JUNE

At the City Paper we’re encouraged to research the Spoleto and Piccolo festivals long before they start, letting the A&E editor know which shows we’d like to cover. After making my requests months before the fest and being promised that I could cover them, I did plenty of preparation on each piece. But when it came to the crunch, I found myself assigned to other shows.

I’m also encouraged to blog for the paper on an unpaid basis, especially during Spoleto. This year was different. After several days trying to access the CP blog, aided by a baffled webmaster, I was told that there was a freeze on non-staff members blogging (I’m a freelancer). I already had a bunch of blogs and interviews that I’d personally lined up. I didn’t want to waste even more work, and I thought it was important to let Spoletians know what was going on on a day-to-day basis. So the stories ended up on the Post & Courier’s Spoleto Today website.

Likewise with my video pieces – I made them partly to show the CP’s editor what I could do with a camera, in the inevitable event that the paper started getting serious about multimedia content. The vids were ignored (official line: “we don’t know if we’ll have time to get to them”), so they ended up on the P&C site as well. I also guested on a few of Today’s audio shows/podcasts, interviewing David Lee Nelson and the Charleston Academy of Music. After a wee bit of number crunching, the hard-working people behind Spoleto Today – including Dan & Janet Conover and Geoff Marshall – left the paper or accepted a buy-out as the publishers tightened their belts that Autumn. The remaining veterans now pull double or triple duty at the paper; that’s why you’ll find film writers covering travel or sports writers doing life columns.

More than anything, the festivals are a great excuse to catch up with everyone downtown. I danced at a workshop held by poet/performer Marc Bamuthi Joseph, watched “Monkey” rehearsals with the director Chen Shi-Zheng (we discussed the astounding Japanese TV version and the original source novel), chatted with actress Joy Vandervort-Cobb (we discussed eyebrows) and saw Jay Clifford perform with a section of the CSO. At that show, violinist Brent Price proposed to Katherine Bailey (in a very roundabout fashion) and she accepted. Ah, the summertime!

In 2004 I helped put together a Film Festival on Folly Beach. At the time I was teaching a filmmaking class and the fest was designed as a showcase for their finished projects, as well as work by other filmmakers worldwide. Five years later the fest had grown considerably, moving from the local library to the Holiday Inn Ballroom. Festival coordinator Chris Weatherhead hosted a discussion about filming dos and don’ts with short form director Todd Tinkham. I wanted to jump up and ask him what to do if someone took your credit. I stayed silent in true British stiff-upper-lip fashion.

There were other projects on the horizon. Preproduction began on “Holy City”, a nourish vampire film created by JC Conway. JC plans to spin the concept off into a TV show. I also filmed interviews with Phil Noble and Steve Skarden about their non-profit project, Laptops SC. It aims to get less-than-$200 laptops to underserved schools throughout the state. The interviews were directed by Craig Hadley.

June was also the month that I visited New York. As I’d predicted to myself, it blew my mind. However, the city was much friendlier and easier to navigate than I expected. In my week at Juillard, I grabbed plenty of footage for “Broadway Bootcamp” and saw the immense hard work the students put into their classes: dancing, singing, acting, the bootcampers could do it all.

JULY

Just in time for star Julio Cotto’s birthday, the “Know When To Walk Away” video premiered at Torch in downtown Charleston. I got out of town a few times, nipping to Washington, DC to prepare for my Citizenship Test (to become an English-American) and Walterborough for a “Cold Soldiers” location scout. As we roared through a cobwebbed swamp on a little open-canopy jeep, banana spiders tried to eat my face. To recover from the ordeal, I had to pop into the brand new Apple Store on King Street on my way home.

In Columbia I plugged “Undead on Arrival” at the Richland Library. So far it’s the only time I’ve given a talk about the book.

AUGUST

Some projects sit on the backburner for a while, allowing me to get on with pother things. For over a year I’d been working on a film about local band Black Eyed Susan. In August I completed the short film and hope to screen it in the near future.

