“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ― Sun Tzu

Archive for May, 2010

Friendships Without Fine Print

I’m back in the beautiful Michigan after almost a week in CA dealing with our little arbitration matter. I will say WOW! What a great learning experience and while I would not call any of it fun it was a great moment. I was the first person up and I presented the facts and survived the cross examinations just fine. It is easy when you have truth on your side. It is slightly irritating when a lawyer is trying to twist words into other meaning or discredit your character. I’m glad to report that this did not and could not happen. I’ve said before that I’ve stood by my actions, given best efforts always and I sleep like a baby every night. We were in force four strong and our attorney and on the third day we got the satisfaction of watching the guilty party OBJECTION! (We know he is guilty) OVERRULED! We watched the alleged guilty party just took a brutal, BRUTAL cross examination whereas he was going against earlier testimony within the 1st 60 seconds and it got worse from there. It was text book guilt from shaking hands, sweating and changing colors from bright red to ghostly white. Follow this with stuttering, wrong names and facts, his proclaiming of innocence and a string of “I can’t remember(s)” …(Follow this with a piece of hard evidence).

At the end of three hours I almost felt bad for the crook. I watched him dead on for the whole cross examination. He looked at me a few times and I saw suffering. I felt bad in a sense that we could have been business partners. The truth is that this man had been exploiting filmmakers for a long time. He just may have exposed himself and his company to the open fact that his entire library is most likely built on fraud and misrepresentation. I also don’t think that anyone has every called him to judgement on his actions.  On that day, regardless of how the final ruling comes out, we achieved satisfaction of knowing that he had to account for his wrong-doings on record and under oath. In a few weeks we will know the final outcome but already we are in a better place because I promise you they will be more prompt with accounting and payout and I sincerely hope they change their business ethics.

What I also loved is the fact that we represented the mass of filmmakers out there who pour passion, heart and soul into a film. Some are duped by ONE WORD in a contract that can slide by even experienced attorneys. It is sad because some great filmmakers may never emerge into the industry because they were cut short having used every finance option open to them and being left with nothing to fight a battle against a major corporation. We fought that battle on that day for every filmmaker ever mistreated by a distributor. I was so proud of Collective Development http://www.cdiproductions.com and now the upper crust of Hollywood knows this company can and will FIGHT when RIGHT! I want to thank all the prayers and well wishes I got from folks and especially the filmmakers. This battle was for all of us and I’ve never been prouder. We have a few more battles to fight on smaller fronts. I really wish we could go back to our 1st film that did well and we never saw a penny from our initial distributor. The company paid itself out and dissolved into the night never to be seen again. What is even sadder in a few of these cases is that the dishonest people are also parents. The main antagonist is our little deal in CA has a 5 year old child. My father was and still is a ROCK on how to live like a good man. He instilled those values in us. I worry about these dishonest people’s children being raised by fathers who see lying, cheating and stealing as just a way of life. This man is a millionaire but he is no different then a street thug.  Both are passing on the shortcomings in their character by condoning a behavior to a small child who sees their father as the end all. That is what was running through my head during part of this ordeal. I hope that man changes his ways for his child. Odd to feel bad for someone but I’m not a hateful person. I don’t carry poison around like that. My friendships mean a lot to me and they come without any fine print. Be a good friend and the rewards will be greater than any money or material things.

TO MOVIE NEWS!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/14542396


http://www.walmart.com/ip/14542409

PRE-ORDER now at Walmart and enjoy these two Jeff Kennedy directed titles. 
These films showcase some of the heart and soul of our company. The films 
release next month and you can add these to your collection. I hope everyone
has a safe and relaxing weekend as we remember those who fight so that we may 
have freedom. Be good to one another.


