Heart Break Productionz supports:

Executive producer (and my biz partner in Heart Break Productionz) Gary Allen Tucci and I agreed: we want Heart Break Productionz to support in word and deed a special, terrific cause that deserves kudos, financial (and other) donations and media exposure.

After some research, we decided on First Place.

First Place is a school for homeless kids in Seattle - but the staff and volunteers provide so much more than readin', writin' and 'rithmetic for youngsters without a permanent home, kids on the run with a parent escaping domestic violence, and kids who are constantly moving for whatever reason.

Donations of money, clothes, books and all sorts of school supplies are always welcome.

Teachers, staff and volunteers work to keep classes limited to 14 - there are often as many as five adults in a classroom at once, which means these kids are getting a new and positive lease on life.

I'll be showing you photos of the school's interior. It's a secure large building whose location is supposed to be confidential, but I've seen the address disclosed in places when it's not supposed to be.

The kids - my assistant Matt and I took a tour just yesterday - are really well behaved, happy and excited about learning; excited about understanding how to deal with life. Before you think they were "told" to behave, the kids didn't even know we were there.

As I told our guide Melissa. The point of good child care is not to protect children against all pain because that's impossible, but to teach kids how to deal with pain in a way that is healthy and positive so they can create rewarding lives and relationships as they grow up and have children of their own.

She emphatically agreed.

There will be much more about First Place here - photos, stories and all sorts of good stuff - as well as on the Heart Break Productionz and The Whole Truth websites soon; we're also mentioning the school in media appearances and any other opportunity we get.

Later I'll be doing some special workshops for the kids regarding writing, acting and making films; Gary is not only a great father of three kids himself and loves kids, but has a number of skills I bet youngsters would love to hear about and see. He's into boats and cars and motorcycles and all sorts of other cool things he'd love to share with the students.

Ultimately -- when our films make a profit -- we will be donating a percentage of our proceeds to the school.

This school is making a phenomenal difference to kids who otherwise would not only be at extreme risk, but unhappy, dysfunctional and lost.

Most importantly, First Place is a private, non-profit establishment, which means it can't be politicized or influenced by government input or school district politics, its budget can't be juggled and the kids don't have to worry about unexpected changes or the physical state of the building eroding.

More, the school is scheduled to expand physically and include a curriculum that will feature pre-school and kindergarten classes in the future.

Hats off to all the staff, teachers and volunteers of First Place who work hard to right the wrongs done to innocent children who now have the chance for a new start.

Times change, so do walls

My transition to a feature film writer-director-producer has changed my coaching practice immensely - I don't have time to coach any longer.

There are precious few people I'm coaching now. They've been working with me a very long time and their schedules still permit me to see them.

Folks coming to my house for many years have enjoyed my Wall of Fame - headshots of dozens of actors with whom I've worked have hung in my hallway.

They've recently been taken down, and the entire hallway's been painted a fine white, which really brightens up the place.

The reason I coached actors for camera work started out as something I was asked to do and I also needed camera-trained actors to appear in my films. I loved watching so many people grow and blossom as people and as performers.

Over the years I've worked with hundreds of people - being coached is a much different experience than being in a class. Much more challenging, harder work and there is the need to be professional, to be a self-starter, to come in prepared and ready to work - or figure out how to create a system of preparation that would if not guarantee success, at least positively work toward it.

I got the idea from Rob Reiner and other directors who started out as acting coaches because it gives us the opportunity to help actors achieve their performing and career goals. It also helps us sharpen our directing chops with every conceivable type of actor at every conceivable level of training, experience and career aspirations.

It takes so much dedication, work and savvy to keep at it, many decide they'd rather not put themselves in the race.

What I discovered that has cost more of them a career than anything: the lack of understanding who they honestly are and what they honestly want, and the lack of a plan. A genuine plan based on reality. I recommend every artist create a business plan, or their chances of becoming professional lessen greatly.

Of course in order to create the business plan they must understant who they are, what they want and what is needed to succeed, one step at a time -- most importantly, on their own terms. If you want to know what makes you stand out - it's the real you. That's what we want. That's what we need.

Not another cardboard cutout of an actor.

You can detect the outstanding performers every time. They have a clear sense of themselves.

So many changes are taking place in my life, my environment is reflecting that process. Streamlining, fluffing and primping, enabling me to do everything I can in the best way possible. It's energizing and comforting.

