A Lot Can Happen In A Week!

Whew!!!

Hey folks... it's been a week since my last post... and a pretty packed week at that! Now, it's not unommon for me to go few days in between posts... some times there's just not much to say... and some times I get too busy to post, and have to commit huge chunks of blog space to getting caught up. This is definitely one of the latter instances. Settle in... this is going to take a while...

>> First off, my work on Crackin' The Code is officially wrapped (really, this time for sure!). Sunday night I headed over to the Slingshot Lounge (a bar in SE Portland that plays a very prominent part in the film) to coordinate a climactic fight in the film. Actually, the fight I staged was pretty simple: one grab, a little grapple, and a punch. The actors involved (Jon Ashley Hall, Illya Torres-Garner and Doug Zaminsky) took to the action really well. From what I could see, everything looked good! I could see every take, though... since I was there, I played "background artist" and occupied one of the seats in the bar while the fight was going on. Hey, it got a little more screen time (well, the back of my head grabbed a little more screen time).

So, other than a few pick-up days, production on Code is pretty much wrapped. I'll keep you posted as the film goes through post-production... Director Steve Coker is hoping to have it in shape by the middle of September so that he can send it out to Festivals. I would hav e said that was overly-optimistic... but hey, he managed to shoot (most of) the entire film in 12 days. I'm not putting anything past him!

The Associate Producer, Patti Adkins, got some great shots of me on the set... I'll try to get them posted on http://www.haroldphillips.net/ in the next couple of days.

>> Giggity Giggity Giggity!

A couple weeks ago I responded to an audition on Craigslist for a web industrial for Blue Volt, a continuing education school for electrical workers. Last week my ActorTrack software reminded me to check in with the Associate Producer, Joe Marks, on the status of the audition... and he let me know that I was on the short list of candidates. I just got word yesterday that the producers decided I was right for one of the featured parts... so I'll be shooting that project next week.

But wait, there's more...

>> Giggity Giggity TWO!

Trish auditioned for Key Productions next play, Prelude To A Kiss, last week (you might remember the movie with Alec Baldwin and Meg Ryan from 1992). She got called back to read for the female lead's mother on Sunday... and got cast almost immediately afterward! So, we're going to get the chance to see her on stage again pretty soon (the play opens September 12th at Portland's Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center).

She attended the first read through Tuesday night, and is pretty darned excited about the cast... sounds like this show is going to rock! Guess I'd better get the home page of http://www.trishegan.com/ updated with this info too...

>> Animus Cross, the new webisode series Trish and I are in, starts shooting in a couple of weeks (I've mentioned it a couple of times in the past... really, the only thing I'm authorized by creator A. L. Steen to say about the project is that it's a "Western Fantasy." Don't worry, though, you know how I am... I'll be sharing more about it when I'm allowed to).

The first three "pilot" episodes are being filmed in northern Idaho with cast and crew from Oregon, Idaho, and Nashville... which makes it kind of hard to have rehearsals before we get on set. We did have a read-through of the pilot episodes on Saturday with the Portland-based cast and crew, though... I'm getting to work with Kathryne Bukowski again (she was also in The Outbreak with me)... and Jerry-the-Man-Buxbaum! This shoot is going to be a blast!

A lot of my time over the past couple weeks has been spent getting ready for the shoot... I don't think I'm revealing too much to say my character is a civil war vet, so I've been doing a lot of reading on the period. I've also been doing more research on the war itself, to figure out what part my character played in it. I have a basic understanding of civil war history (what I learned in high school), but I'd hardly call myself an expert or aficionado. It's been a great excuse to do some historical research.

I made good use of our local Library (an invaluable actor's tool, let me tell you!) the other day, and brought home some fascinating books:

• Everyday Life During The Civil War by Michael j. Varhola is a fantastic sourcebook for writers, reenactors, dramaturgs, and anyone else who needs quick details about what life was like in the 1860's. If the series goes forward, I may just buy my own copy of this one.


