Izzie, April and the Jedi

Week 2 ended on April Fools Day. Fitting. This was also the day, Izzie and her momma boarded a plane to come see daddy. Although separated, understand that Mel and I are the best of friends. And thanks to assistant editor, Martin, and my stupidly losing my keys, I was able to borrow his car and join them later.

I might as well get this out in the open. I have debated it. Have discussed with Mel at length and we have decided keeping it a secret helps no one.

My Izzie reunion was one of absolute joy. I’m not a very good absentee father.

As joyful as it was…I could tell something was bothering Mel. She was distracted… stressed even. Because she had received news the day after I left for the Shreveport location and had sheltered me from it. She knew it would derail me. Distract me. So, she alone carried the burden. She carried it for a full month. Until Easter weekend.

Izzie. My beautiful. My perfect. My greatest accomplishment. The one creature on the planet that proved to me that I could love something more than myself…

Izzie is autistic.

Now, don’t you dare send me emails of “I’m so sorry” or “You poor dear”. Don’t you dare think for a moment that this is a bad thing. That it takes away from the perfection of my daughter. On the contrary. This makes her all the more stunning. Izzie is gifted. She can move things with her mind. She is imaginative and polite. She says please and thank you and I’m sorry. She loves to cuddle and take naps. She is friendly to strangers. Normal children are just that. Normal. There has never been anything normal about Izzie Rain.

She loves spiders and dinosaurs and ghosts and all things that go bump. She can work an iPhone, iPad or iMac like a master. She can count and knows her ABCs. Izzie is strong with the force. And thanks to Mel, we now have a team of Jedi working with her weekly to train her. To protect her.

In the world of Autism, Izzie is moderate. She isn’t Rainman. She makes eye contact. She loves people. She can communicate and wants to. While she is imaginative and can get lost in her own mind, she doesn’t get stuck there. She loves to hug, loves to explore and learn and play.

There are some speech challenges. Some motor-skill challenges. And when she, as a 3 year old, does not get her way, there’s the chance of a meltdown. Granted, all 3 year olds have meltdowns. But perhaps this particular meltdown is a little different. However it’s nothing she nor we can’t handle. As I said, we have a team of Jedi Masters working with us.

A special thank you should go to our dear friend Allen Speigel who noticed some subtle signs months ago. Not only did Allen give us a head’s up but he also made calls and helped to speed Izzie through the process that could well have taken months if not years. Were it not for Allen we would not have found out until much later. Were it not for Allen we would not have our incredible team of Jedi Masters.

And they are THRILLED by the way. Thrilled that we caught this early. While there is no fix. Just like there’s no fix for being tall or weepy at movies. There are tools to assist in living with it. We all got our baggage. You learn to work with your baggage. Learn to use it to your advantage. Izzie will learn to use hers to her advantage. Will learn to capitalize on the gifts of autism. Will learn to adapt. Improvise. And overcome the challenges of autism. I have used A.D.D. and two parts OCD to build a career.

Izzie will use her Autism to rule the world.

BUT…it may have taken me a week or three to come to this more positive attitude.

Upon learning…what I wanted to do was go home.

I did not want to go back to Shreveport.

But I did.

I went back because I have a responsibility to my crew. To my cast. And even to my masters. One of which is remarkably ungrateful. Not to mention I have a partner. I was not about to abandon him. Life happens. You deal with it. Drive Angry was our biggest opportunity to date. Opportunity that could benefit both our families. I would be there to support my director. To be his assistant. To do whatever needed to be done for him, for the crew, for the cast without complaint. To run as much interference as I could. To shield Patrick from distracting drama as Mel had shielded me. It wasn’t much but it was part of my job. Granted a job for which I was not being paid as harsh as my burden, Patrick carried the full weight. Anything I could do to lessen that load, I would. Without hesitation.

You’d think that masters would appreciate my willingness to work for nothing. No. Not all. Monday morning, within five minutes of seeing one of my masters, he/she joked about how my staying at the Holiday Inn was a waste of production money.

