Angry Santa 2009

December was a good month.  We paid off the credit cards and had some cash in the bank.  Either is enough to make most folks happy.  We were blessed to have both. We celebrated with Sharks in 3D.

On the first day of December it was decided that we would deliver the physical elements of Drive Angry to Summit in December of 2010.  A year from making this decision.

We also still had some rewrite issues to deal with for Drive Angry.  Millennium was still annoyed that we had executed a draft without having their notes.  We continued to point out that we were following the contract.  They said that because they had not officially commenced the rewrite that it was null and void.  Our lawyer referenced the actual writing in the contract: Purchaser hereby acknowledges having provided such written request of the rewrite and such rewrite is to be delivered no later than November 8^th, 2009.”  Essentially, signing the contract commenced us and bound us to a Novemeber 8^th date.  We turned it in on the 6^th.  Because we are overachievers.

In the end, they gave in and acknowledged that we were just following the contract but “wished” we had in good faith given them a heads up. We agreed that we likely should have perhaps said, “Hey, uh, we owe you this rewrite, you wanna toss some notes at us or not?” Of course, as I stated in the last post, this is what happens when two strangers jump into bed together for the first time. There tends to be some trust issues. Now we are happily impregnated with each other’s love child.

Lunch at a local Mexican joint where I took part in a real Coke with real sugar rather than that radioactive crap you get in ‘merica.

Later in the day we got on the phone with agents and lawyers and just to be clear Patrick and I reiterated that yes, we indeed wanted to go to the guild and thus go to war over not being paid for H3D.

Within minutes TWC was informed that we would be going to the guild.

Within the hour they offered to pay us what was owed minus 10 grand.  This was sort of a head-scratcher considering 10k wasn’t much compared to the sum owed.  It didn’t make much sense.  We were annoyed enough that Patrick and I both replied within seconds of each other and without speaking with each other we both said “No.”

Our lawyer called.  He was happy to go to war, looking forward to it, in fact, but wanted us to know that if we went to war, we would eventually win but it would likely take years.  Money now or money years from now.  Patrick and I agreed.  Years it would be.  Over a measly 10 grand?  Yes Sir.  Over a measly ten grand.

So, Izzie and I went to get some Chicken from the KY Fry. You know that Colonel. His recipe is original.

An hour later, we got a call.  We won.  That’s what we were told.  What a remarkable way of putting it.  How is it that we agreed to write something for a price and that later actually getting paid is considered a win?  Fascinating.  They agreed to pay us what they said they would pay us three months ago.  All this banter just to get back to where we started.  We had a deal.  We did the work.  We held up our end of the bargain then we had to bicker for three months to get them to hold up theirs.  Really?  Seriously?  I’m so tired of the legions of unaccountable boneheads.

Sigh.

I’m gonna go for a walk.

I’m back.

On December 5th, I finally read Mark Wheaton’s “Bones” on the Kindle.  I LOVE Mark Wheaton.  It’ll cost you 99 cents.  You don’t even need a Kindle.  Do yourself a favor and download it.  Neither Todd Farmer nor Wendago.com are affiliated with the book “Bones”.  This is not a paid advertisement.  Todd Farmer and Wendago.com just like really good horror AND great writing.

Patrick called me early in the week and made one resounding statement. “I just met with the Accountant.” This will mean very little to most but to me it brought on goosebumps. Patrick had just sat down with William Fichtner. Bill was a frontrunner from that day forward. He was the guy to beat. It might be noted that months later, as I now sit in the glory of Shreveport, Bill went undefeated. But more on him in later months.

On the 8th of December, three months after we did the work, a week after they finally agreed to pay us what they said they’d pay us, we finally get a writer’s agreement for H3D.  Just one more tiny step in the one-thousand step process of getting paid.

Later I spoke with Yon Elvira, master of Marketing and Kung Fu at Lions Gate.  Yon agreed to hook me up with MBV3D posters.   As nutty as this may sound.  There are some amazingly tasteful and immeasurably good looking people out there who want my autograph.  So, I now got something to sign.

That afternoon I got an invite to the RKO Christmas party.

At 5pm I met with RKO and Javier and Zanne to discuss my notes.  Back during our November Drive Angry scout I’d sent a very detailed email explaining which of their notes I was willing to address and which I was not.  This meeting was meant to discuss.  When the meeting started Zanne commented on that email, stating, “I read an email like this and I wonder who’s in charge.”  To which I replied, “I am.”  This brought much laughter and her protesting that THEY were in charge.  That the money was always in charge.  I wanted to say, “Uh, ain’t paying me enough to be in charge of anything.”  But I took the high road with full intentions of ending up on the low road when I journaled about it.  They only had to pay me five grand for the polish.  At that rate I was happy to simply let them keep the money and walk away.

At 9pm I saw my first audition for Piper.  Hard to describe the feeling of hearing the fictional character we created come to life.

The following day was day with daddy day. Some mad genius decided to build a mirror maze on Cannery Row. We…were…defeated. And Izzie NAILED one of the mirrors. I laughed thus introducing her to not only life’s disappointments but to the humiliation that comes with it. I’m’a good daddy like that.

By the 11th We still get facebook and emails along the lines of this, “Is it true you and Patrick are no longer doing H3D?  Why not?”

15^th

Auditions were flooding in for Drive Angry.  We were amazed at the incredible choices ahead.

16^th

Michael Schaefer sent us four notes for Drive Angry on behalf of Summit.  We addressed all four.  (as I sit here in my Todd Farmer crew chair beside the Red River I realize that we have now reverted three of them back to what we originally wrote.   We didn’t do it to be snotty, just worked out that way.  Nic hated one of the notes.  Another didn’t work due to the location.  One came across as too expositional.  The other survived.  Crazy this thing called movie making.

17^th

Google Alerts lit up with news that Summit would distribute and market Drive Angry in the States.

It was becoming very clear that we were going to make Drive Angry. The ship was sailing. This made me both amazingly happy and filled me with enormous dread. I had grown very accustomed to days with young Ms. Izzie Rain. I sort of like her. We have alot in common. I have no interest in watching most movies more than once. But Nightmare Before Christmas I’ll watch til my eyes bleed. Izzie’s the same. I sit at my desk tickling the plastic keyboard, she sits at hers watching the Tiny Toons. While I’m on the phone making million dollar deals that will make others millions of dollars while she works on assorted intricate craft projects. It’s an excellent partnership.

I sent Renae Geerlings (and Tyler) an email, filled her in on what went down between we and H3D.  I met Renae before Izzie was born.  In fact, Mel went into labor while I was at a meeting with Renae and my buddy, David Wohl.   Since we went back so far, giving her a quick rundown on the situation seemed to be the right thing to do.