El Director
Veteran
In an attempt to get this section back on track to production diaries and not just "here's my short, watch and let me know what you think", I'm starting a thread for a new feature that I hope to be able to do either this summer or next.
Yes, I'm still trying to get the funding for the third part of my Leap series, but the budget is out of reach for what I want to do. Same goes for my supernatural thriller, Derek. I've been working on a lot of shorts lately but really miss doing features. I enjoy the writing, the planning, shooting and post being spread out over a year or more for one film, so I decided to do something about it.
This is me. I am what many would consider to be an adrenaline junkie. Snowboarding, parkour, even aggressive in-line skating back in the day. Ever since seeing the original "Point Break" as a kid, I've been fascinated with skydiving, but I always thought you needed a lot of money to do it and I didn't think there was anywhere near me that offered it. About a year ago, I finally decided to look into the feasibility of jumping from a plane and was surprised by how affordable it is and that there was a drop zone just three hours from me. I brought it up to my friends and we agreed to go for my birthday in May.
Eventually the big day came and everyone suddenly was sick or busy. Go figure. I drove to the DZ alone and just took it all in. While waiting for my turn to go up, I began to get a sense of the culture and realized that "these are my people". When I finally got to up up and make the tandem jump, it was the best experience of my life. Freefall was the most amazing thing in the world and for the next few weeks, it was all I could talk about to anyone who would listen. In those 35 seconds, I was truly free and nothing else mattered.
A month later, I was back at the drop zone taking my "first jump course" and began the journey to getting my A license. I jumped all summer and when winter arrived, it was the most depressed I've been since losing my dog in the fire. It was then that I realized there's a story here. It's a bit autobiographical, but I thought what if there was a guy who was into all this extreme stuff, not for the rush, but because it helps him cope with some personal issues. He discovers skydiving is the ultimate way to keep things in check and commits to the sport. Winter hits, depression ensues, his issues come to light and his girl breaks up with him. Now he has to learn to cope on his own until jump season begins again. When he does get to go back, he meets a girl who used to be an addict and jumps for basically the same reason he does.
If you talk to any jumper, we'll tell you that there's never been a movie that accurately portrays skydiving. It's always sensationalized or used by thieves. I figure this might be the chance to actually make a film that represents the sport realistically. If I treat it as a drama with some skydiving rather than an extreme sports film, I think the story will have a chance to shine and I can probably shoot it for very little money once I have enough jumps to fly with a camera.
So that's my big plan right now. I've written the treatment and I'm happy with it. The overall feedback I've gotten when pitching the film has been positive and I have about six pages written so far, including an opening scene that could be done as a short to help get people on board with it. My biggest problem at the moment is figuring out what the main character's "issue" is that living on the edge helps him cope with.
Yes, I'm still trying to get the funding for the third part of my Leap series, but the budget is out of reach for what I want to do. Same goes for my supernatural thriller, Derek. I've been working on a lot of shorts lately but really miss doing features. I enjoy the writing, the planning, shooting and post being spread out over a year or more for one film, so I decided to do something about it.
This is me. I am what many would consider to be an adrenaline junkie. Snowboarding, parkour, even aggressive in-line skating back in the day. Ever since seeing the original "Point Break" as a kid, I've been fascinated with skydiving, but I always thought you needed a lot of money to do it and I didn't think there was anywhere near me that offered it. About a year ago, I finally decided to look into the feasibility of jumping from a plane and was surprised by how affordable it is and that there was a drop zone just three hours from me. I brought it up to my friends and we agreed to go for my birthday in May.
Eventually the big day came and everyone suddenly was sick or busy. Go figure. I drove to the DZ alone and just took it all in. While waiting for my turn to go up, I began to get a sense of the culture and realized that "these are my people". When I finally got to up up and make the tandem jump, it was the best experience of my life. Freefall was the most amazing thing in the world and for the next few weeks, it was all I could talk about to anyone who would listen. In those 35 seconds, I was truly free and nothing else mattered.
A month later, I was back at the drop zone taking my "first jump course" and began the journey to getting my A license. I jumped all summer and when winter arrived, it was the most depressed I've been since losing my dog in the fire. It was then that I realized there's a story here. It's a bit autobiographical, but I thought what if there was a guy who was into all this extreme stuff, not for the rush, but because it helps him cope with some personal issues. He discovers skydiving is the ultimate way to keep things in check and commits to the sport. Winter hits, depression ensues, his issues come to light and his girl breaks up with him. Now he has to learn to cope on his own until jump season begins again. When he does get to go back, he meets a girl who used to be an addict and jumps for basically the same reason he does.
If you talk to any jumper, we'll tell you that there's never been a movie that accurately portrays skydiving. It's always sensationalized or used by thieves. I figure this might be the chance to actually make a film that represents the sport realistically. If I treat it as a drama with some skydiving rather than an extreme sports film, I think the story will have a chance to shine and I can probably shoot it for very little money once I have enough jumps to fly with a camera.
So that's my big plan right now. I've written the treatment and I'm happy with it. The overall feedback I've gotten when pitching the film has been positive and I have about six pages written so far, including an opening scene that could be done as a short to help get people on board with it. My biggest problem at the moment is figuring out what the main character's "issue" is that living on the edge helps him cope with.
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. About as crazy as most will get is riding a wing suit flyer like a horse. 
