Final update.

Okay I am way late on my updates for Days 4 and 5.

Thursday was our last full day of production. I started the day off running around town, picking up supplies for a bathtub scene. I'd like to thank Marcus Koch (director of "Fell" and "100 Tears") for the special ingredients. Also Aimee helped me over the phone to figure out what the hell I was looking at at the art supply store. When I was checking out at Jerry's Artorama, they couldn't figure what some one could make with an exact-o knife, red paint and black dye.

We took all some of the small scenes that involved just Mallory and finished off Darr's last scene. We ended the night with an emotionally grueling scene involving a bathtub. Mallory helped make that scene especially effective, the effect turned out quite well, and Shelly was a fantastic help during that tough scene.

The next day was spent resting and a building a bed rig for the next day's effects. Burt Bailey and Brandy Eastman came down from Dallas that morning. Mallory and Brandy started up the second season of Dexter, while Burt and I built the bed rig. It was basically a box in the same shape of my bed with a platform that Mallory could lay straight down on while two people could lay below her to grab her. Once they were done, Burt and Brandy left. It was great seeing them again. After that, Mallory and I just had a quiet night watching episode after episode of Dexter. It was quite peaceful and relaxing.

The following day, my friend and special effects wizard, Matt Ash came by and started doing special effects arms on my friend Haylan. Once we were done with her, we realized the other person set to do the scene was sick so we called up our sound guy, Bobby and he ended up doubling as a special effects performer. Once the special effects were done we just had to do a few shots but each shot required redoing the whole set per shot. Eventually we finished and realized we ran out of stuff to shoot. Then we were wrapped.

This whole film and that entire week was the most artistically fulfilled I've ever felt. Words can't describe what it felt to put this film together. My cast and crew was great and really helped me get everything I absolutely needed to create and finish the film. Looking at the film makers and friends of mine who are hitting up the Dallas International Film Festival this week, I realize we still have a long way to go, but we're on the right path.

As soon as we were wrapped, I put my bed back up and fell right asleep and could not stay out of bed. I was disappointed I didn't get a chance to see Jeremy Sumrall who said he was coming into town but apparently he wasn't able to make it.

The following day was a whole day of sleep.

I did go back to my day job on Monday. I was excited to get back to work, but as soon I get there, I realize that everything is different, I'm not working on iPad, our break rooms look like they're from the Enterprise and there's a bazillion new kids I don't recognize at all. All of it would be just fine to deal with until I realized my health had dropped dramatically. Seriously? After finishing a film?

I checked with a doctor this morning and apparently it was just an allergic reaction to newly prescribed medicine. Doctor recommended I spent the next week resting. I feel bad for missing two whole weeks of work during a busy time, but I have the doctor's note. He said I should relax so I will be relaxing at the Dallas International Film Festival.

Day 3

Tonight is the first night when I've actually been alone since Sunday. It's incredibly refreshing. It didn't help that everybody wanted to go out after a 12 hour shoot day. That itself is another story and has nothing to do with production.

At this time, Tyler is wrapped and has gone back to Conroe, Mallory went out for the night to meet with friends and I am listening to the sound of silence. Not the song. I'm enjoying the only sounds being heard are my keys on this keyboard and the hum of my refrigerator.

Tuesday was a light day with very little dialogue but a lot of one shot type scenes. As well as most of the ending, which looks awesome. We also shot the opening credits at a party scene. Before we shot it, I felt like a weirdo or a creeper for having two good friends of mine recreate a moment of my life in college. Those thoughts and feelings went away when the only thing I could think of was getting the scene shot. Thanks to my good friends, Leroy and Ellie for rounding up the extras and letting invade Ellie's living room.

Immediately following that was Kirbey Lane, followed by delicious sleep.

Wednesday was one of those mornings where everything that could go wrong, did. We had a very late start which is contrary to the rest of the shoot (as was the lack of sunny weather) but thanks to actors who said their lines perfectly, a crew who pulled together quickly and enough light through the clouds we some how were still able to wrap the whole shoot today.

