One of the questions I hear most often when talking to people about the film is this: Why? Why are you making a film about magicians? Well, I’ll try to get to the answer to that question. This film is really about so many things, I find that it’s difficult to distill the ‘why’ to a simple answer. But here goes.

I love magic. I love watching someone do something that I know isn’t really possible and be amazed that they are able to make it look real. I think that might be why I make movies in the first place. If movies weren’t around, maybe Spielberg would have been a magician instead. It’s all about making something happen that is impossible. Movies do exactly that.  Movies (and magic) show you what to look at, direct your eye, and divert your attention so you don’t see the wires and the sleight of hand. It’s a craft, and when it’s done well, we can’t seem to get enough.

We all know when we watch a movie that none of it is real, that we are looking at an illusion. It’s all about getting lost in the story, lost in the wonder, and suspending disbelief. We all know that you can’t pull a duck out of someone’s coat (a staple of Howard Thurston’s routine), or turn $1 bills into $100 bills. But we want to see it anyway. We want to believe. Just like we know that bombs don’t have big red numbers to tell you when they’ll blow up, and you can’t actually get to any part of a skyscraper by crawling through the ducts. But we still want to see it, and we still want to believe it. It’s the expected part of film. It’s the magic of a world we really want to experience. Add some special effects, and your magic quotient just went up threefold.

So the short answer is: movies ARE magic. It’s a special handshake the two artforms share like no others.

Aside from magic, the film is also about family. I love families. I love watching them, listening to them, talking to them. Every family is unique, and everyone defines family differently. Whoever your family is, you interact with them differently than everyone else.

So then we have a family of magicians. People who are pros at pretending, at creating illusion. People who know each other through and through. So when you are stuck interacting with people who are experts and showing you only what they want all of the time, how does that work? What kind of family does that create? That answer is what draws me to this film.

So that’s the answer to ‘why’. Two things that will forever fascinate me: family, and magic. I can’t wait to see it on the big screen.

So yesterday I decided to have a little fun and roll on down to Comic-con. I've never been, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Whatever I expected, it was a whole lot to take in. First off, it's true: there are tons of people dressed up in elaborate costumes that you know they didn't just throw together the night before. The two below were my favorites:

There are also a ton of panels, discussions, and sneak peaks. In truth, it's nearly impossible to make any sort of battle plan for what you want to see and do because there's just too much. It's overwhelming. At any given time of day, there's at least 10 different things you could go to, if you can get in, that is. I guess if there's a down side to the whole thing, that would be it. Aside from being a convention for comics (and movies), it's a convention of lines. Lines everywhere. Lines that are so long, they have special volunteers to tell you where the end is, where it continues (across the hall, outside, etc), and when to stop to let other traffic through. Lines that are so long, you might not even get to the end of it. But fear not, there's always something else if you can't get in to what you wanted.

I happened to see Francis Ford Coppola unveil what he's thinking with his new movie "Twixt". I'm not sure what to think of the movie, but I do know that this man's enthusiasm for his work is practically palpable, and definitely contagious. I walked out of there thinking about my own work and it's possibilities.

Also saw a couple of TV pilots that are coming this year. It will be interesting to see how they do. One is a JJ Abrams project, so we'll see where it goes. It seems like everything that guy does turns to gold, or at least silver. I think my takeaway from watching these pilots is that it seems like they're trying to mix comedy and horror, which is an uneasy match at best. Not that the shows aren't interesting. It just seems odd to go from cracking jokes to killing from one sentence to the next.

Lastly, I saw some famous people. I'm not one for chasing people down for autographs or pictures, mostly because I can be very lazy and very shy when it comes to stuff like that. However, I did run into a couple of my favorite Fringe characters: Walter (played by John Noble) and Olivia (played by Anna Torv). They were nice enough to let me have a photo.

So that's about it. The last thing, is that during the whole time I was there, I kept thinking that maybe next year I'll be able to come back with my film. Magicians and Comic-con go together like cookies and milk.

By the way, we only have a few weeks left for our fundraising campaign, so please help us in any way you can.

I thought I would take a step back and write a post that gives some history into the world of magic. In the film, the father of the family dies on stage doing an illusion: Catching the bullet. Our magician catches two in his hands, then goes for the grand finale of catching it in his teeth. He’s quite the showman.

