I made a movie - Screening is Feb 4

Be careful of what you wish for, you might just get it.
When Tim Steil, writer and my book partner, called me to find out when a mutual friends play was running, I had no idea that call would turn into us making a movie. During the conversation, and I hadn't talked to Tim on the phone in a year and a half, he reminded me that June 13, 1999 was the 10 year anniversary of us hopping into his crappy Ford Windstar and spending 17 days meandering down one of the nations most famous roads. "AH HA! We must do this again", was my response, to Tim's response of "pish, whatever man".

Several months of begging, pleading, outlining, threats and finally bribery Tim committed. My photo buddy and brilliant documentary photographer Miriam was my backup co-pilot, but having the original writer, original me, and us seeking out what "WE" had fond memories of was really the story I wanted to film. It was supposed to be a story about what's changed along this road, and there's plenty. Ten years is a long time. The exterior story is what I was shooting for, it was a story I was interested in, it was what my frickin shot list had scribbled on the top.

This was really the first time I had directed/filmed anything that wasn't a scripted short very commercial/corporate vibe. Also, the first time I was going to handle everything start to finish with my own hands. The camera, the audio, the production, the post work. It was going to be "film school". I also wanted to figure out how to make my moving pictures look like my still photos. I think I did. As the miles blew past, the story was morphing, the road had changed, people had changed, Tim had changed a lot.

After Santa Monica we drove to a motel by LAX, I dropped Tim off, I headed to Hollywood to hang out with some old friends and not be in a car for the weekend. It was about two months after that I started hacking through all the footage. My original story was there, but there is the story of my co-pilot that floats to the surface and is as compelling. If you can make it out to the screening on Feb 4 at Webster Wine Bar, come out. Otherwise postings on distribution will follow.