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Inside-Out, Outside-In

~ Every journey worth taking…starts on the inside.

Inside-Out, Outside-In

Tag Archives: jerod meagher

This film is not dead: The revival of “Inside-Out, Outside-In”

09 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by hunterlh in Development, Pre-Production

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Tags

Alexander Dreymon, Blake Sheldon, Christos Vasilopoulos, daniel berilla, dreams come true., Gopal Divan, Guys Reading Poems, hunter lee hughes, jason fracaro, jerod meagher, justin schwan, Lydia Hearst, Megan Sousa, Michael Marius Pessah, Patricia Velasquez, rex lee, Vincent Montuel

Several years ago, I started this blog to chronicle the progress of “Inside-Out, Outside-In.” I was determined to direct my first feature film and wanted to share the ups and downs of the journey with like-minded creative types. Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the set….

One-sheet - "Guys Reading Poems"  designed by Chris Friend

One-sheet – “Guys Reading Poems”
designed by Chris Friend

Turns out, I achieved my dream to direct my first feature film. Only, to my great surprise, that film turned out to be a completely different project than “Inside-Out, Outside-In.” “Guys Reading Poems” – a neo-noir, black-and-white feature – consumed my time and energy to the point that I wasn’t able to continue to blog here. However, now that the film is safely into post-production, I am returning to my original mission to get “Inside-Out, Outside-In” off the ground. But now the conversation is a little different. Instead of how to get a first feature film off the ground, I’m dealing with the (ever-so-slightly) better problem of how to get a second feature funded and produced. (ok so yeah, I’m bragging a little….I can’t help it.)

Let me explain.

In the beginning of 2013, I was taking meetings and pitching “Inside-Out, Outside-In” but having great difficulty raising the kind of capital needed to fund a story that takes place in both modern day Los Angeles and ancient India. I came up with an idea – almost on a whim – to combine classic poetry with an all-male secret society narrative and shot some footage relatively cheaply. The results were so good that many trusted friends and advisors suggested I continue developing “Guys Reading Poems” as a feature film. And so I did. Relatively quickly, private equity investors rallied around “Guys Reading Poems” and we were also able to crowdfund more than $40,000 to raise enough money to transform the original project into a feature. Casting also fell into place relatively quickly (actors love black-and-white, apparently, especially when the cinematographer is someone as talented as ours – Michael Marius Pessah). Patricia Velasquez (“The Mummy”, “Arrested Development”) agreed to play the female lead role and Alexander Dreymon (“American Horror Story”) – a former acting student of mine – signed on to play the male lead. Lydia Hearst (“The Face”) also liked the script and agreed to play a key supporting role and so did Rex Lee (“Entourage”) and Christos Vasilopoulos (“Banshee”). The rest of the cast was populated with talented up-and-comers Jerod Meagher (“ABCs of Death 2”), Jason Fracaro and Vincent Montuel (all of whom also took my acting class at StoryAtlas) and also Blake Sheldon (“Age of Reason”), Justin Schwan (“Cutback”), Daniel Berilla (“Kissing Darkness”), Megan Sousa and Gopal Divan. Of the entire cast, only Blake and Lydia were brand new to my life. The rest were either friends or colleagues from previous encounters on projects or in acting classes. In the case of Rex, well, he’s one of my very best friends in the world.

What can I say? I got lucky…but in a way that I could not have predicted.

Looking back, I can’t help but wonder if there was some divine guidance that brought “Guys Reading Poems” up to bat first. Like I mentioned, the budgetary requirements are less than those required for “Inside-Out, Outside-In.” There’s a great tradition of directors starting their careers in black-and-white and the neo-noir feel needed for “Guys Reading Poems” allows me to knock on the door of that club. “Guys Reading Poems” is more daring in terms of its form, whereas “Inside-Out, Outside-In” is a much more traditional narrative. There’s nothing wrong with traditional narratives (in fact, I love them) but one could argue that a more experimental approach is more likely to convince festival programmers and audiences to give a first-time director a chance. Also, since 90% of the cast were personal friends or longstanding colleagues, there was enough trust on both sides to build the type performances I admire – where the dark side of the psyche and its vulnerabilities combine with human need towards a quixotic goal or dream. As a first time director, I needed personal access to the hearts and minds of the talent and “Guys Reading Poems” offered that sort of opportunity. Along the way, I developed relationships that are crucial for my future success not only with acting talent but also investors, fellow producers, department heads, creative collaborators and crew (and yes, Shpetim Zero did the costumes for “Guys Reading Poems” as well, see below).