I did my best to keep Patrick’s schedule, though I’m not as tough as he. Up two hours before call. In bed two hours after dailies. My body was bruised from stunts. My brain was numb from lack of sleep. I wrote, put out what fires I could not to mention I’d been recently kicked in my autistic balls. Yet on top of it I had to put up with rude behavior from one who was supposed to be protecting me and the project.

I laugh about it now. Not so much then.

The thing is, I can live with the tight budget. I can adapt to the tight schedule. That’s business. But the rude behavior? The rude behavior proves it isn’t just business.

Week three took us to a farm, a church and a bridge.

It was also the time Patrick and I figured we’d better start talking crew jackets. We had been told early on that Millennium doesn’t do crew jackets so Patrick and I decided to provide them.

I researched and was quickly reminded of how much I suck at research. I needed help. I asked for it from Andree Fortier in costumes. She had worked with us on MBV and started researching jackets and printshops.

Nathan Amondson our production designer, thankfully joined forces and provided the designs. We used my Skywalker Fireman jacket as a prototype. Nathan worked his magic and suddenly we had me wearing the prototype. We settle on a charcoal color. Removed the charger and placed an order for 300 jackets. Later we would add an additional 100 to cover the post production crew. Editing, Composer and Skywalker Sound.

Back in California Mel and Nanna continued to send me updates and pics of Izzie. I was back into the swing. And Mel said Izzie was doing great.

While shooting on the farm I learned just how amazing a perfect team of PAs could be. Ours worked so hard. They ate standing up. They ran, they biked. They came early and they stayed late. They worked for crap money and they worked as locals so no per diem. They multi-tasked. Here, PA Patrick, was on his way to deliver coffee, stopped to hump my leg while answering a call over the radio.

That same week I also got to meet David Morse and loved him. It’s a great role which he made so much better. It serves purpose. Plot, character and just plain cool. But the weight he brings to the role takes it well beyond what we ever dreamed. When the man speaks, you believe him.

Met David’s wife and boys. They’re not Hollywood. It’s kind of refreshing. David is quiet but professional. Steel and velvet.

We chatted between set ups. One day while on an exterior shot I watched him watch Patrick. Finally he asked, “Does Patrick ever yell?” I laughed and told him, “No. Never. Yelling at cast or crew would simply never occur to him. It’s not in his wiring.”

Rene gets full credit for making David happen. Rene Besson. Rene is a suit. Works for Millennium. And mid-way through production he became a producer on the movie. He asked DeLuca and DeLuca said yes. That shows how classy DeLuca is but it also shows how deserving Rene was.

Rene is…I suppose…one of our masters. But Rene is a good man. Oh, don’t get me wrong. He can be a raging pain in the ass but at least with Rene you know what to expect. He’s a shark. When he’s hungry he eats. When he’s full he shits. Rene has a job and believes in it. I’ve met so very many who throw there weight around for reasons of insecurity or arrogance. Not Rene. He loves moves. LOVES. I happen to believe in my job as well. While the two jobs are supposed to compliment each other…they often don’t. He didn’t know what to make of us in the beginning and we didn’t know what to make of him. But eventually we figured out that we may come at things from totally opposite directions, but we are still on the same side.

For instance, if we have 100 bucks to make our movie then I want all 100 bucks. I ain’t asking for 110 or 105. But I want my 100. Right down to the last penny. If Rene can make the movie for 80 bucks then he will. I can’t argue his position. Can’t even say he’s wrong. But I want my 100. However, It’s because Rene wanted to make the movie for 80 bucks that allowed us to get more than we normally would have.

Rene fought for 3 extra days of 2nd unit…and got it. He was the toughest negotiator. Not only did he get us Morse, but he sealed the deal for Billy Burke, for Charlotte Ross, for Fichtner, for everyone we wanted. He never came back to us saying we have to cast Actor X on the foreign sales list, although I know he heard that from his masters. We all got masters. Rene may have been tough… but he still MADE the deals with our choice for each role. Patrick was there when it was happening and I saw it happen. Rene got us who we wanted. Got us the cast that was BEST for the film. Every time. And that’s huge.

