Location, location, location
Topic: Pre-production
Today was my first ever location scouting. We drove up to a place in Angelus Oaks, California, called Seven Oaks cabins. We had heard that they were rustic and a bit rundown, perfect for our film.

Please know that I have knocked on wood in order to protect myself here, because the place was absolutely perfect. It will change a few things in the script but not too much. The cabins looked great (for what we want), the proximity of each cabin to the next is ideal, and there's even a scenic creek. Six cabins and we wanted all of them. We expected to just look, but they were so perfect for the script that Barb negotiated pricing for four weeks. First, without weekends, but once we found out that we would have to be out on Fridays by 11am, we decided to get them for the weekends, too. Except for one weekend, which was already booked.

A four week shoot, September 26th through October 22nd (the extra day for packing everything up and getting the hell out of Dodge). About an hour and a half's drive from home, which means I can go back home on the weekends and might even have Jasmine and Logan drive up for a weekend. He would love it ... a creek, big bugs, the whole deal. Well, maybe not a whole weekend, because of the sleeping factor (we might have up to four people in one cabin), but possibly a day long trip to watch the film being shot for a few hours.

The place is pretty much a done deal. The guy marked it on the calendar and asked for a small deposit to hold the cabins. Rob's getting that from his brother in the next couple of days. Wow ... it looks like we're actually making a movie here. Knock on more wood.

After looking around the cabins, we stopped by a local restaurant for a bite to eat. The restaurant was perfect as well, so we'll be talking to the owners about renting out the place for a day. But that will come later.

And finally, we stopped by Forest Falls to check out a waterfall, because a waitress at the restaurant had told us about it. Luckily, it was less than perfect which kept our karma in check ... I don't think we could handle another miracle like the waterfall being exactly what we were looking for. It's workable, but the finale would have to change to a certain extent. So we'll hunt around for a better waterfall.

Only one bad thing for the day -- Rob's brother wants to see a one page treatment. Damn ... I hate writing treatments. But I gotta do what I gotta do. For the cause.

Rob still doesn't know that I plan to have the first draft of the script done by July 22nd, about three weeks ahead of schedule. He'd probably shit himself.

Post meeting
Topic: The Script
We did a bunch of brainstorming last night. Not a lot was decided, but we got the overall direction figured out.

Going through every little detail would be pretty boring and possibly spoilerish, but basically, today we discussed possible origins, connections with the manager, where the killer lives, etc.

We also briefly discussed how the killer would be disposed of. I asked Rob if we could drop a tree on him. He didn't know if I was joking or hinting ... and neither did I.

We discussed a handful of smaller elements, but most of those will end up in the script so there's very little reason to discuss them here.

And, yes, we talked about possible nudity. We are making a slasher film, after all.

No fire. Cost prohibitive. There goes how I was going to dispose of the 17-year-old geek.

Our killer's weapon of choice -- the kukri
Topic: The Script
At my wife's suggestion...

Hallow's Eve
A mock-up teaser poster, using our working title.

Pre-meeting jitters
Topic: The Script
Tonight will be our first meeting. As a precursor, I pitched him my idea for the opening sequence.

He said two words: fucking brilliant.

Now I feel much better.

The opening may not be the most original thing ... Halloween 2 continued where Halloween stopped. Friday the 13th, Part 2 recapped the events in the first film. But what makes ours different is the fact that THIS is the first film. No previous movie exists. Hopefully, that will help it stand out a little.

We also discussed how we both want to deviate from what other slashers have done. We're not trying to reinvent the genre or anything, but there are certain areas where we plan to interject our own sense of style. Such as the killer stalking people in daylight and people being killed in front of their friends, instead of dividing up the group and taking them out one by one.

FADE IN:
Topic: The Script
Had a brainstorm of how to open our film. Something to make it stand out from other slashers.

So with very little to go on, I started writing the opening scene. Which means that today marks the first day of writing the script.

My basic idea is this: we start the movie as if it's a sequel. Our killer's rampage is already in full swing. So the first thing we see is the last victim of the first group of college kids (who we will never see) get killed, just before we meet our group of college kids, who have broken down on the side of the road.

