Category: Journal

Saturday night DP, Brian Pearson and myself dropped in on 2nd Unit as they were scheduled to blow stuff up; meanwhile Nic and Amber were across the street as they were scheduled to do a photoshoot for Summit. Props Master, Andy “Big Toe” and Hannah had their cart filled with guns out and ready. Brian made the mistake of mentioning he had never fired a gun. You just don’t say stuff like in front of Toe. Suddenly Toe is on the radio, and with a very serious tone, “Yeah, guys, I’m gonna need to test two of these guns,” then gives Brian a smile and a wink.

When Toe asked if I was in, I giggled with awesomeness.

My first gun was .22 rifle. Brian Pearson’s first gun was a Saiga automatic combat shotgun. 20 rounds in a blur. Packs quit a punch.

Tom Atkins is wrapped! Make no mistake. He IS the man.

A wee bit of behind-the-scenes: His character in Drive Angry arrives on the scene wearing a Dumbledor dies sweatshirt. But once we started prep, finding said sweatshirt turned out to be daunting. First off, we couldn’t find one that simply said “Dumbledore dies on page 596”.  You could find them years ago but apparently them behind the books/movies shut the line down. The “legal” ones left to be found had additional, cheesy text.  I was vastly annoyed.  We started looking for alternates.

Then, 24 hours before he shoots, in walks Tom Atkins…WEARING the sweatshirt!  He found it himself!  I have experienced wonderful joy in my life.  But Tom’s walking in sporting a Dumbledore dies shirt falls just beneath young Ms. Rain’s birth on the Top Ten Causes of Joy scale.

Couple hours later I learn we can’t use the shirt due to clearance issues.  Sigh.

Oh well, having Tom with us made up for it. His role is awesome and he is awesome.

When it comes to Lussier and Farmer, there will always be a number of consistants. A few things you can always depend on. And one of them, if he’s willing, will always be our casting Tom Atkins.

See you next time, my friend.

Coming Soon: March and the birth of Drive Angry.

As February started I could feel the clock ticking. Never been away from Izzie for more than a few days. Longest I’d been away from Mel was ten days. Two or three months? I felt like a pressure fish being hoisted from the abyss. I look big and strong but I’m a sissy at heart. A wanna-be stay at home mom. Just a girl in the world.

Feb 5th The Deal closed for Billy Burke to Drive Angry.

I liked Billy Burke in the Twilight movies. In fact, I liked the Twilight movies. I got them. They captured high school thru the eyes of a teen girl. While I am not a teen girl nor a sparkly vampire, I am an adult male and therefore related to Burke’s character. As my friend, “Brian Collins”, put it, I’m Team Charlie. Therefore I saw Burke as fatherly. Human and flawed. Until he got here. The man is a camelean. An actor. And as a result his role in Drive Angry is delicious.

Feb 8th While Patrick and I assumed I would play Frank before we even started writing Drive Angry, it wasn’t official until the 8th. Deciding factor? I’m cheap. And easy. And cheap.
Feb 9th Izzie was playing with my cell phone. She loves Ice Age. Was iPhoning the Ice Age 3D App. I could hear the music. Could hear Leguizamo’s voice. Next thing I knew, the phone had vanished. Asking Izzie returned a grin and a shrug. It’s not that she was playing or being stubborn. She just didn’t remember. We spent 24 hours searching. Hour 25 we all trekked to the Apple Store and I upgraded to the 3Gs. Hour 26 we came home to find the maid had found the old cell phone and left it on the coffee table.

Izzie now has an iTouch.
Feb 12th The British made Morgan was proposed as a “special” car for use in Drive Angry.

I miss her something fierce, you know. Although I’m writing about Feb and soon March…it is, in fact, the end of April. Miss the laughter. The voice. Miss making her smile. Less than three weeks to go. It’ll all be worth it, right? Accountability. Responsibility. Doesn’t quite hold up does it? I could have built houses and been home every night. I chose this path. Was it the right path?

Mel has had no choice but be mother and father. And she’s good at it. So, I don’t worry. I’m free to concentrate on the task at hand. On the obstacles ahead. Don’t mean it hurts any less though.
Feb 15th Mark Wheaton allowed me the honor of blurbbing “Four Nails in the Coffin”, a collection of four shorts that had gone out over the Kindle. What this meant was I got to read “Night of the Scorpions” early. Awesome. Click the above link to grab the book. You won’t be sorry.

