Erik Wieder

on and on

2004-03-23T04:31:49Z

I am in Maui at the moment, and it is raining. I flew out of Orlando friday morning, early... really early, like God awful early, and arrived in Las Vegas at about noon, vegas time. Stayed at the Mirage on the strip for three nights. Friday, about 11ish, I took my camera and walked the strip grabing some nice exterior shots to help sell the Las vegas location of the script. Nothing too elaborate, just quality. There are lots of escalators on the strip, so I would use those for any cran shots, to get these nice rising and lowering shots of the strip.
Flew out of Vegas early this morning, arriving in Maui about 1:30 pm, maui time, which is 5 hours behind eastern time, but only in the winter because they don't observe daylight savings, when most of America jumps forward an hour, but hawaii doesn't, so they are 6 hours ahead in the summer.
But who cares about that problem, because it's raining in the one place in the world where it never rains.
Look it up. I'm on maui, the side of the island that never gets rain. It averages like 2 inches a year. Yeah! It's going to rain for about 6 days in a row. And thats the only days Im here.
Geez.

few and far between

2004-03-17T19:22:49Z

So, two days in a row. For those of you who are as surprised as me... well, your just as surprised as me. I've decided to let it all out. That's right. I'm not going to try and hide it anymore. I've decided I will come clean.

I am a horrible communicator.

However, i will do my best over the next few months. Why, you might ask? I've decided to fill my journal with posts and updates about how the making of my first feature film, Crossing Ocean's, is proceeding.
I've come to realize for the last year or so, I've been desperately seeking the right idea to try and write about. A killer idea. One that will get the attention of a lot of people and showcase my creativity.
Ha.
It was a Friday night and I was supposed to drive to Miami for the weekend to visit my folks and see my sister and her new baby. However, Miami is a four hour trip from where I live. It was 6:30 pm when I got off work. I wouldn't get to Miami until atleast 10-10:30pm, if I drive 90 down I-95.
I didn't want to waste four hours of my precious weekend driving down there, and another four driving back.
I sat on my butt friday and thought about the first movie I wanted to make. I spent the whole weekend brainstorming.
I bought index cards to help organize my scenes, (this is the first time I ever did this, i should have tried this a long time ago. I know, I'm an idiot.) It took me a whole weekend to flesh out the story, organize scenes... think about the kind of characters I wanted.
By Monday, I had an idea was in place. I was pushing forward! Yes, I understand that perhaps I might have been rushing things at this point. Maybe it's a good idea to sit on this awhile and really think it through.
Then I realized, that's what I always do. I need to change my habits. No, I'm pushing forward. I have a Panasonic DVX-100, I'll shoot it 24p advanced, get a very similar look to film, and I'm going to make a movie. Good, bad, i don't care. I'm not spending a dime on it. I'll buy mini-dv tapes. That's it. I'll shoot whenever I can, with whoever I have available. I'll use only four main characters, and a lot of extra's, so I'm not relying on too many people.
For a long time I thought, I need money to make a movie.
Yeah right. That's what film school and Hollywood told me. But why do you think that is? Because everyone wants money. The only person I know who will work hard on my movie for free... is me. And really, that's all I need for right now. I'd love to have all my film school classmates join me, but I'm not sure enough about my style yet to endure the process of having a crew constantly questioning my decisions and judgements.
So, I'll be the rebel. The lone cameraman.
No problem.
So Monday night I got home from work and decided i wanted to do something. Work on the movie in some way. I'll make the opening credits. Get an idea of how I want to start the movie and grab the attention of the audience. I wound up making a very simple credit sequence, black with white text fading into one another. it gets the job... but I need music, just a temp track. Something not under copyright law anymore.
I found a CD of Orff's Carmina Barana, and used track 14. It has driving drum beat and choiral accompanyment. I hadn't fleshed out the first scene, so i decided that the character who dies in the first scene will be listening to this real loud. It sounds really cool.
Okay. Great.
The music began inspiring images and sequences in my head. Since the music would be loud, not need to record dialogue or sound. Just images. That's easy.
I finished the night drawing storyboards.

The next day, I decided I would shoot the scene. It's fresh in my head. I'll dress someone up in a way that you can't recognize who the main character is, because I haven't cast him yet.

That night we shot the scene. One idea was the main actor would wear a ski mask to hide his face. But I need a black ski mask. All I could get was a red one, which figures because I live in Florida. Any snow ski store in Florida probably wouldn't have a huge market.
After thinking about buying one, I decided, screw it. I'll be creative. I'll write it in the story somehow. I'm not spending money.

