Aloha Part 1 - Right Time Right Place

Many people say in the film business hard work pays off. Many also say that with acting it's hard work and luck or the right time and right place. Well, in this situation, the right time and right place led me to this -

So how did I get there?

Well, in 2013 I was in the Army and stationed in Hawaii on Schofield Barracks. I had not to long before finished up production on my first feature film (which I wrote, directed, and produced without any real money) and had decided to continue to pursue acting. I had reached out and landed an agent (which is much easier in Hawaii than L.A.) and was pursuing acting gigs when I could in the midst of my full time Army schedule.

At the beginning of the year I landed a local Hawaii commercial (HEMIC Orange Paint) as Painter #2 (there was originally only one painter in the original script). I was the clincher of the commercial, "We're out of orange paint." People seemed to love it. Up to this point I had no other paid work as an actor.

A few months after the commercial was released I was called in for an audition for Hawaii 5-0 to read with Rachel Sutton. In Hawaii this is one of the best auditions to have because being on that show out there is the best chance for exposure. I didn't get called back for that role.

A couple later my agent sends me another e-mail about an audition for the Untitled Cameron Crowe Project, mentioning that Cameron Crowe, the casting director, and perhaps another producer might be at the audition. Of course, I was extremely excited. I of course memorized the script very quickly (all 3/4 of a page) and felt very prepared.

I went in to the audition extremely excited (and showed up in uniform because I was auditioning for a military character) and felt very good about my audition. I didn't even care at that point if I landed the part, I had just auditioned for Cameron Crowe! That was exciting enough.

A few weeks went by and I figured I hadn't got the part since I thought those had been initial auditions. A couple months later my agent e-mails me and tells me they are seriously considering me for the part! Talk about excitement!

Shortly after that my agent contacted me again and said they wanted me for sure. I of course said yes and was very fortunate to have a very supportive command at the time who wanted to help foster my future acting career. My commander at the time, Nicholas Albright, was especially helpful in fostering the definitive possibility of making sure I could take leave to be able to shoot the movie.

I then just had to wait for five months before we actually shot my scene. We shot in November. It was a long wait (though not as long as waiting for the movie to come out a year and half later).

But Rachel Sutton and Joy Kam (my agent) were instrumental in getting me into that room in the first place.

At one point before shooting that scene I was called in for another 5-0 audition and Rachel said to me, "So Cameron was being funny and said to me 'You should try and get Ian a part on Hawaii 5-0 so this isn't his first acting gig.'" I felt like Cameron was trying to get me work!

I like to say he's like the best friend you've always had but never met. That's how nice of a guy he is. I feel blessed to have been able to work with him and Bradley.

(In my next post I'll recount my time on set).

Transitions

I'm going to put this out there. My transition from the army to Los Angeles is probably the hardest transition I've ever had to make. But it was one I needed to make to pursue the career I wanted, sooner than later.

Yes.

Even more difficult then my transition into the army. Sure, basic training was miserable. But I actually found myself in a better place figuring out my life. I didn't have to worry about finding work and because I had a constant paycheck all I really had to worry about was finding new friends who could guide me on the right path. That was the transition, though. Being in the army was different.

But the transition after. That is what no one is really prepared for. Yes, the military is very oriented on helping people find work when you get out. Sure, they want to help you succeed. But what they don't really talk to you about is the psychological effects that might occur when separating.

It also doesn't help that I dislocated my shoulder a month before I was getting out.

I planned my transition with extra time to get settled and still have a flowing income for at least a month. But a shadow crept up on me I didn't see coming. I didn't even notice it's presence until nearly a month later. It was like a little voice on my shoulder I couldn't hear whispering in my ear the whole time.

Separation anxiety.

I don't think anything can prepare you for that. Not properly. Much like a death of a loved one or divorce. But on a milder scale. Yet it still creeps in. And it sucked away the productivity I had planned on the first month I was in Los Angeles. The worst part was, I didn't really have any close friends in LA to turn to when I got here. Sure, I still knew people but not the way I had close friends from where I had just been. In a sense I was starting over again and nobody I knew here really knew what I was going through.

That's because I was a creative type who had just come from the most unlikely field. The military.

Really, there aren't a lot of people who understand the military. Especially in LA. They say 1% of the population in the country has served. With that, I'm surprised how many people I meet have. Except here. Not in LA.

I fit but yet I don't. I'm a creative but I've lived in another world.