DJ






	

	

		May 30, 2010 | Categories: Blogroll | 		Leave a comment

Recte Agens Confido

In a few short hours I will leave the beautiful Michigan day behind and travel to California to go stand up for what is right. I can’t help but think about the OK Corral and the Earp brothers along with Doc Holiday going to off to stand up to the powerful Cowboy faction. The thing in independent film is that often if you are not in LA you are at a greater risk for others to try and do wrong by you and your property. Some will fly directly in the face of truth because it is costly in time and resources to go fight for truth. Whereas many filmmakers fought for those final thousand dollars in post costs or have a film that only costs a few thousand dollars, fighting for right can be a hard thing.
The truth is that starting with my 1st trip to LA to read for Wes Craven on SCREAM 2 I’ve been making contacts and networking with great folks. They are always impressed by the guy from Michigan who comes not with just talk but with proven action. I’m proud to represent a tribe of artists and I’ve always worked hard to leave people with a good impression. We are not greedy. We are not arrogant. We are simply people who hope we can make a living with our art and enjoy some of the reward in this lifetime versus the artists of days gone by who saw their biggest boost in sales after their death. I’m not great at asking for help but I’m getting better. I thank the friends who have helped in this matter.
BIG THANKS
Jeff Kennedy, my director/biz partner at CDI gave me a beautiful coat of arms for PERRY that now hangs in my basement bar. The bar is part trapper saloon and part pirate cove. The coat of arms reads, Recte Agens Confido or roughly, he who stands with right, stands confidently. This biz situation in California is to stand up for what is right. This is not a “he said and she said” but almost four inches of evidence that supports our claim. Because we are from places other than Hollywood some individuals believed that they could just ignore agreements. To our credit we did EVERYTHING to avoid this situation. Because I would not recommend legal action for anyone. It is very long, tedious and takes away from time that could be spent moving forward. That said, it is a duty that I’ve accepted, so we go to confront the situation. I’m a very peaceful person who lives by harmonious attributes day in and day out. That said, I’m a warrior as well. Literally I’ve had years of training in the fighting arts and I don’t wear that on my sleeve but I train to this day. Life can be a series of battles and I do believe that from adversity comes new opportunity. We have been wronged for many years as a company on some level. We’ve fought several battles and won our share. We’ve lost some because the cost to recover would be too costly in time and resources. But this is a landmark battle. This is going to show Hollywood how the tribe of CDI will be seen. Already one dishonest person in Hollywood associated with the “Wild Michigan” situation KNOWS what can happen. And his troubles are only beginning and there is a short list of other dishonest folks that should be worried.
By now many have heard of my upcoming role in the movie “In Our Time” this Summer. It reminds me of JUDGEMENT and how it is handed out.  “The humbled will be exalted and the exalted will be humbled.” OR in the TOMBSTONE style of judgement the justice came fast and harsh. I’m not sure of how justice will be recognized in our case be it soft or harsh. I just hope that justice is served up. The most important fact is that CDI is standing up for EVERY small filmmaker that was ever wronged and didn’t have what it takes to get their justice. It has been costly to get to this point.  More costly than what we spent on our first movie. If justice does come about perhaps these costs will be recouped. Perhaps we will get what we are due. Perhaps judgement will fall upon a dishonest man to entice him to do good business in the future.
So if you are one of those “small people” who have been taken advantage by some dishonest person/corporation I ask you to send your thoughts our way. We are small but together we are great. So today the Earps are coming to Hollywood. With our attorney “Doc Holiday” we are going to go present our case this week and see what happens when the smoke clears.
We’ve had great movement on many fronts with development projects and this studio project of mine isn’t going to hurt any of them. We have a summer of releases coming out and I look forward to days ahead with friends on set. We  have new facebook sites for “Figure in the Forest,” “Heaven’s Neighbors,” “The Patchwork Girl of Oz,” “Sherwood Horror,” “Holly, Jingles and Clyde” and “In Our Time”…seek them out and throw them your support. “Renovation” is closing in on a rough cut and deals are starting to move around it. “Locked in a Room” is just returning from Cannes Film Market on Monday so we will see what is happening there. I’ll be back to more film updates soon. Many new updates on www.cdiproductions.com Right now I have to go saddle up because we hit the trail today. We’re gonna ride hard and go confront the cowboy faction on their wrong doings. All this is possible because one powerful attorney I met a few years ago said, “I’ll be your huckleberry.”