Chip and Mike helped me shoot the scene. They brought a lot of good idea's to the table. I stayed up til 3am cutting a rough cut that night of the scene. That alone really got me excited, because it looked great, and it was only a rough cutt. I just spliced stufff together. I'm pumped now.

how long has it been...?

2004-03-16T16:13:05Z

Much to my surprise, and yet i should have know, a lot has changed in the last yeat or so since i have written. i am no longer an aspiring californian, desperatley trying to adapt to the culture of the fast moving hollywood machine. no longer am i an aspiring filmmaker living off bread and water.
no, today i announce my candidacy to finally become who i have been all along. erik wieder, the filmmaker.
i have been blessed with my current living situation and the friends who help me when i need it, and it's the blessings that have allowed me to write, what i feel, is my best story and my best chance to show my talent.
The title of the movier is tentativley "Crossing Ocean's", just because it feels right to me, however I'm reminded of the title, Crossing Jordan, which i think is a movie and, if that is the case, i have never seen it. Whatever, trivial matter at the moment.
Adrian is getting married in july, i will be flying this thursday to Las Vegas for audio video convention, then to Maui for a week for business.
Along the way, i will catching stock footage of those places so i can set my movie in multiple locations. :)
Well, i must start working.
until the next time i write, (who knows when that will be)

do's and don'ts

2003-04-02T23:42:06Z

There are two kinds of people - those who don't do what they want to do so they write down in a diary about what they haven't done and those who are too busy to write about it 'cause they're out doing it!

From the move -- "The More the Merrier (1943)

Sorry i haven't been keeping current. No offense to anyone who has.
Let's see... had an interview at Universal Studios today to work in the Visual effects dept. for the Fox movie "Garfield" staring Jennifer Love Hewit. Won't know if i got it till next week, but it was cool being on the back lot. Money is a problem still. Big probelm, but hey! isn't it for everyone?
Maybe i'll have more soon....

I'M BACK

2003-03-13T01:43:24Z

So, i've been so busy trying to be busy i haven't written in like 6 months, or something. So here i am. i'm back.
just thought you'd like to know, whoever you are.

no better no worse

2002-09-29T15:07:16Z

working as an assistant camera for a short film shooting in LA. We're using Arri SR2 which isn't the greatest camera in the world, (i'd rather have the SR 3) but hey, i can't complain. i talked to my friend Vanessa last night. it was great to hear her voice and hear she is doing well in her creative writing class. She is a great writer, and i'm glad she's hearing that from someone else other then me.

Woo HOo!

2002-09-26T03:36:07Z

i got paid!!!!!! i'm sitting in my room watching some tube and Adrian strolls in telling me my phone service sux. this i already know, and hate verizon wireless. if i can get out of the new freakin contract i got myself into to save money, i will. but thats not what this entry is about. i got paid!!!! Thank You so much to the crew of Diamond and Sphinx. oh yeah, so i'm watching tv and Adrian throws an envelope over to me and my name is written on it. I ask if he went to the post office and got the mail, but there is no address on the envelope, just my name. dumbfounded, i ask what it is and Adrian just tells me "open it!". so i rip it open and i find $100.00 inside! he tells me it was from the crew of the shoot diamond & sphinx. i couldn't believe it! it couldn't have come at a better time. with all the bills i have to pay this week and next... what a relief. i'll make it stretch! Thank You Moe, Tag, Steve, Pauline, Robby, Tom, and Galen. I so enjoyed working with you guys. Sure, some people were jerks, (not mentioning names, but we know who this individual is "you know what i mean?") but you all were great. Thanx.

erikwieder @ 2002-09-25T15:09:00

2002-09-25T19:14:35Z

Well, Diamond and Sphinx wraps today. i decided not to go. i can't stand that director, and it's not like i was being paid anyway. No one else on the set would blame me. None of them would be there either if it wasn't for the pay checks. Having lunch with past John today. I don't have much to do until Oct 8th. It'd be nice if I could find some money from somewhere. i might have Assistant Camera gig his weekend, but no definitives on that yet. wainting to hear something. Tamilla comes back into town this weekend. That would be fun to hang out with someone this weekend.
so, yeah....

uh huh

2002-09-23T04:27:39Z

A rather boring weekend. The film "Diamond & Sphinx" was fun to watch, and work on saturday. We shot on location at Griffith Park. Our call time was 7am. We didn't get the first shot off til about noon. closer to one maybe. it was the directors fault totally. never have i seen a person more clueless then this guy. he can't even decide what color shirt to put on in a pitch black room for greatest dramatic effect, let alone act, direct, produce, write and complain on this film. and he treats everyone like crap. the other film i'm on "April's Shower" looks to be a lot more promising.
i got an e-mail from Nickie today which made me very happy. I also was offered dodger playoff tickets today as well. My friend Steve is a sportscaster on 1540 AM radio station, and he's got tickets if the Dodgers make the playoffs. if they do, they'll play the Braves, my favorite team, and that would be wild for me!
Sorry Dad.

