Knocking Things Down in January! CDI Updates in the New Year!
(With my post supervisor and my senior producers)
Hazelnut coffee cheers on a cold Michigan day. I got to feel -13 degrees and it was quite chilly. Today we are getting more warmth but some snowfall to go with it. I had a very productive week and I’m happy with many of the developments. We have been fine tuning several projects at various phases. We will list those soon enough. I will say we’ve had some good back and forth on these fine tuning. It is often needed to LOCK something to move forward. Occasionally a good idea hits after this lock and if the next phase has not started there is time to reevaluate. I’ve discovered that often what makes a film rise to greatness can lie in the final tweaks we make. A color, a font, an added sound effect or a some shift. I remember staying in LA on a business trip outside the Magic Castle with Tony Hornus. Back home they were close to locking the edit on AN ORDINARY KILLER. During my last take on one of the scenes where my detective is looking over his “detective board” has to admit defeat. The last take I violently cleared the desk of all the folders and files flinging them everywhere. Only the DP knew and let’s say the production designer wasn’t happy. We got the quiet sad moment and we have this violent outburst whereas the detective hates losing. After a few glasses of wine and chilling by the pool I had an idea to a debate Tony was having on which shot to use. Use both was my solution. Outside he is calm but inside him there is a storm. So quiet, thrash the desk and return to the quiet shot. You were seeing in his mind what he wanted to do. How he felt. But ultimately the calm detective won out. Both shots were used and it made the scene extra special. To have these talks and brainstorms, especially if the idea is on top of something already liked, can only happen by mutual respect. We could have called it done but that change was one of the last tweaks. You can go stream AN ORDINARY KILLER and see for yourself. Sometimes as I said the special lies in that last, “let’s try this”. That can be hard when you are weary of one phase and want to move to the next. We’ve had a few of those moments while discussing final poster and trailer tweaks. Once it is all done that is what we live with but do enjoy those moments of collaboration. I just ask to be heard and have an idea considered. Occasionally a business angle plays into the suggested tweak and other times it just ties in with other themes in the film. These are wonderful talks that happen on all the great films. Don’t get frustrated and try to enjoy these moments. They come and go and pass into history fast enough.
I will make one other note- I’m participating on a film shoot today acting. A director had a mutual friend introduce us and he is directing his first narrative. It is a one day commit in my home town and they are shooting on 16mm film. I started in film and it has been many a moon since I’ve shot on film and the story is interesting so I said, yes. In my desire to network a touch more one of my 2026 goals was to act in two non CDI films. Check one off after today. I know a few of the cast, crew associated with this film and this will be a nice opportunity to just act. We are suppose to have a snowstorm and I am filming outside but as I always say, sometimes the harsher the conditions the better it looks on camera. To date, Pontiac MI I filmed on a movie called DEAD QUIET playing a homeless man. It was the worst icy snow conditions I’ve filmed in followed by THE NEST, a Korean War film that got hit by a blizzard in Pennsylvania on the last day of the shoot. I will see where this shoot falls in the coldest shoots but I’m pretty acclimated to all the conditions from snow to heat to rain and such.
OK. Onto developments-
- Harsens Island Revenge has joined our streaming films on various platforms. If you have not watched it you should and maybe you would be so kind as to leave a review on whatever platform and http://www.imdb.com
- Wild Faith Christmas opened its run at the State 5 Fridley theater in Algona, Iowa where we premiered SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA (SNIA). SNIA is now streaming and same as above take a watch and review if you can. If you are in and around Algona please do take your family to see our beautiful follow up to WILD FAITH. You can watch the first film streaming and Wild faith Christmas will release to home video Q4 of this year. But we will keep traveling it to various theaters for several more months.
- We made a few more business deals on the AI JESUS film in the past week leaving us with just a little bit of business to go. We are looking to lock the picture on Weds of this week after a watch. We are also close to having a director’s poster and the first teaser trailer for audiences. This film is so very unique filled with humor and thought provoking, emotionally driven moments.
