WHAT I DID IN 2008 by NICK SMITH – PART 1

2008 was the year that I lost one director credit but gained another, visited New York and Washington DC for the first time, took my citizenship test, attended my first Superbowl party, danced for money and filmed in some of Charleston’s nastiest nooks.

JANUARY

In January I had my first major book store signing for Undead on Arrival, a novel about mixed-up zombies who are too lazy to go hunting for brains.

I can never tell what the turn-out for a book event is going to be. There could be a line of readers waiting to greet me or I might just see a few in the space of an hour. But I’ve always had good, busy experiences at Barnes & Noble in West Ashley, and this was no exception.

The book was officially launched in December ‘07 at The Black Cart in downtown Charleston, where we had a zombie party, undead art, a costume competition, a DJ spinning zombie-related music (yes, the Cranberries were involved), zombie shots and a zombie walk down King Street.

My son Sam turned eight, an incredibly impressionable age where I noticed more than ever how quickly he was growing up. Work permitting, I tried to spend as much time with him as I could before he became too cool to spend time with his dad (traditionally, that happens at age nine).

On the movie front, I heard bad news. I’d spent two and a half years directing a film called All For Liberty, set during the revolutionary war. The film popped up on IMDB with the co-producer, Chris Weatherhead, named as director. I’d left the project in ’07 on the understanding that I would retain my credit, although there were still second unit scenes to be shot. In my absence the film had been re-edited, changing it from an ensemble film (starring four or five actors, including myself) to a vehicle for Chris.

I was left with a dilemma – should I fight for my director credit to have something to show for the two and a half years’ work, even though the final product would be different from the story I’d shot? Chris told me that she wanted to share the director credit, but that her fellow producers had voted her down on the idea.

Whatever the outcome may be, this upsetting affair made me more determined to make my own projects as good as I could possibly make them. That including shooting Cold Soldiers, an espionage thriller that has been in production on a part-time basis since November 2007.

FEBRUARY

In February I filmed the Miss Charleston Scholarship Pageant, the second year that I’ve covered the event. I record the interviews with each candidate and the show itself, giving me a behind-the-scenes insight into the pageant process. I’m always amazed how the organizer Randall Dukes helps so many people prepare for the event; his work never stops, as he guides the winners through their year at the top. He stays positive no matter how stressful the whole process can get.

I cut down on my acting this year, purposefully concentrating on writing and directing. But I kept my hand in, first with a Keystone Kops raid for the Actors’ Theatre of SC. I burst into a ‘20s-themed function with several fellow Kops, whistles blowing, arms waving, making sure that the guests’ drinks were prohibition-approved. I also narrated a couple of children’s stories for Chamber Music Charleston: Ferdinand the Bull and Mary Had a Little Lamb, introducing kids to classical instruments and emotive music.

The first Ferdinand show at the Footlights Theatre was nerve-wracking because I had to follow the music to find my cues for the story. But the performance was successful enough to warrant more bull tales later in the year, and as I got more confident I was able to move around and add more flourishes.

I was able to share my acting horror stories with a fresh group of acting students at South of Broadway Studios in North Charleston, where I began a new course. This is a theatre that I’d checked out when I first arrived in Charleston, and I’d filmed a show for them in 2007. But it was in ’08 that I developed a relationship with the company that would lead to my trip to the Big Apple, a feature-length documentary and a new play.

The theatre was my venue for Metamorphosis, a free multimedia artshow created by Philip Hyman. The show took up the whole area and included paintings, music and a mini-film festival. My job was to procure and screen the films, with the help of Sam and my wife, Ros. I feel that it’s important to support filmmakers and get their work shown as much as possible. The show opened with Trevor Erickson’s animated comedy quickie 2001, and included work by Kevin Harrison of PDA, Cameron Lovejoy and Richard Almes of Almes Productions.

