is his way of commenting on what war can be and what it takes from individuals to be executed correctly. I can see the point and it does make a statement. But, sometimes, the statement you want to make, or the theme you want to get across, shouldn’t be the only reason for the story. Not saying that was his “theme” and it is more of an observation on directing in general, I would suppose.

The movie is shot exceptionally well. I enjoyed ninety-five percent of the shots and set up. I especially love the one-shot, one-take way they did most of the film. It is very compelling and demands respect as it’s the most technically challenging thing to film. I thought they had to be using a boom or crane on a vehicle to get the shots of the two men going down into craters that must have been twelve to fifteen feet deep without having any camera shake, and they did exactly that. Pretty cool if you ask me.

I found most of the sets believable except for the number of dead bodies lying and floating around. In those days they would call front line cease-fires for Collecting the dead and wounded. Chivalry was something that all the armies followed, for the most part. The dead loitering everywhere is really an embellishment of the director to horrify the viewer. Other intricacies of the film can be called into question, I suppose, but they really aren’t anything that takes away from the film itself.

What does take away from the film is the number of writing tropes they threw into it. Since it doesn’t actually tell a real story and just shows you the plot with no character growth from anyone on screen, I suppose the more mechanisms it can put into place, the better.

The first, and most apparent, mechanism this movie uses (well, not that obvious since it happens in the second act instead of the first) is the reluctant hero. Our main man Schofield (MacKay) tries to get Blake (Chapman) to wait until dark before heading out on their mission. He beleaguers the point, over and over again, until they top the trench and begin their trek. Then he tries to stall his friend and hapless leader when they find some rations left behind by the Germans. Of course, this is a trap meant to bottleneck the invading soldiers so they will get caught in a tunnel collapse when they gather to eat. Our hero, who we have yet to discover is the hero, barely escapes while his cohort is none the less for wear.

Not to let the point go, the screenplay then has Schofield ask why Blake choose him and not someone else. In retrospect, as I sit here typing, this is the most exposition of the entire film. Then, it goes away and never comes back.

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At one point in the film, I almost fell asleep. No, really. I was so bored with what I was watching; it took everything I had to keep from snoring in the theater. Schofield, now on his own to complete the mission, has come to the town just outside the forest where the Colonel is preparing for the imperiled attack our hero has been charged with stopping. He is chased by a random darkly shrouded German Soldier into a small room with a fire burning. Schofield has managed to evade the German but finds himself presented with a pretty young French woman who has hidden there with a child. Schofield questions the woman and, in broken English accompanied by subtitles tells him that the child isn’t hers and that she randomly just found the fat baby (that isn’t an exaggeration, this baby is HUGE). He has a moment with her and then leaves to complete his mission.

This entire scene is something that I would have thrown out of my own movie as it has nothing to do with anything. Just an attempt at character building in a way that is utterly useless to the narrative we are watching. If you cut this entire scene from the movie, you have lost nothing. It is there because of the trope and mechanical tool that is called “sex at sixty.” It does nothing for our character and nothing for our movie. It also what clued me in to what the screenwriter was doing to make this story work. Then all the bells went off and I knew what, why and where everything happened as well as what to expect next. Essentially the movie ended for me during that scene and explained why I was trying not to saw an entire forest of knotted pine from my seat or at least sound like I was.

Overall, 1917 is a good film. Where it lacks in character everything, it makes up for in its artistry. The dialogue doesn’t miscarry and the characters seem mostly true; Schofield even has a mentor during one scene. The setting is bleak, as it should be and the war is represented in a mostly accurate way. The performances are strong. Albeit why wouldn’t they be when there is little dialogue once Lance Corporal Blake is killed.

Does it deserve Oscars for acting? I would bet there are better performances this year. Should it be given an award for the best screenplay? An absolute no. Cinematography, Most definitely.

Why I released an unfinished and technically bad film.

Filmmakers and artists, in general, do not like to share their mistakes. They hide them from the world and shame themselves every day for not getting it right. I am the same way. I once tried to write and film a script in one day and it was pretty terrible. To be honest, that one may never see the light of day, and I would bet the actors will thank me for it. But I do crazy things sometimes, and it just might get out into the world. But that doesn’t mean it was all for nothing. I learned a lot from that day, and I bet the actors did too. I learned that not having some sort of plan before turning on the camera is really the only way to go. I also learned that having a want to film something isn’t quite enough to make an excellent short film or even a mediocre one.

This past fall, I attempted to make a thriller short about a young person who kills everyone around her except for the one person she truly wants to see forbidden from breathing the planet's air ever again. It was to be a small mystery about people being found dead in strange places leading the viewer to believe that a killer is targeting a young woman and her family, but instead, in the last scene, we discover it was actually her the entire time.