- ROM COMS MUST DIE – I’m still locking the end credits up and I plan to have that done by end of this week. The new master visual will be married to the master audio and we should have a film. Once I get the end credits locked we’ll render and add that to the movie. We might enter a few film festivals but I am looking at April 1st theatrical release and Q3 home video.
- I’ve been also trying to assist Jeff Behrendt on a BTS of ROM COMS MUST DIE. Thank you to our cast and crew helping to get him footage. These BTS are things that we will look back upon many years later.
- Adam Towner has been working on something near and dear to my heart. That would be a 30th Anniversary CDI Highlight reel. He took a fun approach with me narrating and I’m digging it. I’m considering both a book and perhaps a documentary at some point in time. Always things to do.
- I have a meeting this week to discuss the possible uprez of three of the classic CDI films. I would love to see it happen for preservation and to open them up to new audiences. Our early day films seem more primitive in all areas but you can still see CDI forming into what it is today. I also have all the Blu ray rights and so like KNIGHT CHILLS I would love to have several if not all of them mastered to Blu Ray. If you are a Blu Ray distributor feel free to reach out. I love what Saturn Core did with KNIGHT CHILLS. (Blu ray or streaming) * KC was our 1st feature film at CDI.
- We are developing on several fronts with movie/TV projects both large and small. Some projects have years of development behind them before they ever come to be filmed. I won’t jinx anything. I’ll just say we have some exciting opportunities ahead of us. Work hard. Work smart. Keep the faith.
- Thank you to David Gries for the updating he has been doing to our CDI website. It is greatly appreciated. You can watch as we update it at http://www.cdiproductions.com
WRAP UP: I’m going to finish up here and make some eggs. I also need to get my agreement signed and start to assemble my wardrobe for this afternoon. I’m looking forward to today and appreciate the reaching out. As I’ve said before, reach out and you never know. I do say no quite often but if things feel right, I might say yes. I dissolved my most recent agent relationship at the end of last year. I might take on a new one for literary and producing pending how things shake out. Acting wise I’ve done well just off people contacting me directly. I’m fine with negotiating and have my own legal and that usually gets the job done. Part of my issue was I could not keep up on all the acting material hoops they wanted me to jump through because I was too busy acting. I got some headshots taken but I never look like them because I’m usually always prepping for the next role. Even now I’m behind on updating my resume, reel and such but if you want to see my work google me up and you can watch dozens of films with me doing my thing. Okay, it is time to refill the coffee cut and make those eggs. As January 2026 comes to a close I hope your start to the year has been a good one.
I want to thank John Mashni for assisting me in streamlining CDI. We are preparing to handle bigger projects and that means evolution. Thank you to my friends at Bank of America and our accounting firm. Thank you to all our artists friends for the wonderful work you do. I appreciate you all more than you truly know. Until we meet again next week on the first day of Feb stay warm. Stay focused. Coffee Cheers!
DJ
Happy Early Easter! Embracing the Battles!
Good afternoon! My hazelnut coffee is at an end but it occurred to me looking at my tomorrow that it will be hard to get my writing in with family, friends and Easter. I want to welcome all our new readers including some from North Macedonia which I need to explore as I know little of this place North or South, East or West. I just read up on it and looking at pictures. What a beautiful place. Welcome! I have to say that I’ve been waking up daily with good energy and optimism as I attack my TO DO’s each week. I’ve been reminded how special each day is again with the loss of one of our supporters and investors which I’ll post more on next week. But these stories will and do live past us carrying the stories to new generations. CDI is now multigenerational with several folks retired from the business or all business. I do have close schoolmate friends soon to retire. I had lunch a week ago or so with one preparing for retirement by building his woodworking shop. I’m on the Rance Howard & Bill McKinney plan which is to work right up to when they throw dirt on me. I might slow down one day and become more selective but I love to create. Another close member of the early CDI films Bill Bishop is facing some health issues in his late years. He is the man responsible for many of the exciting explosions in our films working as pyrotechnics and often armorer. Wicked Spring, The Nest, Judges, From Venus and more in a time when digital explosions was rare. Strapping a small explosive squib on your body was commonplace. Some scenes were made easier requiring one to muster less acting because you were REACTING. Watch the final scene of THE NEST and those chain of explosions were real and I was really running for my life. Well, it felt that way. FX HOT! Man that got your blood really pumping when you heard those words and saw ole Uncle Bill with a dynamite plunger and knowing you had wires running up your pant leg to a small explosive. Watch Matthew Broderick in GLORY‘s end scene, he knows what I mean. Bill has COPD bad and if anyone who worked with Bill wants to send him a card and well wishes his address is on the CDI Facebook site.
