THE WHOLE TRUTH is shot

Finished the film's "martini" today.

Martini is slang for "the final thing to be shot." Probably from a time when the last thing shot meant everyone went out for a martini.

We were as sad as we were happy - we have had an outrageously good time filming and proud of the quality of our work. Coming to an end may mean more sleep, but it also means we don't see one another at 6:30 am or so every week day, so we're going to miss one another.

Elisabeth Röhm wept as she said good-bye to all of us. Fortunately, our leading lady's last scenes required her to cry. She will be missed terribly, though she's already agreed to be in my next feature, THE LONELY GOATHERD. As I've said so many times here, audiences will love her and be shocked at her comedic acumen, not believing this is actually her first stab at comedy.

Today was also Kristina Lilley's last day - she's on her way back to Colombia. Her fans will also be thrilled with her turn at being a veteran police detective - in Spanish speaking nations all over the world, she is known as a sexy villain or a sexy vixen or a sexy-- you get the idea.

The crew was nothing short of marvelous. When a feature wraps, it's time for celebrations and sweet cards and special gifts.

My partner, Gary Tucci, was on hand to witness the last day of production. That was fun.

I thanked every crew member who made THE WHOLE TRUTH such a professional, smooth, quality production. It was their passion and daily dedication that contributed so heavily to this production's success.

I am an extremely happy writer/director. My vision was realized in ways that exceeded my expectations on many levels and met them spot on in most.

Next task: editing, which I love, alongside veteran comedy film editor Stephen Myers. He has been editing dailies (what we shoot every day) since we started and has been sending very positive reports. He requested only one "pickup" shot throughout the whole production, which we picked up earlier this week. Usually there are several more requests because more is missing in the way of "coverage" necessary to visually tell the story properly.

Thanks to a magnificent cast and crew, the film will, I believe, look and sound terrific, attracting an audience looking for a great time at the movies as well as please film affectionado with its multiple visual and conceptual layers.

Tomorrow night is the "wrap party," with lots of music, dancing and karaoke for the crew and cast members who remain here, as well as my formal thank you speech to one and all involved with the success of this production.

Meanwhile, I'll let you know about ongoing developments for development of THE LONELY GOATHERD as well as the evolution of completion and distribution for THE WHOLE TRUTH -- and news about my new script, our third feature, SPARE CHANGE!

Counting down ...

Only two days left to finish shooting THE WHOLE TRUTH.

Eric Roberts left today .. I missed him before he left, so I can assure you there's a little hole in my heart, left empty with the departure of him and his wife Eliza (a certified genius, talented and successful in her own right as well as a wonderful person).

I asked Elisabeth Röhm if she knew of any directors who dropped to the floor and hung on to a departing actor's ankle to prevent him/her from leaving. You know, in a way they'd have to drag me along with every step ...

Miss Law and Order responded, "Colleen. That's assault."

Hmm. Maybe she hasn't heard about directors who do this because they know she'd turn them in... ;-)

John Fugelsang also left - what a magnificent human being this guy is, not to mention super talented and a gifted performer. He put on his one man show for us last Saturday night, FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS (written and performed by him). What an honor to be part of his audience. It's played successfully in New York City off Broadway and in Los Angeles.

He, too, was missed by me before his plane departed. I had to consider that he's a little smaller than Eric -- thinking I might injure him if I clung to his ankle. He'd probably pull a muscle trying to drag me along. Not that he'd want to .. escape .. my grasp. Or anything .. like that.

Rick Overton, Kristina Lilley and Jim Holmes remain ... they are in scenes we're shooting the last two days, along with Elisabeth, our leading lady, of course. I don't even want to think of dealing with that separation. She and I have enjoyed such a wonderful journey on this film, personally and professionally. Her life will never be the same after audiences worldwide witness her magnificent performance. I'm so proud to have participated in her artistic evolution. She leaves Saturday to start a new film on Monday.

*SOB!*

The crew is already getting sad and nostalgic with the end so near. I don't blame them. We've had such a great time making this film, and the outlook for its distribution and success are optimistic. The wrap party is Saturday night, then I'm off for the first vacation I've enjoyed for such a long, long time. I'll be away for a week while my personal assistant Matt Schmidt holds down the fort and takes care of the three wee dogs and kitty.

