Casting matters... and so does luck.

Perhaps the understatement of the year... casting matters. As an actor, performance is one of the first things that leaps off the screen at me. I believe it takes a village to make a good movie. You start with a great script, you find a director with vision, you crew up with creative professionals, but never underestimate the value of the thespian. This holds particularly true with a drama like "The Last Out."

Now, casting matters in many ways. In the earliest meetings with Mr. F and Mr. W, we discussed casting with a three tiered approach: who had the talent, who had the value, and who was right for the role. Filling all three qualifications is more difficult than you might imagine. We threw out many names of gifted actors who were not right for a particular part. An actor always believes he can handle the emotional demands of a role. But casting a 5' 6'' actor as a professional baseball pitcher strains credibility. Some well known actors are able to bring financing to a project. However, we don't want to compromise the artistic quality of the film with an actor who doesn't have the emotional chops. We quickly developed a short list of names that we felt satisfied all criteria. The next step was deciding how and when to contact them.

This brings me to an interesting night a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, my artistic endeavors do not yet pay my bills. I have a j-o-b. My current place of employ is a trendy Westside hotel. During this one evening, a celebrity filled event was taking place. As I watched over the Hollywood whose-who, my spider sense started to tingle. I got an extremely strong, intuitive feeling that the number one actor on our list was going to show. Not five minutes after my "feeling," this actor did indeed walk through the front door. Now there is always the question of appropriateness when approaching a celebrity. Are you infringing upon their personal time? Are you circumventing established channels? I've never been one who is in awe of celebrity. That is partially due to being around sets with working actors and also because of confidence in myself and my abilities. So, as the actor approached, I decided to make a move. I went up to him and introduced myself. I gave a quick story pitch and explained my interest in his involvement. I was concise and professional. And he responded. He told me that his manager would be attending the event and that he would direct him to me when he arrived. I said thank you, and he moved on. Well, believe or not, his manager did find me and the script is now in their hands. Sometimes, when opportunity knocks, you need to answer that door.

I guess we're in development

No matter how regimented, hard-working, and optimistic one might be, life can be extremely unpredictable. No place is this truer than in the film business. Many struggle for years with very little "success" in the eyes of the industry; where as others seem to walk into opportunity the moment they step off the bus. Without going into a disertation about destiny and our ability to control it, let's let this statement stand as fact. The secret to life is another blog.

Getting a script read is one of those challenges without any clear path to accomplishment. How to pierce the ivory towers of agents, directors, and producers is anyone's guess. Gaining their interest is a whole other ballgame. However, a script that is relegated to the circular file can become a hot property with a single phone call from a high-powered player.

I guess I am fortunate that not one, but two producers have taken interest in "The Last Out." Neither "high-powered," but both "high-spirited." Through an industry friend (one way to get something read) I was able to pass it to an Executive Producer (the guy who gets the money). Mr. W. we'll call him. Mr. W. thought the project had merit and was interested in attempting to put together the financing. Financing, there's another mystery. The first question that anyone ever asks about an independent film is how did you get the money. In the case of my movie "Ranchero," I wrote the checks. That was a unique situation that I wouldn't necessarily recommend. But back to Mr. W., he felt he could tap some banking resources to put toghether our relatively modest budget. Needless to say, I was listening. That's when one of my character flaws clicked in- I'm loyal to a fault. What about Mr. F.? He showed interest first. Well, again, fortune shined on me. Not all producers are alike. And most films have a slew of them. I set up a meeting with me, Mr. F., and Mr. W. and low and behold, we all liked each other. We felt that, as a team, we could make this project happen. So, with our intial group of players set, we officially began development.

Why am I here?

The question, of course, is as pretentious as blogging itself. What could I possibly write that is of interest to anyone other than myself? I've never "journaled" and the pure act of sitting in front of a computer is slightly distasteful. However, I do believe there is a positive lining to this mundane task; both for me, and hopefully for any reader that stumbles upon my scribbles.

For me, a low tech guy, I am facing the future and the inevitablity that this form of communication is here to stay. Also, as a member of the entertainment industry, this is a tool I must embrace for it represents the forefront of media marketing. As for my pact with the reader, I'll try to chronical my journey as an actor and filmmaker in an open and honest manner. Perhaps my experiences and many mistakes will guide someone to reach there own goals in both entertainment and in life. God is that pretentious!

With such a build up, how do I continue? History would be redundant. You can check out my profile. How about the future? Or least what I anticipate the future to be. One never knows in entertainment. Though "Ranchero" has not yet found a distributor, thanks to the excellent work of all involved with the production, I have gained some career footing. After a private screening of the film earlier this year, I was approached by an up and coming producer who inquired about other projects I may have in development. For those who don't know, development could mean anything from having a completed package (script, actors, director) in place to having just an idea for a screenplay. I was somewhere in the middle. I had completed a feature script entitled "The Last Out."

The logline for "The Last Out" goes as such: the story of a high school baseball star whose dreams are shattered when he is disabled by a tragic act of violence. Through an unlikely friendship with an ex-professional pitcher who is battling demons of his own, they both find the strength to overcome their obstacles and move on with their lives. For the sake of full disclosure, let me say that my producer friend, we'll call him Mr. F, was given two other screenplays of mine months earlier. He hadn't had a chance to read them. It wasn't until after seeing "Ranchero" did Mr. F sit down and read "The Last Out." He loved it, and the ball was now rolling.