May 23, 2010 | Categories: Blogroll | Leave a comment

Honesty, Responsibility, Faith and the Web of Life…

FADE IN:  ROAD WARRIOR… The barren landscape where the iron cities no longer exist. Water is like gold and oil is the last drops of the blood of a dying giant.

All I know is that one of my favorite films from my teen years showed a world gone bad and focuses on the few people trying to survive. That film seems to have scary overtone that I also revisited when I use to teach Native American studies at the Ebersole Enviromental Center years ago. Chief Seattle and the web of life really illustrated how interconnected all the ecosystem are. Natural disaster is bad enough with volcanic activity, earthquakes, flooding but when you add in the actions of man like this oil leak it is scary. I mean I don’t want to end up a story teller in the THUNDERDOME (3rd Mad Max film:) talking about the days when we had moving pictures. I might fare okay in the Thunderdome fighting but I will never be able to keep a cool car running like Mad Max because I have no real mechanical skills worth a damn.

On the positive note I think that this oil leak will motivate us to REALLY go do after safer power. I’m talking Teslsa technology of pulling energy from the earths magnetic field vs oil drilling that could cause major damage to world water supply. Also an enemy of the US could attack these oil rigs and take huge focus and manpower to try and manage. On the other hand that kind of action effects ALL people ultimately but some people have a doomsday mentality. So bottom line is just let oil be. OR make oil from corn, soy, hemp but this drilling below our water bodies is a bad idea. I think that has been illustrated so maybe wisdom will emerge.

RESPONSIBILITY is what we are talking about. Also we need true preventative measures on our actions not just reactionary once something goes wrong. IF companies truly knew they would be held responsible certain actions would not be taken because they would be deemed too risky. The Big Auto 3 in Michigan are very happy that Toyota forgot their own teachings of ancient eastern history and rather than using preventive principals they let certain issues go too long. Once they issu es were exposed they were now in a reactionary position which is a western mentality not the eastern mentality previously used by wise men from the east.

HONESTY

This trait factors into the above Toyota issue. Honesty, recall and accepting responsibility would have changed that whole situation. Well the PR departments of the Big 3 made sure you knew that they knew ahead of time. I like the way Tylenol handled their issue years ago. If they had tried to hide that…you get the point.

How does this all tie to movies? RESPONSIBILITY – when you accept a manager position on a project you sometimes are put in a place where you must stand up for what is right especially when you are legally empowered to do so. I recently had a long round table meeting where I explained that we were going into an arbitration over a project. The other party is known in our industry and surely is connected to others. It was asked if my actions could/would hurt my own acting options in Hollywood. I gladly explained that my actions were my duty and that my personal agenda had to come second. Also I don’t want to do business with people of a dishonest nature and so if there was fall out to our right actions so be it. This party is wrong, dishonest and they (like some others) in Hollywood and elsewhere perform dishonest actions because they count on the fact that independent filmmakers cannot afford to come after them. This month we have a major arbitration and it isn’t even a matter of we MAY be in the right. We ARE in the right. This is not just our viewpoint (We often want to be right but are not) but this is just truth and so we will see how this plays out.

We are actually fighting two major battles as a company. One that surrounds WILD MICHIGAN that we had to abandon ship on. But know that in our CDI shipyard the WILD MICHIGAN 2 is being built. I won’t go into any details on this other issue but we are fighting for all the other filmmakers out there who often cannot. As CDI moves into the studio system it is important to me that the crooks soon know to avoid CDI. This dog bites.

So HONESTY, RESPONSIBILITY and now FAITH…

Faith is knowing that things in the world will usually right themselves. The greedy man will face an issue that money cannot buy his way out of. Cancer doesn’t have a price where it will just go away. There is no cash settlement offer for a person fighting MS or other diseases. The unemployed man with supreme health is wealthier than he may know. If health was transferable someone would gladly give their millions for your health. Would you trade? I think not. So every day that you are healthy you are wealthy. It is funny that on all these business fronts EVERY one of these issues is over greed. I hope they learn their lesson and in a Mr. Scrooge kind of way, wake up one morning and they decide to be a kind, honest individual who has compassion for those with less and are willing to play honestly at business. Wall Street take note, Washington take note and each of us can hold ourselves responsible. I’ve made decisions as I’ve stated before that others may not agree with but I do not make decisions based on greed. Ultimately I want everyone to do well. So with each blessed step forward you should always reach back and help a few up. Watch the Special Olympics and learn something about being a good person. I’ve found in my experiences with the “Special”  that the worst parts of being human have been “retarded” in them.  They are special because in them exists the best parts of who we are while some genetic fault(s) seem to have left the worst parts behind. Often they have trouble existing in society because the world around them often operates using those worst parts of people as the way. Think hard on this.

