Filming Sunday went very well; despite the 27 degree temperatures and wind chill, we got some good stuff in the can. In addition to recreating the basic sequence from seven different angles–replacing prior footage discarded due to underexposure–the director set concerns for his safety aside and perched himself inside the fury. It took some adjustments but was worth the extra consideration for his positioning; he captured some truly unique shots.

After nailing the shots, we did some unplanned runs in the midst of a Project Adventure type rope climbing course. The spontaneous bits may or may not be in the final version. Regardless, they were fun filming.

The director plans a December 2 drop date. Near perfect timing, because the artist finished up the graphic yesterday morning. Now the graphic can be integrated into the multimedia piece, where it will provide additional context. Initially I had planned the graphic would serve another purpose, but there’s value in “recycling”. Chalk it to a happy accident.

Slowly the legs of the marketing plan are gelling. There’s still two big components left, but I have complete control over the first deliverable, and a lot of influence over the second. Which means after next week, pending tweaks to the film, effectively I am the bottleneck to the project. Obstacles that arise are solely mine to resolve.

Even the ones I create.

The following entry was supposed to be on November 20, but life and head congestion had other intentions.

In honor of World Toilet Day, please direct your attention to the swooshing sound in the background. No, it’s not the inner workings of a commode fashioned by one Sir Thomas Crapper in the dark days following the Civil War. Rather it’s the sound of the economy–and what’s left of my 403B, Roth and IRA, whatever else account once had a bigger balance last year–down the drain.

Ah, cheers!

On a more sanguine front, the oft-mentioned graphic is almost ready. Also, this Sunday marks the last day of shooting. A mixed blessing really, because everyone involved–read, everyone’s spouses and girlfriends–is happy about the heavy lifting nearing completion. Unfortunately one spouse in particular must deal with a few nights of her husband editing footage. My condolences to Leslie in advance. But the drop dead date for the multimedia piece is December 3, so there is a definitive end to her suffering.

And she will not toil wholly alone.

According to weather forecasts, the high temperature for Sunday is 37 degrees and a 15 mph wind; that makes for some frosty outdoor filming. Secretly, I think the video guy finds this prospect hysterical, since he’ll be in a thick coat holding the camera, whilst I and my cohorts pretend it’s comfortable in long sleeve shirts and jeans. Often I have suspected he rather fashions himself a more comical Rob Zombie–a man notorious for filming in the freezing climes at the consternation of his actors.

Unfortunately all this fun(!) comes at a price. Between being sick still and the fact there is only one day to get everything in the can and rest up, I had to opt out of visiting an old friend. He has a two-year old son I have never met, a new house I have never seen, and the perfect wife I have not spoken to since their wedding.

Yeah, I’m feeling neglectful now. And old.

As promised a few months ago, here’s a few stills from the marketing project. Due to lighting issues and other considerations, neither of these will appear in the finished product; however, the final work may contain some material in a similar vein.

Been awhile since revisiting the 2008 writing resolutions, so it seemed a good time to review my actions versus my intentions.

My goals for 2008:

Intention: Write 14 hours a week.

In practice, worked out to about half of the plan, on average. Some weeks went very well, others quite badly. While there were a number of non-recurring external factors, such as the divorce, a regime shift at work, and dating ( lots of dating! ), my failure to reach this goal rests entirely with me.

Intention: Complete the first draft of The Confession by July 1, 2008.

Still in progress. Long way to go. I’d like to have it by the holidays 2008. Not sure, yet.

Intention: Finish the screenplay started last summer by September 1, 2008.

Unfortunately, still in the same place.

Intention: Resume whole scale querying for The Last Track.

So done. Contacted a substantial number of high quality agents about this project. One final blast within the next two weeks.

Intention: Follow the Abs Diet for 6 weeks–the initial length of the program. If the results are good, continue.

After many months, began losing a bit too much weight, so I changed up the regimen, adding more calories. Still searching for the most sustainable eating plan. On the plus side, my weight remains stable and well south of the danger zone where joints complain.