At JC’s sanctum sanctorum we held a read-through of the first half of “Holy City”, aided by accomplished actors like Mark Gorman and Andrea Conway. On the “Cold Soldiers” front I invited Jimmy Hager to join the cast. He agreed, then candidly told me that a negative review I’d written of Charleston Stage’s “Denmark Vesey” play had pissed him off (he was the co-star). This led to a rather uncomfortable moment in my living room. I’m glad he still agreed to work on my film despite the critical review. His performance was everything I expected it to be.

To help pay the bills, Trevor Erickson kindly tipped me to some Porter-Gaud football games that needed to be filmed. This was my introduction to high school football games, with its pomp, circumstance, ornery coaches and committed communities (some of the schools even printed T-shirts for individual games). The work took me all over the state, from small fields in Charleston to fancy stadiums in Columbia, in all weathers – heat, cold, torrential rain, even lightning storms – the games must go on.

SEPTEMBER

Sam took his first piano lesson and soon learned how to play the theme from “Star Wars”. I got on with my next novel, a mix of fantasy and police procedural called “Virtual Illusion”. And Rink Entertainment assigned me to assist on “Army Wives Gives Back,” where the stars of the hit TV show give brand new Mustangs to real-life army wives.

Over at South of Broadway, I wrote and directed a play called “Planetfall” for a first-ever Playwriting Festival. The on-the-ball actors in the staged reading were JC Conway, Mark Gorman, Jelena Zerega and Bill Davis.

OCTOBER

In October work began in earnest on “Healing Springs”, a documentary about the area in mid-state SC directed by Craig Hadley. The natural springs are said to have miraculous healing properties, and the land is the only half-acre in the state to be deeded to Almighty God. Doesn’t he own everything already?

At Fort Moultrie, Linda Eisen, Mark Gorman and Carol Antman put together a multi-part tribute to Edgar Allen Poe. Various actors performed Poe’s greatest hits, including a memorable “Premature Burial” starring Braxton Williams and “The Black Cat” rendered by Danny Jones.
The Playwriting Festival was a success, leading to talks of a sequel and a workshop in October. Stepping up to read a couple of monologues, I got to add the Devil to my acting resume (which includes a serial killer, a rapist, a cat DJ and a WWI soldier).

I hadn’t heard from the City Paper’s A&E editor since Spoleto, but I continued to write for the news section. For the annual Give Guide, I covered the Trident Literary Association (which battles illiteracy in the tricounty area) & Carolina Autism. Members of the latter organization were on the set of “Dear John”, a Nicholas Sparks movie shooting in Charleston. One of the leads had been given to an autistic child, so CA was on hand to make sure that his needs were met. Their knuckles were rapped for talking to me outside of the Sparks publicity machine, but not too hard – informing readers of CA’s work was a good thing under any circumstances.

While “Dear John” lit up James Island, production on “Cold Soldiers” picked up speed again. Although I’d been working behind the scenes on the film every day, there were still plenty of fights, car chases and dramatic sequences left to film. We gained permission to film on the Yorktown, transforming it into a terrorist-held hostage ship for a day. We were aided by Arlene Lagos, who joined us on the movie as publicist, actress and extra wrangler.

For Boone Hall, I shot and couple of nasty commercials featuring the “Son of Saw.” It got the desired effect – parents called the plantation to complain that the ads were scaring their kids. The “Saw’s Scream” campaign and its star Carl Hedgepeth were so successful that Boone Hall added extra dates to their attraction.

In the same Halloween vein, at the end of the month I went ghost hunting with Darkwater Investigations, a local company that looks for sprectral anomalies in alleged haunted places. We didn’t find any spooks, but I got a fascinating glimpse into the world of a bunch of dedicated, refreshingly cynical folk.