Psychological thrillers interest me. I am not a fan of the overwrought horror genre that has people slashing and splatting hapless humans for no reason other than they committed a societal sin that has no real bearing on anything. I am a fan of stories that harken back to Edgar Allan Poe. You know the ones that hope to bring light to the more considerable pain of just being human, the ones that have profound lessons that only people with some sort of introspection may actually understand. My award-winning short film “Remorse” is one of those. This little film is about how hate and the need for retribution can override our ability to empathize and think clearly.

In the film, the main character is out for revenge. The main character has been brooding over the loss of his wife to the point that it has encompassed his life and every thought. He lies in bed, staring at a picture of the two of them only to have her disappear entirely from the photograph.

Unable to take the hate and grief that has overcome his world, he takes his pistol, puts on his hoodie, and breaks into the house of the person whom he blames for his plight. Finding that there is no one home, he begins to snoop.

He finds a photo album and rifles through it. Here he finds that these people are just like him. They have smiles and cries, children, and loved ones, just like him.

Realizing his hate, the man leaves and mourns the loss of his loved one last time, then throws his pistol into a river, essentially throwing out all the hate and despair with it.

That’s the story I had in mind when I filmed it with Jeremy Duckworth. I felt it was important to leave it vague so people could take away what they need. I think it works beautifully. I love the entire film. The really cool part about it is that it was never written down, and each shot was thought up only moments before filming. In fact, Jeremy looked up at me before one shot and asked me what the hell we were shooting. I just said “trust me” and kept trucking. It worked.

But that isn’t always the case.

This time around, I had a plan. I wrote it all on a whiteboard and made sure that everything was right. At least as right as I could get it at the time, I had a plan! But, as in war, every plan is perfect until it’s executed.

This time the screwups were my fault. I scheduled the first shot too late in the day. I believed we would have enough time to get five scenes before having to let everyone go. We got two. I wanted to try a new setting on my camera and be more “filmmakery.” Not only did I not know how to work that setting correctly, but I also underexposed every shot by almost seven stops. I even screwed this up further by turning the camera at Slog3 instead of Slog2. Even if I had put it on the setting that I thought I was using, it still would have been entirely wrong. You have to learn sometime, and you only learn from making mistakes. Many other things went wrong that day as well. I do not want to bash any of the actors, and the mishaps were not too unfortunate so, I will let you spot them if you’re into that kind of thing.

So, why am I publishing my mistakes? Well, why not. It is still visually appealing, though not correctly exposed or colored, and everyone spent a lot of time and energy, making it happen. Who am I to say that no one should ever see the footage? Plus, there is an added benefit of it, making me more creative. Editing this stuff, even if subpar, makes me entranced. Not only did I make the film, now I have two blog posts about it, and I am writing more of the story to make these scened make sense.

I am also not an egomaniac, and my ego doesn’t suffer when I make mistakes. I learned something from this attempt, and now, anyone who wants to make a film might learn something from my failures. Not everything in life is perfect, but, as we all know, never making anything doesn’t help either.

Star Wars Episode IX The Rise Of Skywalker

It's Christmas eve, and all is calm... ok, no, not really everyone is out shopping and buying last-minute gifts and crap they don't need. I am ignoring the masses ignore the reason for the holiday and ignoring it myself, I would suppose. I am just a sinner, after all.

Catch the Christmas spirit already

I walk down the stairs in my garage and get in my badass ride. We have run out of allergy medication, and I need to get it. Half asleep and half in deep thought, I pull out into traffic and notice that my car is just as badass as I exclaimed it to be.

It is more than a car to me.

It wakes me up, makes me energized and happy to be driving. The power being sent to the ground lurches me into happiness, awareness, and just a little euphoria. I admit I am truly a car guy. Trucks are nice, SUV's are convenient and quite comfortable. But the raw horsepower and torque of my Mustang GT peels away the negative thoughts and makes everything ok again. That is until I get to Sam's Club, there I am confronted once again with the harsh reality that the world is still populated with people that have different interests than my own.

I make my rounds through the samples; you know the free discombobulated breakfast offered at these big box clubs that make you feel important, grab my allergy pills, and start towards the door. Then the inevitable, I meet one, two, and then three folks that want to talk to me. I don't mind; after all, I like to talk a little too much if compared to others in this world. But then I look at my watch. OH CRAP! It's almost One! I have to be at the theater for the Star Wars!