I'm just now beginning to figure my life out again. In the past four years I've suffered from separation anxiety, depression, and mental breakdowns. All of that has been military induced. I've learned a lot and much has changed about me but it has also taken it's toll.

I'm glad to be back in LA. I know my creative spark will continue to be pushed while I'm here. I'll also be around more people who share my interests.

But really, this post is for all those who serve and have served. I appreciate what you are doing. Because I have been there. I have been in your shoes. And I know how difficult it can be if and when you get out. And if you're still serving, please do so with living up to the expectation of how a soldier is meant to live.

You have my appreciation.

A World of Darkness - Lessons of a First Feature Film

When I decided to make a feature film back in 2012 even if I would have told you I knew what I was getting myself into after all of the random projects and short films (I lost count) I have done since my Sophomore year of high school, I really wouldn't have known what I was talking about. Sure, I had an idea of what it meant to undertake a huge project, work with actors, crew, and get a vision together. But I really didn't fully understand everything that it would take to ensure a no-budget feature film (aspiring for quality) would get finished, especially when I wore every hat.

It's one thing to do everything for a short film no more than 15 min. Now translate that to and hour and a half. As writer, director, producer, editor, sound mixer, sound editor, ADR director/recorder, casting director, etc., I had a huge undertaking. I didn't realize how intense it would be. At the moment I am in the final throws of post-production and I've been working on this film for over 2 years. A lot of people have put a lot of work into it, which I am grateful for, but I know that nobody has been on board as long as I have so for me it's really in a sense my "baby." So in my attempt to make a feature I had no budget and just a passionate bunch of people who happened to believe in me and my project enough to work with the hope that one day they would get compensated for their hard work.

And so I've come to a point of near completion on Shades of Darkness.

Shades of Darkness Trailer #1

I could go on and on about my adventures in making this feature but instead I'll save my rants for in person conversations and speak some of the most important things I've learned from this project.

1. Be careful who you decide to work with. Sometimes friends work well together and sometimes they don't. That was a problem I had early on shooting this feature. I had a friend I had brought on who was interested in getting experience in film and we ended up having a big conflict of interest that led to a lot of on set issues including the amount of time it was taking to shoot. Ultimately this led to a falling out that was never reconciled. So before you start working together, figure out your work styles and see if you will work well together. There is nothing worse than major set tension.

2. Get all your paperwork in order. I made sure to have actor contracts written act and I had an agreement for music but beyond that I didn't get everything together I should have. Make sure you have written agreements on what's expected for every single crew member. Make sure everything is laid out up front and is completely clear to the last period. Make sure you have it written that no matter what happens on the production you will get all the footage and audio recorded needed to edit the film with up front terms. I lost a lot of audio and had to do a ton of ADR because of a situation like this. If you have everything written out up front you should have no issue. Just make sure it's clear, even the fact that at the moment you have absolutely no way to pay anybody.

3. There are decent actors who will work for free. If you're fortunate and you have talent you'll be able to find actors who have talent who are willing to work for no pay just because they believe in your project and you. You might not find A-list talent but you may just stumble upon the next up and coming talent who may in something big next.

4. If possible, don't break ties. One thing I've learned is that every person you meet is a contact, even if they aren't in the film business. That accountant might just be the most reliable person you've ever met you can later hire for your new production company. Even if you don't always like how someone works, if you can work around it, find a way to make it work and maintain your contacts. You never know when they might help you out. That's how I found one member of my cast and a few crew members as well.

5. Figure out what's realistic and try to adhere to it. Some things are just unrealistic and impossible. Everyone as an artist at times tries these things and even sometimes on this feature I realized I needed to take a step back and see what was possible and work in that direction.

6. Realize you won't have a life. Feature films are an EPIC amount of work. Even more so when you're working full time on active duty in the Army. With that, while making a feature film it's a good idea to realize that you really won't have much of any kind of life outside of making your film. Time on set, script revising, looking over shots, etc. will all consume hours upon hours of your time. Which leads to another very important thing ...

7. Learn the best way to manage the stress. Especially if you're wearing many hats it's important to know the best way you deal with stress and learn that to take it onto set to be able to lead everyone. The first few shoots I'm pretty sure I broke down because EVERYTHING seemed to be going wrong. But after that I learned how to remain calm and just get it done.