NOVEMBER

Much of November was spent working on a screenplay for “Small Altars”, a feature film project created by Eric Vincent. This is the tale of an artist who accidentally summons a demonic deity who makes his life a misery. The artist is forced to “sacrifice” people to the god (they’re turned into zombies), and ultimately has to choose whether he will sacrifice himself to save the woman he loves. “Small Altars” is slated for production this summer.

The City Paper’s A&E editor called me and told me he hadn’t spoken to me for four months because I’d written Spoleto stuff for the Post & Courier. This despite the fact that I’d given him first dibs for my stories, and that I’ve been writing for the P&C for five years – all on an unpaid basis. For whatever reason, the editor had decided to put the incident “behind him” and I started writing art reviews again. This gave me the chance to cover some great shows at Redux, Corrigan Gallery and Spark Studios, among others.

At the end of the month I took my Citizenship test. To become a bona fide US citizen you have to pay a fee of almost $1000, take an oral and written test, and learn about American history, politics and geography. Sample questions: Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? How many years does a US Senator’s term last? What did Susan B. Anthony do?

The experience was scary for me because I knew my future was in the hands of a bureaucrat. One wrong word and I’d be $1000 poorer. The guy who tested me was actually quite friendly – he said he was pleased to find a candidate who could speak English. But my hands were still shaking so much that I could hardly put the pen back in its holder.

My wife and I were told that we had passed and that we’d narrowly missed the deadline to take the Oath of Allegiance that day. We were informed that it would happen next week. Six weeks later, we’ve heard nothing from the INS.

DECEMBER

While interviewing the Lost Trades boatbuilding crew for Charleston Magazine, I’d expressed an interest in helping them finish their catamaran and sailing with them. Glad I didn’t; the ship was wrecked in a storm off the coast of South Carolina. The crew survived, saying that the grilling they got from the insurance company was worse than any squall.

With Christmas approaching I donned a white beard and red suit to play Santa – my sixth Holiday season as Mr. Claus. Adding padding to my stomach to round out my belly, I sweated through 80 degree heatwaves. I was always either too hot or too cold. I felt nauseous. My feet hurt. I had strange cravings for cookies and candy canes. I started to realize what it must be like to go through the early stages of pregnancy.

By year’s end, the scripts for “Holy City” and “Small Altars” were coming together and “Cold Soldiers” is nearing completion at last. The Bootcamp documentary premieres on January 25th. The wheels of publishing turn slow, so it’ll be 2010 (at least) before “Cat City” is printed. But at least I feel like I’ve gained closure on a couple of issues – the City Paper editor’s code of silence ended, and I called my dad after months of not hearing from him (he’s a busy man, apparently). I’m reminded more than ever that I can’t achieve my goals alone. With my family and friends I can create - and complete - bigger and better projects in 2009.

I recently directed a music video for a Zach Braff-hosted competition. He was looking for video clips to include in his Know When To Walk Away promo. My interpretation of the Jay Clifford video will premiere tonight at Torch, 545 King Street in downtown Charleston. The video involves many local crew and actors, including Julio Cotto.

Julio is an inspired artist who recently moved from Charleston to Greenville, SC. He’ll be having a Torch-hosted party tonight (July 10).

In his own words (from his MySpace account): “Torch! Tonight! Be there! Torch is throwing me a Birthday Party! A Going Away Party! And a Screening for the Jay Clifford music video Party! All in one! The party officially kicks off at 10pm. The screening for the video will start around 9pm.I hope to see you tonight!”

Pictured: Julio Cotto as a horny cop in my version of the Know When to Walk Away video. He lip-synchs and all, you know.

With Piccolo Spoleto reaching its last weekend, I've just finished reviewing my last batch of plays for the local papers. Since the festival is about more than just theatre, there are still other events to cover; tonight I'll be spending An Evening with Jay Clifford at the American Theatre.

Last night I was at the fifth Felder Film Festival, and it was great to watch my short film Undead on Arrival with a crowd of people - a very different experience from watching hit counters on a YouTube site. That's why internet video won't be replacing TV or movie theaters just yet...

