The Producer (Jane Loughman) and her Director (David Hewlett)

The Nerd’s Words on “A Dog’s Breakfast” first public screening… this is probably going to span a few blog entries because…well because I’m a windbag…but I’m typing so, maybe a keybag?

Musical accompaniment by DJ Danger Mouse as I tap this out. His Grey Album, banned because of copyright issues to do with the Beatles samples I believe…thank God for Limewire!

I’m going to have to admit to being terrified. I was more terrified screening “A Dog’s Breakfast” for all of you than I was shooting the thing… and I was pretty damn “a feared” doing that, let me tell you! I even have behind the scenes footage to prove it (but that may have to wait for the DVD)

Kate hadn’t even seen the film, I’d completely forgotten about that! I was very curious to read her blog entry about it all. Our family only communicates through blogs now, which is just how I like it. ;-) Though what is it with the Hewlett’s tiny fonts?!

Los Angeles - Jane rented her “fun” car, the PT Cruiser convertible. Apparently, it was the only “non boring” car they had. Jane really needs to embrace boring, you know, in the same way she’s taken to me. That woman is just fearless in L.A. traffic… so I handled terrified for both of us… the multiple soy latte’s didn’t help I’m sure (I’m afraid that the soy milk latte referred to here is not a joke, I have officially become everything I mock in Los Angeles)

We stayed at this ridiculously expensive hotel where we were welcomed with screwed up reservations and a dirty shower… nothing says “welcome” like a used band-aid! We’re looking for somewhere else next time… any suggestions? But, it must have a pool. Jane and I are part duck.

One advantage of the hotel was that it’s seconds away from the Getty Center. If you haven’t been up there, then you’re missing one of the best kept secrets in Los Angeles. Jane took her father and I on a tour of The Getty just before we moved to Washington. I wish that I’d known about it while I was living down there. I would have been there every day! We managed to pop up one evening on this latest trip. KCRW was doing a live music thang (by the way, there is nothing I hate more than live music… just so you know, my live music blinkers are officially on) but despite that, seeing the Getty at night was gorgeous. It was so perfect to introduce Kate and Michael to Los Angeles by night from such an awe-inspiring vantage point.

Our last trip down to Los Angeles was spent at MGM most of the time, talking over the plans for the film, and generally hanging out because… well it’s MGM! This time however were were asked to attend a meeting on the top floor. The top floor is kind of like walking into the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas with an entire glass wall of floating Oscars! They’re actually ingeniously attached to the glass from behind, but when you walk in there… floating Oscars, and I mean real Oscar awards going back to the early days of film…and Oscars for that matter! The sweeping marble staircases that surround the reception desk work towards the overall wow-factor as well! Since we hadn’t signed anything yet we couldn’t tell anyone anything. So, we just did little spontaneous joy dances when not watched by executives or security guards (who I am sure thought I was there to steal floating Oscars)…we also discovered that there are video cameras in the elevator …I’m going to take this moment to apologize to MGM security, we really didn’t mean for you to see THAT! I shouldn’t add here that we also met with the fine folks at Sci Fi and there was happy dancing in those elevators as well (Yep! Yet another pre-announcement announcement for you all to stew about!)

But back to this trip and the screening!

We parked up on the roof of the West Side Pavilion, right over the food courts. So, thanks to the giant kitchen vents, the entire roof smelt like fried food - as did the car on our return! It was like tooling around L.A. in a giant French fry…Mmmm, giant French Fry! We arrived at the theatre nice and early, but not as early as some.

There were already people lined up a good hour and a half before we screened! I was convinced that those were the only people that were going to show and that we were only going to be screening for those 30 or so people! I’m sure that they wouldn’t have minded, but it would have been a bit depressing after all the work Jane and I had been doing on the Internet marketing front. Jane told me to relax (but not in those words).

I had no idea that these screening things were so stress-full (say it like that “Stress – Full”!) When you’ve acted in something you just sit back and enjoy the show. Sure you get a bit antsy every time you show up on screen, and you do tend to focus ONLY on yourself and your performance even if that means you’re way in the background or are heard off camera or might be about to show up again or leave again, or be mentioned by someone else… okay so THAT’s stressful too! (Stressful…one word, say it!)

With “A Dog’s Breakfast” I was at least partially to blame for every aspect of the film. I was sweating bullets, and you know how that turns me into a big shiny forehead! I really had no idea how the film was going to go down. We made this film for the fans. I don’t just mean that in the cheesy “this is for you” way, I mean, the fans ARE our target audience! Sure, we’re also gunning for the pet nerds… like Kate and the furry cockroaches she calls cats. Or, like Jane and I… Mars has always been like a son to us, a big, smelly, hairy son, with bad hips and worse breath. Still, there’s no point in making a film that nobody wants to see. That would be a bit of a disaster! If the people there that night (yes, you!) didn’t like the film, then that would be the end of my most expensivest “hobby” ever and I go back to stamp collecting, not that I’ve ever really given that up…I have boxes of the things…coins too…and Jane calls me square!

More to come... I promise!