• The Essential Civil War by Jayne E. Blair is another great sourcebook... it's got sections on each battle and personage who played a part in the civil war. A great resource to draw on.


• The Civil War In Depth by Bob Zeller is...well, it's just plain cool! Stereoscopes were the holograms of the 19th century; essentially, they were taken by a special camera with two lenses spaced about the width of the human eye. When the photos were developed (side-by-side) they were put into a special viewer that created a 3-D image. This book publishes several stereoscopic images from the civil war, and has a handy collapsible stereoscope so you can view the images as they were meant to be seen. It really is like looking through a (static, black-and-white) window in time.
• Then there's The Expansion of Everyday Life by Daniel Sutherland... this book is more narrative than Everyday Life During The Civil War, so it's less of a look-up-a-quick-fact sourcebook... but it deals with the period after the civil war, which is the period Animus Cross is set in. It's a pretty good read, too!

I also found a great new band to help get me "in the mood" of the piece... has anyone out there encountered Salter Cane in the past? They're a great, dark, "alt-country" band... generally I don't go in for country music, but they've really struck a chord with me (if you'll forgive the pun). Check 'em out!

So... that's what's been going on in Trish and my life lately. Needless to say, we've been kind of busy! I'll try to get the next update posted faster... then you the three of you who actually made it down this far won't have quite so much to wade through.

Hope you're all doing well...

-Harold

My Work On This Planet Is Not Yet Done

Howdy folks

Remember that last post, where I said I'd wrapped my day's shooting for Crackin' The Code? Well... it turns out I was wrong.

Director Steve Coker had a stunt coordinator from LA lined up for a couple bits of violence in the film... but it seems that he couldn't make it up for the shoot after all. So, Steve's asked me to come on board behind the camera as fight coordinator. I had to miss last night's shoot because of previous commitment... but I'll be back on set Sunday evening to choregraph a fight between Bill (the main character, played by Jon Ashley Hall) and Alec (played by Illya Torres-Garner). It should be an intense night; the fight is one of the climactic moments in the film.

While I've got your "ear," I thought I'd mention a couple of other little nuggets of interest...

Got Impeachment? Did you know that a hearing on the impeachment of George W. Bush is going to happen tomorrow in Congress? You probably haven't heard anything about it from corporate controlled media. Click here to find out more.

Politicizing the Census? You know, I've been paying a lot of attention to census records lately... my new online video game, Ancestry.com, uses them a lot. I've been able to find out a ton about my ancestors by looking at images of census data from the 20's and 30's.

So, when I heard about this, I was pretty steamed... the Census provides a lot of valuable information to future generations about the way people lived during a period of time. Some of those people future generations may be researching could be (gasp!) gay... and even worse - they might be LEGALLY MARRIED!!!! The idea that the Census Bureau is planning on deleting the fact that people are legally married from the 2010 census is just plain wrong. You can let them know that by clicking here.

Just thought you'd like to know...

Hope you're all doing well! I'm off to an appointment or two, and then Trish and I just might go see The Dark Knight tonight.

-Harold

Lady Wasteland Is Going To ComicCon!

Hey folks

I got this message from Lady Wasteland director Mark Roush over the weekend... if you just happen to be in San Diego over the weekend, and you have a ticket to ComicCon, look for he and Brynne on the convention floor!
___________________________________________

It is a wild and insane time for Wasteland Films LLC and Black Spot Films.

Next Thursday, Director Mark Roush and lead actress Brynne Worley are leaving bright and early for San Diego to represent Lady Wasteland at ComiCon 2008. An earlier film of mine, produced through Black Spot Films, was accepted into the 2008 San Diego International Children's Film Festival which is taking place at ComiCon, and from that, I received two VIP tickets to attend the convention. I figured this to be a great time to promote Lady Wasteland to producers and executives at the convention.

Through several connections, I got tickets into many parties, including the Dark Horse Party and The Wrath of Con Party which takes place at Hard Rock Cafe... the biggest of them all. This will be a great opportunity to network and meet as many execs and actors as possible... and spread the wasteland.

