ALMOST A WEEK SINCE WE WRAPPED

Recovery from a film shoot I would imagine is a bit like returning to your home after being in an exotic land that resembles nothing like the landscape you're used to.  Those things that were once commonplace are seemingly out-of-place...but the real truth is that you're out-of-place. You're what has "changed"  (at least for a period of time)  You also realize that the pace of things you became used to on the film was much faster and adrenalized than what you were accustomed to BF(before filmmaking).  All this made the perfect storm for me to feel emotionally and physically exhausted when I returned from wrapping THE RED ROBIN last week, Dec. 23, 2011.

I collapsed and probably could've done a Rip Van Winkle but I'm a dad with young boys which means time for rest is a thing of the past.   My first few days back to reality I was in a perpetual half-awake state which meant I bumped into walls and whenever i sat down I basically snored myself into a stupor.  All this was my bodies way of saying "You don't get to go to such highs without paying for it!"  It's almost a week since we wrapped and I finally feel re-adjusted, if not completely ready to return to the land AF(After filmmaking).

The next chapter is one of my favorites because I'm an editor by trade.  For me, movies have always been made in the edit.  You can make a bad film tolerable, a good film great, or a good film horrible.  That's a lot of power and to understand that is important if you're going to be a filmmaker.  I highly recommend that every aspiring director learns how to edit or at least immerses themselves in the process.  Not only is it where you really learn the ingredients that go into making scenes work and storytelling thrive, it's where you will gain your most confidence as a director(the next time you shoot a film).   People ask me why I'm so calm during shoots.  My first answer is because I am doing what I always did since I was 8 years old and enjoyed more than anything in the world.  Why wouldn't I be calm and composed?  I'm where I have always wanted to be.  The second answer is really because I've been in the editing room for many years.  I've edited features, documentaries and shorts and one thing I have discovered is that when you start thinking like an editor(on the set as a director) you don't go hog wild overshooting and getting things from every conceivable angle, 100 takes.  You have a greater security in your choices hopefully and have a stronger idea when you have a scene in the can.  I have always prided myself on being a conservative shooter(I don't mix politics and filmmaking). I don't agree with burning negative or hours of time with innumerable takes and countless angles.  Filmmaking is hard enough shooting moderate amount of coverage, I just don't feel like most movies require shooting till your DP has lost vision out of one of hs eyes and your actors have been reduced to robots reciting lines.  I attribute my leaner style to my experience in the edit.  Also, I hate working past 12 hours as I will turn into a monster the next day should that happen.

So, editing is on deck.  I'm watching dailies on my macpowerbook and I'm reliving every shot we did in December.  So far I am enthusiastic to the point of bordering on immodest.  I know when i start seeing scenes cut, it will be a reality check.  Certain scenes may under deliver, others may not work as intended, but I know that the sculpting process is one where things will evolve.  Editing is the final chapter of screenwriting and it takes drafts to get things where you want.  Therefore, patience is essential.  I am about to bring on an editor and post will begin the around January 5 for 3 months.  The goal is for us to be done with a locked cut by May/June.  That will allow us time to find the necessary representation and sales team to help bring the project to the festivals and marketplace.   As we're putting the film together in the edit, I will occasionally blog the experience.  Occasionally because I think it will be far more interesting  when the film is done and people can watch then learn about the construction.  Right now, I can't give too much of the story away because it's a thriller/mystery so anything I would talk about in detail would sail above readers heads or be too spoilerish!

My entries from this point forward will relate more back to the making of the film.  We still have 5 days to shoot in january and we're hoping this warm winter turns frigid so we don't have to matte icicles in post.  Thanks for taking an interest and definitely check in over the next few weeks when I start adding VLOGS from the first shoot.

MW

2 DAYS LEFT TILL WRAP!!!!

Oh my...Where did the days go? How has this incredible experience gone by so quickly? And more importantly, how do I stop time?

We are very close to wrapping my second feature and to say that I am already getting separation anxiety is a colossal understatement. What's so great about moviemaking is that you are this tightly-knit family for a very short period of time and you all have one thing in common that most people in company environments rarely have(at the same time): you're all working hard and enjoying what you do passionately. It is truly a transformed environment to be in and one that I'm keenly aware is not something to be taken for granted. I instinctively feel this will be the launch of our company and one of many films to come...yet there's always a distinct feeling in the back of my head "What happens if this is it?" My response is that if I don't have the opportunity come around again, I will still feel so blessed to have made it to this point with such a great team of creative people supporting the project.