8. You're going to have to make hard decisions. For the first time ever I had to re-cast a role. That means I had to fire someone, which sucked. I also had to deal with a lot of conflict and approach people about things that went wrong. Making those types of decisions is never easy.

9. Passion. That's probably the only thing that kept me going through the whole process. No SANE person makes a feature film with no money. It really is just plain crazy! I probably wouldn't do a feature again without a budget.

10. If you want to direct, write, and make your own movies. I might say this could be the biggest thing. This is what I've been told by industry insiders. Nathan Kahane, the Executive Producer of Mandate Pictures said to me when I was intern that if I wanted to direct to go make my own movies. That's what I had been doing and that's what I did with this feature. I just went out there and did it. After numerous shorts I decided I shouldn't wait any longer to make a feature. So now I've worked for over two hard years on this film. If you want to know if you're cut out for the film industry, see if you can stick with a project for that long, because that's an average minimum for a feature to get done.

NDA and Cameron Crowe

What's to say?

For the moment, very little. The Untitled Cameron Crowe film comes out on Christmas later this year and until more is revealed about the film I really can't say much of anything.

Though I can say this. I got to meet Cameron Crowe and Bradley Cooper and work with them. Cameron Crowe is very laid back and easy to work with and get along with. Bradley Cooper was actually pretty similar. They both seemed to be smiling most of the time on set.

When the time comes, I'll go into more detail. Until then, I can say that unless it's cut, you can look for me in a small speaking part in the new Cameron Crowe movie.

That's about it on that for now.

Very fortunate acting break.

Amazing experience.

More to come...

The Day I Watched a To-Be-CGI'ed Nuclear Blast

It's now come to be common knowledge on the island of Oahu that the latest production of Godzilla has been shooting here, mainly because it's been shooting with massive amounts of extras and crew on the beaches of one of the most popular destinations on the island. However, the plot of the movie is still quite secretive. Only pieces of the puzzle are known and obviously destruction of some place was going to have to be a part of of the film. I mean, it's Godzilla!

Lots of people turned up the weekend of the open casting call for extras. Over a thousand! Risking being late for work, I waited out the line to ensure my information got into the system. Glad I did. Of course, everybody may know by now that Godzilla was shooting here but like many productions the shoots will take place under another title to throw off the trail. And only those involved on the production in some way know what it is. And with this, being an extra gives one a little bit of insight into the secret of what's happening.

And on the plus side, extra work in major motion pictures is paid work. Always a bonus.

I was fortunate enough to be called for the first day of shooting on Oahu (but unfortunately didn't get more than one day like some people. Oh well.). Sure, I was only going to be a background extra, but I was going to try and be the best background actor I could be. And yes, you read that change of terminology right. I was excited, rather, ecstatic to finally walk onto a major movie set and watch a major crew work and to my fortune, the director as well!

Really, this was a bonus because the scenes we shot had none of the major cast in them and more often than not directors won't even show up for these kinds of scenes and if they do may show up and leave quickly leaving all the work to the Assistant Directors. But not this time!

I had a fitting a few days before the shoot. I had very little knowledge of what I'd be doing but going to the fitting I understood I would be playing a sailor, modern day from what it sounded like. So I got there and went through everything: paperwork, more paperwork, measurements, before going to get a hair cut (for free!). And then the PA, Yama, came up on the phone. He was talking to the Casting Assistant who had called me in and they had decided to change me to play a 1954 Sailor and I kid you not these words came out of his mouth WHILE he was still on the phone: "because she said you'll look hotter as a 1954 Sailor." Oh, how I chuckled inside but that made my day. Goes to also show how much Hollywood is still about looks, though.

Day of the shoot came. It was Sunday, June 30th. I had a 4:45am call time! I had about four hours of sleep, arriving on set about 4:30am (always making sure I'm not late to a film set)!

I must admit, most of what happens on a film set, unless you're really passionate about getting into film and observant of every little thing, can be pretty boring to the basic person. There's still a good bit of waiting. But there can be A LOT of people on set. So I set out to try and figure out what different people's roles might be just by watching them. Not as easy as it seems when they aren't actually doing their jobs yet. But I was quickly brought in to fill out more paperwork for the days shoot, get a quick trim and makeup, and thrown into costume. All in time to be brought onto set at the very beginning of the day.

We were shooting on the USS Missouri. What happened next I hadn't expected on such a big production. A Hawaiian priest had come to have a blessing over the production (complete with Hawaiian leaves and really old water from a natural spring). It was actually pretty cool and a great way to start the morning, especially seeing the entire crew gathered together at the beginning of the day (only 5 other extras were there as well).

