Hello Compatriots of Chaos,

I know it has been awhile since I last posted. 2008, to be specific. Well, here’s January 1st - and you can take this post and shove love it! Happy New Year, everyone - thanks for tuning in... To reward your studious efforts, I have given you a surprise on my site. This new addition truly is something I am intentionally giving back to the public.

I’ve searched high and low for a nice, concise list of great resources for Actors, Screenwriters, & Directors. Some are heady with information and poorly laid out; some have great suggestions but are in a blog format forcing you to read dozens of posts to glean the jewels strewn throughout. After a couple of months of tinkering, I have created my own set of pages precisely for this reason: I would like to share with other artists tools I have used (or are planning to use) to mature my own artistic development - whether they are blogs, books, or podcasts - and make it look good. Why would I work so hard on my site, only to sully it with crap? Precisely. So, without further ado, cruise the new Resources page-set on my site, and try to enjoy yourself (let’s call it “edu-tainment.” Catchy, I know.) More will be added over the years!

There is one thing I’d like to implement on this new page-set; I’m experimenting with a link system to ‘order’ or ‘call up’ whatever resource I refer to off-site. Right now, the code I use simply won’t allow for this off-site linking while I have the cool ‘zooming picture-gallery’ effect in place, so I’ll have to see if there’s a workaround. For now, it’s just gonna have to look pretty!

Stay tuned - I should have a new headshot to add to the foray soon enough... In addition, I’m working on quite a big project this year - but my six-shooter gently sleeps until I see the whites of their eyes!

As I write you this holiday season, the air ‘tis a bit chillier, and my mind is a nomadic buffalo heading for the hills, as I encounter the madness of retail during December. Hark! I mentally rein in my herd to hunker-down and finish books waiting patiently for me in the dugout...

Today, I completed "The Art of Film Funding: Alternative Financing Concepts" and have to give it some mad props... Chock-full of industry hints pertaining to the nebulous concepts of financing that great film rattling inside your head (and hopefully on paper,) it’s definitely worth scouring for the secrets of sophisticated beggary. Though the book is aimed generally towards documentary filmmakers - there are plenty of golden wheaties to be gleaned giving you a fighting edge. Grant writing is not for wussies - but she holds your hand as you take baby steps through your synopsis and proposal.

Keeping the steam rolling - I plunge into the entertaining memoir from Writer / Director / Ass-Kicker, Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Sin City) dubbed “Rebel Without A Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player.” Homeboy cannot be stopped. After reading all he went through as a kid using two VCRs and old cameras to painstakingly edit films (and not being able to fully see his shots) has already made me so thankful for the advent of Apple Macs & Final Cut... I look forward to eating through this book this next week.

In other news, I’m adding not one, but three (wtf?) pages to my site, and you’re going to love them! That’s all I can say.

Awhile ago, I partook in a great little film short titled Icebreaker by Grammar School Pictures. They’ve recently cut a teaser for the film which captures some mystery (I know, a trailer for a short film?) which you can check out here:


Icebreaker Teaser from grammar school on Vimeo.

Hello again, oh diggers-of-digital-diamonds... I’ve been steadily working on chalkin’ in some scenes on the comedy script I’m developing; look Ma - I’ve made the little red bar go all the way to 30%! Woo hoo!

You also may notice I’ve added a whole new page to chronicle the methods of my scriptwriting madness (and also leisurely trips wherever I may roam.) View a slick slideshow of my Flickr feed by clicking the images on the new page aptly named, “Photo Journal.”

Well, I’m off to Never-Neverland.* Do yourself a little R&R favor: recap with a viewing of Casino Royale, proceed to a theater for the happy havoc of Quantum of Solace, and OD on tryptophan by consuming copious quantities of turkey this next week. You’ll thank me later.

*Third Metallica reference in this posting, if you’re counting...

I’ve finally entered the year 2000. To the right, you will see a slender group of pics - fresh from Micah’s photobooth! Click on them, and bam! - you’re in my world. Yup - I’ve started a Flickr feed and after much tinkering - finally incorporated it into my site... Every time I snap something from my cameras as I travel & create - you’ll be the first to know. For instance, I recently hit up the venerable roadside attractions Ocean World & Trees Of Mystery in Northern California, and have some cool pictorial booty (not that kind.) Did you know if you put a large sea anemone on your tongue, it can have a numbing effect on par with novacaine? Did you know that Redwood bark has no pitch or resin, making it favorable to build homes with due to it’s resistance to fire & that it’s impervious to disease & insects? Science is soooo cool...