On Tuesday I saw Cloud Tectonics at Lance Hall, near the Circular Congregational Church. PURE Theatre managed to breathe fresh life into a show they've done a few times already.

The next night I saw The Great War, a multimedia story told with miniscule models that were videotaped and beamed onto a big screen. One of the best elements of the show was the sound and music, provided by

No sooner do I wrap filming of one competition (music videos for Jay Clifford's Know When to Walk Away) than another one comes up - but this time I was on the other side of the camera.

Author Paolo Coelho has teamed up with HP to bring his novel The Witch of Portobello to celluloid life. Filmmakers have been invited to shoot shorts from the points of view of different characters in the book. The best films will hopefully be combined into a feature.

I played a character called Heron Ryan in a short made by South Carolina filmmakers for the comp. The shoot was highly professional despite a modest budget, with some sumptuous images created with a Panasonic Pro HD camera.

The script by Beth Slagsvol and Shannon Bogan changed a lot since I first saw it, and I had to think on my feet when I arrived at the first Charleston location on Saturday morning. My agent had told me I'd be playing a different character, so I'd studied a different scene. But I figured things out as best I could.

On Sunday I appeared in a protest scene in the morning. Apparently some people don't take kindly to witched, even in this day and age. A downtown Charleston street doubled for Portobello Road, complete with black cab.

In the afternoon a "white room" was set up in a warehouse on Brigade Street. The room was created with white boards on the floor and white flowing curtains for walls. I was surrounded by professional dancers, ballet and tango experts. I danced with them and tried not to look too stupid.

A friend saw me doing this called her husband on her cellphone. She couldn't believe the sight. "Nick Smith's dancing," she said in hushed tones.

By the end of the day the film had wrapped and I'd figured out how my character fit into the story. Hopefully, Beth and Shannon's version of events will make the final cut. It's not too late to enter the competition yourself, mind. Further details below.

Catch you at the Film Fest!

This has been the busiest week of the year so far for me and I’m pooped. I started the week with three acting classes in a row, teaching at the Lowcountry Senior Center (where we’re planning a Shakespeare-themed showcase), South of Broadway in North Charleston and in Pine Forest, Summerville.

On Tuesday I directed a music video for Know When to Walk Away. It will be submitted to a competition created by Zach Braff to build a compilation film to accompany the Jay Clifford song.

The catchy tune will be featured in an upcoming episode of Gray’s Anatomy, so hopefully you’ll be hearing it everywhere soon.

By Wednesday I was working furiously on City Paper previews for Piccolo Spoleto. It gave me a chance to interview several cool creative people, including David Lee Nelson of Skinny White Comics and Chris Smith of the sketch comedy group Harvard Sailing Team. Check out their swanky new website!

I also took my eight-year-old son to baseball practice. It’s great to see him involved in the ultimate American pastime (no, i don’t mean video poker). Sam could be a great player if he ever stops lollygaggin’ on third base.

Thursday night I was a judge at Charleston County School of the Arts’ Spring Playfest. Talented high school-aged kids put on ten minute plays and I assessed their merit in terms of vocal ability, stage presence, believability etc.

Friday I appeared on Lowcountry Live to plug Undead on Arrival. I was the last guest on the local chat show, on after the dog. I think that would make a great title for my memoirs.

Today I’ll be signing copies of the novel at Waldenbooks, then racing to the Charleston International Film Festival to usher in audiences and introduce a couple of the films.

Strangely, despite the fact that I’m a film critic for the CP and I’ve covered the festival in depth, I haven’t been contacted by the organizers (I’ve had to chase them up) and I’ve been given no press pass or invite to the awards ceremony. They must know what a party crashing freeloader I am.

In between all that I’ve been auditioning for film roles, chauffeuring my family hither and yon, and trying to catch some zzzs. Of course, I couldn’t do it all without the support of my friends, colleagues and students. Thanks guys.