My Sleep Schedule is Jacked!

When in Vegas, make the drunk DB face! This photo covers all the DB bases. Stupid faces. Shot by someone actually in the photo. Alcohol. The works. I feel like I joined a fraternity!

Cinevegas was pretty amazing. I met so many cool people, and our shorts block was totally solid. I had a great running crew! So glad I was able to be there with Nate and even MY MOM!

Next up for MY MOM SMOKES WEED is a special screening at the LA Film Festival on June 26th.

Here's a LINK to the info.

Hope to see you there!

Does Anybody Read Polish?

I recently did an interview with a Polish website for EARTHLING. It looks really cool, and I guess I can post the English transcript from my email. But somehow, I think I probably come off better translated to another language. 

In case you're curious to see the words of "Clayem Lifordem" (which I now prefer to be referred to as), the link is here.

Do Widzenia!

Cinevegas Interview: My Mom Smokes Weed

In anticipation of our upcoming screenings at Cinevegas, here's a brief email INTERVIEW I did for the fest. Here's hoping I don't sound like a goofball.

CINEVEGAS INTERVIEW

Somehow we found the time to make this...

Just a little goofy fun from the set of EARTHLING. I'm in the throes of editing, and it's coming along quite nicely. It's pretty silly that this is the first "released" piece of "motion video" from the film, but what can you do?

NC2U 2009 Mix! from Clay Liford on Vimeo.

Very Very Quick Notes

So, several things happening at once. 

First, MY MOM SMOKES WEED is an official selection of the 2009 Cinevegas Film Festival. This is so awesome, and I will for sure be in attendance (along with at least one cast member).

Second, we're pretty much wrapped on EARTHLING. As I write this at 1:30 in the morning, we'll be shooting our last scenes with flesh and blood actors in less than 8 hours. After that, it's all rubber and latex as far as the eye can see. I've still got a bevy of effects shots with fake creepy crawlies before me. Effects films are fun!!!

Finally, once more, a great and hearty thanks to my entire cast and crew. Wonderful people who understand the enduro trials of no-budget filmmaking. This is the best, most fantabulous posse I've ever had the pleasure of running with, and my eternal gratitude is with you on your winged ride to Valhalla.

I'm really tired (shocker!) so here I am talking nonsense for the fifty bazillionth time!

Bed time for Bonzo!

Don't Even Know What Day It Is...

This is just a quick one. We're in the middle of week two of principal photography on EARTHLING. Things are going great. I have such an amazing cast and crew. I know I've mentioned this before, but really, they're the bee's knees. 

I've learned so much in the last few weeks. I feel like I've learned how to stay calm under debilitating pressure, and furthered my ability to make changes and compromises on the fly. This particular film is particularly hard to track. We're, of course, shooting out of order, and for something this "technical" with effects continuity and plot points that consistently need to be spelled out (i.e. sci-fi exposition), it's really become a challenge just keeping up with the basics on a day-to-day basis.

Tomorrow we film the most important emotional scenes in the film. I'm nervous, but excited. My actors are giving their all. I just gotta know what to take and when I've got it. I'm not even sure if that makes any sense. It's more of just trusting your artistic partners and knowing that not everything has to be telegraphed for an audience to get what you're going for.

I'm totally rambling and I have no idea what I'm talking about anymore. I'll post again when I'm more lucid. Just wish us all luck and godspeed as we sail towards the finish line of this nutty journey.

P.S.--This post is for Kat!

***Update***

Somehow watching this next video reaffirms my faith in the ability of the moving picture to stir the emotions. It gives me hope to soldier on...

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

DAY ONE!

Principal photography commences on EARTHLING!

I watched Blade Runner in bed last night. Trying to remind myself that it is possible to make intelligent sci-fi. Plus I really love the Ridley Scott 'no key-lighting' look. I already made arrangements for at least 12 smoke machines to be on set with us today.

We've got a really tight schedule, and today is our only day with William Katt (in a supporting role, playing the father of an astronaut). I'm very conscious of the pressure (today is also a big effects day), but I'm trying to keep an open mind. I want to find those happy accidents and synchronistic moments that take a good story and make it great. 

Finally starting to get excited. Finally.

Here we go!