And the biggest selling factor for me, Rene was always supportive of Patrick. Was never dismissive. Patrick appreciates him for that. I’d work with him again without hesitation. Rene loves movies. And that’s rare in this business, as odd as that sounds. He has a massive movie collection — and can rattle off quotes from the highest brow art flick to the most ridiculous B movie guilty pleasure. We may be different sides of the coin but together we’re a damn fine coin.

Rene was and is on the side of Drive Angry.

Nathan Amondson recently sent me a bunch of old pics from the scout. This one cracked me up. The Palomar Motel. That’s Rene, John Thompson and myself. John too, is an exec at Millennium. I like John too. He’s charming and charismatic and he worked on Once Upon a Time in the West!

Our faces should tell the whole story. The Palomar had some challenges. You DO NOT want to go in there with a black light.

But the pic sparked a debate. Millennium.

In Hollywood there are roughly two primary systems for making movies. Via the studio system the story will change because the suits will get involved in the creative. BUT, nine out of ten times there will be more money for production.

Via the Millennium system they WILL NOT change the story. You will have creative freedom as long as you stay within budget and schedule. But don’t go crying for more money.

It’s an amazing debate. Do you choose less money but creative freedom? Or give up that control in exchange for more money? Because rarely do you get both. Unless you’re Cameron.

Either way will have its pros and cons. Either way you’ll get bloody. But is there a better choice? I’m not sure there is. But I think I’d always choose creative over money. That said, I look at the above pic and I fall in love with Gary Tunnicliffe all over again.

By the time we moved to the church we were well aware of the armor needed to make a movie in and around Shreveport. Sunblock and bug spray were essential. As important as the SI and the Red.

As I’d mentioned previously we wrote the church as a back up plan for rain. But we ended up liking it better. That said we still had to block it and it was nearly time to shoot it.

So between setups, Patrick and I sped our way to the church. It was just us and PA Samantha. We walked thru the action, the dialog, we walked through the scene. It’s hard to explain it. It was exactly the same thing we do when we write. We banter and act out and watch the movie in our heads.

Most folks won’t understand our bond. Won’t understand what we do. I think Sam might. She saw it in action. She saw the process and the joy that comes with it. You don’t do it because you are paid. You do it because you have a responsibility to your cast and crew. You do it because you love the story. Because you love the journey of creation. Samantha pulled me aside after and thanked me for letting her watch that. She’s so damn cute.

Then it was back to the crew where we were shooting exterior driving. After all, it wasn’t called Walk Angry. Previously there was a scene involving Ms. Heard and a song. We had several possible songs. But Amber suggested one of her favorites. We threw the song into our machine and Holy Cow we got it. As you can see, MaxP3D, Richard, Joey and Will were thrilled.

Nearly every weekend the PAs did something entertaining. BBQs, get-togethers, or in the above instance, an evening cooked community breakfast. Pictured left to right are Wildcat, who ran base camp. John White our 2nd 2nd. Samantha who I mentioned above and PA Patrick who was photoed humping my leg earlier. Missing from the pic would be PA James, who was likely at home with his beautiful wife. And PA Matt, who was likely somewhere quietly planning to take over the world.

These kids worked their tails off. Production Assistants. They didn’t waste time telling you how hard they work. Talk is cheap. All you needed to do was open your eyes. They were competent and professional. The movie will be better because of them.

Ladies and Gentlemen. Dave Crone. Camera operator. Dave is a keeper. Dave isn’t one of those guys who talks about all his other jobs. All the celebrities he’s worked with. Dave had more physical production experience than anyone else yet you’d NEVER know it. Until you watched him work. Dave Crone is a genius. We did not have money to burn. And we REALLY didn’t have time to waste. Dave made sure we got every shot. Made sure we told the story.

