PYRITE Blog

HAPPY 2010!!!!

Time for a quick PYRITE update before I get back to the nice winter fracas that is the final stretch of the PYRITE DVD. I apologize for the rather epic length here! It's been a while since my last entry!

We had a bit of an external hiccup hit us late last Fall, which cost us a good 5-6 months. I'm now in the process of hiring a new Sound Editor to take care of this final piece of post-production work that we actually started several months ago. To that end, I'm posting the job here locally in Phoenix with IFP, and I have feelers out in Hollywood/LA as well, since I know there are a lot of people looking for work right now. My preference is for a local hire, someone whom I can work with personally as needed, but I'm definitely open to suggestions, references, etc. The pay is $3,000, and we're looking for a Sound Editor who has ample time over the next 2-3 months to knock this out. The film is about 87 minutes now, so it's not that Herculean of a job. If any of you have recommendations, please send them my way! Email or phone call is fine. This has to get done, and it has to get done ASAP.

So what the heck am I talking about? Well as reported in my last blog entry, we had hired someone to complete our final post-production sound work... but after what amounted to over 5 months of time, we wound up having to move on, as personal issues from his side prevented him from being able to work on the project in earnest. Nothing related to Hollywood 27 whatsoever, but regardless, it definitely stung to come out of that time frame with essentially nothing. Yes, that one hurt a bit. Jon Lacocque has been working with me on this final phase over the past year, helping us to get to final cut (which we've had since Spring 2009 by the way), recruiting people for our audio, etc. Special thanks to Jon for all of his efforts. And right now, we're opening up the circle a little wider to pull someone in here to finish the audio.

Beyond the audio work, I'm currently creating the DVD Extras, which include a short documentary on the making of PYRITE... and the long journey that started as FOOL'S GOLD (even going back to the college days and the initial short story called THE WEST SIDE PUMP that inspired this whole crazy project in the first place). I want to make sure the DVD has plenty of great content on it when we release it later this year. By the way, I recently purchased a new HD camcorder that is freakin' amazing, and I'll be using it to shoot the extras. I also have a bit of an internet surprise in the works, but it's too early to say anything beyond that.
So under the current schedule, the extras should all be completed by Memorial Day, and as long as we have our sound work completed by then, the PYRITE DVD will finally be available this summer! All I can say about that is... I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!! :-)

Beyond the DVD work... a website re-design is in the works, which we are kicking off with a logo contest. Within the next week we will have the Hollywood 27 Logo Contest up on the current website, giving folks the opportunity to submit an original logo for the words HOLLYWOOD 27, or HOLLYWOOD 27 PRODUCTIONS. The award for the winning logo is $100, plus credit on any websites displaying the logo (currently Hollywood27.com and Hollywood 27 Alternative Radio – http://www.live365.com/stations/ericb27?site=live365). The freshly-created logo will be the centerpiece for our new website, which will allow cleaner and faster access to the different projects, and eventually services, here at Hollywood 27. Each person can submit up to 3 logos, so please pass the info on to anyone you think might be interested in entering the contest!

A few other miscellaneous things...
I mailed out the first PYRITE poster this past week... and will be taking care of the others throughout the year as the funds and the time are available.

Cast Profiles are all up, but I haven't received a ton of data from cast members yet, so they are largely open/empty templates. I'll be pulling info from IMDB as time permits, just to get the profiles beefed up, but again, please send me any details, pictures, etc. that you would like to appear in your profile! You know the email address: h27@hollywood27.com. :-)

Quick note on the FTD Documentary – it is waiting in the wings here until we get the PYRITE DVD out the door, then it will be the primary focus for the rest of 2010!

Lastly, two external blurbs. First, I'm sure many of you have been following the Conan O'Brien saga to some extent over the past couple of weeks. I watch very little TV, and haven't watched any of the late night shows in years, BUT, I have always been a big fan of Conan's, dating back to my college days. I love his positive sense of humor, and even though I haven't watched much in recent years, I was definitely saddened to hear about the upheaval at THE TONIGHT SHOW. I applaud him for taking a stand. For those of you who didn't catch his final show, here's a link, although I don't know how long it will be active, because I think HULU archives stuff after a bit:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/122598/the-tonight-show-with-conan-obrien-fri-jan-22-2010

Even if you don't watch, however, Conan gave a great little speech at the end, fighting back tears when thanking all of his supporters, and this piece of it was quite inspirational, so thought I'd share:

“And all I ask is one thing... I'm asking particularly of young people who watch... please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record it's my least favorite quality. It doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard, and you're kind, amazing things will happen. I'm telling you, amazing things will happen.”