Man, we're less than a week away from beginning principal photography on EARTHLING. I'm equal parts nervous and excited. We've put such a great team together that I actually think now I'm probably the weakest link! Of course, the self depreciation is a lame attempt to get all my friends to tell me how absolutely positive they are that I'm gonna do a great job. Whee!

Alongside prepping, I've also been doing my time at several film fests. AFI Dallas is wrapping up now. ST. NICK played there to sold out screenings, coming on the heels of previous sold out screenings at South by Southwest.

These screenings, plus upcoming ones, are nicely plotted out on producer James Johnston's blog here!

I always knew the film was really good, but I honestly had no idea what audiences would make of it. As it turns out, they absolutely love it. It really is a film that rewards you if you let it in. I was worried about the amount of patience it requires (for lack of an obvious traditional narrative), but the spartan qualities of the film turn out to be its greatest asset.

I think a shared familiarity of youth is tapped in a manner without sentimentality, allowing one to honestly imprint their own childhood longings and confusions. I think I finally get why David chose to hang on certain moments much longer than one normally would find necessary. The imprinting requires introspection. That sounds much more pretentious than I intended. I'm not referring to a pseudo-intellectual search for cheap symbolism, it's something more unconscious. It's about simplicity. A deft and intentional simplicity.

I remember a particular shot. A single shot which, because of its closeness, it's sheer proximity to the actor in question (it was a close-up shot of the dad looking pensive), implied a narrative explanation for the "inciting incident" that kicks off the story. Even this oblique inference of latent meaning was too heavy a hand for the film. I remember feeling it was necessary at the time (I pushed David to shoot the darn close-up), but now understand how it actually works against the purpose of the film. 

In what might come off as a trite tangent, I think my thoughts can be best summed up via an essayist from a slightly different (but exceedingly relevant) artistic world. There's a great book by Scott McCloud called "Understanding Comics," which is the closest thing we have to a total psychological and sociological deconstruction of sequential art. In it, he spends a great deal of time on the simple cartoon face. The idea that faced (!) with a certain lack of detail and overt information, but given certain familiar symbols, the brain will construct a narrative (or a human face, in Scott's case) far more personal that that of the highly detailed and case specific story (or drawing).

I think the key to what makes ST. NICK work so well is in there, if you allow yourself to approach the notion from a slightly abstract or obtuse angle. It's a lesson more filmmakers should take to heart (myself included).

Soooooo Tired!

Why do I even have a camera? I took not one single solitary photo at SxSW this year. So, I'm left posting this cute photo of my dog (courtesy of the lovely Sharon Wright!), who shares my current sentiment. He always seems to be in the same state of mind/ body as myself at any given time. I don't know if that's a sign that he's some sort of highly advanced super-pup, or if I'm some sort of troweling* lump-headed sub-humanoid. Either way.

Anyhoo, the screenings at the festival went very well. Both ST. NICK screenings sold out and were a hit. I heard the RECEIVE BACON screenings went amazingly well too. I feel horrible that I missed them both. Sorry James!

Here's a single-portion sampling of the outstandingly positive ST. NICK reviews!

Oh, and on the EARTHLING front, we're fully cast, fully located (um, I mean we have all our locations), fully everything elsed. So we're just about ready to launch (April 4th, why do you seem so close and simultaneously horrifying?).

EARTHLING PODCAST!!!

In the middle of preparations, I did a podcast interview with Curtis Wayne, an Austin-based film podcaster, about our big-little film. I was joined mid-podcast by Amelia Turner, one of the lead actors in the film. Check it out here!

--Addendum... After listening to myself blather on like a low-functioning sugar addict, I realized that I sorta made it sound like either myself or David Lowery was the director of Receive Bacon. This would be an awesome thing to be able to claim, however, it is sadly incorrect. The actual director is none other than Jurassic Park 3's James Johnston.

*I know the word troweling has nothing to do with the context in which it is used. I just think it has the ring of a word which should be used to describe a mental defective.

St. Nick Premiere Info and Posters by Yen Tan!

SXSW PREMIERE SCREENING Date:	Sunday, March 15
Time:	12:00pm - 3:00pm
Location:	Alamo Ritz

There are two more screenings after this.
Click here for the SxSW St. Nick page!

