Have you ever had a to-do list and halfway through you get the feeling that it’s the wrong one? That’s been happening to me a lot. With the different work digs and the new projects, I’m forgetting what year it is.
Imagine walking down the hall with your laptop and there’s new faces and you’re headed to a meeting. You’re taking notes and it strikes you in the chest like a freight train. You’re doing exactly what you wanted to be doing years ago. You glance at your to-do list and over three quarters of that list are just writing projects - that you get paid to complete. I know I’ve always said it’s what I wanted, but I, kind of didn’t see it coming. It’s always just the next stop, but then you get used to the station you’re waiting at and you become accustomed to the muzak playing on the speakers. When you’re actually told to get on the train, you do it reluctantly. You even get off at your stop wondering why you’re there.
I’d usually sit here for a couple of hours talking to you about this, but I literally am not allowed to. I have work to finish.
I’ve spoken with quite a few people this week. The topic of writing and projects comes up. I don’t know how things come together. Some ideas make themselves known and you just have to roll with it.
I’m in pre-production. I hate this part. I have to finish up any changes I want and then I have to allow others with more talent than me to read it. There are some parts that I will not budge on, but they can make suggestions. It’s helpful when you trust the director with everything and that way, when he tears up one of your favorite supporting characters and replaces it with another, you don’t immediately rush to anger.
I need an Arii Alexa Mini LF.
We are working with a Canon, but are set with an entire lens kit that would work with the Arii. I’ve always looked at the world as 35mm and everyone else that had to make due with digital. It’s not until I sat down with a true student of cinema that I saw the difference between the normal digital footage and what Arii can create. I want this camera, I will drive a truck through the triangle of death to grab this camera. If I don’t succeed, I think it’ll just be me and the cinephiles that will be able to tell.
I’ve reached out to a few rental spots in the area and learned why film hopefuls turn to lives of crime. I’m too old to go that route, I pay taxes and answer to a not-for-profit organization. It’s not the trouble, it’s the disapproving look of, “why did you even bother moving to the suburbs if that’s what you wanted?” If they only knew that after I hustle a better deal out of one of these production spots, I’m going to pay for minimal insurance and have this camera 75% of the time, closer to water than is allowed.
Did you use an Arri on your first film project? Did you then damage the Arii and are now facing a huge fee that will garnish your wages for years to come? I believe everyone needs a passion and a hobby.
To give you an idea of the visuals of this gem. It was used for retakes of the film Tangerine, which was mostly shot on iPhones and then the Arii came in for reshoots. It was used for Moonlight, which is what sold me on wanting it for my project. Then you find out that it was used for 1917, Mad Max: Fury Road, and John Wick 4. I looked up a few of their production shots and they would have about a dozen of these cameras placed at different locations before a huge take. Some asshole has gotten to the point that when he or she goes into production, they have 12 of these lined up and ready to go. That’s the kind of thing that makes me cry.
I’m tired of pretending to be simple. I’ll no longer give a funny anecdote for why I like or want things others don’t think about. Maybe everyone’s weird in their own way. I want this camera. I want a calling card completed in 2026 for future work. I don’t know if my writing is any good. It’s scored me an actress, a director, and some interested parties. Will the story work as an introduction to the world of independent film? I don’t know. What I do understand, nothing I write or create, takes away from anyone else’s talent, writing, or life. If I’ve missed something, please let me know directly so we can hash it out. I’m always by my phone.
I want my director to go insane using anamorphic lenses immortalizing scenery mixed with story in a place you’d have to see to believe. I believe this site will slowly morph into a diary of the trials and tribulations going through this journey. Film Journal.
Medicine Man came out in 1992 and was shot on Panvision 35 mm with anamorphic primes. I remember watching this when I was a kid and wanting to climb huge trees and live in the jungle to study. Now it’s clicked. I was waiting for the Arii Alexa Mini LF to be created so I could add the perfect story to the visual of those trees in the background.