Arc of the Poet, Part 6: Serious Dreams

Coming into 1992, I was living a dream: working in development for Ivan Tors Entertainment at the Disney-MGM Studios, and hopeful that the screenplay I was writing for their lead feature project would launch my career as a screenwriter. But on May 5, the day I turned 26, I was laid off and asked to clean out my office in Bungalow 3 and turn in my backlot pass. Though it was a serious setback, I landed in decent shape, mainly because Beth was in my life. Later that month, together with legions of family members and friends, we experienced a glorious wedding amid the cornfields and Spring-time Illinois countryside, surrounded by love.

That era is one I look back on with a lot of pride… and disappointment; I really had high hopes of landing a major role in the movie business, and by that February, the path to success appeared right before my eyes. I thought I was well on my way. Read more

One night of Autumn 2010

The chills of mid-November are beginning to numb our Blue Ridge Mountains, reminding us of holidays and special occasions to come, even while the weekday routines roll along with dinner, homework, a bit of down-time, and then, for the kids, off-to-bed time. After arriving at that point last evening, Beth and I heartily enjoyed 500 Days of Summer. You may remember the trailer above, for last year’s “offbeat romantic comedy” directed by Marc Webb, starring Zooey Deschanel as Summer, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom. The screenplay from Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber has earned numerous awards, including the 2010 Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay. From the very beginning, due to the sure-handed visual storytelling and the mesmerizing, purely authentic performances — as well as the unique storytelling approach in which we erratically, but very strategically, jump around within the 500 days spanning the main characters’ relationship — we were hooked into the characters and their plights. Well told love stories have a lot of appeal in our household, and this one hit all the right marks in subtle and innovative ways; in real life, love must emerge where ever it can take root, and although there may be much to feel good about along the way, misery is at least as likely. In 500 Days of Summer, the highs are contagious, and the lows are excruciating. Read more

December 5, 2008: Bumper Crop is now live…

You can now watch “Bumper Crop” in its entirety at darnellworks.com/bmovie Read more

February 26, 1993: Bumper Crop, Part 3

In February of 1993, together with my friends Bill Waxler, Peter Eisner and Bob Storer, I spent a very interesting day assembling the picture and sound for “Bumper Crop” at Digital Multi-Media Post, Bob’s treasure-laden post-production facility in Orlando. There, in Mr. Storer’s hands, we saw the performance Harry Phipps had given us nearly two years before edited together to present the story I’d written, based on a life I had observed and thought about long before. Read more

February 22, 1991: Bumper Crop, Part 1

A new film school grad fresh off a six-year Air Force Reserve commitment, this time of life was alive with possibilities. I was in love with a girl named Beth — 15 months later we married, and at this moment, we’re approaching our 16th anniversary. With that solid foundation and a lot of experience, I ventured into the “professional” world of filmmaking. On Feb. 25, I interviewed for the job of Second Assistant Director with a DGA First A.D. on an indie “no-budget” feature. Landing the unpaid job, which also involved me handling product placement and serving as production office coordinator, it absorbed three full weeks of my life, and left me very hard-pressed to pay my April rent. Happily, it also was an immensely positive experience for my self-confidence, my industry relationships and my reputation. The way it hit within a flurry of sustained efforts, though I didn’t realize it, those hard days on “New Walden” paved the way for my career in film production. It just took me another handful of pro-bono production jobs, and a summer of grunt A/V gigs at Orlando area hotels, before I landed a real job on a big feature.

But on Feb. 22, a Friday, in between a day job where I did word-processing for an engineering firm, and a night job babysitting the A/V needs of the Downtown Orlando Marriott, I dropped off an original short script I’d written for my friend Bill Waxler to consider directing. Bill had expressed interest in an idea I had for a story about an aging man who has an epiphany after awakening from a nap one afternoon. My freshmen year of high school was spent in Greenville, Illinois, and near the relatively small school, there was an old gas station, operated by an even older gentleman named Hap, who had been selling snacks to kids there since my father first went to the same school 20 years earlier. It was definitely Hap I was thinking about, but in the script, he’s named Daniel Casey. I hope you enjoy it — you can download the script on the Bumper Crop website.

. June 29, 1991: Bumper Crop, Part 2
. February 26, 1993: Bumper Crop, Part 3
. December 5, 2008: Bumper Crop is now live…