In reality, this is a trick that has been done by several magicians, and is actually the most dangerous illusion in existence. A total of 11 people have died performing the trick. Most famously, Chung Ling Soo, who was mistakenly shot in the chest during a performance. In the inquiry after his death, it was basically discovered that part of the reason the trick was fatal was because he so closely guarded the secret as to how it was done. For a great read about the magician, check out author Jim Steinmeyer, who has written several books about magic and magicians.

It’s kind of difficult to imagine now, but back in the day, magic was all the rage. My theory is that film stole a lot of the magic, because the illusions could now be done inside a camera, and there was no need for the expensive stage shows. But in the 1800s and early 1900s, magicians competed fiercely against each other for notoriety and ticket sales. There are so many names (in addition to Chung Ling Soo) that were important in the time: Henry Kellar, the Great Lafayette, and Hermann the Great. Of course, Houdini is in there, too, and my personal favorite, Howard Thurston, who was a contemporary of Houdini’s.

There’s another great book about Thurston written by Steinmeyer, and rather than hash out the history, I’ll just tell you again to check it out. I don’t want to mangle something he so carefully research and wrote. It’s a great read, and will make you feel like an expert in the world of magic when you’re finished reading it.

I thought I’d take a short break from film talk to mention some other things that I’m working on. As you may or may not be aware, I’m also an artist, and I often mix my ideas and blur the line between ‘craft’ and art. Not that I feel there is really a divide, but I know that many people do.

Anyway, I’ve been working on a variety of handmade vintage clothing inspired by the 1920s for an installation I’m putting together for an exhibition in September. So I put myself on a crash course in millinery, and I’ve made 4 hats so far. This was actually difficult, since I know little to nothing about hats, and it’s not like there are a ton of teachers in San Diego. However, based on how much the hats I researched cost, perhaps if the film thing doesn’t work out, I can have a lucrative career in making hats.

In addition, I’ve been making some dresses, and so far I’ve made 3 and a coat, all in the 1920s style. Sewing is something I’m a little more comfortable with, thanks to middle school home-ec class, and my mother’s tireless and patient tutelage. They aren’t perfect, but they’re pretty good, in my humble opinion.

I’ve also been working on some shorter videos, which are ironically the most difficult part of what I’m working on, because I have so many options to create things. Most of them are about juxtapositions between video and sound that recontextualize both, so we’ll see how they turn out when they’re finished.

So yes, I’m not all film, all the time. But I am most of the time.

Shooting a film is like building a spider web. It seems so simple: just spin out a single strand, and the next thing you know, there’s this really cool thing in front of you that you just can’t help but watch. But really, there’s a whole design behind it and some planning. Where are you going to put it? Do you hide it in the corner or put it out in the open where it’s more likely to have something run into it? Do you take the risk that it will all come down at once, or hope to catch a big one? Plus you have to rebuild it any time something crashes into it, hoping it’s going to be just as pristine and beautiful as before. In short: it takes some management.

So lately, in addition to starting our fundraising campaign, casting, and getting all of our paperwork in order, I’ve done some research as well. This particular research trip involved visiting Los Angeles; the Skirball Community Center. They have an exhibit up about Houdini, so I couldn’t resist. It was really worth the trip. They had a 1920s day, encouraging people to dress up and come down to have a picnic and see the exhibit, so we did.

Honestly, the exhibit is pretty cool. But don’t take my word for it. There are some reviews out there that say the same thing. Unfortunately, they don’t allow photos in the exhibit, but there was a wealth of paraphernalia about magic: posters, costumes, props, automatons, and so on. Totally worth the trip.

We followed that up with drinks at Hotel Figueroa, which is also a place I’d recommend. Beautiful, downtown, and historic. Once you add a cocktail, it’s a perfect summer afternoon.

Lastly, we headed down to a theater with a really long name that starts with a V for some experimental short films presented by Film Forum. The theater was also dating from back in the day, which is cool. It could use some love on the inside, but alas, funding for such projects is scarce and competition is fierce (kind of like film funding!).

Anyway, that’s the lesson for the day. Research can be fun, kids.

Since we've started the casting process for the film, I thought I would take some time to introduce them and show you just how awesome they are. I'm going to start with one of my lead actresses in the film: Lizet Benrey. She plays the mother in the magician family, and I think she's going to blow everyone away with the transformation into this character.

