More Resources

Well, some great resources and referrals. Through a great resource that decided to help me out and offer me names and resources, I have now collected some great leads. One of which is Shanghai Kate who is a legend in the tattoo industry and worked with Sailor Jerry. She is now in Alaska so that means flying to her for the interview. I also have the contact information for other "tattoo legends" who if they sign on means we will stop into Cali. for some additional interviews and footage.

We are putting our ad out tomorrow for Soldier interviews here in Hawaii. We will begin shooting beginning on the 9th or soon thereafter. I am going to talk to my chain of command and other resources here to get some footage of helicopters to bang bang stuff. I will feel better if I can get some of these guys to sign on. My fingers are crossed XX

Narrowing it Down

Ok, so after a long process of swishing ideas in my head, I finally went with the 3 suggestions made to me........the evolution of military tattoos and memorial tattoos.

Given that I am Active Duty Army, I have access to a lot of resources and for us military folk, we have a unique way of communicating. This will make things easier. This topic will show how the military tattoo came to be and for those of you who are not familiar it is a inspirational history. More importantly, talking about the memorial tattoo will showcase Soldiers stories behind the ink. It is our chance to tell the world what the Soldier goes through, the REAL sacrifices that are made and what it means to be a part of something that is more than oneself.

Currently, I just made contact with a lady named Kate who worked with "Sailor Jerry". If you don't know who I am talking about, get this DVD because you are in for a treat. We are also going to be advertising for Soldiers to come tell their stories so I am expecting this film to be a very unique and memorable piece.

More to come.......

Under the Skin: Re-Write

So, we are brain storming on another way to narrow down the subject material because I had my topic too broad. It is vital to have the topic down to a pin point accuracy. Given that I am serving in the Army on Active Duty service and my DP is a veteran, this will probably work. The hard part is coming up with the logline or one sentence that tells exactly what the film is about. We are all sleeping on it and then we talk tomorrow. I am starting to get some really good ideas and I think this will work out fine. Plus, I have access to everything military.





to be continued..........

Everything is moving along well. I am constantly at the computer reading and sending emails. I am on the phone talking to everyone! I recently just got permission from a museum to use their copyrighted material in my film....for free. I am talking to other museums in Britain, Egypt and Japan.

The script is a pain in the butt because it is a never-ending process of revising. The interviewing will help guide the process better but non-the-less, it is frustrating but oddly enough, I am loving it. We are about to sit down and come up with the shooting schedule. I am plugging in exactly what shots I want where so we can start filming it (ie; city scape, crowds walking...ect.)

Constantly staying on top of every detail is vital in producing this. I have a notebook and I write down every person and business I talk to with names, numbers, addresses, what we talked about, time and date we talked, notes if I should call back or whatever. Keeping everything organized and people informed is crucial for having things run as smooth as they can be.

To be continued....

Under the Skin: Pre-Production

After nearly losing my life and laying in the hospital for months, I told myself that I would finally pursue my dream of becoming a filmmaker. Less than one month of being on my own, I was well on my way to making my first full-length feature documentary.

I started coming up with ideas on topics, knowing it needs to be something I have some knowledge about. I instantly came up with tattoos. I started with an outline and began an intense research frenzy. From morning until night I read and write emails, make calls, research and write my script. I knew that I had to make this a high quality and low cost film. How does one do that?

Knowing my material, being ambitious and enthusiastic helps. However, I believe in myself and my art and that is key when pitching my script and getting support. After writing my outline I knew I wanted a narrator and I sure wasn't the man for the job. I held auditions, posting the intro to my script and received many talented voice actors. However, when I heard Thom, I couldn't stop smiling and knew he was the man for the job.

Bringing Thom into the project made me realize that I could really make this into a really professional piece. So, I began to scout for DP's here in Hawaii. I ended up with a HUGE list. After talking to countless people, I was referred to Shawn. Shawn has worked on major projects such as Lost, National Treasure to the Hunted. When he said he would love to help me out despite my low budget I was very excited. Then when he told me that he would take me on under his entire production company, I became amazingly insane with joy. Then, when he told me that he wants to use his gear rather mine, I almost fainted because he has a RED camera and professional lights and sound. For those of you who do not know what RED camera is, Google it and the films that used it. Then, two days ago, I posted an ad for a composer. Through this I finally found the perfect fit. He plays such a wide array of instruments it is honestly moving.

So, all-in-all, I have a full production company, a composer, anoter graphics designer and artisit for DVD and poster design. I am interviewing well-known artists, an author and more. This film is going to be amongst the best independent films of the year. We begin filming in little more than a week.

to be continued....