We also premiered Undead on Arrival, a short film inspired by my novel. The film was written by Henry Riggs of the sketch comedy group Maximum Brain Squad, and it featured his fellow squad members. In the film, slacker zombies are sent to a rest home where they can be left alone to eat human flesh in peace (and pieces).

A stripped-down version of the film was submitted to George Romero’s Diary of the Dead video competition and quickly garnered almost 1000 hits on MySpace. Not a huge number, I know, but I’m always amazed when people show any interest in my projects so I was pleased and grateful.

I ran into Kevin Harrison again at a PDA trade show, where he demonstrated a glidecam. I filmed his demo with my little point-and-shoot camera, and to my surprise over 500 people watched the clip on YouTube. Who knew camera equipment could be such a draw?

February was also the month that Volition premiered. This short Star Wars fan film, directed by Scott Piekarczyk, had been almost three years in the making. Volition follows the efforts of a small group of Padawans who put their futures in jeopardy to find their friend and bring her home, only to find that the Dark Side has found her first! Running under 20 minutes with credits, the production time for this flick is a good indication of how long it can take to complete a low-budget, part time project. Its premiere at the Map Room in West Ashley was an excuse for all the filmmakers involved (myself included) to get together and drink too much membrosia.

Over at the Charleston City Paper, the new managing editor and A&E editor were making what they called “rookie mistakes.” For the Charleston Comedy Festival, they commissioned me to write 800 word articles. These were trimmed down to 250 words when the eds realized they didn’t have enough space. I didn’t blame them – it’s impossible to predict how much advertizing space will be sold for the paper, and without sufficient ads the issue has to be trimmed.

Besides, covering the comedy festival gave me the chance to interview cool groups like Harvard Sailing Team. These young funsters enjoyed a glory year, with a hit musical show and appearances on Sesame Street.

I also reviewed movies for the paper, including Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. How could I complain when I was being paid to watch cartoons and write about them? Sadly, the film reviewing gig didn’t last long – we don’t get many advance screenings in this neck of the woods – so I returned to my regular beat of theater and visual arts reporting.

I had less to moan about than most. A severe drought had hit the Lowcountry, drying out the mighty Lake Moultrie. Always one to grasp an opportunity, I filmed reptile expert Roark Ferguson trapping a lizard on the lakebed, using the area to double as Sri Lanka. With the tree roots showing and desolation as far as the eye could see, the replacement was very convincing.
















Cold Soldiers publicity shot by Robbin Knight.

MARCH

After a couple of months’ break we recommenced filming Cold Soldiers. Like All For Liberty, this independent feature film is complex and tough to shoot on a modest budget. Despite our irregular schedule, stars like RW Smith, Sandra VanNatta and Michael Easler stayed committed to their characters and continued to deliver strong, consistent performances that made my job easier. Actors like Trevor Erickson and Charlie Thiel amazed me by constantly helping out behind the camera as well.

I hoped to screen the Undead on Arrival short film at the City Paper’s annual Best Of party, alongside Steve Daniels’ amazingly sick Strings of Death. For the 2008 party, the eds chose a zombie theme complete with costumes, zombie-related music and a zombie walk down King Street. I wonder where they got that idea from? To my knowledge the films were never shown, to the disappointment of the attendant cast.

Sam started playing baseball, continuing his parent-led quest to become an All American Boy (he was born in Scotland). His mom was more committed than ever to the cub scouts, leading her den on various expeditions and crafty activities throughout the year.

In Mount Pleasant I joined an educational program on the USS Laffey, Patriots Point, taking pictures of a group of stalwarts who dress in WWII gear and describe what life was like on the ship while it was in full service. Sleeping on the Laffey and hanging out with its “crew” of volunteers was an authentic and unforgettable experience.

Back in West Ashley, I filmed interviews at the slave cabins on Magnolia Plantation. These cabins were still lived in less than fifty years ago, so we recorded many living memories of African American life there. The interviews were conducted by Craig Hadley, whose Living History Group is managing restoration of the cabins.

