As the Smoke Clears

This past week (not to mention month) has been a wild one. Wow. A lot to soak in. Don and I just flew in from Hawaii from the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival and we have much to talk about. Our brother Mike was the proxy for the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival and was amazed at what he saw. There is a lot to tell you all and I'm extremely eager to share - BUT - I just need a little while until things settle so I can get my life back to normal and spend time with family.

Yo, Adrian! (aka) Hafa, Philly?!

At the same time that Encore Presentations of Shiro's Head will show this weekend here on Guam, the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, sponsored by HBO will be showing it as well. Out of hundreds of feature film entries, they will showcase only eight for their inaugural festival. And needless to say, that Don and I are extremely honored that Shiro's Head is one of them. Although Don and I will be here at home during the Philly Film Fest, the Festival Director Joe Kim and staff have been more than hospitable to the people that are heading out east to represent Shiro's Head at the fest. Thanks, Mr. Kim!

Our other brother Mike will be heading up along with a few Guam boys from Houston to check it out. We're as excited to hear about it just as much as you all may be. As soon as we get pics/updates we'll be able to share them with you all as well. If you have any relatives/friends in the Philly/East coast area, please invite them to the showing. I'm sure the guys might be able to squeeze a barbecue into their schedule.;)

Oh and one more thing...YO ADRIAN! I DID IT! Get it? Rocky...Philly? Yeah? No?

Shiro's Head Encore Shows!

Thank you to all of you who have voiced your demand for more showings of Shiro's Head! Because of you, there will be 5 Encore Presentations of Shiro's Head this weekend at the Agana Center Stadium Theaters!

So for those that haven't had a chance to get tickets for last weekend's showings (or would just like to see it again) now's your chance! The dates and times are as follows:

Saturday, October 11th
12pm, 3pm and 7pm
Tickets are $10 and are available at these SELECT 76 Circle K locations: Sinajana, Barrigada, Ypao Road (across the UIU building), Dededo and Anigua

Sunday, October 12th
12pm and 3pm
Tickets are $10 and are available at these SELECT 76 Circle K locations: Sinajana, Barrigada, Ypao Road (across the UIU building), Dededo and Anigua

Don and I will be present for a question and answer segment after each show. If you're too shy to raise your hand, no worries. Feel free to come up to us and we can chat face to face if you got time.

Again, THANK YOU for letting your voices be heard. Bring a friend and we'll see you there!

p.s. to my personal friends, guys - especially Dur - don't wait 'til the last minute again, pare! hehe.

Shiro's Head Sold Out Crowds - Thank You!

Again, I just wanted to say "thank you" to all of those who attended the general admission showings over the weekend! WOW! You have no idea how I feel right now! I have to collect my thoughts and devote more in-depth posts to it sometime soon. Count on it! Thanks to you all! Although I'll try my best to thank you individually a little later, I will take a quick moment to say "Thank You" to Ms. Flores my 6th grade art teacher from Agueda Johnston Middle School. She was part of the full house on Sunday's showing. Sorry so short, but there's a lot of last minute stuff I need to get done for the movie. More to come!

Shiro's Head World Premiere - Thank You!

The journey has reached a crazy point in its timeline with the Shiro's Head Red Rug Event and World Premiere taking place last Friday. Words? I have plenty of them - however, there are a lot of things that I'd love to post - especially with all that's happened within the last month - and I will just as soon as the smoke clears (from the film fests, etc), so please stay tuned as I spill my guts about the whole experience within the next few weeks or so.

For now, I must take this time to let everyone know (and I think I speak for Don on this, too) that we are more than forever grateful for your support throughout this entire "nutso" journey. It's a crazy feeling, man. Totally unreal. For those that were there for the Red Rug, thank you for coming out and supporting not only a dream from me and Don, but also for local talent as well as supporting the unsung heroes like those from Erica's House. From family to friends, the bands that came out to perform like Rebel Lion, By Blood, Matala, and the full house of moviegoers who just wanted to see a homegrown flick on a Friday night- THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

-oh and don't worry...once don and i get a chance to settle in, we'll be putting up tons of pics from not only the premiere, but of all the showings. more to come!

photos by Steve Hardy

Shiro's Head Trailer - Thank YOU!

The Shiro's Head Official Trailer has been launched this week and I just wanted to take a moment to give my deep and sincere thanks to EVERYBODY for all of your responses. I would also like to thank you all for being extremely supportive and interested enough to come along for the ride while we were making Shiro's Head. From our island brothers and sisters at home on GUAM to Germany, US, Japan, Australia, Brazil, England, France and the rest of the appreciated folks out there - you don't know how much your responses have meant to me and Don - especially after the grueling journey of making such a small, no-name, no-budget DIY film on our own. It's been a long 2 years, but I still wouldn't have done it any other way.

