Motto

"All the time I'm not writing I feel like a criminal." -Fran Lebowitz

OHO

Pre-production continues apace for One Hour Outcall. Auditions are set for this Friday, September 2nd, and the slots are filling up fast. If you’re interested, please read below posts for more information and contact me directly to make an appointment.

Fundraising for the project is ongoing, and people have begun graciously contributing. We’ll need all the help we can get to bring One Hour Outcall to fruition, so if you’ve got a mind to assist the project, by all means, let me know - any financial contribution would be welcome. I’ll be continuing to ask for your assistance, and I appreciate your consideration.

In addition to the budget, we are starting to crew up the film. We’re looking to form a tight unit to create a real guerrilla independent film, so we need people who have enthusiasm and energy. This is a script I’m quite proud of, and I feel can really be an interesting project on which to work. Regardless of your experience, if you’re interested in working with us in any of the below positions, email me directly at 1ho.thefilm@gmail.com.

The positions currently open are:

-Director of Photography
-Sound Designer
-Hair & Makeup Artist
-Boom Operator/Grip
-Production Assistants (including anyone who can begin work during pre-production, who may serve as a grip and/or be able to cook)



Again, this is an independent film and we’re looking for a can-do attitude, initiative, and energy. Production is tentatively slated for late October through mid-November. If you’re interested, shoot me an email, and please pass along to anyone you feel might be willing to work with us. Thanks!

Auditions for One Hour Outcall are now set! 

The dates/times:

Audition: Friday, September 2, 2016 from 10a - 4p
Callbacks: Tuesday, September 6, 2016 from 10a - 4p

Location:
Hollywood Casting and Film
6900 Santa Monica Boulevard (at Mansfield)
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(310) 331-8730 (their phone #, not mine)

If you’re interested in auditioning, please check out the breakdown of the different roles in the post below, and email me directly at 1ho.thefilm@gmail.com with any questions regarding actor’s submission or if you’re interested in scheduling an audition.


Any questions, please let me know. T. and I are getting excited; hope you are too.
OHO Update - August 15, 2016

Greetings, everyone! Thanks for taking a look at the first update on the ongoing production of One Hour Outcall. Check back here as things move forward; I’ll be posting progress reports, diary entries, and various other sundries to keep you all informed.
     
Things have officially kicked off, and my mindset constantly bounces back and forth between “We have time,” and “Oh, crap, we’re running out of time!” There are a lot of moving parts to independent film production. It feels like I’m trying to herd several different animals in a line so that no one gets left behind.

Many of you received the initial announcement last week. As mentioned, I plan to raise $40,000 to see us all the way through submitting for festivals, so if you’d like to help, please get in touch with me. Know that your contribution will go towards creating a dynamic, unique independent film, and a further building of my creative voice. It’s my most ambitious project to date. I will need all the help I can get.

T. Arthur Cottam, One Hour Outcall’s director, and I met last week for a terrific “kitchen sink” pre-production meeting, which means we talked about everything, and then I realized fifty things that we forgot to talk about five minutes after I drove away. We’ve talked again since. T.’s busy this week breaking down my script, with an eye towards production taking place between late October and November.

Much of what we discussed had to do with casting, of course. If I do say so myself, One Hour Outcall has several challenging, meaty roles for actors - especially for women. We’re shooting to have auditions by month’s end, and I will post the breakdown of available roles later today. When I do, please take a look (please read carefully), pass along to anyone you think might be right, and if you’re interested, please email me at 1ho.thefilm@gmail.com.

Our social media’s beginning to grind. If you’re not following on Twitter, the handle is @OHOfilm - follow, RT, all that jazz. If you haven’t “liked” the Sophisticated Rogue Media page on Facebook already, get on over there and do so. I'll strive to make One Hour Outcall’s presence known on social media so we can build momentum as production approaches.

Okay, that’s it for now. My split brain continues to battle itself.

“We have time.”

“Oh, crap, we’re running out of time!”

