Friday,
February 1, 2013
I
received a call from Brian McCulley today. Let me rephrase that. I received a
“missed” call from Brian McCulley while I was working out. Turns out that Brian
is the manager for Adam Trent, a world famous illusionist, and he’s scheduled
to perform in Iowa on Saturday night. Upon learning that he’d be in Iowa, Tim
notified him that he had to get in contact with me. Brian tells me that he can
comp me tickets to the show and that he’ll tell me where the show is being held
once the plane lands in Des Moines.
Of
course, I’m ecstatic. Wouldn’t you be? For once, I don’t have to travel a
ridiculously long distance just to meet with the people I’m doing the
internship with. And I get to see a free show to boot. Without hesitating, I
agree to come to the show.
Unbeknownst
to me and Brian, however, the show is being held at the Sondheim Theatre of
Performing Arts…in Fairfield, roughly a two hour drive from Des Moines. So much
for them coming to me. Now, I had never heard of Fairfield which is weird
because I am a huge Beatles fan and Fairfield, IA is the home of Maharishi University
of Management which Paul McCartney’s son, James, attends. Regardless
of my ignorance, I say yes immediately without realizing how far Fairfield is
and upon learning how long it will take, thanks to Mapquest, I realize that I
won’t be home until very late.
Saturday,
February 2, 2013
Having
been unable to find anyone to accompany me (everyone turned me down on such
short notice), I embark on the long journey with single CD to get the creative
juices flowing on my four hour round trip.
Upon
arriving (and after having my GPS try to lead me off of a cliff), I find two
tickets waiting for me at the box office and I am escorted to the VIP section
of the theatre located in a private box stage right. Shortly after I’m seated,
I’m greeted by a couple to my immediate right. He introduces himself as Lee
Ross and his partner is Tracy McCormick. They’re both from LA. Lee explains
that he’s involved in the film industry while Tracy is in the music business
and that they’re in Iowa scouting out locations for an upcoming film. I’ll
admit, Lee seemed a bit pretentious at first, trying to build himself up about
how he’d been backstage hanging out with Adam Trent, but then he gained a
genuine interest in me once he found out who I was. In fact, after I mentioned
that my film company is called the Iowa Zoetrope, he immediately smirked. He
made the connection. Immediately, when I make mention of the Iowa Zoetrope to
the average Joe, his or her face immediately goes blank. Lee understood that
the name was derived from George Lucas’s and Francis Ford Coppola’s American
Zoetrope. We talk for a bit and he gives me a business card telling me to send
him a demo reel.
The
show begins and I’m immediately impressed. Adam Trent doesn’t rely on flash but
instead has a very strong personality to carry the performance. The best way to
describe it is Michael Cera as a magician. He’s funny and provides some genuine
moments that make the audience feel sentimental. After the show, I meet up with
Brian at the merchandise table. He tells me to head backstage and wait in the
dressing room while he and Adam sell magic sets and dvds to legions of ravenous
fans. When Brian finally meets me backstage, I’m finally afforded an opportunity
to discuss matters about the project in person as opposed to going back and
forth via email. First up, casting is set to begin in Denver on the third week
of February. In fact, Brian says that his team and his studio are already set
in place to the point that we could begin filming tomorrow but delays with the
script are what’s postponed everything. He goes on to say that this is why so
many people get discouraged with the film industry. Things feel like they’re
moving at a snail’s pace because there are so many factors involved that need
to click into place in a precise way.
I’m
also given the details that we’ll be filming an hour long pilot and that we’re
dividing it into four 15 minute segments. This is similar to the shortcom model
that television networks are beginning to implement (See Kevin Smith’s
interview on Smodcast for more details on this). We, however, are going to be
releasing our episodes online at $4.99 per segment.
Now,
one thing I should point out is that the star of the show we’re working on did
a very well-known drama several years ago in which he played a homosexual.
Because of this role, the actor’s sexual orientation has been put into question
with his fans when in fact he IS heterosexual. It’s gotten to the point,
however, that his fans actually prefer his character’s personality over his
own. This is especially prevalent in Asia where he has garnered the most fans.
If you’re still wondering who the actor is, I’ll give you a hint and tell you
that he was in “The Social Network.”
Because
of this, he is has a huge fanbase with the gay community. Brian tells me that
as producers on this project. We’re all guaranteed 2% of the net profits and
that if we obtain 1% of the audience from all of these groups which we’ve
obtained support from, we’re sure to make a copious amount of money. It’s a
comforting thought but I’m not in it for the money. In fact, I still consider
the job unpaid. After all, I’ll be spending my own money on a hotel room
throughout filming along with meals and travel expenses. Factor in the fact
that I’ll be on a leave of absence from my job and you’ll be looking at an even
poorer college student.
Brian
goes on to tell me the best ways to stay on Tim Sullivan’s “good side” which
include:
1.
If
Tim calls or emails you, make sure you get back to him the same day.
2.
If
Tim tells you to do something, do it.
3.
If
you haven’t talked to Tim in a while, take the initiative and call him.
Brian
assures me that I’ve been doing a great job and that this is just a formality
that he’s telling everyone.
Throughout
the conversation, Adam keeps popping in asking about a couple of blondes who
were at the show and inquiring if they’ve come back yet. This threw me off a
bit. Adam gave a very family friendly performance and now I’m seeing him in a
different light as a sex crazed entertainer. This only verifies some of the
stereotypes of big name entertainers I’ve heard (I’m lookin’ at you Rodney
Dangerfield).
As
things wrap up backstage, Brian invites me back to the penthouse that they’re
staying at. The blondes never show. As I head to my car, I notice that it
snowed several inches while I was inside. At the penthouse (following a quick
stop to McDonalds), Brian shows me around. It’s a nice Victorian era house with
a grand staircase, bathrooms with heated floors and twin showerheads, and a
room with a Jacuzzi.
After the
tour and a brief conversation, Adam leaves to pick up three girls who were at
the show. This gives me a chance to discuss some of my work with Brian. When
Trevor returns with the women, I’m not sure what to expect. Will he want me to
leave? Did he bring back three girls because there are three of us? How’s this
going to work?
Instead
of losing my virginity, as half expected, Adam has the five of us engage in a conversation of
constructive criticism about the show. Which tricks stood out and which need
work? This is the furthest thing from what I imagined and I was honored that I
got to participate and see that my opinion mattered. Normally, I hate
criticizing another person’s work. I’m the type of person who would rather
create than critique but something about this moment felt meaningful. I guess
not every stereotype is true after all.
I also
get to see how some of his illusions are created and that during one trick, he
had to resort to an emergency rose which he compares to resorting to the backup
pull chord while skydiving. It’s somewhat of a relief hearing that even the
pros sweat bullets when things don’t go as planned.
Finally,
I look at the time and realize that it’s 2:00 am and I still have a two hour
drive to get home. I depart despite everyone telling me to stay the night. I
would have liked to but I had to be at work at 5:30. I drive home on roads
where the snow has drifted and struggle to stay awake but I finally make it
home. My dad is still up when I walk through the door. Apparently, he’s been
waiting for me and I neglected to tell him that the show was in Fairfield. He’s
blunt and tells me that it “was pretty stupid” of me to stay out that late
knowing that I had to work early. Oh well. It was worth it in my book.
I have
a lot of catching up to do on these blogs but I’ve been busy like you wouldn’t
believe. And you’ll hear about it soon enough.
Best.
Stephen