The poster was designed by Yen Tan (Happy Birthday, Yen!), who also designed many other awesome posters, including this amazing one for EARTHLING.

Official Press Release and link to first mentions...

And here's the mention from Mick at Cybermonkeydeathsquad!

And another one on Fangoria Online!

And we have a FACEBOOK FAN PAGE! Join HERE!

We're on our merry way! More to come in the next few days.

EARTHLING PRE-PRO: We're building this sucker!

Casting BONANZA!

Well, not really, but it feels like a bonanza...in my pants. Kidding. Actually, just got back from Austin, where thanks to the gracious help of one Kat Candler (aka Princess da Bomb'ington of Austin Film) I was able to hold a casting session for Austin area talent.

We're still on the hunt for a few good men, women and children for the upcoming feature film, EARTHLING. Shooting commences in March, and we're mostly good to go. Just a few key roles and locations left to fill.

We've already got a stellar cast brewing, with lead roles being filled by actors such as Rebecca Spence (an incredible recommendation from Frank V. Ross) and Peter Greene (who I can finally talk about, as he just signed his contract!).

Anyhow, there's so much to juggle right now. On this film and on projects for my various friends and associates. It's all coming together by sheer force of will. I'm in that 'don't look at the entire mountain, look at the individual rocks' mode. If I stared down everything I have left to do, I'd cry.

Earthling is my second feature as director. I've been told by various Hollywood types (including several old reps) that my first feature doesn't count because it's an anthology film (aka, a collection of shorts). Well, that didn't make it any harder to pull off. And for my sophomore effort, I picked a doozy as well. Science fiction 'psuedo-thriller' (horrible denotation) on a super low budget. Thankfully I've been blessed (in a non-religious, but equally monumental sense) with an incredible production team.

I'm sure I'll be blogging about each and every one of them in the following weeks. Hopefully I can keep my head on straight.

This blog entry kinda sucks ass, but my brain can do no better at this moment. I really began typing this just to say thanks to Kat. Then the blathering began...Oh well, can't win em all.

Color Correcting FRENZY!

So, we're been officially in active pre-production for my second feature, EARTHLING (which sports an amazing cast... I'll be detailing shortly). At the same time I'm in a veritable Boom Town of color correcting. Features, music videos, short films.

Two movies I shot have been accepted into the South by Southwest Film Festival this year, so I'm dealing with "deliverables" and the like there.

On my plate: David Lowery's ST. NICK, Frank V. Ross' PRESENT COMPANY, A.C. Abbott's DISOWNING CLAIRE, James Johnston's RECEIVE BACON, and this music video by Toby Holbrooks and the aforementioned David Lowery. I think it's as good a representation of my coloring as any.

Check it out. I love to color. And I do it within the lines.

St Nick to premiere at South by Southwest!

Hey, so David Lowery's awesome new feature, ST. NICK will have its premiere at this year's South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas.

Many of our usual collaborators are responsible for the production of the film. James Johnston, Adam Donaghey, Martin Pedersen, Johnathan Rudack, Mark Sharon, Ellen Weaver, and a bunch more. Not to mention the great kid actors, Tucker and Savanna Sears.

I was the cinematographer. David pushed me in a good way, and even though we had a fraction of the budget I'm used to, I'm more proud of my work here than on the majority of the films I've shot in the past.

Here's the first trailer. Hope to see as many of you as possible in March.

ST. NICK trailer from ST NICK on Vimeo.

Happy Holidays!

So, I've been traveling quite a bit this holiday season, and computer access has been nominal. I did want to take a moment to post a few reviews...

"...one of the best shorts of the year." Wowza!

First, MY MOM SMOKES WEED is on the front page of FILM THREAT! Don Lewis gave us a really fantastic review. Check it out here!

Next, Yen Tan's CIAO played in LA this past weekend. It got a rave review from the LA Times. You really should read it. And you can, here!

Now it's off to LA for Bill and Dana's wedding. A few interesting meetings lined up there as well. Very close to solidifying my next feature. Fingers crossed.

I totally forgot this existed...

...and there's probably a reason for that! Leave it to Adam Donaghey to produce what's probably our only "behind the scenes" video for MY MOM SMOKES WEED. 

