My New Job in Film

The end of an era.

2011-05-30T18:32:00.005-04:00

My new Rail City Media website is coming along and it looks great. It's going to be something I'll be really proud of to show to people. It's gonna have so much going on:

- News updates

- Merch store

- Videos

- Tutorials

- Info about new projects

...and so much more. There is even going to be all the information about the new film festival I am creating. It's going to be a really cool place to check out and spend some time on.

That being said, I realize I don't update this blog very much and I think I will be updating it even less when the new website is launched. So I have decided to end this blog here. It's kinda sad when you think of it. I look back on all the posts I had in the beginning and it is amazing how far I have come. This blog has documented pretty well the beginning stages of a successful career in film. In the beginning, when I was struggling to find my footing, when I was going through stressful or emotional times, I was pretty honest on these pages. And although it didn't last for years and didn't have a gigantic readership, I am sad to see this go.

Even the very name of this blog doesn't fit anymore. This is not my new job anymore. It's my job and it feels great but it's been a few years now. I realize that I am at a point where I am having people call me instead of searching for work constantly. Which is really nice. It makes me feel like my job isn't just something that I do from time to time or something that's in my head. One of the things I have felt for a long time is that I have been embarrassed to tell people I am a director or producer when asked my occupation. It just sounded like I was lying or exaggerating. I don't feel that anymore. I feel pride.

I also still feel excitement. That is something that is important to me. I need to be excited about what I am doing and film work has never let me down. Every new project is so exciting. The creativity is stimulating and the projects are challenging and thats why I love working in film. It's not easy at all. In fact it's the hardest thing I've ever done professionally.

So this isn't the end for me. I'm not saying goodbye to you. In fact you can find me at my new website www.railcitymedia.com which will be launched in about a month. I will be blogging/posting there. But this is really me saying goodbye to this blog. It's probably much more sentimental to me than to you but I hope there have been some things that have connected with you. Thanks Blog for being there and not judging me.

Just a couple of things to mention before I end it here.

1) I was voted the 10th best local filmmaker in Montreal in the Mirror Magazine.

2) Dogsitter has been accepted into 2 more film Festivals: Fantasia and Mascara & Popcorn, both of which are in Montreal.

3) go to www.railcitymedia.com and check out the new site when it launches.

Woohoo!!!

Finaly, to end, somebody once told me that "It's never too late to be who you could have been." and I think that's so true. I am living that right now and I hope you do too. Be that person. Live that life. Be happy!

See you soon.

Yours truly,

Adam Reider

Director, Producer

Dogsitter goes to Tromadance!

2011-05-06T01:27:00.015-04:00

I have to tell ya, finding out I got accepted into a film festival was truly an amazing feeling. I remember thinking "Thank God ONE said yes." Because to be honest, I was beginning to loose hope. I have been sending Dog Sitter out to a bunch of film festivals and they have all either said no or never bothered to respond back, which, in my opinion, is fucking retarded. I mean it costs me between $30-$60 each time to submit to a festival. The LEAST they could do is respond with an answer. But submitting to festivals in the hopes of getting in above hundreds maybe even thousands of applications is like playing the lottery. A very expensive Lottery.So Ironically, the festival that accepted Dogsitter to be the home of it's world premier was none other than Tromadance, a film festival with absolutely no entry fee to submit (or attend) . Troma Films is the film studio that made classic films such as the Toxic Avenger and Nuke 'em high. I had been picked out of more than 600 submissions. WOW! This was so awesome. I knew I had to go.

The festival is in Asbury Park, NJ which is at the Jersey Shore. (30 minutes away from where they filmed the show...just in case you were wondering). It's kind of a nice little town. A cross between St. Johns, Newfoundland and any town described by Stephen King. Lots of pets stores and gym equipment shops mixed with some nothing special restaurants but seasoned with a cool record shop, a paranormal book store, a kick-ass bowling alley/venue and a pinball museum arcade. Yup. Asbury was a cool place to be for only a few days.

Now just to give a little background about Tromadance; this festival spent 10 years being somewhat of a protest festival against Sundance. Tromadance was located in Park City Utah and after a few years picked up enough steam to become a legitimate festival. They had 3 rules to the fest.

1) No entry Fees for film submissions.

2) all film screenings are free to the public.

3) No V.I.P. treatment to anybody.

After a successful ten years, the people at Sundance decided to change their ways enough for Tromadance to feel good about leaving Utah. Since most of the Troma films are situated in "Tromaville" which is in NJ, Tromadance moved to Asbury park last year.

Why do I tell you all this? Well because in the PSA's and promotional videos for this festival, Troma used footage from the Park City Festival (and maybe some Sundance footage? just speculating) so to me, this festival looked like it was gonna be HUGE! hundreds of people. Huge screens. All kinds of celebs. Big parties. This is something totally worth the 8-9 hour drive from Montreal.

So when I got to the theatre in Asbury Park, I was a little taken aback when I saw the theatre only holds about 75 people. Now don't get me wrong. I was still excited to have people see my film BUT I didn't know what to think about the venue. My dreams of huge audiences slipped away as I waited for the doors to open.

Looking back now, I'm SO happy to have Tromadance be my first festival experience. I think that it was personal and really reflected the support of independent films. It really didn't matter that the venue was so small. I met some great people and saw some great films that maybe I wouldn;t have experienced had the festival been super huge. I really liked the film "The Taint" which was just an all out violence festival of it's own. Really a fun watch. There were a bunch of shorts I enjoyed as well like "Waffle", "Pink Sock" and "Brutal Relax". Really talented filmmakers out there.

Dogsitter played in the last hour of programed shorts for the festival just before "Kidnapped" which was a IFC film that was heavily anticipated by the audience. The programer for Tromadance told me he put Dogsitter in that slot because he liked it so much saying "It's just so mean spirited." Nice.

So the theatre had standing room only when Dogsitter screened. It got a great reception complete with "awwws" and gasps of horror at the right times. In fact I overheard somebody in the middle say "This movie is making me mad." Which I take as a huge compliment. Nothing any artist wants more than to evoke some kind of emotion.

When the festival was over I said goodbye to new friends I made and headed home. I felt like a million bucks. I think that if there is one moment in my career so far that really made me feel like I was a professional filmmaker it's this one. Having my film screened at a festival in a different country and being surrounded by talented people all supporting my work was a high I will hang onto for a while.

I want to point out that Tromadance is put together entirely on a volunteer basis so a HUGE thank you to all the volunteers and a special thanks to Jonathan Lees for programing Dogsitter.

The Taint Directors; Drew Bolduc and Dan Nelson with Lloyd Kaufman.

Lineup around the block to get into Tromadance!

Lloyd Kaufman from Troma Films welcoming us all to Tromadance.

On a side note. This blog will probably be moving to the Rail City Media Website which is starting to look really cool and should be launched shortly.

Infinity Loops

2010-11-06T01:11:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to take a moment to ask you to PLEASE take a look at this. This is really important to me:

It is SUPER important that this link below reaches as many people as possible.

I wouldn't ask if I didn't feel strongly about this.

If you can help out with this project FANTASTIC! But if you can't that's cool but please forward this link to as many people as you can. Friends, Family, Neighbors, Strangers, Dawson Alumni, Everybody!

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

CLICK LINK BELOW FOR DETAILS!

http://rockethub.com/projects/581-infinity-loops-a-documentary-film-about-the-2006-dawson-college-tragedy

What's The Plan, Stan?

2010-10-31T19:07:00.009-04:00

A few years ago, I started writing this blog in my first blog entry I wrote this:

"About 10 months ago I left my job working at a Community Centre to pursue a career in the film industry. I had a plan. Make money from the Federal Employment Insurance, Volunteer on as many film and media sets as I could and in about 5 months start freelancing and make a few bucks. Then after my E.I. runs out I will have created enough of a clientele to make a decent living while pushing my career further to eventually win an Academy Award where I would look back on my plan and say something like "I worked hard but I just new this would happen one day." So 10 months later I am probably more poor now then I have ever been before ever and nobody wants to hire me! My E.I. ends next month (April 19 to be exact) and the reality of my situation is setting in. I am not getting any awards anytime soon. In fact at the end of this month I have told myself that I will start applying to jobs outside the Film Industry so I can have at least a few dollars to pay for silly things like rent and food and heat and a phone."