This is a milestone for us at this point in the project and I just wanted to say thank you for being there and for showing your support, your interest and even just dropping in lines to say 'what's up?'. It really means a lot to us and motivates us to keep going when we lose steam.

If we're lucky enough, we'll be able to have a screening for the deep roots on Guam that made all of this possible. Until then, Don or myself will be keeping you posted while I enjoy this little break and reflect on all that's been accomplished so far. So from me to all of you...I just want to say THANK YOU! and stay tuned for more...

The "Tiny Hands" Series

To know me is to make me laugh. The "Tiny Hands" series from Comedy Central's webisodes is pure genius. I mean, from it's low-budget generic production to the dry staleness and comedy of the slacker actors - it's the best a homemade video comedy series can get.

When Don and I stumbled across this last year, I swear - it took a good five minutes for us to stop laughing - which tells you a lot about our style of humor. Plus, David Cross is just the best. Man, I can't wait until we finally get around to making our first comedy.

You can catch the other webisodes here.

Finding the Vibe

Does anyone remember the very first season of American Idol and how the attraction of the show was based on the shock factor of Simon ripping singers to shreds during auditions and making them cry?

Or how about on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition when the first season focused on getting a house completed in just seven days along with the constant bickering amongst the design team rather than the designs?

Or how about on Scrubs when the first season was more of an early twenty-something angst black comedy show?

Well, fast-forward to today and now Idol Gives Back donating millions in charity while drawing in huge A-list talents like Brad Pitt and Mariah Carey while creating real talents like Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson and others to go on to broadway and television.

Extreme Home Makeover just completed two seasons of their 50 State Tour Across America tour not only rebuilding people's homes, but also the lives of people who deserve it - all while focusing on the life-changing positivity and interactivity of the show and giving people a second chance on life.

Scrubs left the airwaves after perfecting its craft of quick-witted editing, stupid-funny jokes and comedic timing that we all know it for while newer shows like Psych and 30 Rock follow in its footsteps.

Sometimes, for a great idea to work, it just takes time.

The Hummingbird Part 2

After Sunday's hummingbird incident, it reminded me of another encounter. This took place last Christmas. Like any other home, we had our Christmas decorations up including some fake red berries out on the front porch for the festive vibe. Once again, I was sitting outside when a hummingbird flies up and all the way into the porch. It went straight to the fake berries, poked around a bit and then quickly took off. I thought it was pretty cool. It made me think of the way things are marketed and also people in general.

My point? You may fool them at first, but sooner or later they'll see it for what it is.

The Formula for a Great Movie

There is none. Not even the media mecca of Hollywood knows what it is.

Studios didn't want to take a risk on first-time filmmakers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris when they pitched an idea for an indie movie called "Little Miss Sunshine". But whoever did now has two Oscars. This led to more studios investing in similar movies like "Juno".

Hollywood spends millions and millions every year to try and find it. And more often than not, they're unsuccessful. Here are a few examples:

You can have great directing like Darren Aronofsky in "The Fountain" and Danny Boyle in "The Beach" and not even make a blip on the radar.

You can have top A-List actors like Robert Redford, Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep in "Lions for Lambs" and people still won't flood the box office.

You can have a huge budget topped with special effects like in "Lady In the Water" and it could disappear faster than it arrived.

You can have a great writer like Paul Haggis write "In the Valley of Elah" and still not get any play.

You can have a great editor like Jill Bilcock in "Romeo and Juliet" and "Moulin Rouge" and still get snubbed by the Academy.

You can have a great vision like in "The Libertine" and people still won't get it.

And you can have it all - like writer, director, producer, editor, musician Robert Rodriguez and still not be a top-tier name to the general public.

This is why so many movies feature the low common denominators of car chases, explosions, guns, good looking faces, sex and money - because they are basically the safest and financially proven movie ingredients that are needed for the masses to get up, go out and see a film.

As a filmmaker you have to realize that filmmaking is a risk. If it's really worth it, you just have to do your best, believe in yourself, your project and in the people you work with and take that leap of faith. When all is said and done, movie making is a HUGE risk. But it's a risk that might work just as much as it might not. You're really never going to know until you do it. So just take a deep breath, take the risk on yourself and go for broke - literally and figuratively. ;)

True or False. Which one are You?

People make films for different reasons. It's when you use this powerful medium for fake intentions do things and people get all messed up in the process. Such was the case with the Max Havoc debacle. So, I just wanted to share a quick observation about the sincere "True" filmmakers vs. the insincere "False" filmmakers that I've just recently thought about.

