Oh hey look there I am

Mr. Hollywood and other names my family gives me.

OK so I guess I should post about my trials and tribulations of how i got to LA and what not. So here it goes..

I once worked on a small independent feature called 'Mystery Team’ back in the spring/summer of 2008. I kind of new at the time that this was going to be a good movie, I did not know it would lead into something like this. During ‘pre-production’  and i use it loosely since all i did was run around looking for set pieces and building the Stands and paint the bikes (i did more shopping than building and painting). When I found this job it was on craigslist not thinking much about the title (it was Art Department PA) I thought, hey its work its cool if I work in some guy/gal(s)  studio working on some sort of big project. never in a million years would i figure it would be a actual Film let alone one with some up and coming big named actors and actresses. I loved working on the film and all the people that I was involved with after shooting I asked Dan (the director) if he was ready for a sequel, he just laughed. ( I am sure he was more worried about working on the editing stage of post).

Fast forward to November of 2008. I get a call from Derrick Comedy (the comedy troupe behind Mystery Team). They tell me they want to work with me on a few shorts since they are still itching to do more work on camera. We set up a meeting the day after Thanksgiving for a meeting and they said hey we would like to give you a sneak peak of the film. I am ecstatic at this point, I get to see my work on film. (mind you I was a bit perturbed/worried  that this was being shot on the RED I never figured that my stuff would be blown up to super highdef {4k resolution if you want to know}). Well we have the meeting at my fathers sign shop, (who also provided signs and printed items for the film as well), They tell me that they can’t show me any of the footage from the film since it has been locked up. I inquire, By whom? their response is Sundance Film Festival. At that moment I fill my shorts with the biggest BM I could possibly imagine. While still in shock Meggie (executive producer extraordinaire) tells me they will get me a ticket for the film if I can make it out there. I sit there in my metaphorically soiled pants and ponder for just a moment. I quickly snap out of it and we get on with the meeting.

Its now January 2009, I am still jobless and just completed a Half-Marathon at Walt Disney World (13.1 miles), our family decided to do a second one after i suckered them all in for our first one in ‘08. My mother said to me in the summer of ‘08 that if the film made it to Sundance, she would foot the bill to get me out there, well needless to say I called her on it. I was thankful enough that she had a spare round trip ticket, and the hotel was a decent price for the location(Park City, UT) and for the time that Mystery Team would be screening. I see the film and enjoy the film thoroughly it makes me happy to work on something that I believe will be a huge hit and I am glad I got to work on it and got to know everybody rather well. 

During the spring I work on smaller film projects to get some money in the middle of April/may I find out that Mystery Team has gotten picked up by Lionsgate Indie film division called Roadside attractions, I am excited for them and also the news that they will be releasing the film nation wide this fall. During this time I get a call from Meggie, I start shaking like a little dog that has not seen its owner in months and almost pee trying to answer the phone. Meggie says they need to bring the stand out of storage to take some publicity shots, I immediately say yes not knowing what I was getting myself into. During my time of packing up their items for the photo shoot from their storage location, Meggie tells me that they are going to be having a panel and booth at San Diego Comic Con and that they would like it if I came with them to the Con. I stare at her blankly for about a minute or two (it seemed like about an hour), during this time she said that since they have some funds available that they would pay my way out there (still with the blank face, my mind fully turns to goo, ala the hulu ads), I eventually spit out the word YES! I continue packing up the truck and we head on over to one of the locations were we filmed so I can set up the stand in the same location and have the photos taken (apparently the studios require something like 400-500 stills for some reason or another The derrick guys and myself had no clue this was needed so they did not hire anybody to photograph). During this time I am awash in a dazed and confused moments. It quickly turns back into 2008 and we are still filming we all have a blast.

It is now July I have the stands packed and ready for transport I have ticket in hand and I will continue the story of my journey to LA tomorrow, but for now leave you with just this one photo titled, yes its really real now.

posted by Nick L. @ 9:22 AM