Giving people rock!

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 10th 2009

Still working on shot list. This stuff is driving me crazy. I'm seeing the holes in my education! yikes. Thankfully Greg is willing to meet with me to go over what I've got and give me a better idea of what I should be doing.
How I appreciate working with wonderful, sweet, super talented and giving people!

Mac for moi

I am now the proud owner of a Mac. Now how do I turn the damn thing on??

Rehearsals!

MONDAY NOVEMBER 9th, 2009

My local school district has today off in honor of Memorial Day. Silly me to assume that the rest of the school districts would have today off as well. That's what I get for assuming anything.

Scheduling rehearsals is a tricky business when dealing with kid actors. Their schedules are super crowded on the weekends and their parents are often driving them and their siblings all over Hell's half acre with sports, auditions, family obligations and such. So Monday (holiday) seemed like the best option (again stupid assumptions!). How interesting it was to find out that all of the out of town kids in the film, had school on Monday and couldn't meet at 3pm. After a silent "aarrrgghhh," I pushed out the times and all but one couldn't make it. Then another had to cancel because her sister came down with Swine Flu. So only two out. Not too bad at all. But it gave me heart palpitations to think that something as easy as the flu could stop the production. Had to breathe and then back on track.

The rehearsals went wonderfully. We walked through the blocking and worked on intent, character analysis, etc. Then we played games and had a pizza party. Have to admit, working with kids is really fun. Making films with kids is going to be fantastic!!

Quick - Do nothing!

It’s one of those days of “oh there’s so much to do- quick run around in circles!” and “Oh man, there’s so much to do – quick start reading a book!” Nothing quite like feeling overwhelmed, to get me totally focused on nothing in particular. So let me get it clear what I have to do, just so that it’s staring me in the face (as I distract myself by writing this blog).

To Do:

Need to memorize lines for acting class.

Gotta get interpretive character set in my head before presentation in meisner acting class.

Need to finalize the shot list for the short I’m filming next weekend.

Actors are coming to the house on Monday for rehearsal – ack, need to clean house.

Yikes! Filming next weekend!!

Need to finalize any holiday plans (ugh).

Need to schedule PET and CT Scans. (Hate Needles!!!)

Try not to freak out that I have to have scans in the first place (Hate Cancer!!!)

Stop daydreaming about running off to London or Italy (This unfortunately, has become my default button for procrastination and it has gone way over the limit of my fantasy/day dreaming quota.)

Stop procrastinating, by blogging!

o.k, o.k., I’m going….

Photo Shoot

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6th 2009


Today was incredibly wonderful!! It was a clear beautiful day for our photo shoot. The lead characters looked great and Roger shot fantastic photos. They turned out beautiful!!


These we're needed as part of the story, where the lead boy refers to the photo of him and his grandpa.


I'm so excited, nervous and anxious that we are going to start filming in a week!

(I'll post some of the pictures soon!)

Congrats to LOVE BUG and Kat Candler

Congratulations to Kat Candler and her film "Love Bug" for winning the Audience Award at Austin Film Fest. I have probably seen this film 10 times and i loved it each time! And everyone that I know that's seen it has also loved it! Lot's of wonderful laughter goes along with this film.
I'm sure it's going to get to more festivals, but if it's in your area, please check it out.
p.s. No that's not me in the picture. That would be the talented Anne Nebors. I play the mom of the Maddy.

Upcoming Screenings - Rockport, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth

Love Bug

• Sunday, November 8th, 8pm, Dallas Video Festival, Dallas, TX
• Thursday, November 12th, 10pm, Lone Star Film Festival, Fort Worth, TX

Worry Worry worry

Tomorrow’s the first cast/crew meeting. I’m so excited! We’ll have our read through, talk about the film, sign papers, work on costuming, answer questions, set up more meetings, etc., you get the idea. I think I’ve got everything I can possibly do, done before tomorrow, but… I’m still so nervous. What am I forgetting? Do I have the keys to get in? The scripts? The calendar? Enough chairs? What about the crew papers? What about the costuming, what about blah, blah, blah.

I wish I could go through this film making process totally cool and easy going. Like I didn’t have a care in the world. Like this was easy as pie. Maybe it is easy as pie and I’m just torturing myself by thinking it’s harder than it really is. Maybe I’m a masochist.

If I could just figure out how to enjoy this really neat ride, instead of worrying so much.

Maybe I worry too much!!

Catching up with You

Hey You!

Been a while! How are you?!

Well, I’ve been kinda busy. Let’ see…

Had wonderful actors auditioning for the film and now the cast is set. I can’t wait to work with them.

This weekend we have our read through and costume fitting. Next week we’ll do our test shoots and start prepping the interior locations. Can’t believe it’s only two weeks until filming. (yikes!). Then it will go on to editing, sound, music, color correction, maybe subtitles, then on to festival submissions.

Went to Austin Film Fest last week. Met wonderful talented filmmakers and then some. Saw some celebs and got to hang out with really awesome friends. Got to see some films, some great shorts and I went to several panels that got me thinking.

I’m still taking the ass-kicking acting class. Unfortunately it’s only getting harder. What’s up with that? It’s so hard, that I’m thinking of taking it twice a week after the holidays. Again, what’s up with that?

Saturday marked the third year anniversary of my dad’s death. Maybe that’s why I’ve been so busy - trying to keep myself preoccupied, because I’m missing him so much.

Lastly, I’m working on my next short to hopefully be shot in the Spring, excited to get to spend some time over the thanksgiving holiday on a screenplay I’ve been ignoring, but really wanting to get back to and I’m going to have my own production company.

Other than that, not much else is going on.

Take Care and let me know what’s going on with you.

Lot’s of love,

Leslie

For three days now, I have been so restless, I’m about to take up exercise.

Really - It’s that bad.

I don’t get it.

...Or maybe I just don’t get me.

Locked script – Check

Secured Producer, DP, Editor, etc. – Check

Taking ass kicking acting class – Check

Working on feature – Check

Didn’t book a stupid commercial - Check

Got snuggle time in with Little Kiddo – Check

Yelled at Big Kiddo about homework, but still got in some hugs – Check

Looking everywhere for locations – Check

Doesn’t feel like I’m getting anything done – Check, Check Check

What is up with this?!!