We have averaged 5-6 pages a day and the coverage has been minimal for the first 2/3 but now, with the pace stepping up in the last 1/3 of the movie and the story covering more psychological terrain, we are doing MORE shots....so things are a bit more hectic...but hectic is just right for the nature of these scenes...there's a frantic urgency to the second half of the story that builds right up to where we are right now.

I am nervous about missing a shot...I know that I will get to the edit and wish I had done this or that but truly we have gotten so much done in such a short period of time. Nonetheless, I'm sure there will be a few moments I wish I had captured but as long as I can still make my scenes work with what I have...such is the lot of filmmaking.

Anyway, will spend more time avidly updating this blog once we wrap. Then I will have more time and energy and focus to talk about the shoot and discuss the workings of THE RED ROBIN.

t a)

WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH!

So I've been taping and photographing this entire experience and therefore haven't had much time to do any "Blogging" When you're in the middle of it, time in anyone area is scarce. Being a director means you are answering 50 questions at the same time. You start answering this person and another member of the team needs you which means that you simply can't commit any significant time to writing. This is about it for me right now.

Let's say that to those of you who actually survived my first few posts and grievances about how hard it has been to get the film made...well WE ARE MAKING IT!

Did I ever have seeds of doubt that this auspicious day would arrive? I would be lying if I didn't say yes. But after our last false start, I basically gave myself a real "do or die" deadline and said no matter who was onboard as cast/crew, we were green lighting.

What this project has become is bigger and better than I ever imagined. Really. The level of talent both in front and behind the camera is mind boggling to me. What this has taught me, simply, is that great people gravitate towards strong material. Okay, forgive my immodesty but there's nothing else that has been a common denominator that could account for why we have assembled such a strong team except the refrain I most often hear "I joined because of the script or the story" When you have little money to pay people, that's the only way you're ever going to be able to bring aboard peeps with the right stuff. So I credit not only the determination of me and my producing partners but eventually the material married to the right sensibilities. I've never doubted that it's the written word that starts this process off and if it's not well written, the process will have a hard time igniting into anything.

So here we are, 10 days into shooting, 8 days left to go, then another 5 in January for our flashbacks. We still have some very challenging scenes to go but everyone is at their A game and I think the communal sense is that we're making special, something that people will want to see. I am at once inspired by the effort of everyone onboard and moved by any thoughts that this all started in 2005 in my living room, born out of frustration of not having made a movie in over 12 years and knowing my time was running out to do this again. Here we are...the dream has become a reality and I feel, for the first time in many many years, that this is where I'm supposed to be in life....

The Eskimos believed that if you spoke a word, it had the power to grow into something. I hope that anyone who is sitting in front of a computer screen with a story that's inspiring them will read this and take away that words have power.

The Red Robin Enters Week Two of Production!

Check out a few new shots from the set!

Director Michael Z. Wechsler talks with actor Judd Hirsch.

Actors Ryan O'Nan, Jaime Ray Newman, and C.S. Lee sit in the Shellner kitchen.

Cinematographer Adrian Correia (left), and actors C.S. Lee and Joseph Lyle Taylor. 

BEHIND THE SCENES of THE RED ROBIN

Production on THE RED ROBIN is underway! Check out a few behind-the-scenes photos from the set over the weekend:

THE RED ROBIN cast (from bottom left): C.S. Lee, Jaime Ray Newman, Ryan O'Nan, Caroline Lagerfelt, Judd Hirsch, and Joseph Lyle Taylor.

Read-through of the script with director Michael Z. Wechsler and actors Judd Hirsch, Ryan O'Nan, Caroline Lagerfelt, C.S. Lee, and Joseph Lyle Taylor.

Playback on the monitor during the shoot.

The inside of the Shellner house.

A few models from Dr. Shellner's office.

The stately Shellner Manor.

Director Michael Z. Wechsler and the cast on the front steps of the Shellner House prior to the commencement of principal photography.

THE RED ROBIN Makes the News!