I remember writing this. I was in pretty bad shape. Jumping into something I knew nothing about. Now there are a lot of similarities to my current situation.... But a lot of improvements. Lets play a fun game of Compare and Contrast.

THEN ------------------------------------------ NOW
On Employment insurance Benefits -------- On Employment insurance Benefits
Really Poor ------------------------------------ Not quite that poor
Relocated to St-Henri ------------------------ In NDG, relocated office to Jean-Talon area
No idea how to get ahead -------------------- Better understanding of how to get ahead
Always looking for work --------------------- Gets calls for work
In a relationship ------------------------------ Single
Spends days daydreaming ------------------- Works everyday
Wants to win an Oscar ----------------------- Wants to win an Oscar
Thought I wanted to Write, Direct,
Edit, be a Cinematographer, Gaffer, Grip,
1st A.D., 1st A.C....etc ------------------------- Knows I want to Write and Direct.
Trying to make a movie ---------------------- Made a bunch with more on the horizon!

I think this is a good way to tell how I've grown and evolved from 3 years ago. I think one of the biggest and best changes is how I spend my days. Before, when I had no real clue on what I was doing I spent most of the time looking for work, watching porn, being discouraged and stressed and trying to find a project I could handle. Now I spend most of my days working on actual projects. Some are mine and some are works I'm hired on but I'm working. I do still look for work but it is significantly less stressful. I know what I want to do. I have a clear vision of what has to happen to reach my goals and I have a better understanding of how to do it.

I have set up milestones for myself. "A" needs to happen by "Marchuary 32" do I can get to do B. It's really exciting actually. And as a result of a clear vision and plan, I am much more confident in my approach so much so that I have multiple things going on.

Although, the downside is that I am sacrificing my social life quite a bit now. That's hard. I put a lot of pressure on myself to reach my goals so if it means missing out on a drinking night or a party, I will. Of course this also makes meeting a gal for me to toss my arm around more difficult. (Like it wasn't difficult enough.) But It's all worth it. I'm doing what I want in the field that I want right now! For such a painfully slow start, I really feel the speed of things picking up and you know what? It feels fucking awesome!

I'm not saying I'm successful. But what I can say now with certainty is I'm not successful yet! I just need to keep plowing away at my road map to succes and visualize the shit out of my plan and make it happen.

I really feel that the past 3-odd years have been my film school. I can not even begin to tell you how much more comfortable I am in this industry than 3 years ago. And if these past three years are any indication of what's in store for the future...MAN! I can't wait.

Ok... that felt good to say.

Quick update: Here are a few things goin on:

Dogsitter has been submitted to a few film festivals including Sundance. No word yet but I'll be submitting it to a bunch more over the next few months.
I've been filming a documentary for the past 4 months. I may have some interest in getting it off the ground... more on that when I have more solid news.
Midway through a feature script with another one just about to come through my fingertips.
Just finished working on a bunch of films for Galafilm, Urban Handed Works and Catbird Productions.
Just about to start working on this guy:

Dog Sitter on the big screen!

2010-08-23T10:38:00.004-04:00

Two Words: HOLY SHIT!

That's how I felt about seeing my film on the big screen! It was amazing! Seeing all my hard work come together. And to play in front of an audience! Who can ask for anything better than that! It was such an amazing feeling sugar coated in the new experience of it all. I wonder if big Hollywood filmmakers still get a kick out of seeing there film play to an audience as much as I did last Saturday.

So there was about 75 people in attendance and that is awesome. On Facebook 90 people confirmed and that usually means (Facebook confirmed Divided by 3 = actual attendance) so I was super happy that there was a handsome crowd to witness everything.

After the show I was swamped by people congratulating me. It was overwhelming to say the least. I want to talk t everyone cause they all made room in their schedule to see my movie and I was SO appreciative. But alas, I could only talk to a handful of people. The compliments I got where wonderful. Here are some favorites that keep ringing in my head.

"I have two dogs at home and I would never leave you alone with them."

"I love how uncomfortable it got at the end."

"That was very Todd Solondz."

These are sooo flattering.

MUST....NOT...GET....INTO...HEAD.................INFLATING...STEADILY....

So whats next? I can't even tell you how excited I am to get this film in festivals. I'm really gonna look forward to telling you all about my festival experiences as (if) they happen.

Once again, a big thank you to everyone who came out to support. Lindsay for making such a ridiculously kick ass poster in a short amount of time. Jim (Editor) and Emory (Sound God) for plowing through to get this done on time. And Faisal (Producer) for helping compile the films and sell tickets and being so uncontrollably awesome and being excited for me to be excited about all of this.

Honestly. This feels so good.

Something To See, Something to Eat

2010-07-19T23:31:00.005-04:00

So it's been a while yet again. I'm not entirely sure why I've neglected this blog for so long but here I am now.

A lot of really exciting things are happening right now and a few things that are kinda scary. But first the exciting things.

The film Dog Sitter that I have been working on for a very long time is going to be playing at a local theater. It will be the only time people will be able to see this movie outside of the film festival circuit. It will be playing at Cinema Du Parc in Montreal and I can not tell you all how excited I am. I've made other films but I feel like this is truly my first professional film and I can't wait for people to see it. I remember thinking of the idea of this script about three years ago on a beach in Brome. I could say that I never thought I would make it to this point but that would be a lie. I always new I would make this movie. I guess I never thought it would be this long a process. But the process has been an incredible learning experience and I know It will make my next major work so much better!

For those of you that are local and want to come, here are the details.

August 21 @ 1:00pm
Cinema Du Parc
3575 AVE DU PARC
Montreal, QC H2X 3R8
(514) 281-1900
tickets are $6.00
There will also be 5-6 other shorts playing before Dog Sitter.

I had mentioned in the past about a short film called DEC.27
Click HERE to see it!

The Dog Sitter screening is also acting as a fundraiser for my next film along with a super Garage sale I'm having. I need to raise some serious coin because my next project is going to be awesome!

What is it you ask? I'm not sure. I think it's going to be a choice between 4 ideas. I want to make a feature film but I'm not sure if now is the best time. I have ideas for shorts and other projects but I also want to take the rights steps to lead me towards a feature.

But then there is the scary part. I've recently had a string of bad luck which has left me jobless. Which isn't terrible actually. Because now I have the time to focus on film work and the fact that I don't have to get up everyday and go to work in a field that I love but was unrelated to film has given me focus. I feel the excitement of creativity surging through my veins. It feels so good to be able to give my energy to my creativeness. But of course that doesn't do well for money.

And ironically, this form of art is probably one of the (if not the) most expensive form of art. Having little money can be stressful. It is stressful. Paying for Rent, Phone, Power, Car, Bills and food give little room to maintain a social life. Then again, I haven't had much of a social life for a while anyway. (Anybody want to snuggle?) So it's scary when you don't know where the next check is coming from. At least I'm living the life of a starving artist properly now. I think being financially poor but creatively rich is something I'm going to enjoy. Maybe not right away but very soon.

p.s. The Dollar Store isn't half bad for doing some groceries.
p.p.s. I really feel like good things are happening and will continue to happen!

Updates! Updates! Updates!

2010-02-03T14:45:00.004-05:00

Hi Everyone.

I know I know...BAD BLOGGER BAD!!!

It's been a long time since I updated this page. I've been busy like a bee. Here are some things that I've been working on.

IN DEVELOPMENT

HELLO, HI!

This is a a feature film I'm writing. I'm about 1/3 of the way done and I'm pretty happy with it so far. I'm trying to push myself to finish this even if I think it's not going well. I think that when the first draft is done, it will be a lot easier to make it as great as I know it can be. Much easier to fix something up once it's written instead of fixing as I go.

DEC 27

The treatment for this feature film is being written. It's going to be based on a short film I made that I will talk about further down the list.

VANILLA SPEAR CHUCKER

This short is being written as my first collaborative writing effort with my good friend Angus Byers. More news to come on this project soon I hope!

PRE-PRODUCTION

UNTITLED DOCUMENTARY

This documentary is getting ready to start production soon. I don't want to give away too much but it's going to be about dating at age 30 and what outside influences change the way people see relationships over their lives.

