Under the Skin: Never Give Up!

I can't believe September is upon us! This summer has proved to be such an insane struggle and it pushed me through some real tests to see if I would make it out clean on the other side.

Towards the end of June and all through July and August I spent with an immense amount of doctors and July I spent time in the Emergency Room at least once every week for the entirety of the month. With the decline in my health which really felt like a continuous roller coaster, I struggled creatively. I watched all the hard work, time and money invested into this project thus so far begin to sail away. So, I through a lasso around that baby and yanked 'er back in!

I was being told by the Army that I would be here for another year then it went to me being transferred in a matter of a few short weeks then I was brought in and told that I was going to being kicked out of the Army on grounds for mental health issues (5-13).

This of course was in and of itself totally insane! I have health problems, sure but to the point they I was told that I am too sick to stay in the Army but not sick enough to get medically discharged. So, I left that meeting with thoughts of me getting kicked out of the Army which was devastating since I have served honorably for over 3.5 years. Eventually and to my surprise my case does not fall under 5-13. Furthermore, I took a psychological examination and it shows that I am not making this up rather I do indeed meet criteria for a medical discharge.

So anyway, despite the ups and downs I have continued to hold faith in myself and my film. I dropped the idea that I would film the entire feature as this was too much of a beast to conquer. What I did is come up with the following: Make a 2-5 minute promotional teaser to showcase my film making capabilities to attract potential investors.

This has been working very successfully so far as I completed a modern day Iraq segment and I am preparing top film a Polynesian segment where Captain Cook and his sailors come ashore onto their island during the 18th Century. I am very fortunate to have the honor and privilege of working with a local Hawaiian, Mr. Kaina Yasuhara.

Mr. Yasuhara has taken the role of casting director and location scout and just that alone, he has lifted up a massive amount of pressure. He has working to get me in to Waimea Valley so that I can film the native Polynesians moving through the jungle dressed and armed in traditional 18th Century fashion.

In addition to that, I am also working to get into the Kaulao Ranch which is an infamous filming locations used in numerous Hollywood films from Jurassic Park to Tears of the Sun. If I am granted access to the ranch, I plan on filming three war eras there; the Revolutionary War, Civil War and Vietnam War. I am also in hopes that I can use pyro on ground as I have a resource that is charging me cost for each detonation. I may also have access to a horse(s)!

So, in the mean time I have been keeping myself busy with teaching myself how to sew. You may laugh but as in Indie filmmaker, I have to become a Jack of all trades. The logistics alone is insane and requires weeks of prep. For last weekends shoot, I planned both breakfast and lunch for the cast and crew, all the hit times from arrival, gearing up, training, and the HOT times. I was running two simultaneous parties at once. I had a squad being trained for Urban Assault and then I had two actresses training on a emergency fire in their engine on a CH-53. The end result was hands down, AWESOME!

Well, time to eat dinner then back to sewing these costumes.

Sarge.....on its way

I haven't written in this for a while as I have been busy as hell. Sarge has at long last been cast. We have had our first table read last Friday where it served as an opportunity for everyone to meet one another and begin to build a relationship. I am waiting for Bill or DOC to send me the gear and once he does I will set the actual film date. I am hoping to shoot within 3-4 weeks.

Also, the interviewing process has been great. We have a Psychologist who deals with soldiers with combat related injuries. A tattoo artist who specializes in Polynesian style gave an excellent interview and several soldiers telling their story.

I can't wait to see Sarge come full circle......

AUDITIONS

I have last minute things to do before I rack out tonight. I am so excited to see people read my words and bring my characters to life. I have already received one audition via internet submission because he is on the Big Island and can't make it way over here.

We really are expecting a ton of people. I have received well over 150 emails in regards to the film and auditions. Like I said earlier, I contacted every talent agency I could and most were kind enough to help out.

We have the time blocked from 12pm - 4pm and we still think we will be there longer. Then when we leave, we have an interview to do that will probably be 2- hours.

The important thing is that I love this stuff because the work is so demanding. I am still waiting on the price quote for all the costumes and uniforms. I am putting together the VC outfits myself. I also cant wait to have Bruno come out and start blowing stuff up. That will be sick.

I am getting ready to take off for these auditions. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I am really looking forward to seeing my characters played out in various ways. I already a guy send us his audition via internet and that was really good. I really have the feeling that the turn out will be ridiculous. Three days ago I erased over 50 emails from my files and as I sit now, there are 83 emails all about the auditions. Then of course the talent agencies have called me and I sent them all the information they need, so really, they didn't to write me to get info. I am thinking 60-80 and if 100 show up I still wont be surprised.

Paying actors is really a must. You know there was a series about a movie being made just like this one and this guy made a really point. Put the money where you will see it on the screen. That really helped me make some good decisions about spending.