The rest of the day could be considered long but I was too excited the whole time. And really, I didn't do a whole lot. Stood around, sat down for a while, pretended to watch a nuclear blast, mingled around in a scene recreating Bikini Atolls. Best part for me, though, watching a director on a large project work. Sure, Gareth Edwards isn't one of the greats with only one other known project to his name (Monsters) but he's making a multimillion dollar film and it was still interesting to see how he interacted with the crew and the extras. Unfortunately I didn't get to talk to him. About the only time I could have was lunch and he went to watch dailies. Oh, well.

Still, I made a couple connections (Yama the PA and another extra who views things sort of like I do) and observed a lot of work coming together. And I got sun burnt sitting in the sun all day.

Until the next adventure!

Some Reasons to Hate Being in the Army

This list is by no means everything and some people may disagree with some of them. But I'm sure most of them people who have served (especially now) will agree with. This list is also not necessarily in order of importance.

1. You might as well be a child with the way they treat you. Apparently, even if you're almost 30, just because you're not a high enough rank or married (cause that's the exception to every rule in the Army apparently) then you need to have your room monitored constantly and everyone is so stupid that they need to be constantly reminded not to act like a child)
2. No matter how many times leadership says you are all leaders and your ideas are just as important, your rank is still the only thing that matters. Period.
3. Purely incompetent leaderships. Enough said.
4. Waste and usage of paper. Seriously, even when I interned at a film company, they print out all their scripts and I still feel the Army wastes a whole lot more paper, especially since all of that paper at some point just gets thrown away. At least the scripts were saved for reading.
5. You are basically owned by the Army. Pretty much the only thing there is a 100% guarantee of not having to get permission for is eating, sleeping (mostly), and shelter.
6. "Train to standard not to time." Main beef with PT. Rarely the case.
7. We train as we fight. Yeah, not always.
8. POV inspections. All the time. Because people can't maintain their vehicles, apparently.
9. Good luck actually doing your job. Next thing you know, they'll just throw you in an office to do admin. doesn't matter there is a specialized MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) for that.
10. Hooah. I can't stand this word. It makes us all stand stupid.
11. Boards. Mainly promotion boards. Seriously, who thought that having someone sit like a statue and answer random questions about the Army (not even necessarily related to your specific job) was a good idea for figuring out who should get promoted?
12. Mass punishment. It might sort of work in basic training but after that, it just pisses everybody off and doesn't necessarily teach the guy a lesson who caused the problem.
13. Losing paperwork. ALL THE TIME. Seriously, there is a problem when the common thing to say is, "You better make copies because most likely they'll lose your paperwork." UNACCEPTABLE.
14. Change of Command ceremonies. So we can all stand in a block so a bunch of higher ups can watch other higher ups enter a unit.
15. Interpreting regulations however the hell you want. Because there isn't enough restriction already every leader needs to put extra restrictions on those restrictions.
16. Excessive Acronyms. As in, just about everything has an acronym.
17. Oh, you didn't want to be a mechanic? Well, too bad. Suddenly everyone in the Army will be a basic Humvee mechanic.
18. Formation runs (battalion, company, brigade, etc.)  If you were good at running before, just wait for a few of these runs at insane slow paces (because they put the slow people in front so everyone can keep up) and your knees will hate you the rest of your life.
19. "Work smarter, not harder." Until they tell you to do it a certain way and there is no way around it. Oh, you thought of a new more inventive way? Isn't that nice?
20. Counselings. Literally, monthly counseling to help you "progress" because in the Army everyone must succeed and nobody should ever be allowed to figure things out on their own. And of course you need to be coached on every single area of life.
21. Yearly training. Mainly because it becomes far more than yearly. Oh, it's twice a year? Let's make it quarterly. Quarterly? Why don't we have this at least once a month. Seriously, I've heard more people comment (which you never know who is truly serious) about wanted to commit suicide by having so much suicide prevention training. I get it's important but beating people over the head with it never helped.
22. When it comes to quality of life the only other branch that doesn't ask "Don't you wish you'd joined (branch)?" is the Marines. Basically, you should have joined the Navy or the Air Force. Meaning, you should have joined the Air Force.
23. APFT - really the only thing that truly matters throughout the entire Army. Basically, if you're physically fit, you can suck at your job and somehow you're still awesome.
24. Micro-managing. Let people think for themselves! They keep SAYING everyone is an adult. How about you treat everyone that way?
25. Sitting around all day with no work only to suddenly get a whole bunch of work right before it's time to go home.
26. Not being allowed to go do anything more productive somewhere else when you have no work because that is your "place of duty."
27. Not being allowed to do anything not Army related that's far more productive than sitting around when you have no work.
28. Stretching training that should take 30 min. into 2 hours because that's the mandated time for training. And because we don't have enough legitimate work to fill a whole day.
29. The Army will only look out for the Army you. They won't look out for the real you.
30. I've never seen SO MANY lazy workers than I have in the Army. I mean, they're always there, but not so abundantly.
31. Logic! What do they teach people these days? Certainly not logic. That has no place in the once organization where people can and are known to die in their job.
32. Pay may be decent when all the incentives are calculated in. But the amount of stress that goes into it isn't worth it.
33. Oh, you have a strange schedule that's not 5 days a week with a sleep schedule that doesn't align with a normal work day? Okay, we're going to call you in in the morning with 5 hours of sleep on half your off days that is basically your weekend when we don't ever call in anybody else on Saturday or Sunday. NO!!!!!!
34. Boasting equality and having completely different standards for everyone.
35. Wasting money and things the Army really doesn't need when there are Soldiers living in Barracks that are on the verge (or already are) considered unsuitable for living in.