Every single day Dave, Brian and Patrick would meet and talk and figure out how to survive under our particular extreme circumstances. They always met at least an hour before call. Throughout the day you’d see the three of them or any combination of two quietly chatting. They never yelled. Not at the crew. Not at each other. They would sit together at lunch. They would meet and chat after wrap. All three were at dailies. They never missed.

I would listen when they talked. And rarely had a clue what they were talking about but they knew. If you put the camera here then you can tell this while accomplishing this and we get the story in two shots rather than four. I was fascinated. And stupid. But I’m dashing and that goes a long… well that’s worthless but whatever.

I had seen Patrick and Brian do this on MBV. But with Dave it reached a brand new level of awesome.

Dave Crone. You, sir, are the man. Dave Crone, on behalf of team Beatles, please accept this warmest of invites to join the band.

Kevin Meier. Sound man. His job title was Sound Utility. I don’t know what that means. But I can tell you what he is not. He is NOT a master at pranks. I was notorious about leaving my Macbook Air and/or iPad everywhere. On a cart, on a stump, on a ladder. One particular day when I returned for the iPad it was gone. So, I walked around the set and there was Kevin. Hunched over typing away. He was writing me a Poem in Notes. It was flowery and romantic and sexy. And had I not seen him writing it, it would have been the greatest prank EVER. I would have found the note and been like What the Who? Kevin, you numbnut.

The sound boys kept me smiling.

There was also Randy Pease, Boom Operator. It was Randy’s voice you’d hear in your ear after just about every take. While Randy is a master at collecting sound, he’d certainly have a job sitting in the audience during Mystery Science Theatre 3000. His comedic timing is impeccable. He has a Masters in heckling from Stanford.

Rounding out Team Sound was Jay Meagher, sound Mixer. I don’t have a pick of Jay on this computer but he looks alot like Brad Pitt. Jay was the Emperor of sound. Randy and Kevin were Vader and Vader’s little brother Stumpy. We never made life easy on them. Between the planes, trains, autos, factories and our 1st AD’s heavy breathing…Jay and the sound boys had their jobs cut out for them but they were amazing.

I have never had better food on a set. Liz and Dottie in Craft Services took amazing care of us. The food was good. The snakes were plenty. A golden cornucopia of plenty. (That was supposed to be snacks but snakes is funnier.)

And over in Catering, Donna and Sue were my girls. I want to marry them. The food really was great. I know I’m a broken record but the crew was simply amazing. Every department took great pride in their jobs. Every department knew this one was special and wanted to be a part of it.

Tim Trella preps the car for Oakley Lehman. My bromance with the stuntmen continues. These guys were the best. Watched out for each other too. When the bombs drop. When anarchy rules, I’m joining forces with the stuntmen. And we’re gonna eat our masters first. With some Australian BBQ and a splash of Vegemite. Okay, hold the Vegimite. Stuff is nasty. Sorry Aussies. Truth.

I have mentioned the mostly thankless job of being a stand-in before. Pictured left to right are Todd, Nathan, Michelle and Will. We became friends. Like the PAs, the stand-ins were very much in the know. And I LOVED this about them. They stood quietly and watched. Listened. They were fully aware of the heartbeat of the set. I was able to put out fires before they started thanks to them. I really cannot stress how in debt to them I am.

Nathan is also a great writer. It will not surprise me to see his name in lights one day. In fact, as I mentioned in a previous post, Nic read one of Nathan’s scripts and loved it. They became buddies and took the private jet together. I was never invited on the private jet. I can only assume this is because Nathan has better hair.

I so very much love our team. I was continually dazzled by Nathan’s production design. He is the greatest gift Millennium gave us. But we will steal him from them. Nathan is getting married soon. All the very best, my brother.

I will never get tired of singing the awesome of Michael DeLuca. He has always had our backs. Always. From day one. Before that. For me, I would not have a career had he not said yes to the little movie that shot Jason Voorhees into Space.