Why are the edges of the pictures blurred? Old-school vignetting, sucka! Let’s break through the digital clarity with some mood & attitude, shall we? Over the long winter, I should be throwing up some actual Polaroids documenting my progress on crafting my comedy screenplay... Huzzah!

I just wrapped up reading Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film, and Culture, written by Spencer Lewerenz & Barbara Nicolosi - and I must say, it’s a well-crafted mega-hug to the art of cinema, as well as being spiritually subversive (in the best way possible.) Screen is essentially a collection of essays on what it’s like to be a Screenwriter, Director, or Producer of faith in Hollywood - and what that can actually mean on the screen. These essays are not from the folks that produce “God-Sploitation” films like Left Behind XII - Still Here On Stinky Earth, these are seasoned professionals who have brought films like X-Men I-III & I, Robot to the big screen, as well as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, That 70’s Show and even Charmed to the small screen.

This book strongly, heavily urges those with a spiritual center to the creation of high art - not forced hidden agendas; it also calms the fears of Church Lady Soccer Moms when their kids go off to ‘hedonistic’ Hollywood for art - and conversely, it puts at ease those who fear the Rampaging Religious Right are out to destroy everything that is actually fun in the world. Well, it tries anyway. Nonetheless, it offers a short yet fascinating history of cinema - explaining how this medium was originally embraced by the Christian community as a tool for instruction, and yet later when Jewish immigrants purchased the predominate shares in these productions - the Church turned it’s back and vilified the technology. Hmm...

There are some laugh out loud moments and some serious gut-checking; my favorite quip is here: when Steve Martin was once asked the key to breaking into Hollywood and making it big, you know what he said?

“Be so good, they can’t ignore you.”

Well played my good man! Jolly good...

...by a Mack truck today - and I feel fine. As I continue my descent into the writing of a comedic (yet meaningful & artistic) feature film, I had begun investigating how I would physically lay out my 3.5” cards for determining the screenplay structure. For those of you who don’t know, 3.5” cards are the old-school, Kid-Tested Mother-Approved™ method for writing the scenes of a film... It works, because you can then move them around and play with the scenes, adding and subtracting characters and filling in the plot so it churns out poetically and (hopefully, unless you’re David Lynch) - makes sense.

I’ll be using this method, and bringing it into the year 2000 by translating the script to a wonderful screenwriting program for Apple Mac computers dubbed “Montage.” I had toyed with the concept of purchasing a huge rolled sheet of magnetic material and coating my bedroom wall, so I could use magnets to easily jockey the scenes around. Besides being a female dog to hang or schlack in place - I realize - although cool - there is a better way. One that is more daring, more ass-kicking - more Micah.

I’ve decided to bring it full circle & point back to my roots, by stretching a massive canvas to be the structure to tape my cards onto (‘stretching a canvas’ is the lingo painters use referring to pulling the swatch of canvas tight and stapling it to a wooden frame to prepare for paint.) This rectangle many feet across will lean up against my wall, and serve as my mental playground. The clencher is - when I’m done with the writing of the film, I will use this same, very surface to paint an original movie poster for the film (the dimensions will be proportionate.) Like the native tribes who use every bone and shank from the kill - I will reuse the structure that not only embodied the writing, but the visual theme as well - incorporating many artistic passions into one artifact. The final piece will be on display at the film’s premier. HOW YA LIKE THEM APPLES?

My buddies Drew, Jeremiah, and possibly the tambourine-destroying Seth (who play under the moniker "Drew Grow") are leaving on a national tour starting April 24th; if you're in Seattle on the 15th of May - you can catch them live at the Nectar Lounge... Be ready to fill your cold heart with emotional and raw art!

