The New Year

The week between holidays is a funeral procession
We wrap it up in shiny foil
But these last days haunt us
Chewing away in little bits
As we approach the new year
Some cover themselves with celebration
Others mourn what could have been
Holiday lights are still left plugged in, some bulbs now broken
Trash bins flow over with shards of happy paper
Discarded electronics loiter the street
We look forward
Some of us burn
Some of us burn up inside
Others can’t sense the time
And the passing
Of another year
As we approach the new year
We medicate ourselves in liqueur
We kid ourselves with a new found spirituality
We promise ourselves things we’ll soon break
In the new year

Romance in the city of the dead

I’ve seen you there
So many times
Young one
Wise beyond your years
Old soul
Dreamer
Ancient streets
Under a foreign moon
So far away
In the city of the dead
Temples have risen
Temples will fall
We’ll walk hand and hand
On their streets
Amongst their relics
A land lost
A time far gone
And yet, somehow we still exist
In this space
You, dreamy, and looking up at the stars
Hearing those songs
The ones that will always bring you back
To this place
To this time
In the city of the dead

Shooting Day 3: Hollywood Hills, Downtown LA and San Gabriel

We completed our third and final day of shooting on the short film. I am very thankful to the cast and crew and friends who have come together to make a piece of art. Production on this film has been a great adventure and I look forward to the next stage as we complete shooting.

This was the “lightest” of the three day shoot, but still no small task. We had three different sequences to cover, in three different parts of Los Angeles, but it all came together nicely.

Here are some images. And THANK YOU to everyone involved.

The city still sleeps

The city still sleeps
And I’m on the road
With the fog
With a few late night travelers.
Demons maybe
Monsters
With nowhere to go
Like me
We travel for destination
Others just travel
These lights, that pass, torture me.
Inspire me
The stories behind them
The stories of those safe
In their homes
In their beds
While we wander
Unsure if it’s late
Or early

Iron Man: Armored Adventures The Hawk and the Spider

Gavin’s first episode of Iron Man: Armored Adventures airs this month on Monday the 24th! Full Details below. And don’t worry, if you don’t have Nicktoons as part of your cable lineup, you can watch the episode streaming after it’s broadcast.

Monday, October 24th, 2011
08: 00p-08:30p – #209 – Iron Man: Armored Adventures “The Hawk and the Spider” (PREMIERE)
Description: Iron Man has a hard time stopping slippery thieves Hawkeye and Black Widow from stealing Stark International’s UI chip, and an even harder time when Titanium Man steals it from them!

Preview Clip HERE

Frontage Road

Frontage road
It’s a long and dusty trail back to you
From this place
From these times
There are ghosts on these roads
I’ve either picked one up
Or become one
Out here, on this Texas road
So far away from the world
So far from you
We drive haunted
Dust in the air
Dust in the eyes
Dirt in our mouth
We drive down this frontage road
Somewhere in this
This once frontier
So far from home
I’ve forgotten my place in this world
But I haven’t forgotten you

Shooting Day 2: Malibu, Downtown Los Angeles

Phew!!! What a day. Up at 4:30, Krispy Kreme by 5:00, throwing our lovely actress into the ocean by 7:00 AM… camera’s rolling of course! And despite an entire Triathlon being between us and our first shooting location we got everything we needed and a beautiful overcast sky for the opening sequence of the film! A BIG THANKS to everyone involved yesterday!


(Laura Monaco in a gorgeous custom dress by Mae)

We were all over the place, the beach at dawn, the highways of Los Angeles by noon, and Downtown by the mid afternoon. An additional thanks to the beach services guys for not kicking us out and to photographer Joe Rubenstein for donating a fantastic location for our downtown shoot.

I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.


(Adam Rydell can hear everything you’re saying)


(Surfer, musician, and now actor Polo working with Ben and Matt)


(Ben, continuing to get good shots, even through soaked from a rogue wave)


(Laura Monaco and Polo after shooting their sequence)


(Everyone is very happy to no longer be shooting next to a public restroom)


(Producer Rhianne and the troops march past the crazies downtown)


(The Bros Koppin, two very dangerous men with their weapons of choice)


(Actor John Gilbert getting prepped from Jenny Lee)


(Actresses Kali Chung and Laura Monaco holding up traffic… no really.)


(AD and general multi-tasker, Katie making an adjustment to the wireless on Laura)


(After a long day, we’ve all gone a little mad… Matt, Ben, Polo, Adam, Myself and Kyle)

Shooting Day One: Joshua Tree


(DP Ben Koppin getting a close shot with actress Laura Monaco)

Wow!!! What an insane adventure we had in the high desert yesterday. Everyone involved did a fantastic job, and although hot with a sun beating down, the desert cooperated very nicely with us (except for a desert dog that chased two of our cars trying to herd them and bite their tires).


(Rhianne and Kristin making some shade for the camera… and cameraman)

I don’t want to say too much about what’s going on in these images, because I don’t want to give anything away, but you can tell there was a lot of hard work and fun to be had.

A BIG THANKS to cast and crew for an excellent first day shooting!


(Makeup and Hair Artist Jenny Lee prepping actress Kali Chung)


(Producer Rhianne Bergado will shoot you)


(Sound Engineer Adam Rydell along with DP Ben Koppin)


(Actress Laura Monaco and myself)


(AD Katie Townley, Mae and Adam want you all to remember to drink your water and wear your sunscreen)


(Actor Brian Brummitt in the middle of nowhere)


(Ben, Rhianne and Kristin prep for a shot)


(Actress Kali Chung wondering how she got herself into this mess)


(Jenny Lee preps Laura for her first shot of the day as Katie looks on)


(Our last setup for the night, it was very late, very spooky and very much in the middle of nowhere)

Turnpike Nights

Turnpike nights
A porch light in the distance
But it’s not calling to you
Your company, the moon, wants you to move on
And so do I
Through these days, these years
Through your anger
And your fears
There is a light in the distance
But it’s not lit for you
Nor for me
It flickers far away
So very far away
Go and find it my friend
I hope when you do
You’ll find me