I hope Rob likes it. This may show whether or not Rob and I are, or ever will be, on the same page with this thing.

The exodus continues...
Various notes about the script today:

Rob wants our characters to stand up to the killer at some point, but just momentarily.

If we could get a known actress, I'd vote for Erica Durance, who plays Lois on Smallville. Not only is she hot, but she's a scream queen waiting to happen (but the tough kind, of course).

We cleared up a misconception. Rob doesn't like knives, so I thought he didn't want the killer to have a knife. But just the opposite ... knives scare Rob, so they're perfect.

Not sure who will get the credits for the film. I will have sole screenwriting credit, but Story By is still up for grabs.

Untitled Slasher Movie
Topic: The Script
Yep, that's what we're doing ... a slasher film. Boy, if there was any genre or sub-genre that I never thought I would write, it's slasher. I really have no interest in writing a slasher film, but that's what we've chosen. And since I'm getting some money upfront for the script (well, once we get financed, i.e. two weeks after the script is done), who am I to argue?

I pitched an idea to Rob called The Portrait, part of which I got from my cousin Stacy's husband Saint, but it wasn't the direction that Rob wanted to take.

Rob gave me some ideas of where he wanted to go, a take on the Halloween movies. Basically, it starts with kids in a car. Going to a Halloween party. One tells a legend about a killer from thirty years ago. Car breaks down. They walk to a motel. Creepy old woman as the manager. They decide to have their own Halloween party. 30th anniversary of the killings. The killer's son continues this father's reign of terror. I noted that there were some cliches there, which are almost impossible to avoid in any horror film, especially a slasher, and he agreed ... but I don't have any better ideas.

Rob had some really good ideas for the killer, the characters, and the film itself.

The killer: No masks. Big knives. Killings will be witnessed by other people. He called this Halloween meets Friday the 13th meets Psycho meets-Identity.

The characters: Not cartoonish. Like characters from a Cameron Crowe film. Regular people trying to survive the most horrific night of their lives.

The film: No movie references. Nothing self-aware. No winks or nods to the audience. Play it straight. The idea of a twist ending was briefly discussed, but Rob nixed his own idea right away.

It's shaping up. I just haven't gotten very excited about it yet. Wonder if that will ever happen. But hey, at least I'm getting paid.

Preliminary dates
Topic: Pre-production
We're hoping to shoot in the Fall. Definitely by the end of the year for tax reasons (a stipulation of getting the money).

I'm writing this entry about a month into the writing of the script. In most of my posts (at least the ones dated until mid-July), I am trying to relay the feelings I had on the entry dates (and doing pretty well, I might add). But I am diverting from this for this one entry, because it will be funny to put some things into prospective in my later entries.

Stay with me and you'll understand soon.

I'm quoting Rob here. This is what he said, verbatim, about the film, before even a page had been written: "We're obviously not hoping to take Sundance by storm with this film. We're not looking to get recognized as the next hot thing either. This is simply to make some money. So, with that said, I think we don't have to fret over everything as closely as we have on 23rd. I guess I consider 23rd a real movie and this horror project porn."

For the most part, anything Rob tells me will be paraphrased. But the above statement had to be quoted exactly as he said it, because as you will see soon, our feelings changed rather quickly. Rob wasn't wrong in what he said ... I saw it the same way. I was a screenwriting whore for a paycheck that I desperately needed, quality be damned.

But, as Rob freely admits now, the change in attitude was due to my strange surge of excitement in this project ... all because of an idea for one scene.

Initial details
Topic: The Script
After a week of nail biting, Rob provided some details of what's going on.

23rd Letter, what was to be our first film together, has been put on hold.

Why? Because Rob has finalized a deal to make a horror film. Budget is $250,000. Money is coming from his brother and a business partner (but not the one involved with 23rd Letter).

This film is to make money. It doesn't have to break any barriers. It just has to be good enough for distribution.

So what's the idea? There is none. But we do have two potential ideas: an idea about a haunted Bed and Breakfast ... or a slasher.

Coincidentally, Rob and I had discussed working on a horror film while we waited for storyboards to be finished for 23rd Letter, but Barb nixed that idea. And now, here we are again.

And yes ... I am the writer.