I started writing as much as I could when I wasn't working my dead end job I would work until 9 every night and go home and write until 2 am and turn around to to it all over again the next day . when my employer and I had a difference of opinion and I left them after working a three week notice (one week longer then any other person would) I decided to dive head first into my writing .
Fast forward to January 2013 and I write what I knew was going to be the first movie that would go to the next step and be made into a movie . I get asked alot why that script was so special that I knew I wanted to make that movie ? The answer was simple, this movie and it's two sequels came together in less then 30 days and I knew with that kind of passion I could take the script into production .
Like I said I knew I wanted to direct the movie but other then that I was lost and had a ton of decisions to make going forward, the first decision I made was that I wanted to do a cameo in the movie so I took the Victor Barclay character and made it mine .
You have to understand that when I first started out in the process of making Sins of Man : Rise of Mortis I was wide eyed and ready to take on the world if I had to, I didn't fully understand the amount of talent it takes to juggle writing, directing, doing makeup FX and acting in a movie all at the same time .
As I've said many many times in blogs, interviews and to alot of people when talking about my career I have no professional training in film making, makeup FX, or acting for that matter, I was as green as the grass in spring . So I did what alot of people do when they want to learn about something, I went to the internet youtube to be more specific and started watching videos from other film makers as well as how to makeup FX videos to learn as much as possible in a short amount of time .
This really ties in well with my last blog about juggling to many things at one time as I had no clue what I was doing yet I took on all these jobs so I could realize my dream of making movies, I'm a very determined person and will go to great lengths to make the things I want to happen actually happen .
I knew there would be growing pains / struggles but I had no idea that after the second weekend of shooting a major disaster would happen to one of our cast members that would change the course of Sins of Man : Rise of Mortis completely . The events that unfolded that Monday caused almost a total rewrite of the script as well as scenes being redone to make the changes that needed to be changed . Fate had thrown me a curve ball that when I was waiting on a fastball down the middle . Many major decisions had to be made at a rapid pace, we could recast the role in less then a week or shut down production until we could get another actor in this major role in the movie . I thought about it for a few hours and I made a bold choice and I took over the character's role in the over all story and I was off on my rewrite journey .
Note : I have a strong dislike for curve balls as I could never hit a curve ball . (sad but true)
I struggled with the time restraint of the rewrite because it had to be ready to go the next weekend but I rewrote it and we went on with production on schedule . I was now going from a small one scene cameo to being in alot more of the movie which meant I would be in the director's chair less . I gave the directing duties to Chris Fyfe whenever I was in front of the camera in a scene . I had never acted in anything before so now I've nervous and not confident at all in any aspect of the process . For the first time since this all started I started to think about failing and if I could even do this .
If I'm being honest from the third weekend of shooting til the very early morning we wrapped shooting on the movie was total chaos and I'll tell you something it was a pain in the ass at times to make all the changes we made on the fly but it also brought the group closer and we all knew and understood that we would always be there to lift up our fellow cast members we became friends during the filming of the movie and we managed to complete the movie on time and under budget .
In closing I have to say that doing the "Jack of All Trades" gimmick isn't for everyone but for me it was a great way to learn fast and I would like everyone reading this to know that I wouldn't change a thing about this crazy ride because it's the trials and tribulations that we have to handle in our lives that make us the person we are, if film making was easy everyone would do it, right ?
May The Force Be With You, Always .