IN PRODUCTION

FASHIONOLGY

Fashionolgy is a T.V. style show for the internet brought to you by www.besleek.com and although Rail City Media is not spear heading this project we are definitely very happy to be involved in this project. We start production on season 2 in a few weeks. Here is the latest episode. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHHU4cAfmZ8

POST-PRODUCTION

DOG SITTER

The film Dog Sitter is on the verge of completion. We ran into a few difficulties with music rights but we are pretty much on track. Hopefully we will be getting this thing done and done ASAP!

DEC 27 (short)

This is a new short film I wrote and directed that has been shot. It's a very dark, very moody romantic zombie film. I'm going to be using this as sort of a preview for the feature that this is based on. Hopefully I can convince investors to fund the film with the use of this short and the feature script ready to go.

So, as you can see, I have been pretty busy. In the past few months my creative juices have pretty much went into overdrive. I have a ton of other things I want to get going but I think those will have to wait for them to work past my brain and down to my finger tips.

Thats it for now, I'll keep everyone posted more regularly I hope!

It's hard to do nothing.

2009-07-09T19:22:00.009-04:00

Sweet lord, it's hot outside. The weather in Montreal has been nothing short of fantastic. Hot everyday, not a cloud in the sky. Palm trees have sprouted across the city. Women stripping down to nothing and then pouring water over their naked bodies just to cool off. It's like a dream!

Wait.

It is.

The weather sucks. I haven't seen this much consistent rain since I watched se7en. And so it goes that I am indoors more than out. But today looks beautiful and still I haven't been outside. I stayed in bed to whole day. I'm writing this from the corner of my bed where I have pushed it up against the wall to make some sort of chair like area.

I'm on vacation. It's interesting. I've never really been on vacation before. When I imagine all the things I'm going to do on vacation it seems like the time I have is endless and the accomplishments epic. But I have a lot to do. It seems like a choice has to be made. Do I work on things I said I didn't have time to do during the year and give up my vacation or do I focus on rejuvenation. Both are equally and respectively stressful.

YOU:
"OH COME ON!!! Is this another blog where you complain about how hard stuff is?"

ME:
"Well, I was going to just talk about all the stuff I wanted to do and how lazy I am feeling."

YOU:
"That sounds like a complaint to me."

ME:
"But...I...Uh..."

YOU:
"YEAH!! Quit your yapping...blah blah your life is sooo hard"

ME:
"It is but... actually my life is pretty good. I mean who's life isn't hard?"

YOU:
"Shut up! Dance Monkey DANCE!!!"

ME:
"........wow!"

So as you can see...Everything is fine.

Here is some news about the "Biz" stuff. I just got a copy of the latest Dog Sitter Cut. It's Awesome. SO SO SO close to getting this picture locked. I have a tentative test screening this Sunday and we'll see how it goes. but I'm really happy with it so far. In fact I'm more happy with it now than I have been in a while.

The new script is coming along. Slowly but surely. It takes a lot for me to write but I'm getting there....Slowly.

I'm looking to make a few music videos. Anybody have a band that needs a video? Anybody? If you are interested let me know.

And the big news....

I"M MOVING TO L.A.

Yup. That's right! Though I just decided that right now. But I'm also deciding not to do that this year. Maybe after this year but I know I need to do it. At least for a little. But I think I'm going to have to move at some point to get more work. Right now I'm ok cause I gots me my full time job but that's only a guarantee for another year.

If I do go to Hollywood, I need to look good. I've lost about 20lbs since February and I've started running three times a week. (to eventually run a marathon). I bought some new clothes and I need a haircut but I'm feeling good about myself.

That's it for now.

p.s. Dad is doing ok. Thanks for all your kind words.

p.p.s. I try not to think about her but she stalks my dreams... I still miss her.

Think

2009-04-18T02:15:00.006-04:00

That's it! I bit the bullet and I'm starting to write a feature. I don;t really know where it will go but I'm doing it. I have a pretty good outline for what I want to do and I think that it's going to be really good. VERY different from Dog Sitter. This one will be much less intense and edgy as far as graphic violence goes. I'm think something a little more Michel Gondry, PT Anderson.

Think Eternal Sunshine
Think Magnolia

I'm really excited to be doing this especially since Dog Sitter might be finished in a 2 to 3 months. I know I need to have something to show people if for some reason my film does well. I think that there could be this potential for interest in me after seeing Dog Sitter but that would be a really small window of opportunity and I have to capitalize on that as much as I can. Nothing worse than having this conversation:

Them: "Wow, Dog Sitter Kicks ASS!!"

Me: "Gee thanks Mr. Moneybags"

Them: "What are you working on now?"

Me: "I'm thinking about this feature, it's a great concept."

Them: "Great, send it over to my office on Monday for me to read."

Me: "Well, I haven't actually started writing it yet, can I send it over in a few months?"

Them: "Yawn, I tire of you...NEXT!!!"

So you see, I need to get this done. I have to get this done. I will get this done.

Think The Shinning
Think Throw Mamma From The Train
Think Misery

Although this new script won't be me pouring my heart out onto the page recounting the humiliating and life altering turn of events of recent, I will be incorporating some themes that I have been dealing with recently. I'm ready. I think it will be good and I won't be using this as a tool to seek revenge. I don't want that stigma atached to the script anyway. (Nor am I seeking revenge. What am I? Inigo Montoya?)

Think The Princess Bride

When I start new projects I like to wander around in the land of hopes and dreams for a little while so I can enjoy it before it crashes ina flaming pit of fire. What if I get the funding to make this movie? What if this gets awards and distro? What if I don't get to make it but I sell it. What if I get an award? What if I don't sell it but use it as a sample to get me a real writing job? What if I become a writer? Whoa!

Fun huh?

Anyway...I'm doing it and I'm enjoying it. I just need to finish. Thats a weakness of mine. I get excited about certain things but then I don't finish. Working all the time makes it hard but now that I'm single and pretty much in charge of my own destiny there is no excuses anymore. Thanks Lucien for some inspiration on this point!

Think Field Of Dreams

p.s. I just got a giant trampoline in my backyard and it's all different kinds of awesome!

Think Big

The Return!

2009-03-23T23:21:00.007-04:00

My birthday cake at work!

Ladies and gentlemen.

I just reread my last post and although every word of that was true...I agree. It was a bit much and maybe not the best place to vomit my anger and sadness. There is a lot of Anger and A lot of sadness in me but I'm making great strides towards being normal again.

It was my Birthday this weekend. YAY!

I turned 29 years old. Do some quick math and you will see that means I'm in my 30th year. WOW! I totally thought I would be someplace else in my life. I suppose this just gives me more time to practice my Oscar acceptance speech.

There are a bunch of things I should make more time for.

- Cooking a meal for myself.
- Saying hi to people on Facebook who I don't speak to.
- Deleting people on Facebook
- Running in the mornings
- Editing these Dawson Videos
- Pant shopping
- writing in this blog

Y'know it's interesting. New years eve was so shitty this year that I just dismissed it. But my birthday is like a new start. It's like a new year by the calendar de la Adam

I saw a rough cut of Dog Sitter a few weekends ago. Jim from Urban Handed Works (USWM Videos) cut the show together. He did it for fun without a script and without knowing anything about the picture. He was pretty close to getting it. I think that means 1) He is an awesome editor and B)I too am awesome. But lets get back to number 1) Jim's awesomeness.

I always imagined myself editing this movie. During the making of the film, I would take a break and walk around the block. During this time I would visualize the entire film from start to finish. This really helped on set because I think I was directing like an editor. I've always liked editing...no LOVED editing. I could sit in front of my computer until I have blisters popping out of my corneas for hours and then pass out from profound dehydration. I would wake up days later not knowing where I am but grateful that little imps have come to save my life.

Where am I going with this...Outline people! Outline!

Oh yeah. So anyways, giving up the power of edit was something that I wasn't prepared to do. Then I saw Jim's work. He was pulling things out of the footage that I didn't see. It was cool. So he is going to continue as editor. I also realized that I'm still a nervous filmmaker. I'm unsure of myself and I'm really hard on myself as a result. So allowing another person to edit actually makes me feel better. I can be creative and give direction and feedback with ease. It's nice to feel a tinge of excitement back again. I'm not out of the woods yet as far as my lack of motivation and depression are going but I do think that getting back to this film is not only important but also strangely therapeutic.

I'm getting the urge to start acknowledging the need for a new script....

Italy and me.