Feb 17th Izzie is awesome. She can navigate to and play her videos on a Mac. She can annoyingly change your wallpaper on the iphone as well as work most Apps. She knows her numbers, alphabet, can read small words and draws pictures like a pro. But her speech is behind. The 17th we met with a speech therapist and we had a blast.

Feb 20th I get my financial offer to play Frank. Finally. My plan to retire to Fiji is complete.

Feb 23rd Billy wonders if his character name, Jonah King, is too close to the upcoming Jonah Hex. We try out a half dozen other names, Josiah, Jeremiah, Josey… but weeks later decide to stick with Jonah.

Feb 24th I get an email with the subject line, “Drive Angry – pussy sticker”. I figure that enters the realm of “nuff said”.

Later in the day we close the deal with Tom Atkins to Drive Angry.

Feb 25th Nathan and Prop Master “Big Toe” send over a string of custom license plates to consider. ILUV BVR, PUSEATR, 69CHRGR, BRN RUBR, BURN RBR, HORNY 69, 2FAST4U, EATME, EATMYD, PNK SLIP, HELL RZR, 69FRK69, HIOFCER, STUDLEY, HELL BND, HELL BNT, BAD ASS, BAD MOFO, FUNIN71, RUNIN71, LOVUN69, MUFLUVR, BCK2ELL, MUFDIVR, 04694ME, YOULOSE, 2FINGER, BORNBAD, EY4AEYE, I4ANEYE, DAMSTRT, BIGDLER, RED ONE, SL8 CLN.

I suggest DRV AGRY.

Toward the end of Feb, Izzie got a little sick. She never complains. It’s clearly she doesn’t feel good but she always smiles. And wants to cuddle.

As I wrap up February it is Friday the 30th of April. I’m sitting on set while a ’69 Charger and State Trooper cruiser are being lit. The movie looks incredible. The crew is great. Can handle any obstacle, any challenge. Mike DeLuca is a god. Lower case g, of course, but that still makes him slightly more than human. Our stuntmen and women are simply the best. The Cast is perfect. Nic has never played a character like this. Nor Fichtner. Nor Billy. Not only are they incredible but they are having a blast. Then there’s Amber, our sexy Luke Skywalker. I could not be more thrilled with our cast and crew.

But here’s the thing. I’m conflicted. I want to present the face of unity. I want to tell you that everything is going great. And it is. From the production side. But I’ll be honest, some of the suits are starting to annoy me. Not all. Not even close. But some. Amazing how a few bad apples can leave a taste of rot in your mouth. For now I’ll cut them some slack but if they don’t pull it together I’m gonna start naming names.

On the 2nd of January during a long IM chat with Patrick, I wrote the words, “Wow. It’s going to be a crazy year. I hope we win.” While I will be recapping January, it is, in fact, April. The 17th to be exact. And, uh…yuh. It is crazy but I think we’re winning.

January was a monster month. Patrick landed in Louisiana for all Drive Angry prep all day/night long while I scrambled to tie up loose writing ends at home. I could feel the stress building. Not over the movie. I had full confidence in Patrick, our planned crew and our coming cast. The stress came from the growing anxiety that I’d miss Izzie. So I made it a point to spend as much time with her as possible. This included her spending the night with me at the office from time to time.

But, before I bang out some January, let’s talk Drive Angry. Sitting in the editing room with Patrick and Devin. Wow. A week ago DeLuca said, “This one feels special.” He was right. Watching the cut I feel all warm and fuzzy. We did it. We wrote something and there it is. As we wrote it. Wow. I have never loved me more than I do right now. I love others too, of course.

For instance, our cast. Cage is wonderful. He’s professional. ALWAYS prepared. On time and patient. He’s so kind to the crew. And he LOVES the part. Devours it. He’s sooooo good. Simply put, he’s a badass.

Amber IS Piper. She is what we wrote. And she’s so beautiful on screen she will literally take your breath away. Patrick and I are fans of empowered women and Amber Heard will kick your ass.

William Fichtner is a true master. As I mentioned in the December post, Patrick called and told me he had found the Accountant after a sit down with Fichtner. And he was right. Bill Fichtner is perfect. Bill and I have made the journey from pure enemies to good friends.

