One Week Post Idaho

Hey folks... whew!!! What a week!

(Side note: don't you just love Google Images? Put in a search word like "dazed," and look what comes up! I wanted to paste in this image... but those pesky guys at http://www.bluebuddies.com/ didn't want to share... it's like they don't want people stealing their artwork or something, huh? So I had to make do with Kooky McCorpse over here... either way, it's better than most of the image results. Dazed & Confused Magazine? Not really my thing...)

So... yeah. Heck of a week. I realize that I reneged on my promise to stay in touch while Trish and I were shooting in Idaho... best laid plans and all that, right? I did post a quick little "in review" wrap-up kinda thing here if you want to read it... or you could just scroll down the page. You won't be sorry you did - if you skip it, you'll never know about the moose!

The reason I did an etirely separate post on Idaho, though, is because there's been a lot of moving and shaking in Trish-and-Harold land this week... to wit:

>> As I write this, Trish is shooting her Electrolux infomercial. She's been at the location since around 9:30 this morning, and as of 7:30 she's not back yet (the cell signals up where they're shooting aren't particularly strong; I've received a few text messages from her today, saying that everything's going well... but that she's not going to be home until late). So much for cooking her dinner tonight (I was planning on editing that recipe a little... since our apple tree is starting to drop apples left and right, I'm going to find a way to incorporate them into it. Apple butter instead of mustard, and apple vinegar? Hmmmm).

>> Ahem. Giggity Giggity Giggity - Awright!

So, while I was out of town local actress Elle Poindexter forwarded a casting call to PDXBackstage from the producers of the popular online series The Bicyclist. The series has been running for well over a year now, and has thirty episodes online (at this point). It seems, though, that series creators Carl and Sharon Jameson want to take things in a new direction, with a feature film... as far as I can tell the film won't be a sequel, or a prequel... but more of a companion piece to the series itself (tentatively entitled "The Bicyclists").

Anyway, I saw the casting call when I checked my email in Kennewick. I submitted my headshot and resume (thank god they're online at http://www.haroldphillips.net/; I don't travel with those files on my laptop) and took off. Sharon got back to me while I was in Idaho and said that they'd like to see me, but that they were thinking of me for a different part than was included in the casting notice.

Fast-forward to last Tuesday... I showed up at The Kennedy School to find an actress waiting outside the "Community Room," where the audition was to take place. To my most pleasant surprise, it was the lovely and talented Mercedes Rose! I've watched and admired Mercedes' work for quite a while, but I'd never gotten the chance to work with her until this audition. Her web site doesn't lie; she's a high-performance talent! I had such a wonderful time reading with her, that I almost forgot that I was auditioning... and I guess that worked to both of our advantages, since we both got cast in the project!

I can't tell you much about the film because, honestly... I don't know that much about it. All I know is that I'm playing a father, and Mercedes is playing a mother. I'm not even sure that we're the mother and father of the same child... I guess I'll have to find out. Hopefully I'll be shooting some time in mid-September. I'll keep you posted as things progress.

>> Another piece of news came in while Trish and I were out of town... you may remember that a film Trish and I worked on last year, From Kilimanjaro With Love, received its world premier at Indiefest USA in Anaheim, CA. Apparently, the audiences really liked it; Kilimajaro was nominated for six awards (including Best Feature Film, Best Editing, and Best Soundtrack) and took home the award for Best Special FX! Hopefully that award will help to get the attention of the distributors... it'd be nice for a larger audience to get to see the film. Keep your fingers crossed!

>> Lady Wasteland news... Tuesday night I joined Lady Wasteland director Mark Roush for the PDX Filmmakers Showcase at Kellys Olympian in Downtown Portland... (if you've never been and you're interested in the film world here in Portland, it's a worth popping down on the third Tuesday of the month. A LOT of people come out for the showcase, and you're likely to meet some players in our little scene).

Then we had lunch on Friday.

I cannot tell you that Mark is planning to take Lady Wasteland back into production. I can't tell you that I read three amazing new scripts that made my head spin and my eyes water a little. I can't say much... except what Mark said in an email he sent out last week:

...we are in active pre-production right now i.e. location scouting, storyboards, budgets, contracts etc... Overall, when and if, the investors pull through for us, will I be excited at the absolutism of truly going into production again. Like I have said many times before, "I'll be happy when the check is in the bank."