2009-03-01T07:20:00.009-05:00

I'm writing this entry from a hotel room in Florence, Italy. I haven't written for such a long time and I don't know why I'm writing now. A lot has happened to me since the last entry.

I guess I was excited to be in Florence because I thought for some reason this trip would make me forget. I'm trying real hard but it is proving to be much more difficult then I expected. Recently, after almost 3 years, my girlfriend broke up with me in, what I feel, is one of the most vicious and coldest ways possible. This has had such a profound impact on me that at times I feel like I am in physical pain. Up until recently I have been defending her. I'm not sure why. She was somebody who I truly loved unconditionally and I guess I needed to find a way to justify her actions to myself. I defended her when others wouldn't but I've come see that I am not as good a judge of character as I wanted to believe. There are no words to fully explain the extent of which I am hurt. I feel like the person I knew and loved has been taken from me and replaced by somebody I don't recognize, somebody with a different moral code. I cant help but feel that somehow I deserved this but I know I'm a good person. What is completely baffling to me is that there is still a large part of me that wants to hold her and say let's put this behind us and move on but the cold reality is that there is no more us.

This is the stuff movies are made of and songs are written about. Maybe bad emo songs but songs nonetheless. This city is beautiful. The kind of place people imagine being with their loved ones. Maybe that's why I'm on the verge of unravel. Then again, I've been on the verge for sometime now. As my heart was broken, my father was told that he has cancer. As I worried for him I found out my apartment might be demolished. As I searched for a home I was pushed further by the pressure of film work being pushed aside and building. I had lost a huge contract and then I lost my iPod. I wanted to run and be with my girl. Alone, I reignited a few bad habits.

Since all of this, there are positive updates; most importantly being that my father has recovered from major surgery (at least he is in recovery and is home and well.) I found my iPod, a contract is being reinstated and my house is just headed for major renovation. But even though this does help, the pain of loosing the love of my life has been a steady near-unbearable source of agony.

Ok ok! quit your whining! What does this have to do with film? Amazingly, this art form that love the most is something I can't bring my self to partake in. The events of the last few months have left me so unmotivated to produce any film work at all. So that's where I am at. I'm in one of the most beautiful cities in the world and all I want is the one thing I can't have. Who says artists need pain to create? I need happiness to be inspired that's who I am. I wish I could finish Dog Sitter but I think I have a lot of healing to do first.

And that's where I'm at.

Click, Click, Click

2008-11-28T10:55:00.006-05:00

A whole month without a post?!? What am I? Some kind of animal? How could I be so cruel.

It's amazing just how much filming my short knocked me out! I'm trying to recover but I can't seem to get on top of things. It's crazy!

DOG SITTER UPDATE:

The footage looks great. There was an issue with the shoot in that it was accidentally shot in the wrong format. Nothing that will bring the quality of the shoot down but I have to convert the footage and it's taken the better part of a month to get it done. I haven't even started to edit. I think I would like to have the film completed by May the latest but I still have a lot of work to do. i.e. Editing, Color Correction, Monkey Loads of ADR, sound, music, Titles and credits and then a 35mm transfer. (Just kidding about the last one...but I wish!) All this and on top of it I need to go back with some sort of micro crew to film a few shots we missed.

WHAT ABOUT BLOOD? UPDATE:

This is the educational film about blood and blood donation. This film will be distributed across Canada and as a result, this could quite possible be the film I make that most people will see! The script has been approved and I'm starting on some pre-production in the coming weeks.

NEW PROJECTS UPDATE:

When Dog Sitter is ready to be seen I need to have other projects ready to go in case anybody is interested in me. I think there will be a brief window of opportunity to exploit to further my career and that means I need to start writing yesterday. I have a bunch of exciting ideas I think I would like to write another short during the Christmas break and then get a feature done by mid summer.

WORK WORK WORK:

I know this entry is boring. It's just a list of what I am doing and I think that this kind of parallels my life. This blog is just about work. I watched the movie Click last night. Although this movie was just awful and I only watched it cause it was on t.v. and nothing else good was on, it did ask an important question. How does a person balance between working hard to get ahead and taking time out for family, friends and relaxation.

I imagine that one day when I have a real film career I will have more of an opportunity to spend time with the people I care about. Over the past few months I have been sacrificing my social life to get ahead. With a full time job intruding on the day, my free time after work is filled up with either more work or exhaustion. I really like my day job and if film wasn't a factor I would want to stay here. But sometimes the comfort of a steady paycheck is a comfort that isn't fully appreciated all the time.

I hear that if you want to make it in this industry, you have to bust your ass. I guess I feel that since I am at work all day doing other things than film work I am not busting my ass so I have to make up the time after work. And then after I finish with that I want to relax a bit and that takes me until late at night when I'm too tired to do anything and then I go to bed with not enough sleep. There just isn't enough hours in the day.

I wish I had more time to do things. I wish I didn't feel like I'm constantly compromising. I wish I felt supported more than I am. I wish I had the energy to give more. I wish I had a schedule that worked for me. I wish I could see my friends more. I wish I could see my family more. I wish my girlfriend could understand how I feel, I wish I wasn't such a whiny bitch.

I'm not complaining about how much work I have, more so about what I am missing out on when I'm doing it. I suppose if it was easy it wouldn't be worth all this. Am I going to look back at my life when I'm old and regret the sacrifices I made? Or worse...what if I make all these sacrifices and I end up not reaching my goal and I'm 72 moping up people spilled drinks at the local McDonald's 53 pounds over weight, alone and cold.

What the fuck am I doing?

More Pictures!!

2008-10-24T21:39:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone,

Here are some more pictures.

Kelly and Farah

Kelly

Dusty

Kelly and Dusty

Kelly and Dimitri

Kelly and Dad

The production team.

Emory the sound man.

Special FX RCM style

Some Pictures...

2008-10-19T21:09:00.005-04:00

Hope this tides you over...I'll put some more up soon.

All photos are by cornershopstudios.com

Kalvin the makeup artist.

J.S. the Gaffer.

Emmanuelle Francoeur as Kelly

Me giving Emma some direction.

Val: the grip, Faisal: The producer, Roberto: Art Dec

Gabi the Director of Photography with 1st AC Blair.

Bourbon as Dusty

1st AC Blair putting together the camera.

Day 3

2008-10-19T20:39:00.004-04:00

How do you rent a trailer at 6:00 in the morning on thanksgiving day?

I could see the budget in my head clicking high like the numbers on a gas pump. The bus driver says: "I'm going to pour water into the radiator and see if it holds. I'll call you back in ten minutes and let you know what's up"

Faisal and I decide to start heading to the first location. It's outdoors so we can shoot it without any equipment if we have to. We get in the car and 20 minutes later the bus driver calls. He says "I'm on the way! I don't know how long it will stay but I'm moving now!" Relief!

Everybody is late today. With only a few hours of sleep, the cast and crew are tired. It's a wonder anybody got up at all. People are so dedicated to their jobs! Even Craft service!! I wanted to mention that The night before, our caterer made a turkey dinner for everyone in honor of Thanksgiving. That is a ridiculous amount of work but WOW!!

We get to the first location of the day. We are shooting behind a high school. What's amazing is that everyday has been beautiful outside. Sunny and warm! The one time we need it to be nice, it rains. And of course, we shoot for 3 hours and when we pack up, the sun comes out and stays sunny the rest of the day.

We got some amazing shots here, some of my favorites so far. Roberto, who is playing a guy getting beaten up (and is also are Art Dec man!) took so many hits to the face (willingly and against my wishes) that he had a swollen face for the day.

We finish at the high school and head to the last location. Everyone is sluggish and moving with anti-gusto. The first shots take hours to set up and now we are late. The issue with this location is we have to be out by 11:00. Not wrapped but packed up and cleared out. I can literally feel every muscle in my back tense. I'm staring at the story boards and shot lists and I'm cutting things left, right and center.

The room we are shooting is supposed to imply cleanliness to a sterile degree so we are shooting in a white room. This was the only place the DP did not see and I clearly made a huge mistake. DP's don't like white rooms. Check, gotcha, in the vault.

Things trudge along. I give myself time limits to complete a series of shots and I'm pushing everybody to go faster. A smile and a thank you go a long way. We keep getting closer to 11:00 and we are pushing along when all of a sudden it hits me; nothing I have shot over the past few days is going to fit. Nothing is going to make sense. OH GOD!!