On another day of the convention, we'll be dressing up wasteland style and fitting the convention floor - taking pictures with fans, passing out postcards and stickers, and pretty much spreading the word of the production.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend myself... but if you're at ComicCon, look for them!

-Harold

Code Is In The Can - Replay

Hey folks

Well, I slept for a good 11 hours or so (sorry, CTC folks who had to be up shooting at 7am at the bowling alley). I've got a cup of strong coffee in my Kaladi Brothers cup. The wi-fi is up and I'm sitting in my back yard swing with the laptop... so I think I'm ready to relate the story of yesterday's shoot for Crackin' The Code.

Honestly, the day went amazingly well! I got to Marcella Laash's house at around 8 am (I wasn't technically called until 10, but breakfast was being served and it was a good opportunity to get into the groove with Jon Ashley Hall and Shawn Cates, my scene partners). By 9:00 the crew was already working on their first shot, and we were off and running.

The first scene we shot will actually be my last scene in the film... because Jon had to be unshaven in it, though, we shot it first so he could be clean-shaven the rest of the day. There were some complicated shots to get (including a dolly shot that our DP, the amazing Galvin Collins, achieved with a tripod and a wheelchair), but we managed to get it all in the can by two pm. Jon's performance in that scene had us all "crackin' up," let me tell you.

After a lunch break we moved out to Marcella's driveway where Shawn proceeded to wash Marcella's car for the next four hours or so... unfortunately, the scene called for Jon, Shawn and I to be in the sun the entire time. Luckily, our fabulous make-up woman Sabrina (I had a habit of calling her Samantha, so that became our little joke... as the day progressed, I called her every girl's name starting with S that I could remember) kept us covered with sun block. It was definitely one of those "racing the sun" kind of scenes... by the time the crew got set up to film my close-ups, the sun had gone behind a tall pine tree, and we had to cheat the scene down the drive way by a couple of feet. Unfortunately, between the neighborhood noises, the hours in the sun, and the other distractions I'm afraid my close-up shots weren't as good as I would have liked them. Still, Steve seemed to be satisfied with what he got and we moved inside.

The last scene we shot (technically my second in the film) is a pretty emotional one with a lot of business. Part of my action involved washing dishes, so we pulled out the dishes from breakfast (which included some amazing country gravy made by our producer - and Steve's Wife - Gia) and I went to town. We had to race the sun again in this scene; technically, the scene is supposed to take place at dawn, and the sun was headed from dusk to night. We managed to get the exterior and through-the-window shots needed before the sun went down, and then it was on to the meat of the scene in the kitchen. At one point in the scene, I throw a wash rag into a pot of dish-water, causing quite a splash; thankfully Gia was on-scene with Marcella's hair drier to dry my wardrobe off between shots. I was pretty happy with my work in that scene, though glad it was the last scene of the day - I was worn out afterward.

All-in-all, I'm very happy with the way the day went. Sure, it was a long day... but I feel like Steve got some good stuff on film (P-2 card, technically...), and I certainly learned a few things:

• Galvin Collins and Chris Davis (two Screaming Inside guys I've worked with before) really are "the Sh*t." They come up with amazing solutions when issues present themselves on set... and they both keep their cool when the pressure's on. Seriously, Galvin is the very definition of "unflappable." If you ever get the chance to work with them, take it!
• Marcella Laash is as amazingly gracious as she is gorgeous... she and her husband Jeffrey were so kind to let us take over their house for an all day shoot. And not only that, she's very kind when you break something of hers (thank god for EBay... you really can find anything there...)
• Steve Coker and Gia Barker are one hell of a writer/director and producer team! They work exceptionally well together (probably a good thing, with them being married and all...) and keep their humor when things inevitably go wrong on the set. Plus, Gia's an amazing cook and Steve's just a downright funny guy.
• Patti Adkins RULES as a script supervisor/ associate producer. She's gold - again, any chance you get to work with her, take it.

