Hello Autumn

Now, while the thought of cool crisp afternoons in wool sweaters and cozy nights asleep under heavy quilts brings a smile to my face, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad this morning as a lay awake in bed waiting for the sun to catch up to my morning ritual. When the sun finally made its' appearance well after 6:00, I climbed out of bed, thought twice about the shorts hanging on the bedroom chair and opted instead for the pair of jeans. Then, as I readied myself for my morning walk, I glanced out the window at the heavy gray sky and leaves blowing in the brisk wind and pulled a hooded sweatshirt from the closet.

Fall has arrived.

As Norma Jean and I made our way around our mile and a half morning loop I couldn't help but notice the growing patches of color populating the trees along our route - weren't those leaves green just the day before? Again, I love fall and, with my favorite month mere days away, I await and welcome the glorious colors to come but I must admit that I will miss walking before 5:00 am, and being at my desk and working by 6:00.

Oh well, time to embrace corduroy and bid farewell to linen.

Observations from the front porch

Well, I intended to keep my readers up to date on the day to day of my recent New York shoot but as often happens when I'm in New York, I have a hard time staying still long enough to accomplish anything at a desk. So now I'm back in Owls Head, enjoying a spectacular morning on my front porch. The weather has perfect timing because on a morning like this it's very hard to miss being in New York.

The past ten days were a rather long, exhaustive, but highly successful shoot. All told, I did eleven on camera interviews and six location shoots. In addition, I had the chance to sit down with Ira Goldberg, the director of the Art Students League and set up a screening of Will Barnet: Tracing the Soul of the Work, at the League next month. In between I managed a bit of time to walk the streets, ride the subways and feel ever more at home in New York.

Let the editing begin!

Hello from New York

Waking up in Manhattan this morning and getting ready for a week long shoot. Last night I drove in around 2:00 dropped off my rental and kicked around the city a bit. It's always great to be in New York, though I must confess that I'm feeling a bit off my game. Maybe it's just the thought of the shooting schedule for the week ahead. I'm certain that as soon as I catch a couple of subway rides and grab a banana cup cake from Billy's, I'll be energized and ready to go.

I certainly shouldn't complain - I have three projects with funding in various stages of production and a fourth that appears will be funded soon. Still waiting on funding leads for the Charlie Oakes film but I certainly haven't given up.

Capped off last night by screening a truly original film. Inception is proof that films that don't fit into some pre-exsisting Hollywood formula occasionally still get made. Christopher Nolan stays within his genre but stretches it a bit with a clever plot that requires you to think as you hang on for the ride. Good performances for the most part, though I'm not convinced that Ellen Page was the best choice for the role but certainly not a disaster. Of course, now we'll be subjected to a bunch of "Inception-like" films in the coming year or two. See Inception and keep your eyes peeled for the next truly original concept, which should hit theaters near you sometime in 2015.

I'l be in touch this week with updates from New York.