What was I thinking?

When 2010 came around I had finally officially finished college (with one semester more than intended) and, with a failed attempt at moving to LA and not able to find work in Chicago after school, I found myself moving back home. It was the dreaded fear of college students, having to move back in with your parents. No one really wants to do it and I certainly didn't. At this point I had left home and gotten to the point I was living in apartments instead of dorm rooms. Granted, my parent's house was still nicer than either but I had to start somewhere living on my own. But now I was back home with only a part time job at the movie theater I had worked at off and on at since the end of high school and feeling pretty aimless (especially considering I was still wanting to do film with pretty much no film industry in sight). Had I been in a much better financial situation (and been more determined and disciplined) I would have toughed it out in LA. But alas, I was back in Lawrence, KS.

But as I floundered (and really for not terribly long) a friend of mine was planning on joining the Army. Now, he already had more of an idea than me what he wanted to do (although that even changed a bit due to varying circumstances) and I was talking to him one day and he started talking about the ASVAB. I found myself curious and asked him about it and he explained to me about what is in a sense the Army standardized test for entry into the service. And then he said to me, "You know, you seem interested in what I'm talking about. I have to talk to the recruiter on (such and such day). You should come with me and check it out." So I of course walked into the office that day.

And who have thought, that by walking into that office, I wouldn't be turning back. I was after all, the guy that at the end of high school was determined never to be in the Army even if that meant I move to Canada. I took a practice ASVAB, and pretty quickly I was on my way to trying to get into the Army. Of course, with a degree, I attempted to go the OCS (Officer Candidate School) route first. Being a civilian, this included taking a PT test (no problems there), taking the ASVAB (which I barely met the ASVAB requirements for OCS), and submitting a packet of stuff. At that point, I had an interview with a bunch of Captains. For some reason, I was more nervous than I've ever been in my life. Somehow I passed. But they had to send the packet up to some other board where they don't even see me and I didn't get in.

But I felt this was what I was supposed to do. So I still enlisted. In Intelligence. Having no idea what the job entailed. I knew this. I would go to basic training at Fort Jackson in November. I would go to Advanced Training in February. After that ... spoilers. And even after I enlisted, I nearly got a job as an appliance delivery guy, except I had just joined the Army.

But with a 3 1/2 year contract and almost 3 years in, I can honestly say, I would never recommend this life .... to anyone. Not only is it quite miserable but I have never talked to so many people who's despised a job so much. And really, most of it comes down to dealing with what seem to be a majority of rather incompetent leaders. And of course a ridiculous list of Army mandated regulations that come down that end up making everyone's life miserable.

Even Hawaii can be miserable. Just be in the Army and it becomes worse. The one plus: Hawaii has a film industry. Other stories later.

So in November 2010 I joined the Army. In June 2014 I'm out. Period. The stress has not been worth it and I'd prefer to spend my life actually treated like an adult as an adult.

Next post ... some reasons why I (and certainly others too) hate being in the Army.