I didn't really want to see this movie. I really didn't want to see any of the other Star Wars movies. Well, except for the first three, or the middle three... whatever. I am more of a Star Trek kinda guy and not so much a Star Wars Nerd. Yeah, you read correctly, I didn't call myself a Star Trek Nerd. Trekkies and Trekkers are Star Trek nerds. I am neither. I just prefer Star Trek over Star Wars. Trust me, anything that was made before season six of The Next Generation could be erased from time, and I wouldn't be too upset. I could say the same for about fifty percent of the latest stuff in the Star Trek canon. Kind of like the prequels in the Star Wars Universe for a lot of the folks. If it isn't good, well, it just isn't good.

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From the beginning, I got the feeling that the film was trying to reclaim the feel of the first three (or middle three) films. The menacing death star, the overwhelming power and commanding presence of Darth Vader, the innocence of Luke, and the everyday life of living on what seems to be a wild frontier. It tried, but it failed. I mean it had glimpses of the right juice but just as it was about to find it's way the director threw in terrible dialogue, questionable characters with no direction and off the wall things like cute little beings or droids reacting to situations with innocent indignation.

Think about the relationship between R2 and C-3PO. They were not cute, cuddly droids just innocently making their way through the universe. They were sarcastic on the verge of being rancid towards each other. C-3PO even slaps R2 multiple times, and R2 laughs at his companion's folly continuously. None of which happens in this movie. The reality has been stripped away and replaced with gooey friendliness and Disney-esque "Ohana." Even Stitch was onery and quite risque under all his family and love.

This is supposed to be a movie about grit and powering through the worst things possible. But this movie, and the other two, seem to be more interested in being cute and modern instead of being what they indeed should be, a Hero's Journey.

The Rise of Skywalker is not a must-see. It is a solid Must Rent if only to be able to keep up with the office conversations and small talk at group dinners.

The plot is shattered into parts that any sixth-grader could come up with, unintelligible plot twists and no unexpected ending. Throughout the film, characters restate objectives even though everyone on screen and in the audience knows exactly what needs to be done. Characters reappear in scenes only because they are cute regardless of actual reasons for their appearance.

The only thing this movie has that is interesting is the grand set pieces. The visuals are fantastic and overwhelming in the right way. Cinematically, it is quite good. Theatrically, it is kind of a turd. At one point, they land on the island of the Valkyrie. It was overwhelmingly underwhelming and quite cliche. In fact, that scene was probably the only scene where Abrams screwed up on the visuals. I am cool with our characters being saved by women, I am perfectly fine with women having the masculine lead. It was this particular shot. It is hideous and evident that it was shot to make a point about gender and had nothing to do with forwarding the story. Once that scene was over, and the next grand stage was rolled out, I was excellent. The actress did a great job with the role, and I enjoyed watching her. Just not that one camera shot.

Top it off with a villain that has no reason to exist other than to be defeated, and you have a movie that only exists to separate fanboys and girls from their money. At no time was I ever challenged in a meaningful way by the film. Everything was always the way it should be, and that's a bad thing. Network Television has better stories every night (unless you only get the new Magnum P.I.) that will entertain you more.

What not to do in an Audition

I have been to a few auditions, and I have held quite a few auditions. One thing that I know is what not to do.

When I was eighteen, I saw an ad in the paper (yes, the paper, that’s all we had and stop judging) soliciting for actors to be in a film. It was in the basement of a church in Fayetteville. I was suspicious about it and unsure about what I was walking into. I thought about all the news stories I had heard over my youth about abductions and the like. It made sense to me to feel that way; after all, it was Arkansas in the ’90s. No one around here made movies, at least not ones you could show to the public. But, I am pretty much not afraid of anything, so I went anyway.

They gave me the sides (script), and I looked through them, tried to memorize them, failing as usual. I can’t remember anything verbatim, an affliction that has haunted me all my life and cost me a passing grade in high school chemistry. I was nervous, and since I had never done anything like that before, I was absolutely out of my element.

I don’t know which one was the overriding reason for being an idiot, either the adrenaline or the absence of a healthy ego. After I delivered my lines, they asked me to do it again, and what came out of my mouth was absolute insanity. Definitely a learning experience, too bad it took a few years to figure that part out. I looked the guys straight in the eye and said, this is embarrassing, “If I can’t get it right the first time, I can’t ever get it right”!

Wow…. What an idiot!

Most of you don’t know this about me, but I can remember everything important that happened to me over my life. I can put myself right back in the situation, smell the air, feel the temperature, and hear the trees. I can’t memorize anything, but I can do that.

Because of this “gift,” I remember the expression on the man’s face when he asked me to “do it again.” It wasn’t what I thought it was at the time. I thought he was looking at me like I was nuts (this was right before I proved I was nuts), but he wasn’t. In actuality, he was impressed with my performance. He was trying to figure out how to get this young kid in his movie. I am even more sure of it now because I have had the same thoughts when auditioning someone that doesn’t quite fit the part but is pretty damned good. If I had stayed, repeated the performance, I might have started a movie career in 1993 instead of beguiling myself as an insurance agent for twenty-five years.

