Boys of Summer Book - Entry #140

You can see the complete film "Boys of Summer" for free by clicking here. 

100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. 

January 25, 2006 - Bob

Park City, UT

Apparently the head of the Mormon church is deathly ill and that beats any and all news outside of Armageddon. My interview is bumped once, twice, three times -- indefinitely.

I start the scramble to figure out the DVD issue. I find a few blank DVDs at a coffee shop (they load up on lots of weird stuff during Sundance the friendly Barrista tells me). The Park City news station is kind enough to try dubbing off the old information from the bad DVD on to fresh disks with the hope the content is well and the DVD itself is to blame.

We go to the screening and I put the DVD in. It’s working...sort of. It doesn’t matter at this point. It’s go time and we’ll just have to get through as much as possible. Maybe it’ll work (I delude myself). Then, in a strange way, we are blessed: nobody shows up for the screening. Sometimes people (myself included) exaggerate the vacuous nature of “nobody”. People will say “nobody” was there to indicate a low-energy crowd or no one of any celebrity status, for instance. In this case, when I say nobody showed up, I mean NOBODY in the loudest most literal sense.

Though sad about the no-show, it appears a blessing as the new DVDs, in truth, are no good either. Then, just as we're walking out the door. Steven (the musician Sylinda put us in contact with) shows up just. We walk back in and let what will roll. He loved the small bit of our movie he saw (just the opening teaser) and invited us to screen in his festival in the fall.  

January 26, 2006 - Bob

Park City, UT

The DVD arrives, but I'm no longer worried about screening anymore. The JCC wants us to return and screen again when there's more time to do a full marketing of the film as they believe in it very strongly (we booked this location on the Friday before the Wednesday screening). It's clear that I don't have the man/advertising power to compete with the Sundance/Slamdance big boys when it comes to getting an audience. It's not that I didn't know that before, but this just hammered it home further.

The good news is, we met tons of good contacts and I feel very strongly about Salt Lake City as a market we can go back to and be very successful in. We also got a nibble from a distributor -- they wrote to inquire about the status of our film. It may be something, it may not. The other good news came in the form of an e-mail from my former professor at UCLA, Robin Russin:

Bob, where the hey are you? I've emailed you at various addresses, and your 310 phone number is dead. The Riverside International film festival wants to screen Boys of Summer, so get in touch ASAP with Nancy Douglas.
 

Boys of Summer Book - Entry #139

You can see the complete film "Boys of Summer" for free by clicking here. 

100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. 

January 23, 2006 - Bob

Park City, UT

We check in with our screening venue, the Salt Lake City Jewish Community Center. It's a gorgeous spot overlooking the Salt Lake City valley on the northeast side of the University of Utah. The staff at the JCC are fantastic. 

We go over to the university and meet up with Sylinda Lee, the head of the American Parkinson Disease Association in Salt Lake City. She was very excited about our project and gave us the number of Steven Wells, a local musician and Parkinsonian who has a festival on behalf of Parkinson Disease every year. 

We go to a few sports bars in downtown SLC and they are friendly to having us leave flyers.

January 24, 2006 - Bob

Park City, UT

Tuesday we hit the streets of Park City - trolling up and down Main Street. It's obvious right away that putting up our beautiful posters would be a waste of time, energy and money as everyone's posters cover everyone else's within 5 minutes of posting (no joke). The extremely limited posting areas are literally 50 to 100 deep within minutes. I’ve done this drill a few times before here. It starts with people being respectful, just putting up one of theirs so there’s room for others. Then someone puts up a couple of theirs to try to generate more space (louder voice, more eyes/buzz, etc.). Then someone covers someone else’s. Then the person who got theirs covers covers the person who covers theirs. Then someone gets frustrated and puts up a wall full of theirs so as to cover everyone's. I think it’d be better if everyone just got in a big circle and started peeing on each other.  

So we hit up a few local lounges (because, really, being a bar is so passé’) and get very positive responses. A local radio station calls and says they'd like me to do a call-in radio interview with them on Wednesday morning. Nice.

Tuesday night, while having a private screening for our hosts who let us stay with them at their condo, I noticed a technical glitch. I tried the back up DVD -- same problem. Uh oh. I worked every angle I could -- using three different DVD players -- and got the same result: Bad DVDs. I should know better than not to have a miniDV backup, but, on this occasion, I don't. Damn. This is near panic time -- everything I've worked for...

I remember my sis has a copy and she says she'll overnight it to me on Wednesday -- problem is, the screening is Wednesday and the overnight won't get to us until Thursday. I don’t want to freak out, but the slow train toward freakoutsville is rolling. 