We break for dinner and I need to get out of the location. I tell Faisal, "I'm going out and I'll be back in about 20 Minutes. Only call me if it's an Emergency."

As I walk around the neighborhood, I feel drained. My movie is going to suck and I just threw away thousands of dollars. I should have just stayed as a 1st AC. This is going to blow so hard!! I can feel myself loosing control and I want to run away.

I find quiet back street. As I'm walking down it, I start to visualize my movie filled with every shot we have done. I am editing the movie in my mind. I'm really concentrating and focused. When it's done I've gone from panic to relief and from relief to excitement. This movie looks pretty cool!

I get back to the location and I'm feeling much better. We get the rest of the film in the can. We push each other and nip at each other and get on each others nerves but we get it done with out anybody taking it personally!

By the time we finish packing up, bringing everything back to the rental house and I finish driving people home, it's some time in the A.M again.

The next day I go to work. I'm a Zombie at best. But every time I feel myself slipping away into sleep or craving my bed, I just think about what I did that weekend.

I directed a movie...That I wrote...and Produced! (Co-produced w/Faisal at the helm)

I'm 28 years old and I can't remember the last time I felt so good about something I worked so hard on.

Next stop: Post production!

Day 2 of production

2008-10-16T17:11:00.000-04:00

Day 2 went like this.

I get to the meeting spot early again and notice only one person there today. Everybody else trickles in. Meeting time is for 6:00 and by 6:15 we are still missing a few people. We start making some calls and realize one of the crew just woke up. We figure it will be easier to drive across town to pick her up in my car then to wait. Darn, this means we are late again.

We get to the location and we have two things to do. We have to set up for the dinner scene at a location next door while shooting an outdoor scene. It seems a like everything is going well but a little tension is building. People are tired from yesterday but still, spirits are high.

We manage to get these great dolly shots inside the kitchen and we only break one thing. A clock from the rental house. Oh well...that's why I have a contingency section in the budget. Art dec did feel bad but stuff happens.

After the kitchen shots we head back to the original location and set up for the next scene. The actor in this scene is fantastic. I gave her a lot of freedom to add lines here and there and some of them were gold! I think it's going to be a really funny scene. We all had to cover our mouths a few times to hold back the laughter. Even our lead actor broke character a few times because of the great things we were getting.

The day continues... after lunch things start to slow down. I'm not sure why but we had so much to shoot and we just could not keep up. At one point I find a quiet spot and hide. I'm looking at the story boards and I'm trying to cut out what I absolutely don't need. I have to take a few key scenes and rework them. This is really tough of course because I'm moving things around to make it work but I can't see big picture. I'm staring and staring at these story boards and looking at the script.... I'm sweating. I need to cut some stuff but what?

Finally, it hits me. In fact it came to me in such an exciting wave that I became really pumped to get this new way on film. Less shots and more punch! Perfect. It's great because this is the climax of the film and I was really worried.

Everyone slowly trudges along and we get shot after shot. Then comes time to film the big finale. It involves "something" in the oven and we need smoke. We are basically burning newspaper under the camera to get smoke effects but when it comes time to film the actual oven, we need there to be more. So we make this tin tray and put it in the oven, throw some newspaper in there and light 'er up!

Now let me just say that nobody thought there was much in there. We start rolling. The flames look great on film. The smoke is great. The flames or looking really good, nice and big. Big flames....uh oh....

Now I'm thinking to myself: If I call cut, we won't be able to get the shot, If I keep rolling we risk a fire.... The shot is good so I keep rolling. I can feel the crew staring at me waiting for me to call cut. I'm still rolling....

Finally I call "Cut" and the crew get to work, they drag the tin tray out of the oven and into the sink, smoke fills the house, the fire alarm goes off! Everyone grabs flags and opens all the doors and windows and starts fanning out the house. Oh yeah and it's probably 10:30 at night now so neighbors I'm sure could hear this all and are wondering if they should call the fire department.

After the excitement I decide we need to have a meeting. Things are getting late and we only have this location untill we leave for the night. We have to be elsewhere tomorrow. so I explain we have 2 options. We either Finish shooting tonight what we need or I have to organize another at another time to come back and finish the job. If we finish tonight, it means we won't finish before 1:00 AM. The crew are clearly spent and completly exhausted as am I. The crew talks a bit and come back. They tell me they will stay to fiish the job provided I get some beer and choclate. DONE!

We shoot till about 1:00 AM and start loading up the bus. Now the issue is once we pack up the bus and head back to Montreal, we have to stop by my place and bring everything inside so we can leave the bus outside for the night. Then in the morning pack up the bus all over again and head out to the new location. This blows! I'm thinking about how to avoid this when the bus driver comes to see me. He tells me he is going to just sleep on the bus.

This guy is going to sleep on the bus to save everyone two painfull hours. Maybe cause I was tired or maybe cause I was releived but as soon as he told me that I started to well-up. I could not beleive that he was willing to do this for the production.

we get back to montreal and it's 3:00 in the AM. I drive people home and as I get to my last destibation (Faisal the producers house) I say decide to sleep over which will save me a half hour drive home plus another half hour drive back there in morning. I think I get to sleep around 4:00 am. Faisal is still working on call sheets when I crash. My dreams are even stranger than the night before's.

The next morning I wake up, turn my cell phone on and hear this from the bus driver:
"ADAM!!! I've been trying to call you all night. This is not a joke. we have a huge problem... The radiator from the bus has a huge leak in it. I've been trying to fix it but it just keeps spraying. It's thanksgiving Day at 6:00 AM and I can;t find a mechanic... we may not have a bus today!"

I feel my teeth clench.

Production Day 1

2008-10-15T17:53:00.001-04:00

Now that I have had a day or so to recuperate, I'm ready to talk a bit about the shoot.

Day 1:

I wake up at 5:00 in the morning. Strange, but I slept like a baby last night. I was exhausted so I'm sure that helped. I start packing the car up with my equipment and drive over to the meeting spot a few blocks away where the rental place is located. I get there are 5:45, 15 minutes before we were supposed to meet and there are already 6 people waiting. Awesome!

when the bus arrives so we can start getting loaded up, another group was there first and it took longer to get all the stuff out. By the time we hit the road we were an hour late. We played catch-up for the rest of the day.

We arrive at the location and get our bearings. The two dogs meet for the first time and they are instantly friends. Perfect!

I look around and everybody is doing something and I think to myself "What do I do?" Very strange feeling to go from Camera crew or PA to Director. I went to move some stands and the Grips told me to put it down. I went to help with some Art Dec and they told me they have it covered. I went to check the camera settings and the DP said it was done. So I stood there, a little lost.

A few hours later we are getting ready to get our first shot. I call ACTION and I'm grinning like an idiot. I can't help it. After the first few hours I start to fall into a stride and by the end of the first day I'm working hard and completely comfortable at the helm.

The actors are doing great and we are getting some really good stuff. The dogs are stealing the show but the lead is doing so well it's making the crew pumped. The sun is shining outside and everyone is in good spirits. The owners of the house we were shooting in were so generous. They basically gave us free reign of the entire house and then left for the day.

We did have a small accident where somebody leaned against the oven and turned one of the top elements on and it burned a cloth to the oven. Woops. But we cleaned it the best we could and we'll let the owners decided how we can make it all better.

By the time we wrap for the day people are tired of course. We pack what we need (most equipment was staying behind in the location for the next day) and head back to Montreal. After driving some people home, I get in at about 1:00-ish. I'm out like a light!

That night I have dreams of shot lists and story boards and I wake up from time to time thinking about how to set up the next shot. My dreams are technical yet nonsensical. How can I get a more shallow depth of field if I use some diffusion over a Kino? HUH?? Is the dog looking at the proper eye line or do I need to use an HMI? WHAT?? Nothing makes sense and I wake up the next morning on edge.

Time Machine!

2008-10-09T22:39:00.003-04:00

I am only a day away from the production of Dog Sitter. We start early Saturday morning and film for three days.

Last night I had the final round of rehearsals as well as a production meeting.

Today I visited a prop house for the first time. Although I found it incredibly interesting and could probably stay there for hours, I think it's quite boring to explain and I'll spare you the details. But it was cool!

