Wednesday, July 15, 2015

New Film Starring Musician Jeremy Hicks-Kachik




Hello All,

 It's been some time since I was able to discuss a new film in the works. Of course, my latest release was My Friend Hugo, of which I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. If interested, you'll find it in one of my last posts. Hope you dig it:

My Friend Hugo

Now, regarding the film I've recently finished shooting, I'm currently engulfed in editing. I have a working title, but I will wait until next post to reveal my final decision. In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to give a little back story about its genesis and transformation over the last three summers. It began in May of 2013. Originally, the film was slated to revolve around a girl, Savannah, who discovers a diary during her travels. I found someone to play the part, but after a few sessions, I couldn't find the story I was seeking. It was not working for me. 

A year had passed. In June of 2014 the film was back on again. This time, it had morphed into a story surrounding  two people, the actress who discovers the diary and a mysterious character who she meets along her journey. By August, the film had seemingly come to an end. I had lost the actress. Savannah's character was no longer in story. For a host a reasons, the story would not gel. What I didn't realize as of yet, was the seed for a new direction had been planted.

Some of the scenes I had also shot involved other characters, like the mysterious person Savannah would meet on her travels. Another scene involved an encounter with two traveling musicians. I discovered them unexpectedly and quickly penned a couple new scenes to include them. Though playing fictional characters in the story, in actuality, they are professional musicians, Jeremy Hicks Kachik and Kali Hinkel, founding members of an L.A. born rock band

Before continuing, I'd like to share my discovery of Jeremy and Kali. That came about while working with Jeremy's brother, Josh. Both Josh and I were employed at same place. One evening, Josh began telling me stories about his brother's guitar playing and the band he was in out in L.A. Josh played a song on his telephone and I was immediately drawn to the music; even though it was played over a shitty telephone speaker. What's the name of their band?, I asked. It's The Hushdown, he exclaimed. No shit!, I responded. That's your brother playing? "Yep", Josh responded. I loved what I was hearing. That night, I rushed home and immediately found their songs on the music site, Reverb Nation. I listened to everything. What I discovered was that not only did I like the music, but especially liked Jeremy's guitar work. I recognized his skill, but more importantly it was his eclectic tastes and sense of melody that captivated me. It was apparent he was drawing from a pool of creative energy that had real depth and I sensed there was much more this musician had to say during the course of his future work. I found myself wanting to hear and know more about this musician who was living nearby in Bel Air, Maryland.

Synchronicity was at play. It just so happened that they were, at that time, driving across country from California to stay at Jeremy's family's home, where they would relax and put together a band in support of their album. As they neared Maryland, I communicated with them and introduced myself. I ran my ideas past them. They didn't know who I was, or anything about me, however, timing was right. They agreed to give it a shot and play the characters. Once they arrived in Maryland, we met each other and immediately discussed my ideas and began shooting a couple scenes.

Throughout June, July, and August, the film was moving along. It was in full swing. But then the film hit a brick wall. It was in trouble again. I was shooting a scene with Savannah when we both realized it just wasn't working. We discussed the issue and came to the conclusion we should part ways. There were no hard feelings. I totally understood her decision to pull out. It seemed best to scrap the film altogether. While we stood on location saying our goodbyes, Savannah asked me what I planned to do next. At that moment, I didn't hesitate with an answer. I said I'd like to make a film surrounding the guitar work of Jeremy. She thought it was a great idea. We parted ways. While she drove away, I stood there thinking how my response came so quickly. It didn't matter. I was pretty excited about the new possibilities. The film, though completely different in nature, still seemed to have momentum.

Only a few hours after Savannah and I parted ways, I was on the telephone with Jeremy explaining my new direction for the film. I told him it would not be the same story and would focus solely on him. I asked if he was interested. He was very game to the idea. We immediately set about getting together and filming. This time, though, it felt right. It was different. A different kind of energy infused the project. I was completely excited about the film's new evolution. For the next couple months, we got together quite often and by the end of September 2014 my film was complete. It had unfolded quite naturally. We were in the Flow. Much fun, it was indeed.

It's now the summer of 2015 and I'm currently editing the film to life. I'm on the second edit and I'm happy with the outcome. My original story has been put on the back burner for a another day. For now, I will continue tweaking the film and hopefully in the near future will be announcing its World premiere on Youtube. Please stay tuned for more information.

In the meantime, if any of you are seeking some great ear candy, I highly recommend checking out the music of  The Hushdown.

To a great summer and happy listening!




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