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