I can assure you that nothing illegal is transpiring here. However, the sheer notion of the education process going on here may cause a shudder to run up a few spines. Thanks to Sylvia for being such a good sport. And thanks to Chris for demonstrating a special skill set none of the rest of us possessed.

A Creepy Gang Banger Teaches a Mommy How to Hit a Bong! from Adam Donaghey on Vimeo.

Ciao Opens Friday (Only in Theaters)!!!!!

My good friend (and producer of MY MOM SMOKES WEED) Yen Tan's amazingly understated meditation on unrequited love and loss, CIAO open this Friday in select theaters. 

We're all so very proud of him!

The film was also edited by David Lowery (who shot MMSW). 

Check out ciaomovie.com for details and screening venues.

MY MOM SMOKES WEED in TWO MORE FESTS!

***UPDATED WITH DATE AND VENUE CORRECTIONS (for Lonestar Film Fest)

Just a real quick note. MMSW is playing this weekend at the Dallas Video Festival...

MY MOM SMOKES WEED
"Shorts After Dark":
Date: 11/8/08 (Saturday)
Venue: Angelika Film Centre (Mockingbird Station)
Time 10pm
More details

And the following week at the Lone Star International Film Festival

Shorts Program 2 on Friday, November 14, 2008 at 5:00 pm and Saturday,
November 15, 2008 at 1:30 pm

More details

PART OF SHORTS BLOCK #2

There's a piece on the Dallas Observer blogspot about the Dallas Video Fest. It features MMSW, as well as several other deserving films, such as a personal fave of mine... Frank Ross' PRESENT COMPANY.

Hope to see you at either or BOTH!

Clay

Sidewalk 2008! A Pictographical Journey in Picto-Photos!

Wow, so as you may or may not know, I was at this year's Sidewalk Moving Pictures Festival in Birmingham, AL. MY MOM SMOKES WEED screened there. And of course, I brought a camera. And even more of course, my photos sucked!!!

But guess what, just like your Uncle Fred, I'm gonna subject you to them....

right NOW!!!



I call this one...BEHIND THE SCENES!



Actually, it's VULCAN. Not Spock's homeworld, rather the Roman God of Fire and Banana Hammocks!

We were treated to a welcome luncheon at the base of his fiery buttocks, also referred to as the Vulcan Observatory.



And what is there to observe at the observatory, other than the obligatory giant metal butt? Why, other filmmakers, of course!

Here's one of them now!



Why it's Tim Burton, director of "Terminator 2" and "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey." You shouldn't be here, Tim. You should be on the set of your new film, "Saturdays Night Fevers!"
(editor: This is actually James M. Johnston, director of "Merrily, Merrily")



Here, David Lowery takes a photo of his favorite celebrity, the fourth floor stairwell! It truly is a "Night of 1000 Stars!"



Here, your intrepid Picto-Photo Journalist gives a "thumbs up" to the beatific skyline of Birmingham with his freakish mini-chin-fist. It truly is a grotesque sight, especially in light of the grandeur surrounding it.

Oh well, it's off to the smelter with TV's Frank V. Ross.



Birmingham's natural export is smelted iron squares. The Sidewalk filmmakers were invited to act as ambassadors of smelting. Like the mighty Vulcan himself, we smelted our little butts off, and in some cases, other body parts as well...





Look, it's smelting! And guess who smelt it?



Why, it's TV's Frank V. Ross! AGAIN! Frank is this year's recipient of the Frank V. Ross Award for Excellence in Being Frank V. Ross. "The Frankies" for short. It was a close race, this inaugural year, with Frank winning by a nose (as depicted above), and swiping the Frankie from "Bull Durham's" Natalie Portman.

Off to near fatal accident land!

Whoa! That metal looks REALLY hot! I sure hope it doesn't spill out onto someone's head!



Oh wait, look out!!!!! No!!!!



Melty! Melty! Thank God for the affirmative action policies of Alabama which require a minimum of three midget smelters per factory. If these had been full-sized smelters with a full-sized bucket, Kris probably would have been killed!



After a trip to the Birmingham Office of Desmelting, Kris Swanberg is once again right as rain. Much fun is had, and much metal is smelted. New friendships are forged and many bad metal-based puns and analogies are made.

