Tying up loose ends

Yesterday went good, thanks for asking.

Second day on set. Big day. Even bigger current star comes in - and things are running late. To clarify - I am not the director for these shoots. This is a domestic product and the star is there to shill for them. I just get the 15 minute window at the end of the day where I get to direct them and teach them a bit of Chinese.

This girl - who is sweet in real life and not really any different from the image she projects - is pretty huge right now. So it was kinda cool to say that I have "directed" her - even if it was only for 15 minutes.

The best part is that the producer - our freelance guy who really knows what he's doing - came over and told me that he wants to work with me - cause he thinks I know what I'm doing.

Oh how easily they are deceived... :)

The coolest part of the day for me was talking with the sound guy.

I hang out at the monitors for most of the day - with a comdex on - listening to the takes and making sarcastic comments. The sound guy and I bond a bit - laughing at our crazy locations where we are getting critical dialog - but there is a lot of road noise and planes flying over.

I find out - at wrap - that he works on Studio 60 - a great show. And that he did West Wing for years. He is in the Sorkin family. So we talk about the show - how its working - what the future holds... It was Nice!

Once we wrap - I go to meet my old producer.

Back story:

This guy was the first one in on my film. Before anyone saw anything in it - he was there. He stayed up till 3 am one night and read the thing and called me the next day saying he wanted to make it. When he was shooting in Romania - he found a guy that got the script to two stars - both of who wanted to do the film and cut their fees. He brought us to one mini-major - who took us to a bigger mini - major - where we got green lit. We waited for the stars schedules for a year and half - got greenlit - had a start date - and then the star dropped out.

A few months later - when the star said he still wanted to make it with me - but without my producer - I said OK. My producer was on a really big Shawn Penn film that took him over a year to do. He just finished last week. I had to call him in the middle of it and tell him that I was moving forward-

Without him.

I am a pretty loyal person. And we had no contract. And we had tried for two years - while I basically bankrupted my saving to get this thing going. And it didn't.

And then I sold him out.

Now - three months later - I am done with the star. And so I met my producer last night in an little English Bar in Santa Monica. He had a pint of something. I had Lemonade and foot.

We reconnected. I asked for his forgiveness - and he - being the gentleman that he is - said he never even thought negatively about it. He was probably the smartest guy in the room - knowing that the Star would never get back around to getting his act together - he knew he could wait it out.

So he's got a new deal. And is gonna make some calls. And maybe this little film will get up and rolling again.

And if it doesn't - I don't really care. I am just glad to have moved past a black mark on my character. My soul feels better to have cleaned up my conscious. Not that I rejoice in my first decision or let myself off the hook for it - but that he has seen past it and is still a friend.

I hope I've learned another valuable Hollywood lesson.

Flying home today. Actually gonna spend a week there. I haven't been home for more than three days in four months - so this is a luxury.

Off to the plane...