APRIL

In April I completed Cat City, a sequel to my first novel Milk Treading. It follows the adventures of Julius Kyle, a feline reporter who follows his kidnapped mate to a politically correct city far from his homeland. Julius doesn’t agree with this PC world where dogs and cats are trying to live together in harmony. Soon after he arrives the system starts to crumble.

At the City Paper I wrote for a Green-themed issue, which sported an impressive papercut cover by local artist/filmmaker Eric Vincent. Around the same time I started working with Eric on commercials, books and film projects.

My own major project for the month was a music video called Know When To Walk Away. Scrubs star Zach Braff wanted submissions to use as clips in his own official video for Jay Clifford’s song. I shot my version over three long nights in North Charleston, and a couple of short snippets were used in the official version.

I did a spot more acting in a murder mystery for the Actors’ Theatre, playing the weasily British poet & publisher Byron Donne. I witnessed some much better acting in PURE Theatre’s Eurydice, mounted at a half-indoor, half-outdoor space in North Charleston. By this time I was already working on previews for the Spoleto Festival, so I interviewed the characters on camera and filmed part of the play for the company. The magical tale of Orpheus’ bride in the Underworld led to some great images and mesmeric tunery by the New Music Collective.

MAY

SC’s School of the Arts is a county-wide magnet school that blends intensive artistic instruction with a strong academic program for nearly 1,000 students in grades 6-12. It’s the kind of school I wish I’d gone to when I was a starry-eyed sprog. In May I was invited to judge a series of ten minute plays at the school. The quality of the plays was astounding for the high-school age concerned.

I also helped out at Charleston’s new International Film Festival, introducing some of the films and catching some memorable flicks. These included Fred Blurton & Gary Taylor’s Osso Bucco, JJ Lask’s On the Road with Judas and Brad Jayne’s Song of Pumpkin Brown.

I had my own little mini-fest as part of Philip Hyman’s second multimedia art show, Evolution. I showed films by Colin Somers (Somersault), Randy Schrader (That New Car Smell) and Richard Almes (HALOS). HALOS stands for Help And Lending Outreach Support. It’s an organization that provides much needed resources and services to abused and neglected victims served by the Charleston County Department of Social Services.





Richard’s short follows two urchins who are helped by the 11-year-old HALOS, which has been recognized by the SC American Professional Society of Abuse to Children for its collaborative, innovative approach to assisting victims.

Progress continued on Cold Soldiers, with new actors joining the cast (including Danny Jones and Chris Gay) and improvements made to the script. I also began filming a feature-sized documentary with the working title of Broadway Bootcamp. Every year South of Broadway sends kids to stay the Juilliard School in New York. There they study with top-level teachers (including Bob Luke, on-set coach for Enchanted). I filmed a cross-section of the kids in SC before they left, visiting Summerville, Mount Pleasant and St. George in the process.






The Witch of Portobello was a project with similarities to the George Romero and Zach Braff competitions. This time, the source was a book and filmmakers were invited to choose a character and create a short movie to represent one of its characters. Independent director Beth Slagsvol chose the Witch and I played Heron Ryan, a peripheral character. In the makeup room, I was proud that my red neck needed to be toned down (the result of five years living in the South Carolina sunshine). And although I was initially told that I wouldn’t be dancing, I ended up jigging about with professional tango and ballet dancers in a party scene. The pros looked splendid. I looked loopy.

Although Beth’s film didn’t win the competition, it came close and it has some gorgeous shots in it.

Also in May, I wrote about the Lost Trades boat builders for Charleston Magazine, my first full-length feature for the publication. Sam had his first communion, Ros upped her scout leader training and I covered Spoleto for the City Paper and the Post & Courier – a division of labor that would lead to an enforced break from the A&E department I’d helped edit mere months beforehand.

With Cold Soldiers only half-complete and Broadway Bootcamp entering production, there was no way I could take on any more projects. Yet by the year’s end I’d have two more movies and another book project on my plate – and I’d undergo the scariest test I’d ever taken.

To be continued…