The big occasion for me today is that I directed a couple action scenes - which ROCKED!

I don't do action scenes the way the industry ordinarily shoots them. You'll have to see the difference for yourself, but it was extremely exciting for me to have everyone land exactly where they had to in the brouhahas.

My energy is greater now than when I started, which makes me very happy. I know why that is and I'm going to continue to work the way that is most beneficial to the film and my energy. It's different from the way films are ordinarily shot, and some people will have to adapt, but that's fine. The point is that the film that gets made for you, the audience, maintains an unsurpassed quality of story, character, writing, production and entertainment values.

I am so blessed to have had this experience, to meet and work with the exceptional professionals I have the past three months (6 weeks full-tilt pre-production, 6 weeks of principal shooting production).

Interestingly, what a lot of people don't understand who don't know me very well is that I am so very busy, I'm not in a position to take on new enterprises or causes other that those with which I'm already involved through Heart Break Productionz and my personal life. I've been approached recently to consider working on or with a number of new projects or causes and attend events - which, unfortunately, I can't join in because of these limits.

And the only actors I now coach are those cast in my feature films.

I haven't changed a bit, but the tasks and passions and relationships that claim my time and attention prevent me from extending myself much farther.

Tonight, I am so extremely happy and proud I am of the hard work we've all done, day after day, getting up at 5am, having such a smooth shoot thanks to these great professionals and all our preparation in pre-production.

And, after directing those action scenes this morning? I. Am. On. Fire!

The down side of being a director

It's said that 90% of the director's job is choosing the right cast.

This is not as simple as it sounds. There are all sorts of casting obstacles for good actors, not the least of which are their schedules.

But if it turns out the way we want, it makes a huge difference in the life of a film.

Casting just the right folks and working with a kick ass crew found by our producers (ultimately chosen by me, but they seek the candidates) comes a close second.

In the case of THE WHOLE TRUTH cast and crew all came together just as they should have, just as I wanted. Knock wood, say a prayer of thanks, light a candle, rub Ho Tai's tummy and head.

But then here comes the down side:

With only five days of shooting left, after being in "shooting battle" shoulder to shoulder with these wonderful folks, their families and pets for 5 weeks, it's coming to an end.

It's like being a parent. You know the kids of whom you are so proud and love so much have to go on their merry way to excel and create even more happiness in their lives (although I hope to work with most of them again and soon), but it is still pretty heartbreaking.

Thus, Heart Break Productionz.

Such marvelous folks, such extraordinary talent, skill, support and collaboration. I'm going to miss them so much. I have such respect and affection for them. I can't imagine not seeing them as I go to work every morning.

After my short vacation, editor Stephen Myers will be here in Seattle editing the film with me for about a month of dedicated toil. The film should be locked Dec. 15, then the music and sound sweetening will be added, completely finishing the film about Jan 30 because of the holiday break. At which time, we'll fill out the film's website with all sorts of goodies and great stuff.

During that time, I'll also be finessing the script for THE LONELY GOATHERD, which we should have mapped out for production by the middle or end of next Month.

What a lovely way to spend Thanksgiving. As for me, my personal Thanksgiving will be spent soaking in every moment I have left to be in the company of such magnificence that is the crew and cast of THE WHOLE TRUTH and of course enjoying our wrap party the night after we wrap.

And looking forward to seeing almost everyone again on the sets and locations of THE LONELY GOATHERD. Two of our major THE WHOLE TRUTH cast members are already cast in THE LONELY GOATHERD, and in distinctly different types of roles, so it will be another hoot and a half!

I can harldly wait.

Until then, my only focus is devoted to the last few days of shooting THE WHOLE TRUTH, capturing scenes and action that complete the moving massive jigsaw that is the puzzle of creating a motion picture.

Film set codes .....

OK.

A bunch of folks on set have little two-way radios with which they speak to one another. They're used for paging, finding, reporting, requesting, informing and connecting the crew and cast of nearly 100.

The person everyone talks about most?

The director.