But I can say that if I HAD read three new scripts, my jaw would be hanging open at where Mark is taking the series, and the characters. It's possible, in fact, that all I could say was... "Wow..."

>>And speaking of "Wow..." I'm going to close this latest over-long post by relating to you, gentle readers, one of the strangest things that has ever happened to me in my life - and as most of you know, I've had a pretty wacky life. This, though, was truly a "Wow" moment. In fact, I'd have to was more of a "...wha?...OH!... ... ...wow..." kind of moment.

I think I've mentioned before that I've got a Google News Alert set up to monitor mentions of Trish and my name. Every once in a while we'll get mentioned in a newspaper article, or a review, or what have you. Most of the time, though, the alerts we get are for Douglas County Fairground Director Harold Phillips or Irish Distribution Specialist Trish Egan (both of whom seem to get a lot of press).

This week, however, my news alert took a turn for the surreal... I can't describe it. You've got to see it to really believe it:

Google Web Alert for: news "harold phillips"

Harold Phillips Pictures, Polls, Biography, Nude Reviews, Forum ...
Are you a fan of Harold Phillips? a rank lower than 9 is not an option! .... know that Manpaper is frequently updated with the latest Harold Phillips news? ...

Say it with me now... "...Wow." So, I guess... this means I'm a celebrity now? If people think I'm important enough that other people are going to be searching for photos of me without my clothes on (Brian, Lynn... I better not see anything from The Outbreak wrap party up there :) )?

It looks to me like whoever runs "ManPaper.com" came across my IMDB page and decided I was worthy. Take THAT, Bostin... you may have scored the first lead in a Hollywood feature, but are you on a male celeb porn site? Ha! I... win?

Pretty freakin' surreal, if you ask me... I don't really care, to be honest. Female actors have to deal with Mrskin.com and any number of web sites cataloguing every bit of exposed skin they've put on film or tape, so why shouldn't male actors? Still... I never would have expected to show up on a site like this one. I'm no Brad Pitt, in terms of looks or career. I think whoever runs this site is going to be sorely disappointed by the amount of traffic my listing generates.

So, with that, I'll leave you all for the week ahead... hope you're all doing well!

-Harold

Idaho... and the Return

Hey there folks

Well, I didn't do so well at keeping in touch while Trish and I were shooting the pilot for our new web series, Animus Cross, in Idaho... While creator A.L. Steen's family does have a strong internet connection, it was limited to their office and I didn't want to intrude too much on the work being done. Frankly, there wasn't a lot of time for blogging during the shoot... the general pattern for the week was to stay up until dawn (about 5 AM), sleep all day, then get up and get into costume again. I can't complain too much about the schedule, though... the photo to the left doesn't begin to do justice to how beautiful our location on the shore of Lake Pend O'Reille was. Neither does this one... or this one... or even this one :)

I do have to say, we were very well taken care of while we were there. Amanda's family owns a large patch of land on the shore of the lake, and her uncle was good enough to let a few of us stay in a lake-side cabin built in 1931 (though it's been substantially renovated since then). Because we shot most of the scenes on or near the lake, we were able to relax in there when we weren't needed; it was almost like having our own trailer (though much more spacious and comfortable).

The shoot itself was a ball, though a bit grueling given the all-night hours, the heat (even in the dark it was hot), some time in the water (in costume, to boot... and you know, 1860's boots can hold a LOT of water!), and some very physical work. We also had to contend with a last minute addition to the cast... a moose wandered down to the set during our last day's shoot! I was only able to get some lousy photos with my cell phone, but there were some tense moments as we all remained very quiet and hoped he'd leave. When it looked like he wasn't going anywhere, the actors took their positions and tried not to startle him while doing their scene. I don't know if he'll make the final cut of the episode, though... I hear that his agent is holding out for too much money.

Overall, though, we're both very happy with how things turned out... everyone was working together swimmingly, and the scenes all felt great! We were in exceptionally good hands: Amanda Steen, the writer/ director, has a firm vision of exactly what she wants the series to look like, and where she wants it to go after the pilot. Watching her work with our DP Jason Satterlund was a thing of beauty; they've worked together so often that they hardly have to speak, it seems, to get their ideas and messages across to each other.

