Mark Johnson
The Dude Abides
Believe it or not, we will occasionally discuss aspects of filmmaking here on this thread.
I figure I should give a FM update since we're in the process of revising our website and haven't updated the blog in ages. ...
1) This past weekend while we attended the film festival in Louisville (where the infamous events being described in the comic strip above occurred) we met several very interesting people including Michael Madsen's assistant, who has a small project coming up this fall with Ben Kingsley that we've been asked to assist on. Of course, you never can be sure what projects are going to truly come together in Hollywood, but his ImDB record is crediible and he has shot a feature he wrote and directed with Madsen and Dennis Hopper in the lead roles. Obviously, we'd love to work with Sir Ben and hopefully I'll know more soon.
2) We're booked to shoot a scene with Lexi Alexander this fall for her feature "Lifted" involving a returning gulf war vet. While primary cinematography will mainly be shot in Mississippi, she screened some of our firefight footage from our "With Angels and Fire" project and decided we would be up to the task of shooting her flashback battle scenes out here in Cali. Lexi was nominated for an Academy Award for her film "Johnny Flynton" and she directed "Green Street Hooligans" as well as "Punisher: War Zone." We're delighted to have the chance to work with such a talented director.
3) We are still slated to shoot the feature "Cross" for Morningstar Films this fall. Preproduction has been a bit turbulent with casting changes and script rewrites but things seem to be coming together. We were pleased to hear directly from Michael Madsen while we were in Louisville that he will be in the cast and this week we learned that Harvey Keitel has agreed to appear. Since we're serving as the shooting crew and aren't writing or directing, though, we keep our mouths shut and just do what we're told. It has been an interesting ride.
4) We've shot quite a bit of reality television stuff this past year and while it pays the bills, frankly, we're looking forward to being able to shoot our own picture here in Monster Fest. On Monday I'm pitching four project ideas to my partners, Luis and Tim. We'll reach a consensus on one and we'll begin writing the script accordingly. I will say that I saw DISTRICT 9 this week and it was a huge inspiration for me. I highly recommend it to everyone here.
5) We are particularly pleased and excited to have acquired an amazing script for a feature based on the novel "Wolf Whistle" by Lewis Nordan. This book has received numerous awards and has made many reviewers' "best of the decade" lists. The project was parked at Paramount where two budgets were drawn up and it was slated for production until Michelle Manning and the rest of the production administration were sacked. As is usual in such situations, the project was shelved in favor of the new production team's vision. The story is set in the deep south with the backdrop of the famous Emmitt Till civil rights murder driving the plot. It's an incredible work and you can get a taste of it here: http://www.mccormickbookinn.com/wolf_whistle1.htm We're honored and delighted to be given the opportunity to pitch and develop this film. Hopefully, we'll have news soon.
6) Luis and I got back from Guatemala where we shot interviews for a forensic documentary. Suffice it to say that it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Luis was born and raised there and has family who treated us like royalty. We are discussing shooting a film there next spring. Stay tuned.
..... Mark, Tim and Luis
I figure I should give a FM update since we're in the process of revising our website and haven't updated the blog in ages. ...
1) This past weekend while we attended the film festival in Louisville (where the infamous events being described in the comic strip above occurred) we met several very interesting people including Michael Madsen's assistant, who has a small project coming up this fall with Ben Kingsley that we've been asked to assist on. Of course, you never can be sure what projects are going to truly come together in Hollywood, but his ImDB record is crediible and he has shot a feature he wrote and directed with Madsen and Dennis Hopper in the lead roles. Obviously, we'd love to work with Sir Ben and hopefully I'll know more soon.
2) We're booked to shoot a scene with Lexi Alexander this fall for her feature "Lifted" involving a returning gulf war vet. While primary cinematography will mainly be shot in Mississippi, she screened some of our firefight footage from our "With Angels and Fire" project and decided we would be up to the task of shooting her flashback battle scenes out here in Cali. Lexi was nominated for an Academy Award for her film "Johnny Flynton" and she directed "Green Street Hooligans" as well as "Punisher: War Zone." We're delighted to have the chance to work with such a talented director.
3) We are still slated to shoot the feature "Cross" for Morningstar Films this fall. Preproduction has been a bit turbulent with casting changes and script rewrites but things seem to be coming together. We were pleased to hear directly from Michael Madsen while we were in Louisville that he will be in the cast and this week we learned that Harvey Keitel has agreed to appear. Since we're serving as the shooting crew and aren't writing or directing, though, we keep our mouths shut and just do what we're told. It has been an interesting ride.
4) We've shot quite a bit of reality television stuff this past year and while it pays the bills, frankly, we're looking forward to being able to shoot our own picture here in Monster Fest. On Monday I'm pitching four project ideas to my partners, Luis and Tim. We'll reach a consensus on one and we'll begin writing the script accordingly. I will say that I saw DISTRICT 9 this week and it was a huge inspiration for me. I highly recommend it to everyone here.
5) We are particularly pleased and excited to have acquired an amazing script for a feature based on the novel "Wolf Whistle" by Lewis Nordan. This book has received numerous awards and has made many reviewers' "best of the decade" lists. The project was parked at Paramount where two budgets were drawn up and it was slated for production until Michelle Manning and the rest of the production administration were sacked. As is usual in such situations, the project was shelved in favor of the new production team's vision. The story is set in the deep south with the backdrop of the famous Emmitt Till civil rights murder driving the plot. It's an incredible work and you can get a taste of it here: http://www.mccormickbookinn.com/wolf_whistle1.htm We're honored and delighted to be given the opportunity to pitch and develop this film. Hopefully, we'll have news soon.
6) Luis and I got back from Guatemala where we shot interviews for a forensic documentary. Suffice it to say that it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Luis was born and raised there and has family who treated us like royalty. We are discussing shooting a film there next spring. Stay tuned.
..... Mark, Tim and Luis
