DenaNicole.com

good night, Gracie

September 1st, 2010

now I have a very specific “problem” with travel. The minute a planes engines fire up, a car’s key turns over, or a train pulls out of the station…I’m asleep before we are up to full speed. I have no idea if this “car-colepsy” comes from my childhood or from the year I spent commuting between San Francisco and Asia. All I know is that the minute that rumble of transportation starts, I’m asleep. I can’t remember the last time I felt a plane take off.

Now, in the actual travel part, it’s not a problem. There’s nothing more pleasant than going to sleep on one coast, and waking up on the other. It’s kinda like I’ve figured out teleportation.

The problem comes in when I need to stay awake during some part of travel. If I have work to do, something to read, or have to prep for whatever is going on on the other side of the travel. I find it nearly impossible to stay awake long enough to get anything done. So, I have to plan around my “disability” when traveling for work. Which means I’m often showing up at the airport exhausted. Which means I fall asleep faster.

Vicious cycle.

big sports

August 21st, 2010

It’s Saturday morning, and as I’m writing this, I’m on a conference call which will probably go on for hours. This upcoming week, we are shooting our big money scene where we are shooting in the Toledo Mudhens stadium, doubling it for a Major League stadium, and shooting a Home Run Derby which is the climax of the entire film. For a little movie like ours, this is a major undertaking.

We are shooting and crewing out of Detroit, and now we have logistically pick up the entire cast, crew, and equipment, move them to Toledo, shoot in a minor league stadium to double for a major league one, shoot half of the third act in 3 days, then pick back up and move back to Detroit. If that sounds like a logistical nightmare, you would be correct.

Baseball is hard to shoot for many reasons. A major one being that your players on the field are so spread out that coverage is a big issue. Now most of the baseball we are shooting is on Little League fields, which are sort of containable. But on a minor league field, it’s huge. So shot lists, storyboards, and a huge amount of planning is the only way we are going to get all of the story points we need to.

So we wake up, get on calls, and keep working through the weekend. Will it be successful? I think so. I wouldn’t be making this if I didn’t think it was going to be.

Feet on the Ground

June 16th, 2010

So yesterday was my feet on the ground day. Which means I landed in a state I’ve never been to before to live and work for the next 4 months. Now, before I have feet here, I already have eyes here…meaning I have hired my line producer/UPM, POC, APOC, local casting director, etc before I’m here, and I land to an office that is already up and running.

You always hope when you land and walk in that the crew you have hired are as pleasant as they seem to be on the phone, since you’ve hired sight unseen, based on recommendation, resumes, and phone calls. So far, so good….everyone seems to be what I thought they were.

So far, the challenges on this film are not normal ones. In indie film, finance is usually your largest obstacle, and you are constantly shifting pay dates, or contract sigs, or deposit schedules to fit around when the finance is coming in piece by piece by your 17 sources that are coming in to put the movie together. This one, on the other hand, went in fully financed. Even stranger, the financier didn’t want to give the money on a cash flow schedule, he just wanted to turn it over to production. So, we have the cash in the bank to make the picture.

Here’s where it gets weird. Michigan’s rebate can not be applied for until you are financed. So, once we were financed we put the application in. However, you can’t spend any money until it goes through the treasury and gets the official stamp of approval. Which can take up to 3 weeks. Now, we have people on the inside getting it approved much quicker, but we still don’t have the official stamp. Which means we can’t spend money.

However, we are on a strict production timeline. This is a movie which involves a ton of kid actors. And kid hours get far more limited during the school year, so we have to shoot out before school starts (at least all the kid parts) There is no pushing dates. It would make the movie unshootable. So, we have money, and can’t spend it. But need to spend it. So, this has become a mess of extra paper work having everyone start working without actually “starting working” Production office space, living arrangements, everything. We can escrow monies, just not draw down on the escrows.

Making a film always feels kinda like getting onto Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross. You close your eyes, run as fast as you can, and believe the obstacles will go away when you need them to.

Here we go again!

May 26th, 2010

So, here I am, spring 2010, looking in my closet and getting ready to once again pick up and move halfway across the country for 3-4 months. This time it’s Michigan.

The Basics:
Title: Home Run Derby.
logline: Two former professional baseball playing brothers take out their sibling rivalry through coaching little league teams. a definite Bad News Bears-y kind of movie.
Director: Oz Scott. Yup, the guy who directed Bustin Loose. Awesome.
pre-pro: June 14
prod: Aug 2
back home: Sept. 25

This was an interesting experience in film coming together in a way I’ve never been a part of before. A private equity financier came to us with the idea to do a baseball movie. So, we wrangled writers, brainstormed ideas, and had the script written from scratch with the movie already being financed. No director or actor contingencies. In independent film, it’s normally the other way around. You find a script you like, do some development with the writer. Chase down a director. Go through the excruciating process of attaching actors who mean something to financiers. THEN the money shows up.