Since I'm doing it in increments, it's not shocking or weird. It feels just right. Yep. Just right.

A fluffly clothes tip!

Ah, Gentle Reader -

I'm sorry to have neglected you - traveling, working on the Heart Break Productionz' feature comedy film The Whole Truth, life and more has left me with less time to devote to my blog, and just when I have so very much to share with you!

I always want to enlighten or inform or entertain you .. so for now, this tidy tidbit will have to suffice -- and it really works, cross my heart.

To have fluffy clothes come out of the clothes dryer .. especially larger pieces like bed spreads .. toss in about 6 tennis balls. They keep the warm air flowing through cloth more evenly and prevent critical clothes clumping!

I keep 6 tennis balls in the dryer permanently.

So if you love fluffy clothes as much as I do? Seriously, balls are your best bet.

Production update: The Whole Truth

Wow.

The screenplay for our feature project The Whole Truth - is locked. That means it's the script everyone's going to work with to create the production. Key production crew like the Director of Photography, Production Designer, Costumers, Gaffers, etc.

Now, "finishing" a script is a very misleading term. The script isn't finished until the film is released. I'll tweak, squeak, eek, seek, freak, peek, and wreak whatever needs to be done to it until it's the very best story told in the best way by the best characters to tell it before we show it to you.

There was a character in the script who had to be taken out because of the story's structure; our producer recommended I write a script based on that character (who *everyone* loved who read the script) and I've already outlined her story in the first step to writing the screenplay.

What *that* means is that we (Heart Break Productionz) are working on THREE more feature projects after this one, one after the other.

The script is now at the LA casting director's. Cross your fingers for a couple-three household names starring in this little film. For the casting director, I submitted "back stories" of every lead character as well as my directing bio so the actors can be assured I didn't just fall off the turnip truck, or however that saying goes.

The producer loves the script, which is very exciting to me because this is someone for whom I have profound respect and genuinely enjoy working with. He is extremely experienced and knows from what he's doing on all levels of producing and selling films. In fact, he was a buyer for a major studio for several years.

I guess just as importantly, *I* love the script. And it's director-proof. That means even the worst director should not be able to wreck it. Since I'm directing it and am at least a step above "worst," it should look pretty good.

We start interviewing potential key crew this week; that could take a couple weeks because we may pull people from LA.

We've already met with the head of SAG/AFTRA here and will now meet with the head of IATSE -- to be signatories and to let them know who we are, what we're doing.

Because this is an independent film, our production won't be affected if there is a SAG strike.

I found the best composer ever for this project in LA, as I told you, and we've already started working on the sound track, thanks to Skype.

I have the artwork and color palette ready for the production designer, director of photography and costumers who come aboard ... the script supervisor and sound guy from other films I've made who are immenently qualified are already signed up.

I need to draw a couple story boards for the two stunt scenes; I have potential locations scouted and photographed as well as lined up the use of a hot Mercedes by a local dealer to use for free by the lead character.

Hair and make up may also be a little more expensive if we get a hot actress who needs special attention. Any actress over 30 needs 2 hours make up/hair. And that's if the hair is reasonably simple, and all but one of the candidates we're looking at are over 30.

I'm learning how to delegate the work - I'm so used to doing everything myself. But figure if I have a head start on what I'm looking for in tone, texture and impact, it will help incoming experts so they don't have to start from scratch - leaving them to guess what I want.

More, when they come up with ways to improve on my visual ideas (which they will), everyone gets and stays excited.

Now that the script is locked, I'm free to do my directing-producing thing so we can be hyper ready for the shoot; we have minimum 6 weeks prep, we'll have at least a week to rehearse (possibly 2) with the actors before we shoot - and we have 6 weeks to shoot.

Without any major special effects, that should be a reasonable schedule and I should be the only one exhuasted from the production (first to arrive, last to leave, then preparing for the next day).

I'm making lots of notes for shooting ideas.

My personal assistant is aboard now, part-time until May 19, when he goes 3/4 time until the shoot, when he goes full full time -- so I can focus strictly on the work - and have the chance to see some filmmaking friends in Milwaukee, Wisconsin next week when I visit my parents for a whirlwind "vacation."

I still haven't decided on the format - that will have to be determined when the Director of Photography is aboard, but I'm thinking 3 sprocket 35mm.

Yep, this joint is jumping!

I'm happy as a free cow in India.

Namaste.