So Little to Do...

So much time to do it in! Wait, scratch that... reverse it. (Yes, Willy Wonka was on tv yesterday! Some of my favorite lines ever are from that movie!)

On Saturday after working at Job #1 from 9-12 I rushed outta here, met my brother briefly, grabbed a Big Mac and took my ass to the free workshop from the TFPF on applying for filmmaking funds. It was a cool workshop. I was proud that I understood 90% of what they were talking about--I got confused when they mentioned film formats (HD vs. Beta vs. Hi8 vs. ???) but I got totally re-invigorated about my documentary project. Not that I got UN-invigorated, I've just been so distracted lately with Everything Else in the World going on.

After a busy rest of Saturday that consisted of grocery shopping and attending the going-away party, on Sunday I was ready to devote myself to my documentary again. Unfortunately, it being Easter I was inconvenienced in that a lot of the phone calls I wanted to make I had to shelve b/c I didn't think I should be pestering folks on this holiest of holy days. The end of Lent aside, I barely even noticed it was Easter, myself.

However, I had a great conversation with my pater familias. He proceeded to throw a lot of information at me while I scribbled notes furiously. I now have a rather audacious to-do list b/c I have decided that I have absolutely nothing to lose by applying for some TFPF funds! However, they require a video sample or trailer to be included in the application, which means I better get on the ball since it's due by June 1! So I must now:

1. Call 3 of my documentary talent subjects and book them for interviews on the weekend of May 8-9. This will be for my trailer project and my father, Laszlo, will procure a camera, light kit, mikes, all that stuff.
   
2. Purchase a 250 gig external hard drive on which I will store my footage.
   
3. Write a trailer script!!! I started this yesterday. Laszlo said that I pretty much have to write out the dialogue word for word and that it should be a 4 to 4-and-a-half minute trailer. So far what I've written is only 1 minute long, so I need to get crackin' on writing 3 more minutes. Trailers, of course, have to be fascinating and intriguing enough to leave you, the viewer, wanting MORE, MORE! So it's gotta be damn good.
   
4. Confirm my brother to be my production assistant for the trailer shoot weekend.
   
5. Finish writing my budget draft since the TFPF fund requires this information.
   

And incidentally, Laszlo also recommended that I:

1. Go see Sin Nombre immediately. Not that it's a doc or anything, just a great film.
   
2. Consider the artistic elements of my doc. To be honest, I hadn't considered this yet. I've pretty much been thinking that since my doc subject is so compelling that that's all I needed. But now he says I should think about doing some re-enactments like Errol Morris did in Thin Blue Line. I countered with the fact that there are beaucoup documentaries that have NO re-enactments but that still blow you away! Laszlo agreed but said that those doc's have perfect scripts. Still, I got the message that I need to start thinking in terms of artistic elements... and what could those elements be in my film??? Food for thought, that's for sure.

Other things that I want to do are:

1. I am still trying to meet up with my good friend, the professional cameraman/filmmaker B.B. so that he can offer me his valuable input. But since this week is fucking tax week and he is finishing his up, he may not be able to meet me for lunch tomorrow, as I'd suggested. Damn! I'm dying to talk to him about my script and I've been waiting like, a month.
2. Consider getting some sort of website or blog for my project. I saw some of the TFPF grant awardees have websites and it would be a fun way to chronicle the life of the project.
   

Anyway, I'm getting excited again about this project. Lots to do and I better get to 'em!