But a little background:
Lizet is actually from Mexico City, and is the daughter of painter Shirley Chernitsky. As a result, Lizet started her artistic career early in life, and was surrounded by artists that became a strong influence in her artistic life, and helped her develop her skills. She studied at the Universidad Iberamericana and Boston University, and got her BA in Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego.

In her acting life, Lizet worked as a hostess and actress in television programs produced by Televisa Mexico, and acted in theater with Julio Castillo. She even appeared in several commercials, including one for Coca-Cola. More recently, she acted in a film titled Tea in a Thunder Cup, directed by Alison Williams. She has also performed in several art videos, including Secret Place, a collaboration with Michael Douglas Hawk, which has been shown in several countries as part of the Human Emotion Project.

Her artwork has bee exhibited in museums, cultural institutions, and art galleries across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia, and Europe, and has been awarded numerous art prizes in the process.

Always the creator, Lizet even makes films of her own, most recently a short film featuring surrealist painter Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) and Gabriel Weisz Carrington, as well as the documentary Shirley Chernitsky: El estallido de la imaginacion, which has been shown at various festivals and museums. She has also collaborated, directed, or performed in several art videos that are being shown in several countries as part of the Human Emotion Project.

Seriously, this woman is amazing. She even shot and edited our teaser for our Kickstarter campaign. Go check it out. Didn't she do a great job? I'd also highly recommend that you check out her website (www.lizetbenrey.com). She's got images of some of her paintings up there, and believe me, you want to see these.

I can't wait to capture her talents on film. Like all great artists, Lizet doesn't just do things halfway. She jumps in with both feet, heart and soul, and gives it everything she's got and doesn't rest until it's perfect. And I have to say, with that kind of passion, I don't have to be worried that she'll pull off a performance that none of you will ever forget. In our rehearsals so far, she's managed to give me goose bumps bringing this character to life. I just can't wait to share it with all of you.

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you know about all the marketing I’ve been up to lately. And here’s just a little bit more. We finally got our film teaser up and running on our Kickstarter page (the place where you give us money!).

I’m really glad with how it looks. It gives a real sense of what the film is going to feel like. I’d also like to mention that it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my unwavering producer, Sybil Wendler, and my lead actress/editor extraordinaire, Lizet Benrey. Lizet toiled all weekend to shoot and edit the teaser, and I am eternally grateful for her (and Sybil’s!) hard work.

See what kind of amazing crew I have? Now I know you want to get involved with this project, so visit Kickstarter and show us some love. Really!

When people talk about movies, the conversation inevitably rolls around to the quality of the acting. People talk about the actors more than they talk about the music, or the cinematography, or the costumes, and even the director. Alas, my role isn’t what people remember. It’s all those bright faces that make them believe.

So it should come as no surprise that casting the exact right people is vitally important to me. And given the distinct nature of my film, these actors have to be good. I mean, really fantastic. I don’t think of my actors as cattle (like Hitchcock), but as artists who will transform what I wrote on the page into living, breathing characters that you will think about, hate, love, admire, or fear long after the screen has gone dark.

This weekend I did just that. I watched talented people from all over San Diego stand in front of me and morph into people that had previously only existed in my imagination. Honestly, it gave me goosebumps. And these people were all very good at what they do. So good, that my decisions (which haven’t been finalized yet) are going to be difficult to make. But I’m glad that it’s difficult. It’s going to make the film really, truly amazing when they breathe life into the pages in front of them. I can’t wait!

Note: skip to the last 3 paragraphs if you want to read about funding my film

I’m sure a lot of people wonder about how films are funded. It’s actually a simple, yet very complicated process that is entirely dependent on what kind of film someone is planning to make.

For instance, most people know that studios finance films, and they do. But what happens when you don’t have a studio and all their money and power behind you? Well, you hit the bricks, that’s what.

For a filmmaker who aims to make a feature narrative film, the kind that would premiere at a place like Sundance, or Toronto Film Festival, or any number of the gazillion film festivals out there, they have to find investors. And that can be a lot of different kinds of entities. It might be as simple as asking mom and dad for a million dollars, but that’s a resource very few of us have. (There’s a joke about a billionaire who went into the film business so he could become a millionaire.) But most people look for other people, businesses, and sometimes grants to cobble together enough money to make their film. In these cases, the amount of money they manage to acquire is usually a result of how good their pitch is, and how much their investors think the return will be.