Conan rocks!

Finally, and most importantly, as I'm sure everyone is well aware, Haiti is in serious, serious trouble right now... and aftershocks continue. Money is desperately needed, and now is the time to step up and make a difference. I just made my 2nd donation this weekend, this time just using my cellphone, but remember, not all charities or not-for-profit organizations are created equal. If you're going to give your hard-earned money to one, make sure the money is all going to where it's needed (ninety-something percent of it at least). Here are the two that I personally donated to, just as a couple examples:

http://shop.thehungersite.com/store/item.do?siteId=220&itemId=40883&adId=43225&placementId=112913&origin=www.thehungersite.com

http://www.savethechildren.org/emergencies/latin-america-caribbean/haiti/earthquake-10/?WT.mc=0110_hp_fb_haiti

I know 2009 was a rough year for many people, even without natural disasters and all the external issues. I've had so many people close to me affected by job loss and the myriad of problems associated with it, including the debilitating issue of having no health insurance as a result... all I can say is that I've never seen a greater desire to flip that calendar from one year to another!! But no matter how bad our lives in America may seem at times, with places like Haiti and so many others around the world buried in such turmoil, we can all be grateful for the blessings that we do have. So here's some well wishes being sent out there to everyone... may 2010 be a great year, and let's all work our tails off here to make it so! – Eric

Wow, I really didn't realize how long it had been since I popped a post up on the website! Guess that's pretty indicative of my general state of mind in 2009, as there's still a bit too much on my plate right now. Lots of progress being made, however, so I'm not complaining. Here are a few updates...

1. PYRITE DISTRIBUTION. We are very close to hitting that elusive FINAL CUT of PYRITE that I've been chasing down for the past couple of years now here. I spent pretty much February through mid-June taking care of the final touches on my end, plus preparing all of the edit to be sent out for a professional audio overhaul. I am very pleased to announce that we've hired Jerry Walterick to do our final post-production sound work. You can take a look at Jerry's credits here on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2038715/
We've been working in tandem over the past 3-4 months to get everything set up so he could complete the work, and he's now officially in the thick of completing our audio! I'm pretty stoked about it, and for those of you who attended the private premiere last year, I'm sure you'll share in that excitement -- it needed the help!
As Jerry returns portions of the film to me with the audio mastered, I'll be working on the final 2 pieces to the puzzle here: enhancing the film's music and performing some final clean-up/color correction on the visuals, pulling in some professional assistance to accomplish this piece as well. Once Jerry is finished and those 2 pieces are complete, PYRITE is stamped 100% finished, and we then move towards seeking distribution, full throttle. I will likely submit the newly-polished product to a few film festivals here and there as appropriate, but beyond that, our primary focus will be a distribution deal. We need to get PYRITE to its final home here as soon as we can, as other projects are calling, and its time to let PYRITE get out there into the marketplace.

2. CAST PROFILES. We've started to put up detailed Cast Profiles on the website, in an effort to let everyone who has worked on the project tout their work here on the pages of Hollywood 27. Howie Johnson was the guinea pig here (aww, thanks Howie), so please check out his profile under THE CAST link, and by the way, also check him out on the hilarious Pillow Talks website: http://www.pillow-talks.tv/index.php
Any other Cast, or Crew for that matter, who haven't already submitted profile information, please feel free to email whatever information you would like to have shown on your profile, and we'll get the info up as soon as we can.

3. MOVIE POSTERS!!! Yes, there were a few people that I promised movie posters back at our private premiere, and NO, of course I didn't forget about that promise! As soon as I get this little final cut issue worked out, LOL, I will be getting the movie posters printed. Didn't want you to think I'd left you hangin'. :-)

4. THE FTD DOCUMENTARY. A new link now appears at the bottom of our homepage, titled FTD DOCUMENTARY. This in reference to the documentary we shot in collaboration with Smiling Toad Productions back in 2006, about a friend of mine who's father suffers from the terrible dementia that is FTD. Right now the new page simply plays the first trailer to the film, which, yes, I also cut during that February-June time frame I mentioned during the PYRITE update (as The Rhino would say, "been busy... lil bit")! In addition to the trailer, the rough edit of this documentary is also underway, and I will be working on it extensively during the hot Arizona summer here, where being inside editing is actually preferred to being outside in the 115 degree sweltering heat! Please check out the trailer when you get the chance, and we'll be updating the page with much more detail about the project in the near future. All I'll mention now is that we shot the documentary with the help of 4 different families, and of course Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, who have been pivotal in keeping the project moving forward. Lots going on with this project, so we'll be giving it its due on the website as soon as possible.