Since then, I have held many auditions and been in many more. I rarely get a part, but that is to be expected. I am a pretty unique looking individual, and my personality takes over any room. Not always a good fit for a gentle father. If there is ever was a call out for an old Orson Welles look-alike, but I might not be a shoo-in for the buff father figure. I probably won’t get the call, just sayin.

After all these years, I have figured out how to survive the auditioning process, just be me. You never know exactly what the person is thinking and whatever thoughts you believe they have in their heads, well… You are wrong.

The best advice I can give any actor that isn’t classically trained or has thousands of parts under their belt is do the best you can. Be kind, listen to directions and keep putting your name in the hat.

Bikes Blues and BBQ, and other stuff.

Yeah, yeah… I know I am supposed to write in this blog space every day, but life is worth living when you get to experience it. Sometimes writing about what I did just takes the fun out of it. I mean, what's fun about writing a lengthy article that takes forever to proofread?

Yeah, your right. It is kind of fun to write these things. Kinda.

Kelli and I went to BB&BBQ on Dickson street a while back. I found it to just be a craft fair for bikers. Kind of a snooze for me. If I was still riding, it might have a little more appeal, but I quit riding over ten years ago. I wasn’t that big a fan of the culture then and now that it has nothing to do with me, even less.

The crowd was thick but not as thick as it was in the past. Maybe the biker culture has dwindled, or perhaps it is just too expensive, either way, it isn’t as popular as it once was.

There is always something to be said about the vanishing lines that are created from miles of motorcycles. Mostly just because of the oddity of it all. And then there are the people. The mandatory biker wannabees walking the streets, trying hard to escape real life. The young folks who want to be badasses and work very hard to convey that they are mean dudes and gals. Never really convinced me.

What I did notice this year, and last, was the increasingly larger and larger numbers of actual bikers at this rally. You know, the ones portrayed in movies and the like. Trust me when I say this, they are dangerous folks that you don’t want to be associated with on a daily basis. I have nothing against them. They are free to live their lives as they see fit. But the wannabes and the pretend badasses really don’t understand the biker culture that gets people killed. These guys are smart and very cognizant of what they do and how they do it. In fact, between my friend who grew up surrounded by bikers and myself, the stories we have will shock anyone who hasn’t tasted the culture.

And of course, you have the bible folks who carry the cross. I am not sure if this Roman Soldier was one of them, but I bet he is.

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Oh, and I found this impressive piece of graffiti. No, I didn’t do it. LOL

That was all fine and dandy, but I am always looking for a story. My Mother and Father lent me some fodder for my muse and didn’t even know it.

After the “rally,” Kelli and I stopped by their house.

This birdbath, with its discolorations and reflections, reminds me of the old stories we had to read in High School English. You know, the ones with sirens and mermaids. The ones that gave birth to one of my favorite moves, Oh Brother Where Art Thou”.

Making short films always seems to turn into something bigger.

I love making films. If you didn’t know that already, well, now you do. Sometimes we have a fleshed-out script, and sometimes we don’t. The real fun of making films sometimes comes from not knowing what I am going to film and figuring it out as we go. I know that sounds dumb, but it always seems to work out.

This last weekend, we did exactly that. We had outlined a few scenes and practiced some stunts with the actors. It worked out alright; it was one of those times when working on a wing and a prayer just felt right.

What did she do?!

I made a few mistakes along the way, though. I accidentally recorded in SLog3 instead of 2 and damned near lost all of the takes. But I am a guru with Premier Pro and got most of it back. It took a little doing and a lot of noise reduction, but I think the footage is salvageable.

We did lose an actor along the way (a common occurrence), so I got to kill my screenwriter. Ok, no he’s not dead but its the only part that he can really nail. Yes, that’s a joke but not far from the truth. I am sure he will be complaining about me bashing him tomorrow. Screenwriters have thin skin sometimes.

Is he really Dead?

He’s just acting.

The short film I am working on is supposed to be a scary, art/horror piece that is meant to drive tension in the viewer. Through the use of heavy sound effects and long, arduous takes, the stillness of the film is intended to bring dread and dark suspense to the viewer. Maybe I am accomplishing that, and perhaps I am not. Only the final product will tell.

I’m trying to schedule a re-shoot for a couple of shots. All I can do is hope the weather holds out and they show back up. No one is getting paid for this and, if anything, it just costs me money. So I understand why people would not want to spend bucks to work for free. The thing is; to be a working actor, you must work for free and build that reel. Because, if you don’t have a reel, you aren’t getting any work.

And Honestly, that’s part of the reason I am shooting this on my own dime. That and I really love making films.