Intention: Review my progress with these above goals every eight weeks.

Checked in thee times so far. Let’s call that one a push.

Since this is the third go-round of drafting writing resolutions, one trend that clearly needs addressing is a tendency towards drafting a large number of goals, that often proves to be too many. Whether or not anyone could reach those goals, or if they were realistic, hardly matters. What I actually get done matters; that’s what carries me closer to where I want to be.

Every year, I complete one-half of the resolutions, flub one entirely, and have mixed results with all the rest. While the intentions are deliberately synergistic in construction–working towards one goal often involves some investment into another–it’s time to move to an even shorter list.

Therefore in 2009, there will be two–three at maximum–resolutions. With that kind of mix, odds might prove better for getting what I want.

A few statistics about samhilliard.com

Years of operation: 5

Posts: With this one, 957 though a few more entries remain in draft status, some approaching nearly three years.

Comments: 8240. Due to comment moderation, diligence and filtering scripts, less than one percent of these are spam

Lessons learned: Countless.

Contacts created and/or maintained: Less than indeterminate. A goodly amount, let’s say.

Friends made because of the site: At least three.

Girls who became more interested in me because of the site: More than expected, let’s say.

On other fronts, the marketing stuff is falling into place. While I never expected the project to take this long, given my experience lands in other areas and there’s a large group of people involved, I’m learning to deal with delays. Next time the estimate will be more realistic.

At least one part of it is very close, so I can feel good about that. I might be able to post a peek of the graphic that as well a still from the . . . other piece.

“But for those of us who lived and died in them furious days, it was like everything we knew, was mildly swept away. And no matter what they did to build this city up again, for the rest of time, would be like no one ever knew we were here .“   - Amsterdam Vallon, Gangs of New York

Like a lot of people, I have a strong affection for Martin Scorcese’s work. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Departed and Gangs of New York are some of the greatest films in cinematic history. So I was curious to read about Scorcese’s battles with anxiety, addiction, and a utter lack of confidence with women. Funny to think how a person can look so practiced on the outside, yet contain such a fiery a maelstrom beneath the surface.

A good article on the master.

Mom said it best when someone asked about what was going on with me lately: “Oh, he’s trying monogamy again.”

In spite of my every effort to the contrary, I have a girlfriend. Boy, does that sound gay. By the term girlfriend, I imply a female who wants to see me in the daylight. And not because it means a free hot breakfast. My omelets are legend, after all. While this situation was pretty much the last thing I planned for heading into 2009, because really, slutting it up has served me so well, I welcome the development.

She’s a writer–a really good one, too–and a professor.

Yeah, did I mention she’s drool-worthy?

On other fronts, I’m writing seriously again. A lot of stuff has been bottling up since mid-summer, and I’m letting loose on the page with great force.

As for the oft-mentioned marketing effort, I met with the graphic artist this weekend and shot some pictures in the woods; she already has rendered an awesome graphic in which she will incorporate a new image from the photo shoot into the existing design. Depending on the amount of photoshopping and final lighting, some may recognize the person depicted in the scene. Can’t say too much more about that without the graphic in hand.

But speaking of the marketing stuff, there’s actually four separate but complementary components to the plan. Of the four pieces, I have direct control over only one. Learning how to deal with so many outside voices has proved a major challenge. I’m used to being able to do whatever I want at the keyboard, with no compromises until after there’s a good draft. First I get a draft hammered out to my liking, then I open the office door and invite feedback. But getting The Last Track on the right desk means getting it off of mine, and working with other people. So I’m learning how to play nice with others.

While a lot of it is in flux right now, and I’d rather keep everything under wraps pending the final package reaching completion, I can mention there is a visual element to this strategy; that includes a short depiction of some hand-to-hand combat.

I can also mention I damn near took a knife across the stomach while filming the segment.

As the sun dipped behind the trees, the sight of razor sharp steel slicing towards my torso in the hands of someone who could gut me twenty-five ways to Sunday, yeah well, that woke me up.

Uh-huh.