Back in New York -- Where My Film Career Began!

I have a love affair with New York City. I dreamt of New York since I was a little girl growing up in the far away land of suburban Detroit, Michigan -- which is a super awesome place itself. I wouldn't want to grow up anywhere else.

But as I cut the grass and went boating on the Great Lakes, I dreamt of the exciting lives New Yorkers were having in the City. I wanted the lifestyle of walking everywhere and shopping and eating on every corner and actually taking a subway that operated underground -- no disrespect to the above-ground people mover in Detroit.

And when my husband Steve and I moved to Brooklyn from Detroit, I was so happy. I was working in publishing as a writer and editor. I had left a great job in Detroit and even better friends and the warm, cozy womb of my family to move to a city where I had no job, no friends, and no family. And I had to put Steve through graduate school.

Good times! Boy, were they. Steve and I really grew up in New York. We learned how to make it on our own and figure out who we were and who we wanted to be. We fell deeper in love with each other and New York. The people of New York City are actually very warm and loving. We made some of our closest friends of our lives. And it was in New York that I found the courage to make the leap and follow my dream from producing books to producing movies.

So I am back now in the City for a couple of days rekindling my love affair. Thanks New York for all the great times! You will always be in my heart and on my mind! Hmm, maybe I need to make another movie here...next year!

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YouTube Play & Guggenheim This Week

I'm heading to New York this week to attend the opening of a new exhibit at the Guggenheim of short films created by artists all over the world. 24/7 Creative invited me and HP & Intel are providing the travel and accommodations.

I'm excited to attend the reception and meet the talented filmmakers whose films have been selected to play at the Guggenheim as a celebration of the growing world of online video.

To check out some of the films, go to www.youtube.com/play. There is some really innovative work to watch.

24/7 Creative has started a great Facebook community for filmmakers, artists, designers, musicians and anyone who supports a more creative world. Enjoy!

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How to Beat the Indie Financing System

There is an excellent article in Hollywood Reporter on Indie Financing. Everyone should read it. It's titled "How to Beat the Indie Financing System." Click here to read the story.

Which brings me to my next topic. Entertainment periodicals. If you want to produce films, you need to read either The Hollywood Reporter or Variety -- ideally both. If you can't afford them then go to your friend's office who has them and read them there.

When I couldn't afford them, I would take the old issues from friends and read them a week later.

It is so very important to stay up on industry news. You need to know key players in every field of filmmaking and even TV and Books and you should keep up on what movies are getting made and what talent is being cast, etc. Information is so valuable to your career.

Another good source of entertainment news is The Wrap. And their articles are free to read.

So come on everyone, get reading! Start with the article above.

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We Made a Movie!

We made a movie! Now what?

Actually let me back track a little. I'm sure most of you, including myself, were wondering: where are the posts about making the movie (titled The Diary of Preston Plummer)? I mysteriously fell off the face of my blog from pre-production until now.

Yes, I agree I should have been posting every day! But, after I evaluated the insanity of making a movie with no production staff, I decided the world nor my blog would end without me posting about it here. I am a filmmaker first so my priority as a producer took precedence over my blog, in this instance. Hopefully, I will have a staff on my next project and I can be blogging from set.

I wasn't completely remiss in my reporting duties. I did make time to post (almost daily) on the Facebook page for the film. So if anyone is curious how things progressed during the shoot, you can click here and take a look on Diary's Facebook page. Become a fan too! We need you and it's a great film -- I promise. You can see a ton of really cool photos we took while there as well. Amelia Island is gorgeous!

That's the thing about being in production on a movie. It takes over your life. For the weeks you are physically making the film, your attention is 100% focused on making the best film possible for the least amount of money possible.

As producer, I am constantly coordinating and searching for the best deals that will make the show run as smoothly and as cost effectively as it possibly can. It is NONSTOP. I could be coordinating 24/7 and still think of more things to do. Ask my crew, I think they saw me sleep an average of 4 hours a night (something I don't recommend but, again, when you have no staff, you forego a few zzzzs).

We made it through the other side and we are really happy with the film. And we had a blast working together. I am so proud of our filmmaking family. From here, we tackle post and promotion and sales -- areas that are just as hard and time-consuming as production but we're ready -- bring it on!

Diary's fantastic cast and crew. I love you guys!:

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Two Days to Start of Production!

We are two days out from production and most of our crew is here and our two leads Trevor Morgan and Rumer Willis have arrived and are doing fittings and rehearsals. The house is full of activity. It's been a whirlwind of pre-pro and we are both stressed and excited to begin filming on Wednesday.

It's a jam-packed 18-day shoot but we are confident we will get our days and not have to compromise. The cast and crew are super talented, our locations are beautiful, and the support is being felt all around. The conditions couldn't be better for being creative and making a great film.

The biggest wild card for us is the weather. Florida is prone to scattered thunderstorms throughout August. The rain can come in swift and hard. And bring lightening with it. So we will keep our fingers crossed that the weather treats us right.

Time to make a movie!

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Two Weeks Out and So Much to Do!

We are two weeks out from filming and every day, I go down my to-do list and do my best to address as much as physically possible in one day.

Typical issues to address:

1) Travel -- need to book travel for cast and crew

2) Find and lock locations

3) Finalize casting and crew and their agreements. Negotiating deals can take many rounds and when it's an Ultra-Low Budget, I am usually handling the Business Affairs. More work for me -- yay!

4) Product Placement. It's so important to our bottom line to find product placement. For a spot in the film, we get free product to use. Free drinks for cast and crew is a huge savings. And it takes time to lock in these deals.

5) Go Over Schedule. The schedule is a fluid thing. It ebbs and flows and you must keep up on all changes.

7) Changes to Script. It's inevitable that once you are on location that there will be changes to the script. When the script changes, the schedule changes, then you must change...

8) Lodging and food. People need a roof over their heads and food to eat. And it can't be crap. You need to think about it all. It's sort of like planning a wedding. You want people to be comfortable and fed well. Not easy.

9) Budget and financing. Budget and financing. Need I say more?

10) Relaxation, exercise and time to yourself. As soon as you are on location, all of these three things could easily go away. You need to make time for each or you will burn yourself out. And then be no help to anyone. Try to squeeze in normal activities that make you happy throughout the week. See a movie or enjoy a sunset (we took a sunset cruise last night -- both a location scout and relaxation) or sip a glass of wine as you wind down from the day -- whatever it is, do it. You will feel better in the long run.

What's the lesson here? Juggle, juggle, juggle. And be positive. No one's perfect. Do the best you can. Be respectful to yourself and others and it will all work out.

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Images from Amelia Island

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