Continuing on my studies of books about film creation (see this post concerning screenwriting,) I've picked up the verbose and zest-ily titled "Feature Filmmaking At Used-Car Prices: How to Write, Produce, Direct, Shoot, Edit, and Promote a Feature-Length Movie for Less Than $15,000." Author Rick Schmidt is an award-winning director who has bequeathed his wisdom for years to budding artists - and I'm taking his flagship book for a spin. While only a short way through it - besides being somewhat dated as far as tech is concerned (this 3rd Edition was from 2000) - the pacing and promise of the book seems rebellious enough to hold my attention. Kidding. But not really. And while we're at it - I really don't care that in proper English we're not supposed to start sentences with "but" or "and".

Also of note - I'm 20% of the way through my comedy script - woo hoo!

Last weekend, I trotted up to Spokane to shoot a light-hearted 7-minute film short about a bohemian painter named Parker, who's sorely lacking in business skills - yet he's offered assistance by a savvy & sassy gallery representative named Liz... Will he remain a rookie, or throw his hat into the ring? More on that when it's cut and printed...

There's very few places in this nation where you'll see a giant pick-up truck with custom chrome antlers and an inscription below it reading "Elk, It's What For Dinner!" Pendleton, Oregon is a rare breed for sure; it's considered one of the last true remnants of the Wild West, birthing Pendleton Woolen Mills & hosting the world-reknown annual Pendleton Round-Up Rodeo. On my way back to Portland, I had the pleasure of popping into the historical town to scout locations for an upcoming film project; it was quite surreal to see 90% of men (including little buckaroos) walking downtown, all sporting a cowboy hat What a trip..

Not only that, but I actually talked with Phillip Houk, the Mayor of the town out front of Hamley's, a great little coffee shop that's held it's roots for over 100 years. We chatted about how the bulk of Oregon's biodiesel is being produced near Pendleton in cooperation with Portland, and he also gave me a tip as to where to find some good photography. Nice guy! Enjoy some of the cellphone snapshots of the town to the left and right..

It's been awhile since I've posted; boy - oh - boy, the places we will go... There have been a few nice changes to my site - mosey on over to the History Page to view new info on an indie feature film I had a supporting role in last year titled, "Wilderness."

In performing news, I'm slated to film a short in Spokane based on a bohemian visual artist, who is not all that he seems...

I'd like to officially introduce a new page to my humble site, one that many of you knew I was already passionately working on, yet kept it on the low-low... Take a gander at the new Screenwriter Page, and get a little teaser-nugget-taste of two screenplays I currently have in development. I even added fun little progress bars to visually show what 'trimester' each baby is in...

I'm looking forward to visiting my family in Southern Oregon soon, being humbled by the mighty Redwoods - and digging into screenplays and novels I've been sorely neglecting... You could call it a miniature "into the wild" period (except I'll sleep in a comfy bed and probably eat PopTarts™ instead of dead twigs - click picture for an accurate representation.)

Today I finished "Screenplay" by Syd Field, and it rocks. Besides the many insightful tips on creating a backbone and paradigm for your fledgling screenplay, he offers many real-world examples of scripts that work and scripts that don't - as well as unique maxims from unexpected places. My favorite? In closing he quotes a motivational poster by none other than the McDonald's Corporation:

"Nothing in the world can take the place
of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common
than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius
is almost a proverb.
Education will not;
the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone
are omnipotent."

Now, once you separate the disturbing image of a clown giving you a psychological pep-talk - and I can't believe I'm saying this - you find that McDonald's is right. As I plan artwork into the future and rehearse for the present, I keep in mind I'm a performer, writer and visual artist for the long haul. It's not the whacky-morning DJ who abruptly disturbs me at 7:11 AM that gets me out of bed, it's creation. The promise of new art, and a promise I hold to myself.

Hello there...

I've purchased what many in the industry consider the 'sacred-textbook' for screenwriting: *ahem* the aptly named "Screenplay" by Syd Field. This book has taken many forms for over 20 years, and I aim to work it over in the coming weeks...

In closing, if you're having a bad day - just know there are little pieces of life sparkling & waiting to cheer you up, like this Craigslist post to the right... Sheer awesome-ness?

USA Today claims it "Groundbreaking", Damon Lindelof (Co-Creator of Lost) dubs it "The greatest piece of popular fiction ever produced", and Time Magazine hails it as "One of the 100 Best Novels"... All this praise, on account of a 'funny-book'? Even after Maus won a Pulitzer Prize for it's brilliant depiction of Jews in Nazi Germany, If you're still not convinced comics can reside in the high arts, then my friends - you have to read Watchmen written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons... Although originally published 21 years ago, you'll be frightened at the modern relevance. Nam'? Check... Cold War? Check... High profile assassinations tied to nuclear conspiracy? Chickity Check - and that's just the macrocosmic story.