We're anxiously awaiting the chance to see some of the footage or some stills from the shoot... I think these pilot episodes are going to look amazing!

Speaking of stills, I did manage to get some shots of the Steen's gorgeous property and of our set on the lake shore. They're posted on our Photobucket site... Click here to see them all.

Unfortunately, all good things... we had to leave in something of a hurry on Monday, as Trish had to be back in town for a wardrobe fitting. Unlike the drive up to Idaho, we went straight through to Portland on the way back (though we did stop off for lunch in Sprague, WA and dinner in The Dalles, OR). It was a long drive, but we were happy to sleep in our own bed (with our own dogs) at the end of it.

Idaho Day 1

Greetings from our room at the Best Western in fabulous Kennewick, WA. Trish and I elected to drive half-way last night, stay overnight here in Kennewick, then drive the rest of the way to the Sandpoint, ID area today.

There's not much to say about the trip yesterday... we got out of town at around 4:00 pm (we got a late start on the day, and spent most of the day getting "housekeeping" items taken care of and last-minute packing... didn't keep me from leaving the new Carhartt jacket I picked up for our night shoots at home in the closet, though...). We drove for about an hour and a half, stopped at a rest stop (populated by some very cute and friendly ground squirrels... these little critters were used to people and begged for hand-outs - and some of them really scored!), then crossed over the Columbia river and into Washington.

Once over the Columbia, we got the chance to visit the Stonehenge War Memorial near Maryhill, WA. I'd seen the Stonehenge memorial several times while heading east on Interstate 84 (it's high on a hill across the river from Oregon), but this was the first time I'd actually visited the site... it's really something! The monument was built by a private land owner (who also started the Marysville Historical Society and museum. He built it on his own land as a memorial to the soldiers from Klickitat County who were killed in World War I.

After stopping at the memorial, it was on to Kennewick... we pulled in here at about 7:30pm. Once we got checked into the Best Western, we went out and ate some... filling Italian food at Casa Mia, then headed back to the room and crashed. Or, I should say, Trish crashed... i was till up for a little while so I started reading the copy of Twilight that I brought with us. Yeah yeah, I know... it's a "girl book." It's damned well written, though... I can see why it's a world-wide best-seller.

We're going to help ourselves to the breakfast bar, and then get packed up and on the road. At 9:30 in the morning it's already 80 degrees and blisteringly bright outside... I think we're going to have a pretty hot day!

More later...

-Harold

A BIG Week For Both Of Us

Hi there folks

It's been about a week since I updated you on Trish and my comings-and-goings... and it's been pretty jam-packed.

To start with, Trish and I are deep in preparations to leave for Idaho on Tuesday to start shooting the first three pilot episodes of A.L. Steen's "western fantasy" web series, Animus Cross. Aside from doing a ton of research on the 1860's, when the series is set, and going over the scripts for the "webisodes," we've been packing and making arrangements to be out of town for a week...

Before I forget, I wanted to let you all know that both From Kilimanjaro With Love and Sum of the Parts are having their festival premiers this coming week... I just sent an email out to those of you who've subscribed to my mailing list on http://www.haroldphillips.net/. You can see all the details by clicking here (or, for a stripped-down version of the details - i.e. dates and addresses - check the home page at http://www.haroldphillips.net/). I wish I could attend both the premiers... but alas, I'll be in Idaho.

So, like I say... it's been a big week.

>> Monday Trish and I got a call from Emily Beleel at Wild Bills (the company we do interactive murder mysteries for). Generally, Wild Bills shows are for private parties only; corporate dinners, holiday parties, and the like. This year, however, the company is going to mount a series of shows open to the public at Wild Bills new headquarters on Airport Way, and Emily asked me to play a role and Trish to be the event coordinator. Everyone who's ever said they wanted to see us do our murder-mystery thing, now's your chance. The public shows will start October 3rd.

>> Trish had an audition for an Electrolux infomercial on Monday... and she got called back for it Saturday. We're keeping our fingers crossed; the director seemed really impressed with her. If she gets the job, it would likely shoot the week after we get back from Idaho.