(Acting pre-war in WICKED SPRING)
Sunday is Easter and that day always makes me think of THE QUEST TRILOGY, the 3 biblical films we shot in the Yuma desert. The first film in the trilogy FORTY NIGHTS will be 10 years since we filmed in 2025. Hard to believe. I’ve been collecting stories from our three directors and plan to release a book in 2025 full of beautiful pictures and stories. Maybe the scripts we will see. If you have not watched these films please do. They are not heavy handed but were inspired by the old biblical dramas done by Chuck Heston. I think people will appreciate the fresh perspective.
(Acting in THE QUEST TRILOGY)
I’ve been balancing my time between past, present and future. We are trying to streamline our business flow this year especially with the older “classic” CDI films. Many are being converted into HD files and many will be returning back into the market this year. Presently we have Harsens Island Revenge making of, trailer and main feature all in the works. And future-wise we’ve been in funding mode on a few different projects. I had a great meeting Friday on both a new CDI film and one project that will be in association with CDI. All very exciting as we look ahead and this next month will be really pushing hard to finish getting financial commits for our Summer/Fall CDI film HOT ROD LOVE. We took more steps towards our goal and we have to just stay focused. Some of the other projects are prepping for filming next year. And one for next winter which is almost ready to present to our funding source I’m just working up a cool poster to present with it. All very exciting and I’m reminded as I look back at how far we’ve come as a company.
I leave you with a few stills from our recent pick up shoot for Harsens Island Revenge. I want to wish you all a great welcome into the month of April. I sincerely hope that the year continues to lead you to your goals and you find happiness. Recently reminded of the Samurai wisdom pertaining to the battles we all face. Embrace them because battles are the challenges of life. Quiet and peaceful graveyards are full of those who no longer battle. We will all eventually lay there to so until that time of rest embrace the battles. Laugh at the missteps and smile at the experience and wisdom gained by taking the wrong path. I’m working on not reacting emotionally to certain situations which can be made hard when you care about the outcome so badly and want success for all. Again I live by BEST EFFORTS and that is all we can truly do. A life of strawberries is enough phase I heard this week that stuck with me. To enjoy each day, passing week and the endeavors we undertake.
(Young dreamer DJ in The Valley of Fire, outside Las Vegas)
I want to thank some of the fans who reached out this week. No I have not played a western villain but perhaps one day. Yes. I do love comedy and our next film will give audiences a good dose of that from myself and many others. Will I do another horror film? I would say that is very likely. Thank you to all of you out there who watch and enjoy the stories.
(The beauty of nature)
Until we all gather to sip a beverage and reflect, I hope your weekend is relaxing and enjoyable. I’ve been using the day to organize my workshop and basement to get ready for the springtime activities. From Christmas we have a few outdoor things to assemble in the coming weeks. I look forward to growing and gathering in the coming months. We grow some of our own teas and we’re going to once again be getting veggies from MSU’s agricultural program. I look forward to more grilling the few nice days we had were a good tease. I love when our CDI meetings can take place over darts or some other outdoor game. Soccer season and flea markets are right around the corner.
Be good to one another!
DJ
DJ Perry's Official Blog 'Clawing My Way to the Middle' 