Where Alan really hooks you is his microcosmic depiction of spandex-clad 'superheros'; what on earth would drive a rational person to don a lame-ass costume and fight crime? What kind of person would you have to be? Well, there really is no typical profile - only that each vigilante is able to mentally justify their actions; the Watchmen are comprised of mysogynist sadists, drunkards, glory-seeking primadonnas, survivors of child abuse turned right-wing sociopaths, etc. - and those are the good guys... Who on earth do you root for? You'll just have to read it and find out...

Speaking of cutting-edge fiction, my talented friend Doug Dean is heading up an innovative group of writers here in Portland aptly named "The Portland Fiction Project," whom are dedicated to posting new works of fiction online every single week. Inspired by a theme and a code word, the writers are sent off to create immediate artwork, raw and fresh without the weight of months of editing... Check out Doug's interview here with Willamette Week, and bathe in the bohemia!

Sunday, Sunday... So good to me...

I know it's been awhile since I've posted, so maybe that makes me an e-chump? Time to kiss and make-up. I just want to say thanks to Aaron in LA, Sarah in Japan, along with Jerrod, Brandon & all the other Portland friends who gather the time and chutzpah to publish their thoughts into the stratosphere... You make for good readin', I reckon... *haccckkk - ptooey* (imagine tobacco hitting a metal spittoon. This is what Oregon sounds like.) When I don't post frequently, it's usually because I've been quite busy; sometimes with performing, sometimes visual art pieces and / or web design for friends... Lately, it's been a bit o' everything...

You'll notice in the Brief Visual Tour section of my acting page that "Whisky Marine" has been added; I was finally given some screen grabs from this boisterous fantasy of a film short... Check it out...

Speaking of whisky (nice segue, huh?) did you know that American whiskey bourbon, by law - has to be aged only in brand-new charred American-oak barrels? In Canada, for instance - they're allowed to use cheaper used barrels, which in turn makes the taste less intense, and not as deep a reddish hue that good 'ol Yankee "Red-Eye" gives... I culled this info last night from a great article called "Your Bourbon to Bear" from an airplane trip to D.C. last winter, which also proves you don't have to look at the cheesy crap in Skymall while your flying - you can learn something instead!

On Easter Sunday I was inspired to do a series of spray paint pieces, and now I have all the goodies to make my imagination come alive... I took a couple of huge trips to Art Media to get canvas & supplies, and now I'm ready to dig in...

You may remember awhile back of my mentioning the penning of a script for a rock opera; well, I applied to become a part of the Multnomah County Library's Sterling Room for Writers, and last week I was officially juried in - and now I can't wait to use their resources... I'm an easily distracted kind of..... What? Huh? Oh sorry, I saw a shiny object. Where was I - ah - I'm an easily distracted kind of guy, so I find it helps if I physically set aside a time and place to brainstorm, sketch and write - so the distractions of the outside world can melt away... The Sterling Room is just such a place; seriously, in the downtown library, it's like a secret room underneath a bookcase with old, cushy leather chairs - and large, stately desks to ponder life's complexities, and channel brilliant artists of years past in the musty decor... Fantastic.

In the winter of '06 ('twas a dark and blustery night!) I had the pleasure of meeting Kim MacQuarrie, an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker & author who's new book, "Last Days of the Incas" is now hitting shelves (I've pre-ordered my copy...) When I first heard of this project, I got quite excited, seeing as how I'm a huge fan of swashbuckling adventure and morbidly-compelling tribal rituals... This epic tale - meticulously researched - is sure to be an intoxicating trip through history, and would make an incredible Father's Day gift...

Lastly, I've made it a point to turn up the juice a bit on my professional career habits... Sometimes I get ahead of myself and get dismayed because I'm not where I want to be in 5 years... Well dammit, I'm an actor for the long haul, and patience is definitely a virtue, especially in a market such as Portland. I found out last week that I can't gain SAG union status (which is very important for paying film & tv work) by being an extra on films in Portland, like you can in L.A.; to make a long story short, SAG doesn't have jurisdiction for extras in Portland, so gaining membership here becomes a bit more dicey...