False Ones depend fully on other people's money. True Ones will put their money where their mouth is.
False Ones love the hype. True Ones let their work do all the talking.
False Ones cockblock. True Ones share.
False Ones only talk to people who matter. True Ones think everyone matters.
False Ones feel the need to "play the role". True Ones don't have to.

Thanks for the inspiration, Roger Corman!

5 Unfair Disadvantages for Movies vs. Books

Often times, when people watch movies that have been adapted from books (which are like, all of them) they often feel "robbed" of the original experience that they initially got from the reading the book. But is it a fair comparison? Here are five reasons why comparing books and movies are like comparing apples and oranges:

5. When reading the book, your imagination is the screen. Possibilities are limitless.

4. Books > 250 pages. Screenplays < 150 pages.

3. Authors don't have to worry about staying within budget.

2. Movies need to be seen in one sitting. Books are read leisurely.

1. Tom Hanks in The DaVinci Code. :)

5 Reasons Why Moviemaking is Like Food

5. You can have all the expensive brand-name ingredients you think you need to make a great meal, but at the end of the day, what it all comes down to is taste.

4. Whether it's SPAM and rice or Crème brûlée of foie gras with Tonga beans - passion, effort, care, pride and quality will shine through any dish.

3. Just because you went to culinary school doesn't mean that you can out-cook the little old lady down the street.

2. No one likes eating the same stuff over and over and over again. Give them some new flavor.

1. The proof is in the pudding.

Diesel Film Racing - 24 Hour Filmmaking

Can you make a movie in 24 hours? Geoff Summers of Filmracing.com has informed me that their nationwide competition and 2008 city tour is making its rounds. Contestants have just 24 hours to write, shoot, edit and score an original film no longer than 4 minutes (including credits) based on their theme and surprise element assignment.

Contestants have the chance to win up to $2,500 in cash and thousands more in HUGE prizes that include Avid Media Composer software, a scholarship to Writer's Bootcamp, Storyboard Quick v.5 and Gorilla 4 Standard Edition software. Plus you can vie for awards in categories such as Direction, Acting, Writing, Cinematography, Editing, Original Music Score, Sound Design, Costume Design, Visual FX, Special FX and many more.

You'll also have the opportunity at national exposure with your flick playing on the big screens nationally and possibly in other countries. It's a great avenue for budding filmmakers to test their creative and technical skills in just 24 hours.

Good luck to you all! And thanks for the heads, up Geoff! For more info, visit the Diesel Film Racing Tour at Filmracing.com

Stay Green, Pony Boy

When people venture into new positions of decision-making without much experience, something strange happens. Because they are still green, they are unaware of the limits, impossibilities and rules that were previously set in place by others. They try to do things without knowing they can't be done. This is a good thing.

New blood brings new ideas which bring new effort towards progress.

Recreation of D-Day

I can't tell you how excited I get every time I watch this. I found this cool video clip of three graphic designers and how they managed to recreate D-Day on a tiny budget for an episode of the BBC history show Timewatch.

You have to watch the whole thing from beginning to end to fully appreciate it. Just fantastic.

First Impressions

Do you remember the first impression you got from each of your closest friends? Do you know their first impression of you? What about from your boss? Or your coworkers? Or your spouse?

Most people won't be able to remember everything about another person, but first impressions stick with people - good or bad - for a long, long time. What first impression will you or your work make next?

Public Access. Goth Style.

Wow. Do you know those moments in life where you find yourself reaching for the nearest pillow in a sad attempt to hide from something embarrassing? Well, grab a pillow. I kinda feel bad for the guy.

Note: My favorite parts are the cutaway to the giggly lady and the Goth rap. Just a wee bit more pre-production wouldn't hurt next time, guys. I do give an A for effort, though. At least you had the guts to do it ;)

Passion and Permission

The next 1st round draft pick.
The next American Idol.
The next winner of Project Runway.
and so on and so on.

These are the same people that in obscurity had no fan base, no big paycheck, but have always been doing what they've done. It's just that this time they have a bigger stage. So for the masses, it makes it okay to like them.

Usually, to be noteworthy in your field of passion, you'd have to wait until someone like a studio executive gave you permission. In my eyes, there are already tons of noteworthy artists out there - it's just that the mass audience is still waiting for someone to grant permission to like them. Or is it that the artists are still waiting for permission?

Nothing to Lose

Since Naomi and I have been watching American Idol (yes, I'm guilty) we've noticed something interesting during the elimination rounds. The contestants that get the boot usually sing better during their goodbye performances than they do during their actual competition round.

My theory? They have nothing left to lose. After the ax falls, they just let it all out with the most honest emotions, raw pain and passion getting the best of them. No worries about getting the lyrics right, winning the votes or pleasing Simon - they just sing their hearts out.