For instance, we figured out ways to where multiple hats rather than spend money hiring someone to do a trivial job that would costs us $100/day. Also, we worked the script so we minimize the bullet hits and explosions as they are all $100 a pop. Meaning if need another take.......and you have 2 bombs go off and a bullet hit w/ a squib.....yeah do the math it can expensive quick.

So anyway, I am getting out of here. I am taking some pics of the auditions and we'll see how everything turns out.

Getting Soldiers

Well, today I handed out another massive batch of fliers on post. Being in the service and especially a Wounded Warrior, I see and hear amazing and tragic stories.

Some of the Soldiers that we will be interviewing have some really powerful and emotional stories. It ranges from buddies getting killed in gruesome manners to horrifying sites and innocent men, women and children butchered in the streets for doing something as trivial as talking to a soldier or taking a gift from a soldier.

These stories that are being collected will shake the very essence of the human emotion. There is a lot that people do not know that happens every day in our world. So much is masked and/or over/under inflated to make the public feel good about what is going on in the Middle East while we're getting slaughtered. The audience will see first hand the after effects of war and what it does us. I will show you what a hero truly is.............

"Sarge"

So, I wrote a short called Sarge with Shawn Booth. This is the Vietnam War sequence I was talking about. I am really having a blast with all of this. I called every talent agency and sent them our info. to include getting on all the actors websites and posting our casting call on there. So, needless to say, I have been getting an extreme amount of hits for the casting this Saturday.

Shawn and I where trying to figure out where to have the auditions and we are fortunate enough that one of Shawn's friends offered for us to use their establishment (which is a talent agency) for our auditions. We are expecting a big turn out and this location will serve well.

Besides actors wanting to audition, I have had quite a few people ask do work on the crew and that is really awesome, especially when you tell them that you can't afford to pay them a descent salary if one at all. I got myself a PA who is starting this Saturday and I have her managing the people as we audition people in the other room. Having a PA even more so, a competent PA is worth its weight in gold......its just that I don't have gold.....just food.

The scene opens up in the jungles of Vietnam amidst a ferocious firefight. To do this yes we are going to use effects in post but I am also bringing in a SFX coordinator who will be rigging up some squibs and bomb effects. That is definitely going to cool as hell.

In regards to costumes, I made contact with a great guy down in Florida. Doc is a Vietnam Vet and operates a massive warehouse of military uniforms. He also specializes in military advising for film and television. He is giving me a great deal on six U.S. Army uniforms from the late 60's early 70's era. Oh, and don't forget the weapons and grenades we are getting.

The next thing is scouting. Shawn has a contact with the Kualoa Ranch. For those of you who are not familiar, it is the location for several film and t.v. series.... Lost, Hawaii 5-O, Jurassic Park, Mighty Joe Young, Pearl Harbor and on and on. This is a great spot for many reasons one being that its terrain is diverse.

We're also talking with SAG and arranging the paperwork agreements on that....pain in the ass. With that comes insurance, workman's comp and permits ect.

I am also working on getting catering to come out but what the reality is, I will most likely end up cooking a bunch of stuff up and bringing it out. I am also looking at renting a tent and chairs given that we will be out in the jungle terrain of Oahu. Which brings up the necessity to spray for insects.

I am still looking for a make-up artist but I am sure we'll get one especially with SAG behind us.

Well, that is enough updates for now. I will get some shots of Saturday's auditions and post 'em up. We should also have a trailer coming soon.

Aloha Tattoo

Our first weekend of shooting was a success! It went very well. Sat-Sun we spent at Aloha Tattoo a local shop and interviewed owner and tattoo artist, Tim Goodrich. He was very natural and a great story teller. As a prior Marine, he showed us his heartfelt love for the Marines. Sunday, he closed down the shop completely and tattoo my Director of Photography, Shawn Booth. He does amazing work and I am so happy we met him and have him as a part of this project.

For those of you who stumble across this blog, we are currently looking for Soldiers of all branches of service regardless of rank or what era you are from. If you have a military and/or memorial tattoo, we want to film your story. If you want additional information, drop us a line at
undertheskin.doc@gmail.com

Filming at Last

We finally started shooting yesterday and it followed into today as well as tomorrow. So, it is fair to say it has been an action packed weekend of shooting.

We started with a local yet highly trained and world renowned doctor who has the specialty of tattoo removal. He interviewed great and really gave us some insight on tattoo removal procedures and some advice on what to think about before getting a tattoo. Then after the interview, we were allowed to film an actual tattoo removal procedure. So all-in-all, it was an awesome experience.

Then today, we where at Aloha Tattoo interviewing tattoo artist and owner, Tim Goodrich. He is a really cool laid back guy and former marine. We interviewed for a good hour and got some amazing information and stories from Tim. Then we go back tomorrow where my Director of Photography (DP) is receiving an original Sailor Jerry style tattoo on his leg. So, we get to film the process off tattooing on someone which is cool.

Looking forward to tomorrow...................