This is because the director has to respond to everyone about what is needed to make each scene come alive -- colors, materials, looks, clothes, hair, make-up, actor movement, props, set dressing, rehearsal, blocking, shooting -- and more.

For the last three days we've been shooting on a set that took up the entire floor of a major Seattle business building because we housed all our departments there as well as the set on which we were shooting.

Unfortunately, the women's bathroom is on the other side of the building's floor - like a five minute (very fast) walk away.

At least we had a real bathroom, unlike the previous 7 days of shooting wherein we used honey buckets.

At any rate, the code for using the bathroom is "10-1." Ten-one. I also say, "Ten oh-one."

Well, unlike the other 100 or so people in the cast and crew, everyone needs to know where the director is every moment.

So when I would excuse myself for a 10-1, I'd hear radios echo this for my entire walk as I passed offices and crew members wearing the two-way radios. "The director is 10-1." "Colleen is 10-1." "Just saw Colleen passing AD (assistant directors) office." "Locations has its eye on the director who is 10-1." "Colleen is wanted on set - if you see her 10-1, let her know." "Colleen is 10-1 and we're still waiting for her on set - anyone seen her?"

Oh, my goodness. I've lost more weight in my pursuit of 10-1 because I started walking quickly and have graduated to jogging. I expect to be a full-fledged sprinter by the end of the shoot next week.

Is nothing sacred?

Meanwhile, today was magic on the set. Elisabeth Röhm, Eric Roberts, Peter Weinstein, Rick Overton and Jim Holmes were on fire today - we got some amazing performances from each of them.

Only five days left to get the last 15 scenes -- that's three scenes a day. Some are long, others short. It means a lot of work in several locations to wrap everything up.

Only one week left to finish The Whole Truth

Well, actually filming will take another week and two days, but essentially the clock is winding down on all the work left to do to finish our feature film.

In addition to the scenes we have to capture, we have "wild sound" we need to record -- several audio pieces that will be in the film that need to be recorded while the actors and crew are still here, up and running.

Working out of the old (now deserted) Federal Courthouse in Tacoma for seven days was a terrific experience with one tiny exception. No working bathrooms. We were filming on third floor sets and all the offices were located on the third floor, so skipping to the loo meant rushing down by stairs or elevator (lots of essential equipment used that elevator as well) to the honey buckets waiting for us outside the courthouse.

No complaints really, even in the pouring rain we had that "aren't we having fun camping out" sense that got us through with flying colors.

All our stars were totally game for every challenge we have faced, and stayed in great spirits. I love doing comedies because there's lots of laughter.

What's not funny are all the errors made by local media reporting about our feature film. Seems so far the folks writing about us don't really understand how films are made or how the industry works -- thus how very different we are, but they have beliefs about all of it that are apparently unshakable.

We've been reluctant to make ourselves available because it doesn't seem to matter what we say, the same old stuff gets out there with all sorts of built in biases that simply are not factual about the industry or particularly our film.

Yesterday we actually had lunch with a reporter (even though I have absolutely no time to talk with anyone other than staff, cast, crew and family; we made an exception) and sure enough, too much of the same old disappointing stuff appeared.

Interestingly, there is also misinformation galore about the industry within the industry - I found it rampant when I coached actors.

We're very protective of the film's story and characters, which need to be seen for the first time when you see the film or their entertainment value will be devalued. No photographs on set are allowed other than those over which we have control.

Meanwhile, whether from fatigue or the additional complications of finishing the last pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that is our feature film, some very minor frustrations have flared, but fortunately nothing has happened that has interfered with the overall pleasure of working on the film - witness the comments left on my blog by people who have worked alongside us!

And at this rate, we are coming in (finishing the film) on time, under budget and because the film is being edited as we shoot it, the rough cut should be completed a week after our final day of shooting - Oct. 31.

I'm off for a week of vacation after the wrap party -- coming back in time to start location scouting for our next feature The Lonely Goatherd and greeting editor Stephen Myers who will come up to Seattle from LA to finish editing the film. I'll be sitting beside him as we finish assembling the motion picture you will see in theaters next year.

I have learned so much from this shoot -- about myself as well as my directing style.