>>Wednesday I had a meeting with one of the coordinators for the Oregon Node of the National Institutes of Health/ National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials network. Frequent readers may remember previous mentions of my work with "ORNode," in the past... essentially, I play the role of a drug abuser who is entering into clinical trials for various treatment methods the NIH is sponsoring. I go through the intake process for the trials, then give the practicioners feedback on how the process worked from the client's point of view.

In the past, I've done these sessions at treatment centers here in Oregon... but now, the NIH and ORNode is going to fly me around to treatment centers around the country to provide the same service. In coming months I'll be headed to treatment centers in Everett Washington, Eugene Oregon, Dallas Texas, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Charleston South Carolina, Jacksonville Mississippi, and Owahu Hawaii. It's going to mean a lot of travel... but it'll be worth it if I can help to streamline the intake processes at these facilities.

>>We had dinner Wednesday night with Trish's brother Pete and his fiance' Denise. Pete met Denise over the internet when she was living in Tenerif, in the Canary Islands. After a long-distance courtship (thank you Skype!) Denise came to the US to visit Pete... and then Pete moved to the Canaries with her for a few months. Now they're both back in Oregon, and planning on getting married this year.

I hadn't been able to spend much time with Denise when she visited this spring; I had to drop Trish off at a family dinner and run to a rehearsal. It was sure wonderful to get to spend some time with her over dinner this week, though... she's an awesome chick! I'm very glad to be welcoming her to the family.

>> Thursday I headed down to Tualatin to shoot an industrial for BlueVolt, a continuing eduacation institution for electricians. My part of the industrial is just an interview; I'm a contractor who does things the right way (better that than the one who constantly screws up!), and I explain my organizational style to the viewer. The industrial as a whole will only be available by taking continuing education classes from BlueVolt, but I'm hoping to have a digital copy of my interview that I can post on http://www.haroldphillips.net/.

>> Trish had an eventful Thursday as well... she met with Jerry Foster from Passinart, a local theater company here in Portland, to discuss directing a play next year called Sunbeam by John Henry Redwood. She really likes the script, and after the meeting Jerry agreed that she'd be a great director for the project. The show is going up in the spring of 2009, so she'll have a little time to do prep work.

>> After Trish's Electrolux callback Saturday, we grabbed a bite to eat at Sam's Billiards in Portland's Hollywood district (a GREAT place with good food and drinks... and more than a few pool tables should you care to pick up a stick), then met our friend Kate at the Hollywood theater for a showing of On Paper Wings, a documentary that Trish did naration for. It was a wonderful afternoon... the filmmaker, Illana Sol, has made some changes to the film since we last saw it. She mentioned that DVD's should go on sale through the web site in the next couple of weeks, so if you can't get down to Portland's Hollywood Theater in the next couple of weeks to see it on the "big screen" (the screen's not really that big... but it's probably bigger than your TV is), you'll be able to watch the film at home. Keep an eye on the web site for news on the DVD release. It's a beautiful film... the historic information about the Japanese baloon bombs is just a backdrop for the story of reconcilliation and peace that came from them. You won't want to miss it.

>> That evening, I got a call from Brian Treleaven, an actor I've worked with on Lady Wasteland and The Outbreak. Well, I should say Trish got a call from Brian... I think he just called my cell phone because he didn't have Trish's number. Apparently, he and filmmaker James Demetri (an awesome guy we worked with on The Outbreak) are putting together a trailer to help raise funding for a screenplay James has written, and they asked Trish to play a part. She'll be a slumlord with a secret... it should be pretty wild! They're hoping to start shooting in the next couple of weeks... Trish could have a pretty busy time when she gets back from Idaho!

So... that's what's been going on. Lots of stuff is coming in the next few months... but right now, the focus is Idaho and Animus Cross. We'll try to make some posts while we're out there, but in case we don't get the chance... have a good week next week!

-Harold

Crackin' The Code "BTS" Photos Posted

Happy Sunday, folks!

Associate Producer/ Script Supervisor/ Girl-who's-ready-for-anything-on-set Patti Adkins was nice enough to send me some behind-the-scenes photos from my shoot on Steve Coker's "comedy of questionable morals," Crackin' The Code.

I've posted them in photo section of http://www.haroldphillips.net... stop by and take a look when you have the chance.