Well, ok. I guess I really knew all that stuff already... I just thought it was worth re-stating.

Happy Sunday folks... I'll keep you posted as the film goes through post-production. Steve has this insane idea that it's going to be ready by the first part of September (he's angling to send it out for festival consideration by then...) I'm pretty excited to hear what people think of it.

-Harold

Code's In The Can

Hey folks

Just a quick note to say that, after a 14 hour shoot, my scenes in Crackin' The Code are in the can. I'm pretty happy with them, all in all. More later... after I sleep!

-Harold

A Wild And Wooly Week

Howdy folks

It's been a bit since I posted an update... the week's gotten away from me. And what a week it's been!

The Big News of the Week: Monday I got a call from Kit Garrett, my new print agent at Option Model Management. I hadn't really worked with Kit at that point; she recently separated from Ryan Artists and opened her own agency. Because she has a relationship with my on-camera agent Kaili Canfield , she opened the doors of her new agency to Kaili's talent seeking print representation.

Now, I've never considered myself a model... I've got a funny face with a big nose, and while I try to stay in shape I hardly look like Mario Lopez. Still, I figured "what the heck," and sent my vital stats to Kit.


Improbably... unbelievably... Kit was calling on Monday to check my availability for a booking. Newsweek magazine will often run photos on its editorial pages that help to illustrate the point being made by the writer. I was called to appear in a photo that will be run as part of an editorial about FDA approval of new drugs. The shoot was that day, and I was available... so it all worked out. That "Night Court" effect again.

The shoot took a little under an hour-and-a-half. I drove down to Mark Hooper Studios with a bunch of clothes (I wasn't sure what kind of look they were going for), and was told when I got there that I'd be in a hospital gown. Best laid plans, huh? As an extra added bonus, I got to hang with the marvelous Katie O'Grady (who will also appear in the spread).

The photos should appear in the Newsweek that goes on sale July 28th... I'll try to get some digital proofs from Mark to post on http://www.haroldphillips.net/, but keep an eye out for the old fashioned paper magazine, just in case.

Code Crackin': That title makes me sound like some 1940's cryptologist out to stop the Nazi's from invading Brittany, or something.

Actually, I'm off to shoot my scenes in Crackin' The Code this morning. It should be a fairly light shoot; I'm in three scenes, none of which are all that long or complex. Should be a pretty easy one.

This week has largely been taken up with prep for my one-day shoot, though... on Tuesday my scene partners (the marvelous Jonathan Hall and Shawn Cates) meet up with me at the Slingshot Lounge on Foster Rd. (a bar that figures prominently in the film) and we went over our scenes... then, Wednesday, we rehearsed all three scenes at the location (the Vancouver home of the lovely Marcella Laash).

I'm looking forward to today's shoot; my character, Nick, is a pretty big stretch for me. I think I can honestly say that the audience will see me do some things in CTC that they've never seen me do before.

My Parents visited over the weekend... my dad rode the Seattle To Portland Bicycle Classic Saturday and Sunday, so they were in town for a few days. Dad made surprisingly good time; he rode the hundred miles from Seattle to Chehalis and from Chehalis to Portland in around eight hours each. He's a tougher man than I (though I might just train up and attempt the ride myself next year... schedule permitting).

While they were down, we got Dad some new head shots at Colleen Cahill's studio; it was a great, relaxed, mellow session and the proofs I've seen are fabulous. If you're looking for new headshots in the Portland area, give Colleen a look - she's got a great eye, and she's wonderful to work with!

Other Assorted Odds-and-ends:

• Guess what? We FINALLY got some content up on http://www.trishegan.com! It's just a beginning... no photos or video has been posted yet. But it's more than the place-holder site we've had for the past year. Pop on by and take a look, won't you?

• I've been playing a fun new online video game lately... it's called Ancestry.com. Seriously, I'm having a lot of fun with the site... I've always been interested in genealogy, but have never really wanted to commit the time to track down relatives and research. Ancestry.com makes the whole process of building your family tree (free) and finding historical records (with subscription; a mere $19.95 per month) easy! Mom, Dad and I did a fair amount of tree-building over the weekend... and they brought down a ton of photos for me to scan and post. I'm not sure if it's open for anyone to look at... does this link work?

