First snow and HO HO HO!

The hazelnut is flowing and outside it was snowing. After shooting in Yuma, AZ it was a return to MI and walking right into Thanksgiving and now Xmas season is here! I was so busy in Yuma that I had little time to shop and thankfully since I got stung by $120 over weight fee with United Airlines. That is in addition to the $20 bag fee each way. So I have to explore 1) take smaller suitcase 2) buy socks, underwear and such there and leave them and 3) ship all gifts home at a fraction of price. All lessons learned.

We are now in post and footage on “Renovation” is being logged, sound sync, and passed to Flint Frame for a trailer cut and FX work.  2010 will bring some major marketing. Meanwhile Cecil Chambers and I have been trying to clean up after the old “Wild Michigan” set up and prep for a new set up. “Holly, Jingles and Clyde” with Michael Valverde is building strength and additional packaging for “A State of Hate” and “Timberwolf” are also underway.

On IMDB I’m looking at the projects listed and I am going to make some choices and respectfully bow out of a few projects. Either time conflict with other projects or the role is not really worth landing in the middle of a larger project/role. If they work out fine but with financing being hit and miss we will just have to see.

In additional to the http://www.cdiproductions.com I’ve got a couple of movies in 2010 about set. One is an acting gig which I cannot talk about until I get out from under the NDA (Non Disclosure) and they hit with 1st PR but it is a studio pic. Same with the 2nd movie but I actually had a hand in writing several of the early script versions on the 2nd project.

I was also told that on one of the projects people (actors) were using my name to try and gain access to casting. Most of these folks I had never met, maybe exchanged an email, maybe a phone call or we were shared cast mates on a yet to be shot film. Either way the producers contacted me and I had to explain. See in the old days the PROPER way of doing things was via the “Godfather” and “Godmother” calls. You called in a favor and someone “set the table” if they wanted to back your name. But in this new age of social networking where people have a thousand “friends” (Why they are not called associates is beyond me) it makes it easy for folks to fib and say “so and so are my friends” and that leads to these new issues in this age.

Old Hollywood frowns on this fib way of networking. If you say someone is your friend they damn well better be. And it would be so much better to have someone call, email and set the table if they truly are your friend.  So I’m going to ask the new group of actors, filmmakers to be aware that there is a PROPER way of conducting biz in Hollywood and if you get caught in one little fib it can ruin you in certain circles.

My name was used and I understand the desire to get ahead in a very tough industry but it must be done properly. So I told some of these producers I would address this in my blog here that gets read by many aspiring actors and artists. So there it is. Also I’m told that Hollywood doesn’t really use the STAR METER to pick to many folks now because actors with a slew of extra credits are finding ways to list on the major films and reducing their IMDB rank. This “Scam” is on Hollywood radar and so they are now heavily looking at distribution for that actor.

Okay enough of the lecturing…just trying to help and pass along some info from the inside.

Fun links

Wild Michigan visual synopsis (For investing purposes)

http://web.me.com/dennistherrian/site_2/Wild_Michigan_Promo.html

Upcoming site of some “Behind the Scenes RENOVATION”

http://www.channel1yuma.com/yumanlife.htm

Pepper will be starting a new series of Leading ladies from “Renovation” featuring Chandra Wood our hardworking hair/make up key on the film. I thought since she did such a wonderful job and had such a great smile that I would add her to our Leading Lady section. She surely was a star to all of us actors.

See http://www.djperryfanclub.com Leading Ladies next week!

Here is a 1st wrap of “Renovation” PR! More to follow…

http://www.joblo.com/arrow/index.php?id=19512

Look for a trailer maybe around Xmas.

In wrap up let me just say that I hope everyone is having a good season spending time with friends and family and being thankful for that time. I know as 2009 comes to a close and 2010 opens, new opportunities will be born and new stories (movies) will find their way into being.

DJ