It sounds little silly but when I came home tonight I found a call sheet waiting for me in my inbox. It was very exciting. I've seen a whole whack of theses papers in the past but this time my name was next to Director. I don;t know why I feel like I shouldn't be excited but I am. And I am going to ride this feeling because who knows when the next time this will happen.

Tomorrow I am filming some stuff for the contract that gave me my jump start. I kinda wish I didn't have to do it but its got to get done. I probably won't sleep very well tomorrow night. I bet I'm going to wake up a half-dozen times checking the clock to make sure that I won't be late.

I found the first peace of writing I did for this movie. It was just a document that I made where I brainstormed some ideas I had. It's amazing because some of the ideas, in fact exact sentences were transposed into a script and about 8 drafts later it was made. The thing that really fascinated me is that it was created on July 24, 2007. Over a year ago!

I never would have thought that over a year after writing this brain storm on a slow mac clamshell computer while sitting by a beach in Sutton, would this movie ever be made. And here I am. On the verge of creating this film that so far, I'm proud of.

Truly unbelievable.

The Dog Sitter Bus!

2008-10-01T20:45:00.007-04:00

Today I confirmed my transportation. Since we are shooting a little ways away, we need to transport a lot of people as well as the equipment. I thought renting a van and a truck for three days was too expensive so I decided to ask around. I found a band that has a touring bus made out of an old school bus. They basically found an old school bus and guted it. They made room for sleeping, eating and storage.
I asked if they could lend it to us. They said yes. So now for a mere $400.00 we get this bus which can transport people, transport equipment and act as our production office/trailer/infirmary for the shoot. (Infirmary?)
Anyway...it's so awesome and I'm so excited to get it that I wanted to share it with you.
Here are some pics:

Whats next?

2008-09-17T22:39:00.003-04:00

As Dog sitter is only less than month away from being shot I've already begun to think about what comes after. I think that it's important to stay ahead of the game. So that being said; I'm going to start writing my first feature film by November. I don't know when I will be done but now is the time to start. I have to keep up that momentum if I want to get anywhere.

um...

This isn't a good blog entry.

I think I'm only writing here to keep it constant. Here is some other reading material for you.
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=142278

It's my production post on dvxuser.com

YAY BLOOD!

2008-09-07T10:47:00.004-04:00

This week I got me another contract! This time it is with Canadian Blood Services! This is very exciting! So much so that I am going stop using periods altogether and just rely exclusively on the exclamation mark! Damn this is good news!

!!!!

So I just want to take this opportunity to say I'll miss you. I'm basically giving up my social life for the next 4-5 months to work on these upcoming projects. It's crazy. I'm going to vomit work.

But nothing make it easier than getting my self a brand new MACBOOK PRO!!!
I bought it this week and I jut want to have sex with it. I want to make sweet sweet micro-love to this machine. I've wanted it for so long and now I have it and it's everything I want in a woman.... I mean computer.

Something to think about: A friend of mine recently decided to make the move from Montreal to L.A. Now he didn't just up and leave, he's been getting some work in L.A. here and there for a little while at least. But still...I have the utmost respect for this guy for taking the plunge.
L.A. seems like the hell you need to go through to become what you want with the odds less in favor than say winning the lottery. It's crazy!!
So when I finish this 2-year contract I'm doing now... am I going to be ready to move? After all, I want to make movies of the hollywood kind I should go where the work is.

It's freaking me out just thinking about.

Life in the fast lane

2008-08-22T22:56:00.004-04:00

I can feel the burn for sure.

I think it's really interesting
how 6 months ago I was unemployed and suffering from a slight bought of
depression and anxiety. I was ready to bite down hard and start easing
my way down a slow spiral towards an abyss of hopelessness and self
loathing.

To put it mildly.

No since then I can't say
I've "Made it" by any means.. nor have I even come close to "breaking
in". But what I do have is fucking busy schedule! and that to me is
awesome.

My day basically consists of this.

8:00 - Wake up/hit snooze
8:30 - get out of bed, get dressed.
8:45 - Go running by the lachine canal.
9:20 - Get home, shower, pretty myself up
9:40 - Leave for work
Get Coffee
10:00 - Start work as Adam: Student Life Animator
12:00 - Eat lunch and work on "Dog Sitter" as Adam: Producer
Get Coffee
1:00 - Back to work as Adam: Student Life Animator
4:00 - still at work but I find time to be Adam: Corporate Filmmaker
Get Coffee
6:00 - Leave work
6:15 - Get home, make supper as Adam: Super Boyfriend.
7:30 - Work on a different Contract as Adam: Entrepreneur
9:00 - Shift to final draft and do some writing as Adam: Screenwriter
11:00 - Add to my blog here or dvxuser.com as Adam Blogger
12:00 - Fight sleep to read a book about film making as Adam: Film Student!
1:00 - Question why I am up so late and head to bed.
1:15 - Attempt a make out with sleeping girlfriend as Adam: Not-so-Super Boyfriend!
1:30 - Dream about acceptance speech.

This is so much better than my old schedule:
11:00 - Wake up
11:02 - Panic
11:30 - Send CV/Check Email/Look for job posting
2:00 - Masturbate
2:30 - Panic
3:00 - Send CV/Check Email/Look for job posting
4:00 - Clean something
5:00 - Eat something
5:30 - Panic
6:00 - Try to eat supper with girlfriend.
7:00 - Panic
8:00 - Send CV/Check Email/Look for job posting
10:00 - Panic
1:45 - Eat everything.
11:00 - Go to bed
12:00 - get up and Send CV/Check Email/Look for job posting
2:00 - Panic
4:00 - Fall Asleep, wake up, fall asleep, wake up...etc
7:00 - Dream about panicking

It's a wonder my girl stayed with me.
I'm going to buy her a ridiculously large present...no, it's not a ring.

Rebel With a Crew

2008-08-11T12:36:00.004-04:00

Last night I finished reading "Rebel Without a Crew" by Robert Rodriguez. It got me so pumped to do this film! I feel like I'm gonna finally make something that will be substantial. Even though the book is pretty dated, It makes me think that my dream is possible. Everybody tells you that you can't make it in the biz and I think they say that to scare away the competition.

But another thing occurred to me. I realized "dog Sitter" is a movie I want to see. I think it's a real important breakthrough for me to realize this. I think Robert also hit on this in his book. I'm making this movie for me. I want to make movies and this is one I want to make!

It feels really good. I'm stoked. I have nothing of importance to write except that I am excited to make a movie and I want people to know that!

YEAH!

It's On!

2008-07-24T23:25:00.008-04:00

Ladies and Gentleman. The film Dog Sitter is now officially in pre production. We are scheduled to shoot October 11, 12 and 13 of this year. We'll have a camera in one hand and a turkey in the other.

But the big news is, I am pleased to announce that the very talented Faisal Lutchmedial (My Cultural Divide, Useless things) will be producing the project. I am VERY excited to be working with Faisal. He is a good friend of mine but also somebody who I look up to professionally.

This film is going to kick ASS!

I'm also working on a series of Video Podcasts to coincide with the production of the film. They should start popping up soonish.

Tomorrow I have a plan to raise money for the film. I'm gonna take the sign you see me holding and hit the streets and plead my case. Andy and Stu (great motivational Speakers) once told me one way communication sux (I'm paraphrasing here) but two way communication rules. I realized that asking people to donate money to my dream through a blog doesn't really work. I think asking people face to face might help. We'll see.

Please help me spread the word.

Cheers!

p.s. I just saw The Dark Knight...greatest movie ever made! See it in IMAX!

Budgeting and the Evil corporation

2008-07-12T14:05:00.004-04:00

Maybe Evil is a harsh word but I can tell you that I am definitely getting the run-around. That giant contract that I was so excited about 3 months ago has turned into a pain in the ace!
I have not been payed yet and I am now in a financial bind as a result. I made the stupid mistake of quitting a part time job I had before I saw any money.

Not only has the organization been holding off payment but they have stringing me along the whole time telling me that I will be paid "Next week" or "the next pay period." The most annoying thing is that I am now going to be loosing money because of the lateness of payment. Anyways, I could get into much more detail but I'm really upset and I feel it would not be fair to dump all of this onto all my readers. (All 3 of you hee hee...)