When it came to Drive Angry, Mike got it. Completely. He was the first and only producer we met with whose only note was to go shoot it.

Then there was D-Day. Dooms Day. It was a bad day. We had so many but this was a particularly bad one. It resulted in this photo. This photo made me want to attack. Made me want to beat the living… I really don’t want to go into details. People on the outside were stupid and their stupidity ended up kicking my friend in the teeth.

DeLuca had gone back to LA for the weekend. I didn’t know who else to turn to so I wrote him an email in the middle of the night. He responded immediately. He booked a flight that instant. Next thing I knew he was on a plane to Texas which was the only way to get to Shreve. You bounced. He had our backs.

Michael DeLuca is simply astonishing. Most suits don’t understand the delicate balance it takes to both make the movie for a budget and support your creatives. DeLuca does. He’s in a league all his own. I’m curious what studio he’ll end up running. It’ll happen. Won’t be long.

Patrick Lussier is one of the best directors in the business. You saw it here first. Well, not true. Others have said it but the world will catch on soon enough.

He’s smart. Way smarter than I. He understands story and drama and tension and character but he also completely understands the technical side. He edits in his head. Knows what he needs. He will save your production money because he’ll outthink screw ups and accidents and even greed. He can adapt to any challenge. And the crew loved and loves him. Completely.

Here’s the thing. You treat my friend with respect then you earn my loyalty.

You take advantage of my friend, yell at my director, take advantage of my friend’s talent and kindness and we will be enemies. For life. I will never forget.

I love our cast. Even the day guys. Say hello to the Fuckers. Left to right, Fucking Middle, Fucking Driver and Fucking Passenger. I forget the first guy’s real name. He was great though. Con and Joe I got to know pretty well. Con is also a stuntman and a big ol’ ball of muscle. Joe had one of the most remarkable cadences I’ve ever heard. Unique in the way Shatner and Owen Wilson are unique.

Watching them reminded me how much I love Patrick and I. We wrote some great roles! There’s a fine line between arrogance and fact. But these guys took great but tiny roles and gave them life. So very proud of them.

Tom’s last day. Atkins. He is the man. He is a Beatle.

As we neared the end of April I was missing my baby girl. Mel was feeding me reports. Izzie was already showing results. She was wooing her assorted Jedi Masters. They LOVED her. Saying please and thank you and being genuinely polite goes a long way.

Her speech was already improving. Four weeks later and I could tell a difference over the phone. Our baby girl was gonna be just fine. Better than fine. Confident and perfect.

I know I posted this pic already but if you had a pic with Tom Atkins in which he was wearing a Dumbledore Dies T-shirt, wouldn’t you post it often?

Tom Atkins was wrapped. Hated to see him go. Made us want to hurry up and finish and get started on our next. Here’s hoping H3D pulls its head out of its butt and gets made because we wrote Tom and heck of a role. We wrote him an awesome role in I SAW WHAT YOU DID over at Dark Castle as well. But that’ll likely never happen. Whatever happens. You have not seen the last of Tom Atkins.

As long as Patrick and I are around. Tom will be around.

My daughter and my dad. Easter weekend 2010.

And that brings us to the end of April.

I’m sitting at Kathy and J.A.’s kitchen table in Brisbane Australia where I’m doing research on a story called The Dark Things. It’ll be another Lussier/Farmer script. Not certain yet how involved we will be beyond writing as all of that is still on the table but it’s an awesome project. And something of a financial investment as flying to Aus ain’t cheap! But too early to give out more details. Whatever happens, we keep the faith and keep writing.

Before the 14 hour flight down under I spent the day with Patrick, Devin, Martin and Jeremy in editing. The movie simply looks and feels stunning. DeLuca dropped by after me and Patrick showed him some footage to which DeLuca summed it up perfectly.

“Ah. The air that I breathe.”

Can’t wish for more than that.

And as I’m off to the Gold Coast, Rest in Peace, Mr. Hopper.