And this was just DAY ONE! Stay tuned for DAY TWO, where I didn't take any photos because I forgot my camera was in my pocket, so you'll be staying tuned for a long long time!

For a more fair and balanced view of the further adventures of Sidewalk, please refer to David Lowery's blog here!

TTFN!

Baby's First Festival!

Looks awful similar to the last post, don't it! Yeah, well there are a few MINOR changes. Besides coloring and the correction of a few typos, we've added the laurels of our first festival! Yes, MMSW will be playing at the awesomely cool Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival this month!

The time slot has not been updated as of yet, but if you're in Birmingham the last weekend in Sept, you should come check it out.

The lineup of films is quite amazing, and includes several fantastic films from friends and collaborators. James Johnston's MERRILY MERRILY, David Lowery's CATALOG OF ANTICIPATIONS, Frank Ross' PRESENT COMPANY , Ari Gold's ADVENTURES OF POWER,
and Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig's NIGHT AND WEEKENDS, just to name a few.

I know pretty much all of the above filmmakers will be in attendance, so it should be great fun.

In other news, I finally delivered A FOUR COURSE MEAL to its eventual foreign distributor. Hopefully that means we'll be seeing DVDs in the coming months. Also, I just shot a new short film for James Johnston entitled RECEIVE BACON. The film is a stylized deconstruction of a barroom hook-up gone awry after a particularly devastating piece of bathroom humor provides its own form of coitus interruptus. I had great fun shooting it, and I think it ought to be very funny (and mildly embarrassing---in the best possible manner).

Finally, ST. NICK will be returning to New York for the IFP Market next week (I think). Let's all wish it luck, as it's up for another round of possible grant money! It's a very deserving film. I can't wait for more people to get a chance to see it!

Like an Old 70's Paperback...

Yen makes pretty posters. This one isn't totally finished yet, but I couldn't resist posting it.
It looks more like a paperback book cover than a movie poster. That's a compliment.

St. Nick in Filmmaker F'ing Magazine!!!!

So David Lowery just informed me that St. Nick was featured in the summer issue of Filmmaker Magazine. That's the one, pictured above. I immediately rushed over to Borders to buy a copy, and there it was, complete with a nice color photo from the film. Really nifty mention. Classy stuff. Pick it up if you get a chance.

And in other news, Yen Tan's magnificent feature film CIAO is officially being released by Regent Entertainment. This is a theatrical release too. Amazing. And this for a film that seemed to come out of nowhere. I've seen it like six times now, and helped out on the color correct. I really think it's a transcendental piece. You really need to see this one when it rolls out this Fall.

Also, on my other dumb blog, BUDDY BUDDY PAL, I have the first in a series of lame photo accounts of my trip to San Diego Comic Con this year. I got to interview all sorts of cool people, and I'll be uploading "exclusive" videos in the coming days.

St. Nick Screened in Austin, but I'm not gonna talk about it...much!

ST. NICK, David Lowery's treatise on the restlessness of youth (extreme youth, in this case) pitted against the authoritative controls of society and nature (my lame-o interpretation), played before an Austin Film Society member audience Monday night. It was the first public screening for the film, and my second time to see it. I'm not going to go into details, as David hasn't completed the film. I do think it is shaping up to be pretty darn awesome. The flow... the overall length.... The whole affair is poetic and takes its time, but certainly doesn't wear out its welcome. 

The audience of primarily strangers, with no prior association to the film, reacted strongly (in our favor, thankfully) to what is still (technically) a rough cut. During the critique session Bryan Poyser held later, the fact that the attendees truly THOUGHT about the film became immediately apparent. I mean, the comments weren't simply 'it was good' or 'I liked it.' There was some real thematic brainwork going into the proceedings, the likes of which you don't typically see these days. It's refreshing to hear people process a work of art in total, instead of just glossing over it with the pre-ordained drivel of dismissive praise. This is the definition of a meditative film. David even did something extremely ballsy and old-school to open up the picture and establish the contemplative tone, which I won't spoil here (but if you're an aficionado of pre-80's theatrical epics, you may be able to figure it out). The funny thing is, you could really tell who in the room was a parent (and who wasn't).  Kids in (perceived) peril! A key element of drama and a great button-pusher (in this case, the good button). Gets em every time!