Big thanks to Variety & Screen Daily for their articles on The Red Robin last week, announcing our cast of Judd Hirsch, Ryan O'Nan, C.S. Lee, Jaime Ray Newman, Caroline Lagerfelt, and Joseph Lyle Taylor! And a big thanks to Nicole Goesseringer as well.

- VARIETY article

- SCREEN DAILY article

THE RED ROBIN Cast Announcement!!

We're proud to announce our amazing cast!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Actors Judd Hirsch, Ryan O'Nan, C.S. Lee, Jaime Ray Newman, Caroline Lagerfelt, and Joseph Lyle Taylor have all joined the flight of The Red Robin feature film, which begins shooting outside Philadelphia on December 3rd.

The Red Robin will be directed and produced by screenwriter Michael Z. Wechsler. The psychological thriller is Executive Produced by Jonathan Sanger (The Producers, The Elephant Man), Rick Porras (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Shawn Singh.

O’Nan will play Tommy Shellner, the adopted adult son of Hirsch’s Nathaniel Shellner, a famed, and dying, trauma psychiatrist who was rumored to have done some confidential work for the CIA during the Cold War. A family reunion on Nathan’s death bed spirals into chaos when Tommy accuses his father of adopting his large family of children for the purposes of dark experiments in mind control.

C.S. Lee, who plays forensic investigator Vince Masuka, on “Dexter,” will portray Harry Shellner, the adopted brother of O’Nan’s Tommy.

Judd Hirsch earned an Academy Award nomination for his work playing a psychiatrist previously in Ordinary People, but his role as Nathaniel Shellner may reveal a far darker side of the same profession. Some of the many highlights of Hirsch’s long and distinguished career include his two Emmys for his work in “Taxi,” a Golden Globe for his work in the series “Dear John,” and a Tony Award for Conversations With My Father. He is currently appearing on “Damages.”

Earlier this year, O’Nan wrote, directed, and starred in The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best, playing half of a fictional musical duo with Michael Weston. Rhino Records was so taken with the Brooklyn Brothers that they signed O’Nan and Weston to record under their fictional band name shortly after the first festival screening. O’Nan also recently starred in Freelancers, with Robert De Niro and Forrest Whitaker. In January, O’Nan will shoot The Frozen Ground in Alaska, appropriately enough, opposite Nicolas Cage, and will then appear in the feature The Iceman, opposite Michael Shannon and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Jaime Ray Newman, who starred previously on “General Hospital,” “Eastwick,” and “Drop Dead Diva,” will play the role of Julie Shellner, the daughter of the family.

Caroline Lagerfelt of “Gossip Girl” has also joined the cast as Lillian Shellner, the matriarch of the Shellner house.

Joseph Lyle Taylor, who will shortly be seen as one of In Bruges writer-director Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths, will play the role of Leonard, the one biological child of the family.

Teaser Trailer for THE RED ROBIN

Ulcers and indies. How making an independent film isn't good for your stomach lining. Catchy

Okay, this may seem like a joke for a title of a blog. But behind it there's no humor really. If I don't have an ulcer, I'm on my way to getting one. Perhaps before making a film filmmakers should have prescription heartburn medication. I know many times over the course of the last 6 years I have really needed something to assuage the indigestion and burning inside I have felt from the process.

I don't want this blog to be a "whiney" tell-all because making a movie is worth it. I can't shake the dream of watching this in front of an audience. I want my sons to look back on this one day and say "Dad chased his dream, so can we" That's a really important lesson I want to impart on both of them instead of, 'dad chased his dream and quit' I have never quit in film...many other things in life but not my creative pursuits. Boy, is this testing me and my endurance and stamina for bullshit.

First thing I would tell filmmakers trying to make a movie is forget about being a filmmaker for a very long time. You're now going to become a businessman. A hustler. A producer. You have to forget the art and learn to speak, walk, dance like a hustler. You are trying to raise money and that doesn't happen in the confines of your imagination. That happens in the real theater called "THE WORLD" and it's a back breaking, mind-numbing, all or nothing process. You can't kind of get fucked trying to raise money. Prepare to be fucked alot. Obviously if I mean real fucking I wouldn't say this because I am married.