I want to give a shout out to Daniel a young blog reader who emailed me on how he enjoys the words. He had an audition and I wish him well. To be that young and making his way in our industry. Daniel you have years ahead of you and so don’t rush for a finish line but enjoy the journey. Don’t forget to be a kid. Those will be some of your best years.

I’ll be back to more direct movie updates later but this oil thing has been on my mind. Also most of my week was taking up on organizing our communications concerning the project we are in arbitration over. Today is garden work. I like getting out there and working the dirt and seeing the complex way of things in nature. It brings a nice balance to life. So to all you artists out there. I preach the SHOW and the BIZ but on the most basic level keep yourself aware of what goes on in the natural world because we are all connected, the web of life.

Be good.

DJ

“Man does not weave this web of life. He is merely a strand of it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”   – Chief Seattle

May 15, 2010 | Categories: Blogroll | Leave a comment

Humbled and Happy

The rain is coming down and I’m very happy that yesterday was lawn day. I have grass seed down and so this should help. I’ve also been collecting Lilac pedals for some new wine I’m going to try making. If you want to talk about Zen it is one pedal at a time while either talking on the phone or reading lines. I realized that 15 quarts is a LOT of pedals and also that in mass they almost have a waxy feel…ODD.

So I’m happy to announce the fact that the project that I’ve been forced to be hush, hush on is now going public with their PR and so now I can share. I submitted blindly for a role in a very non-descriptive religious film about the time we had finished filming the 1st leg of “Book of Ruth” and I sent materials for the biblical character of Judas. I thought after playing nice guy ‘Benjamin’ I would enjoy another biblical feature but thought maybe a bad guy of sorts would be cool. I sent it off and immediately got no response. Like that? So fast forward 6 months and one Sunday out of the blue I get contacted by this production company with a synopsis and breakdown of this project called “In Our Time” and they said I was of interest to them. Come to find out I was one of 27 actors they were looking at for the lead role of Jesus in this studio picture. Funny thing is about this time Ray our main producer on “Book of Ruth” starts talking about how Pureflix and TBN and random folks are remarking to him how much I remind them of Jesus. So I agree to non disclose anything and read the script. EPIC. Now they want me to talk with producer/writer and explain how I see the character and story line. I honestly think I have a good grasp on the heart and soul of the role and explain my take. I guess I was the only person to pick up on a few major elements. From there I’m told I’m one of the seven they have narrowed down to and the front runner. They became versed in my work and I did a few voice recordings for them and well…the rest is history as they like to say.

I’m happy that I can share a first PR announcement at Christian Cinema and many more will follow. I’m excited that fate also put two of my friends in this film. I was asked about my thoughts on Mr. Rance Howard and Terry Jernigan who were being considered for roles. I think people scan around actors they want to use to get ideas for casting but that said Terry Jernigan has been peppering his career with faith films and they saw him starring in “Pilgrams Progress” I think it was.  Rance has worked so much it doesn’t surprise me. I think one of the producers on this film was on “Angels and Demons” and knew Rance that way. Either way it will be nice to work alongside two very good friends of mine.

I will say that the process of being JUST AN ACTOR has been humbling. I realize that with my alpha personality I’m a team player but I have a control aspect to me. I have found it hard at times and frustrating at times to be JUST TALENT. I have made a new vow to try to improve communication between production and cast and crew because being in the dark on a need to know info basis is not fun:) So the experience has been good for me. Also I just worked on lines but just tried to ignore the project because no point in wasting energy mulling over and over on something. When it was time they would contact me and away we would go. So I’m told we start very soon and I’ll get at least a week notice. The 1st leg of the shoot is in Bulgaria I think so it would be nice to know so I can get my home life in order. Enjoy the 1st PR and I’ll let you know more soon.