Nothing has felt stressful or overwhelming, and even with the pathetically few and minor glitches that have crossed my path, I've had the time of my life. My energy has actually increased as time has passed; it's done me good to have all the physical activity I've had in addition to the creative and mental challenges. Laughing several times over the course of every day is not only healing and fun, it's downright inspirational.

Speaking of inspirational - our production designer Rachel Thomson has been a virtual wizard. Everything she designs and that her crew dresses is phenomenal. Every scene presents its own set of problems and challenges; Rachel and her crew have done work worthy of every award given to set designers from her creations on The Whole Truth. I can hardly wait for you to see them.

After one month of shooting..

The production continues to move along beautifully - the film looks fantastic.

Working with Eric Roberts is nothing short of a wonderful experience. Fun, professional, personable and wow - his performance must be seen to be believed.

The crew and I have been working very long late hours every day/night this past week, and have a couple more coming up. Courtroom scenes, action scenes, night scenes.

As if she could, Elisabeth Röhm continues to be more and more hilarous, gaining more comedy chops and pulling them out of who knows where.

Sean Patrick Flanery's work is finished. His fans, honestly, will be completely and totally shocked at his work. Trust me. The guy is a million laughs.

We're 2/3 finished, only two more weeks to go. We are all going to miss each other terribly when this film is in the can - cast and crew. But we have the wrap party to celebrate everyone and everything we've done.

I continue to have the time of my life. I'm doing everything - Eric is especially appreciative of all I'm doing. The guy's been acting since he was 5 years young. Seriously.

Half of THE WHOLE TRUTH is told!

We finished up day #15 of our 30-day shoot, and it was full of good spirits!

The weather was with us - beautiful and sunny with an autumnal crispness in the air - as we shot an exterior scene in the middle of Seattle. Lots of people saw what we were doing and recognized Elisabeth Röhm, even though she was wearing a costume that was supposed to "disguise" her character!

A couple of elderly women approached Sean Patrick Flanery, not recognizing him, asking, "What's happening?"

Typically, SPF responded, "Well, the stock market is taking a real hit now, but if you just sit tight, in another three weeks or so the Dow will-"

Whereupon they interrupted him with, "No! We mean what's happening *here!*" Of course he told them we're making a movie, that it's a comedy and it's called THE WHOLE TRUTH.

Interestingly, throughout this venture, lots of folks think I'm from Los Angeles/Hollywood. Nope, even though I've been told for years that the only way to do what I am currently doing is to move to LA, I've stayed in Seattle because I love my life here.

Now I *really* love my life here because I'm able to do what I love, make a living and create films I hope you will want to see over and over!

For the next week, we're shooting in Tacoma - 30 miles away - so I'll be living in a hotel there since I have to be at work by 5:30a.m. My personal assistant Matt Schmidt will keep the home office fires burning, take care of my pups and kitty, as well as taking care of me at the shoot.

Part II, coming up. And we're all looking forward to it.

Congratulations to our editor!

Congratulations to Stephen Myers, our editor, who edited the documentary short DOWNSTREAM - it's on the short list for an Academy Award nomination.

This after the Pixar documentary feature film he edited received an Emmy nomination!

Tomorrow marks the halfway point of finishing THE WHOLE TRUTH. Stephen says it's cutting together beautifully, that the acting is "excellent."

Whew! Just three more weeks before we hold the wrap party!

I mean ... before we shoot our last scene, of course... Yes, yes. That's what I mean...

Day #13 is in the can!

If you're new to this blog, the title does not mean it's in the toilet .. it means it's in the film can. It's been shot and is at the developer's, then a digital copy of what we shot is on its way to the editor in LA.

The days have been full of hard work, getting some very sweet stuff. Great color, acting, depth of field in the scenes, sound.

We finish the scenes we need to shoot at the current location tomorrow, then Friday we're mostly outside.

One thing that distinguishes this shoot: singing. Sean Patrick Flanery and me do most of the singing. But yesterday Elisabeth Röhm led everyone in a spirited version of "All You Need Is Love" while we were waiting for lighting to be perfected. Our sound guys recorded it. Who knows - we may use it for the DVD version of the film.