The nice thing about feature films: they have a chance to make money. They might win cash awards at festivals, plus they can often ask for screening fees from festivals, and if they’re lucky, a distributor will come along and buy the rights to the film. If they’re really lucky, the film will have a theatrical release, and if they’re really really lucky, the theatrical release will be on more than 100 screens. And then, of course, they can sell VOD (video on demand rights), and DVD.

Then comes documentary films. For much of the US, the word “documentary” conjures up images of boring films you might have watched in high school geography or history class. But hopefully, it instead makes you think of films like Farenheit 911, Man on Wire, or Grizzly Man. (If you get the chance to see a film called Senna, I strongly recommend you see it: it’s one of the best documentaries I’ve EVER seen.)

Documentaries are less likely to get their funding from investors, because they are less likely to get a theatrical release (and therefore make less money). However, many docs get to claim that they are socially relevant, or improve the world in some way, so they are eligible for a whole variety of grants from the government (like the NEA) or from private organizations that fund the arts (or even subject-specific projects, like green technology). And if it’s a good film, there’s a chance they’ll be able to sell some DVDs, or some VOD rights and make some of the money back.

Now with short films, they’re in a rough spot. Short films rarely, if ever, make any money, because there is little to no chance of theatrical release. They can’t ask festivals for screening fees. So basically, the only chance of making money is to win cash awards at festivals and/or sell DVDs. So where do they get their funding? Mostly begging. Yep. There are very few grants out there for short films, and those grants are ridiculously difficult to get. So, we have to put our hands out and hope that people are feeling generous, or like us enough to give us a little something to help out.

This is where fiscal sponsorship comes in. This is something whereby an entity (usually a non-profit) oversees the project (usually only budget issues), and for a small fee (usually 3-5%), they lend their non-profit status to a filmmaker. Cool, huh?

What does that mean? It means that any donation you give to a film that has sponsorship is tax deductible. It also means that there is an organization around making sure I don’t take you money and blow it at the track. It’s really a win-win-win situation.

So here’s the deal: I happen to have fiscal sponsorship for The Magicians. There is a local organization called Media Arts Center San Diego, and they provide sponsorship to several local filmmakers. Check them out online.

So, if you want to help me fund my film, you can do one of two things: you can contribute to my Kickstarter account (which is unfortunately NOT tax deductible, because there is an exchange of goods), or you can just write a check and take the charitable donation deduction on your 2011 taxes. And trust me, we need the money.

Think you don’t have enough? Think again. I have over 400 Facebook friends. If every one of them gave me $25, I’d have $10,000 (which would allow me to fund the film AND pay a few cast/crew). And really, $25 isn’t that much money. In California, that’ll buy you two cocktails. So, instead of taking me out for drinks, give my movie the money. That’s what I really want anyway.

Again: Kickstarter Account for The Magicians

Or: Media Arts Center San Diego: send checks to 2921 El Cajon Blvd, SD, CA 92104, with either Lisa Franek or The Magicians in the notes line. Or contact me and I’ll talk you through it. It’s easy.

There are two words I never thought I would be concerned with. But here we are, being concerned. Over the last several years, I have learned about how closely linked marketing is to the trajectory of a film. But wait, you say, if you make a good film, people will watch, right?

Nope. ‘Fraid not. People watch what you tell them to watch. They watch what is in front of their noses every day. Because they are familiar with it; they know what they’re getting into. For an example of this, just watch the Oscars. Remember how they extended the best picture category to 10 films instead of 5? It’s because people were losing interest in the broadcast. They had never heard of any of the films! Were the films good? Absolutely. But no one was watching them.

So, I’m trying to maximize awareness and minimize apathy by talking as often and as long about my movie as people will allow. If you’re reading this, you’re at least aware of the film, and possibly are interested in the updates and progress of the production. You might have even given me some funding.

But did you know I have a Facebook page for The Magicians? I do (The Magicians—like it!). I also have a YouTube account, where you can see some other films I’ve made.  There’s a twitter account. And even on this website, you can see what else I do when the urge hits me. I also have a Kickstarter page, where you can help fund the project.

These things weren’t around 5 years ago, but now that they are, I’m doing my best to use them. And this is the part where I plead, beg, and implore you to share all of these things with your friends, family, co-workers, and random people on the street. Tell them about this cool film they have to know about. It’s the only way us regular folks can get marketing done.

Thanks.