5. FACEBOOK PAGES. You can follow both PYRITE and the FTD DOCUMENTARY on Facebook, links noted below. I was going to create a presence for us on MYSPACE too, initially, but is anyone really on MYSPACE anymore? Seriously? OK, links:
PYRITE -- http://www.facebook.com/pages/PYRITE/35137285548?ref=sgm
FTD DOCUMENTARY -- http://www.facebook.com/developers/wizard.php?page_id=106958594142&__a=1#/pages/Frontotemporal-Dementia-Walking-the-Path/106958594142?ref=mf

6. THE FUTURE??? Late this year we'll be working on a bit of a website redesign, setting up a main HOLLYWOOD 27 section, and then branching off into our various projects -- PYRITE, FTD DOCUMENTARY, HOLLYWOOD 27 RADIO, plus anything else that may pop up along the way. First and foremost will be the creation of a new HOLLYWOOD 27 logo, so if anyone has any ideas, please let me know. That's something that's been in the back of my mind for a while, and I have pretty much no skill whatsoever when it comes to graphic design... so please, any ideas, referrals, etc. are always appreciated.
Finally, I'd like to just mention 2010 here for a second, as I have several people asking about investing in our next project, wondering what's next, etc. All I can say is that it's ALMOST time to finally start seriously discussing options, but I don't see much activity happening on that front until early 2010, as there are still way too many things on tap right now that must be completed first. The good news is that we've really proven a lot w/PYRITE, and I expect the FTD DOCUMENTARY will further that, albeit in a somewhat different vein. When I have people asking me to invest in our next project already, that's a great sign, and I'm really looking forward to starting down that road next year.

In the meantime, hope everyone NOT in the desert is enjoying a wonderful summer! I'll be back in the Fall with another update.

--Eric

   As we go through the arduous process of finding PYRITE a home, which is oddly coinciding with the first race for president where a black candidate has been nominated, it's hard for race relations not to be on many of our minds these days. The fact that Obama even won the Democratic nomination, however, means that a great deal of progress has been made in America, even in the 10 years since PYRITE was first put in motion. As the nation once again seems to be polarizing across party lines, I can't help but contemplate just how far we've truly progressed... and whether or not it's far enough.

   The thought of a seventy-something white man taking over as president and bringing “change” is something that COULD happen, don't get me wrong. Just because someone is old and white doesn't automatically mean that he is out of touch with our country, with race relations, with all the problems our country's middle and lower classes are enduring... to assume such would just be more prejudice in action. But in McCain's case, in light of his actions and current rhetoric, I can't for a second see him striving to make anywhere near the type of improvement Obama hopes to make. Obama follows strong philosophical principles, something incredibly refreshing in today's sterile poiltical environment. I am very much looking forward to the debates, as I expect Obama to shine.

   While Election 2008 may be in the forefront, finding PYRITE a home is still pretty high up on my own personal list of urgent items! I've started to target Underground festivals, as I'm learning that the film's propensity to offend is pretty high. Not sure if “offend” is even the right word there, but let's just say people are finding contextual reasons to steer clear of showing the film at their festival. And that's fine, I'd honestly be more excited about popping up at underground festivals anyway. If we don't pop into a festival soon though, I'll hit full creative mode when it comes to distribution, and I'll start taking the film on the road myself, finding alternative sources, whatever it takes. Regardless of the path taken, it will lead me to focus on one of the most intriguing aspects of the film, in my experience so far, and that is its incidental existence as a litmus test for racism. I think this neatly ties it in with our current election, and many of our current news headlines -- it really makes me wish we had PYRITE out there right now!

   When I refer to the litmus test, I'm talking about the film's effect on unsuspecting viewers – meaning first time viewers with no knowledge of the script or story in any form. Discussing their opinions afterwards revealed a dividing line similar to that in Spike Lee's DO THE RIGHT THING. Now I am in no way suggesting PYRITE is on the same level as DO THE RIGHT THING. That's probably my all-time favorite film dealing with racism, there's no way we could touch that level with a first project, but I have definitely noticed some similar reactions.

   The main premise here to the litmus test lies within the film's most decisive moment. I won't play spoiler here, it's simply enough to say that it is, literally, a punch to the face! From that moment on, life paths are altered, some irrevocably, and the main character's ideals, which he has spent the first half of the film clinging to, are brought deeply into question. The litmus test, despite spawning from this moment, isn't so much about the moment itself... it's about the audience's reaction to where the moment takes place, specifically Chicago's West Side.

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