Working on a new script.  This one is proving to be rather interesting.  Not going to give too much away at this point, but technology is the underlying theme of the film.  Already have a main actor and actress to star in the piece.  I'll have to tighten the screws once the script is done, but I'm excited to be back to work on a project of my own.  I've been in semi-cruise control since I shot "JOURNEY".  But, now that that chapter is done, it's time to begin anew.  I'll be sure to keep you posted on the progress of the film.  

Hope you all are enjoying a few scares as it is the month of October.  Home of "All Hallows Eve" muah ha ha ha (yeah, that didn't come out right, but hey...i'm a director).  Me, I just finished watching Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining".  Even though I've seen it before, the film still manages to give me goosebumps.  The part in particular is when Jack Nicholson is in the bathroom talking to the old caretaker, Grady.  Grady is the one who offed his whole family with an ax and then put a double barrel to his head.  Something about talking to a dead guy creeps me out.   Another part that gave me the chills is the part with those damn twins.  It's when Danny is on his bike.  He strolls down the hallway and sees the two girls standing in front of him (as if this wasn't creepy enough).  They stare at one another and then flashes of their dead, butchered corpses flash as the scene cuts back and forth between the live and dead versions of the twins.  Creeps.  

I'm trying to watch at least a horror movie a week in honor of the month.  You should do the same.  Catch up on some of the fright flicks of the 70's and 80's or put on some plastic and watch some of the gore fests of the 90's and 00's.  Anyways, I gotta get to bed ladies and ghouls.  All aboard the Train To Midnight.

Antonio Di Robinson 

Journey

JOURNEY from Antonio Di Robinson on Vimeo.

I've finally gotten around to posting the finished product of my film. Hopefully the wait has caused an increased sense of anticipation. Not much else to say except, enjoy :)

Di Rob

Scene Three

I just burned a copy of the entire film onto a DVD.  I'm going to be taking it home to watch it on an actual television to get a feel for how well it's going to look.  I experienced a renewed enthusiasm for the film today while editing the credits.  It becomes hard to maintain enthusiasm for a project after having spent such an extended amount of time with it (literally day and night), but, as the project wraps, your enthusiasm and fire will return.  My second wind (as they say in basketball) has refueled my drive and I'm now geared up for a strong finish.  Excitement BABY!!! (in my best Dick Vitale voice).  In my filmmaking career, thus far, this film is definitely my magnum opus.  

As a side note, I finally figured out a name for the film.  I've decided to called it "Journey."  It came to me as I searched aimlessly for a title.  Short, simple, and sweet.  My kinda name.  I'm excited about having the opportunity to show others the film.  The nervousness has not fully set in yet.  Probably because I've been so focused on completing my film that I haven't really had the opportunity to contemplate how it will be received.  That's probably a good thing.  Having too many voices in one's head only leads to disaster in the long run.  Besides, although I've made this film for others, ultimately this film has helped me cope with my own personal issues and for better or worse I love her for that (yes, my films are my wives).  Film is my art and we shall grow and mature, together.

Hopefully we too shall grow and mature together reader.  I thank you for joining me on my journey.  Your presence is not taken for granted.  Hopefully, my films are able to teach you something about yourselves and/or cause you to look at life with a rejuvenated sense of purpose.

Alright.  The conductor has called for the last of the passengers.  Do not be afraid now.  Take my hand.  We've been together this long, why should we part ways now?  The journey is not yet over.  The darkness has not yet been lifted.  But, if you trust me, we shall break free to the light, together.  All aboard the Train to Midnight. 

Di Rob

Scene Two

As promised, this is the second post update on my film.  Still haven't figured out a name that suits the film, but it's looking better and better the more time I'm spending on it.  I just got the bright idea to separate each scene into trials.  Almost novel style.  It seems as though I've given an acknowledged nod to filmmaker Lars Von Trier with this move.  Hats off to you then friend.  I wasn't initially going to do this, but the more and more I replayed the scene transitions, the more it looked like a totally different film.  Not different, but it seemed as though the film were starting over.  The idea might crash and burn, but for now, it seems to be a pretty good alternative.  I have roughly two and a half weeks to tighten the screws on the film so I'll be spending day and night working out the kinks.  The joys of editing (no sarcasm, lol).  

I received the track I've been waiting on to cut the second and third scenes today as well.  Ben Beiny, London composer, really came through on this one.  I gave a special request as to an ambient sound in the score and he fit it in quite well.  I'm very pleased with how well both of his compositions go with the film.  It's pretty much up to me to get the most out of these gems.  I got it.  

That's pretty much all for now, but I'll continue to update you as I make strides in completing the film.  All aboard the Train To Midnight.

Di Rob 

New Project

WORKING ON A NEW PROJECT!!!  I'm super excited because I haven't gotten the chance to work on any serious projects of my own in some time.  The above image is a still from the film.  Just wanted to give you guys a taste.  Not sure of the title yet, but the theme of the film is suicide.  I'm using suicide as a metaphor for freedom.  Not freedom in the physical though.  Moreso, freedom in the mental and spiritual aspects of oneself.  It's taken me a minute to get a cut of the first scene, but I finally have something worth mentioning.  The score is going to be a pain to get right, but I have it well enough for now to get a feel for the scene.  Just for a quick plug.  I used London composer Ben Beiny for my film score.  He is an AMAZING up and coming composer.  I'll be speaking of him in posts to come.  I'll make sure to keep you all (if anyone actually reads my blog, lol) posted on the progress of my film.  All aboard the Train To Midnight.