So, once again friends, join me on the journey that is producing a film outside the studio system in a city I don’t know. I can’t wait!

methods of contact

May 11th, 2010

Now let me just say that as a production company, it is not unusual for us to get emails or calls that people want us to forward on to actors that we work with. People often think that we might be the easiest way for them to get through to people who often have layers of protection between them and the public. If people write fan letters, we will pass it on to the manager or PR person…as long as it’s not crazy.
So you can imagine my thoughts as Iron Man 2 opened. I just knew that somewhere out there, someone would get obsessed with Mickey Rourke, and try to contact him through us.

Email 1: (name and location redacted…not a terribly unusual email)
To Whom It May Concern,
Would you please kindly forward this to Mr. Mickey Rourke – thank you so much.
Hi Mickey!
It’s (name redacted) from (location redacted). Saw your performance tonight in: Iron Man 2 – you were great!
I love seeing you back on the silver screen Mickey – you have such a gift…God Bless You with continued success and keeping “in touch with Him.” Sincerely, (redacted)

Ok, ok…not bad. Until the follow up was email #2:

To Whom it May Concern,
Would you please kindly forward this p.s. email to Mr. Mickey Rourke…thank you so much.
Hi Mickey,
It’s me (name redacted) from (location redacted) with a p.s. to my recent email I sent you.
I just read you’re going to do a movie called, “St. Vincent.” Interestingly enough thats the name of the church I go to at least for now. We had a deeply devoted priest named (redacted) who recently was moved “elsewhere”. A number of folks were upset – someone even wrote to the editor of our (name of local paper redacted). I wrote to our Archibishop (name redacted) stating how wonderful his homilies were. Perhaps the latest priest brought to St. Vincents wanted “the show” himself – who knows. Anyways if Father (name redacted) turns up at another church near by I’ll probably switch. Personally, I don’t buy everything about the Catholic church but I do love receiving the Holy Eucharist weekly…
Anyways, I also wanted to mention if you’re not involved with someone and would care to meet – my phone number is: (number redacted). I’d even understand if we met and you felt more comfortable with wearing a “disguise” – fine as long as I know who you were and you’re not hiding under some blanket… Have a great day Mickey – if you’re in town you know the weather is going to be cold tonight. – (name redacted)

and that, my friends, is the definition of awesome-sauce.

Sundance wrap-up

January 31st, 2010

Sundance. That time when half of Los Angeles shuts down, and goes into summer camp mode. Except we’re all wearing heavy coats, and keep not understanding why our iphones don’t respond to our touch (hint: gloves)

This year I did not have a film showing. I debated whether or not I should go. We looked at the calendar, pushed things around, and decided yes. I should.

Now, I have parts of Sundance I love. I’ve been coming to Park City since, I guess, 2004. Of course, in 2004, I only came here mistakenly. I was in Salt Lake City shooting a film (Go Figure), and on a weekend, we decided to head up to Park City to ski. Now, at the time, I was bound and beholden to the House of Mouse, so things like Sundance weren’t on my everyday radar. But, low and behold, I drove to Park City on Saturday morning, got stuck in the traffic, and stayed and played with friends all weekend.

Now 2008 and 2009 I didn’t go. My business partner and I have been so all consumed with the day to day running of the business that taking a week in another city…even when it was work…seemed unfathomable.

So this year, I was back. In the couple days leading up to leaving, my asst and I spend time everyday making sure I’m on all the party lists I need to be on, and planning out my schedule. Now to those of you who don’t do this, what you have to know is that doing the party scene at these festivals is 1. necessary and 2. exhausting Especially if you are like me, and want to go to films in the morning too.

So, a typical Sundance day goes something like this: Up, showered ready and primped for the whole day by a 9am screening, noon screening, lunch meeting, afternoon cocktail party, second afternoon cocktail party, often a third afternoon cocktail party, late afternoon movie, dinner meeting, drinks meeting, sometimes an evening movie, premier party, event party, house party.

did I mention it’s exhausting?

but my favorite part is the films. The fact that I get to spend a week seeing 3-4 films a day is a film geeks dream come true. Were they all good? No. Were there enough that were good to make it satisfying? Absolutely.

So, as I came home, drained….but having reconnected with colleagues and friends from around the world, I can say that the lost sleep and exhaustion was worth it. Being surrounded by a group of people passionately pursuing their dreams is enough to recharge me.

Oh, and it’s super pretty, too.

Do you believe in the universe?

January 16th, 2010

I certainly do. I was raised by crazy hippies…so I am the sort of person that believes that the universe provides…and I have lived my entire life by that mantra…and yet it always shocks me when I am part of that happening for someone else.

Yesterday, we were trying to finish up our plan for the sales posters for A Little Help. I have had someone in mind for quite some time to shoot them. However, today was the day we were finally locking down what we want to do. So, I called the photographer I wanted to shoot the poster and started talking to him.

We started out with the basics, me telling him what I wanted, and him giving me his availability, but I could hear a bit of strangeness in his voice. Now, keep in mind, he is someone that I am friends with socially , so I could talk to him in a way that you can’t with just simply business contacts. So I asked him why there was a hitch in his voice.

