An early morning rambling...

So, yesterday I did an on-camera interview for House at the End of the Drive. If a DVD of the movie ever gets released, the interview will be part of the supplemental material. At least I’m assuming the interview will be included. I mean, I’m only the screenwriter, so ya never know. But the interview went fine. Brief, but fine. Afterwards, the producer and I viewed several hours of behind-the-scenes video footage (again, for use on the DVD). I’ll tell ya, I can’t believe the guy who shot this footage actually got paid. I’m serious. Of approximately 14 hours of footage, maybe 90 minutes of it was actually watchable. Hey, I liked the videographer very much—he just doesn’t belong behind a camera. But I got a big kick sifting through all that footage. Some fun memories. That was a fun (albeit hectic) shoot and I enjoyed working with those people. Well, most of ‘em. There were a couple crewmembers I’d like to see drawn and quartered...but I guess you have to expect that sort of thing on a movie set. Some of the behind-the-scenes footage included Lance Henriksen. Man, what a really good actor. A really nice guy, too. It was fun having him on the set for an afternoon. I guess that’s what I enjoy most about this whole filmmaking thing. It’s not necessarily the finished product (which is usually not as good as you’d hoped), it’s about the people you get to know. Once a project is over, some you’ll never see again. Some you’ll work with again on another project. Some you’ll bump into on the street or at a screening or at a party and you’ll recall the fun experience you shared once upon a time. Every so often you’ll establish a connection that blossoms into solid friendship. Back in 1988, I met an actor on a low-budget horror flick. We’re still friends to this day. Funny, on that same movie, I worked for several days with Len Lesser. You know him as Uncle Leo on “Seinfeld.” I knew who Len was when I was working with him. After all, he’d been in some very big movies back in the 60s and 70s. I felt bad that he had to work on this ultra low-budget piece of garbage. Just a few short years later, he’d become a household name with Jerry and the gang. Good for him! Len is living proof that if you keep at it, anything is possible. Look at Rodney Dangerfield. Sure, he’d had some nice success in his 30s and 40s...but he didn’t hit it really big until he was nearly sixty! Many budding screenwriters in their 50s and 60s have asked me: “Aren’t I too old to be a screenwriter?” My reply is always: “Heck no! If you’ve got the talent, Hollywood wants you.” As I write at the end of my book, Q & A: The Working Screenwriter: Follow your dreams. Live your dreams. Always. Ya know, that ain’t half bad advice.