Being a producer means being a hustler and chasing...your tail a lot of the time. Really existing in the greatest Catch 22 of all time: need a cast to get financing, need financing to get a cast. So how does someone with no money and just a script go about getting any of this? I mean, how do you attach a cast of known actors when you are unknown and everything about your package remains unknown to Hollywood, therefore, carries a major scarlet letter with the initial N for NO. Now you have a very long hill battle with people in the business of seeing that N change into a P for possibly to a C for cool. It's not easy and it means you have to build a credible package. You need to start having your film aligned with enough credible people above-the-line, that is, that it becomes possible you to join the poker game. Why do I call it a poker game? Because you need a good hand and plenty of times you will have to bluff to stay in each game, whether that's getting an agent to pass a script to an actor or a potential investor to read your script. Bluffing may seem like lying and to a degree, and all producers know this, we're often hovering somewhere in our dream pursuit between truth and fiction. I'm not saying you have to out and out lie to get your movie made, but you sure have to be comfortable with the art of hyperbole. If you're not, you shouldn't be producing any movie. Like any kind of sales, you are on the frontline and you better have good showmanship like PT Barnum. If you can whip them up into a frenzy with no package, that may be enough to improve your hand. Chances are, like everyone else, you need something to keep these people on the phone. A great story will interest almost nobody at first. They want to know and by they I mean the money and the actors(reps), who the hell thinks this project is cool. If they don't see anybody on your guest list or roster, then you can just about forget about getting to play. If you repped an actor and a small project came your way with no attachments of other actors, no discernible marquee producers, you wouldn't spare a breath even if the story got great coverage. I know this because a major boutique agency read my script before we had even one significant attachment...and the coverage was the best I'd ever gotten. And nobody in that agency got off their asses to try and help me make this movie. It was a small film, anyone could tell that by reading...small as in no CG effects, no franchise potential, no tentpole movie, and certainly no video game or sequel potential. Like "Black Swan" without Aarronofsky or Portman. Just a good solid script. I'm not saying it's not enough to write a great script. There are forces out there that can see that get made. I'm talking about being your projects own producer and making your movie from absolutely nothing but your determination and 120 pages of a script you sweat your soul to write. If you have no intention of raising the money and directing this film, okay, time to find a lit agent...some of these ideas may not be so bad though for your intention. I mean, if you can get a reputable Producer to attach or even a recognizable actor, these are all things that can help get you through formidable hurdles called the gatekeepers.This is really for those of you who, like myself the last 7 years, who are determined to make your film your way but not with a credit card, your friends Iphone....but a known cast of actors and a budget you can afford more than just craft service potato chips and beer.

SO I 've said you have to hustle. And here's another hard pill to swallow. If you do this, be prepared for a very LONG HAUL. Again, the average project takes years, sometimes decades to get made in Hollywood--most never get made at all--so you have to be realistic here. If you think it's going to be an overnight or 2 year process, you better go back to doing your own smaller projects with your best friends serving as the cast. It's anything but a short process. It's unpredictable how long. Even as I write this, I am going on 7 years and still not sure whether it's going tohappen when it's NOW supposed to. Many film people become TV people because they would rather see stuff get made than have 1000 dinners, lunches and breakfasts talking about that Oscar potential film they want to make. There's something gratifying about getting to produce and see what you've laboured on not for 10 years but maybe a few months. TV is a here and now medium. Film is a then and maybe but probably not. Again, I'm not saying you can't go out and do this on the cheap and be the next Kevin Smith. Making films has few to no obstacles anymore. But raising money and a marquee cast is still what I'm talking about. Oh and if you're a banker or hedgefund investor who has decided to finance their own feature...or you have a rich Uncle, none of this applies to you...except you will still have to have something on paper that is quasi-readable....but the truth is you're path may be more difficult getting major names...but if you have the dough you can get names...b c and d....Your long haul may be 2-3 years but you will have a movie made at the end of the day because you have the key ingrediant that everyone wants---money. You have money you can get names onboard and pay a great crew and have a handsome film. Yes, I would've been envious a few years ago, but I wouldn't trade my blood/sweat equity and the lessons, contacts, and journey I've experienced for anything less. It's much more gratifying to earn the car than to have someone just buy it for you. This is very true. If you can pay for everything you probably wont' do much except for write the check and have a nice seat ont he set. But if you have to be the person who makes this magic happen from nothing, a journey this will be filled with upsetment, victories, lessons, and ultimately the immense satisfaction that you did this without a silver spoon or rich uncles bank account. Not that there's anything wrong with rich Uncles. Wish I had a few, however, it's like my dad said, you get things easily you don't appreciate them, you i

