I'm a Travelin' Man:The Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday:

Rod Pitts (www.pittstopproductions.com) and I shot scenes for Spin Cycle with our lead actors Derrick Engleberg (Alex) and Nataki Caver (Emma). We filmed at a laundromat in Whitehaven. I was a little uncomfortable in an unfamiliar "hood". I liked the store next door, though. They had nachos for $1.50. That was cool. What was uncool was everybody looking through the window and stopping and walking up in the place. There were more idiots driving their motorcycles and bumping their music in the parking lot. We persevered and got some darn good scenes. Shout out to Arnita Williams (What Goes Around, The Tank) for helping us secure the location and to her cousin who owns the laundromat for letting use use it after hours.

Saturday:

I worked on Curbside Confessions. I am sworn to secrecy, but I will say this: Arnold Edwards is a very good director. He worries that we get tired of shooting scenes, but I understand the need to be thorough and have a lot of shots to work with. Dedrick Bullard is a really cool dude with a great attitude and positive outlook. I enjoyed working with him. We are both in the film Eat, but we were in different scenes. Last but not least, Amy Weatherford. Amy is a vegan, and longtime readers may remember the post where I went off about an actress who wouldn't let me kill a moth and tree huggers and Greenpeace. I didn't know she read that blog and I felt like a jerk when she made mention of it on Saturday. I am now humbly apologizing to her in cyberspace. I have to learn to respect people's opinions and view even if they drastically differ from mine. If she wants to be a vegan, that's cool. I don't think I have the willpower right now, but I respect her choice. Also, Amy is a cool person. She's very witty, is a bit of a ham (what actor isn't), and we had fun (you'll see the outtakes) and got a lot of work accomplished. I would love to work with her again. Hardy, Dayna, and the rest of the Cowboy Up Crew are talented and professional and I am grateful for the opportunity to use my talents and abilities in conjunction with theirs. This is some of the most intense acting I have done in my brief career. I was challenged, and I think it has made me a better actor. Thanks again to everyone involved with this project.

Sunday:

Rod and I planned to shoot a scene for Spin Cycle with a fake darkroom that we set up. Scheduling conflicts reared their ugly head, so it didn't happen. We wound up rolling to a certain department store chain to shoot a little footage guerilla style. Remember, it is better to ask forgiveness than permission. The management admonished Rod once. We didn't stop. We got more footage in the parking lot, then we rolled out to a park and got more footage with Derrick and Taki. Next, we moved to the Winchester area and shot a scene with them outside of the Winchester Court walking past the doors of the shopping center. Afterwards, I made it to my friend Shomari's house and watched the end of a WWE pay-per-view. Not a bad day of filming. It can be frustrating when things don't work out as planned, but Rod is good at backup plans, as every filmmaker should be. I don't know if I have the patience to direct. We got usable footage. I guess as long as you get usable footage, you're making progress. It is a marathon and not a sprint.

Today, I plan to rest. Daddy's tired. Plus, I need to watch a few season finales; The OC, The Unit, and Desperate Housewives. God bless the inventor of the DVR. That is the only way I can live my film dream and satisfy my TV watching habit at the same time. Be easy, readers.