SOPHISTICATED ROGUE - SUMMER UPDATE & AN ANNOUNCEMENT

Hello, fan(s) of Sophisticated Rogue-

I hope this summer finds you well, or at the very least, not yet melted into a pool of viscous, human goo. Thanks for checking in; I’ve always appreciated your support. I know, I know. Since my trip ended last year, I’ve been sporadic in my postings. Believe me; I have my reasons!

Hence this post! I wanted to give you a quick update on my artistic endeavors. Rather, one update and one announcement.

First, the update: I’ve been working hard on a memoir detailing that trip I took, the one where I visited 27 countries around the world from July 2013 - April 2014. If you’re a reader of this blog, you know the one: I wrote a bunch of playlets about getting yelled at by immigration officials and posted a bunch of selfies of me smirking in front of Great Wonders of the World.

Yeah, that one. The memoir is tentatively entitled Forget the time.

Now, I’ve been writing-

(Yes, I know you capitalize words in the title of a book. Yes, I know titles of books don’t have punctuation. Yes, you should infer from the lack of capitalization/inclusion of a period in my tentative title that I'm literarily rebellious. Now-)

-I’ve been writing steadily, putting down a lot of words, and growing more and more pleased with how the memoir is developing. It’s been great to re-live the journey, having memories both good and bad sparking the writing and proving to mean something significant even after my return.

I expect to have a finished draft within 2-3 months and am hoping to publish the finished book sometime in 2017. Please check back here for more updates, including when you can pre-order and other such stuff. Seriously, I grow prouder of this book each day I work on it. I believe Forget the time. (the title will make sense, I promise) will be funny, poignant, and (dare I say it) inspiring? If you enjoyed following my postings during those months, or you’re curious about international travel, or you’re just looking for Eat, Pray, Love for dudes, I predict you will enjoy Forget the time

(Relax. The title’ll grow on you.)

Now then, the announcement. Having conquered the world of theater and fiction, and in the process of vanquishing the world of memoir, next up is cinema. I want to let you know about my upcoming feature film project, One Hour Outcall.  A sophisticated, sexy drama, One Hour Outcall deals with the relationship between a high-class escort and her customer who meet every Thursday from 8-9 p.m. over the course of an entire year. Tensions increase when it’s revealed that the college roommate of the escort is the client’s estranged daughter. One Hour Outcall deals with guilt and power and unfolds in a unique, non-linear style.

Award-winning filmmaker T. Arthur Cottam has signed on to direct. Cottam’s films have screened at over 100 film festivals around the world, including AFI Fest, Austin Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival and Milan Film Festival.  His latest feature, Pollywogs, is currently playing on Amazon Prime.

Production for One Hour Outcall is scheduled for October 2016. I have established a $40,000 budget which will cover (but is not limited to): salaries for cast and crew, equipment rental, location fees, costumes, props, editing and other post-production costs. A subsequent campaign to find distribution and release through festivals and other avenues will ensue.

I believe One Hour Outcall is an excellent script to make a fresh, independent feature film. I’m proud of my writing in this piece. I’ve challenged myself to write something edgy, dramatic, and meaningful. I’m determined to execute an inventive idea within a reasonable budget, and I am excited to find an audience using every method available to a filmmaker today. 

I plan to update this blog with a One Hour Outcall diary of sorts, posting once a week or so about the progress of the production, from raising funds, to casting, through shooting and post-production. I’ve wanted to produce a feature film ever since I was a teenager, so as we move forward, I’m going to be writing about my attempt to fulfill this dream. Also, as we’ll be trafficking in the world of micro-budget filmmaking, I’ll be reaching out to anyone and everyone for help in all sorts of ways. If you’re interested in how to help, my email for the production is  1ho.thefilm@gmail.com, and the film’s Twitter handle is @OHOfilm.

So, there you go. Consider yourself updated, and announced. Thanks again for supporting my work, and check back here as I become less sporadic.



billy