Overall, a great event. One I think we all came away stronger for having been a part of. I'm probably one of those rare filmmakers who actually values the testing process, as long as it's done with the right audience in mind. I think the reason most Hollywood directors loathe it is because they have ZERO control over the attending audience. Every movie has an audience. For some films, that audience may consist of twelve people. For others, fifty million (Dark Knight, anyone?). The key to making a successful film is knowing your core audience, making the film right for them (no pandering!), and not exceeding a budget larger than their movie-going dollars will allow. A ten year old kid is not going to get a movie like SAVAGE GRACE. Likewise, a patron of the arts with a season pass to the Dallas Opera is probably not gonna be down with a screening of THE DEVIL'S REJECTS (I totally picked these examples off the top of my head, and it shows). I know this sounds like an oversimplification, but in the era of escalating costs (coupled with a horrific economy), I think it's something to consider. Not every movie can or even SHOULD appeal to every moviegoer. There's an old adage, 'when you try to satisfy everybody, you end up satisfying nobody.' Truer words have never been spoken about the creative process. Obviously, if your movie cost over 100 million clams to produce, you gotta get every soccer mom with a pulse INTO THAT DAMN THEATER just to break even. But, of course, then you probably have computer-generated dinosaurs, or Bruce Willis, or computer-generated Bruce Willis to help you draw in the crowds, so what can ya do. Butts + Seats = Moolah!!!!

On a final note about testing, it's a somewhat known fact that Spielberg was a test-happy-monkey who loved to screen his films with audiences outside of LA (to get 'real' so to speak). In fact, his favorite stomping grounds for such work was none other than my current residence of Dallas, Texas. The theater of choice, the late lamented Medallion Cinema (off Skillman and Northwest Highway, where the Target is now--in case you live around there). It's the first place an audience of the "general public" ever got to see such classics as JAWS and E.T. Is it just a coincidence that now the Medallion is closed and Spielberg sucks? Gotta wonder.

Anway, I wish I could talk more about ST. NICK, but I really don't want to compromise what is still, in effect, a work-in-progress. I will say that the film feels very complete, even in this nascent form. It certainly will only get better, and I say that because I know David, and I know what he's capable of. And if you're reading this blog, I certainly don't need to tell you where to go for updates on the project (but I hyperlinked it anyway). 

About Friggin Time...(for a Meal)!

So, it's official now. After a ridiculously long shelf-life due to some stupid choices made by yours truly, A FOUR COURSE MEAL is soon to be available on home video. I just inked a contract with a foreign distributor who is also going to help handle domestic sales. Hopefully this means a DVD will be available in the near future.

In the meantime, I just found this silly promo teaser I put together right after I finished CUT ONE of the film. Bask in the misappropriation of copyrighted music! Soil yourself in horror at the rampant low resolution graphics!

The few of you who know anything about it will note that it includes footage from the DELETED STORY SEGMENT entitled OUTPOST 7734. Fun.


A FOUR COURSE MEAL Original Teaser from Clay Liford on Vimeo.

I have over an hour of deleted scenes that I'm compiling for the release. I'm shocked at how much stuff we shot that didn't make it in, even on our meager budgetary level.

Even though I went to film school and shot a TON of goofy films, I consider AFCM my true film school. Not to disparage it (or my tuition-based film school) in any way. I'm actually quite proud of the vast majority of what's in the final cut, and I think most of it still holds up (even post-Transformers!). The 'film school' part has to do with the hard lessons and difficult choices I had to make (both creatively and business-wise) over the life-cycle of the project. This is probably way more than you care to know, but I always find it interesting to see the point at which different creative people come into their own. AFCM is pretty much the first film I've completed that I'm comfortable with people seeing. That said, I am a totally different person now than I was at the time I wrote it. But I feel there's enough of a confident voice in there that my former-self is properly represented. I can't say the same for my actual University of Texas student films. Those need to be shoveled into a deep dark hole, never again to see the light of day.

Anyway, I'll post more info as the release approaches. I know it's been a long time coming. And for the few actual fans out there, many thanks for your patience.

As an aside, if there was an award for most aimless and rambling post, this one would surely get it. In fact, if anybody decides to make such an award, I nominate myself for the namesake. Then again, "The Clays" has a pretty crappy ring to it. Oh well.