Lets change the topic a bit. I think what I will do now is I would like to keep a production journal for the film Dog Sitter that I am trying to make. although I will keep you posted on the other stuff happening I think having a production (pre and post as well) journal will help keep this blog focused. SO....here 'goes:

I have decided that the best time to shoot the show will be Thanksgiving weekend. October 11, 12 and 13. I get the long weekend off from my day job and it gives me the right amount of time to get it going. Not too soon and not too far.

I've written a tentative budget for the shoot and it is going to come in at around $10,000. I'm hoping to raise all of that between now and october. HA HA HA!!!

Really.

I'm gonna try!

I'm going to be ruthless and shameless and and try everything in the book. (the legal book not the illegal book)

I'm also going to be looking for a decent actress to play the lead role. Somebody that can get the film noticed a little more. Can Sarah Polly still pull of being 15?

I need a Canadian actress who can pull of being 15-18 years old, is awesome, and has some draw with the name. Any suggestions? Can anybody think of an actress who fits the bill. Let me know what you think. How about Elisha Cuthbert? She still do it?

And people, please.....please please please PLEASE PLEASE!!!! throw a few bucks my way to make this movie. Tell your friends about this blog. Make my dream come true. PLEASE!!!

Thanks for everyones support so far!

Later!

Useless Things Documentary

2008-06-27T23:47:00.003-04:00

Check it out people. This is a "Making Of" about the short Film "Useless things" that I worked on.

Despite my name being spelled wrong I assure you that it is me.

Watch the short at this link:
http://www.cinevate.com/images/makingofuselessthings.mov

Dog Sitter News

2008-06-19T20:05:00.004-04:00

Greetings everyone!

A few small updates on the Film "Dog Sitter"
I have just received my first donation or an "Investment" from one of my new "Executive Producers." Although I did say that all you need is to donate $1.00, this person actually donated a lot more than that and I am so thankful. Just a reminder to everyone, every bit helps. If you can't donate through paypal then E-mail me and let me know. I will send you an address to send a check or well hidden cash to.

Also, some of you may not want to put money into something blindly so if you request it, I will send you a copy of the script (as soon as it is registered with the W.G.C. which should happen very soon!)

As far as actual doing this thing..., I have decided to schedule production for October. I have found a great award winning producer (to be announced soon) to help with the project and I am now on the verge of looking for a few key Crew members. I will also be putting out a casting notice soon so keep your eyes open!

And in other news, I'm hoping that there will be a website for Rail City Media up and running by the end of the summer.

Oh yeah...on a completely unrelated topic, I'm going to see Iron Maiden this weekend which is going to kick ASS cause it's Iron Maiden AND it's an outdoor festival with a slew of other bands playing as well! (Including but not limited to Type-O-Negative, Mastodon and Dethklok!)

Also...Go see Kung-fu Panda...Ski-doosh!

YOUR NAME IN LIGHTS!

2008-05-27T17:54:00.004-04:00

In a way to raise money for a film I would like to make I am offering anyone and everyone a chance to become an executive producer on the short film "Dog Sitter". This means that if you donate one dollar or more, you could see your name in the credits of a film.

And not just any film, but a film that will be freakin' awesome. This film is going to be my calling card. This is the one that will launch my career and allow me to make a feature film. You will be able to say things like "Adam Reider? Oh yeah, his movies are great, I helped jump start his career" or "What do I do for a living? Well, among other things I am an Executive Producer."

The basic idea is I am trying to raise money any way I can. Just asking for money for nothing in return seems unfair so this way you can see your name on the screen.

This is no joke. You will be credited as an Executive Producer and should the film see its way onto the Internet Movie Database...so will your name! Imagine...you on imdb.com. I'll post the names of Executive Producers on this site.

So all you need to do is to click on the DONATE button on the left of the screen and donate at least a dollar. (you could do more...)

Tell your friends... Tell all your friends...

What can I afford?

2008-05-05T13:01:00.004-04:00

Hi everybody.

It's been a little while since I posted a new blog so here I am... Posting a blog... Blogging.

So since my last post a few things have happened. I have decided to take the other non-media related job in the fall as well as continue with Rail City Media. I thought it over in my head again and again and I realized at this stage of the game it would be dumb for me to refuse such a good position and a steady paycheck. My first priority will be Rail City Media but although I got a sweet contract, I might not get another one until 2010 so I want to be safe knowing that I have some income. That job has a little training at the end of may but it really starts in August.

In the meantime, I'm putting together all the components I need to start podcasting. It's taking a little bit of time to be ready to launch episodes but expect to hear my voice within the next month or so.

In the meantime, I've been working hard trying to get this media project running but I'm being held up by one key factor. I have no money. Now you may think "Wait a minute, I thought he said he was getting a lot of money for this contract." and you are right, I will be. The problem is when? You see, because I have started this business while I am broke, I have no money in the bank to finance the project while I am making it.

The contract I signed states that there must be a percentage paid up front. I have not been able to claim that money yet. Because of timing, I needed to start shooting right away. Luckily I was able to borrow a camera from a friend of mine to start shooting some of the hand-held shots. I could have said that I wanted %50 on contract signing but because this organization is somewhat of a government organization, there are procedures and waiting times and processing times and it had to go through tender and all that before I see a dime. This would have meant that I would only be able to sign the contract weeks after I did initially. For me, thats too long. I wanted to sign right away to ensure that I have the job. So I am waiting for a check.

Whats frustrating is that I don't even have a tripod, a mono-pod, any lights a decent mic...nada! I can't buy or rent because I have no money. This is making my job hard as I can only shoot basic hand-held shots otherwise the quality of the finished product will go down if I only use the camera for the whole thing. I want this project to be of the highest quality possible so I can use it as a calling card for other similar contracts. I can't afford to use good equipment yet I can't afford not to.

Above all this, I need money for food, rent, bills and other expenses just to live. I've been working for almost a month and I have less money now than when I had no job.

It's frustrating now but this kind of thing should get easier later on as I'm not taking on contracts after being poor for months.

When I get paid, one of the first things I will do is put money aside for times like this where I can still live a normal life while waiting for a paycheck.

When it rains, it pours!

2008-04-18T21:08:00.009-04:00

The drought is clearly over.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I got a big contract and I'm excited like a teenager watching "Splash" without parents around.

um...y'know... the Tom Hanks movie where he does it with a Mermaid?

Cough Cough...

Anyway, since then I was offered a full time position working at a college in the area. This is the type of job that I would jump all over...if I didn't just get a video contract. I can't beleive these two major opportunities landed in my lap at the same time. What do I do? I'm going to take the weekend to decide but one thing is for sure: I'm not giving up Rail City Media. I've put in too much time to let that dream fall away. The question is can I do both.

I don't really want to get too much into the details of my decision but I will keep everyone posted as to what I decide to do. In the meantime I'm focusing a lot of my energy on my film career.

This weekend I'm 1st Assistant Camera for two music videos. I like doing this position because I get to see all the action up front and really learn a lot about the camera . Jobs like this don't give me a lot of money right now (of course union scale would be a different story) These are basically low budget projects but the experience is really important. When I say low budget I mean we are still working with lights and sets and a crew great camera not a little handicam and a flash light. The fact that I get to actually touch the camera makes my presence on these shoots very important.

The idea is to judge what will help your career and what won't. Taking jobs like this that might not pay anything will help me later on when I am doing something for money. People want a good product in the end so these small shoots are the time to learn and experiment a little and then the paid gigs are the ones where you put all your experience into. I have not been on a shoot where I did not learn anything. I ALWAYS learn something that can be used later on. However I do try to pick the ones with the biggest learning curve.
Here's me, on the set of "Useless things" cleaning a lens filter.

I was 1st AC on a short called "Useless Things" a number of months ago and I just saw a behind the scenes documentary about the film today. There is a strong focus on the camera we were using and because my job was to take care of the camera I am in the doc a lot. I thought it was kinda cool. I think it will be posted online soon so I will try to post it on here ASAP. An important aspect of doing jobs like these is to allways be professional and work your hardest. Run, don't walk, look and listen, bring your A-game every time, bust your ass and do it with a smile. Even though I have DP'd on a fiew shoots, I have a long way to go before I would call myself an expert so when I show up to a 1st AC job I do that job better than anyone instead of trying to be DP and be semi-OK. You never know what each job will bring.

Oh yeah...and my Gal is on the other side of the country in Banf where there is snow and I am here in Montreal where I am sweating. HI SARAH!!!

