RIP: Mike deGruy and Andrew Wight

Less than a week ago, two fellow filmmakers and close friends died together in an helicopter crash off the Australian coast. Australian Andrew Wight and American Mike deGruy were found 97 miles north of Sydney, in Nowra. DeGruy, an Emmy and BAFTA-award winning marine documentary filmmaker, is a fellow Mobilian. Not just any Mobilian, but a card-carrying advocate of the river deltas and bayous that make up our home.



From his website:

Mike deGruy was born on December 29, 1951 in Mobile, Alabama. It was here, at the confluence of 5 rivers, with an amazing delta flowing through rich swamps of alligators, birds of every flavor, fish, deer and snakes, all emptying into Mobile Bay and finally the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, that Mike gained his enthusiasm for the ocean - a love that continues to this day.

We also both eventually left Mobile for the California sun, but that is another story. DeGruy probably spent most of his life convincing people he's not from Louisiana.

Here is deGruy discussing the now infamous BP Gulf Coast oil spill.



Happy Filmmaking!

For the lulz: Actor and Filmmaker quirks

While I believe there are WAY too many of the "Sh-t (anything in the world) say" videos floating around, I found these pretty funny and true to life. If living in Los Angeles taught me anything, it taught me that there are a lot of dreamers out there. Also, I recognize the Santa Monica bus (yes, I know the 704 very well! LA Metro shout-out!) Enjoy.





Happy Filmmaking!

Netflix launching original series amid growing competition

Looks like Netflix is serious about its streaming expansion. While making a mint in DVD rentals, Netflix looks to the future by offering new original content. Whether or not this decision was made due to the fact Netflix has had some licensing issues with certain movie titles, it should give some indie producers a new option in displaying their content to the world.

Netflix calls “Lilyhammer” a gripping fish-out-of-water story set in Norway and starring “The Sopranos” mainstay and E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt. The new original series is available to watch on Netflix as of Monday.

It would be interesting to see Netflix start to compete with Vimeo, Snagfilms, and even Youtube. It opened the door with its Red Envelope Entertainment distribution for indies; let's see if Netflix can back up this original web series claim. Even though the company states they support indie features, its track record states otherwise. Even Red Envelope Entertainment eventually got "the ax."

Netflix launching original series amid growing competition

Happy Filmmaking.

"What I did on my Winter Vacation..."

Thought I would share some updates through pictures. I took a small break from blogging and the industry by taking care of my private priorities. Getting back in the game is difficult, but it gets a little easier due to the "award season." In fact, the Golden Globes are in process right now. Anyways, the holidays have come and gone.
I spent Christmas attending mass with my brother at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. It was an humbling and beautiful experience. A local film is using the cathedral as a backdrop. The new translation is causing some problems still. The couple behind us defiantly would say "and also with you". You are now supposed to say "and with your spirit." I just think it's funny to protest the change. Isn't that how Protestants began?

New Years' in Mobile is just another pre-Mardi Gras party. As the Order of Myths already covered that phenomenon, I'll just say this: moon pie. Yes, Mobile drops a giant moon pie in place of a ball. Pensacola has a pelican, which is slightly more cool. Well, even though the moon pie idea was mocked in its first year, the idea has grown on the revelers. The pea soup-thick bayou fog did not keep people away from seeing this giant, inedible moon pie.
And the "food truck" thing has hit Mobile like a ton of bricks. But instead of tacos, the trucks would most likely sell shrimp po-boys and 20 varieties of chicken. Mobile is considered Alabama's artist haven. It has a strong literary past which includes Truman Capote, William March, and Eugene Walter. So the popular downtown hangout Boo Radley's serves as an inside joke and cool kids (i.e., hipster) spot. How ironic. This picture is the line outside. New Years' came and left quickly. Now we are officially in the Mardi Gras season, as indicated by all the decor on sale. I also noticed that most Mardi Gras decorations are "made in China."
But enough Kodak moments. Indie news and updates coming soon!

Happy Filmmaking.

Score one for the lil' people: "Interns" fight back!

I hope this makes your day as much as it has made mine. There is a very thin line between volunteering and helping out versus being an "adult intern." I have already touched on this subject in the past, urging for the blatant abuse of labor law to stop. It may never happen, but let's face it: something has to change to stop runaway productions and slapped together second-rate product. The people demand more for their money nowadays. The industry still needs asses in seats, and a strong economy, one with jobs, will allow that to happen. New York Times reports,

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, claims that Fox Searchlight Pictures, the producer of Black Swan, had the interns do menial work that should have been done by paid employees and did not provide them with the type of educational experience that labor rules require in order to exempt employers from paying interns.

The rest of the article is here. The Indietalk discussion about this article is here.

Happy Filmmaking.

Preproduction Research Photos for "C'est la Mort"

Preproduction is moving along. Because C'est La Mort is a historical documentary, I visited some of the Mobile's long-time residents at the city's historic Church Street Graveyard. Many of the city's more famous residents currently reside here, including Joe Cain and Eugene Walter. This cemetery peeked around the mid-to-late 1800s. Following Mobile's strong Catholic tradition, the northern third of the graveyard (and the best ground) was reserved for practicing Catholics. Protestants were buried in the back. Unbaptized individuals seemed to be buried to the west due to all the baby-sized graves on that side, even though some babies seem to be buried with mom or other family members.

Thought I would share my fabulously creepy photos taken with my phone.

Joe Cain.

Lopez Family graves.

Young woman who died at 26 in 1847.

Eugene Walter.

Catholic grave.

Possible Mason grave.

Child named "Louise". Mom and dad weren't too far.

Another child or children's grave.

Happy Filmmaking!