But now, it’s time to finish what I started with “Inside-Out, Outside-In” so you’ll be hearing from me a lot more! Over the next few weeks, I’ll try to condense some of the lessons of “Guys Reading Poems” and how I feel they might set up “Inside-Out, Outside-In” for success. Then, I’ll move into chronicling the next stages of the project.

I planned for “Inside-Out, Outside-In” to take two years to finish and start hitting the festival circuit relatively soon. Sometimes, plans don’t work out…yet, somehow, strangely, even mysteriously, dreams do.

Jason Fracaro in "Guys Reading Poems"  photo by Michael Marius Pessah

Jason Fracaro in “Guys Reading Poems”
photo by Michael Marius Pessah

—

Hunter Lee Hughes is a filmmaker and actor living and working in Los Angeles and the founder of Fatelink. His current feature film Guys Reading Poems is touring film festivals and this blog is dedicated to the process of making his second feature film, “Inside-Out, Outside-In.” If you enjoy the blog, please support our team by following us on Facebook, Twitter (@Fatelink) or Instagram (@Fatelink).

 

 

 

 

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Storyboarding a Sequence: To investors and beyond…

27 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by hunterlh in Development

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

angel investors, daniel berilla, film investors, holly elkjer, hunter lee hughes, investor packets, investor proposals for film, james lee hernandez, jerod meagher, Monte Patterson, storyboard, Storyboarding, the final image

This latest set of storyboards from “Inside-Out, Outside-In” is being used to bling out our investor powerpoint pitch and accompanying proposal. I chose to dig into this early audition sequence because it reflects the DIY sensibility of both our protagonist Nathaniel Quinn and the film itself. The storyboards were drawn by the talented Monte Patterson, who curates the amazingly successful and fascinating film blog, “The Final Image,” recently featured on The Sundance Channel (and deservedly so).

In the audition sequence, we open on a completely dark stage. The lights come on and we reveal Nathaniel standing alone on the stage. Unobserved, he raises his fist triumphantly and says, ““Enter Stage Right. A young man, filled with hope, crosses to the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen.” Nathaniel realizes that his face has softened with tears, feeling the opposite of the sentiment he expressed.  From behind him, we hear a woman enter….it’s his best friend Dorothy, arriving at the theatre to help Nathaniel audition actors for his latest strange movement theatre piece.

This short scene sets up that although the auditions may seem harmless and fun, Nathaniel is covering up a wellspring of unprocessed grief and powerful unrealized hopes that won’t be satisfied with a theatrical piece alone…

We then go to the auditions, where we see a couple of goofy guys introduced – an adorable twink Eli, who bounces up from behind a cube for his audition and Clarence, a hip hop enthusiast who interprets Nathaniel’s deadly serious material via breakdancing moves. Finally, we introduce one of our lead characters, Jason Quinn, as he energetically crosses the stage on a Z-axis towards Nathaniel. The idea is that Jason has unstoppable momentum so that we know he’s destined to crash into our director. The solo shot of Nathaniel back to the solo shot of Jason are different from the previous actors, showing us that Nathaniel has now met someone who will change his life and cause it to go out of control, unlike the two more symmetrically framed auditions we saw previously, where Nathaniel’s status as a director was unquestioned. He has now met the character capable of throwing him off balance, into his grief and, through the course of the movie, back into the hope of a fully realized life.

In our industry staged reading, Nathaniel was played by Hunter Lee Hughes (um, yeah that’s me), Dorothy by Holly Elkjer, Eli by Daniel Berilla, Clarence by James Lee Hernandez and Jason Quinn by Jerod Meagher. They all served as the visual inspiration for the attached storyboards.

We’re confident these boards will help our investor proposal so we can raise the additional capital we need. We’ve found two major investors so far and once we raise another $80,000, we will begin our crowdsourcing campaign. So let’s hope these storyboards help us ignite the imaginations of a few brave investors….

We're in darkness.

We’re in darkness. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson)

Lights flip on. Nathaniel enters the stage...alone. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson)

Lights flip on. Nathaniel enters the stage…alone. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson)

Nathaniel, carrying a bag of groceries, looks around the stage wistfully. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel, carrying a bag of groceries, looks around the stage wistfully. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel raises his fists in mock triumph saying, "Enter Stage Right. A young man, full of hope, crosses to the most beautiful woman he's ever seen." He holds back tears as he says the line, ironically. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel raises his fists in mock triumph saying, “Enter Stage Right. A young man, full of hope, crosses to the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.” He holds back tears as he says the line, ironically. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Dorothy enters from backstage, startling Nathaniel. He quickly gets out of his "hero" pose. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Dorothy enters from backstage, startling Nathaniel. He quickly gets out of his “hero” pose. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel and Dorothy realized they both bought food and drinks for the actors auditioning. Overkill. (Storyboard by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel and Dorothy realized they both bought food and drinks for the actors auditioning. Overkill. (Storyboard by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel and Dorothy prepare to watch an audition. (Storyboard by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel and Dorothy prepare to watch an audition. (Storyboard by Monte Patterson).