Kickstart My Heart!

2008-04-10T12:29:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure how to start todays blog.

By looking at the picture above you I bet you can guess what happened. Yesterday I was offered the contract that I had submitted a proposal for. It basically has me filming about 27 promotional videos to be used for a new web page. This is HUGE! Ok, so the actual content is not a narrative story filming to be seen in theaters but lets look closely at what this opportunity offers.

- A big Fat Paycheck!
- Tons of Experience!
- A chance to start making money doing something I love.

The great thing about this is that it will give me an opportunity to make money while persuing my creative projects. And this could not have come at a better time. I was about 10 days away from finding a bus-boy job. Nothing wrong with being a bus boy but I can't realy further my film career while I am clearing tables. (I know people have done it in the past but I didn't want to and now I'm not so there!)

What this job is actually giving me is an opportunity to create a company where I can find work in the field I want to be in and be financialy stable and in turn start to make movies I really want to make.

So all this being, said I would like to introduce my new company to the world:

Waiting and waiting...

2008-04-04T12:15:00.003-04:00

So I might be slowly going crazy.

The story is that I have recently been asked to create a huge corporate video project and although corporate video is not what I want to do for the rest of my life, it is something that I would like to do now. I get to work with video and editing and I can network and learn and all that great stuff but best of all, it pays well!

So I submitted a proposal and I'm waiting to hear back from this company to see if my proposal has gone through. I submitted on Wednesday and today is Friday. It feels like I have been waiting for weeks! It's taking me every inch of my strength not to call in every 20 minutes and ask if they have decided to sign me on to the project.

The thing is that if I get this contract, I will make enough money to run a fully functioning production company. I can buy equipment, get a proper website, spend some on advertising and so on. Heck even after all that I can go on vacation with my Lady and still have enough to survive for many months. I mean my Employment Insurance Benifits end this month so it could not have come at a better time. This is my deep breath I am looking for.

Somebody better call me soon!

This would be great a great opportunity for me and I feel sick not knowing if they want me or not.

Call. Call. Call. Call. Call. Call. Call.

I know that any type of film work, be it corporate or hollywood, has a lot of waiting involved. I'm just trying to find out what to do in the meantime. I keep imagining that they are going to call me while I am tyoing this blog entry.

Call me. Call me.

My heart beats fast everytime I think about it and everything somehow reminds me of the offer on the table.

PICK UP THE PHONE!!!!!!!

If I don't hear anything today that means I have to suffer through the weekend. What am I going to do?

I think I'm going to puke.

How to get famous over night!

2008-03-24T13:59:00.005-04:00

So yesterday when I went to bed I was poor and unemployed. Somehow when I woke this morning I checked my E-mail and saw that I had 5 E-mails. Here is what they read:

Dear Mr. Reider

Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us. We have read you resume and cover letter as well as speaking with your references. We would like to meet with you at our Montreal Branch to discuss employment and your future at our organization.

Sincerely,

Claude Levesque
Human Resources.
National Film Board of Canada

Dear Mr. Adam Reider

We would like to apologize for taking this long to respond to your employment request. We have heared all about you and we are currently firing our assistant Alex Carlsberg for not getting us to you fast enough. We ask your forgiveness and would like to offer you a 3 picture deal with us where you can direct any picture you like with final cut on each project.

We look forward to your call and sorry again for taking so long to get back to you.

yours,

Greg Thomas
CEO
Universal Studios

Dear Adam,

Thank you for allowing us to use your image to place on the cover of today's paper. Your visage will inspire others to succeed like you, over night, and become the most loved film maker of all time. Although we greatly respect other film makers and their tiny contribution to the art form, it was, after all, you who took the medium to an actual art form and your films will be recognized as quality which all other films should live up to. You are an inspiration to everyone who sees you or your films and we hope that you can accept our apology for not recognizing such talent before you awoke this morning.

Yours truly,

Matthew Masterson
Editor
New York Times

Dear Mr. Reider

Due to the fact that your films have a near god-like quality and also that we expect you to continue making films of this caliber for many years, we have decided to cancel the Academy awards as you will surly win every year from now on. Instead we will present a televised homage to you. We hope it makes you not want to destroy us with your mighty powers.

Humbly

John S. Reilly
A peasant of earth
Association of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Dear Adam

You are so talented and wonderful that I am stepping down as ruler of all that is so you can rule over all eternity. I know you will do better at everything than me. I only ask that you show mercy on my soul for not recognizing your superiority until you awoke this very morning.

Love

God.

So all this to say:
The only way you get famous over night is if you dream it. Literally.

Backstory Vol. 2 - The year that time forgot.

2008-03-13T16:04:00.010-04:00

10 Months ago I was given an opportunity to become jobless (but not penniless).

I wanted to present what I did and did not do during that time to paint a vague but entertaining picture of where I am now so we can all be up to speed as we all follow my career into success.

Over the past ten months I have not:
- Found a steady job
- Written a feature film
- Directed a short film
- Been on a big budget film set
- Made anyone coffee
- Serviced a big executive (i.e. no blow jobs)
- Won any awards
- Volunteered endlessly every week
- Saved any money for a rainy day
- Knocked up my girlfriend
- Felt financially secure
- Been sure that I am making the right move
- Join a telemarketing firm
- Decicded what I really want to do in film
- Made porn (although I did try)

So what have I actually done?
Over the past ten months I have:
- Looked endlessly for a steady job.
- Written a short film
- Directed the photography and edited a few short films
- Been on a medium-size budget short film set
- Made myself coffee
- Been serviced by a big executive (i.e. My girlfriend )
- Seen awards on T.V.
- Looked for volunteer work
- Borrowed money from friends and family
- Moved in with my girlfriend
- Been financially broke
- Wondered why I am making this move
- Thought about joining a telemarketing firm (I bus Tables at a pub once a week instead)
- Applied to work at over 150 jobs in the field and were denied at least 98%.
- Started to loose hope.

Here are a few things I have been part of over the last ten months:

Anyways, now that you have a rough idea of where I am coming from we can carry on with the good stuff. I'd like to take some time every now and again to talk about some of things I have done and will be doing to kind of give people a taste of what it is like to get into the film industry. I'd like this to eventually turn into a podcast so keep checking in. I Realized today that although I say I work in film, I really don't have a career in film. That realization has helped me a little in that I suppose I can't loose what I don't have.

(Next time - How to get rich and famous over night in film)

So... Anybody have a job for me?

The Horrible Blank Page

2008-03-12T15:12:00.001-04:00

Welcome.

This is my blog.

Somebody once told me that you don't know what you know until you write it. I am clueless and hoping to shed some light on my own life via this blog. I guess another reason I have decided to write a blog is to maybe connect with people who feel the same as me or who might be in a similar situation.

Here is some details about the situation I am in.

About 10 months ago I left my job working at a Community Centre to pursue a career in the film industry. I had a plan. Make money from the Federal Employment Insurance, Volunteer on as many film and media sets as I could and in about 5 months start freelancing and make a few bucks. Then after my E.I. runs out I will have created enough of a clientele to make a decent living while pushing my career further to eventually win an Academy Award where I would look back on my plan and say something like "I worked hard but I just new this would happen one day."

So 10 months later I am probably more poor now then I have ever been before ever and nobody wants to hire me! My E.I. ends next month (April 19 to be exact) and the reality of my situation is setting in. I am not getting any awards anytime soon. In fact at the end of this month I have told myself that I will start applying to jobs outside the Film Industry so I can have at least a few dollars to pay for silly things like rent and food and heat and a phone.

Am I in a bad place right now? Yes. Yes I am.
Do I feel frustrated and scared and stressed all the time? Yes. Yes I do.
Do I feel like I should give up? Yes. Yes I should.

Will I? No.

I turn 28 years old in 8 days from today. I spent the better part of today staring at my computer screen either flipping between my E-mail accounts hoping that some employer has responded to an application with, at the very least, an offer for interview and a blank page on Final Draft where I want to be writing my first feature length screenplay.
And now I am writing a blog.

The question is:
What have I been doing for ten months?

I mean...I thought I was busy.

Anyhoo. This Blog is not about me complaining (ok maybe a little) but this will be the documentation of my rise into the film industry...or my fall into extreme poverty and mental illness.

(Next time: 27; the age that time forgot!)