These photos really help capture the mellow vibe we had on set... one of the things I love about working in independent films is the feeling of camaraderie on set. No one's getting paid millions of dollars to work on small, independently financed films like Code; we're just there to tell a good story. These images really help to capture the smiles and relaxed feeling that people have when they put down their attitudes and band together to make something new.

I'll keep you posted as the film goes through post-production... hopefully we'll have a Portland-area premier by the end of the year, or early next year.

Hope you're all doing well...

-Harold

The Enduring Power Of Sir-Mix-A-Lot

Who would have thought that a silly little rap about girls with big butts would become a fundamental (if you'll excuse the term) part of our culture?

Of all the songs I've posted on my MySpace profile (currently playing Salter Cane, a wonderfully dark alt-country band I came across... check 'em out at http://www.saltercane.com/), one of the most popular has been Greg Tannen's folksey version of Sir Mix-A-Lot's Baby Got Back (sadly, it's not on his playlist any longer... but you can find it here).

Now I find this video, posted on Facebook by my good friend Christine... truly, Anthony Ray's timeless composition is destined to become as ingrained in the American Psyche as any of Stephen Foster's popular songs from the 1850's.

Enjoy!

"On Paper Wings" Is Taking Flight

Howdy folks

Well, this is turning out to be quite a good week for Trish! First she got cast in Key Productions' upcoming staging of Craig Lucas' Prelude To A Kiss, then she got this email from Ilana Sol, the director of On Paper Wings (a documentary on Japan's World War II baloon bombs that Trish provided narration for).

Hi Everyone,

The Portland premiere of my documentary film “On Paper Wings” is finally here! There will be ten screenings in August at The Hollywood Theatre as a part of their Summer Documentary Series. It will be shown as a double feature, paired with the film “Passing Poston”, so you’ll get two films for the price of one. Screening info is below. (note: I also posted it on http://www.trishegan.com -Harold)

One potential point of confusion that I’d like to clarify: In the coming weeks, OPB is going to be airing a balloon bomb related program with a title similar to my film. While I always encourage people to watch OPB, I just want to make sure everyone knows that this is NOT my film. Despite the balloon bomb related content, the two are very different films with different subject matters. “On Paper Wings” focuses on a specific incident in Oregon’s history in which a Japanese balloon bomb claimed the lives of the only people killed on the continental U.S. as the result of enemy action during WWII. It is told by the Oregonian and Japanese citizens who were directly affected by this incident, and tells how they all united and reconciled forty years after the war. So, please know that the only place to see “On Paper Wings” in the coming weeks is at The Hollywood Theatre. Here is the screening info:

“On Paper Wings” and “Passing Poston”

Dates: August 9th – 12th & August 16th – 17th

Location: The Hollywood Theatre

Times: The following times are tentative and will be solidified early next week:

Saturday and Sunday, August 9th – 10th: 12:15pm & 3:00pm

Monday and Tuesday, August 11th – 12th: 7:00pm

Saturday and Sunday, August 16th – 17th: TBA (Matinee Shows)

... You can also double check showtimes on my website: www.onpaperwingsthemovie.com, or at the Hollywood Theatre website: www.hollywoodtheatre.org. I will be attending all screenings for Q&A sessions.

For additional screening details, or to find out more about my film, please check out my website: www.onpaperwingsthemovie.com. We’ve got a lot of screenings coming up, including showings at the New York Peace Film Festival, the Red Rock Film Festival in Utah, and plenty of screenings across Oregon and Washington. “Passing Poston” looks like it is going to be a great film about the WWII Poston internment camp in Arizona. I have put a link to the film on my website, so you can find out more about the film there.

And finally, I just want to thank everyone who has come out and shown their support at my rough cut screenings. A lot of work has been done on the film since the screening last October. Many of you asked how you could support the film in the future, and please feel free to spread the word about these upcoming screenings to all of your friends.

Thank you so much for your support,

Ilana Sol

Director: “On Paper Wings”www.onpaperwingsthemovie.com

(“On Paper Wings” was produced in partnership with Film Action Oregon, and has been funded in part with assistance from the Oregon Heritage Commission, the Regional Arts and Culture Council, and the Oregon Council for the Humanities.)

So, there ya go! Everyone who saw the screening in October was really moved by the film, and very complimentary about Trish's voice work on it. If you get a chance, drop by the Hollywood Theater this month and check it out!