It was also a little bit o a reunion for me. First of all I'm extremely pleased that I got to shoot with Austin comedian Maggie Maye again after it's been 4 years since we shot The Man in the Garage. That was awesome. She looked and sounded great. I loved how she and Mallory were able to play off each other. She gave a lot of cute improv lines which I liked. Michael Darr and Tyler were also awesome of course. Also mad props again goes to Shelly for busting her ass and helping me get my shit together again. She has been extremely hard working and bad ass.

My other reunion was with Kristen Hall (from HMF Indie Radio) who I haven't shot with in about a year since we started Possum Walk. Actually that's kind of a lie since she played a dream creature and played her character as a corpse last fall. I also finally got to meet her 4 year old son, Daegan which was awesome since I've heard so much about him and seen a bazillion pictures of the squirt. His scene came out beautifully.

In fact, about 90% of what we shot was exactly like I wanted and imagined when I wrote the script. I'm not used to that accomplishment and it's quite badass. I might be in danger of feeling artistically satisfied. With that said, I'm going to find some friends and share a drink. Don't worry, we have a late call time tomorrow. Not too much left to finished.

Day 2

No juicy updates for tonight. Just beautiful, fucking sleep.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......

Day 1

Out of pure excitement and anxiousness I got a total of 3 hours of sleep. I'm sure it didn't help that I slept on the floor so I could give my actors my futon and my bed. But not my ninja turtles pillow. No, sir.

After lots of coffee and prep, we arrived at the location, set up, fed the actors (thank you Shelly. Amazing PA who went above and beyond) and got rolling.

Loved working with Tyler and Mallory again. Before I hadn't had a chance to do too much with Mallory's range on Possum Walk, so today was good. Between the two actors, I felt like we were completely in sync and completely understood and identified with their characters.

During our second major scene today, Mallory and Tyler were rehearsing a pretty dramatic, sally sob scene and of course BAMMO a person who helped inspire that scene sends me an email with the exact same sentiment. Needless that put me in a weird head space and in some way made me relive a shitty emotion. Maybe that helped, but either way every scene ended up looking exactly like I planned and that never freagin happens, right.

In fact, there was even a moment when I wrote the script, I thought to myself, "Man, if the clouds could just open up and shine sunlight at this exact line, I will be so happy." So apparently God read the script and approved this idea, because that's exactly what happened.

Some how we were way ahead of schedule without missing anything. Even after letting the actors nap for an hour and a half, we still finished an hour early.

Special thanks goes to the cast: Tyler, Mallory, and Michael Darr for not sucking. Bobby and Shelly for busting their ass and getting shit done. And my buddy Johnny for letting me steal his apartment for a whole day. I promise you will find it exactly like you left it...

More work for tomorrow. Can't get too comfortable.

Nonexistent - Day 0

Somehow it is magically April now.

It's almost midnight and tomorrow morning will be our first morning of principal photography of my new film, titled "Nonexistent"

I haven't released a press release so if you're paying attention to this blog, you are ahead of the Robert Luke news.

Tyler Tackett is playing the male lead. At this time we are waiting on Mallory Carrick to come on into town, as we just took down a badass pasta dish I made and watching Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete. The complete version makes me happy.

Throughout chillaxing during movie time, I find a new reason to nervously pace back and forth, take care of that chore and realize I can relax and have a beer.

Granted I'm doing a short, but I have to say this is the most relaxed I've been before any production. Normally I can be a nervous wreck before a production. The fact that I'm not nervous makes me wonder what I'm missing. After all, this is my first time to direct again since 2006. I've been heavily involved in other productions so the experience I've had since "The Man in the Garage" is miles upon miles further.

I'd like to think that, I've had enough experience, trust my actors enough, and more importantly trust myself enough that I know we have everything under control and can handle any obstacle that shows up.

