Episode 5: Start of Preproduction

You may have noticed that my articles are few and far between these days, but that's for a good, don't worry.

This is simply because the "Between Friends" project is finally entering preproduction. Another good news is that I finally found a better title than "Between Friends" (not very difficult to do you might say). You will know about the new title later on, when the first poster is ready.

Pre-production is not that much fun because it means:

1. Assembling the cast
2. Preparing the shooting schedule
3. Storyboarding, costumes etc...
4. Rewriting the script

All this in addition to the construction of the website.

If all goes well, filming will begin in July and the website will be ready in early August.

In short, a lot of work in the horizon, and always exciting stuff on the blog in the meantime.

Episode 4: Planning to change home

I had planned to write my second article supposed to help you all become Americans, but unfortunately I was the victim of a very busy schedule and didn’t have time to work on it it.

What I did spend time doing was starting to work on the design for the production company’s future website. So I sailed all week from pages to pages in search of elements I would like to incorporate to the interface of what will become your favorite address. One thing that I quickly couldn’t stand at all were those "super cool" Flash animations that take a long time to materialize - even with a fast connection - and don’t actually add that much the page’s aesthetics.

There will be none of that for me, thank you. Instead, when everything is ready, you’ll find something simple and very easy to use. Because between the blog, the interactive screening room, the audio podcasts, the video clips, the trailers (“American style”), and the "making of" segments, you will easily get lost.

The transition will probably take place at the end of July – around the time I’ll start shooting my next film. I would like to make things happen faster, but I already know I will lose any kind of productivity between June 11 and July 11.

I know it's pathetic. But I am only a man.
It is the World Cup, after all. It only happens every 4 years.

Episode 3: Having an ear for music

A change scenery this week, since I am currently enjoying a little under a fortnight in Paris. Fortnight is such a cool word, I had to use it somehow.

I'm starting to reconsider my decision because of the low temperatures I have to deal with in comparison to the warm Los Angeles weather. And listening to my friends, the weather actually has improved since I got here. When I add that to the fact that I'm walking outside despite 3 or 4 degrees Celsius on the thermometer while I usually don't set foot outside when it's under 14 in LA, I realize that being cold is really a state of mind.

As far as positives go, I do have the opportunity to see French films that never make it across the Atlantic. I can also visit my friends, some of whom are musicians. This gives me the opportunity to think about the kind of music I want for the film, the amount of music I will use, and even the possibility of having a real soundtrack album, with over a dozen songs that would be available for sale when the film comes out.

So from now on, I'll keep an ear out for some cool stuff from unknown artists deserving some exposure.

Episode 2: Reconnecting with an ex-girlfriend

This week marked the real start of "Between Friends" (working title) as a project, since I finally went back to the script I wrote almost a year ago and hadn't read for a few months. (I've worked on 3 other screenplays since, so I wasn't just being lazy)

I must admit I was a little worried initially. You know how much you're disappointed when you meet a ex-girlfriend from high school that you thought was beautiful, intelligent, funny and you realize that she unfortunately doesn't measure up to your memories and the image of her you had in your head? That's exactly what I was afraid to feel. I was concerned the story that has danced around in my little head for the past months ends up being very different from the words on the paper (actually on Final Draft), with a lot of additional work needed in order to bridge the gap between my head and the actual script.

Fortunately, 2009 Henri did a much better job than 2010 Henri thought, and did not disappoint him at all.

There will only be minor changes to make, nothing serious. This makes the project move forward faster than expected, and 2010 Henri likes that.

On another topic, I was hoping that District 9 would bring a little something from the Oscars last night, but the competition turned out to be too strong. Too bad.

Episode 1: Start from the beginning

For those of you who don't have the internal memory of a goldfish and do make a short stop on the blog every Monday, you probably remember that I promised you some info about my next movie a few weeks ago. Well, there it is.

What I can tell you for the moment is that the story follows two recently single friends who decide to keep each other company on Valentine's Day. Then... I suppose you will have see the film to know what happens next.

The working title is Between Friends and will most likely change. But you know how it often is with working titles, they start working and you eventually keep them.

The goal is to begin filming late in the summer of 2010 (Screw westerners, I should actually say late in the rainy season). Why so far? Because if there's one thing I have learned in life, it's that you can only make a good first impression once. So it is better to allow for some time to make every little detail perfect and not go to war unprepared. Especially for a first film.

Apart from that, the blog will continue its course (with DVDs on Fridays), only now with the addition of updates regarding the film's progress.

All this just for you... can you believe that?