Boys of Summer Book - Entry #138

You can see the complete film "Boys of Summer" for free by clicking here. 

100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. 

Dec. 22, 2005 - Bob

Walnut Creek, CA

I asked Annamaria to marry me on Dec. 18th. She was surprised, but she said yes anyway. Whew! The wedding is scheduled for Sept. 7th in Maui, to coincide with a family trip we already had planned for my parents 40th wedding anniversary. Alo-HA!

Jan. 3, 2006 - Mom

Walnut Creek, CA

At Christmas I was already coming out of it. The joy of Bob and Annamaria’s engagement was a dream come true. That they had decided to get married -- that they loved each other that much. That’s all I want -- as a mom -- that Bob would find someone that loves him as much as he love her. She treasures Bob. He is such a sensitive man -- he has such a sensitive heart. And she treasures that. I’ve always been protective of Bob’s heart. He had gotten cynical for a while about love. I was afraid he’d never find someone. I believe in marriage and he didn’t for so long.

January 22, 2006 - Bob

Park City, UT

Annamaria and I drive the 750 mile, 12-hour dealio from SF to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival. Part of me is very hesitant about this trip as I’ve screened up here during Sundance (on my own -- just as we're doing now) and had a very mixed experience. I also have the memory of the rejection letter sent to me from them that expressed their disappointment in not selecting my film that had never even been sent (follow the conundrum?). The less-doubting part of me says, this is where the deals are made and, love it or hate it, you need some of these players (or “People in black” as they’re called by the Park City locals) to come in and take this baby wide. 

I’m hoping to make (what I think is) a very unique offer to distributors: as I will not be making any money off the film, they can literally purchase the film for a donation to the National Parkinson Foundation. They get the tax write-off, they get the film and they get the publicity of looking like good guys. Win-win-win, right?

Boys of Summer Book - Entry #115

You can see the complete film "Boys of Summer" for free by clicking here. 

100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. 

December 1, 2004 - Bob

Las Vegas, NV

I got an official notice from Sundance today that though they appreciated the opportunity to watch my film, “Boys of Summer” it did not make the final cut for their film festival. That’s odd, seeing as how I NEVER SENT THEM A TAPE. 

I got this same form rejection from Sundance last year when I actually did submit, “Luckey Quarter”. So, this begs the question: how does one know that anyone is actually even watching these films at all if you get the same rejection slip whether you sent them a tape or not?

What is that smell?

December 23, 2004 - Dad

Walnut Creek, CA

I received an e-mail from Bob with some web sites describing alternative approaches to treating PD. One of the sites was for the Parkinson Recovery Project (PRP). I found out from the PRP web site that their approach combined Yin Tui Na and acupuncture. They also had a warning that they could not accept anyone for treatment who was on or had been on anti-Parkinson medication.

What was most interesting about their program was the concept of recovery form PD. My neurologist assured me that there is no cure for PD. He says there is only more and stronger medication and, eventually, deep brain surgery.

Boys of Summer Book - Entry #112

You can see the complete film "Boys of Summer" for free by clicking here. 

100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. 

September 23, 2004 - Bob

Las Vegas, NV

I realized something tonight: I'm not Superman. Much as I might like to think of myself as capable of doing just about anything, I am bound to the same restrictions of time, need for sleep and other basic rules of humanity as everyone else.

What I'm saying is, the rough cut will not be going out to Sundance tomorrow. I could send what I have...but I'm not going to threaten the integrity of the project -- it's not fair to everyone (myself included) who has worked so hard to get it to the place it is.

As I was beginning to cut (truthfully, I thought it was going to be more of a polish -- ha ha) the movie tonight, I suddenly realized that it was nowhere close to the movie I see in my head. This is a common flaw of mine -- I see something very clearly in my head and can't get it to look like that in the physical plane for others to see. The ability to do just that, according to David Koepp, is what makes a great director. 

I have done it before -- the gunslinger video looks a lot like what I imagined as do many parts of Luckey Quarter. "the long road home" looks less like what I imagined but more like what I allowed it to be. I like the way that sounds. The main difference with a flick like "the long road home" was I gave it a loooooong gestation period in editing. We re-shot the ending, we screened it several times. It's still not perfect, but it is done.

“Boys of Summer” is sooooo just beginning it's not even funny. 

And right now, with the fatigue I feel and staring at the clock the way I am (...time takes on such a strange demeanor when I'm overtired), I feel like it's time to just let it go. I'm going to New York in the morning for the two excellent interviews for Boys of Summer and the Stephen King film festival. 

It will be nice to get on that plane and let this part of things go. 

I tried my damnedest and it just wasn't good enough this time.

Everything for a reason. 