We're going to shoot half of the whole damn movie tomorrow at my friend Johnny's apartment. I feel bad for making him take his dog somewhere for a day but damn it looks cool and he won't have it for too much longer. It is pretty small and I do love to use a telephoto lens for dramatic scenes so we'll see how that goes.

So I'm feeling good. I can't think of anything more to write and shit is about to get real in the FF7 movie. Man this movie reminds me of my biggest influence as a 13 year old.

I'll do my best to update nightly.

Good freagin night.

Until Tomorrow, friends.

Putting the tie back on.

So I'm starting a new production. The voice of reason tells me I need to wait until I have a budget and can get the appropriate crew.

However, my artistic voice is screaming to get shit done now and make it amazing regardless.

So that's what I'm doing. We start rolling in a month. Need to prep the SFX with Matthew "Don't call me Monster Matt" Ash. I've locked down my cast. I'll announce them shortly, however if you know me as a film maker, you already know who I'm using.

As stressful as a lonely preproduction can be, I did feel a sense of comfort when I put on a coat, my pair of kicks and headed out to a coffee shop to sit down and meet an actor. In fact I felt like my real self again. It was nice.

I've also been meeting with different DPs. Normally I do my own photography, but I'd love to have the experience of collaborating with somebody else on the visual aspect of the film. I'd also love to have somebody worry about the technical aspects of film as I just sit at monitor and focus on actors.

I'm also way encouraged by the positive responce I've received from my cast about the script. During all this, I realized I was leaving work, changing out of my work clothes, putting on my suit and kicks to meet with actors or crew members. Suddenly I feel like myself again. I needed to be me again, apparantly.

I really need to break out of my current mold. I receive compliments and ass kissing from people involved with "independent Texas Horror" or "The Texas Blood" as we've been called. Ass kissing is definitely encouraging, however if you're not doing horror among our little clique, you'll have absolutely no idea who I am. I need to change this.

As I'm writing this, SXSW is currently going on in the city I live in. I really have no plans save for a few films made by friends of friends and a few parties here and there. Right now I'm currently focused on preproduction for the short and saving money to make the production go down smooth. However, I do feel that it would've been good for me to go. Even just to mingle, even though I have no film going in. There are three major festivals that happen in Austin. SXSW, Austin Film Festival and Fantastic Fest. Lately, I've been too busy to really go to those unless another film maker invites me to a particular show. I need to stop that, set aside some cash to get a good pass and start going to all these festivals. It's good for me to meet other film makers, make myself known, have fun and maybe make friends with some actresses here and there.

For now, it's time to lock locations and schedules. BTW, I need a sound guy.

Light

I love light.

I don’t expect a lot of people to understand, but I think about it at almost all times I love how it can shape the landscape of a face. If bright orange or blank white, you can tell if it’s hot or cold regardless of sweat, clothes, or snow. When the sun sets or rises, you get an amazing display of light dancing up the horizons, while it casts a visually warm blanket over whatever it touches. This is called Magic Hour or Golden Hour. People who’ve worked with me know how much of a pain in the ass I can be to film during this hour.

Light has an amazing effect on the human body. It can outline a face, shape a woman’s body. If you can control light, you have total control over what a person looks like.

When somebody asks me about cameras or settings, I try very hard to not show that I’m laughing or grimacing at those questions. It’s all about light and framing. Frame it so that it looks like a movie and then move your lights in a way where you can shape the actors (not just see them, but so that you create an outline of them)

I hate shadows. Shadows can be used well but sometimes they get in my fucking say. I have a big pet peeve over an actor’s face being shadowed by another actor and I can be such a pain in the ass when that happens. Maybe my fault with lighting, but fuck I liked how it looked.

In most ways, I believe light is inescapable. Perhaps this isn’t true with everybody’s vision, but even when you turn off all the lights, you can still see. Light is still there. I’d imagine if you were truly without light, you’d feel lousy. And yes I know I’m a kid that wears all black and makes scary movies, so I’m supposed to be all about darkness. But that’s a terrible way to live. I love light, respect its power, and it is my friend.