workin harder

2002-09-20T06:24:42Z

i didn't get the job with the music composer/ record producer that i was hoping for. i was excited about the prospect of being able to go looking for an apartment. Now, it looks like that won't happen for a little while longer. Meanwhile, production is going well on April's Shower. The entire team (Director, Producers, Production Designer, UPM, D.P.,...etc are really nice people). i don't know if my gut instinct is correct on this, but i think i might be getting paid to be a PA on the shoot if everything goes well. Then again, maybe not. But their professionals and they know what they are doing, and it will be great to see them work in a professional environment and be exposed the that. They'll even have a steadicam operator for a lot of shots!!! Way cool.

stayin busy

2002-09-18T06:08:13Z

i managed to handle a job interview, a pre-production film project, and a production gig today! Working on a set again felt real good. Everything from school came back to me with ease while on the set of Diamond & Spinx. Meanwhile, i am helping to prepare the set for April's Shower's October 8th shoot date, which will go through October. As i arrive on the first day, the task at hand is to paint some walls and make it look "weathered". i throw a word i remembered from school (Distressed) and next thing you know, one of the producers is shocked i even know the word and already is impressed.

Small World

2002-09-16T01:35:53Z

i went to church today and wound up making some friends.
i met a guy named Sam Griffen on Sept.3rd at a school alumni reunion. Sam works in the film biz. His most notable projects have been T3, Star Trek Nemesis, and American Sweethearts. That is my back story for the forthcoming story.
So i go out to lunch with Tamilla (i'm not sure how to spell it, but she likes the nick name Turtle, so she will be called that from now on) whom i just met in Church. She seemed very cool, and she impressed me when she picked up the guitar and began playing, so i asked her to lunch and without hesitation she said yes. So we eat at Bob's Big Boy, (my first time eating there) and we discuss all the usual "get to know each other stuff" and she asks "What film school in Florida did you go too?". So i reply "You probably haven't heard of it, it's called Full Sail."
Well, she laughs and replies that she has heard of it and knows a number of people who have graduated from there. She then begins spouting off names of people, to see if we have any mutual friends. After the third or fourth "no", "sorry", "don't know him either", we determine they graduated before i ever started school.
So, trying to impress her, i mention that i know a guy from my school who worked on T3 and American Sweethearts and so on. She exclaims right back to me "Sam Griffen?"
"You know Sam?" i ask.
Small World!
Lunch went great, she is a very cool girl, and i enjoyed paying for the meal.
In other news...

i have a gig as a production assistant tomorrow. i don't get paid, don't even think i get food, but it's a movie called April's Shower. Who knows? i might get lucky with it somehow.

erikwieder @ 2002-09-15T03:12:00

2002-09-15T07:14:59Z

I wish I could say that something awesome has come up, but nothing yet. Got a job as PA for 35mm film shooting this week. I'll work my butt off for free, and see if anything comes out of it. To my friend Nickie, if you ever read this, you told about the list! And i know it. For everyone else, now you all know too, in case you ever need to know.

Remembering to Remember

2002-09-11T19:18:34Z

Every TV Station is showing it. Every TV anchor talking about it. Every person being interviewed reliving it.
We haven't forgotten to remember... yet.
In other news...

Yesterday, the 10th of September, a non-remembrance day in American history, Adrian, my roommate, and I helped out with a casting Session in Beverly Hills. We worked for free, got lunch for our time, and met some nice people.
Today, we both received phone calls from the casting director/writer/producer informing us that after speaking with the director of the project, they would love for us to work on the project with them.
Unfortunately, I need to find some money from somewhere!
If you would like to contribute to the FEED ERIK FOUNDATION, please mail your contribution to:
Erik Wieder
PO Box 482
Glendale, CA 91209

Entry 1

2002-09-11T06:17:17Z

Birth! Words contain a duality. Invisible presence. Never will you ever see a spoken word, but you will always feel it's power when you hear it. But, just as powerful as the spoken word is the written word.
Transcending time, language, and continents; transported through wire and by light, it now appears before you, the reader.
And with that, I admit I have nothing new to say. I know just as much as anyone else in the world, if not less. I do not know the meaning of life. I do not understand quantum physics nor the dual nature of light. (Waves and photons?)
I know what I know and it is everything about nothing. I