To whoever doesnt know by now, I’ve been back in the southeast for awhile. I dont know why I thought Los Angeles could hold me, but I tore through it pretty quickly.

As soon as I got what I needed, I wasted no time shifting my direction towards getting my first major production off the ground. I’m aiming for a summer shoot in Tennessee if pre-production goes smoothly. I’m also setting up productions to shoot in Lake Tahoe and Seattle by 2011.

I wish I could post everything that I’m working on, but it’s under lock and key until the time is right.

Next update will probably be from Puerto Rico right after new years. Until then, I posted some pics from 4th quarter on facebook-

http://www.facebook.com/wesleycavins

I’ve been trying to keep up with screenings around town but I wasn’t really paying attention when I got my confirmation for the world premiere of ‘A Perfect Getaway’ in Hollywood at the Cinerama. This was the biggest film industry event I have been to, to-date.

I wasn’t sure how early I was supposed to be there so I got there about 45 minutes early and the line was already huge, and it was an rsvp only event, lol. It wasn’t a big deal though, because the theater capacity is 800. 0_0

The fans and press were separated by the metal dividers for the red carpet entrance. It’s a slightly smaller scale film so the event wasn’t transformers-insane, but there was definitely an electricity in the air.

The free popcorn and pop was stacked up in pyramids which was awesome. Do I sound like a total rookie or what? I had to pass like 3 checkpoints guarded by secret service type personnel just to get into the theater, then an actual usher walked me to my assigned seat. I think its the first time I’ve ever experienced that in a movie theater.

The secret service were standing in intervals circling the entire theater, it was intimidating, lol. There were a lot of notes and signs about not bringing in video recording devices but nothing mentioning cell phones specifically. I took my phone out to take a picture (still had about 20 minutes til the movie) and the secret service starting swarming all over that. I was like “I’m just turning it off” and they were like “Oh… Well, okay then…” haha. For whatever reason, recording or just being annoying during the movie, I’m the very last person to suspect phone usage during a movie, but, it’s cool. I appreciated that someone was actually doing their job for once to make sure no one would be ruining the movie for everyone else with their cell phone.

Speaking of movie theater etiquette, film screenings are awesome because everybody there has complete respect for the film and no one is ever distracting in any way. It. is. Awesome.

I was talking to an actor who sat next to me while we were waiting for the movie to start. He said he was on Studio 60, but he took off after the movie so I didn’t catch his name. The movie was great and it was even better on the Cinerama screen. It’s like a super wide surround-vision type screen that really made the exotic cinematography of Hawaii pretty amazing. The audience was actually ‘wow’ing, lol.

After the movie, it seemed like all the aspiring actors and actresses in Hollywood were gathering in the lobby for some reason. Everyone was dressed in formal attire and I really felt out of place so I ducked out of there pretty quick. It was a great experience though, and hopefully someday I will be walking the red carpet instead of standing on the outside looking in.

Oh, and Access Hollywood was there, click the image for the video:

Just after we realized that Dee Wallace was there(!!!), the host found us and practically dragged us (lol) up to the reserved seats at the front of the theater so we could be close enough to “see the spit spray.” Stacie, you’re such a rockstar.

The one man show was amazing and I got to sit in on Stacie’s interviews with Stuart Gordan and Jeffrey Combs, in addition to getting to meet them. (!!!) Sorry for the crappy photos, A) I was trying not to interrupt and B) once again the camera on my phone sucks.

Stuart Gordan

Jeffrey Combs

Finally reaching the pacific was very surreal and serene. My heart even fluttered as I was walking down to the water. It was awesome. I ended up staying way too long and walking way too far, so I thought I wasn’t going to make it back in time for the screening. However, my gps decided it wanted to take me home a completely different way, which was not on the highway. I wasn’t hurried or speeding at all and it managed to get me home just in time to change clothes real quick before heading over to the LA Film School where the screening was.

I pulled up to the top level of the parking garage and had no idea how to get down, lol, so I spotted a security guard and walked over to ask directions. Instead of just telling me where to go, he actually escorted me through the building and elevators with keycards, right up to the door I needed to go through. Shouts to the rockstar security guard.

Then as I walked in, everything kind of turned into a scene from a movie where the camera pans by events that happen just as the camera is in the right place at the right time. Except, I was the camera and even though I had to flash ID to get in, it was as if I wasn’t there. Just breezing by while watching a movie. The levels of irony were staggering.

So I finally sat down with 5 minutes to spare and started to get really hot from the rays of sun I absorbed earlier, haha. The movie was great, even if I had a few gripes. It gets better the more I think about it :P

The Q & A with the screenwriter wasn’t all that incredibly interesting, surprisingly. He was basically repeating preconceived answers that he was recycling from previous interviews and junkets. One of the burning questions was the production budget, but he declined to answer, and rightfully so since the question was slightly off topic. It was cool that the host tried to get him to answer it though, lol.

You can listen to the full Q & A here: Orphan Screenwriter Q & A.

On my way back to the car, I ended up on top of the wrong parking garage. I’m amazing, I know.

Anyway, the management office is right by the beach so I stopped by for a minute, which turned into an hour, but it was cool. I made it to the screening (see next post) without having to rush, I just wasnt able to shower the beach off of me, haha.

This is the beach, Santa Monica, that is closest to me. I’ll make it over there eventually:

There are more photos on my twitpics and my facebook accounts… I don’t like to keep photos all in the same place for some reason :D check the sidebar ->

Oh and check out the future man on his space machine:

I would like to be able to take more pictures of these myself, but I’m never out of my car when I see them. This one just happens to be across the street from my bank at the corner of Sunset and Vine:

Oh and also, got my REC screener last week. Wewt:

So that was last Wednesday and it was alot of fun. Stacie is a columnist for AMC and runs her own site, Final Girl, as well as being a filmmaker. I had been talking to her online for about a year, so finally meeting in person was cool.

I also knew-of about half the people who were there. Spooky Dan (formerly?) of Bloody-Disgusting, Rob G from Icons of Fright, Shannon Lark star of Ludlow, Heidi Martinuzzi from Pretty-Scary, and comedian Bridget McManus.

I just want to say that everyone kicked ass and I’m looking forward to seeing them again soon / eventually. ;)

Oh, and the premiere! I dont know what I liked more, watching a movie on a projector outside, the trailer for Deadly Dress 4, or the movie itself. It was all very awesome.

Adam Green (Hatchet) was there as the producer, along with actress Jordan Ladd (Cabin Fever, Club Dread, Death Proof) who starred in the film, as well as other key members of the crew including the writer / director of the film, Paul Solet.

I got to hang out with Adam after everything was over, which was awesome. The full report, including a spoiler-free review, that I wrote for the Vault of Horror is posted here, along with the photos I took with my phone’s camera. (boo!)

Also, someone I kind of know but didnt see was there, but she didnt say hi. (double boo!) ;)

Update:

BD posted the highlight reel from the screening and somehow I was in it 3 times. I had forgotten about it but I stumbled back across it today and decided I might as well post it:

Screenshots-

Video-