All in all, I do feel fortunate for the roof above my head, and the simple right to be an artist who doesn't have to worry about being censored (yet!) I see the next couple of years as an opportunity to focus on my craft, and gain great experience which will prepare me for the future... Until a 'big-break' slaps me in the face, what vibes / goals can I focus on in Portland?

☆ I feel blessed to work with talented artists, who introduce me to others, who in turn inspire me to create.

☆ I'm definitely excited to be cast in more indie films, regardless of their length, and will pursue them whenever possible. Later this year, when I'm cleared for time off at my day job - I'll step up and submit myself to more studio films, & get an agent if necessary...

☆ When I can afford it (as George Costanza would say, "That's how they git cha!") I'll be taking acting workshops to hone my skills.

☆ Slowly but surely I'm creating a little media center to organize my correspondence to Directors, Casting Directors, Writers, Actors and the like. I know an organized artist is an efficient artist, and an efficient artist who's talented and does his/her best to correspond in a unique, personable & professional way - is indeed quite a threat... If my journey as an actor and artist mirrors the discipline necessary to become an Agent in Her Majesty's Secret Service, then in the coming years - I'm training for a license to kill...

I feel so inclined to let you in on one of my favorite little ditties on the net: KEXP's Free Song of the Day... If you have iTunes on your computer, you can easily subscribe to this podcast... Why? It automatically plunks down a free, legal, great cosmopolitan song from a band you probably haven't experienced yet, and many of the cuts are exclusively recorded live at the station... You can also subscribe to this very podcast through the site Odeo, which can be seen to our left promoting Portland's own "The Prids"...

I've got some big news... Previously, I mentioned that the next visual art show I undertake will be filmed and turned into a documentary - well, as lovely as that would be, it's gonna have to wait... My muse is working overtime right now; I have decided to run down a dream, and pen a rock musical. That's right - a theater piece, for stage, with killer music... I'm in talks with a prolific and talented songwriter to be the Menken to my Schwartz (does that sound naughty to anyone else?) I write the story (script) and sketch the backdrops, we would co-write the lyrics - and he would handle the musical composition... 50-50, mano-e-mano. Guys, at 3 AM, on March 5th (3/5/7 - ooohh, creepy?) I started writing uncontrollably and fleshed it out later that day for the basic outline of the piece... How serious am I about this? I purchased a script-writing program for my computer today for $98 (yeowch!) and I'm investigating trademarks (another $325 to file? Double yeowch!!) My vision for this beautiful collaboration is that it will be modern, heartfelt, and innovative...

When people ask me why I like beer (good microbrews,) I try to compare the complexity of beer made in the NW, some in California, and some in good ol' New England, as sort of an evil-doppleganger cousin to bread. If bread showed up to a family reunion in a horse-drawn carriage, beer would show up on a Harley. Yet they're more alike than many realize; bread is comforting and complex, a menagerie of grains and yeast all wrapped up in a proud little puff. Good beer is no different (in fact, they share much of the same ingredients and a similar yeast-fermenting process.)

To me, beer is liquid history; if I was only able to chronologically sample beer in "Intro to American History" during high school - I would've payed more attention, and I would be a much smarter man today. In this spirit, I present a piece by a good friend and talented poet, who possesses the uncanny knack for bringing out the tastes, smells and the sensual impact of life in his poetry:

"Evening Farm"


When we race to the bucket shop after
Work, barm piles on pint-tops and fresh
Lips. The Northwest scud drifts and marries
Hop steam that licks the chimney pot

And cap above while inside Merry-
Time moistens our joints of marrow and
Insecurity when friends amass and cull out the
Good fries: garlic sopped and sloppy. The

Dark milds, Belgium whites and reds birth
From crushed malt mash rotating in tuns
To become wort in copper vessels then cask.
The brew master lifts his head in completion

Toward medals in mothers arms, and the
Commoner’s rosy-glow of quilted joy. We
Skipped out aside polished meadow and
Farm back to bed and work to the next night.

The fame of sud and wheat raced ‘round in
Slumber time but communion comes around
Like comets and raptures. We all will
Treasures of foam and grin: the crux of work.

J. S. Potter

You can catch more of his poems and random musings here.