The talks on WILD MICHIGAN resurrection are going very well. The old project was put down to rest and we are also making moves to bring some justice to those responsible for the 1st false start. As I was told, it was not the time for “Wild Michigan” but we are casting up the final stars and I’m looking to come off “In Our Time” and go into pre-production on “Wild Michigan” but I will know more soon.

Development on the other CDI projects are going great and so I would love to put a whole slate of films into motion. On the personal, my dad is recovering well and can drive again. Remember your mothers out there this Sunday if you have them with you spend some time with them and if they are gone remember them fondly.

Have a great weekend.

DJ

HERE are a few of the links as given to me by production

Please take a moment to check out the buzz from Christian Cinema  at  http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=1346.

http://sites.google.com/site/inourtimeannouncement/INOURTIMEfilm

http://www.facebook.com/pages/In-Our-Time-2010/124632297552072?v=app_2373072738&ref=sgm#!/pages/In-Our-Time-2010/124632297552072?v=wall&ref=sgm

May 7, 2010 | Categories: Blogroll, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Dreams Do Come True…

Yesterday was our first Michigan day in the 80’s and it was nice to bounce between my computer and outside where I could have my phone calls. We are getting the garden around and I’ve been planting and watering some grass seed. I’m sure you are aware that the hazelnut coffee is flowing and I’ve been studying how to make lilac wine. This week I also found some of my early morels and so that is always a little exciting. My father is recovering slower than he would like but patience is required. Patience is something the Perry’s have learned over time as it does not just come naturally. I’m just big on not wasting energy on something until one must. I guess to clarify it is about order of business. Worry, anticipation, want…all these attributes won’t make certain things happen before they should. That said with patience and hard work many developments underway.

UPDATES:

New announced releases – Joining the Aug. 10th FIGURE IN THE FOREST and Aug 24th HEAVEN’S NEIGHBORS is THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ (Sept. 7th) and a fan favorite JUDGES gets a special edition release on Oct 21st.

Those who can’t wait FIGURE IN THE FOREST plays TBN on the west coast 5/3 starting at 11:00 pm and on the east coast it plays at 2:00 am on what is 5/4/2010. For those wanting a double dose of inspirational TBN will also show BOOK OF RUTH 5/9 for west coast starting at 9:00 pm but starts 5/10 at midnight on the east coast. You can check the listings on TBN home site.

Development is in full swing on many fronts from Michael Valverde’s “Holly, Jingles and Clyde” to John Regan’s “Sherwood Horror” – post work on “Outside the Wire” is coming to the final stretch and I’ve been giving scene notes on “Renovation” while waiting to see the polished trailer for “Locked in a Room” which has signed Worldwide Film as the sales rep and they will be showcasing it at the Cannes Film Market this year. This year should see a film or two more out of CDI.

“Wild Michigan”(2010)  and “A State of Hate” (2011) have been in high gear and we are closing up the casting on our remaining few roles. We will have some great announcements there soon. It is very exciting to have such a renewed energy as Hollywood is discovering the quality of product we are proposing here at the tribe.

I’ve had a few acting offers and so I’ve been reading and talking about taking some time between producing projects to go perform and just enjoy the storytelling. I’ve also been in talks about some management of my acting/writing work. Overall I’m just very happy with how 2010 has been. I’ve only acted on one project this year but have made several deals that are bringing films to you all and also setting things up for future production. I can feel the hardships of 2009 slowly melting away.

To all my artist amigos keep pushing one step at a time. To the fans, thank you so much for all your support. I do enjoy all the feedback and comments I’ve been getting and you all make it all worthwhile. So just a thank you. My 1st films were done by me and my friends in school in place of book reports and final exams and shown in our library. I can’t believe it has grown into all this but I’m so happy that it has. Dreams to come true.

DJ

2:00 am

May 1, 2010 | Categories: Blogroll, Uncategorized | Leave a comment