Wrath Mercy - Location, Location, Location

Not in Kansas* anymore

A couple of weeks ago, when I walked out of my local Target on Sunset Blvd. I couldn’t help but notice the very present Hollywood sign.

That same day I drove to my local frame store to pick up my newly framed movie posters. While waiting to pick them up a quite famous actor, also a customer, asked if he could help me take them to my car. Not exactly star struck, but still flummoxed, I said I’d be fine.

While loading the last poster into my car a very fancy Porsche pulled up behind me. Two very model-esque people stepped out, and one called out to me. “Nice poster. LOVE that movie.” I looked down to see it was “Black Swan.” I called back, “me too,” got into the drivers seat of my car and drove home, knowing I was certainly not in Kansas anymore.

What’s next? RE: Wrath Mercy

I moved from Mississippi to California with the intention of getting closer to the film industry, to Hollywood. And as I left Long Beach, a mere 3 weeks ago, my beloved buffer from the past heading toward my future, Wrath Mercy my long gestating film project, was becoming closer and closer to reality.

There had been a time when I could imagine the film being set in Mississippi, where I first saw the play it was based upon back in the late 90s. Adam, our lead character, long suffering from drug addiction, could really live anywhere. But as I drove around those early days back in California, I knew that it was important to me that Adam’s story mirror my own. Coming to the big city, full of dreams, only to have them crushed by a crippling disease amidst the deceptive blue skies and sunshine.

After the virtual table read, (which you can see here, if you haven’t) I did something very LA. I saw a life coach. I wanted to keep up with the momentum I had created, and get some gumption to do what absolutely has to be done when making a scrappy independent film - ask for help! Thank you Jon for guiding me in this vulnerability.

Getting vulnerable

I had three people in mind to reach out to. The first, was someone I hoped to assist me in financing the film. (We’ll talk financing at a later date.) The next was a writer, director that I knew from programming his films at Oxford Film Festival. He lives in LA and is certainly plugged into the film community here. Something I am not. The third person, an actor that I met at the Dorian Awards Film Toast last year. We had a remarkable conversation that day. Both spent time in NYC before moving to CA, amongst other things. It was a conversation that certainly made an impact on me.

The Film Director

When I reached out to the Film Director, he was very eager to help me. He asked me if I had considered Palm Springs as a location for the film. I hadn’t. For those of you who did not attend the table read, the film opens with Adam driving up to a Drug Dealer’s house, TV in hand, hoping to barter for drugs.

The Film Director told me a story he had heard about drug parties in West Hollywood at these extravagant houses with swimming pools filled with tweaker men. He said to consider finding a large house that could work for both Adam’s house, the Drug Dealer’s house…maybe even large enough to house our lead actor flying in from NYC. All set to the uber dreamy skyline of Palm Springs.

I loved it. He said that once I had a location he would connect me with some potential producers and maybe even a Director of Photography. Two elements I really need to get this thing moving.

The Actor

That brought me to the Actor! I remembered that he had actually moved to Palm Springs. Maybe this could work! Could this be the perfect unfolding the Universe so often has provided to me?

I needed a location on the cheap, and this was it!! Riding high on my successful vulnerability with the Film Director, I reached out. The Actor and I talked for several minutes as I warmed up to my pitch, only to have the Actor say to me.

“I’m sorry…who are you?”

To say I was stunned would be an understatement. After recovery from my shock I had a very important realization. I may not be in Kansas anymore, but II was definitely back in Los Angeles.

What I learned

The rest of that conversation that I had with The Actor isn’t really that important. Although I will say that it allowed me to practice my pitch, and in the end, understand my character Adam even more.

What really matters with both of these conversations is that I fully and completely understand now that Adam is not at a point in his life that he is going to a DRUG DEALER’s house with a fancy swimming pool in the desert. This is the last stop for Adam. The party is definitely over.

How can YOU help?

So, what am I looking for? I’m looking for two spots.

LOCATION 1

The first, a house, in a quiet area, with a porch and a space that can work as a small living room. It doesn’t have to be LA, but it needs to feel like LA. It doesn’t have to be run down, that’s not the point here, but it is somewhat nondescript and isolated.

LOCATION 2

And the other is Adam’s place. It can be an apartment, a house. It’s written like a large studio with the kitchen opening into the living room. He has very little furniture, so an additional spot to store the furniture while we shoot, would be fantastic. But we can figure all that out later.

If you are reading this, or you saw the virtual table read or read the script and are thinking…you know what…I know the perfect place, let me know.

REACH OUT

If you think you can help with either location, please reach out! Whether it’s your place or someone else’s.

Wrath Mercy is going to be a labor of love and a team effort. And one thing has become clear to me. Location is everything.