2 steps forward 1 step back

I always remind myself of the inevitability of this cliche being a reality of the enterprise of making a film. For every victory, there always seems to be some set back. Sometimes and often there are more set backs in a row that seem to make the whole thing an excercise in masochism. Now my friggin macintosh plug isn't working so i have limited time to write something here that can serve to be of some value to me or somebody who has the time and desire to ever read this blog. Going back to victories and set backs, I've learned that even when you have a victory--an actor signs on, a great meeting, a new investor, almost everything comes with a price. And what is being tested constantly is how willing you are to listen and bring new and sometimes horrible, sometimes brilliant ideas into your film. Everyone has something creative to say and because I'm the producer, if those ideas come from money folks, I have to keep my ego and pride on but in neutral. I've always been such an accomodating person which in this case makes it easy for people to contribute their 2 cents. I listen, I even often say 'good idea, i'll think about it' SOmetimes I allow myself to completely become host to an idea that is just bad but I want people to want to work on this film that I come across as very flexible. I think I need to pull back on this because, keep in mind, an idea(good and bad) can often lead to delays in your shoot, rewriting a scene that may alter your script intangibly for the worse. It's a double-edged sword: you need people more than they need you, most of the time, and therefore you have to seem accomodating but also keep your vision protected.

A friend/collaborator on the film reminded me yesterday that this is my script, my project, don't forget that, you know what's best. It's my EPs expression 'lots of white noise out there' Like the time my former entertainment attorney, who just came from a panel in Sundace in 2008 which was about black filmmakers, said i should consider turning my movie into an urban black film. How you could do that with my movie I really don't think i could get high enough to figure that out. He said something about guns on video covers with Ice Cube being a big driver for DVD sales and how I should consider that with Red Robin. I was dumbstruck but that's an extreme example of simply learning to listen process and move on. There have been a lot of stupid comments made over the course of developing this film. I should actually come up with my Dave Letterman top ten. Here's a few:

1. Can you make it into an urban black film

2. I could get it to Harrison Ford. I know the guy who works on his home computers.

3. Could you shoot this in 3d.

4.

CINEMA THERAPY

I have a few filmmaker friends who are all in the same boat: they have a script they're passionate about, some money they've raised, some cast members attached, but they're still shy of an official start date. It really hit home with me the importance of having other filmmakers to share your triumphs and trip-ups with because nobody understands the struggles like someone who is

going through exactly the same process. If I had the time, I would start a cinema therapy group which would be something like the Constanza family's Festivus. Instead of hurling insults at each other, each filmmaker would deride those who have gotten in their way either by slowing down their process, misleading them, or just plain out lying. So this wouldn't just become a painful excercise in whining and self-pity, we'd soak in libations of our choice then commend each other for sticking it out, fighting the good fight. Right now, I have my team that is working with me but they are the last folks I want to bitch to because I'm the captain of the ship. I can't let them see me get too frustrated or it just rubs off on them. Hence, why I strongly urge every aspiring filmmaker to have a few like-minded folks who they can vent to from time to time. Cinefestivus we can call it!

The Ides of March 2011

So aside from the world crumbling from earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear meltdowns, movies are still, from what i understand, getting made. Life's numerous disasters puts the shenanigans of making a movie in perspective especially during those oft self-pitying moments. Welcome to to my attempt at keeping a public record of the making of a very special film. Making a movie is often compared to pregnancy and I cannot think of a more appropriate metaphor, especially at this point in my life. There are many similarities and differences as well. Both biological and cinematic pregnancies have morning sickness but the latter can have nausea spells that last throughout the day and night. Both can make the impregnated radiant and glowing with life but also beat the shit out of them physically and emotionally. Biological pregnancy has trimesters and cinematic pregnancy has stages of production-pre, production, and post. I'd argue the one main difference between the two is that in the case of creating a movie, the gestation process is much much much longer than 9 months and you just don't know when that baby is going to arrive. I'm sure my wife is going to cringe when she reads this.