Texas 5, Oakland 4

WP: J. Nelson (1-2)   LP: O. Dotel (4-2)

The unthinkable just happened to the A’s: Dropping three to a division rival at this stage of the season?

Boys of Summer Book - Entry #110

You can see the complete film "Boys of Summer" for free by clicking here. 

100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. 

September 16, 2004 - Bob
Las Vegas, NV

Near disaster. Panic. Overwhelmed. I’m not sure if what I’m doing makes sense anymore. I’m going to make a call tomorrow and find out.

Basically, I’m pushing myself like a madman to get this documentary ready for the Sundance deadline (next Thursday, due next Friday). In the interim, I’m going to be back up in the Bay Area Friday through Sunday for my grandfather’s birthday. That leaves me five days to cut the rest of this thing. I must be insane. I...I just really want this film to debut at Sundance this January. What happens if I don’t make the deadline? Is the film hurt? No. Could I hurt myself by trying to edit this way? Yes. I already have in many ways. So why do this? Because it’s what I sometimes do  when I get in too deep.

Tonight, as I was clearing storage space on the external hard drive, the folder with my project files disappeared -- a solid 24 hours of work with no time to make it up. I about cried. I just had a breakthrough today where I finally felt like I began to edit the project with a bit of rhythm.

Then I get a call (it’s 12:30 p.m. and nobody calls with good news at 12:30 p.m., right?). On top of that, I’m worried because Annamaria’s Grandma is in the hospital after major surgery today...

Turns out to be someone just interested in Las Vegas Link, our casting breakdown service. Whew...and kind of weird. She said she thought she’d just get a recording. I wish I would have let the call go through so she would have.

At any rate, my heart’s a bit calmer now as I found that folder and all my files. I’m not going to edit anymore tonight -- just log in some more footage then go to bed.

I need a deep breath and a reevaluation of what I’m doing here...

Oakland 5, Texas 4 (salvaging a split of their 4-game series)
WP: R. Harden (10-6)   LP: K. Rogers (16-8)

I take a breath and remind myself: this too shall pass...
 

Boys of Summer Book - Entry #109

You can see the complete film "Boys of Summer" for free by clicking here. 

100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. 

September 1, 2004 - Bob
Las Vegas, NV

I've begun to look at footage and it is a mixed bag for me. Some things make me happy, some sad. It's always this way in post. There are the memories of the things done well, the opportunities missed, the great times in between, the "didn't we shoot that?" (which, of course, we didn't) and many more. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my shoots that I see something in my eye and assume it’s on tape or film somewhere. When someone develops that system send me an e-mail (please mark it urgent).

The difference for me here is to remember my “gold” is in the story. We'll have plenty of footage from B-Roll sources (the city's convention centers have been great, sending shots to help us setup our introductions to each place we go).

I have an interview set up for today with an indie film magazine -- I'm very excited about that. Today is the 1st of Sept. -- whoo. I better get back to editing this bad boy to make Sundance’s September 24th deadline (crazy).

Chicago White Sox 5, Oakland 4
WP: S. Takatsu (6-3)   LP: J. Duchscherer (5-5)

September 6, 2004 - Bob
Las Vegas, NV

Almost through the tapes now. There is about 50 hours of footage, all told. Today (hopefully) I will begin dropping the footage into the hard drive. That'll give me just under two weeks to edit a rough cut. It's insane, I know, but I have this feeling...it could be insanity I'm feeling. Hmmm...you may be right, I may be...

At any rate, I'm going forward with this for now. It will be what it will be.

The B-Roll from other cities is fitting in quite nicely, accenting what I've already got (fly overs and helicopter shots were difficult to come by during the trip, ya dig?).

Also, I have an interview with the Michael J. Fox foundation set up for the New York trip we’ll be making at the end of this month. The two Stephen King short films I did, “Luckey Quarter” and “Roland Meets Brown” are going to be part of the first-ever Dollar Baby Film Festival in Orono, Maine at King’s alma mater. I'm still working on interviews with both Stephen and Ken Burns. We'll see...

Boston 8, Oakland 3
WP: B. Arroyo (8-9)   LP: B. Zito (10-10)

Tonight’s loss (above score) burned my ass like almost no other this season. The Sox rivalry is heated from our side for sure because we’re getting our heads kicked in by the Beantowners. Tonight, though, after the stupid ump (Brian Knight, I believe?) missed the fact that Manny Ramirez CLEARLY trapped a crucial hit by Mark Kotsay and instead called him out, the flood gates opened wide.

Now, I know enough to know that a good team gets past plays like that and certainly finds a way to win games like that. Right now, though, I’m not sure if the A’s are a good team. I love these boys and they’re breaking my heart...right on cue.