We see the top of a cube on the stage. (Storyboard by Monte Patterson).

We see the top of a cube on the stage. (Storyboard by Monte Patterson).

From behind the cube, Eli pops out, finishing his audition with a flourish. (Storyboard by Monte Patterson).

From behind the cube, Eli pops out, finishing his audition with a flourish. (Storyboard by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel and Dorothy watch the audition intently. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel and Dorothy watch the audition intently. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Eli looks for approval after his audition. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Eli looks for approval after his audition. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

From between Nathaniel and Dorothy, Clarence enters. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson)

From between Nathaniel and Dorothy, Clarence enters. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson)

Nathaniel and Dorothy watch Clarence's audition. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel and Dorothy watch Clarence’s audition. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Between Nathaniel and Dorothy, Clarence interprets the material in a unique, hip hop way. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Between Nathaniel and Dorothy, Clarence interprets the material in a unique, hip hop way. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Clarence really goes for it, diving on the floor. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Clarence really goes for it, diving on the floor. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel and Dorothy have to change their view to see the action as Clarence dives down. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel and Dorothy have to change their view to see the action as Clarence dives down. (Storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Jason powerfully crosses the stage in a Z-axis towards Nathaniel. (storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Jason powerfully crosses the stage in a Z-axis towards Nathaniel. (storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel is taken aback by Jason's performance. Note: It's a solo shot, unlike the other two auditions. (storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Nathaniel is taken aback by Jason’s performance. Note: It’s a solo shot, unlike the other two auditions. (storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).

Jason finishes his audition and takes in Nathaniel's feedback. (storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson)

Jason finishes his audition and takes in Nathaniel’s feedback. (storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson)

—

Hunter Lee Hughes is a filmmaker and actor living and working in Los Angeles and the founder of Fatelink. His current feature film Guys Reading Poems is touring film festivals and this blog is dedicated to the process of making his second feature film, “Inside-Out, Outside-In.” If you enjoy the blog, please support our team by following us on Facebook, Twitter (@Fatelink) or Instagram (@Fatelink).

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Top Ten Things I’m Packing For Sundance

16 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by hunterlh in Development

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

fatelink, hunter lee hughes, jason fracaro, jerod meagher, packing for sundance, richard scharfenberg, sundance, sundance trip, top ten things to bring to sundance, what to bring to sundance

Tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m., I will brew the last of the Christmastime Urth Cafe coffee, pour it into a thermos, pick up my friends and drive the 11 hours from Los Angeles to Park City, Utah for a potentially epic Sundance road trip. Here are the top ten things I’m bringing with me (if I’m forgetting something, tell me now!):

10. Bottled water.  Because I don’t care if bottled water gives you cancer. This weekend, I want to stay hydrated and avoid altitude sickness.

9. My grandfather’s four woolen shirts – Because I want to layer up and strike up some apple orchard memories while in the midst of industry small talk. Keeps you grounded.

8. E-Tip Gloves – Because I want to stay warm and still operate a smart phone at the same time.

7. Cute bathing suit – Because you never know what hot tub parties might send invitations your way.

6. Nine hard copies of ‘Inside-Out, Outside-In’ – Because even when you’re soft selling, you just never know…

5. ‘Dumbass Filmmakers!‘ postcards – Because it’s good to have them set out in the hotel room as a talking point with guests.

4. Thermal Underwear – Because I want to look like Michael J. Fox in “Back to the Future, Part II” and stay warm at the same time.

3. Business cards – Because not everyone has a smart phone and, you know, I may get asked for them every now and then and don’t want to look stupid.

2. Snow Boots – Because they were 50% off at Target and preventing icy, mushy snow from reaching my toes is worth a lot.

1. Wool Socks – Because my grandparents from Ohio gave them to me and again, preventing icy, mushy snow from reaching my toes is worth a lot.

For the record, Team Sundance includes: Jason Fracaro, Hunter Lee Hughes, Jerod Meagher and Richard Scharfenberg.

The next post comes from Utah…

—

Hunter Lee Hughes is a filmmaker and actor living and working in Los Angeles and the founder of Fatelink. His current feature film Guys Reading Poems is touring film festivals and this blog is dedicated to the process of making his second feature film, “Inside-Out, Outside-In.” If you enjoy the blog, please support our team by following us on Facebook, Twitter (@Fatelink) or Instagram (@Fatelink).

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