Let me shed some of my own light on what are some of the "truths" I've been discovering(these may be different from other filmmakers. No gospel here, just my own experiences). First, just you can't get a little pregnant making a movie. If you do, you will--dare I say it--abort or miscarry. There are too many people trying to do what you're doing, it's crazy competitive, and many of those people will die before giving up on their labour of love. Here's a metaphor I haven't been able to shake. Many years ago I was watching the New York City Marathon with a composer friend of mine who did the music for my very first short film at NYU. As over 36,000 runners were passing us on 3rd avenue, he turned and said "You know what that is Mike? That's the film business. At any given moment, that's the amount of people trying to make a movie, sell a script, do the impossible. " Slightly dramatic but I think about that enormous pack of runners when making this movie. It's not to deflate me but to inject reality into this process. You can't make a movie without training and you better realize now rather than later that it's not 10 people in a room, it's like those American Idol stadium sized crowds all trying to get those coveted few spots of greatness. Moviemaking is really for folks who are tireless and refuse the answer NO. It's really that simple. If you can't stand rejection or even the taste of it, even a smattering, dollop, iota, let alone the aroma of it, get out. Unless you're made of money born with the proverbial silver spoon, or have a rich relative for whom writing a million dollar check is not going to cause heart palpitations, the act of making a movie is going to be...ready for this...one of the hardest things you ever endeavor to do. Let me clarify a few things: if you are making a guerilla micro-budget movie, it will still be difficult but I'm specifically referring to my current endeavor which is making a movie with well known actors for a decent amount of money that necessitates financing. If you're making a film without a care for who is in it and can accomplish this on a shoestring, more power to you, but if you're like myself swimming upstream trying to gain momentum raising funds by bringing together an impressive group of talented team menmbers...then take heed--it's going to take time, tremendous will power, dedication/drive, and an obsession with getting this done.

Okay, I'm not meaning this blog-especially the first entry-to be a bitchfest. I'm now on 6 years(if you include when I started writing this script) in the journey of getting this movie made. In movie years, this is nothing. People spend far more time. Most projects never even get made, they get abandoned. Still, to me, 6 years a lot has happened. I have been raising 2 very rambunctious boys, I have had to make a living and pay bills(again, if you're an heir or from money, you should probably skip most of this blog(You will only perceive what is one of my fundamental resentments of film which are the rich kids who only make movies because they're rich and can afford it...there's a taste of my resentment and it's not nice...but more on the silver spoon and spoiled later) These 6 years have been probably the hardest of my life just in terms of sheer amount of responsibilities both financially, emotionally, personally, and yes, creatively. (Note: I don't recommend trying to make a movie the first 5 years of a child's life--especially 2, but again, that's another blog entirely) So where was I? Let's just get to the opening statement of this blog. Fear not, this isn't about chronicling the frustrations of a filmmaker. I mean, that's part of moviemaking so it will come into play. This blog is really aimed at filmmakers and non-filmmakers alike, to better understand a very complicated process and one that doesn't have a paradigm or roadmap. Why would non-filmmakers be interested in learning about a process that is anything but linear and perhaps not even something they ever plan on doing in their lives? Well, I can't say I have the perfect answer except hopefully this will be not only about the creative process of how my brain arrived at certain decisions. This will be about the formation of a business from 2 words: Fade In. It will also be about the lessons I've learned and will learn. And mostly, it will be about what it takes to follow your dream and see it through. I think that's something we can all appreciate whether or not we have chased windmills or dreamed about chasing them.

So instead of talking much about where I am in the process of making this movie for this first entry, I just want to welcome all of you to the making of "The Red Robin." This is a movie that I've bled from my heart and soul and I hope when it is done it's obvious. If we were on a cross-country road trip from NYC to Los Angeles, I'd say we're somewhere in New Mexico right now, the car has overheated a few times, we've gotten lost here and there, but like in any good roadtrip movie, we have got some incredible characters who have gotten onboard with us: we have an incredible and dynamic cast as well as a superbly talented creative above-the-line team.

Even if the car breaksdown and the engine dies, we still have the necessary manpower and talent to get to our destination. Another words, the movie IS GETTING MADE.

Welcome onboard and hope you stay for the duration of the trip, but please buckle your seatbelts. We're only just getting started.