It turns out that just that day, while on the treadmill, he had sent out “a voice” (his words…) into the universe. He and his wife are about to have a baby, and he said “today, I need to find a way to $XXXX” Well, strangely, that was the base amount I was able to talk about for shooting.

Or, is it strange? I have repeatedly found that when I put something into concrete terms, it occurs. It’s the concept behind the highly successful “Best Year Yet” book and groups. Be specific, and put your effort behind it, and it will happen.

He had spent the day knocking down other doors trying to make that amount happen. And I happened to be the universe’s messenger that could tell him that was exactly how to operate.

LA Weirdo

January 12th, 2010

Interestingly, with all the strange crap I do, there is one thing I do that repeatedly gets baffled looks from all those around me. They are horrified when I say it, and there is often a low whisper of “…why?”

I commute by bike.

Now, after you have picked your chin up off the floor, let me make a couple things clear. I have a car, and do drive. In fact, I like taking the top down, and heading to Santa Barbara on a beautiful Saturday. But on a regular day, I hop on my bike to make the trek to my office and back.

I know that in some ways I’m in a position that allows me to do this. First off, I own my company. So, when I show up at the office in biking clothes, and immediately head in to change and get ready for the day, my employees get to just chalk it up on their “things my eccentric boss does” list. I also live under 2 miles from my office, and have a parking lot at the office where I can leave my car. This way I have it to get to all my meetings during the day. And lastly, facilitating this commuting style is the fact that The Giant has both a motorcycle and a car, so after I ride my bike home at night, if I need a vehicle for some reason, one is there.

But what I’ve found is that Los Angeles is surprisingly bikeable. If you take the time to look for the streets which are wide, or have good sidewalks, you can get nearly anywhere in about the time it takes to drive. I ride from my office (West Hollywood) to Venice sometimes after work to visit friends. Turns out, the actual distance is only 11 miles. Doing a “fast casual” biking (~13-14 mph), with traffic stops included, it takes me about an hour. That’s about 10 minutes longer than it would take in my car at that time of day.

But the best part is the routine commute. 2 miles each way from my house to the office and back. 10-15 minutes in the morning and in the evening when I’m not available to the world. No rolling calls, no answering emails, no making appointments, no contact. For that short period of time to start my day, I can be alone with my thoughts and my body, just enjoying the morning air. I arrive at the office far more focused, and far more calm.

No all of us bikers are crazy, anti-car, environmentalist, hippie, self-righteous wackos. Some of us just enjoy it.

This Is Not a Review

December 23rd, 2009

So, I’m not terribly interested in reviewing films, overall. There are plenty of people out there, and y’all can figure out whose opinions you trust, and who will lead you into or out of the theater. I’m not interested in doing that. However, this is about Avatar. And as such, I feel like I first need to give my overall opinion of it.

Meh *shrug*

There we go. Now, with that out of the way, I want to progress into the real reason for this blog, which is that there are a TON of reasons to actually be interested in Avatar as a movie. And as a studio movie. I’m only going to touch on my top two, but there are so many…

Interesting thing #1:
Fox isn’t banking on this as an opening weekend hit. I get “the lowdown” on what is going on in the marketing department there, and they are far more concerned with what the drop-off is going to be between weekends, and what the online chatter is (92% positive after seeing the movie, FYI) They are looking at this as being a longevity hit in the theater, rather than opening and making huge numbers.
Why it’s interesting #1:
In the independent world, this is something that we constantly struggle against with our distributors. How do you build a word of mouth that translates into a return in the box office? Because of what Avatar is, Fox is willing to bank against what we always tell distributors about a film…if people like it, your box office will follow. So, if a big budget justifies that strategy, how do we convince them that on smaller budgets, the same leap of faith is a good bet on small movies.

Interesting thing #2:
Avatar is at 84% on rotten tomatoes. Out of those, most of them talk about the spectacle, and put the story at (as best) pedestrian and previously done.
Why its interesting #2:
The split between independent and studio movies is becoming wider and wider. Studios can absolutely do things that independents can’t. The technology invented to film Avatar is certainly one of them. However, independent film has to find where the holes are in the studio system, and create product to fill those holes. and that should begin with story. Independents need to raise their own bar in regard to telling stories that are new, compelling, driven, and told creatively. We need to become more vigilant in only producing movies which have a script behind them which is flawless, and demand performances that illuminate those ideas. I have heard repeatedly from independent producers “well,the script is better than XXX XXX, which made $YYY YYY” That doesn’t matter! The script has to be better than good. It has to be amazing! We are plugging a hole here. You don’t do it with putty, you do it with cement.

I think with any movie that studios put out, we, as independent producers need to look at it with an eye towards what it says about the business and the audiences. Just enjoying it as a film is not enough.

Check it out!

December 3rd, 2009

Pick up a copy of Glamour UK to see the most recent article on I Remember Andrea. The press machine rolls on!

good night, Gracie

big sports

Feet on the Ground

Here we go again!

methods of contact

Sundance wrap-up

Do you believe in the universe?

LA Weirdo

This Is Not a Review

Check it out!

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