Next week we're joined by Eric Roberts, Rick Overton, Jim Holmes and John Fugelsang. Sean Patrick Flanery has just a few days left to shoot, then he flies to Toronto to star in the sequel to Boondock Saints. The rest of us will be working for another three weeks to finish the film.

Our composer, Ragnar Rosinkranz, is watching the film being built by the editor in LA .. so he can build the soundtrack as the film is being put together.

The film is looking great, and editor Stephen Myers says it looks "excellent" so far.

In two days, THE WHOLE TRUTH principal shooting will be 50% completed. It's going by so quickly.

We're trying not to get media coverage yet because we want to keep a lot of the film's information under wraps until we're ready to show it to you! But some newspaper bloggers and neighborhood folks who saw our humongous trucks and lights wrote in a Seattle daily newspaper about what they saw us doing. The write up was pretty general, but wow. Some of the folks who read the short article and commented were pretty pissy -- writing suppositions about stuff that didn't happen, assumptions about the subject of the film and dissing it without having anything but minimal information about it.

But, that's show biz, baby, and think of all the people who will say whatever they want when it finally comes out.

At least they will have seen the movie! That is a good thing!

Today's shoutout goes to gafffer Ted Barnes. The gaffer lights the set in a way recommended by the director of photography. Ted is the very best -- lighting makes or breaks the scenes and how they are conveyed, and I have to say, our scenes are conveyed with the *best* lighting!

Lights are big and small, and can be very heavy. Working around as much electricity as we do, it is most important that safety be uppermost in everyone's mind working around all the lights, sound equipment and the heavy equipment it takes to light a 35mm film. Gaffing is very hard work; it requires a lot of knowledge, passion for the work (telling the story in the most dramatic/comedic way) and physical strength. Ted is also great to work with - he's an easy guy to be around.

But I constantly find that folks who know what they're doing and have confidence in their skills and abilities are fantastic filmmaking co-workers.

Week #2 of principal photography completed!

The crew and I are pushing into a fantastic technical and creative groove.

We've moved to several different locations in the past couple days after enjoying filming one part of our story in a very comfortable place. Next week we stay in a single spot for most of the week, and move to a couple more at the end.

I won't give anything away by saying that I believe Elisabeth Röhm won't be ordering a pepperoni pizza any time soon... Here's a direct quote: "I'm going to puke. Let's shoot."

Game girl, that one!

We're right on schedule - no problems we couldn't solve on the spot.

Today's props go to Brad Turner, props assistant, and property master Christopher McFadden! Brad is right there, every time we need a prop on set or on the actor - no matter how outrageous the request. He made disgusting fake dog poop using a popular protein bar (peanut butter-chocolate); it looked like the real thing. Eeew.

Christopher landed us amazing product placements (products we can use on set approved by the company that manufactures them), and landed us the use of several copyrighted publications, including the local daily newspaper the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which created an amazing faux "front page" with stories about our characters.

What I love about our film is that everyone gets to stand out - each department and individual within the 70-person crew is superbly represented on screen.

I'm mostly resting this, my birthday weekend. Before you ask ... 39. And a half. Again. Some friends are taking me out for a low key breakfast to shore up my energy. Directing this film with this crew and this cast is the best birthday present I could ever receive. Every day is like my birthday on the set.

Shoot day #8

All the scenes today were exteriors - that is, they were shot outside. All three in different sections of Seattle's Lincoln Park, ending with a memorable sunset scene.

Our long days of work have been smooth and the dailies look great. Our editor, Stephen Myers, is already building the film. I love editing.

The shout out today is for our extraordinary costumer, Rebecca Luke. Believe me when I say our costumes are nothing short of sensational. She's also been able to get many product placement clothes, worn by our stars so you'll get an eyeful when you see THE WHOLE TRUTH.

Such busy days mean short blogs - but everything is going so very well. We are very very fortunate to be blessed with such magnificent talent in front of and behind the camera.

A newspaper reporter called - she wants to cover the story of our film. I've asked our producers to be our media representatives, since I need to keep focused on making the film until it's finished.

There are no weak scenes in this film - at least so far. They've all been a joy to shoot; my fervent hope is that the story will be woven so well and so tightly you'll enjoy watching it several times.