Billy Burke. O. M. G. His first scene had no dialog. It was one of the most intense performances I’ve ever seen. Patrick and I stood behind the monitor covered in goosebumps! If I had to choose one word to describe his performance: delicious. And as an massive side note. Go to www.billyburke.net and download his new single, Removed, because it’s awesome. He gave Patrick and I three cuts on Friday and they are great. Billy’s the real deal.

David Morse is a force of nature. A man’s man. He is not of this world, not of this time. He is John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen. I not only LOVE his performances, I really just like him as a person.

But when all the dust settles, when the fires die down and only embers light the faces of the sinful, it is Patrick Lussier who rises from the ash as genius, wizard and master of movie magic. We are on a tight budget and a tight schedule. He thinks on his feet. When obstacles arise, as they always do, he adapts, improves and overcomes. We would have failed long ago with another director. We would have lost “our” movie with another director. It is what we wrote and that’s because of Patrick. He never complains. Never raises his voice. Never screams. Only the weak must resort to those methods. He leads the crew with compassion and humility. With thanks. At the end of every day, no matter how long, no matter the challenges, he walks to each department and thanks the crew personally. And for obvious reasons, the crew adores him.

A crew that is simply awesome. As we go down this road I’ll introduce most of them. But for now, back to January.

January was manly about deals. Ugh. Deals are and will always be nasty. It’s the delicate balance of spending enough money to make a good movie while apparently not overspending. Of course, overspending was never going to be a challenge on this one. Millennium takes pride in their ability to get a lot for very little.

January was also the month of auditions. As I sit here reading over old emails I sit upon a fence. There have been some great actors audition for Drive Angry but I keep coming up with all these reasons not to tell those stories. At least not now. Down the road maybe. Number one, I don’t want to embarrass those who did not get the parts. Two, I don’t want to take away from those we did cast because I really do think we have the perfect cast.

But I get actors now. Moreso than I did. I recognize the resemblance. As a writer, I go in with a story or an idea and I pour my heart out then I stand back as a string of asses who can’t do what I do fold their arms and judge my work. With actors, it is the same thing, except the asses aren’t judging their work, the asses are judging them. And in this case I guess I’m one of the assess adding my two cents to the judgement.

Jan 8th we make an off to Bill Fichtner. Patrick and I are absolutely giddy.

Jan 13th we get notes from Nic. They are all character notes and all smart. When you travel in the Hollywood circles you hear rumors. Rumors that he could be difficult. First off, there’s not a difficult bone in this man’s body. He has been nothing but kind and selfless. He comes early and stays late. He loves the movie and loves the part and his input has made a better character. Patrick and I never made our influences known. We never told him. He just knew what we were going for. He read the script and got it. As a result he’s made it better. Taken it places we never considered.

Favorite quote of the week following a Nic Cage take: Andrew “Big Toe” Wert – Props Master, “I have 37 confirmed kills and I’ve never looked that cool firing a gun.”

On January 15th we looked at pictures of Louisiana sunflower fields. I can tell you this as it is no longer in the movie, but we had this big sequence involving Nic being chased and chasing through a sunflower field. And here’s why…Patrick and I first met back in 04 or 05 on “Scarecrow”, the movie that would later become “The Messengers”. When we were involved there was a Scarecrow. Later Patrick and I were both fired. So. In a homage to our first meeting, Cage was supposed to blow through a scarecrow, sending it and its post airborne in 3D. This was our big “blow us” to what used to be revolution films. But…in the end, we cut the sunflower field because sunflowers wouldn’t be in bloom during our shoot. And thanks to good ol’ Mother Necessity, we came up with a better set piece anyway.

Izzie loves Sharks in 3D. Sea Monsters in 3D she found slightly alarming. :)

Back at the end of Dec I got an email from a buddy about to go in and pitch a Halloween 3 take. The email was two fold. One, are you and Patrick cool with this? Of course we were. Two, what was it like working with TWC? I said it was bloody awesome until it wasn’t. On the 16th of January my buddy gets back to me. “Hey, so we did the pitch — a big empty conference room in the big empty Weinstein Co. offices. No receptionists, no assistants, water in a paper cup.“ Sounds about right.