Di Rob

Flashing Lights

I'm sitting in front of an apple computer screen typing out the fact that I have absolutely no idea what I want to blog about.  In all honesty, the only true reason I even feel the need to blog is because of a certain intonation deep within me that thinks that it is my duty to use the site since I'm a member.  Not that I don't have anything to say, I just feel that individuals that want people to know their every move are in a sense narcissistic.  To me, it's a cry for not only attention but also help.  They want your sympathy and your pity (I'm sure they mean the same thing, you know synonyms).  Funny thing is, you might as well chalk my name on that board (though I'm slowly starting to etch it out).  Moreso than anything I think that it's a societal problem.  Everybody wants to be Mr. Big Dick nowadays.  Everybody wants to "outshine" the next man.  You all know what I mean, it's the "anything you can do, I can do better" type ordeal.  I've found myself up many a nights pondering the reason behind this and I have yet to come up with an answer.  Think about the alternative.  Do you tell someone not to be all they have been called to be because there are too many people doing it?  Do you say to someone that a life in mediocrity is fine as long as you stay true to yourself.  Really?  True to mediocrity?  Who in their right (or left) mind thinks that being true to themselves is remaining in mediocrity.  Honestly, who wakes up in the morning, looks in the mirror and says, "I will not achieve my full potential...but it's who I am and I'm comfortable with that"?  That sentence reads ridiculous so picture how much worse it'd be coming out of someone's mouth.

I just had an epiphany.  Maybe, just maybe, seeking fame is the problem.  Think about it.  Why do we seek fame?  Because, of course, we want to be recognized.  We want to stand out among our peers or maybe we just like the idea of everyone looking up to us as god (there goes that pesky narcissism again).  I've noticed that nowadays people seek fame for all the wrong reasons.  They don't want to be famous because they have something IMPORTANT (I capitalize that because everyone has something to say, I just don't find that everyone has something important to say) to say, but just because they like the idea of fame and what it presents.  The classic example would be rap music.  The classic Biggie Smalls line, "Money, hoes, and clothes.." is just one representation of this idea.  Just to clarify, I'm an avid Biggie Smalls fan, I find that his music, as well as countless musicians, have hidden or subliminal messages tied to the lyrics.

But, you know something, I'm going to leave that situation out of this argument.  I think you'll find that it's a trickle down effect though.  Fame is not and should not only be established as a word that means a person's economic status within society.  Fame, and I'm sure it does, means ANY situation where a person is overexerting his or herself in trying to gain the attention of others.  Coming up, I saw a whole bunch of these types of people.  From the cheerleaders, to the athletes, to the thugs, and on and on.  Everyone remembers the scene in high school.  The sole purpose in high school was to outshine everyone...BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!!!  (sorry, I had to throw in Malcolm X)  It's the popularity contest.  That's fame as well.  To see who had the most friends, or went to the most parties, or drank alcohol every weekend, or had gotten into the most fights before graduation, or fucked the most individuals...that's fame.  Everybody knows or knows of at least one individual that falls in this category.  And this my friends is the society in which we are growing up in.  One in which we have been in competition with one another from the very beginning.  

1 “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.   - Matthew 6:1

I'll be ending this blog soon as I think this quote pretty much sums up my argument.  Do not feed into the idea that in order for you to be somebody you have to be known by everybody.  As my film teacher would say, "that's rubbish."  Never forget that whatever lies in store for you in your life will come with time.  Be patient and do not rush the process.  We have enough wealthy people who have become either angry at society or suicidal without the slightest inclination as to why.  Fame, in the traditional, is not all it's cracked up to be.  Not the way the world wants to give it to you.  Trust yourself, trust your gift, and trust in God. 

-Train

Where to begin?

"It can't rain all the time." That my friends is a line from a movie called The Crow. Have you seen it? I felt it right to start off with that line since that's what I've been trying to tell myself since I've been home. It has literally rained everyday, at some point in the day, since I've been back in Georgetown. Can't say I'm complaining though. The rain serves as a nice combatant for the heat.

The summer has been long thus far (especially being at home without a job), but it has been a productive one nonetheless. I've watched so many films it's borderline ridiculous. That and I've been able to watch a few of the television series that come on t.v. One that I like in particular is Burn Notice. I'm not going to run through the plot but if you haven't seen it, I'd advise you to check it out. It comes on every Thursday at 9 on USA (and the Season 2 just started last week so you haven't missed much. Go online to burnnotice.usa.com to catch up). Another show that I dig is House. After being asked what I've been watching by my friend (who is a House fanatic) I decided to catch a few episodes of the marathon that was on yesterday on USA and found the show to be quite enjoyable. I might pick it up. Haunted and Ghost Hunters are two shows that I watch(ed) on the Sci-Fi channel. Again, I'm not going to run through the plots, but log onto Sci-Fi.com to check out a few episodes online or read a synopsis of the shows.

I've even been working on a few scripts of my own. My labtop is out of commission so I've had to write them long hand, but I don't mind, that much. I'm working on this piece on infidelity that's proving to be quite interesting. I'll just that hell isn't always what you expect it to be. On top of that, I've been brainstorming a few spec scripts for some of the television series that I've watched (along with a few of my own series...maybe in the future). All in all, I've obtained good practice on the art of writing scripts and writing in general. Tedious but worth it. One thing that has helped in my writing is that I've read a fair amount of books since I've been home. Two that I'm working on now are "Woody Allen" and the other "What Color was Jesus?" They are both remarkable books. Needless to say, no synopsis will be given here, but check them out for yourselves if you're curious. I'll probably be doing a write-up for "What Color was Jesus?" so look out for that. Not soon, but sometime. I think you'll be intrigued. Alright, I think that's enough about me and my summer, until next time.

Love