Sixufus - The Six Outrageous Truths/Lies

Bad news.  This isn't a Sixufus update. No.  I've been pummeled by JD Robinson, aka, the Techno War God, in a chain-blog of dubious lineage and distinction.  You've heard of it, no?  Quoting JD's quote:

• Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth – or – switch it around and tell six outrageous truths and one outrageous lie.
• Nominate some more “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies of their own. (Check the end of this post.)
• Post links to the blogs you nominate.
• Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know that you have nominated them.

Still, this is the Sixufus blog.  So in the spirit of Sixufus, we'll replace the word "yourself" with Darwin, the main character in Sixufus, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder.  And give you the six outrageous lies + one truth.  Or vice-versa.

1. In the throes of an Oedipal rage, Darwin killed his mother by pinning her to the ground with a long knife, then running over her head with the car.  Though Darwin was the prime suspect, he was acquited of the crime due to a lack of evidence.  
2. At 29, Darwin's psychiatric care was halted when Dr. Marie Johnston's mutilated body was found in a dumpster behind her upscale apartment.  Again, Darwin was the prime suspect.  And again, another murder goes unpunished.
3. At 40, Darwin was knighted for his charity work with Bosnian refugees in Brighton.
4. At 46, Darwin is still, technically, a virgin.
5. Darwin is recognized as the world's foremost expert on the life and works of Virgil.
6. Darwin once attended an outdoor Rolling Stones concert in Dallas in a downpour. He has since lost the T-shirt.
7. Darwin teaches by day, but at night is a much-in-demand DJ in the fashionable Rave hot spots of his city.

Not good?  Sigh.  OK, here goes:

1. In the throes of an Oedipal rage, Scott killed his mother by ...

Oh.   Sorry.  Let's try that again -

1. I once competed in a Guitar Hero contest in a suburban Texas town, and have since been known as The Guitar Hero in certain social circles.
2. While selling magazines door to door in Nashville, I met, and shook hands with, the one and only Johnny Paycheck.
3. Bill Clinton, while out jogging, went by my house while I was outside and we spoke.  I have voted for him ever since.
4. I once attended an outdoor Rolling Stones concert in the pouring rain.  I have since lost the t-shirt.
5. I have an uncle who lives in Scotland, who's digital photographs of Nessie were stolen when his website was hacked.  He suspects a jealous Nessie-researching rival who married an ex-girlfriend.   
6. I once spoke to a group of psychologists about the significance of wearing Izod shirts.  
7. I was kicked out of school for a semester for playing my stereo too loud.  

Whew.  Off the hook.  But oh goodie, I get to pass the chain's curse on to Brand Gamblin and Allison Duncan (aka SVallie)!

A new year, another pre-production update

Halloween.  Thanksgiving.  Christmas, New Years Eve.  And Sixufus is still in pre-production.  Like all things announced, it runs the risk of never happening.

Sometimes delays like these are staff-based, as in we can't find the folks to do the work.  But that's not the case this time:  Maurice has identified and recruited all his actors.  And his production and post-production staff, a team that Moe has worked with before, are in place and eager to take on the challenges presented by Sixufus.

The problem in this case is the stereotypical indie problem:  The almighty dollar.  Or lack thereof.

So even though the script was written with a goal of being a zero-budget shoot, money must still be found for various and sundry items.  To wit:

The Shoot
Locations, meals, props, time.  Though Sixufus has a bare minimum of these, they still require an outlay.  Even if someone is willing to turn their apartment over to wacky indie filmmakers for a couple of weeks, the talent and crew still need a burger and the accompanying fries.  Let's say one meal for 8 people for 2 weeks:  At the wildly unrealistic 5 bucks a head, you still need (8 * 14) * $5, or $560.  Too bad that stuff doesn't grow on trees.

The On-screen Talent

The actors in our production are undeniably talented, but also undeniably members of a union.  The Screen Actors Guild, to be precise.  If Maurice wants to work with the actors in his town, he has to pay cold hard cash to the on-screen talent of this production.  That, or be blackballed for life; unable to hire a SAG actor again.  (And just to be clear, most actors are, or are aspiring to be, SAG affiliated.)  This is not an option, but a reality.

The Off-screen Talent

Maurice's team is made up from folks in Austin and Spain.  Austin, as in Texas; and Spain, as in Europe.  Getting to LA, on time and with all their gear in tow, is not going to be cheap.

Realistically?  A 0-budget feature-length film needs some money.  Sure, you hear of guys producing $70 movies, but that number is not an accurate accounting metric of the assets used to produce it.  Cameras, lights, microphones, software, hardware; plus the time and expertise to use them, has a financial value.  As an indie filmmaker, the question is "What can you trade to use them?"  Burger King won't trade fries for video editing favors.  Typically.

So, to tackle this goal, Maurice has generated a budget and is eliciting interest amongst his contacts in LA.  Only a matter of time, really, until someone sees the value of the team and project, and ponies up for a slice of the pie.

Talent Signed: Raney Branch

In any noir film, it's the baser, seedier motivations that drive the morally-ambivalent characters to their self-destructive acts.  And by "base" I mean those lusty, primal drives that we all struggle to keep under some semblance of control. Or not.


Though the primary motivator of all of the characters in Sixufus is greed, we need to see other motivators too, just to flesh out the universe a bit.  And when you think about it, most noir films show sex as one of the paths to destruction (Body Heat, Double Indemnity, etc.).  


This was the original purpose of the Hillary character; a young woman who's amazing physical charm and diabolical scheming fouls things up for Darwin.  


But as the story unfolded, I found she had a much better purpose than mere sex appeal.  And in fact, I ended up picturing her as something less charming.  Less made up, more shrewish and isolated, with her own problems to overcome.  Which is why her name is Hillary; something we hope snags on some previously-existing associations. 


And of course, what happens?  Our director Maurice Moore ends up casting a beautiful young woman with amazing physical charm to play Hillary.  Ah well.  Never hurts. 


The actress of which I speak is Raney Branch; who was one of the leads in Maurice's Lovely project:


A little about Raney:

While studying at Emory University - where she received her BA in Environmental Studies and minored in Arabic - Raney performed in the regional touring company ENACTE Repertory Theatre.  Upon moving to New York to teach science, Raney returned to her musical roots, performing in local blues, hip-hop, and neo-soul bands.  Since returning to her hometown, Raney has performed in several theatre productions including Hair, Anything For You, HUE , and the multimedia production Twenty-1: The Age of Ultimate Change.  In film, Raney starred in the independent feature Family Curse. as well as the shorts Freakin' Funny, the aforementioned Lovely, and LA Sales.  Raney also guest-starred on the House of Payne TV show  ("I Got the Hook Up" episode). 


Having read all that, you should now head over to YouTube to see her demo reel:  Raney's demo reel