You know, it’s funny. Of all the emails I get, those concerning H3D still outnumber the rest. There’s a real passion out there. Fake Twitter sites pop up all the time with no other mission statement other than to further the buzz about H3. Others may wonder why that is but I don’t. And here’s why. Scifi has been around since man first looked at the moon. But Star Wars changed everything. Star Wars built a fan base like few others. Slashers have been around since man first picked up a sharp blade. But Carpenter’s Halloween changed everything. Carpenter’s Halloween built a fan base like few others. To be a part of that, even for a short time, was a glorious thing. I adore Malek and I truly wish TWC the best because we all need to make this movie. Will it be our script? It a just world yeah. Our script makes the best movie. But with us or without us, I’d love the franchise to continue. And in a strange bit of curiouser and curiouser, Bob called Patrick yesterday. They did not connect as Patrick was racing up and down the highway chasing a very fast driving Nic Cage. It likely had nothing to do with H3D but is nice that the lines or communication are still open.

Back to January Drive Angry business…I’m reading emails but I cannot publicly detail the contents. January was the month of auditions and deals. Both are and were bittersweet. Again, we have the absolute BEST cast. But that is not to say we didn’t see some utterly OUTSTANDING auditions. Makes me both happy and sad because I LOVE actors. I love those willing to completely expose themselves for the passion of a story or the love of a character. Wish we could hire them all. And then there were the friends. Friends who act. Some we were able to cast, like Tom Atkins. Some we were not, like Betsy Rue or Earl Brown or Paul Hungerford and that’s a very short list within a very long list.

When I go up for a job, if I don’t get it the suit who made the decision doesn’t suffer. Doesn’t care. I do. While only one can get the role, I am so thankful and in awe of the others and wish them the very best.

Then there were the deals. What a nightmare world. My grandpa used to say, “A hard day’s work for a hard days’ pay.” I get that. It’s fair. But finding that balance is so rare. Some get paid way too much. Some get paid way too little. And everyone’s definition of what’s too much and too little differs. Welcome to the nightmare. The only thing I know for certain is that…I always get paid too little. :)

Izzie likes to paint her toenails. Likes to paint mine too. I like the foot and ankle massage that comes standard with a pedicure. Win win.

On the 18th of January, Gary Tunnicliffe sent Patrick and I the picture of a gun used in Drive Angry. This gun is the gun of guns. The second coming of guns. I cannot even tell you the name of this gun as we do not speak it out loud. To do so would cause you to both orgasm and bleed from your eyes. But one day, sooner than you think…the gun will be made known to you.

On the 22nd of January we distributed our official polish for Drive Angry. In the world of dotted I’s and crossed T’s that completed our contractual obligations. What would followed would be countless production passes to accommodate for changing sets, props, actors, weather, you name it. A screenplay in production is a living-breathing thing. Anyone who tells you differently is a moron.

By the end of January I became amazed by the small army of people who apparently make money to spend their days discussing what Nic Cage will or will not look like in the Hard Core action-eff-awesome-adventure, Drive Angry. Nothing about this annoys me nor Patrick because we are basically left alone to plan the movie we want while others met within meetings of endless debate.

By the 24th it was all coming together. We had deals finalizing with Fichtner and Amber Heard. We had an offer going out to Billy Burke. And we were waiting for offer triggers to be pulled on Tom Atkins, Katy Mixon, Jack McGee, Christa Campbell and Michael Papajohn (he killed Uncle Ben, you know). All very exciting.

On the 25th we got our first Clearance report. Again I am amazed at the jobs that exist in the movie biz. A clearance report basically tells you what names and items and references you can and can not use without either paying for said names, items, references or being suited for said names, items, references. Apparently we won’t be using a Louisville Slugger.

In the last week of January, art and concepts and set photos started flooding in from Nathan Amandson, our production designer.

Above is a painting by concept artist/illustrator Nicole Lobart, wife of Art Director, William Budge.

If I were a superhero…my superpower would be world orgasm. Allow me to elaborate. I would, with the power of my mind, cause every living pubescent human to cum. Hard. Length of said orgasmic burst would, of course, depend on my mood. Mess with me…and you blow. Hurt someone close to me…and you will get your groove on until I deem you released. Send your army to destroy me…and I will make your toes curl til your ears bleed. And then sometimes…when I’m in a pleasant mood, after a good movie, or a nice meal or a perfect glass of wine, I will rub one out, soft and gentle with rolling peeks and smooth valleys and we will as a planet bask in a warm peaceful glow.

Coming soon: February. I’m convinced the month was a type-o and no one had the balls to fix it.

February Topic: The Fab Five or How to Blow Crap Up with a Proper Spray of Blood.

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.