What a week....
It's been a busy time. Haven't had the time or the resources since last Saturday to write a blog....but now I've got a few minutes, and will try to do an update.
This may be a little lengthy...I've got a lot to cover....but we'll see what time allows.
Since my last blog early Saturday at the Filmmaker Tent at the Florida Film Festival, a lot's been going on. Opal and I closed out the festival Saturday night with our sold-out premiere of FUCKIN' OLD BITCH...then went down to Northport to visit my sister Melissa and shoot some footage for 2 days for our new feature documentary THE OLD STRIPPER...then made the road trip back here to Missouri Tuesday and Wednesday, while shooting footage for THE OLD STRIPPER on the road in Tennessee and Kentucky....
We just got back to the shacks in Milford last night about 2 a.m.; it's Thursday afternoon, I'm back here at the library in Lamar, catching up on some long-awaited social networking, blogging, and more....it's been over a week since I've been able to do some things.
To be honest, I don't want to be back. I loved being in Florida. I loved Orlando. I loved the weather. I loved the fest and the people; and did not want to get back to this. But I have to be here, work with the tools I have, and keeping making my movies until I get the money to make a move.
Here, in a nutshell, is a daily notetaking journal of what I've been up to since last Saturday:
Saturday: went to a great awards brunch in the morning at the Enzian. Opal and I sat with Tom and Lauri from CHRONIC TOWN, and had a good time. Then after the filmmaker tent, went to a cool screening of 500 DAYS OF SUMMMER. After that, went to the Revel Party....awesome party...from there, Opal and I went to the World Premiere of our new comedy short FUCKIN' OLD BITCH at the Regal in Winter Park. A sold-out, awesome screening of our film in the Midnight Shorts block. After a cool Q&A, stopped by Tom & Jerry's for an appearance at the after party before going and crashing at the Days Inn.
Sunday: Opal and I left the motel about 11 a.m.; headed down to the Enzian to tell everyone goodbye, but it was kinda like a ghost town at the Filmmaker Tent and the theater. After the visit, hit the road towards Tampa to see my sister Melissa and her daughter for a couple of days in Northport, south of Tampa, and to shoot footage for our new documentary THE OLD STRIPPER. My mind was blown on I-75 at Exit 260 @ 140 when I saw a huge confederate flag flying high over the interstate. Got to Melissa's around 4, then went and got a motel room checked in; after unloading the car, went back to visit Melissa and her daughter until midnight, then Opal and I went back to the motel and crashed.
Monday: Spent all day with Opal, Melissa and her daughter Alyssa. We left the motel around 7 a.m.; we couldn't keep the cat there. Got to Melissa's around 7:30, and she had to go to work at the beauty shop. While Melissa worked that morning, Opal and I spent the day with Alyssa....took her out to eat at Perkins, then took her to the beach, then got back to Melissa's around 2 p.m.; when Melissa got home, she gave me haircut, chopping off my 6 months of grown hair; then we took them out to eat at Sweet Tomatoes...love that place...when we got back to the house, spent about 3 hours later that night shooting footage for THE OLD STRIPPER...before conking out on the couch around 2 a.m.
Tuesday: This morning, before heading out from Melissa's for our road trip back home, read Slava's new Indiegogo interview in Orlando of our World Premier of FUCKIN' OLD BITCH last weekend in Orlando at http://www.indiegogo.com/blog ...it was great seeing the Indiegogo bunch there in Orlando...looking forward to working with them on THE OLD STRIPPER...Headed out from Melissa's about noon....hitting the road....stopped in Sarasota, went to the Siesta Key Beach to film some footage of Opal at the ocean for THE OLD STRIPPER....after shooting, there was no working wifi at the beach, so we headed out...tried the wifi in the parking lot while Opal went in Publix in Sarasota to buy some bread and take a piss...and after eating a great vegan ham sandwich in the Walgreens parking lot in Sarasota, hit the road for the road trip back to Missouri around 2:45 p.m.....got past Atlanta around 2 a.m....was in the room of the Motel 6 in Acworth, Georgia around 2:15...was wore out and zapped...no wifi connection....soaked in the tub then conked out...
Wednesday: Woke up in the motel room in Acworth around 8:30 a.m.; Opal went to the lobby to get us some coffee...there wasn't even enough coffee for one cup...this was about the most disappointing Motel 6 we ever stayed in...finally really woke up in the room around 10:30...after Opal's shower, we hit the road around 11 a.m....got past Chatanooga, Tennessee around noon...once we hit Tennessee, it really started bringing back the memories of military school as a child there in Baxter Springs....started shooting Tennessee footage of THE OLD STRIPPER, and got in Nashville around noon...through the day on the road trip, we shot quite a bit of footage of THE OLD STRIPPER in Tennessee and Kentucky...states where Melissa and I went to private schools while Mother was on the road dancing....after some shooting with my camera in Kentucky, my camera went out. And now it won't work. So it be some time, until I get another camera, to shoot more footage. But we got some good stuff...last night, crossed the Mississippi into the Missouri state line; got to Springfield around midnight; made a gas stop; then got to the shacks in Milford around 2 a.m.....
It's Thursday....I'm back home...after working out at the gym, came here to the library to get back to my routine after being gone for about a week and a half...I'm glad Opal and I had the chance to get away, finally go to Florida for one of our films, network, party, have fun and see Melissa and Alyssa, and shoot some footage for our feature film...I didn't want to come back....but sometimes, when you're a poor man, you have to do things you don't want to do....and make sacrifices...
Whew...that was a little lengthy...took some time...but I had to get it out there...glad I jotted down notes during the week....my memory's for shit anymore...
I'll tell you another thing....this week, not having access to wifi...not being able to spend time on the internet...with my daily routine, updating and social networks....was, simply put...frustrating, to say the least. I don't know how many people are out there, that keep up with us....but you get into your routine, and it's frustrating when you can't get things done....but I guess I have to try to learn more how to live with it...
It's good to know that there's a fan base, and audience out there for our film work....Orlando is living proof of that...one of the seeds we've planted around the world for our independent work....it's good to know that my independent voice is wanting to be heard....that makes it all worth it....
The trailer of our upcoming feature film THE OLD STRIPPER:
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