• Geek Watch: Yeah, I know, The Dark Knight is the big news this week... but have you seen the new trailer for the upcoming Watchmen movie? It looks pretty freakin' amazing! If you've read the ground-breaking graphic novel (perhaps the greatest graphic novel of all time), you'll see some amazing images in the trailer that fairly leap from the page. If you haven't read the graphic novel... shame on you! Visit Powells.com right away and order it. You won't be sorry. Time Magazine listed as one of the "100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present," ya know...

• My next project, the western fantasy Animus Cross (which I'm still not allowed to talk about much) will require me to grow a mustache. I've been researching post-civil-war mustaches, and came across this handy site: http://mustachesofthenineteenthcentury.blogspot.com/. A very handy resource for the 1800's mustache aficionado.

Ok, that's it... enough. Time to hit the road to Vancouver for my shoot. Hope you're all doing well!

-Harold

Two Festival Premiers

Hey there folks

I've been a little lax about posting on the blog of late... life has been busy here in Portland, and the heat is back. With temperatures in the 90's, I don't feel much like sitting in my home office and being productive.

I did, however, want to let you know that two films I'm involved with are going to have their festival premiers next month:

First off, Trish and I got word over the weekend that From Kilimanjaro With Love is going to have its festival premier at Indiefest, USA in Anaheim California sometime between August 8th and 15th (the screening schedule hasn't been announced yet). Trish has a major part in this feature film, and I provided fight choreography. It's a fun little adventure movie romp; if you're down in Southern California in mid-August check the Indiefest web site to see when the film is playing (we do know that it's going to be shown at the AMC Theaters in Downtown Disneyland). The venue address is on the home page at http://www.haroldphillips.net/.

The very next week in Louisville, KY the Fright Night Film Festival will host the festival premier of Sum of the Parts, the suspense/ Sci-Fi film I shot back in 2006. It's taken director Raymond Steers just about ten years to get to this point... he started filming the movie in 1998, took a break, completed the film in 2006, had an official premier at the Hollywood Theater here in Portland in 2007, and now is having his first festival screening. He deserves a major pat on the back for stick-to-itiveness.

So, if you're in the Louisville, KY area (the showings will be at the Clarion Hotel and Convention Center - again, details are on the home page at http://www.haroldphillips.net) some time between August 15 - 17 (no screening time announced yet), pop in and take a look. The film is quite a ride!

Well, that's it for now... time to hit the road for a day-job appointment or two. Hope you're all doing well!

-Harold

The Code, It Is Crackin'!

No, not "The Kraken..."



The new film I'm in, Crackin' The Code, is Crackin'!



First off, there's a new movie poster inspired by the John Hughes classic The Breakfast Club. During the same photo session, some other Huges-inspired posters were created... you can check them out here: http://www.huntersmoonproductions.com/POSTERS.html.

Second, Crackin' The Code has invaded MySpace with a new profile; http://www. myspace. com/crackinthecodemovie. You MySpace users should really take a moment to add the profile as a "friend;" you'll get updates as the production and post-production progresses.

Third, the Crackin' The Code Blog is a handy way keep track of what's going on in Code-land... if you're not a MySpace user (or even if you are), keep an eye on that page (I'm actually the "featured actor" on the side-bar this month... thanks Steve!)

Finally, the Crackin' The Code Podcast is live, with cast and crew interviews, and it's now available via ITunes! You can add it to ITunes by clicking here - non-ITunes users can still hear this rowdy crew as the film is mad by clicking on Crackin' The Code's Switchpod page.

So, things are heating up in Code-land... I shoot my scenes in the film in mid-July, and director Steve Coker is hoping to have the first cut of the film finished by this winter. I'll keep you posted!

Hope everyone had a happy 4th of July...

-Harold